In college, Liyana sat with Ayaan in the campus hall, chatting.
“That lecturer must be funny for that,” Liyana laughed.“If you say he is funny, then he is,” Ayaan smiled. “Can you tell me about yourself?” he asked, staring into her beautiful eyes.“What more do you want to know about me? You already know my name, right?” she said, staring back into his eyes.“I want to know more if you don’t mind.”“Hmm! Well, it happened that my name is the only special gift I got so far. Liyana Shah, isn’t that awesome?” she stated cheerfully and they both laughed. “To get serious, ahem, I’m the first and last child of my parents. That’s somehow cool and bitter though,” she chuckled. “My favorite color is pink. I like other light colors too, but pink is my favorite. Uh, my father is a Muslim Pakistani while my mother is an Indian Punjabi. I’m stuck between parents of different religions. My father works as a personal driver to one Mr Asad Khawaja. It doesn’t matter though. As long as I am studying, it’s superb,” she introduced while Ayaan listened. “How can I forget? I’m also a foodie! I love eating lots of tasty delicacies like biryani, it’s also my mother’s favorite, so I love eating it. I love eating other dishes like haleem, nihari, gulabi chai, mango lassi, dhooti patti, mutton korma, and karahi, etc., I also enjoy tasting desserts like shahi tuckray, gulab jamun, balo shahi, besan ke laddoo, jalebi, and sheer korma. I know how to make sheer korma, it’s a rich creamy pudding cooked with vermicelli, nuts, dry dates, and milk. Oh, my God, I love everything eatable, yet I loathe cooking sometimes. I would rather stay dawn to dusk with my books than cooking,” Liyana narrated cheerfully. Ayaan chuckled, looking away.“It’s not bad, but I love cooking, one of my hobbies,” Ayaan said, facing her again. “You are a lucky lady, your parents are there for you. As for me, I never got to spend a moment with either of my parents. My father died when my mother was pregnant with me. My mother died upon giving birth to me. My maternal grandmother had to take the responsibility of raising me. Sometimes I would blame myself for the death of my parents, but the will of Allah has to prevail,” Ayaan narrated sadly without noticing Liyana was down to tears. He quickly turned his face to her when he heard her sniff. “Hey, why are you crying, Liya?” he asked.“Your story is so pathetic, Ayaan. I’m sorry for adding to your wound,” she said emotionally and Ayaan wiped away her tears.“Don’t cry, okay? I prefer you smiling,” he commented, fondling her jaw and she smiled. “Let’s visit café Aylanto Restaurant tomorrow. Are you coming?” he said.“First to be there. I can’t wait!” she exclaimed and they both laughed.Their visit to the café Aylanto Restaurant was remarkable. Liyana wouldn’t stop talking funnily and Ayaan couldn’t help but laugh wholeheartedly. The friendship between Ayaan and Liyana grew deeply. Liyana’s childishness and bright attitude attracted Ayaan even more. Her beauty seems to radiate with each passing day. The friendship and love they now share were mightier than the hatred she pulled out at first. Ayaan related his newly transformed relationship with Liyana to his grandma. The grandma requested to meet Liyana in person and Ayaan brought her home. The grandma gave them her blessings. Liyana’s visit to the grandma’s place was a wonder. The grandma’s tales almost made Liyana forgot she had to go home. A few more times, Liyana would visit the grandma even without notifying Ayaan. She would spend time helping the grandma with her embroidery and listening to her folktales. Great stories of true lovers ever heard in Pakistan.One day on campus, Ayaan was busy with his phone in his department when Liyana came along.