کوه به کوه نمی‌رسد٬ آدم به آدم می‌رسد
Mountains don't meet, but people do.

Sunday - 12:31pm

The weather was getting more and more pleasant with each passing second, the sky above her head home to a great number of clouds, all black and promising a long spell of rain. The wind that blew around the city of Abbottabad was cold, complementing the strokes of black hues in the sky.

The car was swift as it sped over the roads of the city, its white color challenging the darkness that was spreading around the city quickly, contrary to the clock that indicated only half past noon. Hemayal drove the car with speed of about 110km/hour, way above the speed limit but she knew she had little time.

It would rain in a matter of few seconds, she predicted, and she at least wanted to be on her way back home when the first few droplets of rain began to cascade down, knowing fully well that after that, there would be no stopping the thunder. Roads of Abbottabad, a city located at a height, were not very safe to drive on when it rained, she knew it from experience.

As she reached nearer to the mall, her phone began vibrating and Hemayal decided against answering the call; this car was not hers and she couldn't risk answering and then meeting with an accident. Although she had picked calls while driving numerous times before, this was not her car so she decided against breaking the law she had carelessly violated so many times before.

The person on the other side, however, didn't seem to stop and as the phone started ringing the third time, the theme song of Sherlock Holmes series echoing in the car, she huffed out in annoyance as she decided to answer.

"Yes?" She snapped after seeing Mehmal's name on the called ID.

"I just wanted to say that don't order the cake. Hadeed Lala said that he ordered it." Mehmal's busy voice vibrated her ear drum and she sighed.

"He has come back?" Hemayal questioned and heard Mehmal positive reply on the other side.

"You could've waited for like 15 more minutes for the car but no, Mehmal never waits or listens." Hemayal said and heard Mehmal's unashamed laughter on the other side.

"I mean it was so embarrassing going to your friend's house and asking for her car." Hemayal said, still feeling the embarrassment as memories from a mere half an hour ago came crawling back to her.

"Oh, come on. Asking for someone's help is not embarrassing." Mehmal replied, firm on her own belief which totally contradicted with Hemayal's.

"It is. What if they say no?" Hemayal asked, her brows creased.

"Ahh, Hemayal," Mehmal groaned, "When will you start believing that not everyone is like Taya Abbu?"

"When the world will give me a reason to." Hemayal answered, emphatically.

"Anyways, I'm driving. I don't want to get into an accident. Bye." Hemayal said and after hearing Mehmal's reply, removed the phone from her ear.

Looking down, she disconnected the call, her one hand still firmly placed on the steering wheel while the other scrolled through the missed calls she hadn't seen before; one from Anisha Bhabhi and two from her colleague in Islamabad.

It was merely a second that she saw through the missed calls on her phone, merely a single glance downwards, away from the road ahead and that small mistake of glance costed her dire consequences as a loud crash almost deafened her, occupied by a force that nearly threw her ahead at the windshield.

A scream left her throat as her head collided with her own hand on the steering wheel, her knuckles pressing into her forehead and a pain erupted inside her at the force with which the safety bag hit her in the torso. Unable to breathe and clenching her teeth tightly, Hemayal's eyes closed in immense pain as blackness unveiled its wings right before her eyes.

With chest that was bursting with pain and forehead she sure was bleeding, Hemayal tried to open her eyes and succeeded as the light tore apart through the darkness and covered her, its heaviness almost soothing. With teeth still clenched, she lifted her head and saw through the windshield at the white car that had collided with hers.

Overcame with rage, pain and the fact that this was not her car, Hemayal ignored her dizzy head as she exited the car, her gait that of a lady who had just been wrongly accused. With her body emitting anger, she made her way towards the next car, her strides long and hurried. But just as she neared the front door, a man opened the door himself and hurried out of the car.

The man, probably in his mid-twenties, had a perfectly trimmed beard that complemented his face, his eyes which were hidden behind the sunglasses he wore were glaring at her, she could almost feel it. The jet black strands of the man's thick hair were falling intricately on his forehead and Hemayal was tempted for a moment to ask which conditioner the stranger used.

