Bus.....Tum Ko Paana Hai

( Part 3 )

Come.......  share a traditional Pakistani wedding

" Shah Palace " was one of the most well-known places in this posh locality of Karachi. It was simply a big and  awesome mansion. Covering an area of about ten acres, this white-coloured huge building never failed to attract everyone's eyes. It was constructed in typical, ancient traditional Indian style. Palm trees lined the pink cobbled driveway leading up to the main gate. Central living area had three stories, twenty rooms, and a lovely slanted red tile roof splattered with bird droppings. All the rooms had balconies and faced the sparkling blue waters of Arabian ocean. Big white, gleaming marble pillars were used to support the building. Inside the boundary wall, there was a large, beautiful lawn which had evenly spread lush green grass, bordered by different varities of trees and plants. The air there, always remained thick and fresh with the sweet scent of roses of almost all varities.

This giant building belonged to the famous feudal and business legend, Waris Ali Shah and his family which comprised of a graceful wife, a twenty six year old handsome son, Faraz Ali Shah, followed by his twenty two year old cutest sister, Sadaf Shah.

Today was the special day for everyone belonging to Shah Palace, in connection with marriage ceremony of Faraz Ali Shah. The celebrations were going to start today with " Mehndi ".

" So your work all done Farah begum ? " Waris Shah took a detailed look of the big central hall and then glanced down at his wife who was busy in giving instructions to the decoration and lighting staff.

" Yes almost, just about to finish with the sitting arrangements.  " Mrs.Shah replied, as she adjusted a big golden chair on the main stage which was constructed in the middle of this huge dinning hall.

" Oh so many seats, it's just a " Mehndi" Farah, how many guests you're expecting today by the way ? " He asked impatiently, jerking his cigar in the ashtray.

" Hmm. Like you won't know? I invited everyone, after all It's first wedding in our home. " She smiled, as she instructed the staff to bring some more chairs.

" Okay and what about the girl's side? what did you tell them ? "

" Well I didn't restrict them. I told them to bring as much guests as possible. " His wife was looking  really excited today.

" Hmm " He sighed. " Let's hope every thing goes fine. It's not very easy to manage such   big occasions."

" You don't have to worry, insha'Allah everthing would be fine, just leave everything on me. " Mrs.Shah smiled, seeing him once again and then re-continued her work.

" I already have. Infact I have complete trust on your management abilities and you know it. " He smiled back.

" Oh thank you so much Shah . "

" For what ? "

"  For being so nice and for all of your co-operation and support.  " She sincerely thanked him and it was the truth too. Their mutual understanding and sincerity had made their couple, a model one.

" But still, I didn't get the whole picture of the ceremonies, I mean what 'd be the exact order and the number ? " He said with a confused tone.

" I think I have told you this like hundreds of times !" She gave him a complaining look.

" Men are not much used to such stuff. I personally think that wedding is purely a ladies department. " He smiled.

" The order is simple.  First of all, two Mehndis followed by a rat-jaga, then a marriage and finally, a Valima."

" All at our place ? " He wondered.

" Ofcourse not. In second Mehndi,  we would be going at bride's place, taking the mehndi just like they are coming here today.  Oh, even kids know these things Shah." Mrs.Shah tried to explain the things in an easy manner.

" Well it's a big program. "

"  So is the occasion ! " Her voice was very-matter-of-fact.

" So, anyone special in the guests ?" He gave his wife a meaningful look, stubbing out the cigar.

" Not really. But...... oh yes, I forgot to tell you, Sameer would be participating too, he came back last week. " Her eyes gleaming with pride while talking about her elder sister's son.

" Oh really, that would be nice. Beside I never got much chance to talk to this nephew of yours.  " Said Warish Shah, while sitting on a nearby sofa.

" Yes me too. As you know nature of his father's job kept their family disturbed. Always moving from here and there. Anyway he's finally here, after doing his masters from States. " Mrs.Shah replied softly, giving a final critical look to the hundreds of chairs arranged in a neat and well-organized manner.

" That's a good news for sure. So what he's been doing these days by the way ? "

" His mother told me that he is very busy these days with some of his British-American friend, taking him to all the places here and stuff. "

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

" This area, is one of the biggest food centres of this city, Karachi. It's called as Burns Road. " Sameer stopped the car in front of a small restaurant located in between a series of many food shops and other restaurants.

" Gosh, sounds, smells and looks fantastic " John opened the side door of the car.

" Yeah, you can find every Pakistani dish here, ranging from various  sorts of Kabab, salad, Nehaari, Paayey, Tikka, Sajji, Haleem, Briyaani and many eastern soft drinks too. Here you can find preserved food as well,  as many people take these tins with them when they go abroad . " Sameer told him, as they took their respective chairs in the restaurant. It was ten a.m in the morning and the place was partially occupied with the people as most had already done with the breakfast.

" Man I want to give those food a real try " John was lost in the sight of various colourful food items neatly placed in big dishes.

" Really ? Are you sure ? Look, all of this stuff is really hot and spicy and you western guys aren't used to such spicy food, It might affect your digestion habits. " Sameer smiled with a warning tone in his voice.

" That's what I wanna do here, to experience your culture in depth and that includes your food too, right ?

" Ofcourse. Okay, as it's a breakfast time, so I think we should start from " Halwa Poori. " A lively smile came on Sameer's lips.

" Halwa Poori " ?

" Yes, a very unique and yet so common dish here. Specific for morning time usually. It's common in every social class, rich, poor, all are fond of it. " Sameer said, as he ordered some fresh pooris along with sooji ka halwa.

They chatted about other Pakistani dishes, while eating the warm, fresh, delicious breakfast.

The thing which surprised Sameer was that John didn't show any signs of dislike to this typical Pakistani breakfast. Infact he seemed to enjoy every part of it.

" It was great. Thanks Sameer, but it was sort of heavy too, now I'm feeling a little sleepy . "

" Hey, we have a long program today. " Sameer smiled as they both stood up from their places.

From there, they went to Sadar, Karachi.

" This is the largest shopping centre of Pakistan. It consists of many markets, specific for electronics, cloths, furniture and  jewelry. It's said that you can find every thing here, ranging from a little needle to even upto big cars.  "

" Oh my God....so much rush and pollution. " John had never seen so large number of people and vehicles.

" Yeah, unfortunately, we have every kind of pollution here. Noise, atmospheric and water pollution too. Due to bad planning and lack of proper management, pollution and  bad traffic are the common problems here. "  Sameer replied, weakly.

Their next spot was National Museum, Karachi. John took deep interest in watching everything as Sameer briefed him about Pakistani history and its culture.

" In 712 A.D, Islam came in the whole Indian sub-continent for the first time through this region which is called as  Sindh province of Pakistan. Karachi is the capital of this province. Sindh has also been called as the land of saints as various holy pesonalities have come and stayed here to spread Islam." Sameer told him as they saw a model of  the war between seventeen-year-old Muslim general Muhammad bin Qasim and Hindu King, Daahir.

" Show me the mummy you guys just discovered here. " John was aware of the wonderful discovery  through the news papers.

" Sure. "

They found mummy in the most crowded portion of the museum.

" Actually it was found in the province of Balochistan. They say it's of some Persian princess and is like two thousand and five hundred years old. " Sameer told John as his eyes widened at the large historical object displayed in front of his eyes.

