SaAz SS: Selfish and Selfless [Chap 6, Page 30] New! :) - Page 4

Originally posted by: aashiqua

One of my favourite writers ...back...and an amazing story follows...waiting for more...

Originally posted by: Rae24

The thanks should go to you for penning down such wonderful poignant emotional stories for us to read...the sparkling eyes OS really tugged at my heartstrings and was written so beautifully. By the way don't you mean Sahir and Arzoo? Asad and Zoya were exceptional characters though and I do miss them terribly. But I'm looking forward to reading how these two flawed characters, one selfish one selfless come together...

"Is this clear to everybody?" The math professor asked, turning away from the white board to face the class just as he finished solving the problem with a flourish.

"Yes sir!" The class replied in a chorus.

"Are you sure? If there is any confusion, let me know now. I'll explain again. But I don't want anyone handing me an unsolved problem when I give you the next one. Anyone who does that will be turned out!" The professor peered over his glasses at the students to find them all shaking their heads in negative with various degrees of vehemence. Muttering an okay, he turned back to the board and wrote a new problem. "I want you all to start solving this. I'm coming in 5 minutes to check."

The still air finally stirred with some activity as the bored, motionless students sighed and reached for their pens before doubling over their notebooks to start scribbling.

"Hey, what's up? Why are you so quiet today?" Arzoo whispered to Sahir, as she bent over her work.

"Maybe because there's a class going on." He answered shrewdly.

"A class hasn't ever stopped you from talking before." She murmured as she worked. "You looked lost in the class today. Everything alright at home?"

"Has anything been ever right at the place I'm privileged to call my home?" His tone was sarcastic.

"What happened now?"

"Leave it."

Arzoo looked at him carefully. "Did you even listen to a word sir taught today?"

"I listened but didn't hear anything."

Arzoo glared at him crossly. "So that means you don't know how to solve the problem sir just gave?"

Sahir shrugged lightly as he bent over his notebook, doodling randomly.

"Allah knows Sahir! He's going to turn you out of the class if you don't show him your work!"

"Let him."

"Give me your notebook. I'll do it for you." Arzoo told him exasperatedly.

"Do your own first. I'll copy it."

"There's not enough time. Just give me your notebook."

"No, if you don't do your work, you're going to be turned out."

"Well, I can afford it with my academic record."

"Fine." He sighed exasperatedly as he pushed his notebook towards her and she began working instantly.

"Can you do me a favor and try to look busy while I do your work for you?" She snapped in slight irritation as she saw Sahir dropping his head on his crossed arms on the table lazily.

A small, amused laugh left Sahir's mouth. "Okay madam." He flourished his pen and pulling Arzoo's notebook towards himself, started pretending to write something on it, with an exaggeratedly confused expression on his face, scratching his head occasionally.

"What's with the dumb look?" Arzoo inquired throwing him an amused glance.

"It's a confused look for your information and an appropriate look for anyone doing math, I believe."

"No one does math with such a look on their face."

"Oh yeah? Look at Miss. Tube-light at the back."

Arzoo looked at Anam who was nicknamed Miss. Tube-light for grasping things slowly just as the tube-light was known for taking time to light up. Sahir was right. The utmost look of pure confusion on Anam's face made her want to giggle.

"Told you." Sahir leaned to whisper in her ear arrogantly.

"You're such an idiot!" She told him.

"So are you then, for befriending me."

Arzoo bit back her smile. "I was a child back then. You can't blame for not using my brains at that time."

"You're saying that as if you've started using your brains now." He mocked her playfully.

"I have and this solved math problem is the proof for that... Now give me my notebook. I've to do my work. Sir has started checking." She pushed Sahir's copy back at him and tugged her copy from his hand, which was open to the last page. Arzoo's eyes widened in annoyance as she saw that he had scribbled "Sahir Azeem Chaudhary is the best" in various fonts all over the page.

