Guzaarish| CH 9: PG 9

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zahara

@ZAHARA.

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Posted: 12 years ago

For the Writing Contest hosted by .Destiny.

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Guzaarish

A tragic secret causes Raina to leave her family, her life behind. Five years on, she's now the strong headed business woman living with an adopted aunt. She's got everything you could wish for: money, power, and fame but why is she still not happy? What happens when a figure from her past enters the present and make her life worth living again? What happens when she comes face to face with her demons - will she ever win and get the life and love that she deserves?

*I had started writing this story a few months back but it's been altered slightly.

***

"Guzaarish" is about a modern twenty five year old woman, Raina. The once naive, playful girl had to suddenly grow up and become the elegant and mature woman that she is today. She is strong headed, has a sense of moral values and can be relate-able to the average British Muslim girl. The characters in this story are Muslim (however, religion will not play a big part). There will however be some references to the Bengali culture (see. Bangladeshi) and will have some Bengali phrases, translations will be at the end of the chapter(s).

***Character Sketch:

Raina Sultana Chaudary: 25, Business woman

Aminah Ali: 45, Raina's adopted aunt

Abdul Alom Chaudary: 57, Raina's estranged father

Nadia Sultana Chaudary: 47: Raina's estranged mother

Aafiya Hussain nee Chaudary: 23, Raina's estranged younger sister

Imran Hussain: 28, Aafiya's husband

Zain Hussain: 1, Imran and Aafiya's son

Seema Chaudary: 23, Raina's cousin

Nazim Khan: 28, Seema's husband

Yasmin Khan: 5, Seema and Nazim's daughter

Rehaan Malik: 27, Doctor

Fahmida Malik: 49, Rehaan's mother (widowed)

Faiza Malik: 24, Rehaan's sister

Ibrahim Malik: 29, Rehaan's brother

Naila Malik: 25, Rehaan's sister-in-law

Humera Malik: 3, Ibrahim and Naila's daughter

Hamza Malik: 3, Ibrahim and Naila's son. Humera's TWIN.

***

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Edited by ZAHARA. - 12 years ago

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zahara

@ZAHARA.

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+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

PROLOGUE

Dear Diary,

Why does always this happen to me? Why is it that whenever I want to get away from somewhere, someone... destiny always brings me closer to them? Is this written in my fate? That I'm supposed to be walking endlessly, getting even more confused at my state? Can't I ever truly be happy? Can I ever get back my happiness? Will I ever get to forget that bad time in my life?

Life is so strange. The one place that I ran away from, today five years on, I have come back. But I guess this time, it's not my own decision. It's just a coincidence that I had to go back to Birmingham for a meeting. I can't bear it. The pain, the sadness that is linked to this City. Khala had tried to prevent me from going, but for how long can she protect me? I have to do this. And besides, it's only for a day right? What can go wrong? Maybe I'll meet someone who will change my life.

But then again, these sort of things only happen in films, right?

***

"Thank you for coming here, Miss Sultana. It was a great pleasure to meet you." Raina gave a meek smile as Mr Clark, the head of a High Street clothing store in Birmingham shook her hand. He was tall and slim, his hair turning grey. His eyes twinkled as he placed his hand into the pocket of his grey trousers.

"It was nice to meet you too, Mr Clark." She replied. "I'll take your leave." Mr Clark nodded before walking her out of his office.

It was a cold, October morning. The leaves from the trees were starting to fall off, creating a thick pile on the pavements. Many of the citizens had just started to wake up as the clock ticked ten in the morning, whilst the early shoppers were going in and out of the shopping centre. Raina walked outside to where her black Mercedes Lexus was parked. Unlocking it, she opened the door and sat inside, before igniting the engine.

She yawned. It had taken her three hours to travel from London to Birmingham, meaning that she had to wake up earlier than expected. Raina shivered, quickly turning up the heater in the car. She rubbed her hands furiously, trying to get warm. She remembered this place pretty well, no matter how much she tried to forget it. She shook her head, trying to keep her attention on the road.

"Oh no..." She muttured, noticing that the petrol tank was getting empty. Great, she thought. Just my luck! Raina sighed, taking a U-turn out of the motorway and back into Birmingham to the nearest area. It was quite a mixed area, full of different ethnicities. On the side, Raina noticed an elderly man sitting around talking loudly into mobile, in Bengali. She shook her head, wondering why people were so...enthusiastic this early in the morning.

There was a small supermarket with a petrol station linked to it. Raina drove into the empty station and filled her car with petrol. She groaned, inhaling the metallic smell that seemed to be a hundred times stronger than other stations. It was the type of smell that people either like or hate, and Raina was for the latter. She glanced over at the monitor, waiting for it to be full, before shaking the pump off. It was one of those stations where the payment had to be done inside the small shop, which was annoying for Raina as she was desperate to get away.

"You still need to pay fifty pence more." The shop clerk said as an elderly woman fiddled through her purse trying to find some loose change. The blonde worker chewed endlessly on a piece of chewing gum, sighing exasperatedly and rolling her eyes at the woman. The woman gave her a uneasy smile, gesturing her to wait a second. She sighed as she tried to find some money.

Behind her, Raina looked over concerned. She huffed as the worker seemed to intimidate the woman and placed her hands into her pocket, taking out a pound coin. Raina hastily threw it at the shop clerk, "Here. Keep the change." She gave her a pretentious smile. There was no need to be nice especially after how rude the worker had been. The clerk replied a meek thanks before letting the woman go and telling Raina how much she had to pay for the petrol. Raina rolled her eyes, slammed the bundle of notes at the worker and left the store.

"Thanks for that." The woman smiled, strands of her greying hair came through her loosened headscarf. Raina turned around and nodded. The woman picked up her carrier bags and straightened her back. "These days no one lets you go for a mere fifty pence."

Raina smiled, nodding. Her dark brown eyes sparkled as the soft wind blew her shoulder-length hair. "True that."

The woman nodded before starting to turn away. She stopped and turned right back. "By the way, what is your name?"

Raina pondered for a second, before replying, "Raina."

She nodded. "Thank you, Raina. Thank you." And with that, both women walked away, leaving the soft hustle of the store behind.

Glossary

Khala: Aunt. (Mainly used for mother's sister but can mean someone who is like your mother).

Edited by ZAHARA. - 12 years ago

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zahara

@ZAHARA.