" Wow, look at the crown and the jewellery she's wearing. So much gold. "

" Hmm. Looks like she's not more than eighteen years. " Sameer said, looking deeply at her face.

" Don't judge her age. You'd make her angry. "  John said with a hint of naughtiness  in his voice.

' Yes, so what if she's dead. After all she's a woman. " Sameer said.

Laughing, John accompanied him towards the outside.

" Well it was nice to be there. I enjoyed my time. "John was honest, as so far, his  visit to Pakistan had not been bad at all.

" Where do we go from here ? " John asked as Sameer backed his car.

" Any space left for lunch ? " Sameer smiled.

" Well, to be honest not much but I am very much willing to taste some of your popular salt dishes too. "

" Okay then what about Gola Kabab and Matka Gosht ? " Sameer asked, smling, though he was sure John didn't know about these dishes.

" Sorry ? don't have any idea "

" Well these two dishes are pretty " IN " here these days, specially in parties and weddings. " Sameer said, stopping the car in front of a big restaurant.

Once they got inside, he ordered Gola Kabab and Haleem.

" Yummy whats this ? " John muttered, his eyes were fixed on the table, as the waiter put the requested food in front of them.

" Well this is called as " Sheer-maal " , a pure Pakistani food item. A complete food. You can eat it with roast, saalun or any saltish liquid food but the unique thing is that you can take it alone too. It's so tasty but you do need guts to prepare it. It tastes a  little sweet and a little saltish. Look at those marks on its surface, they make these small depressions so that the heat could penetrate it during cooking. It's composed of wheat and flour, mixed with sugar and ghee, rolled into  a  round shape. Then, they cook it on the flame. " Sameer exclaimed as they started to eat.

" Oh how interesting, I particularly love its appearance , golden brown and what an attractive smell "  John said in an excited tone.

" So which restaurant is your favourite one ? " Sameer asked, as they ate.

" Umm not anyone really. I prefer the food instead. But back in London, I like Tante Claire. It's a nice three-star restaurant. But man one has to book weeks in advance to get a table there. "

" I see " Sameer said, as he ordered some sweet dish.

" Now very specific sweet dish. It's called " Rubree ".   Sameer pointed at the off-white, creamy food.

" Yummy, I love the way it tastes and feels. So soft, rubber like and so delicious. " John said, as he took the first spoon to his mouth.

" It's composed of milk, cream, sugar,  and some other things. which even I don't know. " Sameer chuckled.

"Jesus Christ, one more spoon and my tummy's gonna burst. " Atlast, finished with the food, John placed his hands on his belly.

" God. I never ever ate so much in my whole life. "

" Yeah, but you've never been in Pakistan too. " Sameer smiled, as he paid the bill.

" Oh My God. " John said in a shocking tone, as soon as they emerged from the restaurant.

" What ? " Sameer tried to chase the direction of his gaze and then immediately knew why he was shocked.

"The way your Pakistani women sit on the motorcycles behind their men, both of their feet on one side instead of our women who put each of their feet on the either side of the seat." John was still shocked.

" Oh yes, actually motorcycle is supposed to be a cheap and  not a very modest and suitable thing for ladies in our society. So ladies don't drive motorcycle here in Pakistan. Also their style to sit is very modest, here women don't take seat between their thighs like women of your country do. " Sameer smiled meaningfully.

His sentence brought a lively smile on John's lips.

" Haha . Hey look at this bus. it's is looking like an ancient archeological piece. " John stared at the big public bus, interestingly.

" Hey man wow, separate compartments for women even in the  transport  ? " John's eyes took a detailed look of the bus as they both sat in Sameer's car.

" Yes something and may be only thing which I really admire about our public busus. " Sameer laughed.

" The only thing ? " John raised a questioning eye brow.

" Yeah, unfortunately due to mismanagament, over population and less bumber of vehicles, majority of public buses here, don't give you a pleasant expereince for the first time. Plus most roads are not very clean and smooth."

" But what's the reason for all these problems? I mean it's now been more than fifty years since Pakistan's foundation and you guys are still in a "developing" phase ?" John's curiosity was genuine.

" Well yes, we've been pretty unlucky in this department. But you must realize it's background too. Britishers stole our freedom and ruled over us for whole two hundred years and during this period they tried their best to transfer our wealth and resources to the West. Specially the Muslims, they faced british prejudice more than any other nation here. " Sameer backed his car, and finally put it into the broad smooth road.

" Oh "  John let out a long breath.

" And then at the time of partition, Britishers did a great injustice with us. Instead of equally distributing all the resources, they gave all the resources, wealth and funds to India.  Can you believe that all banks of Pakistan and whole national treasure was empty at the time of foundation. " Sameersaid, as he increased the speed of his car.

" Oh man, it must be a miracle that you guys survived . " John was astonished.

" Yes that's what a famous Indian prime minister said too, that Pakistan would not survive more than few months but thanks to Allah, now it's more than fifty years old. " Sameer smiled.

"That's amazing. " Said John.

" But the story is not finished yet. British Govt left a real bone of contention between India and Pakistan.Yes I mean Kashmir." Sameer added.

" But why ??? "

" The reason is obvious. " Sameer said in a sad tone, his face showing a very sober expresion. " The britishers didn't want India or Pakistan growing up into a big powerful state. Famous English Policy of "Divide and Rule " persisted even after partition too. Now most part of the budget of both counteries goes for "Defense" . The same money which should be used for education, health and public facilities is now used to make guns, bombs and Jet fighters. "

" But didn't your  own leaders plan anything ? " John asked matter-of-factly.

" This also has been another tragedy. We always lacked good and sincere leadership. The loss started right from the beginning.  Pakistani nation became orphan just after one year of Pakistan's creation, when its founder died. Then just after four years, when baby Pakistan was trying to stand up, an international conspiracy took the life of our first prime minister, Liaquat ALiKhan. " Sameer let out a long, cold sigh.

" But you know what John, thought we are "economically" poor but "socially" we are the richest nation. We still have ethical values , family system,  religious and cultural customs. We have our 'own " rules here. " Sameer smiled.

" Yeah like you told us in the presentation that extra-marital sex and nudity are big serious crimes in Pakistan. " John's memory was very good.

" Yes. Drinking, any   kind of nudity, even partial or little nudity of woman is not allowed on media or anywhere else. Also the expression of intimacy like kissing, touching is not allowed in the open. If you would ever do this on the street, Police would arrest you. No girl friends here , okay ? " Sameer smiled naughtily.

John smiled back but said nothing. It was all very new and  surprising for him but interesting as well.

" And yes, these make us feel that yes, we are living in a free muslim country according to our own rules and traditions."

After some minutes, their car was crossing the main gate of Karachi University.

" This is the largest university of Pakistan. I did my BSc.Honours from here. I thought you'd like to visit it too."

" Hey hey, who are these gals ? Look like Chinese ? " John glanced down at the group of girls, walking on the side footpath.

" They are Philipinees and Koreans, and those graceful women in long black coat overall and scarf are Irani women. A pretty big number of foreign students come to study in various institutions of Pakistan. They include students from Iran, UAE, Lebenon, Saudi Arabia, Philipines, Korea, Malaysia and some other counteries. " They parked the car near university library.

