Chapter 3

"Salaam Ami" Asad said with a smile, walking towards the living area.

"Walekum asalam!" Dilshad replied with a beautiful smile adorning her face.

Dilshad picked up a tray holding tea set and walked at the dinning table.

"Where is everyone?" Asad asked looking at empty chairs around him.

"Whom are you asking for in particular?" Dilshad said with an alarmed voice while she busied herself in settling all the tea sets properly.

Slowly, a rosy scarlet color spread over Asad's cheeks, making his face take on an almost childlike appearance. He quickly turned their head away from Dilshad, embarrassed by his reaction.

Dilshad smiled warmly seeing Asad blush at her question. She let out a chuckle before answering him; "Tumhare abu aj jaldi office chale gaye , Nazma had an early lecture today so she left for half an hour early, nikhat and nuzhat are going for wedding shopping today.-" dilshad purposely stopped in between and tried not to smile looking at asad's falling expression. Asad appeared a little confused and nervous at dilshad by not hearing zoya's name in the list. He tried hard to form sensible words to ask dilshad about zoya's whereabouts' , without making it too obvious.

"wo ammi..wo actually..ami wo.." asad cleared his throat looking down meekly at his hand, his eyes holding an expression of lost puppy in rain. Dilshad looked at asad and flashed him a sweet smile. Asad rubbed the collar of his neck and returned her the same smile nervously.

"I am listening..." dilshad reminded him with a blink of her eyes.

Asad immediately shook his head and gave up the idea to ask but than his curiosity kicked in; "ammi...Wo...Actually... ami main puchna chahta tha..wo zo..-"this time dilshad could not help but burst out laughing. Asad looked at her confused and embarrassed through his lashes. Dilshad walked towards the big pillar and signed someone to come in. "I won phuphi, kaha than na maine... Asad aise he react krenge" she said nodding her head proudly. Dilshad let a contagious laugh which wrapped zoya to with it. Asad chuckled a bit while looking at dilshad and zoya in disbelief. He looked down at his hands, which he clenched and unclenched nervously, his face deepening to the red of a college girl just back from Cancun. After a moment, he looked up at them again, still unsure what to say.

"I won phuphi now give me my prize..." zoya said enthusiastically still letting out a small giggle while dilshad continued clutching her stomach with both hands.

"Yes zoya beta you deserve a prize." Dilshad said brushing zoya's side face lightly "and asad you..your expression..-" dilshad played his wo actually expression and trailed of rest of the words laughing

"Ha ha ha- very funny!" asad slapped a smile on face looking at zoya. "ammi I am going to the office : I have some urgent work to finish. Allah hafiz" asad said getting up from his seat; he walked up to dilshad and gave her a side hug before making way towards the door: ignoring zoya completely in the procedure. Zoya felt bad at seeing him ignore her and immediately her laughter died. "phuphi dekho na gussa ho kar chale gaye wo." She complained "inke dil me seena nai phattar hai..." she almost had a whining tone.

Dilshad looked at zoya subsiding to her amusement; "wo aisa he hai zoya; khud he gussa hoga or khud he maan jayega!" Dilshad consoled her with a genuine smile.

"phuphi asad ko bachpan me koi chot lagi thi kya?" zoya asked keenly. Dilshad dropped her hand to her sides and looked at zoya with a raised brow nodding in No.

"kyu?" Dilshad asked confused.

"kyunki sirf paglo ko aise dorhe padte hai ammi..." came a voice from the stairs.

Zoya closed her mouth which she opened to answer Dilshad and turned to her back to find Ayaan sliding on stairs wooden barricade.

"rabbert!" Zoya squealed in happiness.

"Morning beautiful" ayaan said in a flirty tone , flashing a quick smile to both

"Morning rabbert" zoya purposely used his nickname (she gave obviously) and returned him the same smile.

Ayaan walked to the center of living area and hugged dilshad from behind while whispering a salaam on the way. He gave a quick kiss to dilshad on her hair as dilshad is shorter than ayaan and moved back to zoya to give the same treatment.

"You look beautiful mom." He said looking at Dilshad while his feet made their way to Zoya for a morning hug.

Dilshad smiled at his son giving a slight nod to her neck. "Like always..." zoya gives ayaan a side hug while looking at dilshad with a grin.

Ayaan pulled himself from the hug and walked to the dinning table he took a chair next to zoya and dilshad.

"So mona ...Any plans for today?" ayaan asked munching on a paratha dilshad served him.

" ..Umm.. Nothing." Zoya shrugged and concentrated on chewing.

Ayaan looked at zoya with a mouthful of parathas; "I and humaira are going for a movie. Wanna come?" ayaan said looking at his empty plate.

"Well. Sure!" zoya said with a smile; stretching her hand on the other side of the table to pick up the parathas plate. She picked up one and served it in an Ayaan's plate and took one for herself too. zoya settled back on her chair again with a sweet smile. Her eyes met to dilshad who was smiling at their bonding. Zoya arched her eyebrow with a smile, dilshad nodded her head in no whicpering "nothing" softly as she turned back to the kitchen to finish her work.

"But who will call asad for the movie? I am sure he will again say a no with the world's most stupid excuses." Zoya huffed in annoyance.

