Its DOUBLE DHAMAKA time... two chapters at once... ha ha ha...
Thanks to all of you who have liked and commented... your comments will be replied soon... hugs to you all for supporting this story and me.. thnks u so much...
Forgive all the mistakes, didnt really got time to recheck both the chapters. So forgive all the mistakes.
Aaliya placed sloppy kisses on both sarah and sammy's chubby cheeks, while sarah grinned... sammy.. the rough and tough little rubbed his cheek groaning. But they both returned the affection by giving quick kisses on alliya's both cheeks making aaliya smile.
She engulfed them in a short hug.
They chorused while shaking their heads up and down several times. Their mischievous eyes saying.. not many of those commands were going to be followed. But then again.. this was what childhood was all about. Doing all the naughtiness... trying to break the rules... do things their own way. But a parent had to do.. what a parent had to do. Try slowing them a little... so that they dont go out of control.
Jenna was their baby sitter, a middle aged woman with an always smiling face, friendly and sweet. Sarah and sammy liked the woman but what they didnt like was listening to anyone without their mother.
A bell rang and aaliya opened the door to let jenna in, she left the house and kids under jenna's care after giving another pair of kisses to the little ones.
Today she wanted to take a ride of that subway train to her office. All the while wishing that her broken car getting repaird in the garage gets well soon. It had been just three days since her long term companion... the second hand suv had betrayed for the first time in two and a half years in the middle of the road. And already she was missing driving. Yesterday she called the mechanic, it seemed like.. the second hand car didnt have much life-strength left in it. Was it indicating to her that it was time to buy a brand new car.
While walking in her white blouse; pencil skirt and work heels... aaliya pondered over the idea, yes.. she could do that. Her salary had increased last month and she was hoping for a promotion soon. So it wouldnt be that bad to get themselves the pleasure of having a new car.
Opening the lock of her office door with her card.. aaliya walked in, placed her shoulder bag upon the work desk with a sigh. A long day ahead, it was the most busiest day of the week and never failed to left her exhausted by the end of the office hours.
She made herself comfortable in her swivelling chair thinking that... when she gets home.. she would talk about buying a new car with sarah and sammy. Though they were just five and a half years old.. aaliya never looked down at them. She used to treat her children almost as equals.. and as a reward had earned the respect of them... not by scaring them like other mothers would do.
She chuckled to herself while turning on her computer... there would surely raise a heated argument over the color choice of the new car... blue or pink ...
Aaliya was still smiling when there was a knock at the tinted glass door, she looked up from the computer to see jonathon's head poking in through the slightly opened door. Aaliya made a fake irritated face.
Jonathon.. being the boss of this banking domain was dominating and controlling but only a few knew that he had a total different side to his personality.. a friendly and a very kind one that is. One of those fews to know his this side was aaliya. Jonathon liked her and trusted her over all the confidential issues and prospects of the company. It was from him.. aaliya got the hints of getting a promotion soon.
Jonathon made his way inside and helped himself to sit upon the edge of her desk.. knowing too well that aaliya hated when he sat over there, it seemed to her as if he was attempting to intimidate her. Standing up grumbling and leaning across the desk aaliya pushed jonathon away.
He sat in a chair now across the desk and aaliya to sat back shaking her head smiling.
He was in his boss mood suddenly and rested her back against the back rest of her chair.
Jonathon rested his elbows on her desk and folded his hands there.
Aaliya nodded her head in affirmative feeling slightly embarrassed, it was rare that any rules of office was broken by her.. and those few rare times were always unpurposefully.
A genuine and pleasant smile spread across her lips at the mention of sarah and sammy.
They talked for a couple of minutes about kids, aaliya was thankful to find such a genuine friend in her boss who would always listen attentively to her. Though as a boss he was an a**, always picking up errors and all... being all hyper and over serious about work.
Aaliya looked at jonathon confusedly, she thought that he would leave now... he never stayed in her office for so long. Added to her confusion he was looking a little.. nervous ?? But about what ??
Jonathon smiled a little tensed while looking at her, he stood up...
It looked like someone invisible had been choking him, aaliya raised one eyebrow...
There was a pause for a long second, it seemed like he was battling over something inside.
Just like that he was gone... in a dash.
Then she got busy with the pending works thinking it to be one of his odd days.
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Zain had his laptop upon his spread legs, his back resting against the headboard. He was already done with rechecking the informations about the newest clients... when with a thud a bundle of pictures were put down upon his bed beside his legs. Zain first lifted his head up from the laptop to look at those pictures and then up towards a determined looking suraia. He then again looked down... there were at least a few dozens of girls' photoes.
Zain was confused, was suraia planning to volunteer in providing new models for the advertisement of their company ?