" Haha that's funny " John laughed, still looking towards  the group of girls.

" Yes, It is " Sameer smiled back in answer.

" What? do you know what I was thinking ? " John was surprised.

" Yes I do, you're probably thinking that these foreign students have maintained their culture and way to dress even in Pakistan,  right ?" There was a wonderful smile, playing on Sameer's lip.

" Yes, I mean it's so wonderful and surprising to see these foreign girls studying in your country and wearing their own national  cloths. Those Chinese girls are wearing pants and these Irani girls are in their own outfit, but the girls from your country  living in the west, dress like western  women ?"

" Yes a tragedy " Sameer smiled. " Forget it, anyway. "

" But why ? " John was curious and confused.

" I think I have explained it enough in the presentation at our Uni. Simply you can say its their inferiority complex or whatever which initiates them to dress like your western women. They feel shame in wearing Pakistani cloths in western universities and colleges . They don't find these graceful Pakistani eastern dresses suitable to wear in institutes and at working places and in doing so they forget even the orders of our religion too. Their parents have compromised on religious and cultural values in that respect.  Or in other words, simply " they don't care. "

" That's sad "

" And bad too, anyway I don't want to talk about that now , right now you are in Pakistan. So enjoy Pakistan and its culture " .

Sameer showed him various departments of the university and other interesting places there.

" Oh " Suddenly, Sameer gasped as he looked at his watch.

" What ? "

" It's getting late. I have to attend my cousin's wedding tonite. "

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

" This is it ! " Sameer breathed as his eyes fell on a handsome brass plaque with the name " SHAH PALACE ". He parked his maroon honda accord and climbed out of it to take another look of the huge mansion in front of him which was not less than any real king's palace. Specially at the moment when it was looking like a bride, with all those heavy, coloutful lights decorating its walls, pillars and roof.

" They must have done a real hard work for so much lighting and decoration" He thought.

" And ofcourse have spent a lot of money too. " He smiled and  introduced himself to the security guards present at the main door. One of the guards picked up the intercom and told Sameer's name to some one inside.

Sameer glanced down at his watch. He was about half an hour late. He was seeing this house for the first time as Faraz's family used to live in some other colony until they bought this place a couple of years ago. When Sameer was in Karachi, he always enjoyed meeting his favourite Aunt and her family.

" Sameer baita, is this you ? "  A loud masculine voice dragged Sameer back to the present and he looked up as his uncle, a tall, distinguishable-looking man in his late fiftees, emerged from inside the house. Accompanying him was Aunty Farah, sister of Sameer's mother.

" Aadaab Uncle " He took hand of his uncle, then turned to greet his aunt too, as they both hugged him with pure affection.

" Aadaab Aunty "

"Jeetey raho baita " Mrs.Shah kissed his forehead, smiling, looking at him again and again.

" You saw him ? my favourite nephew has become so big and handsome now, Masha'Allah. "

" Yes, I still remember that Sameer, who used to sit in your lap, always giggling and laughing. " Waris Shah caressed his head lovingly.

" Oh yes, Sameer was the first child who came in my lap ever, otherwise I used to be pretty allergic from very small kids."

" I think you still are. " Mr.Shah grinned naughtily, as they began to walk toward the living area.

" Uff.... see Sameer baita, he's still the same. " She protested with a hint of artificial anger in her eyes.

" First of all accept my heartiest congratulations on this auspicious occasion Aunty. " Smiling, Sameer changed the topic.

" Oh thank you baita, and congratulations to you too, for your masters. " Mrs.Farah replied with affection, as they walked together down the corridor.

They guided him inside the dining hall and waved him to a chair.

Sameer noticed that the interior of the house was equally sparkling. Everything was arranged in a neat and well-styled manner. Ancient styled wooden furniture was adding royal beauty to the arrangement supported by heavy beautiful, coloured bulbs and glamourous electric fancy lights.

" I suppose all the guests are not here yet ? " Sameer questioned as he took a detailed look of the big hall having about three hundreds chairs . At the moment, only half of them were occupied with the people.

" Actually, we're waiting for the guests from bride's side. They are little late, I guess. "

" I see. Well being  a little late at such occasions has also became a routine in our society. " Sameer smiled.

They chatted about different things of the present and the past. Sameer briefly told them about his last six years in America.

" Uncle, where is Faraz and what about Sadaf? " Sameer asked about his cousins. He had not seen any of them since the moment he'd reached here.

" Oh Faraz is changing in his room, he'll be here shortly. He was very desperate to meet you Sameer. And Sadaf, hmmm.... " Leaving her sentence unfinished, Mrs.Farah Shah called out her daughter's name.

With in few moments , she was there, in front of them. With her, was another girl, both of them were wearing silky       "Lehngas" of the same colour and even their hair style was the same.

" Assalaam-o-Alaikum Sameer bhai. How nice to see you after such a long time. " Sadaf greeted him in a happy voice. She was looking very fresh and alive.

" Wa'alaikum Salaam. Same here girl. Looks like you have grown up so much. I'm feeling like, I'm meeting all the new people, for the very first time. " Sameer said, wondering.

" Hehe" She giggled shyly. " Oh sorry I forgot. This is Samreen, my very, very, very best friend. She's just got married a month ago. "

" Hmm, I can already  see a lot of similarities between you two . " Smiling, Sameer answered Samreen's greetings.

" I still wonder how did you reach Rida. I mean it'd be so wonderful and pleasant to see her as your daughter-in-law. " Sameer asked to his uncle. He was truly curious about how they met Rida.

" Yes. Actually we met her through Kisa. One day, she and Rida visited us. Your aunty really liked her and so did I. But what really surprised us was that Faraz liked her too, though he didn't tell us till the last moment. " Waris Shah smiled.

" Yes, I guess he's never been very expressive. But I must say, masha'Allah a very good choice and the nicest thing is that she is everyone's choice." Sameer smiled, softly. He was really happy for his cousin and Rida.

" Yes, it's all due to Allah's blessings. My children never disappointed me in any way. " Aunty Farah's voice was thick with emotions.

Suddenly, some loud, excited voices broke their talking session.

" Larki Waaley aa gaey " Hearing the announcement of arrival of the people from bride's side, they all turned in their seats to look back at the main entrance.

" I guess they are here finally, we should be present at the reception . " Waris Shah said, standing up. His wife and Sameer followed him towards the reception area.

It was not bride's party. It was a sweet storm of lights and colours, a wonderful flood of fragrances. They were getting out of their cars and buses, arranging themselves for getting into the Shah Palace in an organized style.

First row was of girls. It included little girls, teenagers as well as elder girls. They were all holding dishes and plates containing Mehndi, arranged in various beautiful designs, with burning candles on every plate and dish. On their lips, were, traditional Mehndi songs.

Behind them were middle aged women, married women, clapping and contributing in their song chorus.

Then there were boys, smiling, some of them were clapping, some of them were just trying to absorb the beautiful sights and sounds.

In the last of all, there were middle-age men, husbands of the women present, chatting and waiting for the women to move forward so that they could finally have their way inside the house.

There was smile on every face. Someone was beating the " Dholak " in a very perfect way, accompanied by the wonderful sound  of " Dafli " .

Sadaf and her friends were already present on the reception, lining up together to welcome the guests with the beautiful flower vases in their hands.

