Closing the closet with a thud, I jumped back a little, startled by his voice.

''la hawla wala quwwata!!''

I kept on muttering, keeping my hand on my chest.

Rolling his eyes as usual he walked inside my room and just gave me a look.

''What? You scared me!!''

''Only a fool can get scared over such a small thing!''

''Yeah, standing only a feet away and shouting as if God knows what happened!''

''Told ya''

''Mr.Sayeed has got enough time today?'' I made an impressive face

''We have a meeting to attend''

Did he said? Asked? Or ordered?

''Hmm, what?'' I made a very confused face.

"I said We have a meeting to attend!!" He replied in a slightly irritated tone, which didn't stopped me from scowling at him.

"And would you like to give some more details?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest.

"Why are you so thick headed?"

"Excuse Me? Really? You just walk into my room and just casually said "that we have a meeting to attend" but in all of this you forgot to mention that what meeting demands both of us and moreover you are willing to take me along with you?" I glared at him to which he replied with an equal intense glare.

Clenching his teeth he replied, "Shezan's teacher has called us today, she want's to speak to us and wants both of us together over there"

"See, this wasn't that difficult? Was it?" I just pointed out the fact.

"Laiba....."

"Yes? I'm listening!"

"Be ready by eleven!" With that he was out of the room.

Glancing at the wall clock, I couldn't help but curse. It was only ten minutes left to eleven. Picking out a floral tunic and wearing it quickly, I rushed towards my dresser, made a low bun, wrapped my hijab, took my sling purse, wore my sneakers and rushed out.

Opening the door of passenger side, I slid in when he commented "Wao, that was quiet impressive!" I wanted to reply him back but instead I slammed the door shut, hard!

"That was just unnecessary!!"

"Well, Thank You!" I said batting my eyelashes. Rolling my eyes, I looked out of the window as he drove the car.

It's been almost fifteen days since he walked inside my room and had seen me with "our picture album". No questions were asked, no answers were given, absolutely nothing was exchanged between us.

I didn't stopped doing my duties, I didn't stopped mentioning his name in Salah, I didn't stopped praying to melt his heart and he accepts me, all I did stopped, is showing him. I stopped showing my emotions, I stopped showing him that his behaviour towards me affects me, I stopped begging him. Now, the only talks that are exchanged are, all regarding Shezan and anything necessary regarding to house.

I don't know if he had noticed this difference, but, this is what he has always wanted since day one and this is what all I'll be giving him.

"Why do you think his teacher have called us?" It took me a moment to realize that he was actually talking to me, more precisely he was actually asking my opinion!

"Even I was thinking the same thing." I replied.

"Strange" he shrugged

"Have you noticed some change in Shezan?" I asked

"What do you mean?" He asked

"Something's off about him" I shrugged.

"Laiba, please be a bit more clear" he said taking a right turn.

"I don't know Ashar, he seem just so quiet. He doesn't play much, when I tell him to do something he doesn't deny."

"That means my Son is growing up!"

"First of all he's not your Son, he's Our Son!" And for a second our eyes clashed before I averted my gaze. "And moreover, growing is not bad, Ashar...but something is bothering him. I've tried asking him but he just smiles and say "that everything is fine" something is worrying our child, Ashar." I couldn't stop myself from worrying about what is it that is bothering Shezan.

"First of all, you Calm down! We're going to meet his teacher and then at night, we'll talk to Shezan" he said to which I nodded.

Stopping the car in front of the school, he glanced at me. Opening my side of the door, I got out and for once, I only stared ahead. The very first time in my entire two years, we both have come somewhere together.

Time changes everything.

"Come" he said softly.

Turning towards him, I nodded at him but still was frozen at my spot.

No, not now, not here, I can't become weak. I've promised myself that from now on I will never cry in front of him, so why does my eyes are burning? Why is my vision blurred?

Before I could even register, he had already held my hand and was walking. Too shocked to accept, I stumbled before I started walking properly.

Guiding us inside the Principal's office, the peon left.

"Good Morning, Sir" we both greeted, smiling.

"Good Morning, Mr&Mrs.Sayeed. Please have a seat." The Principal, Mr.Sampayo greeted us. "Me and Mrs.Michael were waiting for you both" he said giving us a small smile.

"Is everything all right, Sir? Is there any complains?" I asked keeping my purse on the ground.

"No, no Complains at all. But we have something to talk to you both." Mr.Sampayo said. He then called the peon and told him to call Mrs.Michael.

While we waited for Mrs.Michael to show up, Mr.Sampayo busied himself in checking some school records, while I couldn't help but glance at his clasped hands, lying on top of his lap. One look at it and I knew that he was stressing. He might don't want to show it from outside that's why his face is devoid of any expression.

