It was a scene of a square-shaped lounge where black sofas were present in an L shape. Pair of comfy chairs with a table was also present in the corner. On one of those chairs, Sahir was sitting. One wall of the lounge contains large windows which were open at that moment. The breeze was hitting him, the chirping of birds could be heard and the scent of rose had enveloped his being. Taking sips of coffee, he was gazing at the trees which were grown in their garden. Clad in a gym suit with feet on the table, he was enjoying the sight.

"Sahir, when is the marriage of your friend? " His daze was interrupted by her mother who had just entered the lounge and sat on the other chair.

"Of Zain? It is on the weekend. " He replied and took a sip.

"And what have you planned about his gift? "

"I will discuss it with my other friends and will decide then." He replied casually.

"Okay," His mother replied with a nod.

There was a silence of a few minutes. Sahir could feel that his mother was silent, gazing at him with thoughtful expressions. It seemed that she was assembling words to utter. Sahir knew the topic but kept his careless expressions.

"When will you get married? " his mother asked with a tired tone; tired of having long discussions on this topic.

"When I will get a PhD degree from a foreign university and will be able to own a company of at least 100 employees. Before it, I don't want this topic to be discussed." He said in a straight and non-flexible tone.

"Sahir, don't set unrealistic goals in your life. I pray that all of your dreams come true, but stopping life on a point is not a wise choice." His mom said. Taking a deep sigh, he put the cup of coffee on the table.

"Mom, my whole life revolves around this point. I don't want my focus to be averted from this point. So please, stop pressuring me." He stood from his chair.

"Your friends are getting married, having children and you are in your fantasy land." His mother said with anger and frustration.

"It is their choice, Mom. Every person has different perspectives about life, and all perspectives are respectable. I am not saying that I don't want to marry as it is against our Islam teachings. I just want some time and personal space for my personal growth. So please, stop getting tense because of it."

He replied and went toward his room, leaving his mom alone with her worrisome thoughts.

.....................................

On the other corner of the city, Saba and her mother were also sitting on Saba's bed, chit-chatting with each other. Wrapped in the quilt and having a plate of peanuts in between them, they were having the same discussion.

"Mrs Shaheen was saying to me that after the marriage of Zain, it is your daughter's turn now. So, start taking part in household chores."

Pout settled on Saba's face at her mother's words.

"Mom, first let me make a name in the freelancing world, and then I will think about marriage." She ignored household chores and put her point in front of her.

A disapproving frown etched on her mother's face.

"I want to marry you at your ideal age. And that is final! "

Helplessness crawled into her being. She was going to answer her Mom but the beep of her mobile averted her attention.

The notification was from Fiverr (a freelancing platform) so she quickly opened it. A client has messaged her at which her orbs glint. Leaving the peanuts, she leaned against the bed headboard and started typing on the mobile.

"What are you doing? " Her mother asked with curious expressions.

"Freelancing." She replied while her gaze was on the screen.

Her mother gave a glance to the plate of peanuts and abandoned eating them. Saba had long forgotten the peanuts and became indulged in her client chat.

The client placed the order so she swiftly opened her laptop to complete it.

Seeing her daughter getting busy, Mrs Saima took the plate of peanuts and came out of the room.

"May you get successful in your life. Ameen" She uttered the prayer after shutting her daughter's door.

..........................

Chit-chatting and laughter of students were echoing in the classroom when Sahir entered there. Some students saw him and became sober, but some kept on doing their conversation as they were unaware of his presence.

"Assalam o Alaikum and Good Morning Class! " He said in a loud voice at which the whole class's attention averted toward him.

"Walaikum Aslaam"

"Good Morning"

Muslim Students murmured their salam and Non-Muslim students murmured good morning.

He nodded his head at their murmuring and opened the attendance on the university website. He started calling students' names and they were replying "present" to him.

"Hafsa, Roll Number 28" Sahir called out but no one answered from the class. It means the student was absent.

"Sir, she has left the university as she is married now." A student told him.

Frown settled on Sahir's face at this answer, but he quickly composed himself and nodded his head.

"Congratulate her from my side." He commented and resumed his attendance.

"Leaving studies in between is not a wise choice," Fiza whispered to Saba and Iqra.

As they were in the first row and there was pin-drop silence in the class, Sahir could hear them.

"Marrying at an early age is itself not a wise choice," Iqra commented.

"She had to marry and leave her studies because she was bound by society. Only girls have to face these issues. Males can marry and can study by their choice." Saba whispered in a bitter tone at which Sahir glanced at her.

Seeing him glancing at her, her heart skipped a beat. She realized that he had heard her comment.