Colours. Lights. Fragrances. Happiness, every where.
At that moment, Sameer sincerely prayed for each and everyone present there, specially for Faraz and Rida.

"They'd make a perfect couple, insha'Allah ! He thought.

Finally, the people from Rida's side began to move forward from the main gate towards the big dining hall, receiving greetings and wishes from Faraz's parents, sister and relatives.

But Sameer was desperate. His eyes were searching for those two faces which were used to be so close to him. Looking here and there to locate his best friends, his cousins.

Suddenly a voice resolved his mystery.

" Aadaab Sameer Bhai ! "

God, how could he forget this voice ?

But when he saw her, he gasped. He was not going to identify her without hearing her voice as she had been changed so much. Yes, she was none other than Kisa.

She was wearing a  maroon, full-sleeved kurta shilwar of thick silk. A big black scarf was covering her hair completely, giving her an awesome and modest touch. She had some light make-up, making herself even more graceful with the help of a big, broad matching Dupatta covering her upper front in a neat manner.

" Oh Aadaab, how are you Kisa ? Well you certainly don't look like the Kisa I left here seven years ago. " He stared at her with amazement.

" Really? But you certainly do look like the same Sameer bhai. May be you are always the same " Her eyes sparkled as she took another deep look of him.

" Where is Kashish ? " Sameer had thousands of things to say, hundreds of questions to ask.

" Oh Kashish ?" She repeated. " Most probably, she won't be coming tonight. "

" But why ? " He asked, as together, they walked down the lawn. 

" Unfortunately she was not feeling very well today. She's got some fever and sore throat. So, we suggested that she should take some rest today so that she won't miss wedding and Valima. "

" Does she know I'm back in Pakistan ? "

" Yes, ofcourse and she can't wait to see you since the day your mother called and informed us about your arrival. Infact we tried to meet you at your home but our mother stopped us. She thought, you might be busy ! "

" Come on, I'm not that busy for you, but I was thinking to visit your home with full relaxed mood so that I could spend alot of time  there . "

" So I suppose we should expect your visit soon ? " Her Kajal-encased, pure black  eyes brightened up on his sentence.

" Sure, Insha'Allah . " He smiled, as they sat adjacent to each other on the huge Sofa.

" Do you remember everything Sameer Bhai ? " Her face flushed with real expectations and genuine happiness.

" Yes, I remember each and everything. Even our dear old neem tree. "

Despite of the short time, they talked about many things . Kisa told him about her parents, hers and Kashish's progress in education, about their years in Quetta and about Rida too.

" She is so nice Sameer bhai. She really is. We all were so happy when Faraz's proposal came for her. It's like my own real sister getting married. " Her face and eyes reflected her sincere emotions for Rida.

" And what about Kashish's relations with her ? I remember she didn't use to like her very much. "

" Yes, in the beginning their relationship was very superficial but they are just like sisters now, mainly because of Kashish's changed bevahiour. She is more mature and courageous now. " Kisa told him.

" Yes, I remember each and everything about Kashish too. " He smiled dreamily. " She must be really big now, nineteen years old. " He kept smiling, imagining her and preparing his mind to meet his little angry doll.

" Doll....... yes that's what I used to call her. " He remembered.

"  Sameer bhai you sit here, mean while I say Salaam to Uncle and Aunty, right ? " Kashish said, standing up.

" Hey I have not met Faraz yet. You meet them while I search for this naughty little young man. "

" As you wish. " She smiled and turned back.

" Kisa "

" Jee ? "

" You look very graceful in this scarf and this suit looks great on you. " He was surprised at how'd the sentence slip from his mouth before he could think.

" You think so ? " Her expression looked very weird to him.

" I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it ."

" Do you always say what you mean ? " Her black eyes lit up with a naughty smile.

" I don't know. May be not always. " He said silkily.

"Then how will I know whether to believe you ? " She laughed, teasing him playfully.

" I'm sure you'll manage" He answered with a smile. " Most women have a highly developed sense of self-preservation which enables them to know when they're being lied to . "

" Hmm, now I won't comment on that. " She smiled again as a slow blush colored her face.

" Well.... lady, you've not changed in this department, always catching the others. " Saying this, he was almost about to touch her nose when he stopped himself. Oh yes.....  Kisa was not a child anymore. She was a grown up girl now. An attractive one.

It was impossible. Later, he admitted to himself secretly. It was impossible not to be impressed by the range of Kisa's maturity, immediate power to answer and neatness in everything she owned.

The youth party was having fun. Song competition had been started. A group of girls was seeking for its prey with Ubtan in their hands. Sameer smiled but immediately decided to search for some other spot so that he could get out of their reach.
He didn't hate this act of "Ubtan-Pasting" but he had always felt a little uncomortable while seeing young girls pasting Ubtan on the faces of guys and children.

" What the hell is this ? Oh my God " A guy yelled, literally holding his head with both of his hands. His scream was followed by a chorused female laughter. Sameer saw they had put some Ubtan on his neatly combed hairs and face.  

Smiling, Sameer decided to leave the spot. While he was searching for some relatively calm place, he saw two little children, fighting with each other.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

" You can't do that, you don't even know him. He looks dangerous and awesome. " Wafa challenged her.

" Aha, let's see " She was very determined in her goal. She picked up a handful of deep yellow " ubtan " paste.

" Think again, he could get really mad on you for doing this. " Mushkbaar warned her again.

" If we can do this to everyone else here then why not with him too? he is no different from us. " She smiled courageously.

" Well best of luck girl, but be careful, this guy's gonna take it too seriously." Another girl tried to convince her.

" Don't worry Muskaan, its just a fun simply, that's all " She was not listening to anyone at the moment.

" It's a blind risk "

" So is life. " She smiled.

" And besides, I like to take risks. " She stopped to say the last word, then dipped her other hand in the Ubtan containing dish. Now both of her hands were loaded with a considerable mass of yellow ubtan paste.

She took the first step towards him.

He was busy talking with two children now. All she could see, was his broad back. He was wearing a raw-cotton Kurta shilwar of light grey colour with dark grey waist-coat. Matching Peshawari sandals in his feet were adding extra charms to his looks.

She gathered her breaths again and took the second step.

He laughed on something. Her breath stopped. But he didn't turn .

She took another step.

The whole group of girls was silent, counting every second with heart beats.

Now or never. She thought, then like a flash, she was on his back, just few steps away.

" Really ? so sweet, but don't worry, unexpected things do happen some times. " He was saying, while caressing the head of a little boy.

She took the final step to reach exactly behind him.

The whole world stopped, then every thing began to move in slow motion.

She raised her right hand. But, sometimes everything seems to be going wrong, totally opposite to what we expect. Perhaps nature and the fate was waiting for this moment.

HE TURNED BACK.

He turned back, gripping her hand which was almost about to touch his head. He had caught her. Right at the exact moment. He first looked at her soft, feminine hand....right one... which was now in his own hard, masculine hand.... left one.

Then his eyes changed direction, now looking at the beholder of this beautiful hand.

He saw her.

She saw him.

They finally came face-to-face. Hers, few inches lower than his.

It was an intense collision of   eyes. His gaze locking with hers for a breath-stopping second. When she met his dark, deep, jet black glance, there was a vibrancy to his look that tugged at her breath. She could see the the black centres of his vibrantly wonderful eyes as they looked down at her face.