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

CHAPTER ONE

There comes a time when every life goes off course. In this desperate moment you must choose your direction. Will you fight to stay on the path while others tell you who you are? Or will you label yourself? Will you be honoured by your choice? Or will you simply embrace your new path? Each morning you choose to move forward or to simply give up. - Lucas Scott (One Tree Hill)

***

Dear Diary,

Two months have past since I last wrote in here. Two months since I last visited Birmingham. It's so strange isn't it? Visiting the same, monotonous place that I used to live in. Nothing has changed. People are still their supposed cheery selves. But even I know that everything, even their smile is fake. Behind every closed door, there's a hidden secret, a hundred questions and a thousand tears. The question is, do we have the strength to know the truth? Can we ever be truly happy? I guess not. Life isn't fair. We won't ever find our happiness, nor would other's let us be happy. This is the true reality of life.

***

"Raina?" The dimmed lights became brighter as a woman dressed in a simple black salwar kameez stepped into the room. Her dull black hair was wrapped around in an immaculate bun as her dupatta was wired around her neck. She was tanned, her dark brown eyes looked tired as it sat besides her grey rimmed glasses.

She was stressed, after all who wouldn't be?

She was the Head of Meera Fashion House, a company that she had created and invested in from her younger years. At age forty-five, she had achieved what most women couldn't and now designed clothes around the globe. She was famous in the fashion industry: her clothes designs were not only unique and beautiful, but were elegant and classy.

"Aminah Khala?" Raina looked up from her desk, making sure that the pile of papers were sorted into their respected files. She smiled, her light skin radiating up the room. Raina was like a daughter to Aminah, someone who she had adopted five years back. She had found Raina on the streets, crying her eyes out. Her heart yearned to comfort her, to take away her tears. She was sitting on the ground, her hands red with mehendi as Aminah pulled her up and took her in. Though Aminah had no children of her own, she loved Raina much like her own mother did.

"Are you still up?" She asked.

Raina yawned slightly before stretching her arms. "Sorry, Khala. I had to finish off these last few pieces of paperwork. And now I have to finish packing." Aminah smiled as Raina hurriedly folded her clothes and packed them into a black suitcase. Soon after they had both met, Raina became Aminah's most trusted confidante, with Raina soon becoming part owner of Meera Fashion House. Aminah helped her pack the remaining few clothes before zipping the case suit.

"And now you're done." Aminah stated, smiling. "Acha, listen. Have you got your passport and tickets?" Raina nodded. "And you know what time you're catching the plane, right?"

"Ji, Khala! 9am tomorrow, I remember everything." Raina laughed. "Stop worrying about me."

Aminah rolled her eyes. "How can I stop worrying about you? Ever since you came back from Birmingham, you've been quiet." She held Raina's hand. "Whenever you're upset, please don't cut me out okay?" She gave her a soothing smile, pressing down on her hands. Raina was much more than just an adopted daughter or a business partner, she was her best friend as well. For Raina, the only person she trusted in the whole world was her Khala.

Raina nodded. "Don't worry Aminah Khala. I'll be fine. And anyway, weren't you the one that said nothing will happen to me? After all, I am your strong daughter aren't I?"

Aminah laughed as she playfully slapped Raina's cheeks. "Fool, you're my ONLY daughter."

"And you're my only Khala!" Raina laughed as she hugged her Aunt. Her heart became mellow as she tried to numb out the pain of her past. This was her daily routine, she would always smile when Aminah was there because she couldn't bear to see her Aunt stress over her. But, deep down Aminah knew of Raina's act after all she too didn't want Raina to see her own sadness.

"Acha, now go to sleep. Tomorrow you have to wake up early right?" Raina nodded. "Now this time, do me a favour. When you arrive in Paris, take some time for yourself. You don't need to keep working like this."

Raina smiled. "Okay, my dear Aunt. I'll do whatever you want." She giggled as Aminah left the room and it fell back to complete silence again. Raina sighed as she leaped into her bed and tried to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come. She hadn't had the peaceful sleep since the past five years.

After all, how could she?

Her past still haunts her.

Glossary

Khala: Aunt
Ji: Yes
Acha: Okay

Edited by ZAHARA. - 12 years ago

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zahara

@ZAHARA.

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+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

CHAPTER TWO

It was a bright and sunny morning, unusual considering the typical murky British weather. But of course, being December in England no longer meant days full of snow, but more like a random mix of weather. It may be sunny and cold all at the same time; or sunny in the morning before falling below zero degrees celsius by the evening. And today, was one of those days.

"Rehaan, come down quick we're going to be late for the plane!" Fahmida Malik, Rehaan's mother looked intently a the clock in their living room. It was just past eight in the morning and they had just over an hour before their plane leaves for Paris. Which was unfortunate knowing that the busy streets of London. It was early December and everyone had taken a week off work to have a family holiday. Normally, they would travel to Southampton, a city south of England where Fahmida's brother and his family lived.

With children swarming over the place, babies crying as they looked for their mothers - no Southampton was never boring. However, this time they had opted for something different: the heart of France. The beautiful city of Paris itself. It was one of those cities where people just have to visit sometime in their lives. Elegant, dazzling and spectacular. Words can never rightfully express the essence that belongs to Paris.

"Rehaan, jaldi!" Fahmida shouted from below the stairs, sighing as her son told her to wait a minute. She groaned, fixing her cotton off-white saree by carefully folding in at the hem and tightened her headscarf. It was somewhat of a tradition for widows to wear simple clothes, as a sign of respect for the deceased husband.

Behind her, her daughter Faiza stood with one hand on her hip as she waited for her elder brother. She flicked her wavy, brown shoulder length hair and adjusted the buttons on her black coat. She was the youngest child after her two brothers, and the apple of her mother's and brother's eyes. She had never known her father, who died a month before she was born due to an illness. She didn't mind, not really. With a loving mother like Fahmida and protective brothers like Rehaan and Ibrahim, she never felt the absence of her father. Sure, she wished that she could have met him perhaps just once, after all which daughter wouldn't? But, fate was such a strange thing, what happens perhaps happens for the best.

Upstairs, Rehaan hurriedly placed the remaining clothes of his into the suitcase. He had been held up earlier when his sister was in the bathroom for what seemed like hours, and he needed the clothes that was in there. He had been meaning to finish packing yesterday but was halted by an important job call. Being a paediatric doctor meant that he was often called at the wrong hours, for either advise, help or for extra shifts at the hospital. He had just become qualified at a higher level, at only age twenty seven and needed the extra experience. Plus, seeing as it was London, the largest city in England, there was a need of qualified doctors in hospitals.

