I spotted Mawra worried in a the lawn,her face worried.

"Hey? All good?" I asked. She just nodded in her ghostly fright and swiftly walked away, a moment later Burhan came in.

"Mahnoor.." He said with a smile.

"Is Uncle here yet?" I asked him.

"No it'll take him another day" he came closer and enquired "where's Mawra?"

"She went inside" I pointed to the doorway behind my back.
"Any work?"  I hesitantly asked.

He shook his head and went away. Weird.

It seems like something or the other is cooking inside everyone's mind and nobody wants to reveal it. Only me and poor Anya are left alone. I played with her. Tufayl becomes a living hell for us when we have our periods because he keeps on investigating our crime of missing our prayer,isn't he old enough!

I've been hiding from him and acting like I've just come from other room after praying with my scarf wrapped tightly.

He screens me down and walks out.

Aabish's head is on Mehreen's lap and she's running her finger through his hair as he stares at my hands.

I immediately flaunted the henna on my hand turned into a deep maroon. I kept swaying my hands in the air till he grunted "Stop Noir ! We get it,your man's dying to love you"

Yes! Burhan loves me! I mentally slapped myself awake he is yet not my man,is isn't dying to love me. But I wish he is!

"How adorable you two look!" I said pulling out my phone to click a picture.

"Don't ruin it Noir!" Aabish cried blocking my camera with his hands. Then he took Mehreen's hand in his and brought them closer to himself and opened his palm "look at my sister's hands Noir! Better than yours hah!" He boasted. I mouthed 'shahid' as mehreen looked at me.

Mawra in the corner sat smiling to herself.

"You! You retard,show your hands here" he hissed.

Mawra jumped out of her bubbles with her hands out,"he loves me more than anybody here is loved!" She bursted out in joy.

"I think the henna was adulterated with some sort of artificial color or else how Mawra have such a deep color with a face like that!" Aabish said in a disgust,we laughed hysterically.

I was overjoyed. My color was deep and I sat adoring it whenever my sight fell on my hands. I wanna do this all the time!

Enaya was one with the deepest color of all,when we sat together she addressed attention to her palms and announced "my husband loves me the most,is anyone around who's love can compare to mine?"

Burhan leaned in close and said "what's the theory?"

"The deeper the color the more your husband loves you"
Answered Sarah.

"Okay I need to inspect, everybody palms out" he commanded.

He saw everybody's hand and when he saw mine,his smiled reached his ear. I was shy again. I love you I said internally.

"Bring me something to drink before I die off this womanly talk" Tufayl agitated.

I bought some drinks and passed over,when I returned to keep the empty glasses Aabish was sitting in the compound alone.

"Aabishhhh" I called. He heard but ignored.

I sat beside. "What happened, you sad?"

"Yes" he replied. I took his hand in mine. "Why?" I looked in his eyes.

"How can Mawra have such a deep color that's unfair!" He grunted. I laughed and then reached to him again "the real why?"

"Not good enough,not enough.... Dad is coming tomorrow, he'll insult mom. He is the worst man I've ever seen--"

"Don't say that" I stopped him in between.

He sighed and continued "I want to be as good as he wants me to be but I simply can't mould myself into an avatar he pleases. I'm miserable at social events, I'm not his son to boast about.... I can't be Aabid,I don't want to be him,I don't care,isn't one Aabid enough?"

I sensed what it was about and he sighs grew heavy,I was hoping he would hold his tears because I wouldn't be able to see him cry.

"It would all okay,in a few years you would be a Doctor,a pediatrician to be specific. He would proud,you would be the best of your profession. He would forget with all your success, that he needed another Aabid,he would applaud Aabish and I would clap the loudest at your graduation!"
I said and held his hands tighter.

He smiled as a single tear rolled down his high end cheek.

"Of course you would, I wonder why isn't my dad smarter than this girl who loves dead people?" He teased. Our signature punch happened.

"Why do all sons have to be masculine? Why can't he bear me be a little feminine, do you care I am this way? Will you ashamed if I was your son?" He asked me in a scared tone,his heart beat could be heard soft and his eyes filled with water again.

I was confident that I knew my answer and I would be honest about it "if the day you met me and even after a week or two would you have asked me this question, I have would said yes,I would be a little ashamed to have a son like you. But now that I know you,no Aabish there can be no son to be proud of more in honour but you! You pray when others sleep,you make others laugh when they weep,you're kind to the maids have they been your caretakers as if. You're than a boy with grey eyes and pretty face,you're a pure soul"

His tears rolled one by one as he didn't lose his smile.

"Sh*t! Sh*t! I hate Noir! I hate you! " he buried his face in his arms. I dragged him to me and he hugged me,within a slow whisper he said "I love you,keep reading those books you give good speech,say this to my dad's face and discover horror"

I laughed,a little crazy but my best friend has no right to cry over petty issues.

I returned to the kitchen to refill my tea cup.

"How much tea do you drink in a day?" Burhan almost scared me approaching from the back door of the kitchen.

"You scared me!" I exclaimed.

"You scare me too" he said,why does he mean?

"I drink a lot of tea,thanks to dad and genetics and the fact that I'm always making tea for someone" I answered offering him too a cuppa to join.

"Growing up is hard" he said yet once again.

"It indeed is,just realized,still realizing. Tell me yours?"
I said joining him on the seating beside the window in the kitchen.

"My story? Huh,just been dragging myself with dead feet through engineering and attending lame parties and compromising my identity to my ego. Loved childhood, missed childhood" he said with a heavy sigh. He should be a writer. I would buy all his copies.

"I know,I've heard you've been doing everything you're told,you're so obedient that every mother should bear a child like you and every father should have a son such as you to flaunt off,so popular" I smiled,he shook his head. "You must compromise a lot I'm sure,I miss childhood too" I resumed.

"Yes I do,every single moment,I sacrifice all what I wish to do over what needs to be done and it's important to me because it is important to them,I no more miss childhood now" he halted.

"Why do you all this?" I asked fixing my eyes in his,

"Because I cannot compromise my status of seen to my desires of dunya,it says to be obliging to one's parents,I shall oblige to them whatsoever" he said speaking in soft tones touching my heart,I was touched by his answer.

"Why do you not miss childhood anymore?" I asked my eyes still weaved within his.

"Since you are here--"

The maid's entrance jolted down his speech. She looked suspectedly at us,which might have caused Burhan discomfort as he left without saying a word. I walked in a fist of anger. Ruined it.

I entered the room and on the right Mawra and Masirah have been ear whispering some talk. When I sat closer they moved away. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Nothing!" They at once detained.

"What was burhan telling you yesterday,I saw you both talking at the balcony? " Mawra questioned.

This makes me nervous. "Nothing,random stuff" I answered looking away and Mehreen was texting on her phone so there the attention on her " who's it? Shahid?"

They loud 'haaa' went off,she threw the pillow on my face. "It's my cousin, Khadeeja. You tell me about your proposals,there might be too many" Mehreen teased me.

"There is Zaid but he isn't my type" I answered.

"Don't worry about him" Masirah said in an instance.

"Why?" The sister's asked.

"Mum doesn't like very much" Masirah answered pouting at me.

"And you Mawra?" I asked.

She shifted from the bed and just shook her head.