Suraia crossed her arms, ok.. he had a feeling that whatever she was going to say would definetely piss him to limits.. her defensive posture only indicated towards that.
Suraia suddenly sighed, her shoulders slumped down and hands fell to her both sides. The earlier defensive posture vanished.
As suraia kept on saying zain rubbed his brows ridiculed.
Zain yelled as the word left her mouth, suraia gasped herself at the choice of her words. She didnt mean to hurt him but she was so frustrated over zain still grieving over loosing aaliya. In one weak moment almost three months of her demise... zain had confessed to her that he was in love with aaliya.. that he felt terrible to not realise it before.. to not making things right when it was possible.
Zain closed his eyes putting the laptop away... " Please mom... I dont wan to talk about anyting right now.. "
Zain didnt let her say sorry, he knew he was hurting everyone around him but what could he do.
He didnt open his eyes to look at suraia not wanting to let her see the hit of pain in them, usually he would hide it well with a veil of anger and arrogance.. but there were times like this when any veils would seem so transparent.. that using them proved to be futile.
He said in a soft tone, suraia's own eyes were moist when she left his room.
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Sarah was coming down the stairs with her puffy bear cradling to her chest.. clearly after having a long nap, with one hand she was rubbing her eyes. She yawned opening her mouth as far as she could...
Jenna followed her down and went to grab her coat and purse.. to leave seeing aaliya was there.
She dozily ran the rest of the way and hugged aaliya's legs.
This was what aaliya always looked forward to.. keeping her excited to return home at the end of a long tiring day. Aaliya picked her up on her hips after throwing her shoulder bag on the couch and walked to the dining hall. Sammy was playing with his neighborhood friend steeve in the backyard.. aaliya saw through the window.
Pouring herself water in a glass.. aaliya inquired...
Sarah hummed in response resting her still sleepy head on aaliya's shoulder, her one hand clutching the puffy toy. She couldnt sleep without it, it was her favourite toy.
With the back of her hand aaliya felt her forhead leaning her head back a little. Her temperature was a little up, hence the extended sleeping.
Aaliya said in a worried tone...
Aaliya sat sarah down in a sofa who whined groggily but stopped when aaliya kissed her on the head. Sarah was all too cuddly and clingy when ill.
Aaliya slided up the window glass and yelled calling for sammy...
Sammy snapped his head to look at aaliya and waved his hand smiling.
She then turned with a smile to jenna.
She glanced at sarah lovingly who had once again fallen asleep lying on the sofa.
Jenna gave a sqeeze on aaliya's shoulder and proceeded to leave saying...
Right when she had left.. sammy emerged through the backdoor running sparkling with his extra perked up energy and clung to aaliya's legs almost making her fall on her back. Aaliya chuckled...
Pulling sammy a little away from her body she bend down on her knees and ruffled his hair affectionatly... and then appreciated how cute he looked with those meesy hairs.. jsut like z.. aaliya bit her tongue. It was weird.. how much similarities sammy had with zain, not just the looks but also their behaviour were so similar in a creepy sort of way.
Immediately sammy's face fell as his head snapped to look at his sister sleeping oblivious to world on the sofa. He looked at aaliya worried...
Aaliya poked a stain of mud from upon his nose which made him crinkle his nose..
,br>Sammy made a face of deep thinking while aaliya continued...
Sammy felt proud as aaliya gave him this responsibility, yes.. he would protect his sister and look after her.
With a serious firm face.. sammy answered...
Aaliya left to her room upstairs to quickly get herself out of these uncomfortable work clothes and put on her pyjamas. She had always taught her kids to be indepented.. responsible and care for each other. Result was both of them being more understanding than all the other kids in such an early age of five.
Aaliya came back to see now three people in the living room. Sarah still sleeping on the sofa, sammy watching over her like a hawk standing upon her head and barqat sitting in the couch looking curiously at sammy.
There were some complications going on with a grumpy client over designing the peculierest website.
Barqat scoffed and rolled her eyes...
Aaliya lifted sarah in her arms and slowly started her way upstairs.
Sammy strolled behind aaliya looking extremely worried for his sister.
Aaliya settled sarah in her bed and tucked her fluffy toy beside her, which she cuddled with a cute sigh. She used the thermometre to measure her temperature.. it read hundred and one. Poor baby.. aaliya kissed her forhead. She would have to wake her up a little while later and put some food in that stomach with a tylenol, she hoped that would work against the fever... or else.. just what she said to sammy.. she would have to call the doctor.
It was going to be a long night.
Turning around she saw sammy still looking at sarah like a hawk. Aaliya studied him from head to toe... he was looking like a mess, all covered in dirt and mud.
Aaliya held his tiny wirst and lead him to the attached bathroom.
