19. Lm3allem

I hear Noor calling Sadia's name first thing after Salam as she ascends from the stairs every morning. Giving my hair a last brush, I put the brush away, quickly spritzing my cologne and exit the room.

"Assalamalaikum," I say to the pair of ladies present in the dining area.

Everybody knows how charming I am and so does Sadia who makes a dash for the kitchen after mumbling a quick  Walaikumsalam when she sees me smiling at her.

"Walaik--- whoa, whoa,whoa!" Noor does a double takes to my outfit.

I know I kill every outfit but was I looking so dapper today?

"Kidhar chali sawari?" She asks.

"Work, where else?"

"No, no, no, no, no. You're not going to the office today."

"Why?"

"Cuz you're still recovering."

"I am OK." I tell her.

"Yes and you're not doing perfectly fine." Noor counters. "Sadia, toast lekar aao, please!" She yells toward the kitchen.

"C'mon Noor, I've already missed 2 days. Can't miss anymore." I say to her settling on the chair across from her.

"You are on a sick leave, Muaaz. It's not missing workdays."

"Look, I understand your concern, but I feel much better today. I can't just sit at home doing nothing when there's do much work to be done," I insisted, trying to reason with her.

"No, Muaaz, you need to rest properly. You can't push yourself like this," she replied firmly, her expression unwavering.

"But--"

"No if no buts." She cuts me off.

I hear footsteps approaching us and I thank God it is not her father.

"Chachu!" I call, grateful for having someone on my side. "Tell your niece to let me come to work with her."

"Work?" Oh no. "Absolutely not! You're still recovering and need rest."

"Aha!" Noor chuckled, sticking her tongue out at me.

That brat!

"Chachi!" I smile at her. "Tell your husband and niece to let me start work from today."

"First, tell me how you're feeling."

"Better than ever!"

"Maybe, but he's still recovering." Noor argues.

"That doesn't mean I'm staying home."

"Don't exert yourself too much, bete." Chachi says, placing a hand on my cheek.

I sighed, knowing that arguing further might not get me anywhere. "Fine, how about this? I'll go to work, but I'll take it easy. I won't overexert myself, I promise," I proposed, hoping to find a middle ground.

Noor's brows furrowed as she considered my proposal but shakes her head "It's not just about promising me. Your health is at stake here. You can't afford to risk a setback by rushing back to work too soon," she argued, her voice tinged with worry.

"I understand that, Noor. But the doctor did say I'm recovering well, and I feel ready to handle a few hours at the office," I countered, trying to sound convincing.

Sadia arrived with the toast, placing it on the table quietly, sensing the tension in the air. Noor took a deep breath before continuing, "I know you're eager to get back to your routine, but you have to prioritize your health. Missing a few more days won't harm your work, but pushing yourself prematurely might."

I nodded, acknowledging her point. "Okay, how about this then? I'll go to work for a few hours, just to catch up on urgent tasks, and then I'll come back home to rest. That way, I won't strain myself too much," I suggested, hoping to find a compromise that satisfied both of us.

Noor hesitated again, visibly torn between her concern for my health and my insistence on returning to work.

"Fine," Chachi cuts in. "But promise me you'll take it easy and come back if you start feeling unwell," she relented finally, her expression softening slightly.

"I promise, chachi. Thank you for understanding," I said sincerely, relieved that she had agreed to my plan.

But my eyes found Noor again, unimpressed and unconvinced still. I raise by brows at her and  She sighs bouncing her shoulders in a 'whatever' gesture.

Chachi and chahcu disappear somewhere leaving us by ourselves.

"Hey," I call softly, trying to gain her attention as we settled in our chairs.

"Shut up and eat."

I huff, dipping my toast in the cup of tea Sadia had prepared for me half heartedly. My gaze finds her again but she refused to meet my eyes. Another huff escapes my lips.

"I won't go if you're not happy with it." I say with all sincerity.

She raises her head and finally looks at me. "You can come." Noor smiles and I smile back in relief.

I bring the soaked toast to my mouth and was about to bite into it when a hand wraps around my wrist.

"But on one condition," I notice the glint in her eyes right away as our eyes met.

"That is...?"

"You have to let me be your boss for the day," she declared, her smile widening.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her request. "My boss? What do you mean?"

"I mean, since you're technically taking orders from me to either stay home or come to work, why not make it official for today?" she teased, enjoying the playful banter.

I couldn't resist the infectious laughter that bubbled up between us. "Alright, boss," I said, mock saluting Noor with my left hand since my right was still in her grip and smile, "I'll follow your orders to the letter."

I look puzzled when she moves my hand closer to her and bites into the toast before taking the rest from my hand and enjoying it.

"Sadia, chai achi bani."

And, for the first time ever, My dil went 'hmmmm' just like the song.

⚜️

"You're going to be staying in my cabin while you're here."

In response, I pull out my phone, tap on Spotify and look for the song before hitting play.

"Int muallim wahna mink nitallim

Naskunt wa ant maujood manaraa--"

"Oh my God, Muaaz, stopppp!" She says as they exit the elevator and stroll towards the office door. Noor let's me go in first and when I do everybody present break out into cheers and applaud like I've the world record of some sort.