"What in the world is wrong with you? What if someone saw this?" She groaned, face palming herself literally.

He shrugged lightly. "They'll know I'm the best then." His mouth twitched at the corners as he tried to hold his smile in.

"No. They'll think I'm an idiot."

"That is a truth too, you know. No harm in them finding out."

"Urghh!" Arzoo let out as she opened her notebook to the page where she was supposed to do her work and started continuing from where she had left off. She wasn't even halfway through the problem when Sahir snatched her notebook without warning and pushed his own opened one under her nose smoothly. She had just opened her mouth to protest when she realized the math sir was moving towards their table, his eyes fixed on them expectantly. She groaned as she realized that Sahir had exchanged their notebooks at the last moment.

"Sahir, where is your work?" Their math sir asked on reaching Sahir.

"I haven't done it." He muttered in a low, ashamed voice, standing up instantly.

"What? Show me your notebook." He demanded.

Sahir showed the half-solved question and the teacher's eyes flashed. "Go and stand out of class until this period is over."

Sahir looked down at Arzoo as he shuffled out of their desk to find her throwing daggers at him with her eyes. A slight smile tugged at his lips as he moved out of the class, mentally patting himself for the trick he had pulled up. He wasn't going to let Arzoo pay for his carelessness.

Standing with his back pressed against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest, he mentally prepared himself for the boredom lying ahead of standing alone and staring at the walls of the corridor. He had just begun observing the patterns on the ceiling when the class door reopened and a sheepish Arzoo stepped out.

"What are you doing here?" He exclaimed.

"Dancing." She told him sarcastically. "Obviously I got turned out."

"But why?"

"Because I told sir I didn't do my work either."

Sahir looked at her with surprise. "Why would you do that?"

"To make sure your oh-so-heroic trick falls flat... and also to make sure you aren't the only one staring at walls." She added with a half-smile.

"You idiot!" Sahir shook his head with a laugh. "Didn't sir check your copy... I mean my copy? The question was solved right there!"

"No he assumed we had been talking and hence both of us didn't do our work."

"Well he was kinda right about the talking part. But Zoo, you don't have to show your solidarity with me every time."

"Do I not?" She grinned before she frowned. "Stop calling me Zoo."

"Make me stop if you can. I like calling you Zoo so I shall keep calling you that." He told her as he brushed his unruly curls out of his eyes.

Arzoo glared at him. "Remind me to find an equally awful nickname for you."

"Come on Zoo, it's not awful. It's cute."

"Evidently our definitions of cute don't match." She told him in an annoyed voice. "Anyway, leave this. You were supposed to tell me what happened at home that made you not pay attention in class."

Sahir's smile disappeared instantly as his face darkened. "The usual." He took a deep breath before continuing dejectedly, "My Chacho reminded me at breakfast yet again today that how I am a pathetic, useless... ungrateful brat, living under their roof since childhood... and that I'm not thankful enough for his kindness every second of the day... I'm telling you Zoo, as soon as I'm 18, I'll move out."

"Why do you talk like this? It worries me you know that." She told him softly, looking worried.

"What can I do? My life is like that." He replied bitterly.

"And where will you go? You have no one."

"I'll live somewhere. This world's big enough. Anywhere will be better than where I'm living..."

"But where, Sahir?"

"Some friend you are; instead of offering me your home, you're asking me where." He smiled slightly as he teased her.

"Had it been possible I would've done that but Daadi will get a heart-attack if I even suggested such a thing to her... She might adore you but she has her old beliefs. Inviting a male friend to stay... Toba toba." Arzoo imitated her grandmother.

Sahir laughed. "I know yaar, I was only kidding."

Arzoo's eyes sparkled with a sudden light, "Hey, for now how about doing something that is in our hands? There are still 10 minutes left before this class ends... How about we sneak to the canteen and back?" She suggested mischievously.

"What?"

"Allah knows we need some ice cream right now. It's so hot!"