Packing the final shirt, he zipped up his suitcase and begun to carry it out of his room when his phone started to ring. Shoot! he thought. He thought, hoping that it wasn't from the hospital. Though he did ask for a week's leave, there was no guarantee of when he would be asked to come back. Rehaan took out his black iphone from the back pocket of his trousers and answered it without bothering to check who was calling.

"Rehaan! Long time dude!" A man's voice echoed from the phone. "How have you been?"

Rehaan let out a short laugh and shook his head as his childhood best friend yelled down the phone. "Tanvir. You had to call me now?"

"Why? Are you busy? Wait, are you with a girl?" Tanvir hurriedly asked. It was one of their private jokes. Tanvir always tried to match Rehaan with someone, but none of the girls he chose was good enough for Rehaan.

"No, I'm not." Rehaan instantly replied. "We're just leaving for Paris right now..."

"Shit! Paris? Not fair, the day I actually call you that day you're busy." Tanvir let out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh well, I'll let you go. Who knows maybe you'll find your future wife there? As they say love in Paris and all that." He laughed as he ended the call.

Rehaan shook his head, sighing at his friend's foolishness. "This boy will never change." He muttured. A minute later, Rehaan skidded down the stairs. Wearing his long military jacket; his dark, tousled hair was brushed back whilst in his hand, he held his suitcase. He walked towards his mother with a solemn expression. "Sorry Amma." He apologised to her and picked up his mother's side bag, twisting it around his shoulders. "Blame this Faiza. Look how long she takes in the bathroom." Faiza gasped whilst she applied her rouge tinted lipstick. He smirked at her expression, his dimples highlighted within his slight stubble.

He loved teasing her.

"Bhai, it's not my fault! You should have packed than be on your so-called hospital calls. And besides, girls take longer in the bathroom." He rolled his eyes at her comment, he never really liked girls who spent too much time getting ready. "Right Amma?"

Fahmida sighed, tired of her children's constant bickering. "Hai Allah! I don't know who is right." She placed her hands up in frustration before opening the door of the taxi. Rehaan opened teh front dor of the taxi and sat in whilst his mother and sister sat behind.

"What happened?" Ibrahim asked. He was always teh sociable brother out of the two. Loud and playful as opposed to Rehaan's quiet personality. Besides him sat his wife, Naila and their twin toddlers, Humera and Hamza. They were sleeping in their parent's lap, still tired from being up till late last night due to their excitedness.

"What must have happened? Rehaan bhai and Faiza must have had an argument, again." Naila replied. Between her and Ibrahim, they were the ones who had to patch up the other sibling's argument. It was something that Naila had gotten used to since she had married into the household four years back. She had become like a second mother to Faiza and a good friend to Rehaan.

"Bhaiya! Look, Rehaan bhai is saying that it was my fault that he gets late." Faiza complained to Ibrahim. She was twenty four years old but being the youngest, she hadn't gotten rid of her childish personality. Rehaan rolled his eyes as he watched the interaction from the taxi's rear view mirror. He looked on as the car slowed down waiting behind the red traffic light.

"But you do take quite a long time getting ready, Faiza." Ibrahim stated. Faiza opened her mouth to reply but shook her head, not thinking of a suitable comment. Rehaan quietly chuckled at his sister's defeat.

"What will happen to you when you get married?" Fahmida asked Faiza, shaking her head in disapproval. Faiza crossed her arms and sunk into her seat.

"I won't get married until Rehaan Bhai gets married." She smiled as she watched Rehaan jerk up in his seat, surprised at her reply.

"Then you'll have to wait a hundred years because I'm not getting married any time soon." He replied keeping his attention on the moving road. It wasn't that he had anything against getting married, he wanted to wait until he felt like he was ready. And to wait until he found someone who was his soul mate. Unfortunately, that time wasn't now.

Ibrahim chuckled at his sibling's stubborn behaviour. "You both will have to get married some day, after all who else is going to put up with you?"

"Whoever Rehaan Bhai gets married to, I feel sorry for her. She'll have to put up with his so not funny attitude, his long lectures about education." She tapped her chin, thinking hard. "Oh my god, I wonder if the girl he gets married to will be a doctor just like him." Naila couldn't help but laugh at Faiza's words.

"And whoever this fool gets married to will have to put up with her clothes all over the place." Rehaan replied. "And Oh my God!" He faked a high pitched voice, mocking his sister. "I wonder if the boy she gets married to will be a fool just like her." Rehaan gave a pretentious smile as Ibrahim and Naila laughed. Besides them, Hamza stirred in his sleep whilst Naila quickly hushed him.

"Will you two ever finish your fight?" Fahmida asked as the car halted near the Heathrow Airport. "Look, we're here. Now no more argument or else this trip will be cancelled." Faiza gasped straight away. For her, this was one in a lifetime chance of leaving London even if it was just for a week. Noting that her mother was serious, Faiza bowed her head and quietened down as Ibrahim paid the taxi driver and they made their way inside the airport.

They were instantly hit by the buzz of hundreds of people waiting for their plane arrival. Around them, lines of families stood to get their packaging and suitcases checked in whilst single people waited on their own. A loud tannoy placed over the building called out the destination whilst a crowd of people rushed towards the gate. Ibrahim left to check in their belongings whilst the rest of the family waited in the queue to check in their boarding pass.

"I'm sorry but there's been a problem." A blonde Caucasian woman gave Rehaan a sympathetic smile as she checked her database. Naila and Faiza, each holding a twin in their arms gave each other a confused look. "Somehow the tickets have been mixed up and you have got four boarding passes whilst the others have been declined."

"What?" Rehaan asked. "Can you please check again?"

"Sure." The woman replied, clicking the keyboards and sighing. "I'm sorry but it's the same problem. I think your information has been mixed up with someone else's." She gave him the four boarding passes. "Here are four out of seven boarding passes." He took them in, nodding.

"Is there anything we can do? I mean is there any way to get boarding passes?" He asked her, getting annoyed.

The woman looked onto her computer screen. She struggled to think of what to say. "I think it would be best if you purchased the other tickets, but..." She glanced over at her screen again. "right now all the seats to Paris have been booked." Rehaan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Although, there is another plane leaving in the evening. If you want I can transfer you onto that schedule?"

Rehaan lingered in thought for a second. "Er, hold on. I'll come back." She nodded as they all moved out of the queue. Ibrahim arrived to see Rehaan in deep thought.

"Is everything alright?" He asked as Rehaan told him the problem. "What? How can this happen?"

The younger brother shrugged. "Some mix up, I suppose." He handed the boarding passes to Ibrahim. "Bhai, you take these with the twins and Bhabhi. I'll take Faiza and Amma on the next plane later."