He couldn't remember anything but only this moment.

She forgot everything, but only this instant.

Chaaha tha yeh kahein gey,

Socha tha woh kahein gey

Aaey " Woh " saamney tou

kuch bhi na keh sakey, Bus....

Dekha kiyey unhein Hum !

Her breathing was shallow, affected by his nearness and his magical touch. She tried to look up with all of her might but only to find his gaze centered on her eyes with disturbing intensity.

He looked at her face again and again, infact never breaking his sight even for a moment.

She was young, she was innocent.

She was pretty, she was elegant.

Her natural golden brown hairs providing a strikingly prominent frame for what was an essentially feminine face, oval in shape and set on a long Nefertiti neck. Her eyes were large, deeply lidded and emphasised with finely arched brows. Her nose was small and yet straight, the slight flare of her nostrils balancing a generous mouth. Her soft and subtle make-up doing an equal justice to her beauty with a fine touch of shadow and eyeliner to emphasize the brown of her thickly lashed eyes, a barely discerible brush of colour to highlight her cheek bones and a dusting of an expensive powder to give her skin a smooth lustre. The curves of her mouth were perfectly outlined with a tan lip-pencil and filled in with peach gloss. Simple but long, deep blue ear rings were hanging in her ears, a sharp contrast with a cutest ring of pure silver in her nose.

Dekh kar Tum ko Yaqeen hota Hai

Koi itna bhi Haseen hota hai

She wore an elegant long sleeved, traditional kurta made up of an organza material, with a narrow, feminine,   choori-daar Pajaama. The navy blue colour of her pure eastern outfit was a complement to her golden brown hair.There were neat, dark blue strapped sandals in her feet. A matching navy blue dupatta was spread modestly on her upper front making her sophisticated and covering her gracefully.

Yes, no doubt she was what he had always wanted. The princess of his dreams. Her facial features, her hairs, her personality was exactly identical to the princess who had been coming in his dreams since all those last years.

Oh yes, it was the same face which had been disturbing him in all those previous years.

He wanted to find out WHO WAS SHE ? what she was doing here.

For some reason her face looked so familiar and yet so new. What a face, he marvelled. The kind you didn't see much anymore. There was something so new about it. Challenging.

Who ever she was, her everything was like herself.

" Oh God, this can't be "him" ?" With shaking heart and trembling mind, she thought.

She tried to withdraw her hand from his but his fingers tightened around her wrist, holding her prisoner, just like his eyes had done to hers.

She tried with all of her might to win this fight with sight. Neither of them losing an eye contact with the other. No eye blinking even for a thousandth of a second. He didn't leave her hand. Perhaps he forgot. There was a definite throb of tension in the air.

The pressure of his hand increased. The world stopped and there was only the two of them. This deep, long silence was broken by the sound which was produced by the breaking of her glass bangles.

Her face felt as if it were burning. And then, shyness defeated boldness. Shyly, modestly, she lowered her gaze, not able to fight with her sight. Eastern shyness gripped her and made her eyelids felt as if there were lead weights attached to them.

He couldn't remember when he last saw a woman really blushing in last seven years. It was wonderful.

" I never understood this " Love-at-first-site " thingie. It exists only in movies, I don't believe on this crazy stuff. " These were his opinions until this moment arrived. Oh yes, he'd joked with his friends about the " thunder-and- lightening" meetings of lovers in films, the corniness of love-at-first-glance. And now it seemed to be happening to him.

" Excuse me you two. Any one at home ? I mean any one at all ? " Faraz's voice was loud, but both of them remained unaffected.

Just what on earth was happening to them ?

Their magical spell was broken by Faraz's voice which came again, this time more louder.

" I'm speaking to you, you hear me Sameer and Kashish ? "

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The moment freeze both of them to pure stillness. Silence, once again, fell over the two. Someone stopped the time and turned both of them to marble.

Faraz's voice did break their mutual magical trance but the realization of what he said dropped a bomb on Sameer's head. For an instant, he couldn't move or speak or even think. What on earth was happening to him ? She was Kashish ?????

" Hey, it's an interval time now. " Someone's chuckle crackled between them.

When he glanced around, he saw a large number of young people surrounding them. Some were smiling meaningfully, some were silent and shocked and some were laughing. He felt sheer embarrassment.

Slowly, unconsciously, he eased his hold on her wrist. She withdrew it slowly, caressing it with her other hand. In doing so, both of her wrists became ubtan-coated and she presented a weird but cute picture.

" Oh Doll " He let out a long sigh " You have grown up " He whispered softly.

She smiled slowly, softly and shyly, then turned back towards her friends.

" Oooooo hooooo " As soon as they got some privacy, all the girls burst into a lively laughter.

" Miss. Kashish,.... " Smiling, a young girl in her early twenties came in front of her. She placed her hand beneath Kashish's chin and tipped it upwards.

"Just what was happening there, hmm ?" She winked naughtily.

" Nothing, Wafa. It was just an accident. " Kashish turned her face away, trying to control the involuntary smile.

" Ahemm Ahummm " Sadaf cleared her throat meaningfully.

" So gals you heard ? Kashish says it was an accident. " Mushkbaar chuckled.

" Yeah but a cute, sweet accident. " Wafa said.

" Kashish, hey girl look into my eyes. " Wafa took both of her hands in her own.

" Yeah what's the matter with you folks, hmm? " Kashish tried her best to keep herself very casual.

" If something so sweet is known as an accident, then I''m afraid, we'd all begin to pray for accidents to happen. " Muskaan smiled.

" You know what, Kashish, you were pretty, you were beautiful, you were gorgeous, you still are, but what I now see is something unique. Some light, some glory, some brightness on your face. This pinkness, this shyness, this flushness, this blushness is very new for all of us and we wonder what suddenly brought these sweet things on ur face. " Wafa said, staring deeply into her eyes.

" Don't be stupied, it's enough ! I don't have any clue what you gals are talking about. It was just an accident. Mistakenly I became a bit late, and he sensed my presence before I could do anything. " Kashish replied quickly, this time a little angrily too.

" You sure ? " Muskaan asked, chewing the gum in her mouth and making a big bubble out of it.

" Yes pretty positive, now would you just give some space so that I may safely proceed to the hall. I have not even met aunty and uncle yet. "

" If they see you in this condition, they are going to get scared. You don't even have your hands clean, and this Ubtan has left some really scary marks on your face. Take a look in the mirror. " A laughter muffled in Wafa's voice.

Reluctantly, Kashish turned her head and looked at her reflection in the full-length glass of the dressing table.
" Oh " She gasped. She did present a weird picture with all those Ubtan marks on her hands and face.

" Here is this wash room, so get yourself cleaned up, we're waiting for you outside. Okay gals move, we're not finished with them yet. " Wafa said, walking towards the door. Laughing, they followed her.

Once inside the wash room, she got some chance to gather her nerves.

" How on earth I didn't recognize him at first ? " She asked to herself.

" But how was it possible ? He had his back on me. " She took some deep breaths and then thoroughly washed her face and hands but it washed off her make-up too. But perhaps, things were going to get even more worse as while washing her face, her long, beautiful ear-ring slipped out of her ear and fell down into the basin.

