Khan's Mansion

It was early morning. Sunlight streamed through the window, spilling gold across the cluttered room.

The bed was empty, the bedsheet crumpled, one pillow abandoned on the floor, and the comforter dangled halfway to the ground. Clothes were scattered-some draped over the chair, others crumpled near the bed. Books had claimed every surface-bed, table, shelves, even the sofa.

And in the corner of this chaos sat a girl at the study table, muttering at full speed like she was under a time bomb.

It was Ayeda.

She ranted in such a rush that no one would've caught a word-her hands flipping through pages, her eyes darting between notes, lips moving faster than her mind could follow.

Finally, she paused. Took a deep breath.

Then looked out the window at the open sky and sighed dramatically,

"Ya Allah! Please joh maine yaad kiya hai wahi aaye paper mein. Bas iss baar mujhe pass kara do..."
(Ya Allah! Please let whatever I have studied come in the exam. Just this time, please help me pass...)

Her voice cracked with desperation-every student's prayer before an exam.

Just then, a calm, sweet voice echoed from behind her.

"Ho jaayegi aap pass... sirf pass nahi, hamesha ki tarah top karo gi."
(You will pass... not just pass, like always, you'll top the exam.)

Zoya (her Tayi Ammi)-walked in with a warm smile and a glass of milk in hand. Dressed in a light blue suit, she had that calming energy that made even the worst panic feel manageable.

"Tayi Ammi..." Ayeda whined, "Lekin aaj toh lag raha hai sab bhool rahi hoon!"
(But today it feels like I'm forgetting everything!)

She turned a few pages anxiously, flipping between chapters as if answers might magically appear.

Zoya walked over, gently took Ayeda's hand, and made her hold the glass.

"Pehle yeh pi lo. Har baar aise hi ghabraati ho. Paper dene jaati ho, aur baad mein full khush!"
(First, drink this. You always panic like this. Then you go write the exam, and afterward, you're all happy!)

Ayeda gulped the milk in one go, then let out a big breath, as if the stress had exited with it.

"Jaldi se dua dijiye ab mujhe!" she said, wiping her mouth.
(Quickly give me a dua now!)

Zoya smiled, dabbing ayeda's mouth gently with her dupatta where a milk mustache had formed. Then, she cupped Ayeda's cheek lovingly and said,

"Jo padha hai wahi aayega. Aur paper dekhte hi sab yaad bhi aa jaayega. Is baar bhi top karo gi, InshaAllah."
(What you've studied will come in the paper. And the moment you see the paper, you'll remember everything. You'll top this time too, InshaAllah.)

"Thank you Tayi Ammi! Ab toh koi nahi rok sakta mujhe top karne se!" Ayeda beamed with confidence, finally finding her rhythm.
(Thank you, Tayi Ammi! Now no one can stop me from topping!)

Zoya chuckled. "Chalo, neeche nashta kar lo. Phir exam bhi toh dena hai."
(Come on, have breakfast downstairs. You have an exam to give after all.)

"Ji! Abhi aayi!" Ayeda called out cheerfully.

As Zoya walked out, Ayeda turned to head towards the bed to change, but her foot slipped over the pile of clothes on the floor. She fell flat-face first-right onto the soft bed.

"AAHHH!"

Her scream echoed through the room.

A loud voice followed instantly from outside.

"Kya hua?! Phir se gir gayi kya?"
(What happened?! Did you fall again?)
It was her mother-Aliyah.

Ayeda popped up immediately, cheeks red, fixing her hair quickly with her hands.

"Nahi Ammi!" she yelled back, and darted into the bathroom like a ninja, disappearing before any more questions could land.

During Breakfast

Everyone was seated around the dining table. Ayeda, hunched over her plate, was eating like the world might end in the next two minutes.

"Aram se khao, Ayeda. No one's going to snatch your food," her mother, Aliyah, said, watching her with half-annoyed, half-amused eyes.

"Mmm... Ammi..." Ayeda tried to say something in protest, but it all came out muffled-her mouth too full to form a single word.

