20| you don't love me

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AUTHOR'S POV:

"Can you tell me where is grumpypants?" Ezzah asked for the fifth time, her expression a mix of anxiety and longing. Despite the cheerful chatter of her classmates, she felt a gnawing emptiness inside as she searched for Zeeshan.

It had been two long days since she last attended school, and her lingering feeling of gloom, a remnant of the recent fever, made her crave his familiar presence even more. She hoped to find him, but the sea of students moved past her, each absorbed in their world, leaving her feeling even more lonely.

"Ezzah, he won't come and go sit on your seat," Ezzah didn't grasp what she said. Why would her grumpy pants won't come? He's her teacher. Her small brain was not able to consume the information she was being informed—that Zeeshan wouldn't be coming.

"Will he come tomorrow?" she asked her teacher, again. "Ezzah, don't disturb the class. Go sit on your seat. He has left," her teacher nearly yelled at her.

She wasn't the kind of child who was used to being shouted at. The loud, angry voice that echoed through her ears felt foreign to her.

She preferred the gentle guidance of calm discussions and constructive feedback, where her mistakes were met with patience.

The unexpectedness of those raised voices left her feeling confused and anxious, prompting her to withdraw into herself, longing for the comforting familiarity of her typical school day.

Ezzah tried not to ask,agai but, meeting Zeeshan every day at the school had become her habit, and everyone was well aware of how dangerous habits can turn out.

She sat on her seat quietly, she wasn't paying attention to what was being taught. Her attention was towards her lingering thoughts which were doing nothing but haunting her.

She couldn't take it anymore and she started crying. She felt like she knew no one and the place would eat her up, without her grumpy pants. She felt hollow.

"Ma'am, Ezzah is crying," Maaz was sitting right next to and he informed Zainab—her new class en-charge.

"Ezzah?" The entire classroom fell silent, every pair of eyes shifting towards her in unison. She could feel the weight of their gazes, like heavy stones pressing down on her shoulders, and the uncomfortable scrutiny made her heart race.

Each look seemed to convey a different message—curiosity, sympathy, judgment—and the overwhelming attention made her throat tighten. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as she instinctively lowered her head, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Fidgeting restlessly, she began to twist the fabric of her skirt between her fingers, the soft material offering little comfort. She could barely muster the courage to glance up, hoping to disappear into the fabric and escape the moment.

"Ezzah, why are you crying?" Zainab bent down to her level and wiped her tears. Ezzah stayed mute. She kept on crying. "Okay, come with me," she took her to the principal's cabin.

"Ezzah beta, why are you crying?" The principal asked her. She shook her head. "Did she tell you?" The principal asked. Zainab shook her head. "Do you wanna go home?" Zainab asked and Ezzah nodded her head.

"Call her mother," the Principal ordered her. "Calm down, Ezzah," the principal was trying really hard to get to know why she was crying.

Zainab felt a rising sense of urgency as she dialed Waniya's number, her concern weighing heavily on her.

Ezzah, a bright and usually cheerful student, had been crying continuously, and Zainab knew that something was off.

Waniya, who got stressed after a call of urgency from Ezzah's school, felt a wave of anxiety wash over her as she listened to Zainab's frantic explanation. It struck her as odd that the call hadn't come through from Zeeshan.

The fact that it came from another teacher only heightened her unease. Without giving it a second thought, Waniya quickly gathered her belongings, her heart racing with every passing second.

She quickly made her way out of her office, feeling a sense of urgency that she couldn't shake off.

As she drove, her mind raced through possible scenarios, each one more concerning than the last. She hoped that

Ezzah was okay and that there was nothing seriously wrong as she made her way to the school, eager to find out what was happening.

Waniya pushed her way through the heavy school doors, the familiar scent of old books and polished floors filling her nostrils.

As she made her way to the principal's office, an unexpected sight stopped her in her tracks, twisting her stomach into knots.

Ezzah sat on a small chair, her shoulders trembling as she sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Nearby, a woman—Ezzah's teacher—leaned down, her voice soothing and gentle as she tried to console her distraught student.

But Ezzah seemed lost in her world of sorrow, her cries drowning out the teacher's comforting words, leaving Waniya with an ache of empathy in her heart.

"Mama," Ezzah sobbed. "Waniya, we don't know why she has been crying for a while now. It's better if you take her home," Waniya moved towards Ezzah and picked her up in her arms.

"Ezzah," she tried to coo her down. She wiped her tears. Waniya carried Ezzah along with her bag to the car. Her crying had slowed down a bit but it didn't stop, making Ezzah worry.

"Ezzah, won't you tell Mama why are you crying?" Waniya asked her. "Mamaaa," she sobbed. "Why are you crying, Ezzah?" Waniya was worrying.

"Mama, grum....py pan...ts...," she wasn't able to say anything because of her hiccups. "Okay, leave it. Do you want ice cream?" Waniya wanted to lift her mood but nothing was helping. Ezzah denied for ice cream. Waniya drove her home asking her to stop crying throughout the ride.

"Ezzah, do you want me to call your Sha?" Ezzah shook her head. Waniya picked up her phone and called Mirha to ask where she was. She was at home. They eventually reached home.

Ezzah was silently crying. Waniya frequently felt a pang in her heart seeing Ezzah weep silently without divulging the reasoning, the thoughts lingering behind her mind were plaguing her.

"Ezzah," Mirha took her from Waniya's arms. "Kya howa meray Bache ko?" She caressed her hair. Ezzah didn't say a thing, continuing her cries.

