"I wonder, whether the stars have ever told you that I talk to them about you!"

Mifa watched the wall clock, impatiently. It was half past one in afternoon now, half an hour since she was inside the room.

She could hear voice of everyone talking from outside and felt left out and restless, like a fish, out of water. She wanted someone to call her now and she was ready to come out immediately, in a breath. Did they totally forget her?

She punched the pillow in frustration, which would have shouted in pain and gathered everyone's attention, if only it was a living creature. Poor thing, it had no option other than suffering the torture.

"Mifa.... " Afeera started saying something but was cut off with an immediate reply.

"Yes Mamma, coming!" Mifa adjusted her dress and came out of room soon after, making Afeera surprised with such quick response which was rare for Mifa.

"What happened?" She asked her mother, not raising her eyes to anywhere else, ignoring the whole world around her.

"Let's Arrange the dishes on table. He has to go soon." Her mother said while taking back the previously kept trays from the dining table and walking to kitchen.

Mifa followed her inside but very cleverly looked back from kitchen window. She found Afham sitting and chatting with her father and brothers.

"Where's Utkarsh?" She asked her mother while converting Paneer from cooker to casserole.

"He went. We asked him to stay but, he said, he didn't want to trouble us more."

Mifa hummed and did other preparations, wondering how Afham; the ever silent guy could have such an outspoken friend.

Both ladies together arranged the dishes while her both brothers kept them on the table.

Everyone washed their hands and sat back on chairs. Mifa's mother made Afham sit beside her, on Shoaib's chair, so she could serve him dishes, to her hearts content.

When Mifa came back with jug of water, she found all the chairs full except her own, where Afham was sitting previously, which was beside the chair where Afham was sitting currently. Shoaib took the seat on which Utkarsh was sitting before and her father and Zohaib were still on their seats. Zohaib now sitting in front of Afham.

She didn't know whether she should be happy or anxious. Sitting beside him was fine, but will she be able to concentrate on eating, on that seat? Obviously not.

She wanted to ask her brother to change her seat but she knew what reply she'd get, "It's the same chair where you sit everyday, so what's the problem now?", He would say, so asking him was as if giving him opportunity to make her embarrassed in front of all.

She silently sat beside him and thought to concentrate on her food only, no matter what.

She served herself very less, so the food would be over soon. All started having their meals.

Only two minutes had passed and she felt someone bumping her right foot with their foot.

Was Afham doing that!? She widened her eyes and gasped inaudibly. The morsel got stuck in her throat and she coughed.

"What happened, Mifa?.... Be careful" Her father passed her a glass of water.
She sipped a bit and coughed, still in shock.

"Look up at the bird, Aapi!" Zohaib showed her the imaginary bird, just like how their parents used to tell them whenever something like this happens.

But her mind was not upwards, but downwards. Under the table.

"Look up, na!" He bumped her feet with his, finding her still coughing and gave her another shock.

She immediately bend her head down and saw his feet touching her feet. She checked Afham's feet, which were far from her own, which means Zohaib had hit her. Once again, should she be happy or sad!?

"You scared me!" She hit Zohaib's foot Harder.

"Ouww, but I did nothing much!" He scrunched his nose and hit her feet back.

"I thought.... I thought it was a cat!" Mifa changed her words before she would blurt out something more. She hit his feet again.

"As if it's first time, I'm hitting you!" Zohaib hit her again under the table, not wanting to stay back.

"That's no excuse." Mifa pressed his feet with hers making him wince and she giggled.

The hitting session continued for one more minute with shrieks and giggles, before their father's strict voice boomed.

"Enough now!" That was enough to scare Zohaib and make him back off as Mifa stifled her giggles.

Unintentionally her eyes fell under the table and at his feet who had pulled them far away from the table, hiding under his chair.

Mifa's heart twisted in pain.

Dud he hate her this much!?

She recalled the time when they used to fight in this same way, back to when they were entering their teenage. It used to be so hard for her to control her laughter, and they'd get scoldings for disturbing the meal time, from parents.

And now!?.... He disliked even coming near her, disliked talking and avoided any other type of contact. Watching that distinct expression on his face, made her heart break in a million pieces and sink beneath hundreds of feet, in ocean.

How she wished to spend her whole life with him. How she wished to keep her head on his shoulder and watch every sunset of her life. How she wished to go through all the ups and lows of life, with her palm in his. How she wished to feel the bliss of a domestic life, everyday with him by her side.

But now it felt as if, all her wishes and expectations were being crushed mercilessly.

Why did she even build so many dreams?
On what substratum?

Lunch was over, while she was busy blaming her heart, for all of this mess was created by it.

~~

Currently, she was packing the cookies, which were on room temperature now, so she could deliver them on time. Zohaib had promised to deliver the cookies after coming back from his coaching in evening. He went a long with their father.

