'Be on the best of your behavior,' His words, full of warning, cursorily whispered in her ears as they headed towards the dining room, Sheharzaad could already hear voices. Of people conversating. People who seemed more like a family.
She was following him when he suddenly stopped at the doorstep of the dining room. Eavesdropping. She too could hear the conversation going on in the room.
"Geez I want to inform you all a thing," Sheharzaad recognized it immediately.
It was Haseeb. She had met him in the office.
"What is it?" The voice was again recognized by her and it was his sister Dua. They both stood at the door hearing to the talk. Sheharzaad remembered them both from the day they came to the office.
"Want something in return," Haseeb demanded.
"Yeah....I have ten rupees you can take them. Now spill the beans, Haseeb," Dua retorted.
"Gosh.... you must have said this directly to me that you wanted some money Dua," Haseeb retorted back and for a moment Sheharzaad laughed a little.
He had good come backs.
"Asshole," Dua cussed loudly.
"Oh my God Dua! OMG! What kind of language are you using with me?" Haseeb said dramatically, and acted as if he had never cussed in his whole life.
"Wh..at? Why you all are looking at me like that. I have learnt this from Haseeb" Dua presented her explanation.
"Haseeb, what kind of language you are teaching her?" It was a voice of an elderly lady.
"No Dadi! She is lying!"
"No Dadi! he is lying!"
(Grandma)
She realized it was Shehryaar's grandmother.
"She is lying!"
"He is lying!"
"She is lyi-"
"Oouuffff Cut the crap Haseeb and spill the news." Another voice cut in.
"Ok ok! So the news is Sheryaar bhai is coming-"
"Stupid we already know it," Dua said.
"Let me complete weirdo,"
"Oh ok ok go on,"
"Say it Haseeb beta," And it was another voice. It made her wonder how many people were there.
Did he have such a big family?
Then why was he like that?
Weren't they aware of his activities?
Weren't they aware of how he had caged a girl?
They exuded a warmth. Appeared like a normal family.
Then what was his case?
Would they understand her if she presented her case to his elders?
Would they help her out?
Questions began to pop up in her head and so did a glimmer of hope.
"Shehryaar bhai is coming along with a girl," Haseeb broke the news in one go, excitement evident in his voice.
"Girl?!"
"Girl?"
"Girl?"
"Which girl?!"
"Ohhhoo calm down everyone. She was his secretary. But please don't tell him that I have given you all this useful piece of information,"
That was when, he held her hand and entered inside.
"How do you know Haseeb?" Shehryaar asked, whilst entering into the dining room. His grey eyes landing directly on Haseeb whose eyes widened for a moment as he stood up.
Haseeb knew he wasn't the one to mess with. Irtaza could be. But not him.
It was then everyone's eyes snapped towards him and the girl standing just behind him.
"She is Sheharzaad, my fiancee," Shehryaar announced, giving an answer to their questioning eyes.
"Assalam alaikum," she greeted everyone and they replied in a shook murmur.
They all stared at her stupefied, with eyes widened. They weren't expecting Shehryaar to show up with a girl and claim her as his fiancee.
"Come daughter sit," His grandmother called her out, toring her voice through everbody's thoughts after that they settled on their chairs, Sheharzaad next to Shehryaar. Her eyes landed to someone almost identical to Shehryaar.
Grey eyes.
Chiseled jaw.
And next to him, sat a girl. Timid. Shy. Scared.
Sheharzaad could tell that by the way her lashes were down all the while not looking up even for a moment.
"I will take an interview of you both but first start eating." Her grandmother announced, curious to know where he met this beautiful girl.
Everybody began eating. She wasn't feeling hungry though the food looked appetizing but her appetite was long dead as her ears were filled with his words of warnings. To fulfil the formality she just took salad and then her eyes landed on the girl's plate who was eating chicken roast. She didn't seem a fan of chicken roast, but she was still eating. Sheharzaad could decipher a tension between that girl and the man next to her. They appeared to be husband and wife. And he probably was Shehryaar's brother given the similarity in their features.