Zoya, her Tayi Ammi, shook her head fondly. "Chalo idhar aao, I'll feed you," she said, pulling the plate closer and starting to feed her spoon by spoon with all the motherly calm.

"Today's your last exam, right, Ayeda?" her father, Iqbal, asked, sipping his tea.

"Jii Abbu." She nodded quickly, cheeks still puffed with food.

"Phir bhi dekho, kitni tension mein hai. Zaraa khushi toh dikhao-last paper hai, tension khatam! Mujhse kuch seekho."
(Still look at her, so stressed. At least show some happiness-it's the last paper, stress is over! Learn something from me.)

This came from a boy in a brown shirt and white jeans, hair set perfectly, and beard trimmed like he just stepped out of a salon. It was Samad-casually leaning back in his chair with that irritating confidence.

"Main toh ek raat pehle padh ke pass ho jaata hoon. Aur tum... itne mahine padhai karke bhi yeh haal hai. Tsk tsk... Eda... kitabi keeda."
(I just study one night before and still pass. And you... even after studying for months, this is your condition. Tsk tsk.)

Ayeda shot him a look, lips pressed tight into a sarcastic smile.

"Pass hone mein aur top karne mein farq hota hai,."
(There's a difference between just getting pass and getting top).

"Aisa kaise keh diya tumne? Woh bhi karta hai top," Ibrahim-her Taya Abbu-added dramatically from the head of the table.
(How could you say that? He tops too!)

Everyone looked at him, surprised. Even Samad paused mid-bite and turned to him with an amused expression, silently asking main? Kab?

Clearing his throat, Ibrahim added, "Woh alag baat hai... neeche se top karta hai."
(That's a different story... he tops from the bottom.)

The whole table burst into laughter-even Samad couldn't hold back his grin.

Aliyah tried to cover up her laughter with a sip of tea and then turned serious.

"Except studies, Ayeda, you're not good at anything. So don't laugh at Samad."

"What?! You can't say that to me, Ammi!" Ayeda pointed an accusing finger across the table. "It's not my fault! You know exactly who to blame."

She turned dramatically toward Iqbal and Ibrahim.

"When I signed up for that school race, instead of letting me run, Abbu aap mujhe godi mein utha ke bhaag gaye! Saying 'beta thak jayegi'.

And Taya Abbu! The first time I tried to play football because Samad looked so cool doing it-you came running to the ground and said 'Nahi Ayeda! Ball lag gayi toh?' Before I could even kick it!"

Everyone was chuckling now. But she wasn't done.

"And let's not forget cooking! Tayi Ammi never lets me into the kitchen-'you might burn yourself, knife lag sakta hai, zyada ghoomna mat chakkar aa jayenge'. So please explain... main seekhun toh seekhun kaise?!"

Aliyah sighed, clearly out-argued. She glanced at the wall clock.

"Bas karo drama queen. Don't you have an exam to give? Jaldi jao!"

Ayeda stood, grabbing her bag with a dramatic flip of her dupatta.

"Okay, chalti hoon. Ache se dua karna mere liye."

"I'll drop you," Ibrahim offered.

"No need, Taya Abbu," she said, already walking toward the door. "I have my car. And I can drive-thank you very much!"

And with that, she rushed out the door, leaving behind a table full of laughter and smiles.

In afternoon
Ayeda stepped into the house, the weight of exams finally lifted from her shoulders.

As she entered the living room, she spotted Aliyah sitting on the sofa. Without a word, she walked straight to her and collapsed onto the couch, resting her head in her mother's lap.

"Finally, Ammi... aaj araam se soongi," she sighed, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
(today I'll sleep peacefully.)

Aliyah smiled softly and began running her fingers through Ayeda's hair - gentle, calming strokes only a mother knows.

Just then, Zoya walked in with a tray - a chocolate milkshake and a neatly cut sandwich on it. "Chalo, uth jao. Pehle kuch kha lo, phir jitna marzi so lena," she said, placing the tray on the table.
(Come on, get up. First, eat something, then you can sleep as much as you want.)