Sammy snorted, those were the worst days of his life. He wanted to go out and play with steeve but he felt so weak, tired and dizzy... and that freaky headace would never go.
Aaliya bathed sammy properly... cleaned him.. scrubbed him... rinsed him and dried him with a towel. And then wrapping him in another towel he was said to moisterise himself, it was time to get them do their own works one by one.
After feding sarah some porridge and medicine, she carried her to her bedroom. There was no way she was going to let sarah sleep alone when she was ill. She asked sammy to join them tonight but as usual he denied.
Sometimes his ego would remind aaliya of.. of zain. He had this same attitude... this same stubbornness.
As aaliya ran her hand through sarah's hair after turning off the light, she felt the matress sank down behind her.. a tiny hand encircled her waist. Sammy had finally decided to let go of his ego... maybe her fear of the monsters under the bed had worked as an influence.
No.. she was doing a good job, the genes weren't more powerful than her love and upbringing. Her kids wont grow up to be beasts like zain was... she had ful confidence in that.
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Looking at the star lit.. bright sky, zain rested his elbows upon the cold - chilly metal of the railing. The roof of the abdullah's house was huge, almost like a small sized football stadium.
It seemed like he was counting stars like the small nerdy kids often do... but actually the truth was something else. He was trying to find something.. or rather someone. A certain girl who was supposed to be up there.. looking down at him with her twinkling soul.
Zain sighed frustratedly. He couldnt find her over there, she was not among those sparkling mysterious stars and he felt more lost. Lost in this meaningless life which was similar to a hell without her.
And he.. for the millionth time wondered... why the hell he couldnt realise what he felt for her. Was he that much blind by his ego and so called social life ?? The answer also echoed back.. yes he was.
And the darkness of the lonely night embraced him, there was no defense left in him to prevent the agony that attacked again... tonight and every night.. and every moment to his conscious and subconscious entity.
The breakfast table was quiet as always, as usual usmaan finished his breakfast and got up first.. right at the moment zain walked in the dining hall. It had become a rutine now... usmaan ignoring zain like plague and zain keeping the distance intact.. as if acknowledging it as his punishment.
Suraia smiled at him and filled his plate with a pair of breads and bacons...
Zain was almost done emtying his plate when he noticed suraia giving him weary glances and fidling with her fork. He sensed that suraia was trying to say soething to him, something important maybe. But he didnt push it...
Finally suraia spoke in nervous tone clearing her throat...
Zain dropped his fork upon the plate gently, sipped his coffe and looked at suraia from above the coffee mug.
Putting the mug on the table zain asked.
Suraia paused...
Suraia again cleared her throat...
Suraia gave a nervous nod.
Then as if a bulb lit up in his mind, zain scoffed...
Zain stood up, the chair he was sitting in made a screeching sound being pushed backwards along the floor.
And just like that.. saying so he stormed out of the house.
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Aaliya sat across her desk giving quizzical glances at jonathon who was gobling up his sandwich like he had not eaten in weeks. Aaliya snatched a bite of her own sandwich with her teeth adn started chewing it in a relaxed manner.
It was one of the most awkward moments in office for aaliya. Jonathon being the boss of this company never shared his lunch with her. Yes.. his and aaliya's ws friends but not to that level to risk showing it into office, they always believed to take their professional life seriously... no onsense allowed.
Jonathon was behaving a little weird too with those nervous glances he was passing at her when he thought she wasn't noticing.
The whole lunch time had become extremely awkward.
Jonathon was wiping his mouth dapping the napkin upon it. Aaliya was finishing up the remnants of her sandwich when jonathon spoke up...
Aaliya looked at jonathon trying to act all confident suddenly.. but failing terribly. What was it with this guy today ?? She wondered...
He asked in one breath. Aaliya almost choked on her sandwich, she swallowed it down in a rather slow manner .. all the while processing at his question.
He looked at aaliya expectantly, aaliya swallowed down the rest of the food in her mouth with water and stared at the file before her.
She looked up to see jonathon still looking at her expectantly, aaliya knew she had to say something...
There was barqat at home from evening after her own work hours, aaliya can always ask her to look after the kids but ... she needed this time for herself... she needed a little time to think. During this six years, aaliya had never dated anyone. The thought of dating.. relotionships were out of her mind and scedule. Building up her career, mending her broken heart and nurturing two innocent souls had kept her life and mind occupied in such extremities that.. anything else never crossed her mind.
Now as she looked at jonathon at last sighing and slumpin back on the chair before her, she smiled. There was no doubt that jon was a good guy, the two times when she brought sarah and sammy to show her office... jonathon had been so kind and friendly to them. He had immediately mixed up with the kids, specially with sarah. Sammy also didnt dislike him, aaliya could say that for sure.
