Chapter Eight is here!

«A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one.»

|~★~|

Humaira was at college, making it through the day. Lately, to her, it seemed like everyone either hated her or was making fun of her. She was being pointed out in each lecture and questioned about the ongoing topic. She would watch gangs whispering to themselves as she passed, feeling conscious about herself, but in reality, no one actually even knew her name. She wasn't very popular or the IT Girl. She didn't have a Captain boyfriend or any scandal surrounding her. She was a nobody.

Although quite popular among the seniors thanks to Kashif's attraction to her, that bunch was long gone after graduation. Every now and then, Kashif did show up, being an active member of the Student Union, making his existence known. He wanted her to be his girlfriend, but Humaira never paid any attention to him, and he was happy about her not seeing anyone else. In his mind, he was gonna have her at the end. But here she was, walking out of the college to meet Furqan and choose her engagement ring.

She was waiting at the spot where they were supposed to meet. After 20 minutes of the decided time, Humaira got a text from Furqan.

'Caught up with an important meeting. Won't be able to make it today. Sorry. Will update you soon. '

'Okay. '

Hitting the send with just one word in reply, she glanced at the corner of her mobile screen to check the time. She could still make it to her tuition. She got a ride within a minute to her destination.

"You're thirty minutes late," Umair remarked, without glancing at Humaira who was standing in the doorway waiting for his permission to enter the room.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't know that I would be coming today. Had some plans, but it got cancelled at the last moment."

" Come in," he tilted his head in her direction. She walked in quickly, keeping her bag on the desk and taking out the notes that he had asked her to prepare." Hope you didn't copy-paste from the internet." He took the paper from her.

"After knowing that you run my notes through those plagiarism-detecting software? No."

He chuckled, "One can never be sure about you, Humaira." Leaning against the edge of his desk, he asked," So, what business did you have? If you don't mind me asking. " The latter sentence was added to seem less prying on her personal life.

In contrast to his carefully chosen words, Humaira's were nonchalant," Furqan was supposed to take me on a hunt for our engagement right, but he got some work to do. "

He nodded in response. "You don't feel weird- calling someone so older than you with their name? "

Humaira leaned back on her seat, tittering, "That's his name, Sir. What am I supposed to call him? Aye ji, O ji, lo ji, suno ji? And it's too early to call him with xyz k Abba. " Her suppressed laughter became loud by the end of her sentence and her listener joined in.

In between, her laugh changed into tears; she tried to wipe it before it came to his notice, but she wasn't quick enough. "Are you crying?" He took two steps towards her, concerned.

"No." She chuckled, wiping the tears, "It's happy water. You know... the one after a good laughing session."

"You're a pathetic liar." Umair commented, "But I cannot force you to admit that."

Humaira's eyes followed him after hearing his remark. He walked to the desk beside her and sat there, "I don't feel like teaching today. If that's fine with you."

" Is something bothering you, Sir? " She asked. She had her doubts but she wanted to hear it from him only.

He sighed before looking up at her," One of my students, who is kind of a shrew... is-"

"I'm not a shrew!" She snapped in disbelief that her teacher was addressing her like that; frowning at him.

"I didn't say it's about you." He defended.

"Yeah, sure!" She mocked, "Let me guess how it was supposed to go: one of my students, who is kind of a shrew, is getting married to someone twice her age, and I cannot see why." She tried to mimic his manner as well as she could.

He was laughing silently watching her do that, "maybe."

But Humaira looked at him with a straight face, "Sir. I get it." She shrugged, "You guys are not seeing me getting married to someone that old as normal. But the age doesn't bother me as long as he is a good human." She smiled, "And till now, Furqan has been nothing but respectful to me."

"When exactly?"

" The few minutes he was standing at your doorstep? " She bit her lips, seeing her teacher unconvinced, she added in urgency, " and he hasn't sent me any creepy text that a guy of my age would. It's just simple ones, asking about the ring, engagement dress, or colour. "

" Are you happy? " He was searching for more. He wouldn't let Humaira continue with her decision without making sure this was what she wanted. Humaira was dear to the two people who mattered to him the most. Saad had labelled Furqan as a creep and wouldn't hear anything otherwise; while his dad, when he got the news, shared his concern with his eldest. As Dr. Hameed was out of town, he wanted Umair to take up his role and talk to Humaira about this marriage and look into the matter to be sure.

"About this marriage? Why not? He's well settled, good-looking, and fit for his age... Yeah. He's a package."

"Package?" He questioned, "That's how you see him; old money and looks? That's it. That's what you need to be happy?" He didn't want to believe what he was hearing.

"It's an arranged marriage. What else should matter?" She tried to find another reason, then, with a curious expression, she asked, "Do you think I should ask for medical history or the future?"

"Huh?" Umair's brows furrowed, "History or future?"

"Yeah..." Humaira shifted closer to his side," Just because I'm fine with his age doesn't mean his body would be fine with it too. So, should I ask him to get tested for HIV? STIs? Or his sperm count? "

Umair was taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation, "Uh, what? " He swallowed his discomfort." This really isn't my place to say something. "

Humaira laughed seeing him, moving her right hand up in the air," chill, Sir. I was just kidding. "

Umair said nothing, he just kept looking at her- laughing at her own silly behaviour. Now that he was free from Humaira's side. It was his turn to run a background check on Furqan as asked by his dad. He wouldn't let her daughter-like student do anything stupid in his absence.

"Now that you have successfully interviewed me, am I allowed to pry a little, Sir?" Humaira grinned, wiggling her brows at him.

