2. Catching his eye

Her grey eyes anxiously moved around, portraying her anxiety. She was getting breathless with every second, unable to believe her luck. Her fingers were getting shaky and small droplets of sweat popped by the root of her hair though she was sitting in a chilled room

Why would God favor her so much?

The question again struck her mind. She was fervently hoping that no blunder would occur and she would get the post without any hindrance. Because if she lost this golden opportunity, never she would ever be able to gather money for Amna's operation on time.

Her friend would die. Just like everyone around her died. She would be left alone. 

This job was a matter of life and death for her. In front of Amna, often she would act like she was jolly and fine but her internal state was only revealed to her God. 

HE was the one aware of her sleepless nights full of anxiety. Amna's recovery was on her mind all the time. There was not a single day in her life when she had not worked enough to earn some money. Let it be a minor and non-considerable amount. From working as a waitress in cafes and getting subjected to the hungry eyes of men to take part in every competition, her university hosted she went to all lengths to get a little share of money. She did everything in her power but that was not enough. 

If she continued to make money at such a speed, she was sure, by the time the full amount for her operation would be in her hands, Amna would be six feet under the ground. And she, herself would have progressed in her age that this young time of youth had passed a long time ago. Maybe she would be 40 or 50? Who knows?

It was this much necessary for her to get this job. And merely thinking of the possibility that she won't be able to make it to the post, her anxiety was getting increased with every second. 

"Mr. Atif Ishaq, it's your turn," The calm and professional sound of the woman came off of from the speaker instilled at the top of an automatic door in the waiting room. "Please enter the CEO's office after five minutes of return of the previous candidate. Thankyou,"

The man, Atif, who was next in turn stood up from the comfortable sofa and began to stroll left and right, rubbing his hands together. 

She was able to deduce, he also wanted this job as much as she did. But she hoped, he was not as desperate as her. 

To get a job in Syed's enterprises was a dream of millions and getting called for an interview was a golden opportunity itself. So she could understand the people's aspirations and expectations linked with getting the job in this company.  And the post of secretary was considered as a second hand to the CEO. His secretary should be sharp, able, quick-witted, hard-working with a sea of knowledge regarding everything. The post demanded so much but it also gives one so much.

After a few moments, the previous candidate whose name was apparently Ijaz, entered the waiting room. Every eye landed on him. The guy, Atif, quickly walked towards him and began to ask him questions about the interview and CEO.

"How was it? What were the questions? Do you think, would you get selected? Please tell us about it," He bombarded him with questions.

"Yes please. What kind of a guy was CEO? Was he nice? Soft spoken or angry?"

"What do you think are their priorities for selecting someone?"

The others asked.

"I don't know man. I don't know. His face was stoic all the time. Not even an iota of an expression came on his face. I was clueless whether he was satisfied or not."

"What kind of guy was the CEO?" Someone asked again.

"I don't know. But whenever he would interrupt you in the middle of your answer, know it, you were lying and he caught it. So advising everyone beforehand, don't lie. Don't try to show yourself as master of all. My answers would collide with my own answers, unbelievably," he stated as in shock, "They would morph the questions in such a way that my previous answer would be counter to my next answer. They have the tendency to catch lies. Their questionnaire is that way. The same question would be repeated in such a way that you would never know that you answered the same type of question just a few moments ago. So be yourself, be who you are and don't lie," He advised everyone. 

"Thanks brother," Atif patted at his shoulder.

"I guess it's your turn. Now go. Remember knock before entering and ask permission for whatever you do. Sit with his permission, stand with his permission. Add this word 'may I' into your dictionary for a short period of this interview,"

"Thanks man. I'll keep that in check," With that being sad, the man Atif went inside the CEO's corridor that led to his office.

It was told that all the five candidates were to wait till the interview of the last person as they would be announcing results today and right now.

The applicants went in and went out one by one and everyone continued to listen to their experience keenly. She could inferred that CEO didn't talk much, a stoic man, whose grey eyes were metallic shards that would enter into your soul and gauge out deepest of your secrets. One would often feel nervous under his penetrating gaze. His austere gaze would make a person think twice to whatever he was saying. And they all experienced the same thing.

Seemed like, he ruled the world through his eyes.

Her number was last in the queue and now the fourth person, who was a girl, Maham Saleem just had gone inside. Next was her turn and she began to squirm already. Nervous, anxious, fearful and what not. She was praying for the best and hoping for the best too because hoping the worst was making her morale go down more and more. It was taking almost 45 minutes to an hour for everyone to come out and she had to wait just for an hour more to unlock her luck and save her friend's life.

Busy in calming herself she got a call from Ahmed, fiance of Amna.

A frown formed on her head as she quickly pick up the call.

"Hello Ahmed bhai? What happened?"

"Come fast, shehar. Amna..... Amna she is...her heart is not working, we are....the hospital. Come.."

"What?!" Her eyes jutted out, "Send me the details of the hospital, I'm coming," She cut-off of the phone, and rushed out of the building towards the hospital.

Upon reaching there, she came to know she was in ICU. The doctors are not giving any clear answers regarding her situation. 

"I reached there and she was..... she was sitting on the bed. I thought she was slept but....but when I fixed the comforter her arm fell as if she was some dead body. They are saying, the left ventricle is not working due to the cancer," Ahmed sobbed while explaining the situation to Sheharzaad, who was already in tears. Her eyes were red and constantly spilling tears out yet her lips didn't utter a word. She was in a shock, at the verge of collapsing. 

The doctor came out of the ICU and both of them moved towards her. 

"Doctor Ali, please don't give us a bad news," Sheharzaad pleaded.

Doctor Ali was the doctor of Amna who had been dealing with her case for a while.