Ibrahim shook his head. "No, we can't go without you guys."

"But bhai, it would be better. Besides there's four passes, and you obviously need Bhabhi to handle the twins." Rehaan insisted. Ibrahim gave a dejected look to his mother and sister.

Faiza smiled. "Bhaiya, don't worry about us. We'll go later, it's fine. And besides we're taking different paths but the destination is the same right?" She passed Humera to Ibrahim.

"Right." Fahmida replied as she looked up at her son. "Go, we'll be fine." Naila nodded her head as her, Ibrahim and the sleeping twins waited for a few minutes until the plane arrived. With a heavy heart, both Naila and Ibrahim made their way into the plane leaving behind the rest of the family. The twins, held up in their parent's arms waved back before looking up in awe at the scenery.

As they went, Fahmida started to cough, hitting her chest furiously. Rehaan, the dutiful doctor and son, looked back at his mother in concern. "Are you okay, Amma?" He asked.

She nodded her head. "I just need some water." She let out a raspy reply. He nodded and left Faiza to care for Fahmida as he went to get water.

***

Raina groaned into the phone as she gave her details to the cashier. "What do you mean you'll be delayed?" She had just learnt that her three colleagues would not make it to Paris until the following morning which was a huge problem seeing as they all had to prepare for a meeting the next day. "Okay fine. I'll see you tomorrow." She switched the phone off before taking her boarding pass. After being reminded constantly by her aunt, Raina had made it to the airport just in time until the plane left. She sighed, knowing that she'll be alone in the plane. Well, she wouldn't exactly but she'll be surrounded with people she didn't know and especially since she was travelling in the Business class, where they was more space and less people. She didn't mind but sometimes she missed the squashy, homely feel that was in the economy class. She asked the blonde woman, checking in her pass to hold onto the others, not wanting to take them unless they lost them.

She sighed. It was one of those times when she was completely alone. She didn't mind it, as it gave her some time to think but sometimes it got just too lonely. Have you ever been in a crowded room but you felt as lonely as ever? That's exactly how Raina felt at this moment. Her aunt, Aminah didn't accompany her on this trip as she had important work to handle back in their London Office. Raina placed her hand bag over her shoulders as she made her way towards an empty seat. She noticed a family wandered around. She smiled looking at the children who seemed like they had just woken up. She liked children. She liked their innocence, the way they played as if they were in their own world. She noticed a younger woman about her age cooing one of the children.

Raina walked besides a shorter woman who had her back faced towards her. She struggled to move to sit on the seat. "Excuse me?" She asked.

The elderly woman turned around, startled by the new presence. Her worried face was now emerging a huge smile. She gasped as her eyes glistened in delight, seeing the same face that she had seen nearly two months back. "Raina?"

Glossary:

Amma: Mother

Bhai - Brother (But can also use Bhaiya which is a more loving phrase or Bhaisab which is formal. If an elder brother's wife is younger than the husband's brother, then she may call him bhai as well..)

Bhabhi - Sister in law

Edited by ZAHARA. - 12 years ago

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zahara

@ZAHARA.

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+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

CHAPTER THREE

Dear Diary,

Have you ever went past someone whether it was in a shop or out on the streets, and then meet them a few days, months, or years later? Maybe they were in the background of a photo you were in, or simply bumped into them and went along your respected ways? Just makes you think how many people you have been exposed to, how many times you were in the background of a photo. How many people even remember you?

***

"Er?" Raina struggled to think about what she should say. There she was standing in front of a woman who was possibly the same age as her Aunt, and Raina did not know what she should do. She managed to pull a smile that showed all her nervousness. The woman did look familiar, she knew that but she couldn't remember where she had seen her.

"Raina! Remember me? I'm Fahmida." Raina shook her head slowly. She cursed herself under her breath. Of course, she couldn't remember. She hardly cared about anything other than what she should care about. "That time in the supermarket? I, er, I didn't have enough change and you helped me? In Birmingham?"

That did it. She did remember that day. After all, who couldn't? She was dreading going back to the place where she hated the most. She couldn't ever get rid of the memory where she ran away from the place, and came to London. She was just a naive little girl then, thrown into the world of a deceitful marriage, but of course she escaped. In the last five years, she became successful; became a strong, confident woman but deep down, she was still that timid girl. Sure she was scared sometimes, but nothing scared her more than living a life where she was stuck between lies and deceit. That day, she went back but only on business calls. It was lucky that the area was well away from her previous home, her previous life, after all Birmingham was a pretty big city. She went to her meeting and came back to London, all under one day. Just one day, that scared her, confused her, dreading to meet people she knew. She didn't remember this woman, not until she mentioned that disastrous city.

"Y-Yes." The memory came rushing back: the stubborn shop assistant, the long queue, how she had gotten annoyed. "I remember." She smiled, this time genuinely.

"I can't believe that I found you again. It's so strange, isn't it?" She smiled ecstatically before bringing her confused daughter forward. "This is my daughter, Faiza."

Faiza quickly deposited her phone in her pockets before smiling at Raina. "Hi, I can't believe that I've finally met the girl that was on my Amma's mind ever since we came back from Birmingham." She laughed. "I swear, anyone who helps my mum even once, she'll always remember it."

Raina laughed a little. "Well, I don't know what Fahmida Aunty.." She addressed her name slowly as to get approval from the elder woman. "has been saying but it was no big deal."

The loud tannoy machine beeped as a male's voice was heard over the room. "Can the remaining passengers for Flight No. 286 to Paris, France make their way through, please? Flight will be leave in a few minutes, thank you."

Raina fiddled with her small side bag that she had brought before getting out her boarding pass. "I'm sorry, that's my flight."

"You're going to Paris?" Faiza blurted out. Raina stopped to listen to her. "How great is this? We were meant to be on that flight but there was some problems and older brother and his wife go on whilst me, Amma and Bhai are staying on till the next flight." She bit her lip, seeming to be upset.

"Paris?" Raina said before fiddling through her bag again. Fahmida looked at her confused. She got out the three boarding passes that were supposed to be used for her colleagues before handing them to Fahmida. "I have spare passes, actually they were meant to be for my colleagues but they'll be getting the flight tomorrow. They would have gone to waste so you might as well use them."

Fahmida instantly shook her head. "No, no. We can't do this." She handed the passes back but Raina stopped her.

"Seriously, I don't mind. Besides, I would be alone anyway and I might as well have you and Faiza with me." She smiled.