Sheharzaad wondered why not anyone else could see the tension between the couple but she realized why. Maybe the girl was in the same shoes as her that was why she could feel the girl's predicament.
Her grey eyes than shifted to Shehryaar. And she wondered was he always this expressionless? Even infront his family? She was passing him a side glance who was quietly eating his food but suddenly his eyes collided with hers. A volcano of nervousness erupted in her as she immediately shifted her stare away and became stiff while continued poking with her food.
'Though, I will surely ask you about the tiny attempt of escape you made but it's not the right time,'
Everything was blur in her memory yet these words flow and when she felt his stare still on her, without realization her hold tightened on the fork between her thumb and forefinger.
She could a thumping in her throat so she parted her lips to breathe freely. In that moment, she just wanted to break the stare he was giving her. Slightly tilting his head, with hands on the table, long lashes turned towards her.
"Where did you both meet?" his grandmother suddenly asked, and she breathed in relief when his attention from her diverted and he focused his eyes on the elderly woman.
"She was my secretary." Shehryaar replied shortly.
"Oh and when you both are getting married?"
"Soon," he answered and looked towards her, tucking some stray stray strands behind her ear, while she just gave a slight smile, "she was excited to meet you all so I decided to bring her along with me and introduce her to you all," he continued before retreating her hand back.
"MashAllah, you are so beautiful, I must say my son has chosen a very beautiful bride" his grandmother said in her thick old accent.
"Thankyou," she muttered.
"I am really keen to know yours and Shehryaar bhai's love story." Dua said and when Sheharzaad moved her eyes towards her, she could feel a coldness in them.
"Its nothing special, we both got interested in each other and then he proposed me," She answered shortly, cursing herself.
She had never lied in her whole life and he made her a liar.
"And what did your parents say daughter? Did they accept the proposal of Shehryaar?"
"My parents had passed away, they died in a car accident,"
"Oh I am so sorry to hear that. May Allah grant them the highest ranks."
"Amen"
"So where do you live then?"
"I share an apartment with my friend."
"If you want to, you can live here in this haveli. There is a lot of space here."
"No, no. I'm completely fine. Dont worry yourself,"
"So shall we start the wedding preparations Shehryaar son?" his grandmother asked.
"Not so soon. I will tell you later. I have some work to deal with first," he said and she thought he was staring at her but when she looked at him, his eyes were fixed somewhere else.
Soon the dinner was over. Sheharyaar told her, he would be back soon and she just passed him a nod although she wanted to say, he can take all the time he wanted to but she wasn't too lucky. Her eyes drifted towards his sister, Dua, who called her and asked her to join in the terrace as she wanted to have a chit-chat with his brother's bride to be.
The few minutes Sheharzaad got to spend with Dua, she deduced, his sister didn't like her. She was passing her threats. Subtle threats. Even while discussing she told her, she was aware of how Sheharzaad got the secretary's post. One warning, she passed so clearly was not to play with his brother's emotions.
Sheharzaad didn't reply her as she kept on staring at Dua with a frown. She wanted to spill the truth of her brother's atrocities infront her but she didn't. She was aware, that Dua won't help her given the cold shoulder she was showing her.
Sheharzaad couldn't decipher the reason of her disdain with her. Well, in that moment she was the least of her worries so she just let her talk when one of the servants came and apprised Sheharzaad that she should go to the car as Shehryaar would be joining her there soon.
With her head bowed down, she was walking when she bumped into someone. Uttering profuse apologies, she looked up to find a brown eyes girl standing infront her. The same girl she was.
Fear and paranoia was obvious in her eyes. She could see her face that was getting slightly paled. Short of breath. For a moment, she thought, she was staring at her mirror. She always wondered what she used to look like when Shehryaar's devil would wake up to torture her. She was now able to deduce it. This was what she looked like.
Afraid.
Fearful.
Scared.
Paled.
"I'm Zahra,"