Ayeda's eyes lit up. She sat up and immediately hugged Zoya. "Tayi Ammi, you're seriously the best." With no delay, she picked up the sandwich and took a bite. "Mmm... it's so tasty."

Once she was done eating, she stretched her arms and stood up. "Okay, now I'm officially going to bed."

Aliyah stopped her midway. "Raat ko function hai. Hum sab toh jaldi chalay jaayenge, lekin tum aur Samad 7 baje ke baad aa jaana, theek hai?"
(There's a function tonight. We all will leave early, but you and Samad come after 7 o'clock, okay?)

"Theek hai Ammi," Ayeda nodded, already halfway dreaming. Saying that, she headed to her room and finally slipped into a peaceful nap.

At 7pm
Ayeda stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the scarf around her head. She was dressed in a long red frock, its sleeves reaching her wrists - elegant, yet simple.

Samad stepped in, clearly annoyed.

"Chalo bhi, kitni der aur lagao gi? Abbu aur chachu ke calls pe toh main hi sun raha hoon daant."
(Come on, how much longer will you take? I'm the one getting scolded for answering Abbu and Chachu's calls.)

"Ho gaya, bas ye last pin lagani hai." Ayeda replied without looking at him.
(Done, just have to put this last pin.)

Samad let out an exaggerated sigh and scanned the room.

"Kya haal bana rakha hai tumne room ka, yaar... lagta hai yahaan kab se toofan aaya hua hai."
(What a mess you've made of your room, yaar... looks like a storm hit here ages ago.)

Ayeda just shrugged, unfazed. This was a daily scene.

A minute later, she turned around, now fully ready. The soft red of her dress complimented the warm tones of her scarf. She gave him a little proud look.

"Chalo," Samad said, turning to leave.

"Kya yaar, ek tareef bhi nahi kar sakte tum?" Ayeda asked, pouting slightly.
(Come on, yaar, can't you give even one compliment?)

Samad gave her a quick look and smirked.

"Bilkul cute si... bandariya lag rahi ho." And he burst out laughing.

"Tum kitne badtameez ho!" she huffed, stomping her foot before storming past him toward the car.

Samad just chuckled, shaking his head as he followed her.

At function venue

"Due to traffic, we're late. Ammi has already called ten times," Ayeda said with a sigh as they finally reached the venue.

Samad checked his phone.

"You go ahead. I'll stay here-Azaan bhai said he's on the way, I'll wait for him."

"Okay," she nodded, stepping out quickly.

As she started walking, she muttered under her breath,

"Jaldi chalo Ayeda... warna ammi toh aaj pakka maar degi. Itni achi neend lag gayi thi, main kya kar sakti hoon usme? Inko function aaj hi rakhna tha kal nahi rakh sakte the? Aaj hi toh mera exam hua hai. Insaan sukoon se saans bhi na le..."
(Hurry up, Ayeda... otherwise, Ammi will definitely scold me today. I was having such a good sleep, what can I do about that? Did they have to hold the function today? Couldn't it have been tomorrow? I just had my exam today. Can't a person even breathe in peace...)

Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly bumped into someone.

Startled, she quickly composed herself, muttering,

"Kya kar rahi ho Ayeda... hamesha girti kyun rehti ho..."
(What are you doing, Ayeda... why do you keep falling all the time?)

Clearing her throat, she said,

"I'm so sorry..."

But no reply came.

She looked up and her eyes finally met his.

A pair of black eyes stared back at her. Deep, steady... like fresh ink. Not shimmering, not playful but calm and commanding. A kind of quiet gravity that didn't ask for attention, but held it anyway.

Feeling a bit awkward, she repeated,

"I was just in a bit of a hurry... so sorry," she said again, more softly.

He mumbled something under his breath, so low she couldn't catch it.

She blinked, confused, and then walked past him.

"Kya sadu insaan hai... sorry ka jawaab mein ek 'it's okay' bhi nahi bol sakta. Huh... badtameez," she murmured as she stepped inside, shaking her head.
(What a rude person... can't even say 'it's okay' in reply to a sorry. Huh... impolite.)

"Not every meeting needs fireworks-sometimes, it starts with a simple sorry."