"But what if sir comes out to check?" He queried.

"He won't. He never does. Now come!" Secretly on tiptoes, they moved away from the class and ran towards the canteen once the coast was clear.

"I just remembered, I don't have any money." Sahir told her sheepishly as they skidded to a stop together in front of the small shop.

"I have enough for a cornetto. We'll share it." Arzoo told him, fishing out her money out of her pocket and ordering a cornetto, their favorite ice cream. Sahir ripped open the packing and they both started devouring it together with conscious relish. Soon, they had reached the end of the cone and the last chocolaty bite was left that was both their favorites.

Arzoo looked at Sahir and smiled. "You have it."

"Are you sure?" He looked surprised. Usually they always had a fight about the last bite.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Sure?"

"Yes!"

"Okay..." Taking her advice with a shrug, Sahir ate the end of the cone in one huge bite, a wide smile stretching across his face as the pure creamy chocolate along with the biscuit merged in his mouth.

"Heavenly." He sighed blissfully and looked at Arzoo to find her looking at him with a huge smile.

"I had the end of the cone. Why are you smiling?" He let out confused.

"Because I feel like it." She smiled even widely, leaving Sahir more confused than before.

"Okay. You're weird. Now, let's get back to class and hope sir hasn't noticed our little escape." Sahir told her as he tugged at her hand and they both started for the way back with Arzoo's smile remaining intact. Sahir hadn't understood but what could give a 14 year-old girl more happiness than giving up something she liked for the boy she loved and seeing him enjoy it?

For a 14-year-old Arzoo, giving the favorite part of her cornetto to Sahir was LOVE. After all, what was love but giving happiness to the person you love? Even if it was small happiness such as the end of a cornetto...

Even as a child Arzoo knew this that love doesn't demand huge, extravagant things rather it grows in small moments of happiness shared together... And she hoped that these shared moments of happiness would one day give rise to this most beautiful and pure emotion between them.

***

"Arzoo beta, don't step outside. It's really cold today."

"Daadi, I'm just going out in the garden. I'll be fine." Arzoo told her grandmother as she stepped out of the house and into the small lawn at the front. It was a winter's evening in December and the air was literally freezing. But she enjoyed the cold and for that reason, she was in the garden. She smiled to herself as she let out a puff of air and saw a mist leaving her mouth instead. It was so fascinating. It was almost as if she was smoking...

Right then, she saw the top of a head bobbling along the street outside over the low boundary wall, the disorderly curly hair making her spot him instantly. "Sahir!"

The head stopped for a moment and then started moving closer to the boundary wall. The next moment, Sahir was there on top of the boundary wall, looking at her with a cheeky smile.

"Hello! How did you spot me?"

"How can I not spot you?" She answered his question with a rhetorical question.

"Am I that dashing?"

"Nope, you're hair is just that unruly." She contradicted him with a laugh.

"You didn't come to school today. Everything alright?"

"Oh you noticed that I didn't come. Thank you very much Sahir Azeem Chaudhary." Arzoo told him, her tone sarcastic.

"Don't mention it." He told her airily.

That was the difference between them. Had Sahir skipped a day off, Arzoo would've gone straight to his house after school to find out the reason. And Sahir... he easily waited till the next day to find out.

"Why didn't you come to school today by the way?" He inquired again.

"Because I was sick. But why would you care?" She told him huffily before her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you hiding in your other hand?"

"Nothing."

"Well there is something."

"It's just a cornetto."

"What are you hiding it for? Share it with me!"

Sahir's face fell slightly. "I can't."

"Why? I've shared countless cornetto's with you." Arzoo let out crossly.

"Because... it's not mine. While I was leaving the house, Zaki Bhai... You know our next-door neighbor? He asked me to get it for him so this one's actually his."

"Oh I thought it was yours. If it was his, why were you hiding it from me, silly?"

