10. Paving ways..

 

"make sure this is the first and the last time u have intruded in my life ", Wali coldly said.

"oh hello Mr. attitude!, this is for your own good ok!, "she gave him a strict expression,"agr ye do din rest nahi karo gey na, tu agey pora month off lena par jaye ga, wrist twists are very sensitive!", she alarmingly told him and for a second Wali realized that she was right, but still he turned and moved away. He started walking fast, "get well soon!", he heard her shouting behind him, her voice was fading, as he was moving forward.

Farah started walking towards her own office, thinking about Wali. Finally she knew his name. It was a lovely name, sweet and cute, so unlike him! She laughed. He is so rude and stiff, so kharoos, she laughed again, but still he was a nice person. He brought her lunch, he did spoke politely also, so he was nice, and no matter what, farah will try to keep friendship with him, she decided. After so long, she met someone who really entered her heart. Who really seemed a nice person to her. Somewhere she was afraid after her last friendship experiences, but this person made his impact from their very first meeting.

 She reached office, where a lot of pending work was waiting for her and moreover she didn't even had her lunch so she opened a packet of biscuits and started working.

Wali reached home within half an hour. After so long he was home at this time of day. He threw his bag away. His hand did hurt. So he lied down closing his eyes, rubbing his own fingers over his wrist, but then he remembered her touch. It was so warm, but because of her he lost one whole day of work. He lost almost $50 per hour money. He glanced at the calendar. It was 28^th. New month was about to begin. He took out his accounts book, and starting calculating how much installments did he had to send to India, this month.  It was her sister's anniversary this month also, he wanted to send her a gift. His own apartment installments were also a concern. After spending a whole hour on planning has accounts for the next month, he again lied down. The pain was not decreasing.

He slept for a few hours, and when he woke up, it was almost night. Is bar shift was about to start, but he couldn't work with a twisted wrist. There again he would face the same answer, that his supervisor told him in the afternoon. So he called there informing about his injury.

He went in the kitchen, deciding upon what to cook, when suddenly he remembered he had something in his bag too - the tiffin!

He came out of the kitchen opening his bag; he reached out for the tiffin.  It had a sticker and small card. He had seen this in the afternoon also. He sat on the chair, slowly opening the small card:

Thank u so much for the delicious lunch, a small return gift from my side,

I am not that good at cooking so warning beforehand - ;)

God Bless..farah..

Wali read the lines two times, why? - He was unable to answer his mind.

He opened the cover. There were six muffins, completely fitted into the tiffin, as if there size was perfect for the size of tiffin. They were plain muffins, with two red jelly beans stuffed on the top of ever muffin, to represent eyes, and a small curve with white cream below them, on every muffin, two make all six of them appear as smiling faces. It was a treat to look at the box, it gave him such pleasant feeling, and so, he couldn't help smiling - and this came very rare to him.

He took out one of them and took a bite.

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"shehna I hope usey psnd a jayen", farah had told the whole story to shehna, who was very worried.

"di, dekho, tum usey janti nahi ho", she couldn't help speaking her fears,

"janti ku nahi hon, bataya tu hai main ne tujhe k main kitni baar mili hon uss sey, and he is a very nice person.", farah was sure about her analysis of Wali

"when was he nice?, tum ne jitni bhi batien batiyin hain, us ne tu ik baar bhi tum se baat nahi ki, ye tu tum hi baar baar.."

"haan tu kia hua shehna, he is nice, wo merey liye lunch le k aya tha", farah made her point.

"di mujhe tu harani ho rahi hai tum ne kaise ik ajnabi se lunch ka keh zarminey, tumhain biryani hi khani thi tu main bana deti.. aisey.."

"stop it shehna", this time farah got angry, "tu ku itna sochti hai, main koi bachi nahi hon, I know well about my self, he is a nice person.

"di dekho main..

"aur ye kia tu roz raat ko mujh se batien karna shoro kar deti hai, ye time manzar k ghr aney ka hota hai, tujhe usey time dena chiaye k mujh se baat karni chaiye, I am sure rooz tera intezar karte karte so jata ho ga"

Shehna blushed a bit, "di aisa kuch nahi hai"

"nahi hai tu hona shoro ho jaega, ja ab.."

"di magr tum mujhe..

"SHEHNA SHUT UP AND GOOD NIGHT! Love u!" she hung up the phone, bcz she knew otherwise shehna would have carried on with her investigation.

Shehna was tensed about farah's phone. She wasn't feeling nice about her sister being friendly with a total stranger.  She entered the room in the same confusion; manzar was facing her side, lying down, with his eyes closed. She switched off the lights. After thinking a bit she spoke up,"manzar".

Manzar was already awake. "hmm"

, "wo mujhe ap se kuch kehna hai, ik kaam hai mujhe ap se", she turned towards him

"kia hua?"

"wo..", she was feeling hesitant, "wo di ka ik dost hai, union station pe AMH bank ki nayi branch ban rahi hai wahan laborer hai..Wali Suhaib khan"

"haan tu?", manzar wasn't able to understand the context.

"wo.., ap us k bare main thori investigation karwa lo gey k wo kaisa larka hai?",she finally spoke up her real motives

"kia?", he was really shocked, "shehna  tum.."

"dekhiye, mujhe kuch ajeeb lag raha hai, main phir se nahi chati di kisi ghalt company main jaye, plz." She was looking at him with very innocent eyes, and manzar had no option but to surrender

"thek hai", shehna smiled at his approval, "per mujhe nahi lagta farah ko ye psnd aye ga k tum asiey.."

"pata hai mujhe ,per hum di ko nahi batyen gey, thek hai na?", she got scared like a child and Manzar couldn't resist moving close to her and shehna unconsciously cuddled at his sudden nearness, "thek hai,", he softly said and kissed her forehead, "good night", shehna lowered her eyes and blushed.

"good night", she closed her eyes, slowly placing her arm around his torso and sensing his arms round her shoulder. She slept soon. Today, after so long she came close to manzar. And it felt like a bliss of heaven

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Farah was cuddling in her quilt, hoping he would have tasted her muffins and liked them.

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Wali had eaten all six off them. And even the fragments that were falling in the tiffin. He loved them. And  wished that there were more.