" Ooouch " She felt for it with her hand and thankfully found it before it could get its way through the main drainage. She felt relieved when she saw the dressing table in the room was fully equipped with all the necessary stuff. She applied light make-up as usual. A very light blush to lead the eye to her strong high cheek bones. Just a hint of mascara to accentuate her big eyes and then just a hint of eye liner and a touch of shadow.

Once done with the make-up, she was finally about to wear her ear-ring when she heard a knock on the door.

While trying to fix the ear-ring in her left ear, a long curl of her golden brown hair came to rest on the left side of her face. Both of her hands were attached to her ear lobe and the ear ring, her long artistic fingers playing with the ear-ring. What she didn't realize was that, in doing so, she presented a perfect picture for any artist of the world to draw an stylish, classical portrait in a realistic way.

" Yes, who's this ?" God, why this damn ear-ring had to create the problem just now ? She felt really frustrated. She was becoming late to join the party.

Whoever the person was, he came in the room along with pure masculine, mind intoxicating fragrance.

Few seconds passed. Atlast, after fixing the problem with her ear-ring, she half turned to find a manly figure standing at the door of the room.

"Oh no, not again. "

Yes he was there, Sameer, with his arms crossed over his broad chest. The picture of him, now leaning  against the wall with apparent indolence, in an stylish way, left her momentarily speechless. Inwardly, she felt nervous and shy for some weird, unknown and strange reason.

He kept watching her with pure interest.

There was so much freshness, innocence and even holiness on her face. She was breath-taking.

" Aadaab" She muttered when she finally summoned her voice. Her right hand reaching near her eye brow in typical traditional gesture of eastern greetings.

"Aadaab " He breathed. The deep, resonant voice thrilled her nerves.

" How are you ? " Her eyes lashes covering her big eyes.

" Thanks to Allah...I'm fine and you ? "

" I'm happy."

" Good, Masha'Allah ! "

" It's......... " Her lips parted again. " It's...... been so long. "

" Yes it's been so long. But now, how exciting and pleasant, hai naa ?" He said, then asked.....

" Do you remember everything Kashish ? "

" Hmmm, each and everything."

" I see "

" And you ? do you remember too ? " She tried to look at his face.

" How could I forget ?" His sober facial expression matched his tone.

She began to play with her neat and clean nails.

" You know what Kashish....... "

" Hmmmm ?

" You have changed .... and I really mean it. "

" Well ..... changed or grown-up ?" She muttered.

" Both " He smiled. " Growth brings change. " His gaze playing with her lashes.

She didn't reply this time.

" Ahemm, so lady what are you doing these days, may I ask? " His smile became little teasing.

" Study, eat, sleep, walk and things like that. " She replied with simple plain style. Her voice was slow, low and rhythmic. Like somone has strummed the strings of a hollow guitar.

" Wow, you really have some unique hobbies. " His laughter made her embarrassed.

Her beautifully arched eyebrows rose. Was he laughing at her ? She wondered, and, studying him through lashes , saw his face held no expression whatever. But what a handsome face it was. His eyes were dark and bright, his skin clear and glowing with health.

" Kashish, we're waiting for you. That's not fair, please hurry up." The girls called her from the other room.

" Doll, by the way do you ever look up ?" His eyes looking at trembling eye lashes with interest.

" Why do you like to torment me ? " Her response was so unexpected and sudden that he felt himself answerless for a moment.

" Sometimes I think you forget that I'm not eight anymore. You always did. " Her sentences were strange but he couldn't find out whether she was really angry or was just teasing him back.

He gave her an odd look and seemed about to say something, and then, as though he had thought better of it, he said matter-of-factly, " How're you feeling now ? Kisa told me you were not feeling well today ? "

" Yes, I got a little flu and sore-throat. But I couldn't afford to miss today's event."

" Neither could I. " The sentence slipped out of his tongue like a murmur.

They kept talking. Soon, his free and frank behaviour broke the unseen wall of unnecessary preliminaries between them.

While talking with him her eyes dared to see him in a detailed way. No doubt, he was the most impressive man she had ever seen. His personality was charismatic. His hair was black and thick, like his heavy brows. He was looking so " man" with his fresh, masculine features. The fragrance of " Eternity ", emitting from him, was constantly disturbing her in a pleasant way.

" Kashish, where're you ? I've been searching for  you in the whole place ? " Kisa's voice was enough to make them remember that why they were here.

" So you're here finally, hmm? Well sister you'd never change. Always surprising the others. " Kisa said with mixed happiness and shock.

A wonderful smile came to Kashish's lips.

" I like to give surprises. "

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nothing had gone right lately, and now the pattern seemed set to continue. She felt his eyes on her during the whole time. She felt strange, something new, something unique, for the very first time in her life. A weird satisfaction.

But she was nervous too. Aware of the intense effects his strong personality was creating on her. Relieved that she had came out of his reach, Kashish spun around, intending to return to the dining hall only to cannon into a broad masculine body.

Raah mein " Unn " sey mulaqaat ho gai

Jiss sey dartey thay, wohi baat ho gai

" I'm so sorry " she gasped as steely fingers clamped around her arms to steady her.

Perhaps, this was the most beautiful turn of the life. Without bothering to look at her helper, she turned away, starting to walk in the opposite direction.

" It's okay " She heard the man's voice.

A gasp tore from her throat as she recognized the voice and looked up into a pair of all too familar jet-black male eyes.The effect was mesmerising.

" I guess, tonite, nature has planned lots of surprises for us . " His voice was manly and heavy.

" I must go, or I'll be late. They are waiting there. Ceremony is just about to start. " She had to be there, otherwise girls were not going to forgive her this time.

" Okay, you may go, ofcourse " His smile was disturbing, bringing nervousness .

" Won't you be coming ? "

" Ofcourse I will. I was here to make an important call. "

" Oh I see. " Nodding, she turned away.

" Wait " His voice came again.

" Yes? "

His eyes turned back to her with a dark, turbulent glare.

" Nothing "

With a questioning look in her eyes, she finally walked away. On her way, she stopped at the adjacent room and saw   Wafa and Muskaan talking to each other.

" Hey......  they're waiting for us there. Ceremony is about to start. " They turned to see, as Kashish's face appeared at the door.

" Okay we won't be late. "  Wafa said, not paying much attention to what she said.

" Hmm okay " Kashish smiled. " By the way, you two must be talking something really important, right ? " Then giving them a final, meaningful look, she headed towards the main dining hall.

" So, what were you saying. " Wafa asked.

" Just that I have strong belief that it's possible to get your ideal in this world. Okay, not always like the one you expect but sometimes you do get what you want. "

" I think it's all  some movie-impression thingie. " Wafa said.

" No... it  can happen. Believe me. " Muskaan replied, her tone filled with hope and belief. " Couples are made on the skies and meet each other on earth. "

" Do you think so? okay tell me about your ideal. "

" Hmm....well....He will be beautiful. Very graceful. He will be brave, would protect me like a cave. He will be dashing, he'll be charming.  Someone with a power to disturb my sleep and understand me deep. A guy with a great sense of humour, won't care about any rumour." It looked like Muskaan was not going to stop now.

" Oh my God. "  Wafa gasped as she saw her friend going into some trance-like condition.