"Ight, ight!" I say, scratching my neck and trying to meet their gazes.

I hear a click sound from my left to see Noor with her phone raised in the air as she must've snapped another embarrassing picture of mine. I watch as she looks at the screen, chuckles and does an perfecto hand gesture to herself.

"Great to see you back, man." I turn to look at Khalid who gains my attention with a couple others standing behind him. We shake hands and share a half hug and make small talk with the group.

"Is Afsaar in today?" I inquire.

"Nope, but he might stop by if we inform him." Raj replied

"Ok. Don't inform him." I say and they laugh as though I am joking.

I am not.

We disperse, after which I make my way towards my boss's cabin. I see Kishore standing by the door, conversing with Noor and am able to hear their voices as I approach them.

'-- toast hai to toast lado, otherwise main order kardungi kuch.' She tells him.

"Hello,"

"Hussein sahab," The humble man turns to face me. "Bohot khushi hua aapko aaj dekh kar. Abhi tabiyat kaisa hai? Aap kahein to toast laadein aapka vaaste?"

I clear my throat, giving my Urdu a try. "Main theek hoon. Aur khana khakar aaya ghar se. Abhi bhook nahi."

But I'm sure it sounded like, 'Ma-yy teek hoon. Oor khana kha-kar aaya ghar se-yy. Ab-eyy bookh nayyyee." Because he tried to not laugh and pushed his lips together with a smile while Noor snorted in the background.

"Theek hai."

"Kishore, ORS order kardi main. Aap please receive karlo." Noor gives him the last order for now at which he nods and leaves the cabin.

'Pheww,' I sigh, plopping on the chair.

"Are you feeling OK?" She asked.

"Just tired, is all."

She leans forwards, the back of her hand going to check my forehead and then my neck. "Bukhar to nahi hai, Allah ka shukar." Settling back in her chair, she produces a bottle of water from her bag and passes it to me. "Here, tell me if you need anything."

"Sure thing. Chalo, let's get to work." I say, placing my iPad on the desk.

"By the way Mr. Hussein," Noor starts. "When is your birthday?"

"June 29."

"Over a month from now." She says, nodding to herself.

"You have ample of time to make arrangements."

"For?"

"My birthday surprise." I say as a matter of fact, in all seriousness.

"Ha! Don't think too high of yourself."

"I don't, but you do." Her eyes shoot upward to meet mine as the words left my mouth.

"You really think so?"

"Mm-mmm, I know so."

"Acha?" She cocks a brow. Placing her elbows on the desk, her fingers entwined.  "How?

"Well," I began, leaning back in my chair, "let's just say I have a few tricks up my sleeve. But I can't reveal them all at once, can I?"

"Ohhh,"

"I hope you're not planning something too extravagant," I teased, leaning forward with a sly smile.

Her eyes widened in mock offense as she olayed along. "Me? Extravagant? Never."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh, I don't know about that. You do have a flair for the dramatic."

"Flair for the dramatic?" She feigned innocence, placing a hand over her heart. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Mr. Hussein."

"Red roses on our first meet as official partners, rings a bell?"

"That was Kishore. Not me."

I chuckled. "Doesn't matter. Just remember, I prefer quiet celebrations."

"Quiet celebrations," she repeated with a playful smirk. "Noted."

Noor's playful challenge hung in the air, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the prospect of teasing her a bit.

Her cheeks flushed slightly at the compliment, and she quickly looked away, pretending to focus on something on her desk. But I caught the hint of a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

I turn to look behind me when I hear a knock on the glass door. "Muskaan bibi, aapki delivery."

It was Kishore again, getting the thi gs Muskaan had ordered.

"Thanks Kishore," she said, taking the packs of ORS from him and a henna cone. "Lekin mehendi main nahi order kari."

"Hum kare hai aapke khatir." He says. "Aapko kuch de nahi paye the bache ke admissan ke baad to ye laye hai."

"Awwe," She smiles, thanking him again.

"Here's your drink, Mr. Hussein." Noor said sliding the juice box towards me.

"Can we get to work now?" I ask, taking in the much needed electrolytes.

"Of course, but I got another question for you." I nod, motioning for her to go ahead and ask. "Do you know the reason behind he fued? Any idea n what's it about? Anything?"

I shake my head, "I have to offer you, Noor. I wasn't aware of anything until I announced my decision to take up the task here. And still papa didn't tell me anything because he thought I wasn't going to be meeting any one of you."

She nods her head then a frown appears on her forehead. "Does that mean he doesn't know you're staying with us and that you and I partners?"

"I didn't tell him."

"Oopsies." She said, burrying her face in her palms.

"What's wrong?"

"The day you were hospitalized, I answered your phone assuming it was mine since we have the same model and color. It was from Layla, who recognized me, I don't know how, and passed the phone around to everybody else."

"You spoke to my family?" Noor nods, nervous. "Did they ask where I was?"

"I said you were asleep."

"Oh my God," Now I understand why papa's been so cross with me. I called home yesterday and today, spoke to Ma but not papa even though he was home.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you didn't tell them. I didn't mean to make this difficult for you more than it already is. I'm sorry."