But it was not his sharp features or intimidating personality that made her heart skip a beat, it was the blood that covered the side of the stranger's forehead and a frown masked with pain that laced his face, and for a second she almost forgot that she was filled with pain and anger herself.

"What the hell! Are you blind or what?" The man's stern voice pulled her out of a reverie she had fallen in when her eyes landed on his forehead.

"Excuse me, Mister? I am blind? What do you think you're doing stopping your car in the middle of the road like that?" Hemayal asked fiercely, blinking her eyes rapidly as the cold gushes of strong wind hit her face and she now understood why the man was wearing sunglasses in this weather.

"Oh, you couldn't see that I've stopped and overtake my car? You hit my car a few seconds after I had stopped." The man almost snapped and Hemayal creased her brows in anger at his audacity, her head now exploding with pain.

"So it is my fault that you suddenly applied brakes in the middle of the road? It is my fault that you were stupid enough to not park the car on the side at least?" Hemayal's anger was speaking for her as she stared at the man who was taller than her by almost five inches.

"Mind your language, ma'am," The man suddenly sounded angry, the one thing he had been controlling from the very start of their conversation and Hemayal lost the ability to speak for a second.

The man who stood before him was dressed in black denim jeans paired with olive green t-shirt and black leather jacket, his attire casual but neat on a Sunday morning, an alibi of his well groomed personality. But there was a lot more to him than mere clothes, she knew it when she had first laid eyes on him.

"And you are at fault here much more than I am. You could've easily overtaken my car from the side. You were behind me by at least ten yards when I stopped the car and don't even get me started on the speed you were going at." The man almost yelled against the loud sound of the blowing wind, his forehead vein throbbing as he tested his patience with Hemayal.

The blood was now dripping down the man's temples but he seemed oblivious towards it, his eyes fixed on Hemayal who studied him with steady but squinted glare. Anger, foreign and fierce, gripped her suddenly as she heard the man entirely blaming her for the accident.

Another stroke of wind hit the woman who blinked rapidly, her lashes fluttering as her ajrak kurta moved with the strong gushes of wind, accompanied by the dance of her silky hair that fell on her face and she attempted hard to keep them behind her ears. Despite the uneasiness she felt at the moment, Hemayal managed to keep a straight face as she shouted back, the noise of the wind too loud.

"But I will start about the speed you were going at. Driving that fast and then suddenly applying brakes, you should be glad that none of us is dead." Hemayal snapped, her eyes squinted as she felt the first few droplets of rain hitting her and cursed inwardly.

"Oh, excuse me? You were the one who hit my car and now you have the audacity to blame it all on me?" The man sounded exasperated as he yelled, the clouds above their heads starting to pour down the rain with a little more intensity now.

"I hit your car because you stopped it suddenly." Hemayal now shouted, enraged, the sound of the wind combined with rain making it difficult to converse with the arrogant person in front of her.

The rain, which had started as a faint drizzle had now picked velocity and Hemayal was completely soaked in a matter of few seconds, much similar to the man who intimidated her with his expressionless face and stern voice. With their clothes now pressed against their bodies and hair stuck to their face, both of them looked sensual at the moment, almost attractive if not for the anger.

"I thought I made it clear that you were enough far away from my car to easily cross it, my applying brakes suddenly wouldn't have affected you at all if you were at least paying a little bit attention while driving." The man said, the blood on his forehead now fused with water as it cascaded down, his thick hair now pressed carelessly against his forehead, and Hemayal would have found that attractive if she weren't so angry at him at the moment.

Why can't he just accept his mistake, Hemayal thought, annoyed, forgetting for a moment that she was at fault here too.

People tend to remain oblivious towards their own wrongdoings, blaming others at every chance they get. But that is how human brain functions, it finds ways to get rid of the guilt that comes with admission, something that can prove to be murderous if not gotten rid of.

Although the unflinching tone of the man's voice held authority and every fearful part of her begged her to leave this matter and return to her home, in the safety of her Dadu, but the sensible part of her wanted to stay and resolve this issue. She won't let the man intimidate her, she promised herself.

"But it was you.." Her sentence was not yet completed when the man cut her off in mid-sentence, an action she found insulting.