"Because I knew if you saw it, you'll feel like having it; being the foodie that you are."

Arzoo laughed. He was right. She did feel like having it already.

"Arzoo come inside beta. It's so cold outside. Why do you want your cold to get worse?" She heard her Daadi complaining as she came out of the front door. "And who are you talking to, anyway?"

"It's Sahir Daadi." Arzoo replied, instantly followed by Sahir's loud salaam. "Assalaam-o-Alaikum Daadi."

"Walaikum Assalaam. Come inside beta... Arzoo, why have you left the poor boy in the cold? Invite him inside."

"Exactly Zoo, Daadi is right. You should've invited me inside. Daadi, look at her. She has no manners whatsoever." Sahir told her condescendingly to annoy her and it worked.

"As if you're displaying manners right now, sitting on someone else's boundary wall." She retorted and her Daadi laughed at their childish bickering.

"That's because you didn't open the gate for me." Sahir gave his justification.

"If you had asked to be let in properly like a human, I would've done so. But no, you had to climb the wall."

"Okay okay." Daadi intervened with a laugh. "How about we continue this fight inside? It's chilling out here."

"No Daadi. I'm sorry but I can't come in." Sahir told her apologetically. "Have to get back home. Some other time Insha'Allah?"

It was funny how both Daadi's and Arzoo's face dropped simultaneously before they both recovered. "Okay beta. As you wish but come soon, alright?"

"I will. And I will have your special hot chocolate." He smiled cheekily, his eyes twinkling.

"Anytime beta. Anytime."

"Allah Hafiz then." He told him preparing to jump.

"Allah Hafiz." They both replied in a chorus.

"See you tomorrow Zoo." He let out before jumping and vanishing from sight. Daadi told Arzoo to come inside as well as she waddled inside the house to escape the cold. Instead of following her immediately, Arzoo stood on her toes against the wall to peer at Sahir's disappearing figure. It looked so eerily fascinating as the swirling mist seemed to dance around his footsteps.

She was just about to get off the wall when she saw him unwrapping something. Curiosity getting the better of her, she strained her eyes to make shape of what was in his hand before it hit her - the cornetto. She saw him unwrapping it slowly and taking a bite and just like that, her heart sank.

She had shared countless cornetto's with him and he wasn't willing to share his with her? It wasn't about the cornetto; it was about breaking her trust. He made her feel as if she was stupid enough to give her hundred percent to their friendship and not get the same amount in return.

It was a small thing still it crushed her. Or maybe when you are small, these small things are the things that actually matter...

She did not know why he did it but somehow he always ended up breaking her trust... Shattering the expectations, she associated with him... But like always, she buried this deep in her heart and continued sharing her things selflessly with him, hoping that one day, he will love her with the same selflessness as she did.

***

The sunlight filtered through the narrow gaps between the leaves of the old mango tree and landed in haphazard pattern on the faces of the two kids standing underneath it, squinting their eyes against the blinding rays.

"I see a mango!" Arzoo let out triumphantly after a while, clasping her hands together.

"I think we're too old to be climbing trees, Zoo." Sahir told her condescendingly in his usual drawling voice.

"You might be but I'm not." Came the cheeky reply from the 15-year-old girl.

"We're the same age!" Sahir replied incredulously.

"What is age but a number?" Arzoo replied philosophically. "I'm young at heart and that is what matters. I don't understand why you love acting like an 80 year old grandfather."

"And I don't understand why you love acting like a toddler who has simply learned to walk but hasn't grown any brains yet." He replied smoothly without a moment's hesitation.

"Sahir!"

"Zoo!" He mimicked her admonishing tone.

"You're intolerable!"

"Only because I try to make you see sense? What is this world coming to?" He shook his head in mock-sadness, his unruly hair falling over his twinkling eyes.

Arzoo narrowed her eyes at him. "Tell me seriously, are you coming or not?"

"Well of course I'm not! I don't want people thinking I'm crazy or something."

