“Is it true that Shahina was adopted by a famous businessman?”

“Yes.”

“And what is the name of this man?”

“Ahad Murtaza.”

Tooba quickly held her mobile and searched for Ahad.

 “Samreen, he is so young.” She stated with an astonished look.

“So?”

“What do you mean by ‘so’? Tell me truthfully how she met this guy and what is the real story behind it?”

“Why don’t you meet Shahina and ask her?” Samreen didn’t meet her eyes and kept playing with her niece.

“You didn’t ask her?”

“I did, but she didn’t tell me.”

“You should’ve asked her again. And what’s with his wealth? There is no past history of him, how did he get so much success within a few years?”

“How would I know?”

“This is really suspicious. What else she told about meeting this guy?” 

“Like I said, baji (elder sister), why don’t you ask her?”

“Samreen, is there something you are hiding from us?”

“Us?”

“From Ami, Abu and me.” 

“No, why would I?”

“Because I know you better than anyone else, and who was the man with the gun? Was he Shahina’s bodyguard?”

“Probably.”

“Samreen… you are testing my patience.”

Samreen let out a deep breath and said, “Baji, I am in the same boat as you. She didn’t tell me a single thing about what had happened in previous years, and I can’t force her in any way. Ami told you about her armed driver, right? Do you believe that pressurizing her would do us any good?” Tooba went silent, as if trying to understand the gravity of her words.

“She wasn’t the child we used to know. She was someone else, who had biological ties with us but nothing more, nor less. I didn’t see any hint of emotions while meeting any one of us.”

“Why did she run away when Papa came home?”

“Like I said before, I don’t know.”

“Could it be that she was kept hostage in Ahad Murtaza’s house?”

“Yes, we inherited the treasure of Uncle Qaroon.” 

Tooba understood her sarcasm and got irritated, “How can you be so calm?” 

“I have dealt with my share of problems.”

You don’t know baji, the burden I had is far greater than this…

~*~

Combing her hair before the mirror, Shahina realized the need for trimming, although she had taken an appointment from the salon. Still, she didn’t feel like going. Her mind and body were still exhausted as it was at the end of exams, and instead of relaxing, her anxiety kept increasing day by day. Since she came back from Natasha’s home, everything had gone calm. This sudden change felt ominous, like the silence before the storm. Her nerves kept alarming her, but there was nothing she could do.

Samreen stopped calling her now, but she often texted to know how she was doing. Shahina thought that someone might have given her a shut-up call, but she didn’t dare to bring up this topic before anyone. In fact, she liked this space between them. She had one less thing to worry about, and on the other hand, the biggest problem of her life, Muhammad Yawar aka her Boss, was also lying low. Which was more concerning to her in light of her previous experiences.  

‘I missed you.’

This one sentence lingered in her head like a chant.

Shahina missed those blissful days when Yawar went to study. She freely moved around the house without worrying about being targeted by someone’s annoying pranks. Luckily, that mischievous boy who used to make her life miserable matured after coming back home. She got to take a breath of relief. However, her happiness was short-lived when his approach changed. Yawar meddled in her affairs not to pull any practical jokes as before, but to observe. As if he wanted to know what was going on in Shahina’s life, and recently, he was being very interested in solving her problems. His advancements had become bolder, and she had come to realize that no matter how much she tried to avoid him, if he wanted something from her, he would get it. Sometimes she was scared of it and prayed for the old Yawar to return. Because now, the younger version of him seemed harmless to her. His childish pranks were tolerable compared to the glances she received from him now. 

“Shahina Baji?” Her train of thought was broken by the maid’s voice along with a knock on the door.

“Yes?”

“Amma-Bi is calling you in the dining room, and she asked to bring her mobile phone too.”

“Alright.” Shahina abruptly tied her long hair in a braid and left her room.

It was an old habit of Amma-Bi to leave her phone in the bedroom and ask others to fetch it. As Shahina entered her room, she instantly spotted her mobile on the side table, and upon glancing around the room, she found all the lights and the fan were still on. Shahina exhaled a deep breath, switched off everything, and picked up her phone. Even though Amma-bi's health is much better from the other people her age, her memory shows signs of getting older. She often forgets things now and repeats the same thing many times. It breaks her heart, but the only thing she could do was pray.

“What’s with the long face?” A sudden voice startled Shahina. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Yawar’s presence. He was standing near the stairs, staring at her.

Since when was he standing there?  

She wanted to know, but couldn’t ask.

_____________________________________

Salam & hello everyone!

I hope you are doing well and reading 'Be Mine'. Kindly leave your comments and let me know your thoughts about the story. 

Take care of yourself.

Allah Hafiz