But he'd tell me if he's mad at me, no? He usually does because unlike Noor's father mine turned to open communication rather than locking themselves in their room for days and days.

"It's OK, I guess." I tell her, unsure of the situation back home myself. My teeth nibble on the plastic straw out of habit as my mind comes up with reasons on why papa is in the mood he is. "He'll be fine." I tell myself.

"I'm truly sorry."

"Forget that." I sigh and blow a breath. "Tell me how did it feel speaking to them?"

"Ummm," Noor inhales slowly, "to be honest, it was awkward on my end. I didn't know them but they knew me. And so, I was sitting with a smile watching them gush over how much I've grown since the last time they saw me." I chuckle at her words.

"Thats good. Can we get back to work now atleast?"

"Of course." Noor clears her throat, directing her focus to the screen and whatever document was pulled open on there.

We start going over the main things of our project, before moving to the lesser important ones. Noor had me with her for atleast a half hour before my mind decided to ditch me, backed up by the beating organ in my chest.

I suddenly realised the strikingly beautiful face she was blessed with. Almond-shaped eyes with the rarest blend of brown and green framed by long, dark lashes that accentuate their depth. Well defined eyebrows that were  gracefully arched, adding a touch of elegance to her overall look. oval-shaped face with high cheekbones that give her a sculpted appearance. Her  radiant complexion only adding to her youthful charm.

". . . I say we really need to get that bit out but what do you think?"

I only sigh in response when her eyes met mine.

"Muaaz?" She waves a hand before snapping her fingers when I don't respond. "Aajao wapas, India meich hai aap." Noor says presuming I was virtually on the streets of London.

"I was right here."

"Tell me what do we do with this part?"

What were we talking about again?

I wonder, squinting at the screen. The wheels in my mind turn with a quick comeback. Swiping away at my phone, I hit play and the song starts to flow from the speakers.

"Int muallim wahna mink nitallim

Naskunt wa ant maujood manaraa--"

"Can you use your words to answer my question?"

"I dont know. You're the boss." She looks unimpressed by that so I decide to play the patient card. "I'm kinda tired. Mind if I take a break?"

Her facial expressions did a 180 in an instant. "Do you want to have a snack? Another ORS or something to eat?" Noor asks in a voice dipped in concern.

I won't lie, but my heart did weird things to me as I watch her being caring and worried for me. Which is absurd in more ways than one but I can't help what I feel at the moment.

Before I could answer, she asks Koshore to get me something. Her hand touching my forehead at once to check if my body temperature has spiked.

"Bukhar nahi hai."

"I know, Ms. Noor. I'm only tired and not sick." But she was in no mood of listening to me.

"I told you not to come to the office today, but you just had to be here since you couldn't miss work no more."

"Ms.---"

"There are so many of ways of working remotely from home, lekin nahi. Aapko to first bencher, teachers pet banne ki aadat hai."

"Listen--"

"Aur mat suno meri baat. Abhi kisko pareshani hori--"

"Noorie!" I grab both of her wrists and yank her forward, successfully shutting her up. "I'm OK. I'll be more than OK if I eat something. I'm only a little drained at the moment. I'll be fine." I coo gently, staring into those wide pools of hazel.

"If you worry too much, who's going to look after me? Who's going to order me around? Huh?"

"Me." She breathed. Her breath hitting my mouth indicated how close our faces were.

"Calm down." I tell her, slowly letting her go.

Sounds coming from the background gained our attention. Was it some kind of commotion?

I push to my feet, moving to exit the cabin when a familiar face comes into view. "Hello, Mr. Hussein. I heard about your health. Hope you're feeling better now." She said politely.

"Daniii!" Noor comes from behind me and goes forward to embrace her friend.

"Here you go, meri shaadi ka card." Daniya said, handing over. "Official invites ab jaare. And sab se pehla invite to Ms. Muskaan. You know what to do next. Get married."

"Aapki shaadi hori to baaki ko dunya bhi karlena?"

"Tu to karle."

"Public place hai, Dani. Control karo thoda." Dani shakes her head at her friend, her attention back at me.

"This one's for you, Mr. Hussein. You have to come. No excuses."

Stealing a look at Noor, I answer. "I'll do my best. When is it anyway?"

"In two weeks."

"Close." I said.

"Aur aapko aana hai kaisa bhi, Muskaan aur uske family ke saath. Abhi to aap bhi family hai."

"Dani, control." Noor said with a tight smile.

"Anyway, shaadi ke functions thode din mein shuru hojare."

I smile at her words that failed to register in my right away and only made sense after a while.

She did know.

"Noor," I call, tugging at her shirt. "Does she know?"

"About?"

"Us."

"Of course she does." Like, huh, why'd you even ask that question.

"We were supposed to keep it a secret." I stressed.

"It still is. Just not between us bestfriends. Aur waise bhi, sub ko malum hogya to kiya badi baat hai?"

I go quiet, mulling over the idea.

Koi badi baat nahi hai.

☕️

Your response on the last chapter made my week 💞 Thanks for still sticking with us. Hope you enjoyed this one too

Peace out ✌🏻