Keeping my hand on his, I squeezed it lightly. For a second, he stiffened but then he relaxed, squeezing my hand back. After waiting for more five to ten minutes, Mrs.Michael finally showed up.

"Hello, Good Morning, I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting, was taking a class." She greeted us with a big smile.

"It's okay." I replied smiling back at her as we shook hands.

"Mrs.Michael, coming straight to the point, you wanted to meet us?" Ashar said a bit too staright forwardly. Quickly hitting him by my elbow, I said, "Did Shezan do anything? I mean involved in a fight or misbehaved or you caught him doing something more worse?" I was well aware of the fact that Ashar was very much glaring at me. I could feel the hairs on my back standing.

"No, no, no...I told you both already that there's no complain of him" Mr.Sampayo said removing his glasses and keeping it aside.

"Then I don't understand why are we called here?" This time I just stomped his feet under the table and he hissed.

"I mean Shezan has always been a straight A student. Never ever there has been any complain about him regarding anything or any negative remark on his Report Card. Then, why all of a sudden why this meeting?" I tried to put it more nicely.

"This is the thing Mrs.Sayeed, Shezan is a very bright student and to see him like this, I just couldn't stop myself from asking him and the answer that I got from him made me called you both." She said. Now I started panicking, clutching the handle of the chair tightly, I could feel myself always shaking when suddenly a hand grabbed mine. Immediately, I relaxed.

"This might be a bit personal and you both might not appreciate at all, us intruding in your life, but it's the matter of one my very best student and I just can't sit quietly." Mr.Sampayo said.

"Please, Say it already!" I requested.

"Have you noticed any change in Shezan lately?" Mr.Sampayo asked.

"Y-yes. He has become extremely silent. He does everything but still it feels like he is just doing it for the sake of doing it. Always lost in his own thought. In fact he has even stopped smiling." Tears pooled my eyes as I recalled all those days when I've seen him sitting idly in his room or in the lawn.

"And since when did he started acting like this?" Mr.Sampayo was now standing by the window and looking at the playground. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember, tried to find any clue, anything that might have upset him, any small thing that might have hurt him and when I did put the pieces together, I couldn't help but froze. Suddenly my hands which was still in his grip became cold, opening my eyes, I looked at him.

Realization dawned upon us, it was as if that someone has thrown a bucket full of ice water on us. He changed right after we had fought in front of him that night. How we forgot that he was big enough to understand what was going around him, what was going between us. The times when he just saw both of us ignoring each other or just yelling.

A lone tear felled down from my eyes, slapping me hard across my cheek as I quickly wiped it.

"Look, Mr&Mrs.Sayeed, we don't know nor we both want to know what is actually going on in between you two, but whatever it is, it is disturbing Shezan. He's the most that is getting affected by it." Mr.Sampayo said turning towards us.

"You know we've been monitoring him from the last fifteen days and everytime I've seen him looking towards the other parents who came to drop or pick their toddler or sitting idly. He has distanced himself from everyone, from his friend's too. I knew that something was bothering him so I decided to share this with Mr.Sampayo and with his help I was able to make him speak, to make him share his fear, longing!" Mrs.Michael said.

"And you both know what Mrs.Michael found out?"

"He told me that he wants you both together. Together as in just like any normal happy parents will be in their home. He told me that he had never seen you both talking or laughing or cracking jokes together whenever you all spend time together, which I doubt ever happen! He told me that he has always seen you both yelling at each other and moreover and the most important thing he knows that you both sleep in seperate rooms.

You know he told me that he asked Rashid and Khalil, his friends that if their parents also sleep separately and when they said No, then he asked me that why my Parents stay away from each other? He knows this very well that you both do live under one roof but still are not together. He is growing up, he is very much aware and sharp about what is happening around him. He maybe not say it but he observes everything and records every memory in his mind." Mrs.Michael lightly squeezed my left hand.

"Nobody knows better than you both that what is exactly going on between you both and nobody will better be able to point out and solve that issue other than you both." Mr.Sampayo said.

"Shezan wants a home. A home that is filled with warmth, love and happiness. A home where he sees his Parents together. He doesn't want a house." Mrs.Michael said.

"Look Mr.Sayeed whatever issues is there try to keep it lower and behind the doors. Today's generation is smart enough to pick on every small things easily. We all love Shezan alot, he's our favourite and we all care for him." Mr.Sampayo said. Even though I didn't looked at him but I knew that he nodded to what Mr.Sampayo said.

"Mrs.Sayeed a child needs a mother the most but a child also needs his father. Give him the both of you." Mrs.Michael said

"You both are well educated and matured enough to handle your issues to yourself instead of flashing it in front of a child. My only advise is whatever is broken try to fix it before Shezan loses it and goes into depression." Mr.Sampayo said.

