Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter. Unfortunately, I won't be able to respond to all the comment from the last one. But I promise I read them all with a big smile on my face. đ I'll reply to this chapter's comments for sure. New readers, I really appreciate you taking the time out to read my story, and I will definitely add you to my PM list.
Just to let you know, I once again had to split one chapter into two...so this one may seem a little incomplete. You might wonder why I mentioned some things, but it'll become clearer once I post the next one. Also, sorry about the Yusuf-Aisha scene being short and kind of abrupt. There will be more in the next chapter at the dance party. đ
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Recap
Karan and Deepali finally start to get along on the day of the show. They work together to convince Rehaan to go home and get some sleep. Zaid studies with Hina, and is a little hurt when he thinks that she only asked him over to borrow a book from him. Aditya and Neelam are the first to arrive at the theater where the dance will be. Aditya is a little dazed by how beautiful Neelam looks in her new dress. Deepali and Karan display perfect chemistry and beautiful dancing in the performance, making Rehaan proud. Four days later, Zaid, Hina, Rehaan and Samira take a road trip to Boston for Thanksgiving break. There, they all meet Hina's brother, Yusuf, and their friends Junaid and Isra who graciously let them stay at their house.
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Chapter 12: Let Your Heart Lead
Thanksgiving Day in Boston started off beautifully with a bright, sunny and slightly breezy morning. As a ray of sunshine crept through the narrow gap in the curtains and onto Samira's face, she awakened from her peaceful sleep and slowly opened her eyes. Perceiving the unfamiliar furniture and decor of the room, she remembered where she was and smiled to herself. Having spent the last three months living alone in her dorm room, it felt nice to be staying in a nice cozy house with a group of fun people, even if it was only for four days.
Sitting up and turning to her other side, Samira spotted Hina sound asleep next to her. She smiled once again, recalling how the two of them had stayed up late into the night talking. Samira didn't quite feel the same connection with Hina that she had with Carissa, but it was still wonderful to once again have the sleepover experience, complete with girl talk.
Rising quietly from the bed, Samira went over to her suitcase to select her outfit for the day. Wanting to be comfortable as she helped their hosts prepare for the Thanksgiving party, she picked out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and her favorite University of Pennsylvania sweatshirt, one that Zaid had gifted her when she had received her acceptance letter. Grabbing a towel, she headed towards the attached bathroom to take a shower.
The moment she opened the door to the bathroom, Samira froze in place. She had completely forgotten that this bathroom had another door that opened into the hallway and that they would be sharing it with the boys. Standing in front of her, drying his hair with a towel and clad in a pair of khakhi cargo pants but no shirt, was Rehaan. At the sound of the door opening, he turned, and upon seeing Samira, his eyes widened.
There was a pin drop silence for a few seconds before Samira finally came to her senses. "I'm sorry," she said and quickly stepped back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Sometime during the last minute, Hina had awoken. Samira turned around to find her sitting up in bed in her dark blue silk pajamas, appearing amused.
"Did you just walk in on somebody?" Hina asked with a playful grin.
Samira felt her face become warm. "Yeah, Rehaan," she whispered back embarrassedly. "But he was wearing pants," she added quickly as she laid the clothes in her arms onto a chair.
A moment later, there was knock on the bedroom door. "Come in," Hina called out.
The door opened to reveal Rehaan, who was now fully dressed having pulled on a green and white striped polo shirt over his pants. "The bathroom's free now, Samira," he said, "if you need it."
"Thanks," Samira replied. Just as he was about to turn and walk away, she spoke up again. "Rehaan, I...I'm sorry about that."
Rehaan smiled. "It's okay. Ghalti meri thi. I forgot to lock the door." With that, he walked back into the bedroom where he and Zaid had been sleeping.
A little surprised by how unfazed Rehaan seemed, Samira shrugged to herself. Feeling better, she looked around the room. Hina had gotten up and was now making the bed.
"It's dark in here," Samira commented, as she walked over the window. She pulled the curtains open, filling the room with light. As she gazed out at the suburban homes and maintained lawns, Samira face lit up with a nostalgic smile. This atmosphere reminded her of her own neighborhood back in California.
"Kya baat hai?" Hina asked, spotting Samira's cheery expression. "You look extra happy this morning."
"Aisa kuch nahin hai," Samira replied, finally turning away from the window and walking over to the chair where her clothes and towel were. "It's just a nice day."
"Oh is that it?" Hina said with a knowing grin. "I thought it might be because you saw something you liked a few minutes ago."
"Hina!" Samira exclaimed, clearly shocked but unable to conceal a slight, shy smile.