Then he stood up and left her office briskly, leaving behind the awkward atmosphere intact.
Aaliya was puzzled to limits when she returned home, today she was extremely late. Thanks to the tension jonathon left her in her mind which was working an obstacle to be attentive to the works in her hand.
Barqat opened the door beaming her usual dazzling smile. Aaliya walked in forcing a smile of her own.
Aaliya had called barqat to take care of the kids as she will be a little late, also she called on her landphone at house to tell jenna to stay for a bit longer with the kids till barqat arrives.
There was an animated movie playing on the tv, sarah and sammy were engrossed watching it. They perked up and jumped down from the couch and ran towards aaliya with big grins on their sweet faces. Aaliya knelt down and the twins ran into her opened arms. Kissing both of their heads aaliya pulled back to look at them...
Sarah immediately started blabbering...
She tried to remember what it was while sammy slapped his own forhead in a cute display of frustration...
Sarah corrected and the wrong word sounded even more dearer than the correct one to aaliya.
Sammy made a scary face trying to imitate a lions looks but it looked funny instead.. but sammy didnt need to know that.
Aaliya ruffled his hair...
Sarah was not interested in the conversation, she was sneaking glances towards the tv. Noticing.. aaliya patted their butts and laughed...
They ran away at the same speed they came.
She moved her head to see barqat still standing there in silence staring at aaliya with curiosity.
Barqat strolled behind aaliya while she entered the kitchen to grab a bottle of cold water from the fridge. The adoring summer season had arrived, meant vacation was not so far.
Aaliya placed the bottle back in the kitchen door and closed the door shut before swinging around to look at barqat..
She asked back making barqat to roll her eyes...
Barqat rested her hip against the counter folding her arms upon her chest.
Leaning against the counter aaliya shook her head back and forth...
Barqat almost slipped down from her position, she squeaked surprised...
Aaliya just nodded, her face again tensed.
Barqat slapped her shoulder playfully.
Aaliya sighed, only if it was as easy as it was said.
Aaliya sighed, barqat was right and wasnt.. at the same time. But it was true that sarah and and sammy werer getting the idea that.. their's was an uncomplete family. She recalled the way sammy would look longingly at steeve and his father when steeve was taught playing basketball. Sarah... watching intently when her friend anna was riding on her father's shoulder.
Aaliya felt her eyes beginning to moist, it would only start increasing when they start going to school. How she was going to answer them when they would ask about their father ?? What would she explain to these naive souls.
Barqat hugged aaliya softly attempting to comfort her.
And how she was going to trust someone, give someone a chance to peep into her life.. moreover share her life ? She didnt even know.. if her broken heart would ever be able to love someone again ?
Then a question poked her... had she ever got over zain to let someone else in ? She hated zain but hate itself was a strong feeling.
Aaliya felt anger bubbling up inside her at the thought of that wrecked man.. that zain abdullah. So with a vengence and a determination aaliya pulled herself away from barqat's hug.
When aaliya was going to her room in need of a shower and a change of clothes, barqat said from behind...
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Zain threw away the file in his hand and yelled...
The person at fault.. ahuja aplogised.. picked up his file and left almost on the verge of having a heart attack in fear of standing point blank at his wrath.
Zain rubbed the back of his neck as he felt agitated with suraia's latest determination to see him married and settled.
What an irony... he didnt want to marry then also, but the reason behind his denial at that time and now.. was so different. After aaliya left.. his life had totally turned upside down, only if he had changed when this change would have worked.
He sighed resting his head against the backrest of his leather chair. A knock sounded from the door, zain didnt bother to compose his rude tone...
Not paying attention on his comment.. zain dragged close the files slapped upon his desk by ayaan.
Ayaan was the managing director of abdullah's companies. Only if anyone could get away after saying something onsense to zain.. was only ayaan. Zain considered him as a friend.. or rather say.. his only friend in past years. Same was the case with ayaan.
Ayaan sat himself on the sofa.. a few feets away from zain's desk.
Eyeing zain.. he asked...
Zain didnt raise his face up from the piles of files.
Ayaan jerked away and downed his feets off of the tea table.
Zain finally raised his head up and looked at ayaan, his eyes holding mischief...
Ayaan snorted in response.
Work was an excuse, it was zain's necessity in the current situation of his home and hyper mother.. to runaway and camp somewhere in distance. And he wasn't planning to return any soon. Suraia would be mad.. but he had to do.. what he had to do, this was the best way.
Phewww.. long ones.. hey !! Dont forget to like and comment, my fingers are hurting now for continuous typing. Will be eagerly waiting for your likes and comments...
Take care.. tada... 😊😊
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