"Okay, enough will all this blaming thing." The man said as he for the first time paid attention to his bleeding forehead; the cut that would obviously leave mark for a long time, Hemayal thought as he eyed him touching his forehead with his long fingers.

As his fingertips made contact with the cut on his forehead, he flinched a little, his jaws tightening but not a moment later, the same unreadable expressions settled on his face, his posture not giving anything away, not even pain as water dripped from his face and Hemayal thought with annoyance laced with awe at what extent men can go to hide their physical pain from women.

"We're adults and we'll resolve this matter like that." The man talked sense for the first time, Hemayal thought and she nodded her head, eyeing his cut through the corner of her eyes.

The man removed his sunglasses and half of his face was now visible, but the rain and sudden blackness that had been sprawled over them still made it difficult for Hemayal to make out every feature of his face clearly.

Although, she could see that the man was incredibly handsome, and now that he was drenched in rain, his hair sticking to his forehead, eyes narrowed and bearded face stern and solemn, dripping with water, he did look like a man who could conquer hearts with a mere hard glance.

"Yes, thank you, please." Hemayal said annoyingly, trying and succeeding to look unfazed by his stern behaviour.

Suddenly, as her eyes roamed over his face, she became aware of her own figure that was completely drenched, her clothes sticking to her body and she thought with fear that she will be quite a show right now to all the people passing by.

Turn around. Go back. Her subconscious hissed as she got familiar with her appearance and for a second, Hemayal acceded before her numb mind quickly sent signals of disagreement. She shouldn't back out of an argument that she had herself started, she shouldn't give up when she wasn't the one at fault here, Hemayal's brain reminded her.

The newfound strength filled her with warmth, contradicting with the coldness of the moment. Vainly, she tried separating her clothes that were tightly pressed against her body, attempting to wrap the small shawl around her drenched figure while cursing Mehmal all the time who had not even given her a moment to collect her coat.

Her eyes never left the man's face as she did the task at hand, a feeble attempt that he wouldn't notice her discomfort and his eyes wouldn't start roaming over all the places they shouldn't.

But her efforts went in vain when his eyes squinted around the edges and for the first time, his eyes left her face and descended south and Hemayal's throat suddenly went dry. This was not her first encounter with any man, she had studied in co-education all her life, yet there was something about this man and her current situation that made her breath hitch in her throat and she took an unconscious step back.

The man's gaze didn't linger for more than a second at her body before he hurriedly lifted his eyes, his hard jaws clenched and a dark expression on his face now. The two stared in each other's eyes for no more than a second, before Hemayal saw the man shifting.

A moment later, Hemayal saw with wide eyes as he slowly removed his own jacket and extended it towards Hemayal, his eyes not leaving hers for even a second, a small but enough gesture that he won't look again.

"I'm sorry." He apologised for that single, unintentional glance as he gestured her to take the jacket and Hemayal who was going to deny, thought sensibly and took the jacket from his hand, careful not to let their hands brush and sprawled it over her shoulders, sighing inaudibly at the warmth it provided.

"Anyways," Hemayal coughed slightly, getting back to business.

"The accident was your mistake as much as it was mine. You stopped the car suddenly and I didn't pay attention as I was on the phone but still..." Hemayal's sentence had not yet completed when the man cut her off again and Hemayal who was beginning to think that he had manners, frowned.

"You were on the phone?" He glared at her as he yelled through the loud sound of rain, his apologetic expressions now completely replaced with strict ones and Hemayal bit the inside of her mouth.

"Oh my, goodness. You were on the phone and you had the nerve to blame me? To say that I had as much fault as you had? God dammit, are we joking here?" The man's furious voice rang around, his intense eyes burning holes through Hemayal and as much as she wanted to recoil at the moment, she stood her ground, the rain now pouring down heavily.

"It was just a mere glance at my phone, I wasn't talking to anyone." Hemayal shouted back with equal force, her reply a partial, tainted truth but a truth nevertheless.

"Yeah, right." The man rolled his eyes as he muttered, and Hemayal's eyes widened in annoyance.

