Chapter 14

• Hira's POV:
• "Finally caught you. Now I will see how you're going to run from me." Zulqarnain said with a smirk.
• It took me a minute to understand what just happened and when I did, my first reaction was...
• "Huh?" I tilted my head a little, not getting what is going on in his mind. He isn't the type of person from whom I feel threatened and what I saw in his eyes is partially why.
• Suddenly, his smirk disappeared and he starts glaring at me.
• "What's with this look on your face?" He barked.
• "What look?" I blinked.
• "That dumbfounded look." He pointed his finger at my face and continued, "You should look scared or startled."
• "Should?" My eyes widened, "What do you mean by should?"
• "You are alone in a room with a man. So, you should be scared." 
• "Man? What man are you talking about?" I asked, turning my head to look around the room.
• To be honest, I was startled and scared but the gentleness in his eyes made me calm a little and now, I am trying hard to hold in my laughter to the stupid chat we are having.
• "What do you mean 'what man'? I am a man!" He leaves the door and stands straight.
• "Ya Allah!" I gasped, putting my hand on my mouth.
• "Hm?" He cocked an eyebrow.
• "I just realized that you are a man!" His face turns to serious but his eyes didn't. 
• "Sorry." I said, biting my lower lip to hold back laughter while he stared at me with a fake glare.
• "Let's go outside. I put the kettle on the stove."
• "So?"
• "So, let me pass."
• "No." He said plainly.
• "What do you mean by 'no'?"
• "No means no." He shrugged.
• "Step aside, mister. I in no mood to make tea again." I said strictly.
• "Okay, okay teacher. Don't get angry. I will allow you to pass once you tell me the reason behind your behaviour. Why were you avoiding me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
• "Oh, so you are up to bargain. Very well, Hero. Let me pass and I will tell you." I smiled."I have the upper hand here. So you better listen to me." He smirked.
• He is right...
• "Fine...!" I accept my defeat. "I was avoiding you because you are being bothersome these days."
• "Huh?" 
• "You heard me. You are being overprotective. Where I go, how I go, whom I meet, who are my friends at work, how am I doing on the job and many other things? You think I am stupid not to know what you have been bizarrely up to these days. Look yar, I know you are worried about me, Saba and Hassan are too but care for me as a friend, don't act like an overprotective father. I am not used to it. It suffocates me and sometimes it makes me feel as though you pity me because I have no family."
• "You know it's not true." His voice was serious.
• "Then let me see it. Allow me to live my life as I lived when Baba was alive." I said, looking into his eyes. He sighed and stepped aside and opened the door. He didn't say anything after that and by the look of his face, I think he got my point and reluctantly agreed to it. So, I didn't bring up that topic either. 
• With a cup of hot tea, we talk about our routines at work and in my turn, I completely skip the part of going out with the boys tomorrow. Later, he asked me to help him in memorizing dialogues. I tried to avoid him at first because auntie isn't at home and for some reason, the maids are also not here. I already feel quite awkward being alone with him but I couldn't refuse because of his puppy dog eyes.
• Seriously, that guy doesn't act like a twenty-seven-year-old..!
• I settle myself on a single sofa in the living room and he sat on the floor, across the coffee table. In the beginning, he was going great but as time passes, it got harder for me to stay serious. I mean, this is the same guy who was giving me puppy dog eyes and right now, he is defending his imaginary lover from his evil father, with the most serious expression I have ever seen on his face.
• "Hira, just stop laughing." He said in annoyance.
• "Sorry... sorry. It's just... I am sorry." I said between my laugh.
• "Argh!" He dramatically banged his head on the table. It only made me laugh more. 
• I don't remember when was the last time I laughed like this. My cheeks are starting to ache and I am sure my whole face would be red too. Finally, when I was able to get a hold on myself, I find Zulqarnain staring at me.
• "What?" I asked, unconsciously touching my face.
• "You look nice when you laugh or smile." He gave me his best smile. 
• "Huh?" His comment caught me off guard.
• "Smile often. Not the forced or formal one, but a natural one. Like the one you have on right now." His eyes are fixed on me as he continued, "The glint in your eyes when you're smiling is one of the most beautiful I've seen." He said, putting his chin onto the surface of the table. If it weren't for the door opening sound that caught his attention, he would have seen the blush that had begun to creep up on my face.
• ~*~
• Ahmar's POV:
• My hand stopped midway from opening the door of my house when I heard a beautiful female laugh coming from inside the house.
• Okay! This isn't Ami's, means...
• I narrow my eyes at the door on the thought that my brother must have brought a doll type friend or co-actress with him. But soon, my eyes widened when I heard 'Her' voice.
• "What?" 
• "You look nice when you laugh or smile." I scoffed on hearing my brother's voice.
• "Huh?" She sounded surprised.
• "Smile often. Not the forced or formal one, but a natural one. Like the one you have on right now. The glint in your eyes when you're smiling is one of the most beautiful I've seen." I roll my eyes on his dialogue.
• So, the jerky brother of mine is really interested in our teacher. Interesting...
• Or is he just flirting...?
• The second thought that came in mind irritates me a bit and I immediately push the door open, with a frown on my face.   
• "Assalam o Allaikum!" I said out loud.
• "Wallaikum Assalam! You're home early today." The brother of mine shot a comment.
• "You don't like me coming home early because I ruined your fun?" I shot back, turning my face to my teacher. Her blushing face instantly lost its colour and a firm expression takes its place, like the one she gives us in our class. That calm look of hers really annoys me, like she is igniting a fire on my bones.
• "She was helping me in memorizing my script." The Romeo brother of mine defended her.
