"You know I have a feeling that Areesha likes you." Maya told her brother. She had strongly felt that when she had gone shopping with Areesha the other day and was determined to find out if her brother had feelings for her or not.

"What?" Fawad asked her distractedly as he went through his emails on his laptop and waited for Areesha to send him some designs for the new project they were working on.

"Can you leave your laptop for a second?" she said snatching his laptop from him. "The way you're always on your laptop I think you should marry it."

Fawad looked at his sister weirdly and voiced his thoughts "Where do you get such weird ideas from?"

"My amazing brain!" she said cheekily making her brother snicker at her. "So as I was saying earlier, I think Areesha likes you."

"What?! Are you out of your bloody mind? What made you think that?" He asked her shocked. His sister sure had a weird way of thinking. He knew Areesha still wasn't over her ex-fiance.

"Nothing, I am smart as it is. You know instead of being a doctor, I should be a matchmaker!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah when that happens, every couple is going to start getting divorced!" he snorted

"Ok whatever. When I get famous you're going to beg me to get you a nice girl." She smirked at him. 

"Yeah like one of those desi matchmaker aunties!" He had had enough encounters with these types of desi aunties who were only interested in when they would get the 'good news' in other words, his marriage.

"No, like a professional business. I've heard you earn a lot in that business. Anyway back to the topic now. Don't try to divert me from the topic because you can't wiggle out of it," she said pointing a finger in his face. "So as I was saying I have a feeling that she likes you. She's a very nice girl, you should seriously consider her."

"I think you really need to do something about your brain. Any unmarried girl you see, and you'll start pairing me up with her."

"Why do you have Areesha's email open in your laptop?" Maya asked with a sly smirk as she suddenly caught sight of his laptop screen.

"Maybe because she is my secretary?" Fawad said sarcastically.

"Or maybe because you like her. You even told her about your family. I was sure surprised when she knew my name."

"Yeah that was because she asked me." He replied with an exagerated eye roll. 

"Sh was obviously interested in you that's why she asked. Right?" she said with a triumphant look on her face.

"That's just a casual question.It doesn't mean that anyone who asks you that is interested in you. " he said snorting at her ridiculous ideas.

"Whatever. Don't admit it but I am totally shipping you both!" she replied excitedly. She was putting the wrong ideas in his brain.

*****

"Hey Fawad." Someone said to him in a loud girly voice after a while as he was working on his laptop in his room.

He looked up to find his maternal cousin, Zainab whom his mother wanted him to get married, to standing by the door. He didn't even like her. In his opinion she was a stuck-girl, conceited girl who tried flirting with his when ever she got the chance, but unfortunately his mother didn't see her as that.

Where did she come from now? He groaned. She didn't even knock the door, he thought irritated. She just walked in his room as if she owned the place.

"Assalamu Alaikum Zaianb. What brings you here?" He asked with a fake smile plastered on his face.

"What? I cant come to see my dear cousin?" she said in her sweet voice.

Didn't even have the courtesy to reply to the salam!

"Yes of course you can! But I am busy at the moment as you can see. I'll join you in a few." He said with all the sweetness he could muster.

"But you are always busy!" She complained in a baby voice with a disgusting pout.

And you're always being a bitch, he wanted to say.

"No, you go down stairs and sit with Maya, I'll be there." he said his patience level decreasing by the minute.

"What? Is your work more important than me?" She said closing his laptop.

No one touched his things! How dare she? And he was typing a document if it was not saved, she would be dead.

Just then his dear sister and mother came to rescue him. Maya caught his desperate gaze and smirked at him. She didn't dislike Zainab that much, but she sure did dislike the way she tried to get close to her brother.

"Oh here you are, Zainab. I've been looking all over the house for you." His mother said to her niece.

"Khala, your son isn't giving me any time. He just keeps saying he's busy." Zainab complained to his mother.

Now he was going to get scolded for ignoring her precious niece. There goes Ammi!

"Fawad, what is this that I am hearing beta? Zainab came here to see you two and you aren't giving her time. Why don't you take the girls out for ice-cream or something."