"Don't you dare roll your eyes at me, Mr..whoever you are. And right now, I'm so freaking tired of playing this game of blames with you because, honestly, it's getting nowhere. So please, do me a favour and tell me your name and bank account number and I will pay for all the damage I've cost you." Hemayal shouted over the sound of wind and rain, her mind now beginning to feel the coldness that was making her shiver slightly, but the fire of her anger still kept her warm.

The man's eyes widened at her sudden outburst before they narrowed dangerously, his lips pressing in a thin line as he eyed the woman with hard expressions. His olive green shirt, pressed against his torso didn't leave much to imagination as the ridges of his abs became clear but Hemayal chose not to let her eyes wander there.

She should respect him the way he did, her mind reminded her.

"You don't have to pay." He said after a moment, his voice low but rigid nevertheless and Hemayal had to read his lips to understand what he was saying.

"Why on earth were we having this argument, then?" Hemayal asked loudly, her patience reaching the brim of the cup.

"To resolve this issue like adults, not to pay money. But clearly, you have more anger inside of you than sensibility so there's no point having this conversation in the first place." The man said, clearly annoyed by now and anger filled Hemayal again at his words but she stopped short when his words registered in her brain.

Hemayal was not an angry person, she was a calm one, a collected and reserved person. The situations in which she lost her patience were rare but nevertheless, her anger was something very few people had seen and even fewer were the people who had actually dealt with it.

This stranger was unfortunate enough to meet her on a day she was already mentally disturbed and in quite a rush, seeing the side of her on their first meeting that very few people even knew existed. For a second, Hemayal almost felt bad for him.

"Whatever, but I'll pay." Hemayal said, now in a controlled voice.

"Look, ma'am. The damage was done to both of our cars so there's just no need to pay. If you'll pay me, I'll pay you back and that would be just stupid." He said with annoyance in his voice, his voice reserved too.

"But your car is expensive." Hemayal argued as she eyed his damaged, white Mercedes Benz.

She wanted to pay, not caring how much it cost her. Although her anger had gotten the best of her before, the man's taunt had clearly hit home. The mistake was on both parts, hers much more and she wanted to compensate in any way.

"Exactly, my car is expensive. If I can afford it, I can most definitely have it get repaired. But I can pay for your damage." The man stated in an unflinching tone and Hemayal resisted the urge to smile and kept a straight face.

The man at least had a bit of manners and etiquette.

"No, I can handle the damage myself." Hemayal said loudly and the man opened his mouth to protest but closed it, choosing otherwise.

Turning around, he went towards Hemayal's car and accessed the damage, his eyes narrowed and focused as he touched different parts of the car and Hemayal watched his back as his shirt flexed around his biceps and back, admitting unashamedly to herself that the man really was well-built.

"It is damaged, not much but it will cost you a lot. I'll pay." He insisted again but Hemayal shook her head.

"There's no need." She denied his offer once again and he sighed.

"As you wish." He stated loudly and nodded his head before taking a step back and Hemayal knew it was time for them to go their separate paths.

"Bye. I hope we.." Hemayal began to show manners but was again stopped short by the man for the third time.

"Never meet again." The man quickly finished for her and Hemayal frowned slightly before nodding her head.

This man has no courtesy whatsoever, she quickly changed her opinion.

Without saying anything else, the man turned around and opened the door of his car before getting in, quickly closing the door afterwards. Hemayal, unknowingly, watched as he turned on the engine, rooted on her own spot as rain poured down on her before senses came crawling back to her and she hurriedly moved forward, knocking the window of his car.

The man obviously closed his eyes for a moment, gathering patience before he rolled down the window and stared up at her quizzically, frown decorating his face.

"Your jacket." Hemayal began to take off his jacket from her shoulders but stopped when he shook his head.

"Keep it. It looks good on you." The man complimented her with a serious face, his voice blank and before Hemayal could say anything else, he sped the car away.

|¤¤¤|

2:12pm

In a record time of thirty-one minutes, Hemayal completed the shopping for Musa's birthday and bought his gift, her clothes still drenched in water but the leather jacket from that perfect stranger had not only provided her warmth but also saved her from unnecessary attention from men in the mall.