Ayaan laughed with open mouth with stuffed paratha on it. "zoya, you know thakur loves to spend time with you but it's his office who plays a villian in your love story." He referred asad as thakur' a name which he and zoya had kept in their childhood.

"Are you kidding me?" zoya said with an American accent, looking at Ayaan from the corner of her eyes.

"Try him!" Ayaan shrugged. Pulling out his phone and offering her to take it.

Zoya waited for a few minutes before snatching cell from his palm. "Ok!" she quickly whispered while tapping few buttons and sliding it with the thumb. "Done" she simply said referring the text she sent to call Asad.

Both finished with their breakfast soon, Zoya walked to the kitchen to help dilshad with cleaning, while ayaan followed her by used plates in hands. zoya walked straight to the basin to wash utensils but ended up lost in her thought; fidgeting with the bar and brush nervously in wash basin which of-course dint go unnoticed by Dilshad.

"He will come, don't worry."dilshad assured her with a warm smile.

"I hope so..." zoya whispered softly giving a smile who dint even traced her almond eyes.

~O~

"...or wo hero dekha!" humera said excitingly "usne ek sath Panch Panch gundo ko maar bhagaya.." she said while showing her full hand in air emphasizing panch.

"...or to or.. Usne .- "ayaan was about to say something but felt few holes boring his side. His face drained color on seeing all the moulvis and other rehnumar people in his living couch, with amuses and confused look written all over their faces.

"kisiineee bataya nai , guest bhi aa rahe hai.." ayaan said with a slow tone while raising his hand to stretch. He roamed his eyes on every object placed on the couch while he plastered a fake smile on face.

"ayaan andar ao" called gaffoor with a smile.

Ayaan and Humaira nodded while walking to them." Salam walekum" both said together.

"walekum asalam." All men answered to both.

Gafoor eyed humaira who was blinking her eyes with a puppy face which yells "spare me from this torture Abu"

"beta tum dono jao tumhari ammi bula rahi hai shayad." Gaffur said with a stammer, lying is simply not his cup of tea.

Ayaan and Humaira disappeared with a giggle, while gaffur turned back to the men sitting right in his front.

"... ap bade kismet wale hai ke apki dono betiyan itni qabeel or hunhaar hai.warna kuch logo ki kismet me to betiyo se sirf dard or tohamat he milna likha hota hai." One men sitting in a row said in a dramatic tone.

"kiski baat kr rahe hai aap." Gaffur asked confused staring into the man's eyes.

"miya Abdul Baig ki beti Tanveer baig ki" the youngest in the group answered.

"kya kiya tanveer ne.." gaffur asked remembering a 12 year old Tanveer he met in madarsa reading kalma.

"aji kya nai kiya boliye..-"before the man could complete Rashid entered slamming the door on the wall. His eyes softened on seeing guest in his house. "maaf kijiye." He simply said making a track straight to his room.

Gaffoor had never witnessed Rashid's this kind of behavior in his long run freindship and so he easily could gauge whatever was troubling him should be big. He looked up to all people who had their jaws lying on floor.

"maaf kijiye mujhe ab jana hoga." He apologized to all with lowering his eyes. "Hum bhi chalte hai gaffoor sahib "said one of the men and all walked out of the house muttering something about tehzeeb and tameez. Gafoor immediately took off to Rashid's room.

"Bye Altaf! Shukriya for the ride." Zoya said flashing a cute smile to the man in the Volkswagen.

"Bye... zoya." Altaf waved his hand and turned the steering wheel to the left pushing the accelerator to take a run. Zoya looked at the car till he left her sight. She gave a nod to him when altaf signed his thumb and small finger in the air signaling he will call.

Zoya turned around to see groups of men marching towards her direction. She quickly slipped the scarf on her forehead Before anyone could see.

"salam." She quietly whispered with a genuine smile .

The majority of the men's cross passed her with a groan while the last person walking behind all replied with a warm smile; " walekum asalam beti, hum chalte hai. khyal rakhna apna" he said keeping his hand on top of her head. Zoya smiled giving a slight nod to him. the man brought his hand down to his side and walked with his group with a bright smile. Soon Everyone disappeared from Khan's property, Zoya sighed softly as she entered the house with a confuse look.

"Abu, Ammi!" she called but no one answered.

"Abu..." she said as she walked to the direction where soft weeping and shhh! The noise was coming from.

Zoya stopped in front of a door where the voice could be heard clearly. "Ye to dost ka room hai" zoya thought with a confusion.

She slightly peeked in just to get the shock of her life. Rashid had his head on gaffors shoulder and was weeping hard.

"Main barbaad hogaya." she heard Rashid whispering something like this to gaffoor. It was too difficult to understand it clearly between his hiccups.

"Ye dost ko kya hogaya" Trails of tears flow freely from Zoya's eyes as she tried to hear a little more.

"sab kuch khatam ho gaya!" Rashid said with a loud cry.

"barbad!" Zoya repeated the word to find out some meaning out of it, but could not understand any.

She thought to open the door and ask her father and dost about the matter directly but she could not make herself to do that also; " more of it, it was not the correct time for such questions" she thought. All she could do was weep across the door alone hiding from her abu and dost eyes and watch this two man whom she take it as her father : crying late night hysterically.