Hiraeth

Chapter 18

Hana's university started and it was really hectic for. All of her time was taken by the university and when she comes home, it is usually 6pm to 7pm by then. Hana goes straight to her room and works her university assignments and usually has to stay awake most of the nights. Because of Zamid's marriage, there were lots of guests in the house and everyone very busy with the preparations. Hana's health started to get really bad. The family was noting this. She was getting thinner and thinner and it was becoming so noticeable that Rayaan actually asked about her health at the dinner table when she was not at the table for dinner once again. It has been 7 days straight in a row.

"Anni Hiba! What's wrong with hana? She is getting so weaker and I can see constant dark circles under her eyes! I have noticed that she remains up most of the nights! Is her university this much burdening?" Rayaan asked worriedly. He was getting extremely worried for her.

"Her university is not very burdening! It's probably her laptop that she uses for so long! Stop that girl from overusing her phone and laptop! That girl is getting really irresponsible!" Dadi jaan replied instead to Rayaan and then lectured her daughter-in-law.

"Even I think that we should keep a check on her! Baba, Ap us k phone or laptop ko check kiya karain! Pata nhi kiya krti hai sara din! Mjhay to shak sa honay lag gaya hai us ki harkato pr!" Zamid said this to his father. Asfand just listened to the conversation without paying much attention. He was just worried about his daughter's health.

"Acha abhi khana khao sab! Kal subah sab nay wesay bhi jaldi uthna h! 11am bajay kazi sahib nikkah k liye aa jain gay!" Rayaan's mother said to divert everyone's attention from hana.

Then again, it is a big day for everyone as tomorrow is Zamid's Nikkah and at night, there is gonna be a small function in the villa. In this function, all the girls and ladies are going to gather in the Shah Villa and get their mehndi done. The ladies from the Bride's side are also going to be there. Even the bride herself! The day after tomorrow is the actual mehndi function.

Everyone went back to their food and a lively chatter filled the dining table. The cousins had decided to go for an outing as this was going to be Zamid's last day as a single man. They decided to go for a long ride. Zayn went to bring hana along. He went to her room and knocked on her door. There was no response so he knocked one more time. When there was no reply on the 3rd knock, he turned the knob and went in.

He saw Hana, sitting in Indian style and face down on the bed. Her fingers were on the keypad of her open laptop. He screen was still turned on. Zayn just shook his head and went towards her bed to turn her laptop off. He took her laptop and mobile from the bed and put them on the study table in her room. Zayn saw that hana was making something on her laptop. It looked like some sort of a t-shirt design. He thought that it was her university work so he just put the lid of the laptop down and went to hana's bed and adjusted her in a proper way on the bed. He freed hana's hair from their bun and put the covers on her. Zayn went out after turning the lights off.

The cousins went without hana and no one even bothered to ask about her. Zayn was now feeling for hana that how much she must be hurting with all this ignorance. He now started to understand hana and her need to stay in her room all the time. It must be lonely for her. He thought that he will give hana all of his attention so that it can make up for all the missing times.

......

The morning came and everyone was up for Fajr Namaz. They offered the prayer and went to do some last minute preparations. The breakfast was getting ready by the females and some cooks. Hana was not down with them this time. When it stuck 8am, hana came running down the stairs in her abaya and bag on her back. Hana saw that everyone was at the dining table so she slowed her pace and made her way to the table. She greeted everyone and took an empty seat beside Zamid. Zayn was sitting beside Zamid.