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From You To Love By Nageen Khan

(Originally named as Tum Se Muhabbat Tak Translated from Urdu-to-English)

Translated by INKY WHISPER

Chapter Two

“Are you still angry with me, my cat?”

“I’m neither yours nor your cat.”

“How selfish of you! You ate all the samosas by yourself.” Hamza couldn’t stop himself from commenting when he saw Inshal finishing the last bite on her own.

After eating all the samosas, Inshal immersed herself in the world of Instagram. It was her way of showing that she was upset.

“We used to be such good friends, Inshal,” Hamza said, trying to provoke her into speaking.

“So?” Inshal’s tone was bitter this time.

“So, can’t we be friends again?” Hamza looked at Inshal for a moment. Once upon a time, she had been his closest friend.

She was wearing a long black shirt adorned with delicate blue and white flowers. Paired with black trousers and a black dupatta, which she had draped as a hijab, the outfit looked beautiful against her fair complexion.

To Hamza, she looked as beautiful as ever, even while displaying her resentment toward him.

The moment that thought crossed Hamza’s mind, he shook his head as if trying to drive it away.

If only someone had told him that thoughts do not arrive by choice. They come uninvited, without permission. A person may try to suppress them, but they cannot always stop them from appearing.

“Oh, Hamza! You’re here. We’ve been looking for you all over the university. Come on, help me finish Sir Jamil’s assignment.”

Before Inshal could say anything, Khurram arrived and pulled Hamza’s attention away. Hamza glanced at Inshal apologetically before leaving with him.

“Hmph. First, you talk about becoming friends again, but you don’t even realize that if we did become friends, it wouldn’t mean you’d stand by me when it actually mattered.” The words lingered in her mind long after he had gone.

“Allah… Allah, why am I even thinking about that chicken this way?” She groaned in frustration.

“Uff, Nisha, you’ve gone mad.” Shaking her head at herself, Inshal got up and left the canteen.

**********

“Zaid, who does Nisha go to university with these days?” For the past week, Inshal and Hamza had been going to the university together, but Saima Begum had not paid much attention to it.

Hamza and Inshal were both pursuing their B.A. degrees and were in their third year.

“Oh, with Hamza.” Zaid answered casually, unaware that his response had ignited a spark of jealousy in Saima Begum’s heart.

**********

“You called for me, Tai Jaan (Urdu word for aunty uncle’s wife)?”

Inshal had been working on her assignment when Saima Begum called for her, and now she was standing in her room.

“Yes. Look, Inshal beta (beta endearment used for son/daughter), I don’t have a daughter, so you are like a daughter to me,” Saima Begum began.

“Don’t misunderstand me, beta but you shouldn’t go to university with Hamza. You are a girl.”

Oh, so this is what this is about, my dear Tai Jaan, Inshal thought to herself. Of course, she did not say it aloud.

“And don’t hover around Hamza. You know that I want Biya to marry him,” Saima Begum said, referring to her brother’s daughter.

“Allah… Allah, Tai Jaan, if that’s really what you think of me, then You’ll have to be dealt with separately. Do you honestly think I’m that kind of girl?”

This time, Inshal did not keep the words to herself. They slipped out before she could stop them.

“Oh no, beta I just…” Saima Begum said nervously.

Saima Begum was rarely at a loss for words, but Inshal’s bluntness had clearly caught her off guard.

“Alright, Tai Jaan. I’m leaving. I still have to finish my university assignment.” With that, Inshal walked out of the room.

**********

Hamza was stepping outside when, from a distance, he saw Inshal enter Saima Begum’s room. Curious, he quietly moved closer and ended up eavesdropping on their conversation.

But what struck him as strange was Inshal’s way of diverting the conversation.

He already knew about Abiha (Biya), but he didn’t like her. In his mind, she was a short, fat, unattractive girl who had even failed her matric exams. There was a strange kind of bitterness he carried toward his maternal family, though he never cared to examine it too deeply.

Anyway, what can I do? he thought casually. At least it works in my favor. Now that Nisho tissue (towards Inshal) won’t be coming with me, I’ll enjoy the ride.

With that thought, he picked up his phone and called someone.

“Hello… yeah, how are you, Farah? I just wanted to tell you that from tomorrow I’ll pick you up for university.”

He said a few more words, then ended the call. Humming softly to himself, he walked outside.

**********

It was her habit to wake up early in the morning at Fajr time.

She offered all her prayers, but despite Ayesha Begum’s repeated advice, she still could not overcome her bluntness.

Now, after prayer and tilawat-e-Quran, she was getting ready for university.

“Wow, you’ve impressed me a lot. Now let’s see how I impress the whole house… and Tai Jaan, and her flirty son will also know what kind of person Inshal is,” she said to herself in front of the mirror.

She gave the final touches to her appearance and then went downstairs for breakfast.

**********

 It was morning, and the sun was shining brilliantly. According to Hamza, however, it felt like it was jealous of him.

“Wow, Amma, there’s quite a hustle and bustle in the kitchen today,” Hamza said as he walked in.

Hamza’s attention always turned toward food, and the moment he saw Saima Begum and Ayesha Begum preparing breakfast, his greed for eating became impossible to hide.

“Yes, beta. Today your Bano Dadi (Dadi grandmother) is arriving. Go and have your breakfast in the dining room,” Saima Begum informed him.

“Wow, Bano darling is coming!” Hamza said excitedly, completely forgetting that Imar was sitting nearby reading the newspaper.

“Ah…..what I mean is, my dear Bano Dadi is coming.”

Imar shot him a glare, and Hamza immediately straightened up. Realizing his mistake under Imar’s stare, he quickly corrected himself.

To be continued…