Hina just laughed and continued to make the bed. Grabbing her clothes from the chair, Samira finally headed to the bathroom to take a shower, and think in privacy about what Hina had just implied.
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Back in Philadelphia, Aditya was also having an enjoyable morning, humming to himself as he prepared breakfast in the kitchen. Just as he had finished setting the table, his cousin Vishal (Amit Tandon) entered the living room.
Vishal had arrived in Philadelphia the previous morning, after which he had spent most of the day meeting with two of University of Pennsylvania's most renowned Astrophysics researchers and taking a tour of their labs. He was hoping to work with one of them next year, if he was accepted into the PhD program.
Aditya and Vishal had a lot in common, especially when it came to their outlook on life. Both were high-spirited, easy going, and fun to be around. However, while Aditya was perfectly comfortable adapting to a routine and enjoyed the occasion quiet night at home, Vishal was too spontaneous to even consider it. Adventurous and inquisitive, he loved exploring new places, new activities and new realms of knowledge.
"Good morning, Adi," Vishal greeted Aditya as he walked up to the table. "Hey, yeh to wohi omelet hai na jo buaji banaati theen?"
"Yup, maa ki special recipe," Aditya replied. Too bad I can never make them as good as she used to, he thought to himself.
"Remember how we always used to fight over who got the last piece? Tu kabhi mujhse nahin jeet paaya."
Aditya smiled. "But what about when we played video games afterwards? Us mein jeet kiski hoti thi?"
"Haan, theek hai theek hai," Vishal gave in. "Chalo, let's eat."
As they ate, they discussed some of their early childhood memories. Vishal and Aditya were both born in Calcutta, but soon after his birth, Aditya's family had moved to Mumbai. Despite the distance, the two families remained close, calling each other often and visiting during vacations. The closeness continued even when Aditya and his parents moved to America. A few years later, Vishal decided to apply to University of Houston just so he could move near them, though he never expected that within a few months, his aunt and uncle would die so tragically and he would become Aditya's legal guardian
"Is baat se yaad aaya," Aditya said, after recalling an especially pleasant trip to Calcutta during his childhood, "mamaji aur mamiji kaise hain?"
"Theek hain," responded Vishal. "They've been a bit lonely ever since didi got married and moved away."
"Why don't you bring them here, to live with you?"
Vishal shook his head. "I've suggested it multiple times, par maa tayyar nahin hain. Unhone ek nayi shart rakhhi hai. First I have to get married, and then they'll move here. She wants me to marry one of those seedhi saadi aspiring housewives. You know, jo mere maa aur papa ko apna samjhe aur unki seva kare."
Aditya laughed. "I cannot imagine you with girl like that."
"Well, if that's the only way my mom will agree to come here, I might just do it."
"Seriously?"
Vishal shrugged. "Maybe. Khair yeh sab baatein chhod. Let's go out."
"Sure. Zaid let me borrow his car, so we can go anywhere."
"Great! So I was thinking, we can take a tour of downtown, go rock climbing at Go Vertical, check out the science museum, maybe drop by the Wachovia center to get tickets for tomorrow's 76ers game, and then-"
"Whoa, whoa," Aditya interjected. "What tourist book did you get all that from? We can't do all that. We have Thanksgiving dinner at Neelam and Deepali's house, remember?"
"Relax man," Vishal replied. "Ghabraata kyoon hai? We'll just do whatever we have time for and then come back. We've got to go rock climbing though."
Aditya smiled as he pulled on a jacket. "Whatever you say."
"Junaid, zara dekhiye to," Isra called as she stared into a pot of chicken tikka masala on the stove. "This doesn't look right."
Her husband stopped basting the turkey he was working on and walked over. After tasting the contents of the pot, he added a few ingredients, and handed the stirring spoon back to Isra. "It'll be fine. Just stir it for a bit longer."
On the way back to his turkey, he took a glance at the stuffing that Samira and Hina were preparing. "That looks great," he told them. "Thanks for helping girls."
"Of course," Hina replied. "We all know you're the master chef, Junaid bhai, lekin hum saara kaam aapko to nahin karne denge."
"You know, our friend Neelam would have really liked watching you cook," Rehaan commented from the kitchen's center island where he was preparing a salad. "She's missing out on some amazing artistry." Junaid smiled at the compliment.
With four hours until the party, the atmosphere in the house was cheerful and lively. While Rehaan, Samira and Hina helped out in the kitchen, Yusuf and Zaid were looking through some cookbooks at the dining room table deciding which deserts to make -- one traditional Thanksgiving desert and one Indian mithai. Little Shaz was entertaining everyone as he watched a children's musical in the family room and crooned along with every song.
