Hamraaz- Pt 2

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Darya stared out of the plane window with a far away look. The flight to her home was of about 2 hours and luckily, less than 45 minutes more and Darya would finally be off this machine bird.

Her legs seemed numb as she had run too much for less than 1 hour and the lack of sleep was now taking a toll on her. Her eyes kept drooping but the moment she closed them, the uncomfortable position that she was sitting in woke her up again.

Lack of sleep, body pain, a brewing headache. Definitely just what she needs!

"Darya, are you alright?"

Zaahira asked her elder cousin with a frown. The girl had observed how she was too silent and from the time since Darya had gotten a hold of photography, this was the first time that she didn't gush over the beauty that she had captured or show her the images with a toothy grin.

Did the beauty hunting trip go that bad?

Darya lightly shook her head, her eyes blinking a few times to not fall in the chambers of a blissful sleep and all she could was hmm incoherently to Zaahira's words. Her body and mind both were off to sleep and it would be about time when Darya might find her eyes giving in too.

Zaahira clicked her tongue in disapproval and shifted slightly on her seat. Her eyes peeked towards the seat in front of them and just as she expected, she found Zameer and Murad snoring lightly and occasionally slapping each other due to being in deep sleep. The two were thunderstorms when together and right now were looking like the calm before the storm but since Zaahira didn't want to jinx it, she quickly shook her head and looked back at Darya who looked on the verge of crying in annoyance.

"Darya, neend aa rahi hai toh soja na. Your body is too tired to get comfortable anyway."

She tried to coax her elder cousin into giving in to her mind's wishes and Darya could only grumble some words out before she finally shut her eyes and even without wasting a second, sleep had encaptured her senses, blocking away the rest of the world from her conscious mind.

*****

"Appi!"

Zameer whined as he carried his bag inside the taxi trunk. The rest of the Malik kids just stood by, watching cars go while the poor soul loaded their luggage.

Darya raised an eyebrow at her brother's cry for help and Zameer could only feel the prick of betrayal when his elder sister rolled her eyes at him and casually looked away, as if she hadn't heard his pleas of distress.

"Mat karo help. Allah puche ga aap se ki is bache se itna kaam karwane ki wajah kya thi."

"Yeh bacha 19 saal ka hai, Mr. Zameer."

Zaahira retorted back and Murad laughed at his cousin brother's frustrated face.

"Murad, go and help him."

Darya said, more like ordered the youngest Malik cousin and Murad could only pout cutely in return but alas, 18 years of seeing his face again and again, the cute look no longer worked on Darya and she could only give him a bored look.

Zameer smirked at the young man's sullen look and without a warning, tossed Zaahira's black bag that seemed to be carrying tons of stones at him. Before Murad could register what had happened, he was bombarded with the heavy luggage suit and stumbling a little on his feet every now and then, he could only pray to not fall on his face and kiss the ground.

"Zameer ke bache!"

"Woh toh abhi ke liye Jannat mein aaram far ma rahe hai. Kuch saalo baad bulana unhe. Shayad aa jaye."

With that, Zameer ducked into the front seat of the taxi while Murad tried to plan ways with which he'd murder his cousin in his deep sleep. Zaahira smacked her brother's head lightly before getting in the back seat followed by Darya and then Murad himself.

"Abbu kyu nahi aa sakte the lene?"

Zameer asked with a curious look and Darya shrugged lightly as she leaned back on the seat.

"Unexpected change of plans. Ab hume aana toh chahiye tha ek hafte baad and even he had his schedule set for today. Him and Zayn chachu have invited some important guests at home. In short, the whole house is busy."

The cousins hummed in acknowledgement and got busy in their own world while Darya rested her head on the soft surface behind her as her eyes stared in oblivion. Now that her exhausted form had gotten a little sleep, she was able to think clearly and make out the happenings of the morning.

Her anxiety and impatience to get out of the snow covered alley had occupied the majority of her thoughts and now when she tried to clear the fog of panic from her sight, she couldn't help but let a small smile twinkle on her lips.

The scene of the bulky man treating the fawn with utmost care, making sure not to hurt it more than it already was, treating it's wound as if it was the most important thing to do- which it was- had made Darya's heart beat at a pace she couldn't describe.

But on a second thought, a frown made its way on Darya's once relaxed features when her mind tried to work the wheels in it and figure out how in the first place had the fawn been shot.

Was it a drill? Or was it an accident? Was he the one behind it? Or was it someone else who didn't come forward?

The halt of the taxi brought her out of her worrisome thoughts. Her eyes blinked a few times, trying to clear the haziness and she rubbed her temples a little that had developed a small ache due to her running the train of her thoughts at a fast pace.

"Haye, meri pyari ammi!"

Zameer squealed like a child as he saw Dua coming out of the house. The young man was a mama's boy since birth and roamed around her like the moon around earth. Dua smiled widely at her son who seemed ready to shed happy tears on seeing her.

