Ahad slowly walked over to Kanwal, who was staring into space, lost in her thoughts. As Ahad approached her back, he leaned towards Kanwal's ear and said, "Janaab ne yaad fermaya? (You called me - formal)" Kanwal nearly jumped on her seat and quickly got up.
"You scared me." Kanwal said, clenching her dupatta on her chest.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot that you have other emotions besides hatred." Ahad smirked and sat down next to Kanwal.
"Enjoying the weather?"Ahad asked, squinting his eyes because of the burning sunlight.
"Yes." Kanwal grinds her teeth.
"Your taste sure changed a lot while we were apart." Ahad stated nonchalantly.
"Why wouldn't it? You're not the only one who is allowed to change."
"Hmmm..! No wonder you got good at throwing fireballs from the mouth." Ahad looked up at the sun and then back to her. "So, are you planning to stay here and enjoy some more or come inside? Because my taste doesn't match with yours when it comes to weather." Ahad said and got up.
Kanwal didn't answer him and started walking toward the house. Ahad chuckled before following her, and his eyes kept on wandering around the area that led to the backside of the house. Ahad isn't the type of person who fears to face people, but he never found the courage to face a widow who had lost her only son, the main reason for her life.
He had seen dead bodies, but he avoided seeing the dead eyes of a mother. Although, he knew that those eyes will always smile upon him and her mouth will always open to give him the blessing. Still...
Ahad's train of thoughts stopped when he bumped into Kanwal's back, who had stopped at the entrance.
222
"Watch it." Kanwal said after regaining her composure in Ahad's hold on her arms.
"Why did you stop?" Asked Ahad.
"I am not going inside. You go first." Kanwal freed herself from Ahad's hands.
"What?"
"You go first." Kanwal said louder while avoiding eye contact with him.
Ahad slid his hands into his pockets and walked inside, eyeing her suspiciously.
"OH!"
Kanwal heard Ahad's surprised voice.
"Kya howa? (What happened?)" Startled, Kanwal also went in.
"Yahan to kuch bhi nahi hai (There is nothing here)". He turned around on his heels to say to Kanwal with a wide smirk, "Did you really go out to enjoy the weather?" Ahad asked with the same teasing tone as before.
"I am not lying. I heard noises here." Kanwal frowned.
"What noises?" Ahad asked, getting serious.
"A crashing sound and many other noises like someone was in the house with me."
"Must be your imagination." Ahad mumbled loud enough for Kanwal to hear.
"It wasn't my imagination." Kanwal said in irritation.
"Okay, fine... but you see, wife, I can't see the source of noise." Ahad said, looking around.
"The noises were coming from the hallway." Kanwal informed and Ahad's head snapped towards her.
"The hallway?" Ahad asked.
"Yes."
"Hmmm!" Ahad hummed and strode towards the bedroom instead of checking the hallway.
"Where are you going?" Kanwal asked.
"To change into some comfortable clothes and relax, wife. Jahangir has already checked everything." He didn't wait for Kanwal or her answer. Kanwal stood in her place for several minutes before giving up the hope that Ahad would come back and listen to her seriously.
She cautiously sat on the stairs that go up to the roof. Soon after, Ahad appeared in her vision, coming towards her, with the same clothes.
"Um, get ready. I am going out and will be late, so I'll drop you at your parents' house and will pick you up on my way back home." He announced, standing before her.
"What?" Kanwal couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Ahad rolled his eyes and said, "I am dropping you at your parents' house. Get ready in five minutes if you want to go." He didn't stay there after that.
Kanwal abruptly got up and started getting ready. Ahad silently watched her excitement but refrained from making any remark. Although the frown on his forehead can easily be seen. When Kanwal got ready, without wasting a minute, Ahad led her to his car. They sat in silence all the way to Kanwal's parents' house.
"I will pick you up before dinner." Ahad said, looking straight out the windscreen.
His mind was still stuck on the phone call he received from Moosa, as he made the oddest request Ahad could ever imagine, he asked him to send Kanwal to see her family.
Ahad doesn't like to relax the rules for anyone, even for his own wife. But this wasn't his main concern right now, his thoughts were circling around the reason for Moosa's request. Ahad took a deep breath and turned to Kanwal's side, who was still in her seat.
"You're not gone yet?" He asked, looking at Kanwal in surprise.
"Why do you want to send me?" She questioned him back in a strange tone.
"What do you mean by sending? Don't you want to see your family?"
"But you said before that I am not allowed to."
"That's none of your concern." Ahad averted his eyes.
"You are planning on something, aren't you?"
"What?" Ahad's head snapped towards Kanwal.
"What will you do if I went to see my family?"
"Huh? What do you mean? What will I do?"
"Will you or your men hurt my family if I meet them?"
"Why would we do that?" Ahad got irritated.
"So, you wouldn't?" Ahad didn't answer her this time. He simply gave her a silent glare.
"...And no one would do any harm to Mano if I contact her?" She asked very carefully.
"Why do you ask about Mahnoor?" Ahad frowned, thinking of the possibility that she knew something about Moosa's interest in Mahnoor.
"....you told me to meet my family, and Mano is not my family, so would it be okay if I call her or meet her?"
"Just tell me the truth." Ahad could easily tell that she was making it up.
"I am afraid that you wouldn't allow me to meet her."
Ahad scoffed and mumbled, "How could I? When she is the reason."
"What?" Kanwal couldn't hear clearly.
"Nothing. You can call her or ask her to come. But you will not leave the house. Now get going, I have somewhere to go."
Kanwal didn't say anything afterward and silently stepped out of the car. She was astonished at the sudden change in Ahad and was a little suspicious too, but for a while, she wanted to forget everything.
Kanwal inhaled a deep breath of the delicious smell of her mother's cooking coming from the house. Gingerly, she pressed the doorbell. Soon after, the door opened and she was instantly hugged by Alina.
"I missed you...!" Kanwal said and hugged her back.
"Ami, Api is here!" Alina shouted, parting from Kanwal, and dragged her inside, to the place that wasn't a beautiful mansion but felt like home.
__________________________
Assalam o Alaikum readers,
Hope you all are doing well. Kindly leave your comments below to let me know your thoughts. I'll be looking forward to your comments.
Take Care & Allah Haffiz
#lovestory #pakistaninovel #urudnovel #pakistanistory #pakistanidrama #drama #lightnovel
0 Comments