"Samira, is something wrong?" Isra asked, after noticing Samira looking around with a perplexed expression.
"No, actually, I'm just a bit confused. Hina told me that we're going to have a dance party later tonight. I know this is a pretty big house, but with all the furniture, where exactly are we going to dance?"
Junaid and Isra exchanged smiiles. "Do you know what's behind those double doors in the living room?" Junaid asked.
"I thought it was the backyard," Hina answered.
"Here, let me show you," Isra said, walking towards the mentioned door. "Rehaan, Zaid, tum dono bhi aao."
Swinging open the doors and turning on the light, she led them into a large room, at least double the size of the living room. With smooth and shiny hardwood floors and a colorful strobe light, it was a perfect dance room. They all walked into the room looking around in awe.
"Wow," Hina said. "When did you have this built?"
"Just this year," Isra replied. "We love to dance a little too much."
"I'm sure Rehaan can relate to that," Zaid commented. "Hai na?"
"Definitely," Rehaan responded. To everyone's surprise, he did a couple hiphop steps, spinning and sliding across the floor. "This is an awesome dance floor," he commented as he came to a stop.
Isra stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow. Hina wasn't kidding when she told me about you. We better see some more of that tonight."
Samira gave Rehaan an impressed glance as they all walked back into the living room.
Yusuf was talking on his cell phone when they entered. "Haan, Hina yahin hai. Ek second." He covered the mouthpiece with his hand. "Papa ka phone hai," he told Hina.
Hina rolled her eyes as she walked over. "Kal hi to baat ki thi," she said. She took the phone from him. "Haan papa, kaise hain aap?" Her voice was far from enthusiastic as she walked out of the room to attend the call.
Everyone else immediately went back to work, but Rehaan watched Yusuf for a moment, noticing a look of disappointment and frustration on his face. Rehaan knew what was coming, but there was nothing he could do except return to the kitchen and focus on his salad.
Sure enough, as soon as Hina returned, Yusuf gave her a stern look. "Hina, tum papa se itna pareshaan kyoon ho? He cares about you so much, and you can't even be nice for a few minutes."
Hina sighed in exasperation. "Bhai, aap samajhte kyoon nahin. It's not that I don't want to talk to him, but he calls me multiple times a day. Main unse kitni baar yehi baat kehti rahoon ke main theek hoon, meri tabiyat theek hai, meri padhayi achchi chal rahi hai? I'm so tired of it."
"Can't you just try to see things from his perpective, Hina? When you have kids, wouldn't you be concerned about them? Wouldn't you want to always know that they're safe?"
"I understand that you can relate to him, kyoon ke aap bilkul unhi ke jaise hain. You've always dreamt of having a perfect family of your own and being really close to your kids. Lekin bhai, mujhse aisi ummeed mat kijiye. That's just not me."
"You know that papa wasn't always like this," Yusuf said, trying a different argument. "He has always given you all the freedom you ever wanted. But you should understand that things have changed now, ever since --" He stopped in mid-sentence as if stopping himself from revealing a secret to the room full of people.
Hina sighed once again. "Let's talk about this later." She walked back into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Yusuf started flipping through a cookbook once again. Everyone else exchanged concerned glances, but remained silent.
Zaid watched Hina as she finished her water and started helping Samira with the stuffing again. There was so much sadness in her eyes. He wished there was something he could do to make her feel better, but without knowing the whole story, he couldn't think of what to say.
"See, we did almost everything I had suggested, and we're still here just in time," Vishal said to Aditya. "Kya kaha tha maine."
"It's only because I was speeding all the way back home. Otherwise, we would have definitely been late."
The two of them had just arrived at the Mehta's doorstep and rang the doorbell. Immediately the door was answered by a very bubbly and excited Deepali. She was dressed festively in a purple top and white skirt.
"Hey, Happy Thanksgiving!" she exclaimed.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Deepali," Aditya replied. "This is my cousin Vishal. Vishal, Deepali."
They shook hands, and then Deepali led the two of them inside. Seated in the living room were Dr. and Mrs. Mehta, also appearing extra cheerful as they smiled at Aditya.
"Aao Adi beta, tumhaara hi intezaar tha," Dr. Mehta said. "And this must be your cousin."
"Vishal Dutta," Vishal introduced himself. "Thank you so much for inviting me tonight."
"Of course. Let me introduce you to everyone. I'm Anand Mehta, this is my wife Nandini. You've met Deepali already, and Neelam...yeh lo, aa gayi." Neelam had just come from the kitchen clad in a light green shalwar kameez. "Kyoon beta, khana tayyaar?"
