Chapter 1

                                    

                                          
The New York midnight is chillier than all nights he has seen this year. After paying his Uber, he almost runs to the airport entrance. In any south Asian family's standard, he is late. He has about only forty minutes left for boarding in. Ehsan strolls in the buzzing New York airport, waiting to get checked in. The sky is cloudy, and he fears his flight might get delayed in turbulance. He can't get delayed, not at this point. He has to get to Dhaka. Fifteen years worth waiting, it's not going to go in vain. 
                          
"Flight No.0667 from New York to Dhaka has been delayed for four hours due to turbulance. Passangers are requested to check in and wait in the lounge area. Thank you for your attention."
                          
"Damn it,"
                          
He throws his backpack in the metal seat, earning glares and stares from his fellow passangers. 
                          
"What a nuisance, I am more late than I should be."
                          
He quickly texts Raif about the change in his schedule. It was him who informed him about the vacancy of Psycologist in Skytech. Quite an interesting job it is, not normal for corporal world. After all who wastes money on psycologist? She does. He silently muses. Fifteen years, fifteen years two months and 19 days to be exact, he will be going to his home, to his country, to meet her,Falaq Naaz.How he was supposed to be patient?
                          
His phone buzzes with messege. 
                          
"You gotta be quick, bro. Interview's tomorrow. I haven't told her anything! Waiting to see her precious reaction."
                          
Raif too, hadn't change a bit. Perhaps he hadn't felt it. From the day he left from Bangladesh, be never failed to talk with Raif twice a week. They talked about anything and everything, except her. She was the sore subject both of them avoided. However, he never dailed to get updates of few snippets  of her life; when her mother passed away, or she moved somewhere else, or established a firm. Only few months ago, Adnan reluctantly informed him about a vacancy in her firm, and the next thing he did after hearing it was to book a ticket to Bangladesh for first time in fifteen years, and for good. 
                          
After few hours of waiting, he boarded, bounding with joy and anxiety, ready to reconcile with whatever he left behind.
                          
**************
His eyes wanders in the waiting lounge, screening for familiar face Shahjalal airport is flooding with people, three flights has landed together. After 28 hours of tedious journey through connecting flight,he has finally reached.In mayhem of checking out and searching cluelessly for Raif, he almost forgets half of his luggage. He sighs in relief when he finally sees his name written on a board. He grins and waves at Raif, rushing out of the customs area. Raif impatiently taps his foot, and hugs him in no moment in vice grip.
                          
"God Raif! You're choking me!"
                          
Ehsaan coughes in his crushing embrace.
                          
"You deserve to be choked, traitor! I feel like kicking in your crotch!"
                          
Raid punches his forearm and he winces.
                          
"Ouch! So you don't want to be an uncle? Fine with me,"
"If you can land yourself a chick, that is."
Both of them chuckles as Raif hollers for a cab. None of them says a word, when the car navigates through the tedious traffic jam of Dhaka. Thousands of unsaid words clouds over them. Whenever they were on phone it felt as if they were never too far away, oceans in between them. And now when they are seeing each other, finally, they don't know what to talk about. Raif can never say that he didn't miss his presence, but he had far more important  things than realising his absence.
                          
"I've booked the best hotel I could find in Intercontinental,"
After minutes of awkward silence and stuck in traffic, Adnan finally opens his mouth.
"Where are you thinking of going? Mrs.Malik's?"