Sakina stood on the roof top, breathing in lungful of fresh air in the middle of the night.
The room was choking her, so she ran up here, because, this seemed to be the most peaceful place in the house, followed by the garden.

Bhai hardly talked to her these days, he spent most of his time in the shop, returned late and retired to his room. She sulked, because bhai wasn't this way. He was always an adorable brother who cared for his sister.

Salman's entry into her life, mostly changed the equations. Like most men, he too was insecure of his aura.

Sakina smiled. Her only resort was this terrific man, and the only wait of her life was to get married to him. But she knew, she would never prolong this wait.

Suddenly she felt a tremendous urge to see him, right now, at 12:40 AM.
She ran down the stairs to her room, picked up the landphone and dialed his number.

Just three rings and he picked up.

" Good morning Sakina! "

Sakina giggled. His voice itself was utter peace.
" Morning? "

" Yeah, anything past twelve in the night is morning! "

" I miss you. Please come? "

" Now? "

" Yupp. "

" Will be right there. Keep doors open. "

" Always for you, my love! "

Half an hour later, Sakina saw from the roof, Salman push open the main gate and enter into the garden. The guard, like always, kept sleeping on the chair.

Sakina immediately ran down, surpassed servants sleeping at different corners and in different postures, and reached the front door, opening it wide.

Salman slipped in, with his heart- rending smile.

" My god, your guard sleeps deeper and snors louder than I could ever do in my own bedroom. I swear there would be burglars one day, and your chowkidaar would know nothing. " , Salman whispered as Sakina grabbed him and fetched up the stairs to the roof.

She giggled again.

Salman stopped midway on the stairs.

" No. Not the roof again. Take me to your room. What if I feel sleepy? "

Sakina smiled wider, and came closer to him.
" As if I would let you sleep on my bed. "

" We'll see. " , he winked. And she died.

She could never say a no to him.

She snatched him to her room.
He crashed on the bed immediately.

" This is utter peace. I don't remember sleeping in such soft beds any time soon. "

Sakina frowned.
" No...
Talk to me! You're not here to sleep. "

" Awww! You look so cute when you frown. Do you know that? " , he got up and pulled her down to sit before him. She blushed.

" I will always be there at your service. Always talk to you when you feel lonely. Always sit beside you even if we are miles and time zones apart. "

Sakina immediately pressed her finger against his lips.

" Why do you have to talk this way every now and then?
I don't like it at all. "

Salman smiled and slowly removed her finger, and plopped a kiss on her hand. She blushed again.

" I can never think of leaving you and your memories. Won't do as well. I promise. " , he blinked his eyes.

Sakina felt her eyes sparkle. She looked away. She loved him way too much to even think of him leaving her.

" Hey, what's behind that huge curtain? " , Salman suddenly asked.

Sakina startled, and saw he was pointing at the velvet red curtain, that hid her prized possession..

" That....is....nothing... " , she couldn't reveal it so soon. She had planned to do so on their Nikah morning...

" No. I need to see. " , Salman jumped up.

Sakina too ran and stood guard before it.
" Please, no. It's...it's personal. "

" Personal? Are we really keeping secrets these days Sakina? " , Salman asked, surprised yet smiling.

" It's not that...but... "

Sakina couldn't finish. Because something terribly drastic happened.

The door swung open.

And Shaahid walked in.

His eyes closed.

Both Sakina and Salman stood dumbstruck. They only managed to stare at him, as he walked upto the wall, and began banging his head against it.

" Oh Shit! He's sleepwalking! " , Sakina shrieked suddenly.

" But who the hell is he? " , Salman shrieked as well.

Sakina did not answer, and ran towards Shaahid, shaking him as he continued banging his head.

" Hey! Shaahid! Wake up! Wake up!!
Shaahid! Will you drill your head now? Stop!! "

Salman frowned and watched the process, Sakina looked at him helplessly.

" Wake him up Salman! "

" Never unless you tell me who he is and why he is in your bedroom. "

In the meantime, Shaahid changed course, and with his eyes closed yet, he walked towards the bed and got up onto it.

" Oh my god!! No it's not your room, Shaahid, wake up! Please!!!! " , Sakina screamed.

" So he knows the correct way to your bed, even while sleeping. And you don't even tell me who he is. Fine. I'll leave. "
Salman thumped out of the room.

" No, wait, Salman, wait... Salman...
I was just about to tell you..

He's a new tenant...that's all...

Wait....Salman...

Shit!! "

Sakina left a sleeping Shaahid on her bed and ran behind Salman.

By the time she reached the main gate, he was nowhere to be seen.

Sakina violently shook the guard asking if he had seen Salman, but all the worthless fellow did was to snor louder than sixty decibels.

As Sakina ran sobbing towards the house, the guard stopped snoring and opened his eyes.

No one 'visible enough' could ever cross the gate without him being informed. But according to Sakina ma'am, the ghost visited her everyday, and the guard would not know a thing.

A chill ran down his spine as he stared at the gate, completely closed from the insides.

___

Before Sakina could return, Shaahid had ran back to his room and closed the door from the insides.

Now he was seated on the noisy bed, chuckling to himself, and praising his wits time and again.

Though he had heard from his mates at the mess, and also from whoever had seen him sleeping, that he sleepwalked often in the night, today was not such an occasion.

He was completely awake throughout the proceedings. And his only way to get into Sakina and her imaginary boyfriend without breaking her illusion, was to pretend he was not in his senses.

He was on his way to get water from downstairs, when he heard Sakina's voice from her room, conversing with someone without a reply. He guessed it right again that Salman's 'ghost' had haunted again. He etched out the plan there itself, and swung open the door.

All he could get through Sakina's one sided dialogues and through the corner of his almost closed eyes, that Sakina imagined Salman to get angry upon not letting him know of Shaahid's presence in the house, or that he could freely get an access to her room even in the middle of the night.

The jealousy on a boyfriend's part was the first thing any girl wished to have.
Thus, Salman did everything Sakina wanted him to do, because his existence post death was completely her brainchild.

Sakina ran behind him to pacify him in all possibilities.
And Shaahid ran back to his room.

Now Shaahid could more thoroughly etch out his path.

He chuckled louder.

Third angle. Playing villain.
Damn.