"Bas das minute aur, papa," she replied. Seeing Vishal, she smiled. "You must be Vishal. Adi has told me so much about you."
"I've heard a lot about you as well," Vishal replied. "Including the fact that you're doing research in my field."
"You're an Astrophysicist?"
"You got it. And I'm hoping to do my PhD in your department."
"Really? With Dr. Temple?"
Vishal shook his head. "Unfortunately your mentor couldn't take anymore graduate students in his lab. But I'll be working with one of his associates."
"So you must be graduating next May," Dr. Mehta assumed.
"Nahin uncle, next month on December 20th. Actually, mujhe ek extra semester ke liye rukna pada and now I'm stuck with nothing to do for eight months. All the grad school programs start in the fall."
"You know, I may have a solution for that," Dr. Mehta continued. "Neelam's mentor, Dr. Temple, is my colleague and one of my close friends. You're absolutely right that he's not taking any graduate students at the moment, but he just mentioned yesterday that he wants to hire a temporary staff research assistant for his lab. Mere khayaal se tum is position ke liye perfect ho. I could put in a good word for you. Kya khayaal hai? Would you like to move to Philadelphia a little earlier?"
Vishal was ecstatic. "That would be amazing! Thank you so much uncle."
"I think you and I will be working on the same project," Neelam told him.
"I look forward to it," Vishal responded with a smile. "Although this does mean that I'll probably have to see more of this guy," he said, gesturing towards Aditya, "but I suppose I can deal with that."
"Whatever, dude," Aditya replied. "We all know that you only applied to Penn so that you can see my face every day."
Everyone laughed at their banter.
"Why don't you all take a seat at the table?" Neelam requested. "The food should be ready in just a minute.
Without any objection, they all headed over to the dining room, looking forward to a hearty meal.
The party at Junaid and Isra's house was in full swing. Most of the attendees had arrived, and everyone was enjoying Junaid's scrumptious appetizers. The host couple was busy serving and checking on their guests, leaving Yusuf, Hina, Samira, Zaid and Rehaan to socialize.
Upon Isra's suggestions, all the women had worn shalwar kameez with Isra's being pale yellow, Samira's sky blue and Hina's dark red. The boys had cleaned up nicely as well, wearing dress pants and button-down shirts, while Shaz was adorable in a white kurta.
Samira was talking to one of Junaid's coworkers when Isra called out her name. "Samira, your cousin is here."
Turning, Samira found Aisha (Aamna Shariff) waving to her from the front door. She looked absolutely stunning in a light pink outfit, enhanced with delicate silver jewelry. Her long wavy hair was up in clip and a radiant smile was lighting up her face.
Overjoyed to see her after three years, Samira ran over to Aisha and embraced her. "Aisha apa, you look so beautiful," she commented.
"Thanks Samira," she replied. "And look at you, Miss Gorgeous. You've grown up so much since I last saw you." Samira grinned.
Zaid appeared at their side, and Aisha beamed at him. "Zaid, kaise ho tum?" she asked, giving him a hug.
"Theek hoon, apa. Aap bataiye, how's law school going?"
"Great. I love it. But hold on a second...I think we need to talk about you some more. Did I hear something about a girlfriend?"
Zaid's cheeks flushed as he smiled. "She's in the other room. Aap milengi usse?"
"Of course!" Aisha replied. "Dekhen to sahi ke jis ladki ne mere bhai ka dil jeet liya hai woh kaisi hai. She must be very special."
Zaid nodded shyly, and he and Samira took Aisha over to where Hina was standing. Aisha and Hina were introduced to one another, and the four of them chatted for a while. Twenty minutes later, Hina left the group briefly to get a drink. As she made her way to the refreshment table, she noticed Yusuf standing nearby. Forgetting her thirst for the moment, she walked over to her brother, eager to make peace with him.
"Yusuf bhai, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.
"Sure," Yusuf replied, appearing concerned. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, I just wanted to apologize for earlier today. Aap sahi keh raha the. Mujhe papa se is tarah se baat nahin karni chahiye. It's understandable that after that incident, he would be protective of me. It's just that...it was all so traumatic, that sometimes I just pretend that it never happened."
Two years ago, HIna and her father had been at a shopping mall when a crazed gunman had suddenly opened fire. Hina was one of the four shoppers injured in the event when one of his bullets grazed her shoulder. Though her condition was not too serious, the injury did require several stitches. Hina's father was greatly disturbed by the fact that only a slight difference in the trajectory of a bullet could have lodged it straight into HIna's heart. Since then, he became overly protective of her.
