Assalamualaikum!

         CHAPTER 24 -  DAYS OF OUR LIVES...

MINAL'S POV :

"Assalamualaikum Dadi, " He hugged her and kissed her cheek.

She was so happy. And wished him lifetime happiness.

Then he sat beside her, and I went ahead and greeted her.

She smiled and replied.

When I was about to hug her,

"What are you doing?" Shehryaar spoke in a horrified manner.

I got stuck in the same position.

"You are not his granddaughter, you have to touch her feet and take blessings from her, " shehryaar completed his sentence.

I quickly touched her feet, when I heard everyone laughing, including dadi.

Shehryaar was laughing while clapping both his hands.

"Sh!" Dadi hushed him.

"We don't follow those rituals here beti. We shouldn't bend our heads in front of anyone except Him (Allah)." She explained and kissed my forehead.

I smiled at her. I looked beside her, Shehryaar was showing his 32. I narrowed my eyes at him, he rolled his lip inside trying to control the laughter.

I backed off still glaring at him.

"Mashallah, Very pretty." Dadi complimented me. I smiled at her.

"Mashallah, mashallah. But Dadi, she's not that pretty compared to my handsomeness. I might have the prettiest wife only if you chose for me." Shehryaar said seriously.

My eyes widened, my mouth opened than closed.

I continued glaring at him.

How dare he?! He's totally changed here.

Dadi laughed and replied, "I know shehry. But it's all your mother's fault."
She agreed with her and glared at mom who was rolling her eyes.

I've never felt this much insult in my whole life.

"Oh really? You are the one to talk about? Then let me clear about your view on your Dadi's suggestions." Dad came and glared at him.

His expression changed then he adjusted saying, "Come on, Dad! It was definitely my decision. I was just kidding. " He laughed uncomfortably.

"So was I." Dad mimicking his laugh.

Shehryaar lips were zipped.

Everyone was engaged with some conversation.

Fatty whispered, "Are you thinking that Bhai has changed?". I nodded. She chuckled.

"Every year when we visit here, we watch this side of him. Totally selfish and evil. He makes us miserable in front of dadi. And when Bhai is around, dadi doesn't even look at us. She's always partial to us. All love and care for Bhai. We get nothing from her, just her homemade." Fatty told her heart out.

"But he won't do that to me, right? I mean am his wife, I need to win his Dadi's heart. So I don't think he'll do this to me." I asked her.

"Don't expect that you will win her heart that easily. She's not easy, at least not about Bhai's matter. She'll check you and keep an eye on you every now and then. If you want to win her heart, then you should deal with Bhai first. " Fatty instructed me.

"Is she that bad?" I asked.

"Don't even ask. You already have a minus point because you are from mom's side. You know how much she loves mom. So be careful." She warned.

Is it my fault?

I don't think he'll help me. He insulted me already.

SHEHRYAAR'S POV :

I saw her talking to my aunts and cousins.

My uncles were busy with dad.

Our luggage was already kept in our rooms by my cousins.

I was sleeping on my Dadi's lap.

"What are you looking at?" Asked Dadi.

"My wife," I answered smiling.

"I heard you liked her already, that's why you asked to marry her?" Dadi asked.

My smile faded.

"Wh-what?" I got up stammering.

"Who told you? Mom asked me about her proposal. I just said yes. Dadi, don't always believe all the rumours." I cleared myself.

"Oh, I see. Now my grandson started lying to me?" Dadi asked me raising her eyebrow.

"Yaar Dadi, Am not lying. Let's just say that if not her, then no one." I said. She tapped my back.

"Let's go and eat."

                          * After lunch *

"So?" I fell on the bed resting my back.

She was unpacking our suitcase.

"What's wrong? Why pulled a long face?"
I asked her, giving her a devilish grin.

She once stopped unpacking and glared at me.

I burped out loud. She threw daggers at me. 

"What? Why are you..." She cut me off.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she likes you. She never disagrees with me." She mimicked me and threw my shirt on me.

"She never denies my words. I said that." I rectified her whilst throwing my shirt back on suitcase.

"What.ever." I gritted my teeth in anger.

"Alright, relax."

"Relax? I was never insulted like this. If you don't find me pretty then you should have married someone else. Why wasting time on me? Marry someone prettier than me. Ask your Dadi she'll help you find."

"Woah! Someone is really angry, right now." I said teasingly.

She sat on the bed while making a face.

I got up and sat beside her leaving no distance.

"I was thinking, why trouble Dadi? Why don't you find someone for me? Someone prettier than you." I rolled my lips in to control my laugh.

She turned to me and got up at once.

