Chapter 10

The Day of Rayaan’s Arrival

Finally the week was over and the day of Rayaan’s arrival was here. Whole of the Shah Villa was in a frenzy. Everywhere workers were doing last minute arrangements and the villa was filled with aromas of lots of delicious Pakistani foods. The foods were specially made on the demands of Rayaan himself.

Hana was helping all the females in the kitchen while her baba, uncles and dadi jaan were chatting in the living room. The driver had already gone to airport to pick Rayaan up.

Hana was very happy. She was waiting by the front door very impatiently. When the car horn sounded from the outside, she excitedly opened the door and saw a very handsome but tired looking Rayaan walking towards the door. When he reached the door, hana very excitedly Salaamed him.

Walaikum-assalaam?” Rayaan replied in a questioning way. After looking at Rayaan’s confused face, hana’s smile faltered a little but she still maintained it and said:

“It’s me, Hana! Rayaan Bhai don’t you remember me?” she said still very happy to see Rayaan.

“Oh! My! My! How you have grown, kiddo! I did not recognize you there for a minute!” Rayaan replied with a small smile. He put a hand on Hana’s head and both of them entered the villa together.

Everyone was looking at hana very confusedly as they know that hana is a very shy and reserve type of girl. They did not know why she was so excited but they let it slide as all of their attention again went to Rayaan.

Rayaan greeted his Dadi Jaan first with a big hug and an even bigger smile on his face. Hana’s heart skipped a beat as Rayaan looked very handsome with smile. Rayaan greeted everyone else with hugs also and then they settled in the living room. Hana went in kitchen and brought some refreshments for everyone as they all were chatting with Rayaan. After serving everyone with drinks, she went behind her mother’s sofa and just stood there, looking at everyone, as they are interacting with each other.

After sometime, Rayaan went to his room to freshen up and then they had dinner. At the dinner, Rayaan asked hana about her future plans and asked why she did not wanted to pursue the medical field. Everyone, except hana’s parents, was also curios about it so they silently listened to what Hana had to say.

“I don’t like to study bhai (brother)! I don’t even know why I got a position in FSc because I know that I have not studied this hard to get a position and that too a first one. I am sure that the marking was wrong. And about future plans! I don’t really know what I want to do yet. I asked mamma and baba to let me stay at home as I don’t want to study anymore but they just forced me to join an institute. I gave test for graphic designing as it’s a practical subject. I think I can do better in practical subject! Theoretical subjects are not my cup of tea so I did not applied for medical field! I think I have blabbered enough! I’ll keep quite now! Hehe!” Hana awkwardly laughed after explaining her reasons.

Rayaan was listening to hana with his full attention. He got a little shocked with all this talking and hana’s thoughts but he did not say anything. He just nodded and went back to eating.

After food, all of the family went back in living room for some more talking. Everyone was talking with each other and they asked Rayaan a lot of questions. Hana was just sitting on the armrest of one of the sofas beside her father. She felt left out so she excused herself and retired for the night. She went in her room and decided to read another novel to remove her loneliness. She again remained awake till late at night.

When the morning came, sugar pot was again empty but the females of the villa decided to ignore it as they thought that atleast nothing else ever got stolen so they never complaint about it. They did told this sugar incident to Dadi jaan at the breakfast table. Rayaan was confused as he did not know what they were talking about.

“Dadi jaan! Do you want me to call the police! What is being stolen?” Rayaan said to his dadi jaan.

“Oh no no beta! Nothing is being stolen! It’s just almost every night; the sugar pot gets empty by the morning! We don’t know who this person is that always steals sugar only and nothing else! I think it’s one of the servants! So let it go! It’s not a big deal! So you should not concern yourself with this! But I really am curious to know who this thief is and what they even do with all this sugar! I am sure they don’t eat all this sugar as it’s not possible for a human being to eat all this! It’s just not humanly possible!” Dadi jaan said to Rayaan. Everyone laughed at dadi jaan’s last remark.

Hana just pretended that she was also curious about the thief and awkwardly pretended to laugh with everyone else.

…………………………………

Within the next month, both of her tayas daughters, Samman and Zarmeena, came back from their MBBS studies. Hana’s result also came and she was selected for the Graphic designing field in Islamabad University.

Rayaan started the office in the meanwhile. Samman and Zarmeena also started their house job in the largest hospital in Islamabad.