Faiza gave her mother solemn eyes before Fahmida relented. "Okay, fine. If you insist then we'll get on." Fahmida placed her hand over Raina's. "Thank you." The younger woman nodded in appreciation.

Faiza shrieked. "Thank you so much! Seriously you just saved our holiday! I'll quickly get bhai and tell him."

Raina laughed lightly as Fahmida gave Faiza two boarding passes before leaving with Raina.

After showing their passes to the security guard, Fahmida and Raina were set upon the plane, Emirates before walking towards the Business Class. Fahmida was overwhelmed with the amount of space there was as opposed to the general class. It was spacey, the seats were a comfortable leather, each with their own foot stool. There was even room for a miniature television screen fitted on the head of the seats whilst also room to tilt the seat back so that one can rest comfortably. Raina smiled as she walked down the aisle, other businessmen and women were already seated.

"Seat 34A." Raina muttered before matching the seat number to that on her pass. "This is my seat." She glanced over Fahmida's. "Yours is Seat 34D." She pointed to the seat on the other side. There were two other seats on this row meaning that the passes that Faiza had linked to these numbers.

"I think Faiza and my son may be seating in these." Fahmida replied, a bit dejected as the Air Hostess asked everyone to put their seat belts on.

"It's fine, I doubt they'll allow us to change seats now that the Plane is taking off. Besides where is Faiza?" Raina asked.

Fahmida shrugged. "They must be coming." She stopped, looking at the entrance where Faiza and Rehaan hurriedly made their entrance.

Raina occupied herself by getting comfortable, and taking her laptop out of her bag in order to do some work. It was a lucky thing that Emirates had their own wi-fi for the passengers meaning she was able to finish off presentations and send a quick email to her Aminah Khala.

"Khala, I'm on the plane now so my phone is switched off. Don't worry, I'm fine and I'll reach Paris in about one and a half hours. I'll call you when I arrive. Take Care." Finished typing, she clicked send before opening up the document to finish her presentation.

Rehaan walked inside with Faiza, who began looking for her seat. He was slightly taken aback when Faiza had ran to find him before literally screaming out what had just happened to her and their mother. He was somewhat intrigued to learn about the girl who his mother had been taking about two months earlier, and the same girl who had given them her spare tickets. Due to Faiza's excessive talking, he didn't quite catch the girl's name. As they walked along the aisle, he noticed his mother at the far end before Faiza literally sprinted towards her. He smiled as Faiza sat besides her mother, as shown on the pass before matching his number to the seat opposite.

He was surprised to see a girl there: his mother's look assured him that she was the same girl. She hadn't noticed that he was standing there, she was busy, intently thinking at what looked like a diagram. He could only see the side of her face, her face looking down at the laptop. He noticed how her hair seemed to be radiating, the colour almost shining.

"Excuse me?" She stopped what she was doing and turned towards him. He looked into her eyes, the same brown hue. He looked at her, smiling. It was her. "Raina?"

Edited by ZAHARA. - 12 years ago

Quote

zahara

@ZAHARA.

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

CHAPTER FOUR

Raina looked up to see a darked haired man look down on her. "Raina?" He questioned. She noticed the way his lips tilted into a smile, his dimples deep in his bestubbled cheeks. His dark eyes twinkled of happiness. She gasped, memories of them laughing, him consoling her came rushing back.

"Rehaan?" He was about to say something when an Air Hostess reminded him to fasten his seatbelt, as the plane would be away in under a minute. He hurriedly did as Faiza and Fahmida looked at him and Raina, confused.

"Wait, you too know each other?" Faiza was quick to reach the point as Fahmida edged over her seat on the far side to listen to the conversation.

Rehaan gave them a slight smile, "Yeah, we knew each other from college."

Fahmida smiled. "What a coincidence, I can't believe the same girl that helped me, is the same girl that you went to college with."

"Right, Amma. If Rehaan Bhai did have any friends, then I'm glad that's it's Raina." Faiza laughed as she turned to her brother. "Well, Bhai, you're coolness has gone from here." She placed her hand in mid hair. "To here." Before moving it higher.

Rehaan rolled his eyes. "Yeah well your coolness is still pretty much down here." He laughed indicating to his shoes. Faiza began to protest but was quietened down by her mother. A few minutes went by when Faiza became occupied by the Twilight film, occasionally fawning over Jacob Black whilst Rehaan turned around unable to watch his sister crush over someone who didn't know she existed. Fahmida, who couldn't bear the unusual silence had turned her television onto Star Plus and was quietly watching the latest episode of Saathiya. She gasped as the character, Gopi cried whilst getting angry over the lead's Aunt and her trickeries.

Rehaan laughed a little as his family became occupied in their own world. He sighed, facing Raina who trying to immerse herself into her work but was unable to. She couldn't believe she is sitting next to the very same person who she used to know. Though she only knew him for a few months, and was not very close to him, she felt uneasy knowing that he came from the same past that she ran away from.

"So how many years has it been? Seven? Eight?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

Raina looked up from her laptop screen before replying, "Eight, I suppose. What - you're twenty-six, twenty-seven now?" She smiled, trying to make the situation feel less awkward.

"Twenty-Seven." He smiled, again his eyes twinkling. She couldn't help but look into them before stopping, thinking that she was staring too much. She looked away, embarrassed. "Er, So..." He tried to think what to say. "How have you been? What have you been doing after College? How was University?" He said all at once.

She didn't know what to say. Though they were harmless questions, each had been linked to her past and she didn't want to talk about it. She had spent five years getting free, there was no way she was ever going to remember about him and what he did to her.

"Fine." She couldn't look into Rehaan's eyes. "You know the usual. You?" She wanted to get the attention off her.

"Well, got into University in London. Studied Medicine and now I'm a practising Doctor." He laughed lightly.

She nodded. She remembered that he had wanted to become a Doctor. He was two years older than her but had to stay back a year to get a higher grade, therefore technically he was in the Upper Year. They had both bonded over their love for English Literature, her wanting to study it further whilst he chose it as an extra subject alongside his three Sciences. He and his friend had helped her, and her peers. They were just acquaintances, not really friends. Just someone they knew.

"So, you live in London now, huh?" She asked.

He nodded. "After coming here to study, I guess I got kinda used to it. And then my brother got a job here and got married. We all decided it was better for everyone if we just move from Birmingham to London." Raina nodded slowly. "So what about you? Why are you in London?"

She stopped, not knowing what to say. She opened up her PowerPoint Document before starting to type, completely ignoring him.

