chapter 13

Chapter 13MishalTaking Daniel out for a cup of coffee was one of the boldest steps that I could ever take in my life. Had Sana not given me a pep talk about it, I wouldn’t have been doing what I was doing—going out for a cup of coffee with him. Sana was the one who persuaded me to make this plan as I was hesitant before. When we woke up the next day in the morning, I told her everything about what was going on between Daniel and me while we were having breakfast. I told her how we were slowly developing a friendly relationship. When she learned that I avoided meeting him the previous night, she thought I was stupid and should have taken some time to meet him. So, she asked me to stop thinking too much about it and meet him.  It was true that Sana helped me make up my mind about him. My concerns about him were genuine, and she completely understood them. But, at the same time, she did not want me to ruin my growing friendship with him because of those concerns. For her, those concerns were baseless, but not for me. I had to clear my conscience by telling him the truth. Whether he wanted to remain friends with me or not after learning the truth was his decision. At least I would be free of the guilt. Who knew what tomorrow could bring for us? I wanted to make my present better and much more peaceful. That was only possible when I told him the truth. So here I was. Trying to make it up to him. I disappointed him the previous night because I stood him up by not meeting him at the terrace. Now, I was trying to cheer him up by taking him out for a cup of coffee. A long silence ensued, and we still hadn’t talked to each other yet. I had brought him to one of the most popular coffee company chains in Lahore, Gloria Jeans. We managed to find a nice sitting spot in the café. Adjacent to our booth, large windows offered a view from the outside. I had ordered a Hot Chocolate for myself and a Cappuccino for him, on his demand. From the corner of my eye, I watched him looking out of the window, his face expressionless. Usually, he was the person who talked much, whereas I was the silent one. That day, it seemed like we had switched roles. I wondered if he was still upset with me. ‘Are you still mad at me for the last night?’ I asked as I looked in his direction, finally breaking the silence. He turned to look at me in surprise as if I had brought him back from a reverie. ‘Uh, no.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’I snorted a little. ‘How can you not know anything?’ He scrunched up his face. ‘What do you mean?’I rested my elbows on the table. ‘As far I know you, you seem to be someone who has answers to everything.’‘Nah. That’s not right.’‘Why not?’ He shook his head. ‘Not everything is as it seems.’I contemplated his response for a few seconds and nodded approvingly. ‘That was quite philosophical.’‘You don’t know me, Mitchelle,’ he said as he looked into my eyes. We locked eyes with each other momentarily, and then he looked away. I cleared my throat. ‘I didn’t know you could also be serious and too philosophical.’‘And I didn’t know you could be someone who’d realize her mistake so soon,’ he said, a tinge of humor in his voice. The witty Daniel seemed to be back, and I was glad. Because the serious Daniel seemed to be a bit out of place and I didn’t know how to handle that side of his personality. I was taken aback. ‘What?’He nodded proudly. ‘Yup.’‘I’m just trying to make it up to you.’ I shrugged. ‘I can see that, mate. Thank you.’ He smiled as he took the first sip from his coffee, his eyes still on me. I smiled in response and then looked away. His intense gaze was now becoming too hot for me to handle. ‘So, how’s your friend? Has she left?’ he asked, attempting to continue the conversation. ‘Yes, she went back.’‘I hope you know that I was serious when I offered to help you prepare and pack the orders when you thought the workload was becoming batshit crazy.’I smiled. ‘Okay.’‘You can consider calling me as I am… like more approachable.’‘And more available?’ I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Once I said that, we stared at each other for a few seconds and then burst out into laughter. ‘You can think whatever you wanna think,’ he grinned. ‘I have all the time in the world.’‘When are you going back?’His face turned serious all of a sudden, and he bit his lip. I realized he did that whenever he felt nervous about something. ‘Honestly, I have no idea, mate.’It seemed like he wanted to say something more, so I waited for him to speak. ‘I came here for my Mum because I realized it was high time I should be there for her and make her realize she wasn’t alone.’‘I’m sure she feels happy to have you around her.’‘She does.’ He nodded. ‘She does. It’s like the moment I see her face, I forget all about what happened in the past.’I became silent after hearing him talk about his past. Did he refer to the specific incident in the past that affected him deeply, or did he mean about his past in a general way? I couldn’t tell.In the next instant, his expression changed, his nostrils flared. ‘But, the moment I see Fariha’s face, I feel like explodin’.’ The atmosphere around us became thick with tension. I became uncomfortable when I realized where the conversation was going. I knew exactly what he was talking about, and yet I couldn’t gather the courage to say anything in response. I had played a vital role in trying to ruin his life, confidence, and relationship with his mother, and I had no idea how I would free myself from this guilt. I wondered how I would ever muster the courage to tell him the truth. Was today the right time? Should I just tell him what had happened actually? Should I tell him how I was involved in that incident that altered his life?When Daniel noticed that I was silent for a while, he added with a restrained smile. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bore you with my stupid past stories.’I shook my head fervently. ‘They’re not stupid.’He looked at me, a sincere expression resting on his face. ‘You can talk about your past with me whenever you want. I’m all ears.’ I really meant what I said. If nothing, I could offer him some moral support. Perhaps discussing his past with him could pave the way for me to come out with the truth.  ‘Thank you for that, mate. I really appreciate it.’‘It’s all right.’ I tried to smile. ‘If there’s anything you’d like to talk about right now, you can.’‘Why right now? Can’t we talk some other day?’ He raised a brow. ‘Of course, we can, but since we’re sitting here so why not…’ I shrugged. He shook his head lightly as he grinned. ‘I’m sure that’s not a bad idea, but I don’t want to ruin our first-ever coffee date.’I threw my head back and laughed. ‘What makes you say that it’s our first coffee date?’ I emphasized the word ‘first.’He bit his lip as he continued looking at me. ‘What if it’s our last date?’ I asked. ‘Nah. It can’t be our last date,’ he said with a face full of certainty. There was an aura of confidence in the way he said that.  I laughed again. ‘Why not?’He leaned closer, his eyes never leaving mine, his face solemn. ‘Because I am already looking forward to having my second coffee date with you.’ On that note, I blushed, my eyes blinking rapidly and my heartbeat accelerating. Before my expression gave out everything about how I was feeling from the inside, I steered my gaze from him. It was becoming hard for me to deny that I had started developing feelings for the Aussie boy sitting in front of me. It was becoming hard not to accept that I was falling in love with my neighbor boy all over again. DanielI felt relieved after that coffee date with Mishal. Although she did not like the idea of me calling it a coffee date, somewhere, I was certain she liked it as much as I did. Sitting in that café and having a thoughtful conversation with her made me feel like I had lifted something heavy off my shoulders. It felt so good to sit with her at someplace where we had no eyes of scrutiny around us and where nobody recognized us. At some point, I felt I had crossed the line, especially when I told her that I anticipated a second coffee date with her. I could not understand whether she liked the idea. But, as far as I was able to read her face, she seemed quite surprised about it. I wanted to know if she was actually surprised or did not like the idea at all. After the coffee, we drove back to the house. We did not talk much on the way except for a little chit-chat about the movies or TV series we had seen lately. She told me she’d finished watching a Spanish hit series on Netflix, Money Heist. Though I was fully aware of the show, I still hadn’t seen it. When I asked her what she liked the most about the season, she said she enjoyed watching it only because it reminded her of a Bollywood movie. I laughed at her response because I was someone who had not seen a single Bollywood movie in my entire life. ‘What?’ she said as she drove the car, a shock registering on her face. ‘Don’t tell me you haven’t seen any Bollywood movie ever!’I smirked, looking in her direction. ‘That’s true. I haven’t seen any.’Her shoulders slumped, and she made a disapproving face. ‘How is that possible? Unbelievable!’I stifled a laugh. ‘Why are you so shocked?’ ‘Because I’m a Bollywood freak, and you aren’t!’ she exclaimed. I shrugged. ‘So what?’ It’s not like we have to match each other’s likes and interests. We’re two different people coming from different places and time zones. We don’t have to be similar.’She rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, right.’I smiled. ‘You’re being disappointed as if you just found out that your potential partner has no interest in Bollywood.’