Chapter IV

                                    

                                          
It had been a few days since Farjaad went back to Karachi. Although she knew it from the moment she saw him, ever since he left, she had been feeling heavier. Unhen tou jaana hee tha, wo jaane ke liye hee tou aaye the, aur wo chalay gaye.
~~~~~
Farjaad had thrown himself into his work, trying to distract himself from thoughts of the girl who never left his mind. But what he saw a few days ago wouldn’t leave him.
The night he returned, he had a severe headache. It was past midnight, too late to ask any servant for medicine or coffee, so he went to the kitchen to help himself. As he searched for granulated coffee, his eyes fell on the chai patti. Memories flooded back.
"Umeed rehne hee do, tumse na ho payega."
They often visited each other's place during their dating period. Today she was at his place.
"Tch, bana rahi hoon na mai... dekhen pehle doodh daalenge, phir boil ho jayega tou cheeni patti daal denge..."
"Aur pani kab daalenge?"
"Umm, haan wo bhi toh hota hai..." she muttered. "Hehe... mai Haya ko call kar leti hoon..." she took out her phone. "Lekin chai mai banaungi!" she pointed out authoritatively, and he surrendered.
The tea was horrible, but the memory of it was the sweetest.
Lost in the memory, he dropped the cup he was holding. Glass pieces shattered everywhere.
He recalled asking Mimi for a cup of joshanda as he entered the kitchen. He saw Umeed sitting on the counter, her feet dangling, holding her cup. When she saw him, she stepped down, and her touch made the glass fall, shattering it. Even then, she was smiling.
He couldn't smile. Her memories haunted him even more since he returned. Everything reminded him of her.
As he was engulfed in his work, his assistant knocked, bringing him back to reality. He narrated his schedule for the day, and in between, he mentioned the meeting with the lawyer.
"Sir, next meeting ke liye aap phir kab jaayenge?" Nabeel asked.
"Mai nae jaa paunga," Farjaad replied firmly. "Aap Majid sahab se baat karen, wo baqi meetings handle kar len."
He clearly shut down the voices of his heart, determined to maintain his distance.
Farjaad's assistant nodded and left the room, leaving him to his thoughts. He sighed deeply, trying to refocus on his work. Yet, the memories of Umeed kept creeping in, pulling him away from the tasks at hand.
~~~~~
Back in Islamabad, Umeed was struggling with her own emotions. She had been feeling heavier since Farjaad left, the weight of their unresolved past pressing down on her. She tried to keep herself busy at the café, but every quiet moment brought back memories of him.
As the days went by, both Farjaad and Umeed tried to go on with their lives, but the weight of their past kept pulling them back. Farjaad buried himself in work, refusing to acknowledge his feelings, while Umeed struggled with the heavy emotions she couldn’t seem to shake off.
One evening, as Umeed was closing the café, she received a call from Kashaf. "Umeed, I need to talk to you. Kya tum office aa sakti ho? Kuch urgent hai," Kashaf's voice sounded tense.
When she arrived, she saw Kashaf waiting for her outside. "Kya hua?" Umeed asked.
Kashaf looked concerned. "Mujhe kuch important discuss karna hai tumse. Andar chalo," she said, leading Umeed inside.