“Ayaan?” she called and he glanced at her. “I want you to follow me down somewhere,” she requested, standing by his side.“Hmm! Where is that?” he asked, focusing on his phone and typing letters into it.“I want to go see one of the lecturers, Mr Smith, the white American,” she specified.“Give me some minutes.”“There is no minute, Ayaan, he will be out soon.”“Then go on without me, I got to finish this first,” he declared. She frowned at him. He wasn’t even glancing at her anymore.“Really? But I want you to go with me. Come on,” she begged, but Ayaan said nothing afterward. She stood for a while, staring at him with a fast-beating heart. She dashed out.Liyana headed to Mr Smith’s office alone. She knocked at the door and heard the husky voice of Mr Smith, permitting her to come inside. She entered, closing the door gently behind her. Mr Smith was a middle-aged burly man. He always wears a flirtatious look toward the female students.“Good day, sir,” she greeted and he permitted her to sit.“You are extremely glowing today, Liyana,” Mr Smith said.“Thank you, sir,” she appreciated. Mr Smith relaxed on the swivel chair, staring lustfully at her. “Um, sir, why did you summon me?”“Well, I’m afraid you did so badly on my test,” he said.“Huh? Is that possible?” she asked, jerking up and Mr Smith smiled, standing up too.“It could be possible if you fail my request, don’t you think so?” he said, moving closer to her. Liyana took a step back, he continued walking to her till they were against the wall.“You are making me uncomfortable, sir,” she cried out. “What do you want?” she queried, trying hard not to make eye contact with him.“I want you, sweetheart. Just a night and you are good to go with all A’s,” he lustfully stated, tracing his finger down her bare neck, and Liyana pushed him hard away, he almost hit the desk.“You are so shameless, Mr Smith. To hell with you,” she rebuked cheesed off. “If you dare fail me, I will curse your generation. Silly man,” she added and stormed out.“She’s got some guts,” Mr Smith remarked, walking back to his seat with a wicked smile instinct on his face.As Liyana was rushing out, she bumped into Sofia. “Hey, Liyana, what happened?” Sofia queried, holding Liyana on the shoulders to stop her. She couldn’t say a word, only tears trickled down her cheeks. “Don’t cry, Liyana, talk to me,” said Sofia in a pacifying voice.Liyana led Sofia to the canteen where they ordered chilled strawberry juice. Liyana explained her incident with Mr Smith to Sofia.“What? Has he gone nuts?” Sofia exclaimed.“To top it all, he said he will fail me in his subject if I fail to honor his request,” Liyana stated dewy-eyed.“This is serious. We have to tell Ayaan so, we can think of what to do,” Sofia suggested.“Leave Ayaan out of this, Sofia. It’s my problem and I will think of a way to solve it. As for Ayaan, he dares not talk to me.”“What did he do?”“Never mind, let’s go home,” Liyana said, standing up. Her look impulsively tells something was wrong. They left the canteen. As they set to leave by the roadside, Ayaan came along, rushing down to them.“Hey, Liya, I have been looking for you,” he said. “Hi, Sofia.”“Hi, Ayaan,” Sofia responded.Liyana cast an indifferent look at him. “Let’s go, Sofia,” Liyana said, holding Sofia’s hand.“Hey, aren’t you going to talk to me?” Ayaan asked, blocking their way.“Why should I, huh?” she glared at him. “You know something? Don’t talk to me ever.”“I’m sorry, Liya, I was honestly busy with what I was doing. If I hadn’t finished the cover letter I was composing and submitted it right away, the ramification would have been worse. I’m sorry, okay?” he explained.“Oh, really? And I suppose the cover letter means more than my dignity to you, right?” she said. Confusion settled on Ayaan’s face.