"Yeah bhai! Why don't we three go somewhere and have some ice-cream!" His sister said to him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"No, we cant go. Maya you have you have a very important test tomorrow don't you? You go study for that. And Ammi me and Zainab can't go alone so we can plan some other day." He said coming up with the excuse.

"What? Which test bhai?" Maya said to him cheekily but he pleaded with his eyes for her to play along. "Oh that test. But I've already prepared for it bhai. No worries!" she said winking at him.

He groaned in annoyance and glared at his sister for putting him in this and she just innocently shrugged in return.

"Lets go then!" Zainab said cheerfully and he had no choice but to follow them

He made sure to get back to his sister for playing this trick on him. She was only doing this for ice cream.

They piled up in his car and Fawad made a special check that Zainab didn't get to sit with him on the front seat.

Zainab was telling Maya about the pharmaceutical company she worked in and Fawad focused on his driving and zoned out of their conversion.

After a while Fawad pulled in an ice-cream parlor and parked his car.

The three walked in together and while the girls found them a table Fawad went to buy them the ice-cream. This wasn't the first time they had went out for ice-cream together so Fawad knew what flavors they wanted.

The owner, who was a friendly old man, knew too as they were frequent visitors there.

"The usual?" He asked with a friendly smile.

"Yes, thank you. Make it three."

"Ok. We'll send it along then."

He made his way to the girls and sat down. They were talking about some new makeup brand. Typical Girls! He snorted under his breath. He was just their chauffeur taking them to places and and all.

"So Fawad how's work going?" Zainab asked him diverting his attention to him now.

"Alhumdulilah good."

"That's great. So what happened about your new secretary, did you manage to get a suitable one?"

"Yes I did." he said avoiding his sister's gaze. 

"I see. Khala told me about that." 

"Hmm." He hummed not a bit interested in this conversation.

"So found a nice girl for marriage?" 

"No I haven't. Have you?" He replied groaning.

"Oh no! I am not going to get married to a girl!" She joked and threw back her head as she laughed at it herself.

"That's not what I meant and don't worry I haven't found any guy for marriage yet." She said suggestively.

Maya sat in between them amused at her brother's annoyed expression. While Zainab might not have taken the hint that he was completely uninterested to talk to her about anything, Maya could read her brother's face expressions well. She imagined what would happen if these to got married and snickered at the thought. While Zainab fancied her brother a lot, Fawad just found her plain annoying and a tad bit too talkative. However, she didn't mind her as Zainab was a good company and you would never get bored with her.

Fawad tried to catch his sister's eye but she smirked at him and looked away. Suddenly, she caught sight of a girl who looked exactly like Areesha.

"Hey bhai isn't that Areesha?" She  said pointing toward a table behind them 

Fawad turned and squinted his eyes and saw that it was Areesha indeed and by the looks of it she was with her her brother whom he had met the other day. For some reason he didn't know his heart started thudding in his chest and he felt nervous.

Before he could say anything, Maya made their way towards their table.

"Hey! Salam Areesha. What's up girl?" she said cheerfully as she went up to her.

"Wasalam! What are you doing here?"

"For ice-cream duh!" she said with a roll of her eyes and Areesha smacked her in return.

"Why don't you join us over there?" Areesha turned and found her boss sitting with another girl.

She had come here with Zayan so that they could spend time together and she really didn't want to intrude their their time either.

"And who's this?" she asked eyeing the Zayan curiously.

"My brother."

Maya insisted and  told Areesha to bring her brother along as well. So she had no choice but to comply and dragged her brother along as well who was currently glaring daggers at Maya for ruining their personal time.

"This is my friend, Areesha and also bhai's new secretary I told you about." she introduced them to her cousin.

"And Areesha, this is my cousin Zainab."

"Salam." Areesha said politely to her boss and his cousin.

They all were seated now with the two boys on one side and the girls across them.

"Hey aren't you the guy I talked to on the phone?" Maya asked him as it suddenly hit her.

"Oh yeah! Zayan did talk to you." Areesha quickly replied before Zayan could say anything rude to this girl.

"When?" Fawad asked sharply, when he caught on to their conversation.

"That day we went shopping I picked up her phone accidentally." Maya replied nonchalantly and Fawad calmed down and turned his attention towards Zayan. 

