Chapter 6

I was shocked at the statement. I couldn't explain to them what actually happened as it would raise more questions. 

    "You're getting it wrong. No such incident happened here", I blurted out. "Sharma Ji, you know me well. Right? Why don't you tell them"

    "What do you want me to say, Abrar. I too heard a girl screaming, that noise came from your apartment", he said. He was right at some point. The way Zoya screamed anyone could get it wrong. 

   "Now move. We need to check your house and rescue the girl", the chairman said.

   "Sir, please trust me. Nothing wrong happened here", I tried to defend myself.

   "Then tell us who was the girl? And why she was screaming?", my neighbour shrugged. 

I had no answer to their questions. If I told them about Zoya I would have to tell them who she was. If I told them she wasn't related to me, they wouldn't have let us stay here as we were unmarried. If I lie to them that she was my wife, they wouldn't have believed as I had no proof to justify my statements. I realised I was in a great mess right then.

   "Didn't you hear us? We need to interrogate your house", the chairman yelled. 

I had no choice left. I couldn't bear more mess in my life in less than 24 hours. I was about to move and let them enter.

   "Hello", Zoya suddenly appeared there and held my arm. I shockingly glance at her. People outside my apartment looked at her shockingly as he had held my arm.

   "See. There's a girl", the neighbour spat.

   "Ok. So I'm a girl. What's the big deal here?", she rolled her eyes.

   "Are you ok? You were screaming", the chairman asked her. 

   "Oh! This is a long story uncle. First I saw some creepy cockroaches in the bathroom. They were flying and landing on my body. Eww", she made a dirty face. I couldn't do anything but only stare at her. Just like a silent audience. 

   "Then I hurriedly walked out of the bathroom and my feet slipped against the floor. Such a horrible experience", she sighed. They looked at her shockingly, the way she was speaking was totally surprising. 

   "What did you guys assume?", she rolled her eyes.

   "Nothing. Nothing", the chairman grinned as he waved his hands in NO. 

   "But who are you?", Sharma Ji asked. Now, what should I say? I was ready to get homeless right then. 

   "Me? Abrar", she called me and jerked my arm. "Didn't you give them the news?"

    

   "Don't start your drama here", I whispered into her eyes as she raised her eyebrows. "Our lie is not gonna work here. We don't have anything to state that we are married"

She drove her eyes away from me as if she ignored what I had said to her.

   "I'm his wife", she beamed. 

Everyone looked shocked and looked at each other. This girl was gonna led me into trouble, I wondered. 

   "Wife?", Sharma Ji exclaimed. "Abrar, you have a wife? When did you get married?"

I knew it, they were gonna ask this question. I wondered how she was gonna handle them. However, she was Zoya and no one could ever figure out what was cooking inside her tiny head. 

   "I.. Actually, I was about to…", I mumbled.

   "It happened suddenly", she snapped. "We were about to announce it. The thing is it was so quick that we couldn't tell anyone"

   "Yeah. She..she is right", I preferred to agree with her statements as I was terrible in making stories and telling lies. She had mastered those skills.

   "But Abrar you didn't tell me about your plans", Sharma Ji asked. 

   "I was about to tell you"

   "Stop gossiping Sharma Ji and ask him for marriage certificate", my annoying neighbour Mr Sheikh spat. We never got along because he always had problems with me. I didn't know why he was always been so mad at me but I always respected him as he was an elderly man.

   "Yes, Abrar. Then fulfil the formalities. Give me your marriage certificate", Sharma Ji said. Now from where would I bring a marriage certificate? My head started pounding. 

   "Marriage..certificate?", I stammered.

   "Yes. Don't you have it?", Mr Sheikh shrugged. 

   "Did you forget you gave it to me?", Zoya lightly punched on my shoulder as I looked at her surprisingly. What the heck she was saying? 

   "Excuse me, everyone. I'll be back with the certificate", she smiled at everyone and walked inside her room. I was being more nervous with every passing second. What was she up to? We didn't plan anything when she asked me to help her in that drama. Basically, we hadn't done any proper planning. 

I remained silent when everyone was staring at me as if I did some crime by getting married. Until she comes I didn't utter a single word. After 2 minutes, Zoya returned with a file. I was confused about the file. Before showing it to me, she gave it to Sharma Ji. 

   "Here's our marriage certificate", she uttered, making me shocked. How did she manage to make a marriage certificate? That too so soon. I couldn't be more surprised. This girl was something else.

   "Hmm.. Take this", Sharma Ji returns it to her. "Make a copy and then give it to me. And congratulations", he beamed.

   "Congrats Abrar", the chairman smiled. And Mr sheikh also congratulated us. 

   "Thank you", Zoya replied to all on behalf of me and I half-smiled. As soon as they left, I slammed the door and looked at her.

   "Why are you looking at me like this?", she narrowed her eyebrows. I don't reply to her and grabbed the file from her hand. I opened it and check it carefully. My eyes popped out as I found it to be an actual marriage certificate.

   "How did you manage it overnight?", I exclaimed, my eyes were not believing what I saw. 

   "Do I need to remind you that I'm Zoya Rehmat Ali? And now Zoya Zafar", she chuckled.

   "Bullshit. You're not Zoya Zafar. It's just a lie, a scripted relationship", I shrugged in anger.