" I'm sure you've been watching lots of movies lately. " Wafa shook her head with a sympathetic tone in her voice.

But Muskaan didn't stop, saying what she had to, unaware of every one but her dream and ideal.

" And then in no time at all. He will enter my heart through me eyes. He will knock at my heart's closed door and will ask in a soft, masculine dream-like voice....... " Muskaan closed her eyes dreamily.

" May I come in ? "

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They both gasped and turned back to find a young man standing at the door which was already open.

Whoever he was, he was simply " unexpected and sudden ", like a shocking surprise or like a wonderful co-incidence.

" Hope, I'm not interrupting anything. Am I ? " He asked, smiling, as he entered the room.

" Yes you are. Infact you have ! " Wafa replied in a plain voice, trying to recognize him. He was tall, slim, smart and cute, hardly more than twenty four. He wore a plain light green shirt and black pants.

" Who are you mister ?" Muskaan asked, throwing a criticial glance at him.

" Oh, actually Kashish told me that you two are here so I thought why not provide you gals a little company. " He smiled again, and took a chair to sit near them without even asking .

" Two is company, and three is a crowd. " Muskaan said, trying to give him an ignoring impression. But the truth was that his presence was creating a disturbing intensity in the room.

" Yeah and company needs crowd for some real business. "  His smile was very alive and refreshing, like his own personality.

" So are you sure you don't know me ?  " He raised his brows, looking deeply into Wafa's eyes.

" Yeah you do look familiar but...well may be it sounds silly, but I have no idea what your name is." Wafa tried to recognize his face.

" Think again . "  He smiled and took a chair to sit in front of them.

" Oh,  are not you the same boy who used to eat soil and whose nose always used to flow? " Wafa's eyes got a gleam of recognition.

" Excuse me lady, you have not been very nice. " He felt uncomfortable. " Hell..... what a way to remember? Eating soil and flowing nose ? Damn. "

" Okay, I got you now. You're Sadaf's cousin and Aunty Fozia's eldest son. "

" Aha you got me now, thanks . And my name is Jahanzaib, in case if you forgot that too. " He took a breath of relief.

" Anyway girls it's just to inform you that your parents and all the guests are waiting for you at the stage. The actual ceremony is about to begin. " Saying this, he stood up.

" By the way you didn't introduce your friend. " Smiling, he looked towards Muskaan.

" Why ? why do you want to know ? " Before Wafa could say anything, Muskaan said quickly. For some reason her voice became harsh and she just didn't know why.

" Just to increase my general knowledge. " He grinned and then throwing a final look on them, he finally left.

" So do you two know each other ? " After he had gone, Muskaan asked.

" Yeah sort of. Actually our mothers used to be class fellows in the college. They are friends and we used to visit his home in childhood but then we moved to Lahore. I didn't see him since then . " Wafa said.

" I see. " Muskaan didn't show much expression then.

" Hey it was a wonderful co-incidence. Don't you think ? just like you got an immediate fulfillment of the dream you were talking about. " Wafa said softly, smiling.

" Well...it was not like that. He is definitely not my hero. Perhaps you were right. It happens only in movies. " Muskaan said, following Wafa towards the main ceremony hall.

" I knew " Wafa's musical laughter echoed through the walls as they left the room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The customs of the Mehndi ceremony had been started. They made Faraz sit on the big main stage at the centre of the huge guest hall. Dressed in an off-white cotton shilwar qameez and sitting at the centre, while being surrounded by all the people, he was looking like a prince-charming. All the close relatives were surrounding him, while a large number of remaining guests was watching the scene from the seats.

Sadaf and Samreen spread a big, broad and thin silky veil of red colour over Faraz's head, making a sort of shelter over him.

" Hmm so who should start the proceedings, Kashish, you're from Rida's side and youngest of her friends so let's start. " Said Mrs.Farah Shah, , smiling.

" Me ? " Some how, she felt really uncomfortable for becoming the focus of every one's attention.

" What's the matter ? just an hour ago you were ready to put Ubtan even on Sameer and now ? " Wafa gave her a puzzled look.

"Oh but .... " She tried to protest weakly.

" NO buts and ifs. Lets start. " Muskaan gripped her hand and brought her forward.

She tried to protest even more but there was no use, ultimately she had to obey them. She sat in front of Faraz on her knees. Heat began to rise in her cheeks, feeling every eye on herself.

She put a laddoo in her right hand and smiled.

" So Faraz bhai, this first gift is from your little cousin Kashish ! " Smiling, she took her hand near his mouth. His lips picked the sweet laddoo swiftly. Though it was a bit big to swallow in just one try, but he did it successfully.

" Thank you Kashish " He smiled.

" Mushkbaar, your turn now !" Wafa smiled naughtily.

" Oh I see. Faraz bhai, Kashish did nothing to you but I'm not gonna leave you like this, our sweet doolha bhai ! " She smiled, replacing Kashish in front of him.

" What else you can do with this single laddoo, huh ? " He challenged her, smiling.

" Lets see ! " She accepted his challenge.

" Don't worry Faraz Bhai, you have our full support ! " Jahanzaib said, as he sat beside Faraz, eyeing Mushkbaar.

Mushkbaar said nothing. Smiling, she took the upper most ladoo from the dish and offered it to him.

" Think twice before eating it ! " Mushkbaar looked deep into his eyes. Her style and way to speak was bold and daring.

" Why? Does this laddoo belong to wonderland ? " Jahanzaib asked sarcastically.

" Naah, but it's in Mushkbaar's hand, which makes it so special. " Muskaan smiled.

Faraz looked towards  Jahanzaib as if asking for his permission. He nodded and tapped on his back.

On his green signal, Faraz finally opened his mouth which was soon filled by the laddoo. Quickly Mushkbaar withdrew her hand and stood up.

" Yeah so ? " Faraz asked with difficulty, his mouth completely filled with the laddoo.

" Nothing. " The girls smiled meaningfully and became silent, like waiting for something to happen.

Faraz slowly began to chew the laddoo. He was not afraid but their meaningful smiles and expecting glances had made him conscious. He knew that one could expect anything from the girls like Mushkbaar, at this occasion.

The secret didn't reveal itself, until, suddenly Faraz's facial expressions became wild and weird.

" What on earth you've put into it ? "

" A little ball of salt, and a small red spice, hehe " The girls laughed simultaneously.

Leaving all of them in a hurry, Faraz almost ran towards the wash room to wash his mouth.

" Thats not fair ! " Sadaf didn't feel comfortable at this joke.

" It's cheating. " Jahanzaib was angry too.

" Wah, why not ?  We are his proud sisters-in-laws after all, we have a right to play little games with him ! " Mushkbaar said, firmly. The girls were unaffected by their angry expressions, even to the slightest extent.

" Being a sister-in-law doesn't give you a liscence to kill someone, yeah ! " Jahanzaib was angry and ashamed, after all it was him who gave the permission to Faraz to eat the laddoo.

"Okay okay, bhui no more jokes, we are already getting late ! " Seeing the little arguement, the elders interrupted.

" Did you mind Faraz Bhai ? " The girls asked, as he returned.

" Ofcourse not, but one can't afford such jokes every day you know.  " He smiled.

" This day doesn't come every day " Wafa smiled.

" Okay, now you Muskaan. "

Muskaan took her position, with the new laddoo in her hand.