“What do you mean?” he queried. Just then, a bus stopped before them and the ladies boarded, leaving Ayaan in his state of confusion.At the Khawaja’s mansion, Rayan was seated in the gazebo with a bottle and glass of whiskey on the table. He was staring into space.“Is she that important,” he thought in silence. “Should I be thinking of the young girl? What kind of special attribution does she possess? Her display of courage and interjection has got me wondering, no one ever dares what she did and goes scot-free. To think that I allowed her to walk out makes…” The thought of Rayan was interrupted by the arrival of one of his men, Dave.“Greetings, boss,” Dave greeted.“What do you have for me?” Rayan queried and sipped his drink.“I was able to get info about her, boss,” Dave said.“Sit!” Rayan permitted and Dave sat down opposite him.“Here are the pics I took of her,” Dave stated, handing the envelope he was holding to Rayan. The envelope contained pictures of Liyana when she was standing at the gate to her home, hailing a rickshaw to take her to college.“She’s an angel,” Rayan smiled to himself. “What other info were you able to fish out?”“Her name is Liyana Shah, boss. She studies at Haleem Ibn Khan College of Education. Her father is the personal driver of your father,” Dave narrated.“What?!” Rayan exclaimed, quickly sitting up. “She is the daughter of Hamdaan Shah?”“Exactly, boss,” Dave affirmed and Rayan smirked.“Now this will work in my favor.”“How do you mean, boss?” Dave asked but Rayan said nothing afterward.Author’s note 🥀🥀🥀Oh, God, what has Liyana gotten herself into? I know this question will come up. Well, when fate wants to play a fishy game with you, you will end up putting your right foot into the wrong event. Hmm. I hope she escapes Rayan, the villain. What? Yeah, I know it’s my story, but I give room to what my characters want to do sometime 🧐🧐🧐. Let’s hope for the best 🥺. See you in the next chapter.Liyana wouldn’t budge. She kept on rejecting Ayaan’s calls. She locked herself in her room, crying sadly. When her mother tried to find out what the problem was, Liyana said nothing, claiming she was okay. The worried mother reported Liyana’s moody state to her father and he promised to be home soonest. But before Liyana’s father arrived home, Liyana wore a new look. She freshened up, changed her clothes, and took out one of her books to read.“Where is she?” the father asked his wife once he was home. “She is in her room,” the mother replied and the parents both headed to Liyana’s room. The father creaked the door open and halted. Liyana was cheerfully reading her book. The father and mother exchanged confused glances. They looked back at Liyana. She seems not to even notice them as she was engrossed in her reading.“Liyana?” the father called. Liyana looked at them.“Salaam alaikum, Father,” Liyana saluted, putting down her book on the bed and
Liyana studied a bit late on campus one day. She was preparing for her forthcoming semester exams. As she was rushing out of the library to go home, Mr Smith was coming along. She halted. She looked around her and discovered she was the only one along the hallway with evil Mr Smith. As he noticed her, he grinned wickedly. Liyana decided to act boldly by pretending not to see him and walking past. As they were near to each other, he grabbed her wrist roughly and pushed her back against the wall.“Ow!” Liyana exclaimed in pain. Her heart banged heavily against her ribcage. “You think you can escape from me?” Mr Smith groaned, his hoarse voice slammed against Liyana’s skin, sending a warning shiver down her spine.“Let me go!” she struggled with him. He pinned her hands to the wall, standing a breath away and gazing at her.“You still haven’t made up for your failed test and now exams are on the way, how will you cope?” he mocked and grinned.