"Raina?" She sighed and stopped writing. She couldn't ignore him, not when he was sittingright besides her! She didn't want to tell him the truth, after all who was he to her, really?

"Urm, I moved here five years ago." She couldn't talk in front of his eyes. "I own part of Meera Fashion House so I handle the main domain from London."

"Five years ago? Weren't you meant to be at University then?" She bit her lip at his words. She was part angry, part upset: Why couldn't he just stay quiet?

"I left University." She replied quietly. He tried to reply back but stopped as she hurriedly dispersed herself from the world by mere headphones and looked intently at the screen. He sighed, knowing that even if he did speak she wouldn't hear him. He looked to his left where his mother and sister were still watching television before wondering what Ibrahim, Naila and the twins would be up to. He picked up his bag from the top bunk before taking out a book he was currently reading Animal Farm by George Orwell.

"Everyone please fasten your seat belts as the plane will be stopping in a few minutes." There was a slight hustle of noise as men and women alike grumbled from their seats, as they placed their belts over their body. Rehaan got up from his deep reading and did the same whilst glancing over at Raina. She was still listening to music, whilst working on her Business work. He smiled watching as she did. She was always a deep thinker: both smart but yet someone who liked to have a laugh. He remembered her always being optimistic even when she was down. He remembered the day when she had gotten her exam results for English Literature and how she wasn't really phased with her marks despite getting the highest in class. She was always someone who was mature, modest and always so happy. But this Raina? She was quiet, despite his attempts she didn't want to talk to him. He wondered what was wrong.

Raina stopped typing for a second before feeling someone stare at her, she turned around and asked Rehaan if everything was alright. He stopped, looking away before telling her that it was time to land and to fasten her seat belt. She muttered a thanks as she did.

A few minutes later, the plane landed and they all stretched as they got up from their seats. Rehaan helped Faiza and Fahmida get their side bags as Raina helped herself. She quickly placed her laptop in it's bag before waiting to get out.

"So, finally we're in Paris!" Faiza squealed, trying to pronounce Paris with French accent.

Raina smiled as they walked out. "Urm, so if you haven't found a Hotel or anywhere to stay then you should go to Hotel Du Lourve, It's linked to your boarding pass so you can stay there if you show them that."

"Thanks, Raina. We'll meet up with my son and my daughter-in-law first and then we'll make a decision." Fahmida replied. Raina nodded before waving off and settling into a Taxi. Rehaan watched she went off, he said goodbye but she didn't hear him.

"Have you informed Ibrahim, yet?" Fahmida asked Faiza.

"Bhaiya hasn't turned his phone on yet, I guess they're all going to come out this way." Faiza replied. "Oh look!" She pointed at the parents, holding their young children who were in awe of the unknown City.

"Amma?" Ibrahim said, shocked. "What are you all doing here? I thought there were no seats left."

Faiza giggled, picking up the young Humera before playing with her. "Actually," Rehaan was about to say when Hamza tugged on his trousers, begging to be picked up.

"Actually, you remember that girl I was talking about, the girl I met in Birmingham?" Fahmida said as Ibrahim and Faiza nodded. "Well, I met her not long after you two went. Turns out she had three extra spare passes as her colleagues weren't able to come. So she gave them to us."

"And guess what?!" Faiza shrieked with Humera giggling. "Raina, the girl, is Rehaan's bhai college friend!"

Rehaan went red in the face as Ibrahim and Naila started to ask him questions. "Ah, we...we weren't really friends. We just knew each other." He said clearly. It was true of course, he hadn't really thought about her not until he met her just recently. If there was something that he couldn't get rid off, it was her difference in personality. She was no longer the happy-go-lucky girl and he wanted to know why.

Faiza gave Humera back to her mother before turning her phone back on. Rehaan rolled his eyes as his sister immersed herself into the technology.

"So, Where are we going to stay?" Ibrahim asked.

"Why don't we just stay in the Hotel that Raina told us about?" Faiza said, tilting her head up from her phone. She fiddled with the Internet browser looking for the very same Hotel before dropping her mouth into a gasp. "It's a five star? We totally have to stay there!" She jumped in delight as Fahmida shook her head.

"No, no. That's too much, we can't stay there."

"But Amma, come on. Raina did say that it's linked to our passes meaning that there are rooms available for us and it'll only be empty even if we don't go!"

"But even if we go, what about Faiza, Ibrahim and the children?" Fahmida gave her a stern look as Faiza gave her a stubborn look.

Rehaan looked at his sister and couldn't help but disallow her. "We'll get them a room too, it's fine. After all, better to stay together right?" Faiza didn't wait for her mother's approval as she simply hugged her brother.

"Thank you Rehaan Bhaiyya!" She smiled, with excitement. Rehaan nodded, sure he wanted to make his sister smile but there was another reason: it would have meant that he would see Raina again. Fahmida sighed, relenting to her daughter's wishes before they made their way to the Hotel by Taxi.

Edited by ZAHARA. - 12 years ago

Quote

zahara

@ZAHARA.

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

CHAPTER FIVE

The taxi pulled up right outside Hotel Du Louvre. It was grand, illuminating lights came out of the dozens of windows. Rehaan paid the fee to the Taxi driver before taking his family across the large walkway towards the front entrance. Humera and Hamza were equally excited as they skipped along the ground, whilst Nailla desperately kept them together.

Inside, it was much more elegant. Decorated beige walls with deep red carpets, Faiza could not have been any more wowed away by it's appearance. There was a couple of French people lounging around in the main area whilst others were making their way through to their rooms. Taking their luggages which took them some time to get, the family made their way to the front desk where a young Caucasian woman smiled at them straight away.

"Bonjour, bienvenue l'Htel du Louvre. Comment puis-je vous aider?" (Hello, welcome to Hotel Du Louvre. How may I help you?). She asked whilst Rehaan gulped. Though he was the most intelligent one in the family, he struggled when it came to foreign languages.

"Do you speak English?" He asked. She bit her lip, blushing a bit.

"I...sorry. Speak little English. Wait, I bring you help." She struggled as she picked up the phone and spoke in fluent French.

"Amelie." Raina came down with a file in her hand. The woman at the front desk smiled, greeting her.

Raina stopped to notice Rehaan and his family was there. Instantly, she fell into a grin as she welcomed them. "Aunty." Fahmida quickly hugged the astonished Raina.

"Thank God we met you here!" Fahmida laughed. "I don't think this woman understands us much." Amelie blushed, understanding the few bits and pieces.