"Waniya, maybe you could make a call to Shayan," Mirha suggested. "Ezzah, come have some water," Mirha said and Waniya picked up her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialed Shayan's number.

She listened intently as the phone rang, but her heart sank when it ultimately went to voicemail. Frustration bubbled up inside her as she tried again, the familiar sound of his ringtone echoing in her mind. Each time she faced the same disappointment.

Mirha coo Ezzah down. Her crying had ceased but her red and swollen eyes and her hiccups were causing a feeling of worry for Waniya.

"Okay, now tell me what happened?" Waniya bent down to her level as she asked her. "Mama, grumpy pants....... he didn't come," she sobbed.

"Okay, it's okay, don't cry. I'll call him to come meet you, okay," she nodded and her eyes sparkled. "I wanted her to stop crying and if that meant calling Zeeshan I would do it." Waniya thought.

Mirha turned her gaze towards Waniya, she simply blinked her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Waniya reached for her phone, feeling a mix of anticipation and nerves. She scrolled through her contacts until she found his name, her heart racing slightly.

With a decisive tap, she dialed his number, her fingers trembling just a bit. To her surprise, he answered on the very first ring, his voice warm and familiar coming through the receiver. "Waniya, are you okay? Is Ezzah okay?" he blurted out.

"Ummm... Can you please come meet Ezzah? She has been crying and asking for you," She didn't know what else to say. She was confident and knew he wouldn't deny it. "On my way," he cut the call. "He's coming and now you won't cry," she wiped Ezzah's tears.

"Mama, he didn't come to school. He doesn't love me anymore," Waniya picked her up as she started crying again. Ezzah, he loves you." Waniya knew how Zeeshan loved Ezzah, regardless of whether she was his daughter or not.

ZEESHAN'S POV:

Waniya called me ten minutes ago to let me know that Ezzah was crying and wanted me to come. What was the reason for her tears?

I drove as fast as I could. Fortunately, the roads weren't crowded, which helped me reach there fast.

My reverie ended when I spotted my car parked outside Waniya's house. After the guard opened the gate, I walked in and headed towards the hall.

"Don't cry, Ezzah. He will be here soon," Waniya said trying to calm Ezzah down. "Grumpy pants," Ezzah ran into my arms the moment she felt my presence in the room. I picked her up and she hugged me tight.

"What happened, little cute heart?" I stroked her hair, softly. She jiggled her head. "It's okay, Ezzah," I said. I could sense my shirt getting wet because of the saltiness streaming down her cheek and I couldn't care less.

"I guess you took off from the school, she didn't find you there and she has been crying since," Waniya was worried I could discern it.

"And she hasn't been feeling well for a few days, maybe that's the reason she is being stubborn," Waniya clarified. Ezzah hasn't come to school for the last two days because she hasn't been feeling well.

I nodded at her. "Grumpy pants, you don't love me anymore," she looked at me with her teary eyes and sniffed. "I love you, cute heart," I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Then why did the teacher say you won't come to school? She was rude to me," she wiped her tears. "I won't go anywhere now," she placed her head on my shoulder.

"Why did you leave me?" She sniffed. And Waniya looked at me and then at Ezzah.

"I'll never leave you," I said while looking at Waniya. It was an affirmation for Ezzah and Waniya that I would never leave them, I would be with them even though the world was on the verge of ending.

"Do you want to eat something?" I asked her and she shook her head. "Zeeshan, you can put her down. It will hurt your back if you keep on holding like that," Waniya cared and it was enough for my heart to skip a beat.

"It's okay," I walked around with Ezzah in my arms. "Waniya, I need to go, I'll join you at night," Mirha left the house. We were alone in the house.

The air thickened. "She's asleep. Give her to me, I'll take her to the room."

"Wait, I'll take her," I moved towards her (Waniya's) room and she followed me to the room.

I tucked into her bed and stirred but eventually fell asleep. I turned around only to bump into Waniya causing her to lose her balance. "Aram se," I didn't let her fall. "Hath kesa hai?" I asked about her cut.

"Huh?" Her eyebrows thinned. "That cut," I reminded her. "Han, ab theek hai," she said. Where was Shayan?

He was her fiance—I looked at the ring, adoring her ring f, gingerr sending an ache to my heart—he should be here with her, with Ezzah. According to her—which is a complete lie—Ezzah is Shayan's daughter so he should have been here.

"Where's Shayan?" the question rolled off my tongue. "He..... he had an important meeting," she was lying.

I should leave but I didn't want to and at the same time, I didn't want to cause her misery or hurt. "I should leave," I took a few steps.

"Shan—Zeeshan, can you please stay? If she wakes up and doesn't find you, here maybe she will cry again, and I don't want that, but that's completely yours. Ifll if you want to, leave yo,u can but if you could stay—" I placed my index finger on her, lips which shut her.

"Kitna bolti ho, nahi?" I sighed. "Nahi jarha," I added and removed my finger from her lips. She nodded and sat beside Ezzah. She caressed her hair and softly brushed her lips on her forehead.

My phone rang and I went out to answer the phone. And when I came back the sight before me melted my heart. Waniya and Ezzah were in a deep slumber.

Waniya looked breathtaking. Ezzah's features have a striking resemblance with Waniya, especially that mole near her nose. It's the exact same.

I sat on the sofa placed before bed. And replied to some emails on my phone. I didn't desire to leave when she requested me to stay. All I ought to do was; convey out Shayan's facade and find whose daughter Ezzah was—with concrete proof.

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Chapter aesthetic

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Zaar.