Past

Some loves it, some hates it...but what should the person do who can't hate it and love it. Irfa Zafar's past was a mixture of beautiful memories and nightmares. A past in which few beautiful memories was followed by endless nightmares. Death is inevitable, but still she had hoped that her parents, brother and grandma don't leave her. How foolish of her, hoping for turning down the destiny...it was written ages ago by the creator himself and of course she was foolish to think of defying him.

"It's human that plan and then there is Allah who plans and Allah is the best of planners. (Surah Al- Anfal)"

For sometime a person might feel that Allah SWT 's plan was not in his favor but Allah's every plan is for our good. He is all-knowing, he knows the past, present and future. Irfa too had thought that her lord was unfair as to take everyone away from her but that decision of her beloved Allah made her strong, strong enough to handle the pains of world. Yet sometimes the weak, vulnerable side of her persona overshadows her facade of being strong.

Early morning after offering salah, as usual she was strolling in the backyard. Her thoughts lingering from anything to everything.

Everything was going normal but her heart wasn't. It clenched whenever she thought of her past. Engulfed in her thoughts she was sitting near the pool with her feet touching the crystal clear pool water. The water of her eyes still more crystal than the water in front of her.

Shehreyar was a kind of person you would call rude and arrogant but no one knew what he was inside, a person who would apologize a thousand times to his loved ones for a small mistake. He had made a mistake, he had hurt someone, who was family but his guts weren't forming to apologize to her even for once. He had returned from Masjid after Salah and couldn't sleep so started looking outside in the backyard, only to find her roaming around like a solitary featherless bird.

The new revelation of her past had made him restless, he couldn't realisewhat was happening to him. He couldn't sleep...if he tried her innocent wet orbs flashed in his eyes.

She was constantly running in his mind. There were some irritating thoughts but the most sensible one was of apologizing.

"Hey Irfa. What are you doing here at this hour? It's still quite early." Khizir came and sat beside her in the same way she was sitting.

"Um nothing." Sensing her lack of enthusiasm for a talk he kept silent and just sat there with in a soothing silence. It was pleasing them but not the observer at the window.

'Why am I feeling this way seeing them together ? Whatever they do... I don't care.' He thought and went to prepare for his day.

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Shehreyar Siddiqui was never left in turmoil like this but then never had he ever had an encounter with an innocent girl with wet brown orbs. He reached office and was informed that some candidates are there for interview. Busying himself in the work he tried to distract his chaotic mind.

"So miss Irfa..." he said and suddenly realization hit him. He was taking her name for the nth time. He had called someone Irfa and had received a strange look from them and right at the moment it was a girl sitting in front him.

"Sir it's Isha..." the girl said in an annoyed tone.

"Whatever it is...so what are your specialities?" He asked in a cold tone.

She replied to the question and others they were asked further but in a flirtatious way. He was getting irritated by her tone. The irritation of earlier events took a toll on him, and he shouted!

"Get out."

"Why sir?" She questioned him, and he shot a hard glare in return.

"I said get out." he said emphasizing every word and the girl went out saving her life from the angry man.

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Like every day since the announcement of the wedding, the day passed in blur. The night had approached and Shehreyar was home, though most of his time went in fidgeting whether to apologize now or any other time.

"Shifa go call everyone the dinner is ready." Saba said and Shifa went to call everyone.

"Aapi...dinner is ready come out." she shouted from the door and went to call khizir.

"Khizir...come out dinner is ready." She again shouted from the door.

"Stop shouting." Khizir's annoyed voice came from inside.

"I will your owl." She was still standing outside the closed door.

"You little rat wait." he said and opened the door...Shifa got surprised but another moment ran downstairs making him shake his head.

" Mami your hands have magic...it's so tasty." Khizir said and moaned as he took another bite of the delicacy.

"Yes mami it's delicious." Zainab and Harris, Imran's brother also agreed with him.

"Stop these buttering, I didn't make what you guys are eating, the Shahi tukra is made by Irfa." She said shaking her head at the buttering party of the family.