Ibrahim and Naila smiled somewhat thankful that they had finally met the girl who had been helping their family. Naila looked at Raina's appearance: She was wearing a black dress with tights whilst wearing a blazer over it.

"Don't worry, Aunty. Amelie, here is fairly new. Actually, the main manager had to leave so left her for a while. It's fine though, I'll help you. Where are your passes?" Raina asked as Fahmida took out the three passes that she had been given to Raina.

"Amelie, pouvez-vous donner salles selon ces laissez-passer s'il vous plat." (Amelie, can you give rooms as per these passes please). Amelie nodded as she took the passes and fiddled about on her computer. She noted down the spare rooms and gave Raina three keys. "Merci." (Thank You). Raina replied.

"Aunty...here are three rooms." Raina gave Fahmida the keys. "Actually, the thing was the rooms were pre-booked and it's really hard to get any room whilst you're here so I managed to only get one double room, which I'm pretty sure you.." She gestured to Ibrahim and Naila. "...would want." Naila smiled, whilst Ibrahim nodded.

"Thank you, I mean you don't have to do this." Ibrahim spoke.

Raina shrugged. "It's fine. Though it would mean there would only be two single rooms left, so if you want either Aunty or Faiza can share my room."

Faiza shrieked. "I would love to share a room with you!" She hugged Raina whilst Fahmida rolled her eyes before chuckling. She cleared her throat that stopped Faiza from getting excited as she pulled out of the hug. Faiza blushed, "I'm sorry, I mean if that's okay with you." She asked Raina.

"Yeah, it's fine. I mean I have work to do so I'll probably be busy with meetings." Raina gave them a slight smile before getting a spare key from Amelie and giving it to Faiza. "Anyway, I have to go. I'll see you all soon?" They all waved her off whilst leaving, looking intently at her file.

"How can someone help us this much?" Naila asked rhetorically.

"I don't know." Faiza grinned, looking at her key. "I'm just glad it's Raina to be honest. She's so cool, right Rehaan bhai?"

Rehaan was pushed out of his deep thoughts but Faiza's sudden question. He nodded slightly, making her happy whilst two Bell Hops carried their luggages to their respected rooms. It was lucky for them to see that the rooms were close by each other, with Ibrahim's room near Fahmida's and Rehaan's near Raina's. As soon as the twins were let down from their parent's arm, they rushed straight into the room and started to jump on the beds. Naila scolded them to stop being naughty as they sadly jumped down and ran around their father. Ibrahim couldn't help but laugh as Naila pretended to be angry.

Rehaan helped his mother settle into her room, before leaving her to place her clothes into the wardrobe. He was about to enter his room when he saw Faiza having trouble opening the lock, he sighed she was always having troubles with doors. He chuckled lightly remembering how once she had gotten herself locked inside a bathroom one night when she was younger and everyone hadn't realised until the following morning.

"Bhai, help me open this." He laughed as he opened the door with a flick of a switch. He found himself walking in with Faiza and instantly his eyes went towards the large window. The scenery was beautiful. Outside, you could see the Eiffel Tower in the far background whilst in the front, people were rushing past, all happy and laughing.

"Wow!" He turned around to see what Faiza was up to. She had opened up the mini walk in wardrobe and was admiring Raina's clothes. "Look at all these!" She picked up a pair of Jimmy Choo's before squealing.

Rehaan sighed. "I'm pretty sure, Raina said you can stay in her room not to touch her stuff."

Faiza placed her hand on her hips, giving her usual attitude. "Bhai, It's Raina. She's the coolest person ever, she won't mind."

"Faiza." Rehaan gave her a stern look before she placed the shoes back to where it was and walked out of the wardrobe.

"Okay fine." She started to open her luggage. "I'll just put my clothes there." He nodded, appreciating it.

He looked around the room, noticing Raina's laptop and her papers all in a neat file. He couldn't help but feel that everything was all wrong. Raina was never like this. Sure, she was always hard working at college but everything she did, she did it with a smile, with laughter and not a fake smile. She wasn't always someone who loved to party: she was just Raina. But there was something wrong with this Raina. And the worst thing was, he didn't even know what. She didn't even answer his question about why she came to London, not really. And she had told him that she left University: that was not the Raina he knew. She loved English, in fact she wanted to teach those who had difficulty, so why would she leave that dream? Something must have happened, he concluded. Rehaan walked out the room into his.

He didn't bother putting his clothes back properly nor looking around the room. In fact, he got his laptop out of his suitcase and opened it up. He waited until it was loaded, and connected to the Internet before logging into Facebook.

He had to find out what was wrong.

He just had to.

Edited by ZAHARA. - 12 years ago

Quote

zahara

@ZAHARA.

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

CHAPTER SIX

Raina yawned as she flicked through the monotonous files, hastily signing her name at the bottom of the pages. It was her first day in Paris and already she was pushed into the world of mundane work. She had been here before, of course. Meera Fashion House had it's branches around London, Paris and New York as well as Aminah thinking to branch out to the more infamous cities. Raina was always moving from one energetic city to another: to the point where she had practically memorised her whole journey.

"Bonjour, Ma'am." A young brunette walked through the door, perusing through her portfolio of sketches. "Here are some sketches I did bearing in mind of the season and theme." Raina looked through the numbers of pages, admiring each and every design. She smiled, nodding as she promised to send it off to Aminah who would take a look at it.

She sighed, glancing at her watch. It was getting late, nearly six in the evening. She decided to return back to the Hotel. A couple of minutes later, after a quick good bye from the rest of the workers, Raina made her way through to the archway where she caught a Taxi back to the Hotel. It was a mere fifteen minutes from the Hotel but the sudden traffic lengthened the journey to nearly half an hour. She shivered, cursing herself for forgetting to wear a jacket.

There was a slight mist in the air as the city of Paris became illuminated by light, more so than it was in the day. There was a glow coming from the background where the sun had just begun to set; painters sat on the edge of the canal, painting the immaculate landscape. The Taxi driver switched on the radio to alleviate the awkward silence. Instantly, the car started to sing out the mellow tune of Birdy's Skinny Love.

Come on Skinny Love, just last the year. Pour a little salt, you were never here.

The air began to get chilly, people who had groceries stacked outside their mini shop had started to pack away, getting away from the ghastly weather. The clouds began to darken, turning into a displeasing grey colour.

And now all your love is wasted, then who the hell was I? 'Cause now I'm breaking at the bridges, and at the end of all your lies.

"Madame, we are here...I'hotel du Louvre." The elderly Taxi driver smiled as he spoke in his French accent. Raina nodded as she gave him his fee, deliberately giving him more as he thanked her graciously.