After saving the attendance, he gave a glance to the whole class.

"So, today in this history class, we are going to discuss some modern age literature. Today, we will generally discuss the novels and literature of this age."

Most of the students took out their journals and pens, and some have started recording on their mobiles. The remaining students fixed their gaze on the wall clock and started waiting for the lecture to end. While waiting, they were also planning to make a round of university in between the lectures.

"Let me know what you have been reading recently? " He asked the class.

"The Alchemist"

"Forty Rules of Love"

"Thousand Splendid Suns"

"The Book Thief"

Four to five replies echoed into the classroom at which he nodded his head.

"Have you read any modern novels, Saba? " Sahir asked her.

"I'm reading 'Kite Runner' nowadays." She replied.

"Okay, so let's have a general discussion about their themes, and from tomorrow we will read about the age from slides."

"Let's start with Kite Runner. What themes do you find in it, Saba?"

Getting alert to the question, she quickly composed some sentences in her mind.

"It is about colonialism in Afghanistan and human rights. It also discusses the value of friendship and about the social status differences which are getting common in our society." She swiftly replied.

"Good! What else? " He asked at which she got confused

.

"Anyone else? " He asked but there was silence in the class.

"Harassment and rape are also a theme of this novel. Rape of males! In it, issues and violence that male faces are being discussed. It points out how males are also bounded in our society." He paused and briefly made eye contact with Saba on whom realization had dawned.

"Most of our literature has focused on female issues; oppression and violence they are facing. But, most of the time, literature becomes silent on male issues and oppressions. Writers keep their focus on females, and in it, they ignored the issues of males. No doubt, females are facing much more violence than men, but it doesn't mean that the world is Paradise for males. Kite Runner has attempted to point out this issue, and I think its writer has done a marvellous job in it. Do you agree with my point of view?"

He asked and students' "Agree" echoed into the classroom.

"Sir, I think we males also need a movement like feminism. We also need our rights in society." Adil joked at which Sahir smiled at him.

"I also think so." He replied at which laughter echoed into the classroom.

.......................

"Hey, I was wondering about your offer. Do you want to proceed further?"

After typing this message, Saba hit the "send" button. A client contacted her some days ago on Fiverr. He wanted her to create content for his website, but the budget was low. She created an offer which was suitable for both of them but the client didn't reply to her. After waiting for two days, she again messaged him.

After sending the message, she opened the PowerPoint tab on the laptop. With it, she also opened the Fiverr app on her mobile and put it near her. She opened Psycholinguistic slides on her laptop but her gaze kept on flickering toward the mobile screen.

She was skimming Linguistic slides when the message tone of her mobile averted her attention. Leaving the laptop, she swiftly opened the Fiverr to see the client's message.

"I have hired someone else for my project. Thank you for your interest."

The client messaged her at which grief settled in her veins. Her mind became numb and frustration crept in all over her body.

"Okay"

Replying to the client, she threw the mobile aside, shut down the laptop and laid down on the bed. Tiredness and frustration took over her body and tears gathered in her orbs.

"What the hell it is. " She murmured and shut down her eyes.

After a lot of struggle, sleep took over her body.

......................

"How do children acquire vocabulary?"

Saba was glaring at the Psycholinguistic test which was present in front of her. Raising her gaze from the paper, she gave a glance to the class who was writing silently. Sweat broke down on her forehead, and her mind became numb. Words like "under extension", "overextension" and "network building" were somewhere in her mind.

"Network building was maybe related to comparing things and finding opposite meanings of words. Under extension maybe that child doesn't acknowledge the fact that his name or his favorite thing name can be given to other things also. Catto's name is only his cat. Otherwise, there is no Catto in this world. Overextension is that in which a child generalizes the name of things. All animals' names will be 'cat' for him."

These concepts and thoughts were roaming in her mind but she was unsure of them.

"5 minutes left! " Sir called out at which she swiftly opened the pen and started writing her concept. Before writing, she murmured "Bismillah".

Afterwards, when she checked her notes, she came to know that her whole test was correct. A smile adorned her face and gratitude filled her heart.

"Power of Bismillah and writing notes in the classroom! "

She murmured with happiness. In the classroom, no one makes notes on their registers because they believe that when slides and pdfs will be forwarded to them, then why bother to write. But, Saba does make her notes in the classroom. This helps her to save concepts in her memory.

......................

White Corolla stopped in front of a five-story building. Guards came forward to check the person's identity and then opened the gate for him. Driving the car through the gates, Sahir's gaze was looking for an empty spot in the parking area.

