Chapter1.Sour and Sweet

~ Ayesha ~

"The weather is so beautiful. If only I get to eat sis special snacks, it'll be so great," Ayesha said sadly, looking out the window.

She sighed heavily. "I don't know why sister always get sick whenever it rains,

She noticed a white Audi stop across the road. She stared at it longingly. "Oh, wow. Such an amazing car."

~ Arham ~

There was a huge rainstorm. The plan lost visuals and crashed. Blood everywhere!

"Sir? Sir?" the driver raised his voice a little, shaking Arham out of his daymare.

He had been staring at the raindrops hitting the glass window in anger. Sighing, he shook his head and stepped outside.

The driver quickly came outside to put an umbrella over him. Arham strode towards the building. A guy in a prim black suit quickly came over to him.

"Sir, we weren't expecting you for another two months," he said, short of breath.

"Are you questioning me?" Arham said, stopping to turn towards the man with a sharp look.

The man's eyes widened. "No, sir. Sorry, sir." He bent his head in apology.

"Let's not forget our places," Arham said lightly, dusting off an imaginary speck from his shoulder.

The man pressed his lips together, keeping his head bent.

"I want reports on the last three months." He walked away from the man.

"Okay, sir!" the man called after him.

......................

6 AM

Arham was working on his laptop when his mobile beeped with a reminder. He moved his gaze on the mobile screen, turned off the alarm, closed the laptop and picked his mobile.

"Bring everything in ten minutes...." he typed a message and sent it to someone and went to the washroom.

After some time, he came out while rubbing his wet hair with a towel and strolled toward the glass window and looked outside.

A wet empty road and the clear blue sky gave his eyes a soothing effect. He was looking around when he saw a girl moving back, huge curtains from her window and slide open the window.

A sudden blow of air touched her face, moving her hair back. The corner of her lips curved up in a smile. She stood there, lying against the wall, with one cup of coffee, and stared down at the road.

Arham glanced at her face. There was something on her face which kept his gaze locked. Maybe she felt his gaze and looked in his direction and their eyes met.

They shared a small eye lock, which got broke when Ayesha entered inside tiptoed. "Sis!!!!" she shouted, scaring the hell out of her. The cup fell from her hand, out of the window. She might have also fallen with a cup if she had not held the window at the right time.

Ayat peeked down at the broken cup, covered her mouth as someone was standing down, few inches away from the broken cup. He looked up and Ayat quickly moved back, closing her eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL!..." Man's loud shout reached their ears.

Ayat looked at Ayesha with angry eyes.

Ayesha pressed her lips then started giggling."Your scared facial expressions are so funny...wait I will take your picture."Ayesha said, taking out the mobile from her Jeans pocket and clicked Ayat picture.

Anger from Ayat's eyes vanished and a small smile appeared on her lips, seeing her laughing like that.

"Why do you have my mobile?" Ayat asked in a normal tone.

"I set an alarm on your mobile so that I can wake up on time. it's my first day of college. I want to get ready on time." Ayesha said in an excited tone. Ayat just forwarded her hand, with no expression on her face. Ayesha made a face, put the mobile in her hand and left from there.

Ayat put the mobile on the side table, then carefully peeked outside the window. There was no one. She sighed in relief, then closed curtains and walked outside the room. Arham also turned back as someone knocked on the door.

"This neighbourhood is full of weird people... I hate this place." Saad said in a hell annoyed tone, forwarding a small USB, then sat on Arham bed with a thud.

"if you don't like to wake up in the morning, then finish your work at night before sleeping." Arham said in a nonchalant tone, not getting affected by his whining. Saad glared at him, then fell on his back and closed his eyes.

Arham narrowed his gaze at him falling asleep, shook his head, but USB and laptop in a bag and stepped out from there.

He entered inside the kitchen, put water to boil and started looking for instant coffee in its rank, but it was empty. He took a suffering breath, annoyed as hell, then switch off the water boiling machine and stepped out from there.

*************************************

Arham was about to sit in his car when he saw a cafe opened at the end corner of the street. He sat inside and drove next to the cafe.

He entered the cafe; it was empty, and chairs placed on top of tables. He looked at the counter and got mesmerized by the site.

Ayat was standing behind the counter, putting her face on her palm, looking down at the cup. He directly went toward the counter and glanced down at her latte art.

"Not bad..." he said while looking at her hands' movement as she finished it. Ayat, who was completely immersed in her work, looked up with a jerk.