Shuddering at the thought of him slightly, she entered the car and after starting the engine, turned on the heat. Although the car had suffered quite a damage, it was still at least working and Hemayal was grateful for that. She herself, fortunately, hadn't suffered much damage either. Except for a throbbing forehead and chest, she was completely fine.

Quickly making her way towards her street, she was in a dilemma as if to take the car straight to her own home or drop by Humna's house and explain the entire situation to her. Choosing the former and delaying the explanation to a later time, she crossed Humna's house, driving further down the road towards her own.

Applying brakes just outside the gate, she killed the engine and took a deep breath as she stripped the jacket off of her shoulder. Tying the wet strands of her hair in a bun above her head, Hemayal collected the shopping bags from the passenger seat, and after opening the door rushed towards the large double door. It was still raining heavily.

The door was open so she was met with no resistance as she ran through the porch and reached the door that led towards the inside of the house, her eyes narrowed to see clearly in this weather. Turning the door knob, she entered the house and heaved a deep breath as the door closed behind her, the deafening noises of rain and wind now blocked out.

"Oh, thank God you're back. We were so worried." Anisha Bhabhi sighed as she walked towards Hemayal, her frown now being replaced with relief.

"The rain is thunderous." Hemayal sighed heavily as she dropped the bags on the floor, except for one that contained Musa's gift and walked towards the stairs.

"I'll go and change. Can you please ask Rehman Baba to bring me coffee?" Hemayal looked at her Bhabhi who was now calling Mehmal to pick up the bags.

"Sure, sure. Get changed quickly. You'll catch a cold." She ushered her upwards and Hemayal nodded.

After taking a warm bath and changing into dark blue jeans complemented with grey and black Poncho shaped sweater, Hemayal got out of the washroom and saw a cup of coffee placed on the nightstand. Throwing her towel on the couch, Hemayal picked the cup and exited the room after combing the wavy, ombré brown tresses of her silky hair.

Descending the stairs slowly, Hemayal sipped her coffee as she eyed the hustle that had completely taken over the house. Noises rose from all sides and she smiled slightly as she registered the fact that it was just a birthday of a two-year-old boy who won't even remember this day when he had grown up.

But Musa was the only child of this family, the most cherished and loved Khakwani. He was the light of all their hearts and none can thank Allah enough for him. Jahangir Chacho, who had no son of his own, also considered Musa as his own grandchild. Musa's birthday was no ordinary day.

Hemayal entered the living room and saw Mehmal decorating the room, her back to her as she fixed something on the wall ahead of her. Conversing with Hadeed Lala over the arrangements, Mehmal was completely engrossed in her work and Hemayal smiled.

"Hemayal, you're okay?" Hadeed Lala asked as he turned around.

"Yes, what happened to me?" She asked, smiling as she sipped her coffee.

"Anisha said you went out in rain. You should've waited for me." He remarked and Hemayal smiled.

"Mehmal doesn't wait for anyone, Lala." Hemayal chuckled and saw Mehmal scoff as she turned around too.

"She shouldn've gone herself." Hadeed Lala squinted his eyes at Mehmal who was busy in her work.

"In case you've forgotten, I don't know how to drive. And besides, it's Musa's birthday. I had to get the arrangements done before six." Mehmal said as she picked up the large Happy Birthday, Musa poster and scanned the walls for a perfect place.

"You're an interior designer, Mehmal. Not a party planner." Hadeed Lala remarked and Mehmal laughed.

"Who cares? I'm very creative. I can do both." Mehmal shrugged proudly and Hemayal laughed alongside her.

"Come, Hami. Help us. You came late and we're running short of time." Mehmal said and Hemayal nodded as she finished her now cold coffee.

Spending the next few hours trying to decorate the living room and the rest of the house, Hemayal lifted her wrist to see the time when they were done only to get surprised when she saw that it was already half past six in the evening. Quickly ushering everyone out of the room, Anisha Bhabhi went to get dressed herself and an hour later, the room was again filled with people, this time all of the family members.

"Look at the arrangements!" Mehmal exclaimed suddenly as she came to sit beside Hemayal who was the only one who didn't change.