This made something snapped in me, hell sure something in him, too.

"This is the time where a child start discovering every new thing and start indulging in things which might be harmful to them. All we want is to see Shezan happy again." Mrs.Michael smiled.

"We're really sorry for whatever happened. I guess, we weren't behaving like we both should have been, but I promise that this won't be repeated again." I said. In the corner I saw Mr.Sampayo nodding at me.

"I promise too to give him everything that he wants from both of us as a Parents. The love, the affection, the care....anything to everything but never ever again our child will be affected in any sorts of way." His voice strong and determined.

"I'm proud of you both. Good Luck." Mr.Sampayo smiled broadly.

"I hope that we didn't upset you both in any way?" Mrs.Michael asked.

"No, not at all. In fact, Thank you very much for giving us a reality check. This was very much needed." I smiled.

"We were just doing our duties." Mr.Sampayo said casually. We both stood up, shook hands and after thanking them again, we left the office in utter silence.

With every step I took towards the parking, I felt weak, disgusted with myself, ashamed of myself.

How did I not know it? How did I forgot that this must have been affecting him? How did I forgot that amidst all these things, I was losing my Child, My Shezan?!

As if on cue my legs gave away and I sat down on the narrow steps of the school. Bringing my legs closer to my chest, as tears poured out.

"Laiba" in an instant he was in front of me, leaning down on his knees. Taking my face in his hands, he forcefully made me look at him. "Everything's gonna be alright" he whispered. "Ashar, our Shezan...our child-" I couldn't say anymore, so I hugged him, hiding my face in the crook of his neck, wrapping my arms around the nape of his neck. His arms already has a tight grip on my waist as he pulled me more closer to him.

"Shh...he'll be alright. Our Shezan will be fine. We'll make him forget everything. I'm here beside you, Laiba." He rubbed my back but this literally made me more cry.

***

Wiping my face with his handkerchief, I looked ahead. We were now sitting on one of the benches of the park.

"We need to talk to Shezan. We need to make him understand." He said softly. He needs to understand that everything's fine between us"

Everything's far fine between us!

But still I nodded.

"From where do we start?" I asked swallowing a lump in my throat.

"From the very begining" he replied. My head snapped in his direction while his gaze was fixed ahead. I could feel my heartbeat picking up as I felt something, something that I had felt the very first time when I was unintentionally falling for him, oblivion for me.

He must have sensed my uneasiness because the very next moment when he looked at me, my breath hitched. That same look when he use to look at me. A look which has always said many unsaid things to me. Ashar has always been a very quiet person but he has never refrained his eyes from doing the talking.

Averting my gaze from him, I straightened myself.

"I-I guess we should leave now. Shezan will come home soon." I said getting up. Rounding of the bench, I walked towards his car which was not parked at a great distance from the park.

"Laiba" he called.

I turned to see him now standing by the bench.

"Pack your stuffs before Shezan reaches home" he said.

I gave him a confused look.

"We'll be sharing the same room." With that he walked past me towards his car. My whole body freezd. Everything came to a standstill position. My mind still not able to register what he said and my heart a complete mess whether to beat or not.

For the longest of time I stood there in the very same position before my body turned and my feet started taking me to his car where he was patiently waiting for him, already sitting on the driver's seat. Opening the passenger side door, I slipped inside, still paralyzed by his words.

I was still looking ahead that I didn't heard the shuffling beside me and a deep exhale of breath. Turning towards my side, instantly I leaned back on my seat when I noticed that his face was now covering mine. My gaze flickering from his face to his lips and back to his eyes.

"Ashar"

His gaze flickered to my lips, unknowingly I licked my lips, his eyes turning a shade darker. Looking into my eyes, we held each other gazes for awhile. A click sound was heard in the background, "Get a grip on your emotions!" He went back to his seat and then I noticed that he has put seatbelt on me.

Wanting so badly to bump my forehead on the window of the car, I glared at him. "You could have told me to put seatbelt" I glared.

Fight off a smile he replied, "Yeah, with shaky hands you would've put it on!" Now I was throwing mean glance at him.

I hate myself and I hate him more for the effect that he still has on me.

Assalamualaikum, my beautiful readers. How are you all?

Yes, yes, I know that after a month I've updated this chapter.

I wasn't being lazy but something was keeping me busy. I tried writing but I couldn't concentrate, so it took some time before I was back on track.

I hope, you all are not angry or upset with me?

Missed you all alot!

I hope this chapter made you all happy?

Don't forget to vote and comment.

Until next time

Love you all...