" Beware Faraz bhai" Said Jahanzaib and then he whispered something in his ear.

On his remark, the girls first looked at each other, then looking at Faraz, they smiled meaningfully.

" Okay we won't do anything like that now, but we want one assurance. You would eat this laddoo from Muskaan's hands without touching it. I mean without involving your own hands. " Wafa said.

" Okay bhui, I don't have any objection on that . "

She raised her hand and Faraz moved his face forward, opening his mouth, but naughtily, instead of putting the laddoo in his mouth, she withdrew her hand rapidly, leaving Faraz in a weird, unexpected condition.

They all laughed. Indeed, Faraz presented a strange picture with his face forward, mouth open and hands down.

Faraz's smile indicated that he didn't mind at all. Infact he was enjoying the act.

She did the same thing again . She took the laddoo just near his mouth but as soon as he opened his mouth, she took it away, smiling.

But she was not going to stop, she repeated the act third time too, teasing him, very skill-fully withdrawing her hand.

"This is too much. " Faraz's temper began to shake when he couldn't pick the laddoo for the fourth time.

It was only the sixth time, when Muskaan took her hand in front of his mouth, then, before she could withdraw her hand, someone grasped her hand tightly.

He was Jahanzaib.

" Quick Faraz Bhai, pick it up." While holding her hand, Jahanzaib motioned Faraz to eat the Laddoo.

" Nooooooo. This is a pure foul. " The girls shouted.

" All is fair in love and war . " Jahanzaib winked wickedly.

Laughing Faraz opened her fingers, took the ladoo out and finally put it in his mouth.

Muskaan's face became red. Anger, shame and embarrassment, these were her feelings at the moment.

" Wow, beauty becomes beautiful in anger. " Jahanzaib looked interestingly at her flushed, red angry face.

Muskaan eyed him with dislike but couldn't say a word.

Their laughters were never going to stop. There was not even a single face, who was not enjoying this interesting situation. Kids were clapping, elders were smiling. All were enjoying this little war between the two sides.

She tried her best to give him a real angry expression and look but his eyes were so deeply focused on hers that she had to drop her own.

Then smiling, he gently eased his grip on her hand.

Muskaan's mood had become bad now. She moved to the corner of the stage, now silently watching them. At the moments, she did face Jahanzaib's naughty gestures and teasing glances but tried to ignore them in the best possible way.

" I'm not going to forgive him so easily. How dared he thought to do anything like that. " She chewed her lower lip.

The next round was of putting the mehndi on Faraz's hand. They all did it one by one. Starting from little girls,  it finally ended up with Rida's sister in law, Mrs. Dua, putting the Mehndi on his hand.

Even after then, they all continued to tease Faraz, taking their turns, smiling and enjoying. Their mutual fun came to an end only by the dinner announcement.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After dinner,  the whole  " Cousin Party " retired to the lawn for some chat and coffee. The lawn was studded with beautiful bulbs throwing colourful lights over them. It was after several years, that all of them were here. Twin sisters Muskaan and Mushkabaar and their cousin Wafa, were from Lahore, while Jahanzaib, Samreen and her husband Naazir lived in Karachi.

The night-sea-breeze was a bit cold but upto bearable extent. Being near to the sea, they could hear the sound of waves striking with the land and rocks.

" So cousins, please make yourself comfortable in the best way possible. " Jahanzaib took his position in the middle of them, as they all sat in chairs which were arranged in somewhat round-shaped way so that they were  kind of facing each other, with Jahanzaib in between them. Sameer  glanced around the garden, the neatly trimmed lawn and the flowers surrounding them. Kashish and Wafa joined them in the last of all.

Kashish's heart began to throb more rapidly as she saw the last empty chair in the lawn was directly opposite Sameer's.

She tried to keep her expression neutral and made every effort not to stare at him across the lawn table.

As she sat in front of him, the sea breeze tossed her long, waist hair length mane of thick golden brown hair about her face and she raised a slender hand to push it back.

" I, first of all, would like to thank our elders who gave us permission to stay here all night and then Faraz bhai for giving me this golden oppurtunity to manage this little family gathering. "

" Golden oppurtunity ? " Naazir couldn't understand what he meant by that.

" Yes actually, woh kiya hai ke.... now I can express myself as the best leader too. " He smiled, counting them all.

" Oh I see. " Naazir smiled. " So you think this is some sort of political meeting? "

" It might be. As you can see, a fair number of ladies is present here, so you can't totally exclude the possibility of politics. " He winked and then sensing that someone was missing he asked.....

" Ladies, is some one missing here ?"  He gave a questioning look to Kisa and Wafa.

" I guess Muskaan is not here. Wait, I would get her." Kisa stood up from her place.

" Muskaan ?  Wow what a name. Yes please !" He smiled.

She found Muskaan in one of the empty rooms, turning pages of some big, old book.

" Muskaan come on, they're waiting for you there. "

" I don't feel like going. "

" But why ? "

" You know the reason. "

" Oh forget it Muskaan. Things like that do happen at such occasions. "

" I hate the way he acts. Like a total flirt. " Her voice was cold and expressionless.

" So you're gonna spoil the whole fun tonite just because of him? If you don't like him just ignore him. Okay ? Now I won't hear a word. " Holding her hand, Kisa pulled Muskaan to her feet.

" Beside I think you don't really hate him. Do you ? " Kisa glanced deep in her eyes, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

Muskaan gave her an angry look but didn't say a word, as she silently accompanied her towards the lawn.

"  I was born with the leadership qualities. Public really needs a leader like me, trust me it's truth. " He was saying, ignoring their smiling faces.

" See it's because of leaders like Mr.Jahanzaib that our country is still under-developed. "  Her voice thrilled through his nerves. He instantly turned to find her at his very back.

" Oh welcome Miss.Muskaan. So you're finally here. " His voice a little loud, due to happiness.

" Not yet, could you just give me a little space so that I may proceed further?" Muskaan said, as she was practically blocked by two sofa sets on either sides, with Jahanzaib in front of her, very near to her.

" What if I don't ? " His expression became naughtier.

" Nothing. Flirts often do that. "  Muskaan replied in a  plain voice.

" Really ? So you think of me as some flirt guy ? "

" I don't even think of you in any way, now please unblock my way, so that I could sit with my friends. Will you? "

" You called me a flirt. " His voice became weak. From his expressions, it was very difficult to judge that whether he was serious or was just joking.

He waited to hear some explanation from her but she didn't say a word. Her nostrils were flaring in and out rapidly, her breathing fast, her face flushed like she was in some real pain or was frustrated.

Enjoying her condition, Jahanzaib finally permitted her to move.

" Well, sorry for taking your precious time, You may now leave Muskaan." He kept his tone a little sad.

" I can't leave you " She replied  in a serious tone, biting her lower lip.

" Really ? " For an instant, Jahanzaib couldn't believe his ears. " Oh Muskaan no one has ever said anything quite so wonderful to me.  " His eyes were sparkling.

" Actually.....  you're standing on my foot. "

Embarrassment caught him. Their giggling made him feel like stupid in front of them for the first time. But he was Jahanzaib, who knew very well how to pay the price back.

" Ooops Sorry ! "

" Jahanzaib sit here, no need to be emotional or sentimental. "