"I'm one hell of a designer, ain't I?" She seemed proud as she eyed the room that was filled with balloons and lights.

"You are talking as if you did all of this by yourself." Hadeed Lala laughed as he said and Hemayal suppressed the laughter when she saw Mehmal pouting angrily.

"But all of this was my idea." She said again, proudly and this time Anisha Bhabhi entered in their hushed conversation.

"Yes, but Hemayal bought everything, Hadeed helped you decorate everything. You, my dear, only ordered us." She said and Mehmal's eyes glittered.

"See, you do think all of this was my idea." She said triumphantly and everyone laughed.

"As you say, Ms. Glass is Half Full." Hadeed Lala hit the back of her head slightly as he said.

"Whose car is it outside our house?" Shahriyar Khakwani entered the room and Hemayal's breath stopped as he questioned quizzically after greeting everyone, sitting down beside his brother before taking Musa in his arms.

"The damaged one? I thought it was our neighbours'." Hadeed Lala said with creased forehead and sweat beaded Hemayal's.

She had almost forgotten about the car.

"Umm, Mehmal?" Hemayal bent towards Mehmal slightly, gulping heavily as she tried to entice her attention.

"Yeah?" Mehmal murmured, her eyes moving between Hemayal and Hadeed Lala.

"I might not have told you something." Hemayal leaned forward as everyone else discussed the car outside the house.

"What?" Mehmal completely turned towards Hemayal as she narrowed her eyes, confused and curious.

"The car, it's Humna's." She whispered, her eyebrows raised in fear and embarrassment and saw as Mehmal's eyes widened.

"What?" She almost screamed but thankfully, everyone was engaged in their own conversation which now circled around how much Musa has grown, and didn't pay any attention to them.

"I'm so sorry. I had an accident and I didn't..." Hemayal began to say, worried, and was cut off by Mehmal.

"You had an accident?" Mehmal whispered this time too, horrified, sounding concerned as she eyed Hemayal up and down.

"It was a minor one, I'm fine." She flashed Mehmal an assuring smile who didn't seem to buy it as she continued staring at Hemayal with worried eyes.

"Hemayal, it's okay. You were disturbed today, it was foolish of me to send you out to bring things in the first place. I'm sorry." Mehmal whispered, her tone hushed and Hemayal knew what triggered this response from her.

Had she not been in an accident or today was some other random day, Mehmal Khakwani would have been shouting at Hemayal at this very moment. But today was no ordinary day and Hemayal did encounter an accident-being angry at her at this moment would have been so unlike Mehmal.

"Oh, no. It's fine. I wanted to go out myself." Hemayal said quietly, mindful of not letting others in on her conversation.

"I'll talk to Humna. We'll have her car repaired. Don't worry." Mehmal said, smiling slightly and Hemayal thought hard about what she ever did to deserve her as a sister.

"I'm not worried. I am just..embarrassed. You take someone's car and damage it. It's like throwing all your manners in the Arabian Sea." Hemayal said, her eyes wide in embarrassment and Mehmal's narrowed around the edges as a smile touched her lips.
"You didn't do it intentionally, Hami. I'm just glad that you're fine." Mehmal said again before she was disturbed by her mother who interrupted their conversation.

"What are you two girls talking about?" Darakhshan Chachi inquired, curious but in a good humour and Mehmal laughed slightly before answering.

"Girl stuff." Mehmal answered and laughter filled the room.

"We'll go see Humna in the morning, okay?" Mehmal said as everyone went back to their own conversations and Hemayal nodded.

"Lets cut the cake, people. It's already 8." Mehmal suddenly stood up from the couch, followed by everyone.

A few minutes later, the house was reverberating with the noises of Happy Birthday song and Hemayal for the first time in the whole day laughed genuinely as she sung along with her family, her grandfather and brother on either side of her, all smiling and she found herself forgetting the reality of the day at least for a short time.

Life maybe wasn't as bad as she had always thought. Maybe, just maybe, there's more to the picture than is painted by the artist.

|¤¤¤|

Hello, lovelies.

I'm sorry for the delay, but well, I warned you guys. How was it? Who do you think the man is? Do vote!

Till next time,
Salam!