by Sara Naveed
‘I’m fine. Thank you,’ she said as she sat beside him. ‘Look what I brought for you,’ she said, taking out the lunchbox from her bag.
‘Home-made chicken and corn soup, and vegetable sandwiches,’ she announced as she removed the lid.
‘Hmm,’ he sniffed. ‘Smells delicious.’
She put the food on a plate and gave it to him.
Ahmar walked into the room and shut the door behind him. He leaned against the wall and observed them talking. ‘My father really seems to like her,’ he wondered.
‘I can take you home tomorrow. I just spoke to the doctor,’ Ahmar declared.
They both turned to look at him, unaware of his presence.
‘Thank god!’ Muraad said cheerfully. ‘I don’t have to stay in this hell any more.’
‘Relax, Dad,’ Ahmar said, standing beside the bed.
‘I think I should get back to the university now,’ Zarish said as she stood up.
‘Why don’t you go with Ahmar? He is leaving as well,’ Muraad said.
‘I don’t think I can leave you alone here,’ Ahmar said.
‘C’mon, kid. I’m doing fine now. There are so many pretty nurses to take care of me,’ he said, giggling naughtily.
Zarish realized that Muraad had the same smile as Ahmar.
‘You shouldn’t miss your lectures. You can check on me later,’ Muraad said.
‘Are you sure, Dad?’ Ahmar asked.
Muraad nodded.
‘Take care of yourself,’ Zarish said.
‘You too, honey.’
Ahmar and Zarish shared a quick hesitant glance and then walked out of the room.
Ahmar got a call from his father as soon as he sat in the car.
‘Yes, Dad?’
‘I really like her,’ he said.
A warm smile spread across Ahmar’s face.
‘You don’t have anything to say today?’ Ahmar asked her on their way to the university.
Zarish was lost in thought and did not hear his question.
‘Hello?’ he asked again.
‘Sorry, are you talking to me?’ she asked dazedly.
‘Of course. Unless there is someone else in the car with us,’ he said, looking around.
‘As if you talk non-stop.’
‘Okay. Let’s get started then,’ he said, relaxing his shoulder muscles. ‘What were you thinking about earlier?’
‘Uh. Nothing,’ she replied instinctively.
‘It seems you don’t want to talk.’
‘No. It was nothing,’ she said with a frown.
‘Fine. It’s better to stay quiet then.’
As he pulled into the parking lot of the university, Zarish gasped in fear.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.
‘My friends are here.’
‘So?’ he asked.
‘So, I don’t want them to get the wrong idea,’ she said.
He shrugged.
‘I don’t want them to think I’m dating my finance teacher,’ she said sarcastically.
‘Oh,’ he said and cocked his brow. ‘You’re right, actually.’
Ahmar drove the car around the parking lot until he reached a spot where there was no one.
‘You can get off here,’ he said.
‘Thanks. See you in the class, Sir.’ She left the car reluctantly.
Haroon and Sherry were standing with the rest of the students near the parking lot.
Zarish waved at Haroon from a distance and walked towards the library.
Hey!’ he called after her.
‘Hey,’ she turned to greet him.
‘Where have you been? No calls or messages?’ he said. She shrugged. She didn’t want him to know where she had been for the last two days.
‘Do you know Mr Hussain Muraad had a heart attack two days ago?’ he asked her.
‘Um. Yeah.’
‘By the way, I called you so many times but you didn’t answer,’ he said.
‘I . . . uh . . . I was busy. Anyway, I have to complete my presentation. So, see you later,’ she said, leaving Haroon behind.
‘OMG! Really? Are you dating him?’ Saleha asked after hearing Zarish’s story. They were sitting in the cafeteria. Zarish covered her face with her hands.
‘Tell me!’ Saleha asked impatiently.
‘Saleha, it doesn’t mean anything! He just drove me home twice; it doesn’t mean he likes me,’ Zarish clarified. ‘Or maybe it does,’ she thought.
‘He told you so much about his life,’ Saleha added.
