ABEER:
"At least untie your hair", Aamna said but I ignored her comment.
"When you went for a night out with Sahir you had looked so pretty with that little makeover and I don't think that it would do you any harm tonight", she said filing her nails and looking at me expectantly.
"I did not do that myself. You imposed it on me which I am not going to let you do today and secondly Sahir is different so please stop comparing him with this obnoxious snob ", I said and before she could say anything, my mobile rang.
He had given me a missed call which meant that he was downstairs. Saying a bye to Aamna, I walked out of the apartment door.
When I walked out of the building, he awaited me inside his red Lamborghini. I walked to the passenger side, opened the door and sat in. He was really different from Sahir. Here, in a way, that he never opened the door for me himself.
"Good Evening ", I finally said.
"Evening's long gone", he said looking at me with his smirk playing across his lips and turned the key in the ignition.
I stared out of the windscreen as the car moved out of the city into the suburban residential area. "Where are we going?", I asked casually.
"For dinner", he said.  
"Really?", I asked out of surprise. He looked at me.
" What's so surprising about that?", he asked.
"Wasn't the lunch experience enough for you?", I said and even when I had tried to sound serious, I couldn't control my smile as soon as he turned towards me.
"I don't back out easily", he said and focused his eyes on the road again.
"We'll see", I said.
"Well... I am not like you", he said and for a moment, I looked at him in perplexity.
"What do you mean?", I asked.
"You backed out from the main role of the annual play after knowing that I would be your coordinating actor. Didn't you?", he turned towards me after finishing his sentence.
"I didn't speak because I hadn't read the script even once and Sahir said that he would sort that matter out with Mrs. Williams", I said.
"Well, I am afraid that your boyfriend failed to convince Mrs. Williams because her spy students had already told her that you stood dumbstruck on the stage and now she is considering Hannah's name for Ceilia's character", he said.
"What?", I asked.
"Yes. But if you want then I can offer my service to convince Mrs. Williams to give you one more chance", he said.
"I don't need that", I said.
"Really? You will give up your character?", he asked.
"Asad please, leave this topic and tell me where are we going?", my voice rose a little in annoyance.
"For dinner. I already told you that", he said.
"Who does dinner in these dense woods?", I asked but he looked straight ahead. The road was empty and an unexplainable fear welled inside me. For a moment, I feared that it was his plan.
He told me to come with him and manipulated me with his conversation and now I didn't even know that where we were. What a fool I was!
"Asad tell me clearly where are we going or.....", I said trying to give him an ultimatum but my panic was still clear in my voice.
"Or what?", he asked.
"I'll jump out of the car", I said.
"Jump", he said increasing the speed. For that moment, I could just see the cold glitter in his eyes and the ever present smirk now felt an unpleasant twist to his mouth.
"Jump!", his voice held sarcasm.
"This thing that you are doing.....is not right", I said and could sense the tremor in my voice. He continued to drive. I took out my mobile and dialed Aamna's number.
"Who are you calling?", he asked as I pressed my mobile against my ear. "Aamna", I replied.
"Why?", he asked.
"Stop the car or I'll tell her to call the cops", I said and he turned towards me, snatching my mobile.
"For heaven's sake Abeer. I am not a criminal or renowned rapist that you are behaving like this. I am a respected citizen of this country and you are safe with me. As to where I am taking you, I have arranged a dinner for you with my family at my home", he was speaking loudly and stopped after bringing the car to a halt. I was dumbstruck for a moment.
"I just don't know why you acted like a complete Drama Queen tonight but that doesn't suit you at all", he said pushing on the accelerator as the security guard opened the door to the long driveway that led to a magnificent marble mansion that was diminished against the black night.
"Dinner with your parents?", I asked surprised.
"Yeah", he seemed to have cooled down a bit but I was still guilty for misunderstanding him.
"But you should have told me at least. I am not even prepared to meet them", I said as he stopped the car. "What do you mean by preparation? It is not even an official dinner and if you mean a makeover by preparation then.....", he turned towards me.
"You are the only girl, I would say, who doesn't need it", he completed his sentence and stepped out of the car.
"But can't we do that next Wednesday?", I asked.
"Not at all because I have forced Mom to delay her flight to New York and Dad to postpone his meeting for later this night and now they are waiting for us", he said and I stepped out unwillingly.
Regretting to underestimate him, I looked at myself in the car's side view mirror. As we walked towards the stairs, he was a few steps behind me and just then I felt his hand on my ponytail and with that, my rubber band slipped down my hair I turned back in surprise.
"You look good in loose hair", he said flatly.
"Here", I looked down and he was holding my mobile phone.
"Thanks", I said and took it from his hand with a bewildered smile.
He nodded his head and we started walking again. Entering through the main door, I found myself standing in a lushly adorned, impeccably furnished and splendorously designed mansion.
"Mom and Dad are in the dining", he said ascending a few broad stairs that led into a half, glass walled enclosure. I was expecting his parents to be like him, with an air of superiority. With my heartbeat going irregular, I followed him in.
A lady who sat opposite to the head seat with her back towards us turned a little and stood up.
She was elegantly attired in a white embroidered chiffon saree that was designed with pearls at its edges. Her hair were held back in a French roll and the light but valuable pieces of jewellery in her ears and around her wrists gave an evidence of her highbrow taste in fashion.
"Hello Dear", she said and opened her arms to embrace me in a hug. Giving me a brief hug, she glanced at Asad and said "I am impressed", and I just looked back at her questioningly.
"You are such a pretty girl", she said and gestured for us to walk towards the dining table.
His father was standing beside the chair. I greeted him. He nodded with a smile. "There's no need to be formal Abeer. Feel yourself completely at home", Mrs. Sanjarani said taking her seat.
" Thank you", I said taking my seat opposite to Asad.
"You know when Asad said that he wanted us to have a dinner with his friend, I was really surprised", she said as one of their kitchen servants served the starters.
I looked up.
"He usually doesn't bring his friends home and if they ever come, like Waqas comes sometimes and Brittany came twice or thrice maybe so he just took them straight to his own room so yesterday, I asked him that who was it for whom he was asking me to delay my flight", she said taking a sip from her drink and I just passed a bewildered smile.
"He only said that her name is Abeer and I thought that it must be someone special", she said.
"So how's she Mom", Asad asked eyeing me meaningfully.
"She is worth delaying a flight", she said and I could feel myself blush.
"Take the pasta Abeer. I have that made especially for you because Asad said that its your favourite", she said after a while and I looked at him, who was eating fish, questioningly because although pasta was my favourite, I didn't remember telling him that.
"You take that daily in the cafeteria so I thought that it was your favourite maybe", he said.
After the dinner, Mr. Sanjarani took his leave while Mrs. Sanjarani asked us to wait for her in the lounge. She returned a few minutes later with a small shopping bag in her hand.
"This is for you", she said giving it to me.
"But there's no need for that..... In fact, I should have brought something ", I said a little bewildered from the situation.
"Abeer, your presence itself is a gift. Now keep this", she said leaving no space for me to refuse.
"Its time for me to leave or otherwise, I might miss my flight", she said and hugged me once again.
"It was nice meeting you. Keep coming. I'll feel good to see you", she said with genuine affection and turned towards Asad.
"Good Bye dear", she said hugging him and planting a kiss on his forehead. We followed her out to see her off.
"Take care and have fun ", she said and descended the stairs. As she sat inside the car, he raised his hand slightly and bid her farewell.