"Me? Yeah, sure. Why not? How about shahida, the maid. She's prettier than me. Why not marry her?" She was all fumed up. I chuckled.

"How did you find out about us?" I acted. She rolled her eyes and was about to walk away when I grabbed her hand and made her sit beside me.

But she turned her face that side.

"I was joking. There is no one prettier than you. At least not for me." I explained to her. She turned to me.

"Now tell me why your Dadi stares at me like that? I couldn't even eat properly because of her constant staring." I complained to him.

"She was checking you out. Like you check me out." I smirked. She got speechless for a moment.

"I wasn't talking about me. I was talking about your Dadi." She tried to change the topic.

"It means that you do check me out?" I smirked.

"I didn't agree with that." She looked away.

"You didn't disagree with that, either," I said.

"Shehry bhaiya." A sudden voice interrupted us. We both looked at the door to see Shahida smiling at us.

I turned to look at her, she was glaring at me like I did some crime.

"What?" I asked her. She walked inside the washroom and closed the door loudly. I want to bang my head so hard.

Why did I even make fun with her name?

"What is it?" I asked shahida.

"Dadi's calling you."

"Okay. And you, how many times I've told you to knock the door before you walk inside. Next time, don't forget." I warned her. She agreed and left.

I facepalm myself.

After some brief minutes, she stormed out of the washroom.

"Minal?" I called her name.

"No need to explain anything to me. Mom asked me to come downstairs before 6 p.m. I need to go downstairs." She simply said.

"But it's 4:45 pm." Before I could complete the sentence she left the room.

I took a deep breath.

MINAL'S POV :

"Minal. Join us." Mom asked me to join them in the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom." I walked up to her.

I joined the circle, where all his aunties and cousins were already there. I sat beside fatty.

"Where is shehry?" One of his aunts asked.

"He's with Dadi," I said.

"Go and call him. There are other people in this house too, always chilling with his dadi." Mom got angry. I nodded.

I ran up to him. He was busy munching some snacks, while Dadi was reading the Quran.

"Shehryaar, mom's calling you," I said. Dadi glared at me. He widened his eyes and shook his head. I frowned.

"What did you say?" Dadi asked me while glaring at me in the gap between her eyes and specs.

"Mom called him," I said frowning.

"You shouldn't call him by his name. He's your husband, not your brother." She demanded.

"What? Then what should I call him?" I raised a question.

Shehryaar coughed up.

"Nothing. Let's leave. Dadi, I'll be back." He dragged me outside her room.

"What? What does that mean? Then what should I call you?" I bombarded him with questions.

"Nothing. I mean, you can call me whatever you want. But 'nothing' in front of Dadi. Please." He requested.

"Alright, fine. Whatever man. I wasn't going to call you anyway." I walked past him.

She's no good. Now I get it, why mom doesn't like her. She's unbearable. Not to call by his name? Then what should I call him?

Just 2 more days. Bear it. Calm yourself. Just 2 more days.

Consoling myself, I went and sat beside fatty.

He came and "Mom, you called me?"

"Sit with us, shehry. Don't always wander around your Dadi." One of his aunts said.

"I was going to. But Dadi called me."

                * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After Dinner,

"Okay, leave it. Let's watch a movie? What say?" Shehryaar suggested.

"No, thanks. I'll watch it on my phone."

"Okay, then. How about watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S whilst munching some snacks, which I ordered this evening?" Before he finishing his sentence he walked to the wardrobe and took out a big bag of snacks.

God! I really cannot deny this, can I?

He smirked at me as he came back and sat on the bed.

He really knows how to handle my moods. That's nice. I really wanted someone like him.

He waited for my reply but I looked away. Trying to keep me angry. 

He took out his laptop and started watching f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

He opened a pack of crisps.

I moved a little towards him.

He laughed so loud watching the laptop. I can't just stay like this.

I moved and sat beside him.

He turned to me, pausing the video. I rolled my eyes and pulled his earplugs of one side and kept in my ear. And snatched the crisps from his hand. He laughed at my sudden change of behaviour. I smiled at him.

He took advantage of it and kept his hand on my shoulder. I quickly turned to him.

"Did I ask you to sit that close to me? All your fault." He smirked at me.

I shook my head, whispering "Unbelievable!"

"I know." He said mimicking Monica, from f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

NEXT MORNING

SHEHRYAAR'S POV :

"Hurry up!" She screamed at me, from behind the door.

I was bathing inside. It's been 10 minutes since I came inside.

She is banging the door from the past 3 minutes.

"Would you please stop banging the door?"

"I can't. Hurry up. I've to be downstairs in half an hour."

"Alright. I'll be out in a minute."

