Nawal stepped out of the classroom, hugging her books to her chest she made her way out of the busy hallway and into the open spaces at the university. She breathed the fresh autumn air. She loved how the temperatures dropped and the heavy winds blew away peeling off the leaves from the trees and shrinking the bright sunny days. She eyed the leaves on the grassy grounds and found the one she was looking for. She rushed at the tree and bent down to clutch the dark red leaf. Smiling to herself, she carefully put it in her handbag. Another one for my collection, she pondered.

"There you are. I thought you disappeared after class," Lisa's voice brought Nawal back from her musings.

She beamed at her friend. Lisa was one of her new friends in university and in the last one year, they had become very close. "What's the crack?" Nawal asked tilting her head.

"We are going to the pub for some drinks." Lisa eagerly stated but hurriedly went on when she saw Nawal shaking her head, "And of course for lunch. Why don't you come with us?"

"We as in?" Nawal hesitated.

"Me, Aoifa, Brian and Paul." Lisa counted the names.

"I don't think I should go...it's basically you with your boyfriend and Aoifa with hers. I would be the fifth wheel there." Nawal responded tentatively.

"No way! You are coming with us," Lisa persuaded, looping her arm through Nawal's and started dragging her out of the campus, "Besides, I am sure you were going back to your home. You had nothing to do."

Lisa had a point, Nawal thought and quietly let Lisa haul her to the pub at the corner of the street. The pub was located beside a popular four-star hotel. Nawal knew she wasn't allowed to visit a pub. If Ammi knew or God forbid Shahbaz found out, she was sure to be grounded for the next one week. There was no harm going to the pub at 2 pm for lunch, she assured herself. Besides, she would discreetly leave as soon as she was done with her lunch. But being in a pub with her hijab seemed odd, she slowly loosened her hijab, letting wisps of hair escape.

An hour later, Nawal had just finished having her potato and leek soup with brown soda bread and was cringing at the way Aoifa was openly displaying affection at Brian. She was sitting on his lap and had her hands around his neck. He was making crude jokes and laughing loudly. Since they had stepped into the pub all Aoifa had done was drink, celebrating the coming long weekend. It was a Thursday. There were no classes on Friday and Monday was a bank holiday giving the group the next four days off.

"We should go to the Temple Bar tonight and just enjoy," Brian suggested in between his fits of laughter.

"Ya sounds good." Paul said sipping his pint of Guinness.

Lisa nodded in agreement.

They all looked at Nawal in anticipation.

"I ... I ... can't." She stammered and hurriedly unlocked her phone, "I see multiple missed calls from my mother. I better head out." She lied and hastily stood up.

"Nawal is a Mommy's girl," Aoifa sneered.

Nawal turned red.

"Hey cut the crap," Lisa quietened Aoifa.

"Whaaat? It's a fact," she winked and started giggling as Brian started tickling her sides.

Nawal just had to get out. This was too much for her to handle. Without bothering to say goodbye she just nodded customarily at Lisa and scurried out of the dark pub.

Stepping out, closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. It was a peaceful street with very few traffic or pedestrians and she felt at peace. But not for long.

"NAWAL?" She heard a voice she didn't want to hear at all and she winced. Of all the people to bump into outside the pub. This is it, she was sure to be in trouble.

Salman stepped in front of his cousin and stared at her guilt stricken face. He had just left his meeting at the four-star hotel and was shocked to see Nawal coming out of the pub.

"What were you doing at the pub?" He glared at her.

"None of your business," she muttered irritatingly and decided to walk away from him.

She tried to side-stepped him but he followed her step. Shoulders slumped, gazing up at his eyes, she said, "Do you mind? I need to go home. It's getting late and the next bus will be here any minute now."

"Not unless you answer my question. What were you doing in the pub?" Salman stepped closer to Nawal and sniffed, "Were you drinking?"

She stepped back, "What the hell is your problem? Why would I drink? Look I am not in the mood for this crap. I am leaving"

"Oh no you don't. You are coming with me. I will drop you home." Salman said grabbing her arm.

"Leave my arm. You don't have to try to be a gentleman. As far as I knew we weren't talking since Eid." She said sarcastically.

His hold tightened on her arm, "You are coming with me right this minute, otherwise, I tell khala what I saw."

She paled. The last thing she wanted was her mother to find out and then surely a distressing issue will be made out of nothing. She yanked her arm free and hissed, "Don't touch me. And you better promise not to say a word. Then and only then I am coming with you."

"Fine." He nodded and started making his way to the car park. She quietly followed him.