Yusuf squeezed Hina's shoulder affectionately. "Main samajhta hoon, Hina. You don't need to apologize. I just hope you understand that he doesn't mean to be overbearing. That day really scared us all -- just the thought that we could have lost you. Papa took it the hardest because he saw it all happen. But you know, even I worry about you sometimes. Agar tumhen kuch ho gaya to..."
"Come on bhai," Hina replied, breaking into a smile and giving him a quick hug. "Yeh sab mat sochiye. You know I can't take too much mushiness."
"All right," Yusuf replied with a grin. "I'm just glad we worked things out."
"Me too. Okay, now back to mingling."
"Hold on. Speaking of minging, who's that girl you were just talking to. The one in pink." He gazed at Aisha, who was talking with Samira, Zaid and Rehaan.
"She's Isra bhabhi's classmate," Hina lied. "Aap usse Shaz ki birthday party mein mil chuke hain. Don't you remember?"
"Aisa ho hi nahin sakta," Yusuf replied, his eyes still fixed on Aisha. "I would have remembered her if I had met her."
"Oh really?" Hina asked with a sly grin.
"I mean...you know...I'm pretty good with remembering faces," Yusuf answered nervously.
Hina laughed. "Well anyway, I was just kidding," she revealed. "You've never met her. She's Aisha, Samira and Zaid's cousin. Actually, you should go talk to her. She studies law at your school."
"Hmm...I think I will." With that Yusuf headed towards the group.
Looks like I might not have to do anything at all, Hina thought with a smile.
Much to Hina and Samira's delight, Yusuf and Aisha completely hit it off. From the moment they met, they became so engrossed in conversation that they forgot everyone around them. They sat together and chatted all throughout dinner, and afterwards the two of them went out in the backyard to get some fresh air.
As they took a seat on a swinging bench, Yusuf couldn't believe what was happening to him. He had been attracted to many women in the past and even had one short-lived relationship, but he had never felt this way about a girl he had just met. Not only was Aisha beautiful but she was also jovial and easy to talk to. He could tell that he was falling for her already, but he wasn't sure what she thought about him. She seemed to like him, but it also appeared that she was one of those people who could be friendly with everyone.
"This is much better," Aisha said. "It was so loud in there. Aap kuch keh rahe the, about why you want to be a pediatrician."
"Well," Yusuf began, "I believe that when children are sick, they're missing out on enjoying their carefree childhood days. We only get to experience childhood once, and every child deserves to be happy and healthy. I can't think of a better way to spend my life than taking care of them. Also, it's always so refreshing to be around kids. Mujhe hamesha aise lagta hai jaise mera bachpan laut aaya."
"I can see how it would be a rewarding career," Aisha replied, "especially being able to experience the joys of childhood once again. It's so unfortunate that most of us lose that spirit and vitality as we grow up." A rustling sound from a nearby bush interrupted their conversation. "Is that a kitten?" Aisha asked, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
"Yeah, he belongs to the neighbor. Shaz hamesha uske saath khelta rehta hai."
Upon learning that the kitten was safe to play with, Aisha immediately picked him up and put him in her lap. "Aw, he's sweet," she said, as she gently stroked his head.
Yusuf watched her silently as she played with the kitten, her face exuding joy and innocence. Before he knew it, he was daydreaming, completely captivated by Aisha's beauty.
aisi aankhen nahin dekheen...
aisi aankhen nahin dekheen
aisa kaajal nahin dekha
aisa jalwa nahin dekha
aisa chehra nahin dekha
jab yeh daaman ki hawa de
aag jungle mein laga de
jab yeh sehraaon mein jaaye
ret mein phool khilaaye
hmmm...la la la...
Aisha looked up and before Yusuf could look away, she had noticed that his eyes were on her. She immediately lowered her gaze and appeared self-conscious and a little uncomfortable. "Ab andar chalen?" she asked, putting the kitten back on the ground and rising from her seat.
"Sure," Yusuf replied. As he followed her back into the house, Yusuf couldn't help wondering why the starry night suddenly seemed so much more beautiful. Was it possible that he was already in love?
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Questions:
1. I just introduced several new characters. Are you able to keep track of everyone or am I going overboard?
2. What do you think of the new characters?
3. I'm sure Yusuf and Aisha's part must have seem rushed, but were his feelings convincing? I thought it might be interesting to have one "love at first sight" tale...but I hope it handled it well. đ
4. Overall opinions on the chapter?
Edited by SuhanaSafar - 15 years ago
Kumkum Bhagya
Anupamaa
330