After parking his car, he went into the white-painted building. In front of him, there was a white long corridor with a receptionist's desk and a few sofas. Giving a nod and a smile to the receptionist, he went into the elevator which was present at the end of the corridor. Pressing 2 on its system, he gave a glance to himself. White shirt and black pants with a backpack, he was looking fine. The lift opened and again a corridor came in front of him. But, it had different brown doors on both sides. Some doors were open and we could see a desk, chair, sofa and bookshelf there. Sahir stopped in front of a door and opened it with a key.

Just like other rooms, this room also had a desk and chair. Whitewashed walls, white tiled floor with mahogany table and black chair; the room was an amalgam of white and black. He hung the bag from a sticky hook and took out his laptop from it.

"Hello, Sahir! Is everything fine?" A man who was in his forties was standing on the threshold and was asking him with a smiley face. His face was round, his body was healthy, and he was wearing Salwar Kameez.

Yes, Mr Shahbaz. How is it possible that someone feels uncomfortable in your office?"

Sahir said while putting a laptop on the desk.

"Well, thank you! I am planning some new things to make this Freelance Coworking space more beneficial. Some rooms on the ground floor are going to be turned into Freelance classrooms. Also, I'm going to add more flowers and plants to the garden area. Your window will overlook that area. Flowers and greenery are beneficial for writers. No?"

Mr Shahbaz was a light-hearted and talkative man. There was a grin on his face and a glint in his orbs.

"Your ideas are beneficial for all of us! Thank you so much! " He politely replied while his orbs were flickering toward the black round clock hanging on the wall.

"Welcome, Welcome! " He replied and left the room. Taking a deep sigh, Sahir stepped to close the door. In the corridor, he could listen to Mr Shahbaz who was now talking to someone else.

After closing the door, he gave a glance at the garden which was barren and sat on his chair.

Opening the laptop, he first visited LinkedIn.

"Bismillah" he murmured and clicked on the "Search" button. Different filter options popped on his screen. He selected the people, and location of Islamabad, and in the title, he wrote "Social Media Handler". Different profiles came in front of him. He clicked on different profiles and looked at the portfolios of different social media handlers. In one of the profiles, a social media handler had posted the link of his Fiverr gig. Sahir clicked on it, and read his services and budget.

"Perfect! " A smile adorned his face and orbs lit up. He messaged that freelancer on LinkedIn. After sending the message, he again started scrolling the list. Some other freelancers were also offering great services on a reasonable budget. They were newbies and wanted to start their work to gain experience. Sahir checked their portfolios and sent them messages on LinkedIn.

After two hours, he was waiting on Zoom for the first employee.

"Assalam o Alaikum! " A girl's voice came out from the other side. Her video was not shared, meaning she was not comfortable with it. Respecting her privacy, Sahir let it be this way.

"Kindly tell me about yourself." He asked.

"I graduated from the English language and am currently learning new skills in freelancing. I can write interesting content, can do data entry, can collect leads, can write affiliate content, and I'm also a social media handler. My social media accounts are booming every day. I can do this for you too." Her voice was shaky and fast.

"Nervous! " Sahir thought with a deep sigh.

"Okay, Ms Tayyaba. I want an Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn page for my publishing company and writing portfolio. How will you manage them? " He asked.

"Obviously by writing content! "

"What will be your strategy? " He asked, now feeling a little bit frustrated.

There was a long pause on the other side, and her reply came.

"I will design your content and post it daily. This will be my strategy." She replied at which Sahir nodded his head, a bit annoyed now.

"Okay, Miss. I will let you know." He said and ended the meeting. Stretching his neck and gulping some water, he rested his head on the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

"Recruiting is much more difficult than finding a job." He realized it after interviewing a third freelancer.

"I will use Canva for designing, will schedule your posts and post them five days a week, and will interact with your audience in comments and messages. And I will try my best to increase your followers." The freelancer was giving a decent reply to him at which a satisfied smile adorned his face.

"Good. And, how will you manage your time? "

"I'm free. I will focus all my attention on your task. Just give it to me and relax!" Freelancer replied in a nonchalant tone at which Sahir raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, good! Thank you for your time. If you get hired, you will receive an email by tomorrow. Otherwise, I'm sorry."

"No problem! " The freelancer replied with a smile but Sahir felt annoyed at this answer. He gave a smile to the freelancer and disconnected the zoom meeting.

"How will I manage it? " He murmured to himself while massaging his temples.

"Next is Hisham Malik. Now, let's see what he has to offer." He murmured and started a Zoom Meeting. Within a few seconds, Hisham also joined the meeting.