‘What?’ She looked at me, her eyes wide open. ‘Nothing.’She looked back at the road ahead, becoming quiet. After a little pause, I said, a thoughtful expression on my face. ‘What if your potential partner turns out to be someone who hasn’t seen a single Bollywood movie? Like me?’‘What? No way! My husband has to have an interest in Bollywood movies. How would I connect with him otherwise?’‘What if you connect with him on some other level and not just based on movies?’  I proposed. ‘What other level?’ ‘It could be anything.’‘Like what?’‘Like mental compatibility, spiritual connection, sexual attraction?’She gulped. ‘How would I find him compatible enough if he not being a fan of Bollywood movies is a huge turn-off for me?’‘What if you still fall in love with him despite everything?’She laughed nervously. ‘What if I don’t?’‘What if you do?’ She cut a glance at me for a few seconds, and I made sure to hold her gaze. Nervous, she blinked her eyes rapidly and looked back at the road. We were silent throughout the rest of the journey. She killed the engine when we reached the house, silence engulfing us again. I chose to break the uncomfortable silence. ‘Thanks for the coffee, mate.’She looked at me nervously and smiled. ‘I guess I’ll see you around?’‘Sure.’‘G’day, mate. See ya.’ I opened the passenger door, got off the car, and slowly closed the door. I gave her a quick goodbye wave as I watched her through the car window. She started her car again and slowly drove the car towards her house. Turning back to my house, just when I was about to walk past the main gate, I found Hammad standing there with his arms crossed against his chest. The serious expression on his face alarmed me. ‘Hey, mate. What’s up?’ I asked, standing next to him. ‘Nothing,’ he said in a deadpan voice. This guy was weird. ‘Is Mum at home?’He nodded. Since I could no longer stand his weirdness anymore, I decided to go inside and look for Mum. Once I stepped into the house, I found Mum waiting for me in the lounge. ‘Hey.’ I bent to give Mum a quick hug. She hugged me back. ‘Where did you disappear all of a sudden? You did not even have your breakfast.’ I sat down next to her. ‘I, uh, went out with someone.’She raised her brow in interest. ‘Hmm. I see. That’s interesting. Who was it?’‘Mishal,’ I told her. She was startled. ‘Mishal? Rubina’s daughter, Mishal?’ ‘Yes.’‘How come? Did you ask her to take you out for some work?’ I smiled. ‘Nah. She had taken me out for coffee.’She laughed. ‘Really? Are you two friends now?’‘Kind of.’ I grinned. She patted me slowly on my arm. ‘She’s a great girl. I really like her.’I rolled my eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah.’‘I’m serious.’‘And you think I’m not?’ I raised a brow at her. ‘How can I know?’I shook my head slowly and looked away. ‘Do you like her?’I looked down at my hands, becoming slightly nervous at her question. ‘Of course, I do, Mum. She’s amazin’.’She slowly nudged my arm and whispered. ‘What’s goin’ on between you two, huh?’ I grinned, my cheeks burning hot. ‘I know you like her. She’s very likable.’I looked at her and nodded. ‘I guess she is.’‘But, can I ask you for something?’‘Ask away, Mum.’She held my gaze. ‘Please never do anything that hurts her.’I could feel the intensity of the seriousness in her voice and her eyes. There was a lot of depth in what she said. But, at the same time, I could also feel where she was coming from. Given my terrible past record, she would still have doubts about me no matter how much she knew or loved me as a mother. I creased my brows. ‘Mum, do you think I could ever hurt anyone?’‘I know you can’t. You cannot ever imagine hurting anyone.’‘Do you still not trust me?’‘It’s not about that, son.’My brows creased further. ‘Then why did you say that?’She sighed. ‘I’m very protective of Mishal. She’s my best friend’s daughter, and I want the best for her.’I felt a tiny bit of disappointment when Mum said she wanted the best for her and didn’t even think for once I could be the best for her. Overlooking what she just said, I made a resolute face and told her, ‘I won’t ever hurt her, Mum. Don’t ya worry. I won’t disappoint you.’ I promised her. And I promised the same to myself. ‘I trust you completely, Daniyal. I know you won’t let me down.’I couldn’t ever think of hurting Mitchelle. If nothing, she had become my first ever friend in Pakistan. I would never do anything to hurt her or put her in some trouble. I was not that kind of person. But what if she was? What if she hurt me really bad? Was she even capable of doing that? Perhaps it was too soon to form such opinions of her. Realizing I was going too far with my irrational thoughts, I shunned them away immediately.