𝐈𝐬𝐡𝐪 𝐤𝐢 𝐃𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐚𝐧~

Chapter 4

Sahar POV
      I was in the kitchen, skillfully crafting a batch of delectable chocolate brownies, when Zaria Aunty entered and relayed a message, "Sahar beti, Yasmin baji is calling you. She's in your Nani's room." I nodded in acknowledgement, replying, "You go ahead, I'll be there in just five minutes." "Jee, theek hai," she responded before leaving the room.

         Swiftly, I poured the batter into the tray and carefully placed it in the preheated oven. After setting the timer and temperature, I meticulously washed my hands and made my way towards Nani's room. Upon reaching the door, I paused, taking a deep breath, and carefully surveyed the area just to see all the elders and Abbas bhai?-who was just examining the whole room suspiciously. 'Ya Allah kia hone laga hai yahan. Ye konsi panchayat lagi hui hai!!'
           
         As I entered the room and received no immediate attention, I proceeded to greet everyone in a hushed yet audible tone. Each person reciprocated the greeting, and Zohra Mami invited me to take a seat. While doing so, I noticed Abbas Bhai casting a lingering gaze in my direction. I settled beside Ammi on the single-seater sofa, feeling his eyes on me.
       
         The room fell silent, and the tension in the air was palpable. Suddenly, Sulaiman Mamu said something that took me by surprise: "Bachon, we have all decided to have your wedding next month." I was frozen in place, my eyes wide as I looked at Mamu. In the now silent room, the sound of Abbas bhai's gasp echoed loudly.         
    
         I looked at Mamu, then Ammi, and then at him, just to catch him looking at me like an owl - well, my expressions were probably not any less intense. I averted my eyes and glanced at Ammi, who also looked at me. Our eyes communicated with each other in silence. 'How could you, Ammi, knowing everything about me, still consider doing this?' my thoughts were interrupted when Nani, who had been silent until now, spoke, making me even more tense than before. "Sahar, Abbas, we have only just considered this proposal, but I hope that both of you will decide in each other's favor."
         
         I found myself at a loss for what to do next as half of the people in the room had turned their attention to me. Taking a deep breath, I stammered, "Main ch...chalti hun.........wo oven mein brownies rakhi hui hai. I should go and check them," before making a quick exit out of the room.
          
        As I stepped outside, I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Making my way to the kitchen, I found Haya already there, flashing me a mischievous smile that made me want to wipe it off so badly. "Kutti kahe ke to isse pata tha kis liye bulaya gaya hai."

"Haya tu-"

"Sahar"

         I was about to talk to Haya when I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and saw Abbas bhai standing there, looking a bit hesitant.

         "Yes?" I asked. "Umm... I wanted to talk about something," he replied, scratching the back of his ear and glancing at Haya.

         I suppressed a laugh and gave Haya a pointed look, signaling for her to leave the kitchen. Turning my attention back to Abbas bhai, I encouraged him to continue.
        
         "Sahar.....woh..abhi jo kuch hua room main, I know you were not expecting all of this at all, well neither was I," he then took a deep breath and continued "and I know that Dadi have said that our answer should be 'yes' but if you don't want to marry me then you can tell me and I can handle the re..'

         Before he could say too much, I interrupted him by saying in a playful manner "I didn't say that I don't accept the proposal."

         "Huh?" he asked, looking at me with a surprised expression.
       
        "I mean, we've just found out about all this, and I can't make any decision so quickly," I explained as I carefully removed the freshly baked brownies from the oven. "So, from my side, it's neither a yes nor a no at the moment."