A bit dramatic but that's what Zameer Malik was. A master with his acting skills and a soft boy at heart.

"Ammi, aren't you missing something?"

Darya asked with a mischievous smile as she got out of the taxi and her mother returned it with an even mischievous one. Zameer looked at the two with an alarmed look but before he could run for his life, Dua had started pulling his cheeks in a painfully annoying force.

"Arey mera bacha, kitna dubla ho gaya hai!"

Darya stifled her laugh as she watched the horrified look spread across Zameer's face. The latter's wide eyes turned back to normal as he scowled at his mother's way-too-dramatic show of affection and tried to step a little back but before he could, Zayn, their chachu had enveloped him in a tight hug.

"Allah, mera pyara bacha! Kitna bada ho gaya hai! Masha'Allah, kisi ki nazar na lage."

He slapped Zameer's cheeks lightly before shaking the latter's head right to left like an adult treating a child of less than 2 years and let him go but not before ruffling his well-made charcoal coloured hair even more.

Darya finally let her dam of laughter break free as she clutched her stomach and laughed until tears fell from her eyes. The rest of her two cousins were in no different condition and Zameer could not help but let the embarrassing blush break through the tip of his ears.

The light dusts of pink on his cheek and ears made the three of the Malik kids laugh harder and Dua only patted her son's cheek lovingly.

"Kyu mere bete ko tang kar rahe ho?"

The strict voice of Zaviyar Malik resounded from the doorway and everyone was quick to stand upright. Darya wiped her tears as she tried to control her laughter but seeing the look of 'your-my-knight-in-shining-armour' on Zameer's face as he looked at his father made it tough for her to control her amusement.

"Aur dante abbu inhe. Kabse tang kar rahe hai mujhe."

Zaviyar narrowed his eyes at his wife who was smiling innocently at her husband and shaking his head at the childish air that surrounded his family members 24/7, he opened his arms to hug his son who didn't disappoint him one bit.

"Ab saara pyar use hi milega ya phir kuch mere liye bhi hai?"

The moment the words left Darya's lips, Zaviyar Malik was quick to toss his son aside and walk up to his princess. He now held a wide smile on his face as he hugged his daughter with an affection that Darya had missed immensely in this short while of her trip.

Meanwhile Zameer watched the scene with remnants of hurt reflecting on his face as he clutched his chest and looked at the sky with the fakest- sad expression possible.

"Ek main hi hu sawtela. Na kisi ko meri fikr hai aur na hi kadr."

"Chalo, der aaye durust hai."

Zayn retorted back with a sneaky smile and hugged his daughter and son who were more than happy to return back to their baba's humble abode of light hearted jokes and funny commentary.

Zaahira held onto her abbu's arms while Zameer and Murad had skipped to their rooms. Darya too walked beside her father, narrating to him how cold it was in the mountains, successfully avoiding the fact that she had oh so graciously encountered a life hazarding situation along with a heart thumping scene.

"Malik sahab?"

The unknown elderly voice made Darya pause in mid-sentence as she looked at the well dressed man standing in front of her. He looked about the same age as her father but a little bit more distant and closed off.

"Zorawar, maaf karna. Woh-"

Zorawar Radwan just waved his hand in the air in a dismissing manner, his expression softening considerably as he gave Zaviyar a small smile of reassurance.

"Family ke liye time nikalne ke liye maafi nahi mangte. Bad manners."

His tone came out amused towards the end and Zaviyar chuckled lightly but nonetheless gave him a nod. Darya watched the interaction with a smile on her own face and as the elders finished their small talk, she was quick to greet the elderly man with a polite smile but as she did so, a woman appeared by his side wearing a wide smile on her face.

"Walaikum assalam, bache. Kaisi hai aap?"

Aashna Radwan asked with a knowing smile since Dua Malik, a good colleague and friend of hers, told her much about her daughter's love for nature exploration and expenditures in the wild.

"Alhumdulillah, bilkul theek. Aap bataye?"

An air of recognition was quick to mend around them as the conversations continued. Aashna Radwan was nothing but one sweet lady and how Darya had loved the conversation she had with the elderly woman.

She might be first of all desi elders who didn't scrunch her nose when Darya had told her about her love for photography, instead, she gushed about the fact herself and told her how she loved researching more about this field.

Oh how it was the first of many things and who knows, what if another first was written the very day but was yet to be revealed?

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Damn, somebody please tell me why I have the strong urge to write a little bit more about Zaviyar & Dua, Zayn & Mahira and Zorawar & Aashna? I miss writing Justajoo but Allah, I am sure by the time I finish Mehr-o-Mah (which btw is a long way from now) I'd be covering the whole house with my tears.

Your thoughts on the chapter? A small comment & a vote would be highly appreciated! Love you all!!

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