• "Whatever." I yawned and went to my room.
• ~*~
• "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" I asked on a group call.
• "Don't ask me." said Tahir.
• "Leave everything to me." Came Zaid's serious voice.
• "You are still upset about earlier?" I asked him.
• "Upset? I have never been that humiliated my whole life." He said the same thing for the seventh time.
• "Abe chup (shut up) yar. You are talking as if you are an old man whom someone insulted in front of everyone. And why do you keep repeating 'whole life',' whole life'? You're just seventeen. Life has just started for us." Said Faiq, he isn't happy about how we treated her and wants us to drop tomorrow's plan.
• "Abe tu chup ker (you shut up)." Zaid answered Faiq.
• "Stop fighting like kids. Ahmar, are you going to bring your car or should I bring mine?" Tahir said to them, then to me.
• "Bring yours. Mine is a sports car, it wouldn't fit us all. And besides, the only woman who may sit in my car besides my mother will only be my wife. I won't allow any stranger girls to sit in it." I said nonchalantly.
• "Fine, fine. I am not interested in listening to your senseless logics." Tahir said in a bored tone."Okay then, see you all in college. Allah Hafiz." Faiq said and we all said 'Allah Hafiz' in unison.I am really looking forward to tomorrow. Don't know if it's because our target this time is someone other than a self-centred college or schoolgirl, or is it because it's an elder woman, or my brother's toy or a teacher. But whatever it is, I have to make sure that none of us would go out of line because of the grudges we held against our previous teachers. It will become problematic if such things happen and I am slightly afraid because I face the same grudge towards her while asking her to spend a day with us.
• Anyways, whatever happens, our main goal is to have fun...
• I smile, staring at the ceiling of my bedroom and fell asleep.
• ~*~
• Hira's POV:
• "Are you ready, teacher?" I was picking up my stuff when I heard a mocking voice. I looked up and find four of them standing near my table, with their bags hanging on their shoulder, ready to depart.
• "Meet me at the white building near the bus stop in five minutes. I will go and get my stuff." "We will be waiting." Zaid said with a meaningful smile and I nodded before leaving the class.
• Help me with this, Allah...
• I take an early off and went to the white building as promised. 
• I found them waiting for me there, leaning against a car. They changed their shirts already and didn't bother to tuck them in and their collar buttons are also open.
• Okay! They sure don't give a comfortable vibe...
• I have seen Ahmar in casual clothing, he looks older than his age, like how his friends are looking now. I gulped and took a step towards them. All of them instantly stood straight and Tahir opens the passenger seat's door for me. Saying 'Thank you', I slid inside and they all took their seats. Moments later, I receive a text.
• 'Hey, teacher. Have you eaten lunch?' I roll my eyes.
• 'Haven't, but going to with some students.' I replied.
• 'Wow, I wish I had a teacher like you. What you say, should I take admission in your college ;)'I smiled and texted.
• 'Talk to you later, Hero. It's not nice to be texting while you have company.'
• 'Fine, just a question. Who are you with?'
• 'Ahmar and friends.'
• He didn't reply afterwards but directly calls me, which I cancelled.
• "I presume the call was from your boyfriend who got worried after you texted him about being with four boys?" Tahir asked from the driver's seat.
• "I don't have a boyfriend." I put my phone on silent and slid it in my bag.
• "Oh! So... Fiancé?" Ahmar asked.
• "I am not engaged."
• "Really? You mean to say you are single at... your age?" This was Zaid. 
• As expected from a pissed teenager student.
• "Yes, I am single. At the age of twenty-six." I said calmly.
• Rule number one: Don't hesitate to answer a student's question, even if it is slightly embarrassing for you and give the information they need before asking - The best way of tackling a possible upcoming humiliation.
• "Oh! Means you had no luck. Or no one was ever interested in you because you are so dull?" Zaid asked.
• Rule number two: Never underestimate your student's ability to humiliate you.
• "No, it's just that I have decided to spend my life in helping cute kids like you." I heard a snicker from the back but couldn't make out who it was.
• Rule number three: Make them quiet by a comment involving them.
• The car is stopped near a fast-food restaurant. We entered and soon find a table for five. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think Zaid and Ahmar are deliberately sitting closer to me, while Faiq and Tahir sat across the table.
• "So Hira, what would you like to eat?" My eyes widened when Ahmar addressed me by my name.  "Hira? Since when are you allowed to call me by my name?" I turn my face to him.
• "Oh come on! We are not in college right now." He said, leaning back and resting his arm on the back of my seat.
• Okay...! Someone needs to learn his limits...
• "It is Miss Hira, and it should always be as such whether we're in the college or outside the college. And if you refuse to accept me as your teacher, then there is no point of me being here. I came with my students, not with a group of unknown boys." I said, looking into his eyes and picked my bag to leave.
• "Miss Hira, please ignore him. He didn't mean to disrespect you." Said Tahir.
• I take a deep breath and leave my bag. Ahmar also drew his arm back and sat straight.
• "So... Miss Hira, don't you think as a teacher, you should treat us instead of having a meal on our money?" Zaid said, putting his both arm on the table.
• "Sure, I will pay." I smile and receive a cheer from Tahir.
• "But, only for the food, I chose for you guys." I looked at him with a small smile.
• "Hey! We aren't eating Salad as you women eat for lunch."
• "Come on, dear student of mine. Shouldn't you trust your teacher?" I throw his words on him, with a slight change. 
• He glared at me for a moment before seething out 'Fine' and got up.
• "Let's go, boys, with our teacher." He said mockingly and leaves his seat.
• Well, let me show what real outing is...
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