I came out and closed the door so fast that the door's lock fell down.

I stuck my tongue. She widened her eyes in shock.

"I.am.so.sorry." I apologised to her thinking of the consequences I've to face.

"What the hell? Now how can I go bath?" She almost shouted.

She sat on the bed with a thud.

"Why do you always have to trouble me?" She groaned.

"Hey, if anything makes you feel better, it was all your fault."

"What?" She shrieked.

"You kept on banging the door, which made the door unstable."

"I don't know. I've to go and get ready." She commanded.

"Then there is only one option left."

"What?" She got up.

"You go bath and I'll keep an eye on the door," I suggested.

"Ohhh! Can you really do that?" She seemed so grateful.

"I'd love to," I said smirking. Her expression changed in a second.

"I really don't trust you." She said making a disgusting face.

"Okay, then don't bath."

"Are you kidding me?" She made a face.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Alright, I'll be back in 15 minutes. Am really trusting you in this."

"Okay, my lady."

                                 * * * * *

"Am so bored in here. Let me just peek a little." I said controlling my laughter.

"Are you crazy? Ugghhh." She sounded scared and irritated.

"Please." I acted.

"Stay away from the door, you sick guy." She warned.

I laughed and opened the door a little and she screamed at the top of her lung.

"Shehryaar, I'll kill you once I come out."

I laughed.

                     * * * * * * * * * *

MINAL'S POV :

I went downstairs to see everyone's depressed.

Then I heard from mom that one of Dad's cousin died, so we have to attend the funeral.

We all had breakfast and started gathering outside the house.

So we all went to her funeral. Except for Dadi and shehryaar's unmarried cousins. Dad and uncles came.

We went there. Later, an old lady came and handed everyone the Quran's chapters. One for each. All the aunts and Mom started reading.

Both the bhabi's were on their periods. So they went back with the uncles.

I was handed the chapter 15. I started reading it.

After 20 minutes,  everyone handed the Quran's chapter back. But I couldn't because I just finished half of it.

Knowing my speed, everyone asked for another one.

"Thank you, mom." I thanked mom.

"No problem, beta." She smiled at me.

We left that place.

We came back. It was already lunchtime.

The lunch was all ready.

We all freshened up. Then gathered at lunch.

"So? I heard someone was so fast reading the Quran." He made fun of me, sitting beside me.

"Don't even ask. It was a horrible, horrible moment." I started telling him the whole story.

He laughed and laughed.

                       * * * * * * * * * *

After biding goodbyes, we left.

Finally, we are out of this place.

We are going back to our place.

Mom and I were the happiest of all.

It took us 2-3 hours to arrive in our city.

We reached there. We all went to our respective rooms.

NEXT DAY :

I woke up and saw him searching for something in the wardrobe.

"God! Am so tired." I said yawning.

"Where is my laptop?" He asked whilst searching here and there.

"I don't know." I got up and wore my slippers to help him find his laptop.

"Where did you last kept?" I asked him.

"I don't remember. I last used my laptop to watch...darn it!" He suddenly facepalmed himself.

"Don't tell me you left there?" I laughed.

"Yes, I did. And that's not funny." He got angry.

"Okay, then. Don't go to work today."

"Yeah, easy for you to say. You've not announced about 2 days leave to the whole office." He said and called up someone.

His cousin, I think.

"Yeah, I left my laptop in my room. Would you please bring it to me? I'll wait. Yeah. Okay. Thanks, bro." He cut the call.

"So, are you going to wait for like 3 hours? That's a lot of time." I teased him.

"Yeah, whatever."

After 2 hours,

"Am so exhausted." He said sitting up.

"Shush!" Mom hushed him as we were watching the drama.

Suddenly my phone rang. Home? Why is mamma calling me by home phone number?

I picked it up.

"Hello?" I walked towards the window a little bit away from the tv. He followed me.

"Who?" He mouthed. I showed him my phone. "Oh!" He said.

"Hello? Mamma?"

"Hello." Some manly voice came.

"Hello, mamma?"

"Your mamma has been kidnapped." Sudden information from an unknown stranger with my mother's phone made me scared.

"Wh-who is this?" I asked stammering.

And put the phone on speaker so that shehryaar could hear.

"Your mother is kidnapped. Come to your mother's house. And don't bring anyone or tell anyone about it or else you'll lose her." He said and cut the call.

I was so scared. Tears popped out in my eyes. Mamma is being kidnapped? But why? For what?

Hey!

How are you?

Sorry for the delay.

Am not that free these days, because being an aunt is not easy :)

As an apology, I've written a lengthy chapter...

Hope you liked it.

Allah hafiz!

- Mrs Shehryaar -