"Very few people finish it before coffee gets cold...." Arham said while sitting on a stool.

"thank you, but who?..." Ayat asked in a confused tone.

"I will take one latte....." He said while taking out his tablet from his office bag and started going through important messages.

"Sorry, but we are not open yet..." she said in an apologized tone. he gazed up at her again.

"This much be enough to open..." he took out some cash without counting it and put it on the counter.

Ayat blinked twice at 10k notes, blinked at him, then looked at coffee in her hands.

"I already have a terrible headache. Why is he increasing it" Ayat thought, releasing a sigh, then put her cup in front of him and went back inside the kitchen.

Arham smirked, "no one says no to money." he picked the cup, stared at beautiful art, then took a sip while reading messages. Ayat came back with another cup and started making coffee for herself. Arham took a glimpse of her face in between.

she sat down on the stool behind the counter when Ayesha came running inside, shouting.

"Sis! breakfast, am getting late." Ayesha said, quickly sat beside Arham. Ayat, who was about to take her first sip, looked at Ayesha from top to bottom. She was wearing a long heightened pink coloured dress with knee-length boots. Ayesha looked down at herself than at her.

"What? I know, now, you will say....what am I wearing? This is too fancy to wear in college. Am I going to a party or study? Go change, but let me tell you now we are in a city, not in a small town. Wearing a dress like this is very common in cities. Your fashion sense is outdated." Ayesha blabbered, non-stop. Ayat narrowed his eyes at her for a second, then put the cup back.

"I would not say that I was about to say, if you were going to such a beautiful dress, then you should have lose some weight. You are looking so fat..... never mind," she said while walking toward the kitchen.

"FAT!!!!!...WHO ME?" Ayesha asked in a shocked tone and looked down at herself then shook her head, disagreeing.

"She is lying. I am not fat," Ayesha said, but started tapping her foot on the floor nervously and kept looking down at herself.

"Excuse me...." Ayesha poked her finger in Arham's shoulder. Arham looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Am I looking fat?...." Ayesha asked, biting her inner lip. He looked at her from top to bottom. She was a slim, smart, sweet sixteen girl.

"No..." he said honestly and shifted her gaze back to the screen. Meanwhile, Ayat came with a breakfast tray.

"see he said I am not looking fat....you lied to me," Ayesha said in a loud tone, seeing her. Ayat looked at Arham, then shrugged her shoulder and started placing dishes in front of Ayesha.

"You will say nothing?....." Ayesha asked in a confused tone, seeing her calm. Ayat sat on her stool again.

"Why is she not asking me to change?...." Ayesha said and started biting her nails. A girl in her mid-20s came.

"Aqsa!...am I looking fat?"

"not at all. Are you going to a party? at this time?"aqsa said, shaking her head then asked in an excited tone.

"I got ready for my first day of college," Ayesha said, with full teeth smile. aqsa looked at her from head to toe.

"First and probably last day of college as college  isn't place for crazy people." Aqsa said with a smile. Ayesha again looked down at herself, whined, then ran outside. Ayat smiled, seeing Ayesha running.

"Is she your sister?...why is she so dumb?" Aqsa said shaking her head.

"breakfast?" Ayat asked and aqsa pressed her lips and shook her head slowly. Ayat pointed at breakfast, which was placed on the counter for Ayesha.

"no I will eat noodles." Aqsa quickly said and was about to go inside the kitchen when Ayat glared at her. She sighed and sat in front of Ayat and started breakfast.

Meanwhile, Arham finished his coffee and got up to leave. Ayat put her cup on the counter, slide his paid money toward him.

"If you have a lot of money, then take manners classes with it." Ayat said in a normal tone. Aqsa stopped her giggle by putting a spoon full of food inside her mouth. Meanwhile, Ayesha came there running, wearing jeans and a shirt.

"Sis! I am late because of you and now you will drop me." Ayesha said, pulling her by hand.

"Finish your breakfast..." Ayat said.

"There is no time for...." Ayesha said in a worried tone, but Ayat put the sandwich in her mouth.

"Sis!..." Ayesha said, gulping food hardly and Ayat gave her a juice glass. Arham tried to speak but Ayesha shouted at top of her lungs.

"Look at time...my first day is ruined."

Arham closed his eyes, annoyed like hell and walked out from there, sat inside the car and hit his fist on steering.

"Spoiled my mood early morning...." he said, looked at the cafe.

"FIREFLY CAFE!...bullshit," he said and drove off.

TO BE Continued.......