"Mifa, see Afham is going!" Her mother's voice came from the drawing room, where ber mother and elder brother were sitting.

Her heart started beating fast once again. Feelings having a marathon in her heart. Anger and disappointment were left behind as the longing and love came forward, thus winning the race.

Thoughts of when she would get to see him again? Or she was never going to see him again? Flooded in her mind and her heart sinked deeper in that flood.

It wasn't time to show anger, she thought. So what if she won't get to meet him again, she should do something to make this meeting memorable. A sweet memory which would be pleasant to remember. Not a bitter one.

'Sweet' word gave her the idea. She should give something sweet to him.

She searched around quickly but found nothing suitable for a journey. Then her big doe eyes found the packet of cookies she had made earlier.

She had to deliver them in 1 hour to Lily Aunty but she had nothing else to give to Afham. She had no time to decide. Quickly made a decision that, losing an order or a customer was better than losing the love of her life. Even though, that love was unannounced and uncertain.

She took the packet in her palms but realised that it was too big to fit in his small bag pack, that he was carrying. He had a long journey ahead, it won't be comfortable to carry it like that.

And she didn't have time to find another way. Killing her wish, she ran outside with bare feet. Longer side of her stole floated in the air, but didn't touch the ground. She hoped, he was still here and she'd get at least one glimpse of him before he's gone again.

"He was getting late. His friends came to call him!" Afeera informed as she saw her daughter.

They were standing on the threshold of home. She came out of gate, on road, still barefoot and looked at her right side.

There she found him, sitting in the backside of the big Van which had many other people, probably his friends. The Van was moving forward, many metres away from her.

The back door was still open and he was waving. Waving at whom? Maybe waving at Shoaib, who was waving back, standing ahead of her. But when she looked at his eyes, she realised he was looking at her. With those ever intense pair of his eyes.

Automatically her hands raised up and waved back at him. Her eyes had welled up, watching him going away like that. She wasn't ready to spend another year or so with just this slight hope she gets once in a while.

Big pearl like tear drops made their way from her eyes to her jaws. She would never understand what happened to her, how she got so much courage in that moment, that her palms touched her lips, almost ready to send a flying kiss to him. But she dropped her palms down, as soon as she realised what mistake she was doing. Glad her mother and brother were standing ahead of her now, they couldn't see this. She couldn't afford to make their equation more awkward, than it was already.

She could swear she thought she was dreaming when she saw him moving his palms as if catching the kiss in air and then keeping it on his heart with his right hand. It wasn't very much evident and no one could understand what he's doing if they didn't see what she did before.

It couldn't be true. Her heart was ready to pop out and run after the van. Her throat was paining with a lump, aching to cry out loud.

Looking deep inside his eyes from this far, she was still able to see the tears welled up in his medium sized brown eyes but his face had a smile now. The kind of smile she hadn't seen in years, heart warming and body numbing. What was he trying to indicate through his actions. Was all this even real or was she hallucinating things? She wondered.

A girl inside the van jumped and high fived with Utkarsh. They hugged too in over excitement. Mifa widened her eyes, what was that for? Did they know something which she was unaware of?

Afham smiled in satisfaction and parted them away with one hand as they were blocking the view.

Mifa felt her cheeks warming up with his gaze.

"I want....to....Mifa" His voice came faded and broken in between, from far.

"What are you saying!" Shoaib shouted.

"I want to meet....her...." He pointed at Mifa with his finger, "just for few minutes, on the Gun Hill!"

He wanted to meet her, but why on the Hill? Was he planning to push her from the cliff, as a revenge for all the time she had troubled him? But it's been so long since she irritated him. Did she irritate him today also? Sounds crazy, but Horses of her imaginations would never be in her control, always running wildly.

"But why.... " Shoaib started his question but before he could finish, the Van had taken the turn from the corner of street, thus taking away Afham from their eyes.

Was there any other reason, to call her for a meeting? She wished it was the same reason about which she dreamt of, everyday. Hopefully!

Both her mother and brother turned slowly and looked at her with a very serious expression and she wanted to run away immediately. What an embarrassment. What must they be thinking. We're they going to scold her for what he said.

"Errmm".... She started to say something to make them understand that, it wasn't how they were seeing things.

"I'm going office, will drop you on the way!" Mifa fell from the sky, seeing her brother talking so seriously.

She was sure now, that it was all a dream and she's going to wake up before the climax. It has happened many times before too.

Her mother tapped her shoulder and she jolted out of her reverie. Realising that it was reality, not a dream.

She wetted her dried lips with her tongue and just nodded her head slowly.

~~~~

Last chapter is remaining and I forgot half of it's dialogues, because of delaying.
Slapping my forehead*
Will have to reimagine!

Smile! (❁'◡'❁)

16.06.2022

Bunny!𓃹