‘That doesn’t make any difference, Saleha,’ Zarish said with a sigh. ‘It was a difficult time for him. He just wanted someone to talk to.’
‘It does matter! C’mon. He hasn’t shared his personal stories with any other student apart from you!’ Saleha exclaimed.
‘I helped his father. He is just being nice to me. That’s it.’
‘Or maybe he likes you.’
Zarish gave her a stunned look. ‘Are you insane?’ she asked.
‘I’m just telling you one of the possibilities.’
‘Keep this one out of the list please!’ Zarish exclaimed.
After class, Zarish and Saleha walked towards the parking lot. It was a lovely evening. A cool breeze blew in Zarish’s face, refreshing her instantly.
‘I guess it is going to rain today,’ Saleha said, looking at the sky.
‘I hope so.’
‘Somebody is waiting for you,’ Saleha said, nudging her.
Zarish immediately thought of Ahmar but then saw Haroon leaning against his car.
‘I’m going home. You take care of yourself,’ Saleha patted her on her back and left.
Zarish sighed and walked towards him.
‘Hey,’ Zarish said.
‘Hey,’ Haroon replied immediately.
‘How are you doing?’ she asked.
‘Come, I’ll drive you home.’
‘I can go with my driver. He is already here.’
‘Send him back. I’ll drop you,’ Haroon said in a demanding voice.
‘Err . . . okay.’ She did not want to argue with Haroon on this matter because she knew it was useless.
Ahmar and Wahab headed towards the parking lot too. Wahab’s car had gone for repair, so Ahmar was dropping him home.
Ahmar was about to get into the car when he saw Zarish and Haroon.
‘Hey, what’s the matter?’ Wahab followed his gaze.
‘Nothing,’ Ahmar said.
‘They make a cute couple, don’t they?’ Wahab said casually.
‘Why are we talking about them? It is their private matter,’ Ahmar said scornfully.
‘It’s just an observation,’ he said.
Ahmar hit the accelerator and drove off.
‘Times have changed. These days, girls and boys go out together. I remember during our time it was quite difficult to take a girl out on a date. Wasn’t it?’ Wahab asked.
‘Yeah,’ Ahmar whispered.
For some reason, he did not like Wahab calling them a couple. He didn’t know why.
The evening was slowly turning into night. Zarish rolled down her window and the cool wind struck her face, sending a chill down her spine. She missed Ahmar terribly.
‘Is there something you want to say?’ Haroon broke the silence.
Zarish looked at him.
‘Not really,’ she said, looking outside again.
‘Where were you the last two days?’
‘I was at the hospital with Sir Muraad,’ she told him.
‘What?’
She nodded.
‘I know he had a heart attack, but what were you doing there with him?’ he asked.
‘I was the one who took him to the hospital,’ she mumbled.
‘Seriously?’ he exclaimed.
‘Yeah.’
‘You could have called me.’
‘It all happened in a rush. I had no time to inform anyone. Not even Sir Ahmar. He was angry with me for the same reason.’
; ‘That’s rude. He should have thanked you.’
‘He did. He just freaked out initially. I guess it is normal. I apologized for my mistake,’ she said.
‘I didn’t expect you to be on his side. You have changed.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You are not the Zarish I have known my entire life.’
She looked at him unbelievingly.
‘The old Zarish would have been angry if someone spoke to her rudely. I know how you usually react, but you apologized in this case. I can’t believe it,’ he said.
Zarish thought about what he’d said.
‘Don’t say I’m wrong here. I know you too well. Even you can’t deny it. What’s with this sudden change?’
‘There is no change! Stop humiliating me,’ she yelled.
Haroon fixed his gaze on the road.
‘I was just being nice to him and his dad. He is our mentor and it is our duty to respect him. Get it?’
‘Since when have you started respecting that douche bag?’ he asked sarcastically.
‘Shut up, Haroon. Just shut up!’
Haroon’s face distorted with rage and he pressed the accelerator harder.
‘Drop me home right now!’ she said, hiding her tears.