So this was that rude girl, Zayan thought eyeing her distastefully. Could she shut her mouth? She was already giving him a headache.

"So what do you do?" Fawad asked an annoyed Zayan. 

"I'm a lawyer." He said curtly.

"Oh that's great! Mashallah. Where did you complete your studies? Here or abroad?" Fawad asked further, unfazed by his short answers.

"England."

"That's nice. So you practice now?" He asked trying to make a conversation going. 

"Yes alhumdulilah I do." 

He nodded and sat back quietly as he spooned some ice-cream in his mouth. There was nothing else to talk about and he glared at his sister for inviting them over. He glanced at Areesha from the corner of his eye and saw her engrossed in a conversation with Maya.

"Oh, Areesha you didn't send me those pictures." Hesaid to her when he suddenly remembered about them.

"Oh crap!" She said smacking her forehead as she remembered about it. "I'm so sorry. I completely forgot. I'll do it first thing when I get home." She promised. Fawad just stared at her amused. He had noticed that she had a habit of smacking her head a lot.

"I didn't have your phone number with me at home so I couldn't even call you."

"Oh. You can save it. 0377 8897031."

"Ok Thanks." he smiled as typed the number in his phone and saved it ignoring his heart which was beating very fast that he feared that there was something wrong with it. Maybe it eas because this was the first time they had met out of the work environment.

Maya meanwhile was watching the two like a hawk to find out about any feelings that might exist.

"So Areesha how is it being Fawad's secretary? Is he too bossy and demanding?" Zainab asked her.

Areesha didn't know how to reply to that. What was she supposed to say when her boss was sitting right in front of her? She glanced at him with the corner of her eye and just said "Uh-I like my job, alhamdulillah."

"That's nice to know." She glanced at Fawad with a smile.

"Of course she would love her job when I'm the boss." Fawad couldn't help but add with a smug smile. 

"Yeah right!" Areesha snorted in return.

They all just made small talk and even Zayan seemed to like Fawad better now but he was still annoyed by Maya to no end. That girl just spoke too much.

When the waiter came with the bill, Fawad and Zayan started arguing over who paid the bill.

"Let me pay for all of us, we are the ones who came here." Zayan said to him

"No we were the ones who invited you so we will pay the bill." Fawad reasoned.

"I should pay the bill we were here before that too." Zayan said, feeling bad that he paid their bill.

"No, no. That's not acceptable, You had the ice-cream with us so I can pay our bill together." 

"But we were already eating the ice-cream by the time you came." Zayan countered

"We are more in number so let me pay it." Fawad said courteously to him.

"No that hardly counts-"

Their pointless argument continued for a while and the three girls just sat their amused wondering who would win this. Man save your money and instead you're fighting over who's paying the bill!

"How about none of you pay the bill?" Areesha suggested trying to contain her laughter.

"What?" Zayan asked confused

"Yes let me pay the bill and get it over with." she said

"But you're a girl-" Fawad started and Areesha raised an eyebrow at him daring him to continue. Fawad knew too well about her speeches of feminism so he chose best to stay quiet

At the end, Zayan and Fawad paid their own bills respectively as Areesha had forgotten her purse at home.

***

"Wow! She just looked at you and you shut your mouth bhai! At this rate what is going to happen to you guys after marriage?" Maya said to him in a teasing tone as she had been watching them like a detective in the ice cream parlor.

"Ughhh! Shut up will you?"

"And I also noticed your attempt to impress her when paying the bill. Who has such silly arguments?" She smirked at her brother.

"Oh right!" he snorted. "I was just being courteous that when I was paying our bill as well I would pay their's too. What's the big deal?"

"Don't try to justify yourself! I saw what I saw. She even said she loves her job." His sister was hell-bent on teasing him.

"Of course she does."

All this teasing wasn't new to him at all. Even in high school any girl he would talk about more than once and he automatically liked her! She even went through his facebook friend list every other day even though he wasn't even that active on facebook.

Hope you didn't find the chapter boring!

Does anyone have a sister like that?

Any desi people reading this, do watch the video above. What can we do, Desis are like this!

Please vote and comment!