"Shahi tukre ki to baat hi alag hai...isse laziz Shahi tukra maine kabhi nahi khaya.(the shahi tukra is just amazing... I haven't eaten this delicious Shahi tukra ever.)" He said dramatically and passed a smile to Irfa.

"It's not at all goo, it's so oily and unhealthy food. I am not going to eat this stuff." Shehreyar almost yelled at the table...everyone was shocked as to why he was behaving like this. The dish was tasty, but then they didn't know it wasn't related to the dish.

She was more shocked that anyone. Receiving his death glares and cold behavior was enough for letting her know that she wasn't welcomed by him but insulting her in front of everyone was way too much. She went to her room after the dinner and silently cried...she didn't know why he hated her.

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The cousins were sitting in lounge room talking and having fun, that mainly involved Khizir troubling Shifa and Irfa, Zainab and Harris playing games and Sana listening to the bickering of Shifa and Khizir.

"Khizir itne dino baad aye ho...studies bhi complete kar li hai aaj tum hamsab ko treat doge.(you have come after so many days and you have also completed your studies so you have to treat us today.)" Sana said and everyone agreed enthusiastically.

"Yes bhai please, I am also craving for ice cream.'' Zainab also requested followed by a series of pleases by all of them. Lastly he had to agree and asked them to get ready.

The whole gang was ready to go, it was the name given to them, gang because of their trouble making ability, mostly Khizir and his two devil pawns, Zainab and Harris. They went to an ice cream parlor.

Nobody thought of Shehry except her, but she didn't say anything because it would be awkward and why should she think of him who never thought once before insulting her.

The ice cream treat was given by Khizir, so he had urged, more precisely forced all of them to eat outside and that too standing. They were all busy in eating and again teasing each other, specially Khizir for his weird flavor combination of ice cream, mango with Blue Berry.

Shehreyar was returning from somewhere when he saw Khzizr's car outside an ice cream parlor and everyone near it laughing at something.

The anger which had decreased a little increased to the top again. 'They didn't even ask me.' He thought and stayed in the car looking at their smiling face, thinking about himself that how one of them didn't even smile in front of him and here she was laughing to her heart's content.

"Hey Khizir that's bahi's car." Shifa said pointing towards Shehreyar's car making Khizir nod at her. He went near his car, bending in the level of car's window he knocked at it.

"Hey Shehry come we are having ice cream." He invited. He didn't want to ho, he just wanted to retort at Khizir for not inviting him earlier but stopped as it would really sound childish.

" Hey Shifa, let me taste your ice cream." Khizir said and Shifa passed him her cone simply.

" It's good...taste mine." He said and slowly took it near her face making her cringe back in disgust.

"This is so weird I won't eat this." She said making faces. Khizir frowned and within a blink of eye applied the softy on her nose. Her eyes widened, and she shot a murderous glare to him.

"Woah Shifa...in katilanah nazron se hampar waar na karo...(don't attack me with this deadly beautiful eyes)." He said and started laughing.

"Do you have a problem with my nose?" She shouted like a kid.

" Not only yours but Irfa's too." He said and instantly applied ice cream on Irfa's nose too. She was stunned for a moment but smiled the other. This act caught Shereyar off guard too.

The whole gang was laughing continuously. Shifa and Irfa saw each other and the next they threw their remaining ice cream on Khizir who stood frozen, maybe by their act or by the freezing ice cream. Now it was their turn to laugh with everyone.

Khizir made an angry expression but ended up laughing. Everyone was enjoying the moment except him. He was staring them as if they were aliens from another planet.

He was feeling weird...but why?, he was feeling insecure...but why? He had no answer. He was feeling something different...he wanted to scold Irfa...he wanted to ask her why she was happy around everyone but not in reality...what was in her eyes that was attracting him.He wanted to ask so many things. He was unaware of the feeling raising inside him...why was he getting so much worried about her.

He was answer less....and so he silently went to his car and dorve away.

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