Mehr-o-Mah (مہر و ماہ) -
The sun and the moon
A collection of short stories filled with love, spice, drama and a roller coaster of emotions and of course, a huge part of my imagination.
(The second generation of Ahd-e-Vafa)...
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Coincidences were a rarity in Mayza's life and at that moment, coincidence was the only word that struck her mind.
Blinking as she watched him hesitantly moving towards her, Mayza didn't know when her palm had clutched the handle of her bag with a grip that turned her knuckles white.
"Mayza? Is- is it really you?"
Humaid sounded unsure of himself and why wouldn't he? They had barely known each other for a month before walking apart for nearly 2 years. Mayza matched the look of disbelief in his eyes and a soft smile appeared on her lips.
"I believe so, Humaid bh-"
She didn't get to complete the word upon seeing the shadow that fell over Humaid's face. The memories, always the memories acted as both the healers and the criminals.
Mayza cleared her throat, not wanting to dig deeper when the wounds clearly hadn't fully healed. Humaid could feel the slightest of knocks on the door's of his mind, asking him to open up and relive the moment that had haunted him for the past years.
"It's really a wonder how life works. Pata hi nahi chala ki it's your company."
Humaid was relieved by the change of topic as he offered a smile of his own. His eyes glanced between Mayza and the woman beside her who wore a sly expression, as though amused by what she was seeing.
"This is Qizrah-"
"Her best friend and companion for this trip. Your services have so far been pretty convenient. I can only hope they continue to remain the same."
The last words held a tad bit of seriousness and Humaid chuckled at the way she switched tones so quickly.
Mayza scrutinized Humaid as discreetly as she could, trying to find anything that would soothe the havoc of questions in her mind. The memory of how he had left, the circumstance during which he had walked out and the words he had said, everything clearly didn't point out in any direction that would've ended up well for him.
"Humaid, aap- aap theek hai?"
There was an underlying concern in her voice and he seemed to have caught onto that. Not wanting to weep over things that were better left unsaid and hopefully, one day on the brink of being forgotten, Humaid gave a nod with as much conviction as he could.
Clearing his throat, he offered a nonchalant look to Mayza who seemed every bit unconvinced but left the topic where it was.
"Ladies, hope you'll enjoy the trip. In case of any inconvenience, you can personally get in touch with me."
Humaid handed his business card to Mayza who reluctantly accepted it. It was clear that he wasn't in the mood to make any conversations and they had nothing more to chit-chat about. They were equal to strangers but at the same time, there was the slightest bit of familiarity between the two.
