The next morning, Dua stood in the kitchen, making tea for breakfast when Ali came into the kitchen.

"Chai bana dau."
(Make me some tea.)

He knew she'd show nakhray but she was his only option. Ammi and Hoorain were out somewhere.

"Kis khushi mai?"
(And why would I do that?)

He tried to flatter her a bit,
"Iss khushi mai k tum boht achi ho."
(Because you're such a good person.)

"Achaa? Yadasht khraab hai? Kal tau mai sukoon barbaad kar rahi thi."

(Ahan? Did you lose your memory? I thought I was ruining someone's peace.)

Her way was that of a very bitter wife who fed her husband taunts day and night.

Ali smiled, a dimple slightly embedding itself into his left cheek.

"Please?"

She looked at him for a second and immediately knew what he was trying to do. He would always try to use his charm on her when they were younger. He even got out of getting punished because of his stupid pranks just by flashing a dimpled smile and widening those thundering eyes.

She sighed. Why did it always work?

"Okay but you have to take me to the mall to make it up to me."

Dua desperately needed some stuff and there was no mall or departmental store near this farmhouse where she could go.

"And why do you think I need to make it up to you?"
He questioned while picking a baby carrot off the basket of fresh produce.

She tried to make that face like Jannat again, where she turned her brown eyes a little watery and lowered her eyes to show him that she was still naraz (upset).

It usually worked on Ibraheem bhai, she hoped it'll work here too.

He shook his head,
"I'll take you because I need to get something,too. Don't think this acting fooled me, churail."

////////////////////

After getting all the shopping done in the mall and after two hours of Dua nagging Ali to get her some ice cream, they stopped by an ice cream parlour.

They walked up to the counter and Dua started reading the flavours written in bold letters out loud to Ali .

"Mango, no. Do you think it will the original strawberry or the flavoured one? Um.. I think coconut is the best. They don't have twix flavoured gelato do they? "

Tired of her rambling through out the whole journey, he spoke up.

"God! Shut up, I am just getting coconut."

Her eyes widened, the cat-shaped eyes reflecting the bright yellow stools in the sitting area.
"Hey! That's my flavour!"

Ali rolled his eyes, his hand raising to massage the kink out of his neck due to the long drive.

"Why does it matter if I get the same flavour?"

Dua opened her mouth to retort but was interrupted by an old man, wearing a plaid button up shirt and some loose black slacks.

"Ahh, young love. Do as she says, young man. Biwi k nakhray uthaanay partay hain. "
(Wives always show attitude )

Dua's mouth closed on it's own accord and then her lips parted again, eyes wide with surprise.
She wanted to yell 'What?' at the man's face but then, he was older and she was respectful just like that.

See? Please let me enter heaven, Allah.

Ali smiled after a second of hesitation his eyes shining with mischeif, not wanting to explain to the old man that they were not married or even together and never will be. Because maybe the man was the 'typical' father who'd lecture them on roaming around with 'Na mehrams'.

"Jee uncle.Inn kay tau nakhray hi khatam nahi hotay. Ab dekhain dau saal hogaye shaadi ko, phir bhi thori si larayi parr hi kamray sey dhakay dey kar nikalti hai."

(Yes uncle, their attitude never goes away. See, It's been two years since we got married and still, she kicks me out of the room after every fight.)

Dua placed her hands on hips, those cat-like eyes glaring at its prey and those paws ready to scratch as the old man laughed, patting Ali on the back and then went away when his partner called him. Dua was just about to yell the truth.

With her strawberry cheesecake ice cream in hand, a tiny spoon scooping up the cheesecake pieces to bite them, they walked out of the parlour.

"Hadd hogayi. Uncle bhi na. Shaadi kab hui tumhari?"
( You are ridiculous. When did you get married?)

" Tumsey? Suna nahi? Dau saal pehlay."
(With you? Didn't you listen? two years ago.)

Dua was quick to answer.
"Tumsey tau meri jooti shaadi karey gi. Hoor k gallay mey langoor."
(Hmm. Marry you? My foot.)

