Aariz peaks into her laptop. Canva website hints she has been editing something. When he looks closely and reads it's a design of a post for Dubai Medical College for some event they are organizing. It's a volunteer event. He clicks a photo before she comes back into the room.

The bell rings and her footsteps fasten. And she opens the door. Mr. And Mrs. Hafeez stand at the door with Nuha and Harun. All looking almost dead, she bites her laughter.

"Miss. Doctor!", Mr. Hafeez exclaims as they all walk in. He places her hand on her head.

Mrs. Hafeez grabs her hand, "You are fine. Alhamdulillah.", she hugs her holding her in place, "your mom and I were dead scared."

Nuha's eyes catch the handcuff on the dining table. A smirk curls up her face and she looks at Aariz. He looks away and closes the flap of Selena's laptop. Another ring of the bell makes Aariz rush to open it. Selena sprints to the kitchen to fetch water for everyone.

"Mr. Doctor!", she hears her dad. As she walks in with a tray of water-filled glasses she glances at her papa who gives Aariz a quick hug, and a warm handshake followed by their hands on their chest. It has always been this energetic vibe between them.

"Selena...", her mom rushes to warm her arms around her.
"Mom, I am fine... Not like I died or something.", she laughs.
"but my heart did.", her mom answers.

There is a quick exchange of glances between Aariz and Selena. No, she has not been fine. Stop lying, Selena. Though she can read his eyes she chooses to ignore him.

Amelia wriggles her eyes at Selena making a kissy face. Selena mouths piss off but she is caught off guard by Nuha who tsks sarcastically supporting Amelia. Harun gets his hand on handcuffs and sprints away with Saad into their room. The parents settle down on the sofas with her dad switching on the TV letting the Pakistani news pour in.

"Selena, any plans for tea?", her papa's classic way of asking to make tea for guests. She nods. While escorting Amelia and Nuha to their room, they keep nudging her to pour in the juicy gossip of what they did alone. Amelia being herself wraps a hand around Selena's neck trying her best to plant a kiss on her face while Selena squirms under her grip. Selena's palm slams into Amelia's face pushing her away. She dashes for the kitchen where Aariz is already standing.

This is not good. These conversations are escalating to another level. Selena wants to kill the feeling. This surge of hormones makes her giddy around him.

(Selena's POV) Stupid hormones. Just wanna get rid of these hormones already. No hormones, no feelings. 

"Please leave me alone.", she asks him quietly singing the leitmotif of no hormones no feelings in her head. Aariz, surprised by her words, doesn't move. Selena closes the kitchen door and opens the fridge to get milk out.

"also...", she turns around with a milk bottle in her hand, "why is this your tongue of your running like a headless chicken. Put some brakes to it. Just in case it runs away. Hmm?!"

Selena smiles before rolling her eyes.

"When you can't run away from a situation it is the tongue that makes the situation run away from you". His hand moves up and down in her direction making her gasp in disbelief. "It's my tongue. Not like you have to pay for my tongue running like a headless chicken!" he sticks his tongue out.

"How dare you call me a situation".

"Like this". He sticks his tongue out before mouthing situation. "And instead of focusing on by running tongue try focusing on making tea".

"I want us to go back to the way we were. Silent treatment."

Aariz pauses. "Why? Are you scared of what it might lead to?"

Her parted lips hint he has caught her off guard. So he smirks walking up to her. She doesn't flinch because she is too frozen to be thawed back again into her senses. As he grabs the door knob behind her to pull the door open her eyes follow him. The door bangs into the fire extinguisher behind the door on the wall.

Selena grinds her teeth stomping her feet to the stove. "Before, he wouldn't open up for anyone and now he wouldn't shut up for anything. Ya Allah what is this torment?"

Aariz could almost smash his fist into the wall. Why would he say that? They are mortal enemies. Silent treatment is the best war for he is losing control over these weird feelings. The thoughts of having such feelings creep and crawl under his skin making him cringe. Never in million years she would nurture such feelings for a person like him. The mischievous smirk falter with these thoughts.

Besides, she has hots for Nooran. The people can see the ship sail even though the captains themselves aren't aware of their drifting ship. He slumps against the cushion sinking him into physical comfort but mentally restlessness isn't letting him rest.

(Selena's and Aariz's POV) These feelings shall pass.

They both exhale heavily.

After making tea when she finally comes in the room Saad and Harun are busy playing with toy guns and handcuffs while Amelia and Nuha are counting stamps on expo 2020 passports. A ping of notification on Nuha's phone catches her eyes and she forsaking everything picks it up. A smile spreads across her face as her fingers quickly move across the screen typing.

"You missed a big one!", Nuha remarks upon seeing Selena and buries herself back into the screen, "But that's okay. We still have time. We'll go again after Aariz is gone. We three!", momentarily she looks up and gets back to texting again.

"she didn't miss anything. Bish, fill is some tea. What did you guys do?", Amelia and her wiggling eyebrows make her flip her bird. Nuha is too busy to notice Amelia shamelessly shipping her sister with Nuha's brother.

"You know, nothing...", she coats her conversation with sugar, "Just cleaning up my vomit after periods and a panic attack."

"Uh-huh..." Nuha continues to type with a smirk on her face. While Amelia sarcatucally claps her hands together to congratulate Selena for having Aunt Flow.

Selena's voice echoes in Aariz's ears. It's been an hour since she said that but this pang of hurt feels so immense. If dying was possible he could have died. He can't understand the reason behind such feelings. The feeling for a woman who has always used a chance to trigger his past. His guilty conscience reminds him about how he is getting worked up over such petty things.

(Aariz's POV) She is toxic. Cut her off.

Make peace. Make peace. Over the voice of his thoughts he almost misses his ammi asking him to wear shoes as she puts her mask back on her mouth.

After Isha when both of them lay down in their beds gazing at the ceiling above them. Aariz's used patch sits on his side table. He can see Nuha in his rear vision beside him texting on Instagram in the dark. He turns to the left facing towards Nuha.

"Who is it?" He whispers.

"Not someone you'd be interested in". She pulls a duvet over her face and turns away from him.

Selena who sleeps on the mattress on the floor can feel Amelia breathing through her allergic nose. Saad snores, disrupting the silence. She turns to right facing Amelia.

They tossle for some time but end up in a supine position again. 

He shuts his eyes close tightly trying to push her words out of his head and pulls his duvet on his head. GET. OUT. He mumbles. But he can feel her thoughts creeping back in his head filling the dark void in him with the hues he never knew. No this is much more than euphoria. Much better than nicotine. Much better than that strawberry flavor. Every addiction, every euphoria is toxic. She is his destruction. He has to stop.

She slips her feet out of her blanket. Her hands reach out towards the ceiling. Her hair spread around her head like the snakes of Medusa. As she closes her eyes, she lets the sea keep her afloat but not pushing her onto the shore of stability. She can swim. She isn't drowning anymore. She won't throw up. Playing with her fingers she says:

Love? Is that you?
Behind the cloak of hate?
Behind raised guards,
Outside the locked gates.
If it's really you,
Be known that I miss you,
I messed up,
Still want you.

---

Should Aariz have peaked in Selena's work?

I don't think so.