Whole year passed very swiftly for the whole family. Almost all of the children of the Shah family were back from their studies. Only Hana’s brothers were in America while all the other boys and girls were back in Islamabad.

With all the children, the Shah Villa became lively again. Everyone was happy and enjoying each other’s company. Only hana was becoming more distant and reserved. Hana became so reserved that she only spoke when she was spoken to. Only her parents were noting the change in her behavior as hana even stopped coming to their room for nightly talks. She preferred to remain in her room and only went out for food or university. No one ever asked for her anyways!

Hana’s parents were becoming depressed with all this. They did not know what to do to bring hana to talk to them. They tried talking to her and asking her about her problems but Hana always faked a smile and told them that she was okay.

Hana went to university at 8AM and returns at 4PM or later. Most of her days were spent without seeing her family.

Only sometimes she eats dinner with everyone, other than that, she always eats at 5PM or 6PM so she does not feel like eating dinner. Even if she eats with the family, they never talked to her. She always ate quietly and went to bed after helping the maids in the kitchen.

All the males went to office while her female-cousins went to hospital for their jobs. She only sees her Dado, Mamma and Aunties on the daily basis.

Hana got 1st position in her 1st and 2nd semesters of BS Graphic Designing. She and her parents celebrated her achievements with some late-night pizza parties. These small pizza parties were always secret from all the other family members as Dadi jaan does not allows the family to order from outside.

Hana was unable to bond with any of her cousins. She does not like to talk to males so the male cousins were out of equation. The females were also very far from her reach as they do not like hana in particular. They think that Hana is a little backward and old fashioned girl with all the hijab and not showing her hair. She never dressed according to fashion. Hana’s clothing always consisted of simple and plain knee length shirts with jeans or tights with hijab. No one had ever seen hana’s hair. Not even females except her father and mother.

As hana had spent all of her 17 years in the Villa and their Dadi was a very strict person about her teachings and traditions so Hana’s cousins thought that she is also a type of person with all the old-fashioned thoughts. All her other cousins had spent many years in outside world so they had groomed themselves according to modern world. All of Hana’s cousins talked in English with each other while when they talked to hana and the older people in the Villa, they talked in Urdu.

Hana’s dressing and her shy and reserve nature is one of the reasons that Hana’s cousins never included her in their weekly outings and movie nights. She once tried to stay with them for a movie night in the lounge but they sent her away.

“You will not understand the movie as it is an English movie so why don’t you go and stay in your room!?” Daniyal (Rayaan’s younger brother) said mockingly to hana which made all the others to laugh at her and she pouted childishly and stormed back to her room. Rayaan also gave a small chuckle at Daniyal’s joke but he did not know that Hana was deeply hurt by this. After that, she never asked to stay for the movie nights.

In all this year, Rayaan had also not talked to hana much. He was mostly busy but when they all gathered together for movies or outings, Hana was never included so he never got the chance to talk to her.

Dadi jaan was strict about her rules but she always bends these rules when it came to her cousins as she loved them too much. She also never interfere in their dressing, friendship and outside food orders as she knew that the times were changing and she did not wanted her grand-children to hate her.

This causes hana to become even more of an introvert and outcaste. The whole year was spent like that. No one noticed hana’s loneliness except her parents. They always tried to cheer her up. Hana again started to get comfortable with her parents by the end of the year. In-fact, she was only comfortable with her parents and no one else as they always ignored her presence as if she is not even there.

Rayaan was the only one from her cousins who actually noticed hana’s habits. He did not knew about her interests as she never expressed them but he noted her routine, her way of talking, her way of dressing and he liked all of them. He liked that she always talked politely and softly and never raised her voice at anyone. He even liked the fact that no one has ever seen hana’s hair because she always kept them covered with a full on hijab. He liked all these little things.

Hana unconsciously started to like Rayaan even more with the passing days. Even after not seeing each other or everyone ignoring Hana, she still liked him. Her childhood crush started to develop in a pure feeling of Love. Hana noted every little thing about Rayaan but she never knew that the flutter in her heart, because of Rayaan, is love. None of them knew that soon a new path will begin in their lives.

None of them knew about their true feelings. Hana’s innocent love was a very old one while Rayaan’s feelings just took birth.

It will take a long time before the love can bloom into something more. Soon, they will become each other’s obsession, possession and passion.

With Hana’s impulsive, childish and shy nature and Rayaan’s observant, calm and mature personality, you are in for a roller-coaster ride of cute, possessive, and innocent love.