“Ahem… as I said earlier, anything for a sexy lady. I can help you if only you can meet my demand,” Mr Smith stated.“Spill it!” she said in a seductive whisper that sent lustful chills down Mr Smith’s spine.“My price is simple,” he said. “A night with you and you could own first class.”“Really?” Zoe sounded and stood up. She walked back to his front desk and faced him. “I came here fully ready. I have a reservation at Ambiance Boutique Art Hotel. Just your card is needed to get a call or we could just go together if you aren’t busy.”“Have my card, I will be right behind you,” he said and handed over his card to her. She collected it.“I’m heading there already. See you, boy,” she smiled and went out.“Whoa! This is a free blessing. My angel is on guard,” Mr Smith laughed, clearing his desk.Some minutes on, Zoe was at Ambiance Boutique Art Hotel.“Hello, welcome to ABA, how may I help you?” the beautiful chocolaty receptionist in a white and black uniform behind the counte
At Faizan’s place. “I tried talking her out of it, but she was adamant,” Faizan spoke.“We are almost at the endpoint, Ayaan. I have known Zoe for a long time now, she does what she says. She’s that crazy, you know? Just see it as a sacrifice you have to make to save the future of the one you love. I’m sure Liyana is going to be proud of you,” Faizan advised. Ayaan stared into space for a while. He sighed and sat up on the couch.“Are you drunk, Faizan? How can she be proud of me? Have you ever heard that a lady praised her cheating boyfriend?” Ayaan said calmly. “I love Liya, Faizan, I don’t see myself making out with another woman. It rings like cheating in my head. Try to understand.”“I understand you, buddy, you just have to wave it off your mind. I have never seen Zoe desire anyone like that before. She just fell for you, okay? And you know matters of the heart work differently,” Faizan stated. “She is hurting to know that she fell in love for the first time with someone who is
Some minutes later, like a dream, Zoe heard a knock on the door. She turned on the bed, not wanting to wake up. The knock came up again and she opened her eyes, sitting up and yawning. She looked at the wall clock, it was half past 8 PM. The knock came up again and she stepped down from the bed. She headed to the door. As she opened up, Ayaan was standing at the door.“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck. He freed himself and walked into the room. “What kept you for so long?” she asked, following him up. “I was deep asleep.”“Why did you wake up?” he asked coldly, taking a seat on the bed.“Your knock practically did,” she smiled. “I was helplessly anticipating your coming,” she commented, taking a seat beside him. “Here you are now, I can’t wait!” she said, trying to steal a kiss from him.“H…hold on,” he pulled away from her.“What now? Don’t tell me you are here to behave like a novice that you are not.”“You ar
Two weeks later. The students of Haleem Ibn Khan College of Education began preparing for their exams. Mr Smith’s course happened to be the third paper on the timetable. After the first paper of the examinations, Liyana strolled around the campus. She sighted Mr Smith coming her way. She halted. She wanted to change direction, but the unimaginable happened. Immediately Mr Smith saw her, he quickly turned around, heading back to his office. Liyana was puzzled. Why will the great Mr Smith be dodging her? She wondered. She shrugged her shoulders and headed on.Later on, Ayaan and Liyana were both seated opposite each other in the canteen. They had two bottles of soda on the table. Liyana was mute, she was playing with the straw in her drink. Ayaan wasn’t comfortable with that. He felt guilty. What will Liyana think of him when she discovers he spent a night with Zoe? The thought rumbled in his head. He decided to speak.“Liya?” he called. Liyana lifted her gaze to him
At the graduation party. The graduating students were in their usual graduation wear. Collecting their results and taking pictures with professors, families, and friends. The lucky ones graduated with flying colors. The achievement made them throw their caps into the air as their sign of victory. Liyana wished she was among them, but not yet, very soon. In the hall, the graduating students, the graduands, the professors, families and friends, and all other bodies of the institution were all gathered, ready to receive the usual speech from the famous professor, Smith Lawson. As he stepped onto the stage, he was welcomed with a round of applause. Ayaan texted Zoe.“Ahem!” Mr Smith cleared his throat and began. “Good day, ladies and gentlemen. You all are welcome to another glorious party of our graduating students,” Mr Smith spoke firmly. “As a well-known professor, it gladdens my heart to be part of the success stories of my students. In the world of education and civiliza
A day later. Liyana stood along the street, obviously waiting for someone as her head whipped from side to side. She was there when Rayan’s car pulled over in front of her. Then the back door window slid down, revealing the face of Rayan. Liyana scowled at him.“Hey, baby, where are you going?” Rayan asked with a little smile across his face. She ignored him. “I hate being snubbed!” Rayan groaned.“And do I look like I care?” Liyana riposted cheesed off. “Look here, Rayan, sir, I’m not one of those desperate ladies that run after men for their money, okay? Stop stalking me for God’s sake, please.”“I take that as an insult from you, but it’s fine. I forgive you because I love you. You don’t know my story, Liyana. Give me a chance and I will prove to you that I love you with all my heart,” Rayan expressed. Liyana began looking around the ground, like searching for something. Rayan was confused as he stuck his head out to see what she was looking for. “What