Chapter 3

After about two seconds of humming silence in her brain, it dawned on her that someone was calling her,

"Sara? Is that you?" the girl sitting next to Mr. Rude Stare, with short black hair, and lovely olive complexion was asking.

"Sidra?" Sara asked, surprise and happiness melding into one as she recognized her. They both had become friends late in school when Sara had to change sections as Farah was studying Biology and she had chosen to study Computers instead finding the study of human body to be complicated and dreary. Sidra had been fun and outgoing and had complimented Sara's reserved nature beautifully. They had been good friends in school, and had kept in contact through internet, and Sara was extremely glad to see a familiar face in the huge hall.

"Stop talking at the back" at the stern voice all three of them, including Mr. Rude Stare who had followed this exchange with interest, turned towards the teacher and started listening as she explained the difference between formal and informal writing. It was hard for Sara to concentrate as she already knew what the teacher was trying to explain but she knew that many of the students had no idea about the concepts as the public education sector in Pakistan was based on one mantra only which was "Memorize, memorize, and memorize" Many people in the hall, especially the ones sitting in the front row were listening intently to the teacher with a look of surprised wonder on their faces and a couple of them looked as if they were listening to the words formal and informal for the first time!

But that's not the only reason I am unable to concentrate, she admitted, frustrated with herself as her mind kept on going back to how close she was sitting to him, and how close his hands seemed as they sat idle on the desk, not even a notebook in front of him. She saw Sidra tear off a page from her own notebook, and hand it to him with a frown on her face. So Sidra knows him, she thought with equal feelings of dread and happiness.

She didn't know how the next hour passed, and the teacher gave them all a break of fifteen minutes. The class was for the professionals like herself as well as the students of Masters from other disciples so it had to be for three hours, once a week. It was hard for students to concentrate for three hours straight so every day, they had a break of fifteen minutes, all of which she spent in the hall reading the novel she had brought along. But today as soon as the teacher announced the break, Sidra dragged her outside,

"What are you doing here?" she asked Sara excitedly, "Last I heard you were working in a multinational"

"Well, I didn't like it. So now I am a teacher and am doing Masters in English Language Teaching" Sara replied "What are you doing? I thought you were planning to go abroad after Bachelors in Commerce."

"Not enough money!" Sidra replied nonchalantly. Her family was well off but for educating a child abroad, the family coffers had to be bottomless.

"Oh too bad, maybe we'll go together after Masters, work ourselves and earn money to pay for the education and a big bungalow!" Sara said with a wink and had Sidra laughing out loud.

"Yeah! Seems like a plan. Oh I haven't introduced you to my friend," she said as he came to the two of them after having a smoke outside.

"Adal Shirazi this is Sara Farooqi, one of my very good school friends, and Sara this is Adal. He's actually a friend of my friend's boyfriend, but we've become good friends ourselves since the two of them used to drag us with them on their dates!"

"Nice to meet you," he said innocently without a hint of his intense stare or knowing smile.

Sara was surprised enough to only mumble out, "You too," before turning her attention back to Sidra.

"So you're doing Masters in Commerce?" she asked

"No, I wanted a little change so I decided to go for MBA same as Adal here," Sidra replied as they started to return to the hall.

Adal seemed content to walk beside them and did not participate in their chat at all. Sara looked towards him, wondering if he was deliberately confusing her.

"Oh he is quiet," Sidra said teasingly, having noticed Sara looking at him, "He will probably say something to save his life, although I am not sure about that"

He just smiled at the comment, and declined to say anything in return. They had reached the hall; they climbed the stairs and reached their previous seats. As they sat down, Sara deliberately sat with Sidra in the middle, so that Adal was on her left and Sara on her right.

She was half asleep within the next fifteen minutes, as the things being taught were known to her already, so she was jolted when Sidra suddenly elbowed her. She looked towards her and then smiled as she saw her copy. They spent the next hour silently playing hang man like old times.

Sara's mood was quiet bright as she walked towards her car. It was nice to know someone in college, she thought, and I am lucky enough to find one of the few persons that I actually like is here.

"Do I scare you that much that you didn't even wanted to sit next to me?" a quiet voice asked from behind her, with the slightest tinge of gloating.

She stopped in midstride, and turned around to face Adal Shirazi.