ASAD:
"So how was the dinner?", I asked her, turning around as Mom's car sped out of the driveway.
"Good", she said.
"There's still an hour left so....let's go upstairs", I said turning back to go in and she followed me. As we ascended the stairs, she remained a few steps behind me.
"Mom likes you", I said walking through the corridor.
" Well, she told me that", she said as I opened the door of my room and entered in.

I lowered myself onto the sofa with a thud as my legs dangled over its arm. She stood a few steps into the door. "Sit down", I said.
" Uh...don't you think that we should sit outside", she said a little reluctantly and I knew that she was hesitant to be there with me. After all, it was my bedroom. I let out a cold sigh but then, trying not to sound irritated, I said " There are so many places in here to sit so there's no need to go outside. You can sit on the bed, or the couch or the rest chair or....", I straightened up on the sofa " ...if you want then, here", I said gesturing to the empty space next to me.

She walked and sat at the edge of the bed.
For a few moments, there was an awkward silence. I couldn't think of anything that we could do because I had only planned the dinner. Nothing after that.
"Have you ever played video games?", I asked looking at the CDs and DVDs arranged on the rack near the LCD because I just wanted to end that silence.
"Video games?", she asked.
"Yeah. I know your answer but still, I just asked", I said.
"Well, if you are expecting a no, then I'd like to tell you that I am an addict", she said crossing her legs and turning towards me interestingly.
"Are you serious?", I asked.
" Of course, I am. And Asad Sanjarani only girls like Brittany aren't good at video gaming. We also have hidden talents", she said meaningfully and I was surprised to discover that she also had a talent of taunting.
"Brittany didn't play video games but you... I want to see your hidden talent", I said standing up from the sofa.
"If you beat me today, I'll accept that only girls like Brittany aren't good at video gaming ", I said quoting her words while attaching the plugs to the LED.
"Here", I said giving her the remote control and sat beside her on the bed.
"Ready?", I asked flipping down the menu.
"Yeah", she replied.
"Car racing?", I asked.
"You are definitely going to lose because that's my best", she said in excitement.
"Not easy. This is my childhood favourite", I said as the countdown began on the screen. Both of us pushed the levers of our remote controls. In the first lap, I overtook as her car suffered from an accident.
"Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit", she was muttering and her fingers motioned faster on the remote.
She was speaking continuously and I looked at her with more interest than the game.
"Hell. No! ", she shouted as a car overtook her. She seemed so full of life and happy that I really didn't bother about losing. I just wanted to have as much of her joy and excitement as much as I could at that time and I really didn't realize that she had overtaken me in the final lap.
"Yes!", she suddenly shouted and raised her arms in the air, hugging me after it and all of it was so sudden that I just sat there, shocked for a while. She too, realized that what she had done and quickly parted from me. There was clear embarrassment on her face and she looked down.
"Sorry", she said in a low voice that lacked all the enthusiasm with which she was filled earlier.
"That's..... That's okay", I said but that did not end the awkwardness.
"I think I should leave now", she said shrinking a little into herself.
I looked at my watch. Twenty minutes were still left.
"Yeah.....Sure, I'll drop you home", I said finally.