It had been ages since she sat in his dark green BMW. She would always go out on outings with the sibling cousins, Manal and her brother Salman. But in the last three months, there was an unapproachable rift between them. And it all started because she had tried to speak to his cousin.

Now after nearly three months, Nawal was in Salman's car, sitting beside him as he drove her home. They didn't speak at all. There was an eerie silence in the car. It was suffocating. She wanted to run away but quietly endured it all, for the sake of her parents and brothers.

When finally they reached home, she quickly unfastened her seat belt, "Thanks for the ride."

"Hold on I am coming inside as well. I want to say Salaam to Khala." Salman said indifferently.

"But.. but... they will know something is amiss if they see us together," She stuttered.

"Let us see," he smiled sardonically and opened the car door.

She was surely dead today.

****

Ghazala greeted her daughter Nawal with a frown graced on her lovely face despite her age, "Where were you?"

"I was at university. You know my schedule." Nawal murmured entering the house.

"You come home around 3pm and it's nearly 5pm now!!!" she exclaimed and then her gaze fluttered to Salman. This deepened her frown.

"Salman beta?" She uttered tentatively.

"Assalam u alaikum khala jee." He said enveloping her in a hug and then continued, "Nawal was studying with her friends and I was at a hotel beside her university for a meeting. I bumped into her when she was at the bus stop. So I thought to drop her home." Ghazala relaxed in Salman's embrace and then pleasantly smiled.

"Walaikum salaam. I am glad you came and right on time. I have made pakora with tea as Shahbaz is here." She grinned delightfully, pulling back from him.

"Is he now?" Salman said glancing at Nawal and a mischievous smirk curling at his lips.

Salman knew well enough of all the three brothers Nawal had, Shahbaz was the strictest. Many times, he had grounded Nawal and had put many restrictions. Nawal was pampered by Faraz the eldest brother but always scolded by her second brother Shahbaz and her youngest brother Arbaaz was still in high school who had no interest in his sister's antics.

Nawal's eyes bulged out and he could see she was silently pleading with her eyes for him not to reveal anything. Trying to act oblivious to her anxieties, he chuckled and made his way to the living room.

"Shahbaz Salaam bro. long time!!! It seems since you have been married you are in your ongoing honeymoon. Haven't seen you in ages." Salman teased good-naturedly.

"Walaikum salaam" he slowly rose from the sofa and man hugged Salman, slapping his back as well. "Yes well, not just honeymoon. Marriage is hard work and responsibility. I don't know where my time goes now with the wife."

Salman smirked, "I am glad you are enjoying your marital bliss."

"More like marriage misery sometimes." Shahbaz muttered making Salman laugh loudly.

"Not good Shahbaz. I don't want you saying that. Fiza is a wonderful girl. Most of all she is a caring and loving wife." Ghazala reproached lightly as she entered the room with Nawal carrying a tray full of food.

"Of course Mom, she is a darling. But sometimes ... women." Shahbaz lamely completed.

"Your Mom is a woman too," she countered back, narrowing her eyes.

"You can't win Shahbaz. Better shut up," Salman whispered under his breath.

"Never mind." he eagerly tried to change the subject, "Nawal why were you late?"

"Bhai, I ... I... that is," her gaze kept flickering between Shahbaz and Salman.

"She was busy studying with her friends and I saw her at the bus stop so thought to drop her off." Salman interjected smoothly.

"Hmm..." Shahbaz scrutinized Nawal in suspicion.

But soon the topic of Nawal's whereabouts was dropped as Ghazala spoke of her eldest son Faraz and his wife Samreen's children Liyaana and Daniyal. Time passed as the group enjoyed fried savoury items with their tea.

"Khala I better leave. It's getting late and Ammi will be waiting for me." Salman said standing up. His home wasn't far away but still he knew his mother always waited for him for dinner.

"Wait I have something for Seema." She hurriedly went to the kitchen and came back with a food container, "I had made Haleem yesterday and I had promised to send some over for her."

"Thanks, Khala jee. I am sure Ammi will enjoy it." leaning to kiss her cheek.

He shook hands with Shahbaz and made his way to the main door when a muffled voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Thank you, Salman bhai for today."

"It's okay but you better not go to a pub again." Salman said turning to Nawal.

"I won't." and for the first time in months, her eyes twinkled when she looked at him and her lips twitched into a lovely smile.

Salman's heartbeat rose. He didn't know why, but Nawal had that effect on him. He tore his gaze from her and murmured, "Good."

"Let's be friends again." She offered still smiling.

"Okay."

Oh, how he wished he could be more than friends with her.