"Pry... how?"

"Tell me," she turned a little more to his side to have a clear view of him, "why is it that your younger brother is getting married before you?"

This question wasn't something that was running on her mind but she was curious; how the younger one was getting married while the eldest was making her learn her most hated topic. She wanted him to have a break, maybe go on a honeymoon or so.

Umair shrugged, "The answer is simple: he has found someone with whom he'd like to spend his life. I have not."

Humaira rolled her eyes, taking her usual position, "People and their delusions of forever."

"What?" He looked at her, "You don't believe in forever?"

"No." She didn't take a second to reply. Her face, devoid of any emotion. Umair was surprised by her instant reply. He perceived her to be someone carefree, jolly, cheerful, not letting the negativity affect her; he thought of her as those sunshine girls who believe in fairytale and happy ever after.

"So, you don't believe in happy endings?"

"Only in movies and books. Life is too cruel to give us happy endings, Sir." She faced him again, "You know literature and art better than I. They focus on one subject, but our lives... here we juggle with many problems at once."

"I'm all ears."

She clicked her tongue, taking in a slow breath, putting out her thoughts, " Mostly the stories are about one topic - revenge, love, some goal, and by the end of the story the protagonist achieves those, but in life, the couple that fought the world realised that they are not compatible enough." She tried to explain her point," Okay, you know Romeo and Juliet? "

Umair gestured a yes in reply.

"That was what? A love story of a few days led to many deaths? Now imagine, " Humaira was using her hands for dramatic effect. " Romeo and Juliet didn't die, they somehow survived. Maybe Juliet opened her eyes in time or Romeo got a longer monologue. " Her imagination made Umair chuckle. A sharp look from Humaira had him serious once again, or at least, he pretended, rolling his lips to cease his smile and concentrating on the speaker in front of him.

"They escaped the town and were traveling somewhere else." She flashed a smile, getting to her point, "And during their journey, they finally started to talk normally. Where Juliet is just Juliet and not Sun or Moon. Romeo tells him about his likes - his favourite food... mushrooms, but Juliet is allergic to them! She'll die within an hour of having a bite of it, if untreated."

Umair adjusted on his spot, raising his hand to stop her, waiting for her permission before speaking. After getting a nod, he asked, "Am I allowed to laugh at your given scenarios?"

She was taking her own sweet time before answering. Building the suspense. Her eyes had mischief and her lips were tightly closed, hiding the smile that was trying to escape.

" Come on, Humaira!" He whined.

She laughed listening to her teacher's whining voice, " Fine."

"The moment has passed. Then what happens?"

"They realise what a big mistake it was!" She rested her chin on the cushion of her hand, smiling at her teacher, who had a look of amusement on his face, shaking his head slightly.

"What's your favourite romance book, Humaira?"

"Othello."

"That's... tragedy. Plus, it's a play; and not a novel." He pointed.

"Say that to Desdemona, who eloped with Othello because she was in love."

"She's dead."

"You mean, killed by her loving husband?" While Humaira had a sweet smile, that moment, Umair wanted her to stop.

"Give me the name of one romantic novel that you like." Demanded Umair, articulating each word.

"Wuthering Heights. That's a novel... and romance!" Humaira exclaimed on seeing his reaction, before he could support it with words.

Umair was in shock after witnessing this side of his time being tutee. What kind of person studies literature but detests romance, and names a Shakespeare tragedy play as their favourite romance? Umair was a romantic, deep in his heart. He saw his mother falling in love again; and this made him realise that Humaira's point was right- people do fall out of love. His parents did. But would he say that in front of her? No.

"Do you know who gets their happy ending, Humaira?"

Keeping her eyes on him, she answered, "People who don't believe in forever?"

A smile appeared on his face after listening to her reply as if he got more than he was seeking. Holding her gaze, he spoke slowly, "So, you not being a believer of forever is actually a silent hope of finding it?"

Humaira's heart skipped a beat. "What rubbish!" She looked away with a frown. "I don't seek forever. I don't want to have something that doesn't exist."

"So, you think forever doesn't exist?" His voice was appealing.

"Sir," she faced Umair, "Why are you so ardent to make me believe in something I don't want to. I'm sorry, but as far as I know, your parents had a love marriage, right? What happened to their forever? Ended in a few years? A decade? That is what forever is.... a decade and a half?"

Umair's eyes hardened at the mention of his parents' marriage. Still, he tried to hold back his rage and maintain his calm. Though the voice in which he called her name had a silent warning for Humaira.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I know I mentioned the thing I shouldn't have. But when I look around..." her eyes stared at oblivion, "I don't see happy endings or love." She shrugged. " I see sacrifices, unfulfilled dreams— hope, struggle–"

"That is what forever is made of," Umair rose up from his place and took steps towards her, "It's two people holding on to their love, making sacrifices to be with each other, giving up on their own dreams to make someone else's dream come true- in hope to see the person they love the happiest. Forever is not something extraordinary; rather, it is made up of thousands of ordinary days and things two people do."

There was a prolonged silence followed by his words. Umair was waiting for a reply but Humaira just kept staring at him, her thoughts known only to her.

"I hope you find someone with whom you can have your forever." Humaira sounded very sincere with her wish for him and maybe she was. She wanted someone to have what they believe in.

|~★~|

Well... That was intense.

Hmm... What do you think;

Who's gonna get their forever,

The believer or the disbeliever?

And which team do you belong to #TeamUmair or #TeamHumaira ?

Show some love,