"Aik tau tumhari jooti boht kuch karey hi. Mjhesey shaadi phir chaye bhi banaye gi. Kaafi achi kism ki jooti hai."
( Yeah, your foot is attached to you. So, was this a confession?)

Dua pinched her nose, stomping to the car.

   //////////

  Ali started the car when he suddenly he saw his friend Sikandar walking by. Quickly opening the door, he called him.
"Siki! Oye, Sikandar!"

Both of them met each other, doing that 'man hug' and then started talking.

Dua wanted to yell at Ali to take her home now but then she suppressed her urge. He'd probably call her a 'brat' or 'Queen Elizabeth' if she called him now that he was talking with his friend. Folding her arms, she turned her head to the side but she could still feel Ali's and then his friend's stares. What were they talking about?

She remembered Sikandar. He was the one he scolded her in front of, were they talking about her?

Irritated, she started honking, her hand her continuously pressing it down.
They came to the car immediately, hands covering their ears and eyes squinting.

"Are you mad?", Ali was quick to push her hand away .

" Oh, you."
Dua turned to Sikandar who looked like he remembered her now. In the slowly darkening sky, she saw his black hair and the leather jacket that contrasted against the sky like the dark mountains rising from the horizon to stand erect in the navy sky.

Dua wanted to veil her face again to taunt Ali but she just flashed a bored smile at him.
"Jee, mey."
(Yes, me.)

Ali said goodbye to his friend after a couple of minutes, sitting in the car, he turned to look at her who looked like she was bored of this world, the universe.

"Who was this?"

Ali shook his head at her question.
"He's my friend."

She made a face.
"Mjhey pasand nahi aaya."
(I don't like him.)

Ali looked at her the corner of his eyes, starting the car and shifting a gear with one hand while the other rested at the stearing wheel.

"Tumsey kisney poocha hai? (Who asked you?)."

Dua ignored him but
a loud horn diverted their attention to the red porshe beside their car, the engine making a running noise.

Sikandar looked into their car, his eyes on Dua as he winked and sped away on the unending road. Ali cursed, quickly racing his car to follow him.

"What the hell was that?", Dua was still in shock. How dare that..that stupid man wink at her. She wanted stab him in his throat. She racked her brain for all the mysterious murdering tricks she had learnt.

" Don't worry. He didn't mean it like that. Yey kamina aisay hi karta hai race laganay k liye."
(This bastard always does this to make me race him.)

The car flew threw the quiet roads where just a couple of other cars showed life except of their's.

The howling wind, the moon hanging low on the sky charmed Dua and she opened the car's window and the overhead window.

The gust of wind made Ali turn to look at her and he froze for an infinity. Hair as black as the night floated in the air with the wind caressing her exposed neck, his eyes got stuck on that tiny black freckle in the middle of her cheek.
His eyes drank her in like a man who hasn't had water for ages, those lips, that curve of her cupid's bow and then those eyes.

اس پل وہ انجان تهی مگر کسی کی آنکهوں کو
اس کی آنکھوں سے عشق ہوا تها 

( it was unknown to her but in that moment, someone's eyes had loved her eyes.)

He watched as she turned to him, not knowing his state, not feeling the warmth of his eyes as she patted him on his shoulder, a mischievous smile teasing her red stained lips,

"Ali, aik shayr kahun tumharay liye? (Can I say some words for you?)

Coughing with her fist to her mouth, she acted like an audience was present before her, her skin basking in glory of the twilight.

"Har larki pey martay ho,
Kitnay sasstay ho...

(Those innocent eyes,
those beautiful lips,
a great smile, the perfect walk,
smoothest talk, absolute gorgeous,
that's enough about me
what about you?)

Her roars of laughter echoed in the wilderness after she looked at his face.

Ali rolled his eyes, lips teasing a little smile and a shy dimple peeking in the hollow between his left cheek, as his fluffed hair moved to the side due to the wind, still recovering from the earlier episode of a trance.

This time he didn't say anything back.

He turned his head to glance at her again, watched as she tried to control her laughter and her the web of her hair, both dangerous enough to trap him when a sudden jolt pushed them and a loud crash was heard.

  
                ////////////////