°°°

"Wait! What?" Sheherbano, who was comfortably sitting on her bed, abruptly sat up and asked. "Come again?" Looking at Jiya, she asked.

Jiya just gave her pleading look,

"Jiya, how could you?" Sheherbano screeched. Her voice was so high pitched that Jiya had to cover her ear.

"I... I really don't know... Hume nahi Karna Hai Shams se nikkah aur... Aur humare samajh mein kuch nahi aya."

(I don't want to marry Shams... And I couldn't think anything.)

"Ek baar humse puchna toh tha.... Jiya, agar unhone Abba ko bata Diya toh?"

(You could have at least talk to me... Jiya, what if he tells Abba everything?)

Her words gave Jiya terror, but Jiya tried to convince both of them.

"Unhone.... Unhone promise kiya Hai ki kisiko nahi bataiyenge... Aur yeh bhi Kaha ki... Agar unhe maloom hota toh kabhi Haan na karte Nikkah ke liye...." Jiya had faith in Shams.

(He...he promised he won't mention my name.... And he also said that if he knew it before,he wouldn't have yes for this marriage.)

It was something to do with Shams being a Nawab, and Nawab's never broke their promises.

"Unhone Kya kaha Hai Kya nahi, Kya fark padhta Hai." But Sheherbano wasn't convince. Her mind told her worst possibilities of the situation.

(What he said doesn't really matter.)

"Jiya, just imagine ek shaks ki mangetar unhe call karke kahe ki woh kisi aur ko pasand karti Hain.... Just imagine how much his male ego is hurt." All the colour from Jiya's face drained off, her face turned as white as a sheet.

(A person's fiancee called him t told him hat she likes someone else...)

"Sherry! Please kuch kariye na."

(Sherry! Please do something.)

"Sherry Kya kare? Call karne se pehle Sherry pucha Tha ki, Sherry, Shams ko call Kar lei'n?" Sheherbano angrily asked.

(What Sherry is supposed to do? Did you discussed with Sherry before making a call to Shams?)

Jiya's face showed a great feeling of dismay as she looked down, she was on the edge of crying which soften Sheherbano's heart.

"Achha zyada mat sochiye... Jo hona Tha ho gaya... Ab soche agey kya karna Hai...." Sheherbano mumbled, feeling guilty for yelling at Jiya.

(Don't think much.... What done is done.. let's think what we should do now...)

"Hume Shams se Nikkah nahi karna." Jiya sniffed.

(I don't want to marry Shams.)

"Jamal se karna Hai?" When Sheherbano asked, Jiya nod her head.

(You want to marry Jamal?)

"Jamal bhi utne serious hain apko leke?"

(Is Jamal is also serious?)

"Of course! We both are serious.. we both thought of telling our families about each other after our graduation but...." Jiya's voice broke,

Sheherbano put her arm around Jiya's shoulder.

"Don't cry. I'll... I'll do something." Rubbing her shoulder, Sheherbano tried to give her hope.

"What?" Jiya meekly asked.

"Don't know. But I'll definitely do something. If you don't want to marry Shams then no one will force, even if I have to stand against Abba, I'll." Said Sheherbano with determination.

"Dua kariye yeh musibat na aye lekin." She later add.

Both Sheherbano and Jiya fall into a loud silence where their mind ran miles to think about solution.

"Hum na... Unhe baat karenge." Sheherbano broke the silence

(I'll... Talk to him.)

"Kissey?"

(To whom?)

"Shams se. Hum unhi ke office mein kaam karte Haina.. face to face.. aram se baat karenge. Haan!" Sheherbano told her plan to Jiya.

(To Shams. I'll talk to him tomorrow in office. Yes!)

Jiya didn't said anything, she just looked at Sheherbano uncertainty.

"Don't look at me like this. We don't have other option."

"You'll talk to him tomorrow. What if he has already talked to Abba? Or his family?"

"Jiya! Yeh apne Kya kiya?" Sheherbano groaned.

(Jiya, what have you done?)

≤≥≤≥≤≥

Shams Malik's piercing gaze was on Sheherbano Ali. And she could feel it, which made her nervous.

She has already dropped her pen trice because of his gaze.

Hesitatedly, she raised her eyes to look at him, thinking if he realized he got caught, he would move his eyes, but his stormy and still eyes didn't moved from her. They were still looking at her without any worry, Sheherbano couldn't understand his behavior, the aloofness on his face didn't helped much, it made her more nervous as she looked down, only to loosen the grip on pen and dropping it on floor. Again, for the fourth time.

The sound of dropping pen in silent room caught others attention. Rakul raised her eyebrow sternly at Sheherbano

"Sorry!" She mumbled and went down to pick her pen.

Raheem shook his head and again turned his attention on the project which he was explaining to Shams. Sheherbano is supposed to make the notes, but because of Shams, she couldn't focus on a single word said by Raheem.

What seems to bother her most was, how can other two remain oblivious that Shams' attention aren't on them but only at her.

"You look troubled, Miss Ali." Shams spoke in flat voice.

Once again, everyone's attention was on her, which made Sheherbano's eyes wide.

"Um!" She looked at Rakul.

The strict but composed lady is the one whom Sheherbano is working under. And she was sending cold glare at Sheherbano's direction.

"I think you need a break." Said Shams with a smile. But there wasn't any kindness in that smile, only cockiness was there.

"I'm... I'm fine." Sheherbano managed to say. "Sir," she later meekly add, afraid she shounded rude.

"Actually, I also need a little break." Shams looked at his employees, indicating that they have been dismissed.

Without any word or taking any extra time, both Rakul and Raheem left.

Sheherbano also quickly stood up, but somehow was the last one to leave.

"Sheherbano, is there something you want to say to me?" Before she could open the door, Shams called from behind which made her froze.

There were lots of things which she wanted to say, but didn't know how to.

"No, sir." Turning to him, Sheherbano shook her head. For one second, Sheherbano thought she saw some feeling crossing over his face, as if he was waiting for something and was disappointed.

Which made her wonder that he can read mind. That's why, he knows she wanted to say something.

≤≥≤≥≤≥

Sheherbano was making coffee for herself when Jiya called her.

"Sherry!" As soon as Sheherbano received the call, Jiya loud and screeching voice came from other side.

"God! Jiya, what happened?" Her voice was loud, which made Sheherbano take the phone away from her phone.

"Please tell me that you didn't talk to Shams." Jiya ignored her question as if she didn't heard it and fired her own question.

"I haven't. I don't know from where to start..." Jiya took a relief breath which Sheherbano misunderstood as hitched. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him....."

"No no no no, don't talk to him." Jiya quickly forbid her

"Why? What happened?" Sheherbano confusingly asked.

"Shams' parents came here." Jiya informed her.

"What..." Sheherbano shouted, which caught attention of few colleagues,

Quickly mumbling a sorry, Sheherbano picked her coffee cup and left from there.

"What they said?" She quietly asked, worry was visible in her voice

"Abba came from office. They came unannounced, you see. And I wasn't allowed downstairs. But.. I was curious and scared too. But...."

"He has told his parents everything?" Sheherbano finished her sentence.

"No, he didn't."

"Okay! So what happened?"

"I didn't wanted to eavesdrop... I mean, I know this is wrong... but I was scared... And ammi clearly told me not to come downstairs but I... I sneaked out and... If ammi or Abba find this out, I'll be in trouble....."

"Jiya, come to the point already."

"Well, I heard them talking. Not talking exactly, Abba and Mr. Malik were in heated argument, and....."

"And?" Sheherbano held her bretah stilled and asked.

"We are in bigger mess, Sherry."

≤≥≤≥≤≥