Later that day, Ahmar’s mind went back to Zarish. After this incident, his opinion of her had slightly changed. He no longer considered her a rich brat. Though she was melodramatic and emotional at times, he believed there was also a good side to her. And then he thought of her and Haroon. He had seen them leaving the university together. Not just that day, they were together most of the time. Probably they were just good friends. Or maybe they were lovers. He could not figure out their relationship. His shoulder muscles tensed up as he lay on the bed and switched off the lamp.
‘Why am I bothered about her relationship with Haroon? Why am I even thinking about this right now?’ he wondered.
Zarish was still angry with Haroon. She did not respond to any of his calls or text messages. She ignored him all night. He came to meet her at her house in the morning. Soon both of them resolved their issues. He got flowers, chocolates and stuffed toys to cheer her up.
Earlier things were different. Whenever they had a fight, Haroon would buy her things and that would make her happy. But now she did not want to argue with him so she forgave him easily. She only cared about Ahmar as he was becoming the centre of her world. She had breakfast with Haroon at her place and then they left for the university together.
It was time for Ahmar’s lecture. Zarish, Saleha and Maha sauntered into the class. Zarish wanted to see him and ask him about his father’s health. She was surprised to see him in the class, setting up the projector for the lecture.
Zarish tried to get his attention, but he ignored her. She had specially worn a cream-coloured jumpsuit to impress him. She felt disappointed when he did not look at her and went about his business.
‘He looks so handsome today!’ Maha whispered in Zarish’s ear.
She did not like it when Maha or any other girl praised him. She never liked it.
Slowly the class filled with students. Haroon decided to sit right behind Zarish.
‘Aren’t you going to sit beside me?’ Zarish asked him.
‘I’m fine here, Zarish,’ he said with a smile.
Zarish just shrugged. She turned her attention towards Ahmar who had begun the lecture.
He walked to the whiteboard and wrote ‘cash flow statement’ on it.
‘Have you heard about this term before? I assume you all have,’ he said out loud.
Most of the students just nodded but nobody spoke. Ahmar’s eyes scanned the classroom and his gaze stopped at Zarish. Her cheeks flushed.
‘Miss Zarish,’ he said.
She just nodded.
‘Would you like to enlighten the class?’ he said, folding his arms.
‘Yes, Sir,’ she said confidently.
‘Please go ahead,’ he said.
‘A cash flow statement is a report that gives out details about the cash inflows and outflows of an organization,’ she beamed as she knew her answer was correct. An uncomfortable silence ensued.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked finally.
She nodded assuredly.
‘See. This is where you people go wrong. You become overconfident and think you know everything. This foolish attitude ultimately leads you to your failure!’ he bellowed.
Zarish gasped in shock. She didn’t understand why he was so angry all of a sudden.
Saleha tried to comfort her by holding her hand tightly. Haroon’s entire body got stiff.
‘That’s not fair, Sir,’ Haroon interjected.
Ahmar glanced at him.
‘This is not how you talk to a student, especially a female student. I am sure she is offended,’ Haroon said.
Ahmar grinned mockingly.
‘Okay. So now Mr Haroon will speak on behalf of Miss Zarish,’ Ahmar said sarcastically.
Haroon felt like punching him and breaking his jaw. He clenched his fists tightly. Zarish stared at Ahmar in disbelief.
‘Friends speak for friends here. What an interesting class. Very nice,’ Ahmar said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Zarish felt helpless. She wanted to run away from the class. She could not understand the reason for this sudden change in his behaviour.
‘Sir, please. You can tell me my mistake,’ she said.
‘No,’ he said sternly. ‘I want all of you to go through this topic and come back thoroughly prepared for the next class. I’m leaving now,’ he said as he gathered his stuff and left the class in a hurry.
Zarish ran after him.
‘Zarish! Wait!’ Haroon called after her, but it was too late.
She tried to catch up with him but he was already in his car. She saw him drive away like a maniac.
‘What’s wrong with him? Am I responsible for his rude behaviour? He seemed annoyed at something. Was he worried about his father’s health? I have to know the truth,’ she thought.