"The moment you open your mouth, they'll find out anyway." Arzoo retorted.

"You don't even have to open your mouth; your antics speak for themselves." His mouth twitched slightly at the corners as he said this with a solemn expression.

"At least I'm living my life!"

"Like a monkey, I might add."

Arzoo slapped him on his arm in irritation. "I hate you! Get lost."

The last strand of restraint broke and Sahir burst out laughing. Trying to ignore his infectious laugh, a now fuming Arzoo turned towards the tree and began to inspect it, mentally tracing out a possible route to get to the spotted fruit. It was going to require quite a climb. As she jumped experimentally to see whether she could get hold of the lowest branch, she saw Sahir backing away inconspicuously out of the corner of her eyes.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" She demanded.

"As far away from you as possible while you display your monkey skills. I don't want people to know I'm friends with a chimpanzee, you see. Besides you just told me to get lost." He replied with a straight face but his merry eyes gave him away.

"As if you listen to me this easily." Arzoo rolled her eyes, stomped over to him, whacked him on his arm and dragged him back to the tree. "You will stand down here while I climb up."

"Why exactly? Look, if you think I'll catch you or something when you fall... you're deluding yourself to the utmost degree." A handsome crooked smile crept on his face.

"Trust me I harbor no such hopes because I know you're a wimp anyway."

"Says the girl who hits like a one year old baby."

"Will you stop fighting with me and give me a leg up here. I can't reach the first branch."

"That's the first sign that you shouldn't do this." He remarked with a smirk.

Arzoo groaned. "Did I tell you you're a wimp?"

"If being sensible makes me a wimp then so be it."

"Just. Help. Me. Up. Sahir." Arzoo let out exasperatedly.

"Okay, before I do that, repeat this after me. I'm responsible for all my actions and the reactions caused by those actions and whatever happens, I won't blame Sahir Azeem Chaudhary because he tried to give me some much needed advice but I, being the idiot that I am, didn't listen to that handsome, intelligent young man... Wow, that actually rhymed. I'm a poet in making, I tell you." The cheeky grin that flashed on his face made him look even more handsome.

"Well, Sahir Azeem Chaudhary you sure would be responsible for your death if you don't stop speaking right now." Arzoo glared at him threateningly. "Now help me up."

Sahir exhaled slowly before his expression turned serious. "Jokes apart Zoo, I don't think you should do this." He looked up at the tall, dense tree and shook his head slightly as he repeated. "I seriously don't want you doing this."

"Why?" Arzoo whined.

"Because it isn't safe. You haven't climbed a tree in ages and now suddenly you've selected such a tall one... That's just stupidity."

"Are you done with your lecture?"

"You aren't going to listen to me, are you?" It was his turn to look exasperated.

"Nope."

"Why do I even bother with you?" Sahir muttered almost to himself, looking frustrated.

"Come on Sahir YOLO. You Only Live Once!" Arzoo tried to reason with him excitedly.

"You know this is the phrase people generally use before doing something extremely stupid." He cocked an eyebrow at her.

Arzoo huffed in annoyance. "Just help me up!"

Knowing that her mind was set, giving up, Sahir crisscrossed his fingers together and offered it to Arzoo who placed her foot in the cradle of his palms and hoisted herself onto the first branch.

"Stay below me."

"I won't catch you if you fall!"

"Say the truth that you can't." Arzoo taunted him but she knew the truth was otherwise. No one else would be able to catch her if she fell without warning except Sahir - not because of his super fast reflexes but because of anticipation. He would know if she was about to fall. Their strong friendship since childhood had bounded them this irrevocably with each other.

Arzoo reached for another branch and pulled herself higher. She looked up towards the mango and then towards Sahir standing below her, watching her with concentration etched on his face. It was surprising how tune they were to each other. Being the climber, Arzoo was supposed to be concentrating but without realizing - or rather without needing - Sahir was watching her each step with the same concentration, claiming her focus, her concentration as his own without consciously realizing it.