The instant cold hit her as soon as she rushed inside. She hastily rubbed her arms as to make herself warmer before being greeted by the attender, Amelie. Nodding in approval, Raina made her way through the lift and into her room where she was welcomed by Faiza, who was galloping around the room, listening to music on her headphones.

"Hey!" Faiza said as she turned the extremely loud music down and took off her headphones. "How was work?"

"It was good, the usual." Raina replied honestly. She stretched her arms a bit before taking a change of clothes into the bathroom. It was a slightly strange situation to be in. It had been so many years since she had last shared a room with anyone, and she had gotten used to the silence. She couldn't help but think about how she used to fight with her younger sister over the silliest things. They would argue about everything from sharing clothes to who gets what, and then other times, they would share each other's secrets. She felt a pang in her heart, thinking about how she had said a solemn goodbye to her sister - the last person she had seen. She couldn't help but wonder what her sister must be up to, whether she had gotten a job, or found someone.

Raina shook her head, not sure why she wanted to think about her past. That's all it was to her, her past. Nothing else matters now. Everything changed as she ran away that night: hastily kicking away her purple bridal sari and jewellery on to the floor before falling onto the bed in tears. Her hand began to shake as Raina looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Two large eyes looked back. There was no emotion, no feelings. Everything inside her had died. She shook her head before splashing on freezing cold water onto her face. She started to shiver as she wiped herself before getting changed.

"Raina?" There was a knock on the door followed by Faiza's voice. "Hey, are you okay?" She seemed concerned.

Raina sighed as she twisted the door knob and unlocked it. She gave Faiza her usual pretentious smile before nodding. "I'm fine." Faiza smiled back. "So, how was your day been?"

"Oh, we spent the whole day settling in. The twins were becoming ill with coughs and sneezing but they're okay now that Rehaan Bhai looked over them. So that meant we really couldn't go anywhere." Faiza chirped.

"Oh right, Rehaan is a Doctor right?"

Faiza nodded. "Yep. He's a Paediatric Doctor and although he seems like a hard-ass, he really loves children. So I guess that's why he's a children's Doctor." Raina smiled listening to her. "How was Bhai in College?" She asked.

Raina stuttered. "I...er...I really don't..."

"Oh come on, you must have spoken to him. How was he? Was he always the sort of person that was no fun? Because that so sounds like him!" She sat on the edge of the bed, her legs crossed whilst Raina looked down at her.

"Urm..." She gave out a nervous laugh. "Well, from what I remember, he was always someone who was quiet. I guess. I mean, he only spoke when he needed to. And he never really did laugh or anything, unless he had to." Raina laughed, thinking about the younger Rehaan and how she had tried to make him laugh but he didn't. Boy, was so she embarrassed.

"I so knew it! Bhai was always a hard-ass!" Faiza gasped. "Seriously, he can scare someone with the way he behaves. So moody all the time. Well, I say every time but you know." Raina nodded slowly, not sure she understood but Faiza didn't seem so. "And God! He has this tendency to always annoy me, I mean come on! Just because I like certain things like Boy Bands and Justin Bieber, Bhai thinks he can say whatever he wants."

Raina laughed, Faiza reminded of her sister Aafiya what with her crush tendencies and her easy and outgoing lifestyle. "Well, I wouldn't know much about Justin Bieber." Raina laughed again, sitting onto the bed. "I'm not that much of a fan."

"What?" Faiza mocked a gasp. "How can you say that?! Oh come on, you must like one song."

"Absolutely not."

"Baby?"

"No."

"Somebody to Love?"

"Ugh, no." Raina rolled her eyes.

"So you've heard of the song?"

"My sister made me." Raina laughed before stopping in mid sentence. She closed her eyes shut before opening them slowly. How could I say this? After I vowed to forget them? She thought.

"You have a sister?" Faiza asked. Raina didn't reply as she stood up from the bed and looked at the clock.

"It's getting late, should we have dinner now?" Faiza looked at the clock and noticed that it was just past seven in the evening. She nodded as Raina walked out in silence, not even saying a goodbye. Faiza stood back, wondering what was just happened before calling down Ibrahim and Naila.

***

Rehaan sighed as he browsed through the list of friends on Facebook. He hadn't been online in a long time thanks to his long work schedule. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had spoken to his friends - it had been a few years. Sure, he kept in touch with some of his University friends but there were still some friends from college that he had tried to keep in touch with. The fast paced life had prevented them from seeing each other with him working and his friends either doing the same or busy building their family lives.

There was of course, one person who he had kept in touch with all the way through. His childhood friend, Tanvir Khan. Tanvir was the complete opposite to Rehaan. Loud, popular and a complete flirt. Sure, he was intelligent but he hid his with his over exaggerated personality. The good thing about their friendship was that it gave Rehaan the stability of his social life, which he had clearly lacked. It was also through Tanvir that he met Raina.

She was sitting alone in the library, looking intently into her English notes when Tanvir had come over to speak to her. As Tanvir was studying English as well and had already done the year, he would often help the younger years just like Rehaan did but more so.

Rehaan remembered her illuminating smile as she greeted Tanvir before noticing Rehaan. He didn't say much, then again he hardly did. Over the next few weeks, he had gotten to know her well often from Tanvir whilst she was completely clueless about who he was. On the day of the results, he had seen her smiling at her piece of paper, before getting the courage to finally going up to her and asking her about her grades. He couldn't have been more overjoyed to learn that she had passed with flying colours. Since then, he had spoken to her more but his shyness sometimes got the better of him.

He had always known her as the one who tried to make everyone smile, even when they were upset. She hated to see people in trouble and would do anything to get them out of it. He remembered a certain memory of when she tried to make him laugh but he was just too embarrassed of what she would think of him that he didn't do anything and walked away. As he was in the Upper Year, it meant that he was also leaving in the next few months, and as they both got busy with their own studies, social life became less and less important. Soon enough, he was gone. He did come back to the college, especially on the final results day but couldn't see her. For once, he felt somewhat dejected but didn't know why. She didn't even know him, if anything he was merely a stranger to her.

Rehaan looked through his homepage, trying to see if anyone was online but there wasn't. He had no other contacts whom he could find about Raina from. He sighed, before signing off. He didn't know why he wanted to find out about her, she clearly wanted nothing to do with him. He bit his lip wondering whether to call Tanvir but shook his head. He shouldn't look into her business. After all, he was no one to her.

Just no one.

Edited by ZAHARA. - 12 years ago