"Asslam o Alaikum Mr. Hisham."

"Walaikum Aslaam Mr. Sahir! How are you doing? " A young voice emerged from the other side

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm good. I have to visit a place in an emergency. I'm not in my space so I am unable to open the camera. I hope you will understand."

A smile stretched on Sahir's lips.

"Sure, no issue! So Mr Hisham, kindly tell me about yourself."

"I have done bachelors in Media Studies. During my studies, I started my freelancing journey with content writing and video editing. After it, I learned social media managing skills and started offering my services on freelancing platforms. I have completed two orders in this field. If you want, I can share my portfolio with you."

His answer excited Sahir because he mentioned his experience in his desired field.

"That's good, Hisham. I'm a writer and publisher and want to promote my online publishing agency. How can you help me? " Sahir asked.

"According to my experience, you should make a Facebook page, Instagram business page, LinkedIn and Twitter account. Pinterest will also do good." Sahir nodded his head, slightly amazed at his answer.

"If I will ask you to create and manage all of the pages, how will you do it? "

"I will first create all of your accounts and pages on different social media websites. After that, I will create different types of content on Canva. I will do my hashtag research, will write compelling captions, and will post attractive images. I will also share the content of different accounts on your social media accounts as it will create connections and followers. I will reach the right audience for you. On LinkedIn, I will send cold messages to your target audience. I will post 5 days a week, and for the remaining 2 days I will only share others' content or will reply to the comments and messages."

His detailed answer impressed Sahir and he ticked that freelancer in his mind.

"How will you manage your time?"

"I will operate your social media accounts on my mobile. It will be easy for me. Also, I will create different content on Canva on Saturday. That day, I will not post any content on your social media accounts, but will create for them."

Sahir nodded his head and decided to hire this freelancer. He had enough broken communication skills and interviews. This freelancer's communication skills showed that he is a dedicated and hard-working man.

"Okay, I like it, Hisham. Let's discuss your budget." Sahir said with a smile.

...........................

The canteen was full of student groups who were chatting, laughing and eating. Among them, on a side table, Saba was reading slides on her mobile. Today was Sahir's test and she hadn't prepared anything for it. As she was a new freelancer, managing time and emotions was hard for her. Her anxiety, happiness and sadness level remained at their peak nowadays. She was struggling for her success in the freelancing world and in maintaining her bright student position. This struggle was weighing her down.

"What are you doing?" Nimra asked while placing two glasses of orange juice in front of her.

"Thank you and preparing for the test." She replied and took a sip.

"Leave it for some time and let's gossip."

Nimra said while eyeing all around the canteen. Saba also abandoned the cell phone and took a sip of juice.

"Have you seen Natasha's fourth boyfriend? " Nimra asked her at which shock settled on Saba's face.

"She has abandoned Raza? "

"Raza came into her life on the first day of the third semester, and they broke up on the last day of the third semester. The fourth one has come into her life on the first day of the fourth semester, and let's see when they will break up. " Nimra said in an amusing and mocking tone. Saba rolled her eyes at her comment.

"What is this way of living life? With no loyalty and commitment! I can't understand the purpose of living such a life!" Saba shook her head and took another sip of orange juice.

"Me too," Nimra replied.

"You know Maham has a crush on Saad. She has posted about it on the university's confession page."

The confession page is an Instagram page that some University students created and post different confessions of students on it. Some confessions remained anonymous, and some had the name of the confession's owner.

"Really? I have not read confessions for a while now." Saba replied.

"Yes! And someone from our department has confessed that she has a crush on Sir Sahir. This confession is a hot topic in our department nowadays. Every student is curious about the anonymous girl."

Saba's heart sped up at Nimra's words, and feelings of distress prevailed in her nerves. Quiz, freelancing, and anxiety all vanished in the air, and feelings of distress became dominant. Nimra was still speaking but she was unable to understand any word now. Only the confession about Sahir was important for her.

....................

"What is the answer to this quiz? "

Distress and helplessness seeped into her nerves as she was unable to answer a lot of questions on the quiz. Time was running, her mind was numb, and questions were alien to her. Tears gathered in her orbs, and the urge to weep hit her strongly.

"Saba, time is up! " Sahir came near her and took the paper. His perfume enveloped her being, and she raised her orbs to see his face. His orbs were also on her face, causing eye contact. Saba could see shock and anger on his face at seeing a nearly empty answer sheet

"Meet me in the office for detention." He said with anger rippling in his orbs.

Saba nodded her head and lowered her gaze.

She had to face him after fifteen minutes in his office.

..............................