As Arzoo reached for the next branch with her one arm wrapped around the trunk, the branch supporting her weight creaked forebodingly and she froze in the air, her breath catching in her throat.

"Zoo?" Sahir's worried voice reached her instantly. And then, "I'm coming." It almost seemed like a miracle how he had found out that she was in trouble without her even saying a word.

Arzoo looked down at the branch she was standing on and realized that it was thinner than she had thought. Her gaze wandered towards the ground and the grass seemed to rise up to meet her with a dizzying acceleration. Was she falling without knowing or was she about to faint? She couldn't faint... Not right now.

"Don't look down, Zoo. Don't look down. Look up." Sahir seemed to have read her face.

Arzoo closed her eyes, which were fast filling with tears and hugged the trunk with both arms, willing it to absorb her weight so that minimum weight was on the branch supporting her.

"Sahir?" After a while of terrified stillness, she called out to him in a whisper. Afraid, that if she spoke loudly, the branch will somehow break.

"I'm right here." His voice came the left side of the tree and just like that, relief flooded her body. He was there. He was right beside her. He would make sure that nothing went wrong. She opened her eyes to find him on a nearby branch, looking at her with quiet assurance in his eyes.

"Sahir." She repeated in a whisper, her voice breaking and tears tracing a path down her cheeks on seeing him. She should've listened to him when he told her not to climb this tree.

"Zoo, let go of that trunk and reach towards me."

"I-I can't Sahir." She gasped.

"Of course you can, Zoo. I know you can."

She shook her head in denial and risked a glance towards the ground, closing her eyes tightly as soon as she did. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "But it's so far down."

"You don't have to worry about that." His voice was calm, so assured. Was he actually that calm or was he only pretending so that she didn't panic?

"But what if I fall, Sahir? I'll fall and I'll die!"

He shook his head. "How can you even think I'd let you do that to me?" The certainty with which he spoke was unnerving.

"Reach for me, okay?" He repeated softly with a pleading look in his deep brown eyes.

With her eyes fixed on his intense ones, she let go of the tree trunk and reached for him. He pulled her on his branch smoothly, almost effortlessly without losing balance, wrapping a secure arm around her waist to support her. And then without saying a word, he led her down the tree. The jumped off from the lowest branch and Arzoo sat next to the tree trunk, hugging herself quietly for a while.

"Sahir... I-I..."

"Don't say a word! NOT A SINGLE DAMN WORD! IF SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO YOU TODAY, WHAT WOULD I HAVE TOLD YOUR DAADI? Ever thought about that? She trusts you with me!" He growled with such anger that she shrank against the tree instinctively. Then without saying even a word further, he turned on his heels and left. She was left staring open-mouthed at his retreating figure.

Tears ran down her face as she hugged her shivering figure to herself. Why did he do that? Why did he leave her alone after a moment like this when she needed him the most? Just moments ago, when she had heard him say, "I'm right here," it had almost been like her first inkling... That he would always be there for her when she needed him and then this happened...

She wiped her tears with an angry hand and distractedly picking up a sharp edged stone, she began carving mindlessly on the trunk of the huge tree, channeling her anger and sadness through the stone on the tree instead.

Why was he like that? He was more worried as to what how he would have faced her Daadi if something happened to her? How could he even think like that? She knew she was being reckless but why did he make it seem like she had put her life in jeopardy on purpose. Didn't he know her? Didn't he know that she was scared stiff right now?

It was in moments like these when she felt that he didn't love her. At least not as much as she loved him...

She stared at the trunk of the tree where in her absentmindedness; she had scraped her and Sahir's name together. She stared at it for a long time as the tears welled up in her eyes again. In desperation, she tried to carve a heart around it but her hands started trembling too much and she gave up.

How could she complete the heart on the tree when their love was incomplete?

***