On his way back home, Ahmar thought about Zarish. ‘Though she gave the correct answer, I was rude to her. What’s wrong with me? I shouldn’t have a damn problem with her friendship with Haroon,’ he thought.
The weekend was here. Zarish could not meet Ahmar till Monday, so she decided to pay him a visit. His house was at the end of the road, covered in ivy. It looked really old and imposing from outside but had a warm and cosy feel to it. The gate was open so she parked her car in the driveway. The garden was gigantic, mostly covered with neem trees. Surely, someone was fond of gardening.
She observed her surroundings for a minute and then walked towards the heavy door made of carved timber. She inhaled deeply and knocked on the door twice. Ahmar opened the door after a few seconds. He looked damn cute in a baby pink T-shirt and beige pants. He was not wearing his glasses. His eyebrows shot up with surprise when he saw her.
‘Hey,’ she said enthusiastically.
‘What are you doing here?’ he scowled.
‘Won’t you invite me in? It’s really hot outside,’ she said, smiling cutely.
‘Come in,’ he said and moved aside.
‘Wow. Your house is so . . . beautiful,’ she said, looking around.
Beautiful lampshades with yellow lights glowed in every corner, giving the house a cosy, lived-in feel. The warm colours of the wooden furniture complimented the dark hues of the walls.
‘Did you come here to tell me this?’
‘Of course not,’ she said with a grin. ‘Can’t you be nice to your guest?’
‘An unwanted guest,’ he hissed.
She rolled her eyes at him.
‘Now, may I know why you’re here?’ he asked.
‘I came to see Sir Muraad.’
‘He’s fine now,’ he said curtly.
‘You didn’t tell me he got discharged from the hospital. I think I had the right to know.’
‘Just because you saved his life?’ he asked sarca
stically.
‘Yeah. Uh. No. I mean,’ she whispered, feeling confused.
‘Fine, Miss Zarish. I’m sorry about that. He is in his room. You can go and see him if you want,’ he said and walked away.
Zarish felt the bitterness in his tone and attitude. She ignored him and entered Muraad’s room.
He was lying on his bed, absorbed in a book.
‘Good afternoon, Sir,’ she greeted him cordially.
‘Oh, Zarish!’ he exclaimed as he tried to sit up.
‘Please don’t get up. I will come and sit next to you,’ she said.
Muraad smiled and nodded.
‘How are you doing, Sir?’ she asked, caressing his hand.
‘Feeling fantastic. As usual.’ He grinned.
She smiled.
‘I’m really happy to see you here.’
‘So am I.’
Ahmar came into the room bearing a tray of glasses filled with orange juice. He gave one to her.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
She seemed amused by the fact that her teacher was doing household chores. She chuckled. Ahmar caught her smiling and flinched.
‘What happened, Zarish? What’s so amusing?’ Muraad said as he took the glass from Ahmar’s hand.
‘Err . . . nothing, Sir. I just find it funny to see Sir Ahmar working around the house,’ she said and giggled again.
Ahmar rolled his eyes and put the tray on the side table.
‘Ahmar does all the work. He is a really good cook too,’ Muraad told her.
‘Really?’ she asked as she took a sip of the orange juice.
‘Yes. He has many sides to his personality. Don’t just see him as a boring teacher,’ he said, smiling.
‘I would actually like to try it someday,’ she said, teasing Ahmar.
‘Why not? We won’t let you go hungry. Ahmar will cook something for you,’ Muraad said.
Ahmar opened his mouth to protest but then stopped. He couldn’t say no to his dad.
‘What would you like to eat, Miss Zarish?’ Ahmar hissed.
‘Anything you want, Sir.’
‘Good,’ he said coldly and left the room.
She followed him into the kitchen. Everything seemed to be in order and the kitchen seemed well maintained even in the absence of a woman. Ahmar stood near the kitchen stove chopping vegetables. She stood beside him, and folded her arms casually. He remained indifferent.