"Her left ventricle is not working properly. The heart beat has gotten low to a level that the blood supply to the body got almost diminished but he brought her on time. Now he is out of danger. We need to start her cancer treatment asap, Sheharzaad. If we didn't then the working condition of her heart would become unrecoverable. Start the treatment  before its's too late. She is out of danger, take care of her diet.  She is unconscious yet. We've given her anaesthetics. We're keeping her under observation. You can take her home within a day or two." He stated and Ahmed took a sigh of relief, thanking the doctor but Sheharzaad mind kept on repeating the same sentence on which her mind got struck

'Start the treatment before its too late'

For how long she would be able to postpone it? For how long she would keep on just gathering money and not initiating the treatment. 

It was then she recalled her job interview.

She needed that job!

With that she got out of the hospital and rushed towards the company.

........

The sky was blue already and the birds were returning to their respective abodes. 

Shehryaar, who was witnessing the slow and gradual changing of day through his window was delved in millions of thoughts. His grey eyes observed the worrisomeness of the inhabitants of the city, Lahore but his mind was somewhere else. Somewhere far. Somewhere struck in his past.

That particular scene engraved in his mind.

That particular scene that made him despise all the womankind.

He considered them just a thing through which he could gain pleasure.

For him, they were weaklings and nothing else.

Most of them would want to be under him so they could feed him some money for extracting pleasures for them. 

They deceive and attract men by showing that they are innocents but in usual they are their just for money.

Every women can bear a child but not every women can be a mother.

Every women is alike. They only know how to betray and backstab.

And if you love and trust a women, you surely are doomed.

These were his views regarding women, a sexist, who didn't trust womankind and despised them from the core of his heart. He didn't believe in love. Love was just like a fairytale to him. A fairytale which he didn't believe in.

Over the years, his beliefs got stronger and stronger. He was adamant about what he believed in. Every women which came into her life firmed his beliefs. He was sure what he believes in is nothing but truth. He took women as fucktoys and nothing else. He thought that not any woman exist in this world who could change his reviews about her kind.

As he was unaware of her, yet.

"Sir," the door knocked and Hammad entered.

"Yes, Hammad?" His dark voice demanded.

"That fifth candidate has came. She said her friend was rushed to the hospital and she needed to be there so she could not be at the interview on time,"

"Okay, so?" he said nonchalantly without turning around.

"Sir...the inter-interview,"

He turned around, his cold eyes staring straight into Hammads' making him stare down. "You got my answer?"

"Yes sir,"

"I don't like to repeat a thing, Hammad," he stated in a low voice making Hammad remember the second time he says something is not through words but by a bullet.

"As you say sir," Hammad left the office and came across Sheharzaad, who was in the waiting room.

"I'm sorry. He is not ready to take your interview, Sheharzaad,"

"But I need this job, sir,"

"There is nothing in my hands. I can't convince him,"

After listening his verdict, tears filled in her eyes.

"Please, can't you do something?" Her shoulders squared and her head fell down. Her throat constricted with pain and guilt. Guilt of now not being able to save her friends' life.

"I'm sorry," He apologised and left the waiting area. 

She had failed herself! Failed her friend! And failed everyone around her!

Now, she won't be able to save her life. She would send her friend to death by her own hands.

Biting her shivering lower lip, she gathered her files that she had left there before rushing to the hospital and walked towards the lift. Her head was hold down.

She was totally crumbled. She didn't know where she was going but only following the path where her instincts led to. 

She could physically feel a pain in her heart. A pain of anxiety, a pain of failure and a pain of fear of future.

She kept on moving down when she collided with someone's chest and her things fell down. She looked up and her eyes came across the mirror of her eyes.

She found a pair of similar grey eyes staring directly at her.

Little did she know, those grey eyes were going to be her destruction.

....

"I'm sorry," Sheharzaad apologized and squatted down to pick up her things. Her movement was slow as her mind was again immersed in depths of anxiety, covered by folds of fear and anticipation. She was clueless about what she would answer Ahmed, who had a minor post in a bank through which he wasn't able to earn, and how she would face Amna. She had given her word to both of them that she would get the job in this company and their circumstances would change.

She had been trying to get an interview call from this company for months. No other company was hiring her as she was a fresh graduate with lack of experience. Apart from that, the package this company offered would help her to gather money for her treatment within two to three months. And she needed money as soon as possible.

But now, nothing would happen. Things have slipped from her hands. Her friend would die just like everyone else around her. Amna wasn't just a friend to her. When life tested her, Amna protected her. Amna advised her throughout her life. Amna was in front of her, beside her, and behind her in every difficult situation that Sheharzaad ever came across.

A small teardrop slipped from her eye and fell on her hand. Amna's feet were hanging in her grave and just a slight push was enough to send her six feet down the ground. The push that would be born due to lack of money.

When she was done collecting her things and stood up, she found no one around. She frowned, thinking she was hallucinating about bumping into that man, whoever he was.

Moving towards the lift, she found him standing in the lift, typing on his phone. His head was tilted a bit down as he was looking at his phone screen and the other hand was rested against the metallic rail that was used as a hand rest. He didn't notice her and she didn't spare him more than a glance.

The lift's door was about to close when she quickly entered the elevator and stood beside him.

She noticed him through his reflection on the door. He looked up at her, spared her a glance, and looked back down into his phone, before turning it off and standing straight.

The area was small yet sufficient and she was able to get a sniff of his manly cologne without even trying because his rich perfume was overflowing in the whole area.

She wondered what would be the cost of it? Never in her life, she could buy something so expensive. The scent was enough for her to deduce the bare minimum price of his perfume.

She would have maybe if she got a job in this company but now it was a no chance. A no chance for her to live a better life and a no chance for her friend to stay alive. Now, only prayers could save her friend from death. Nothing else. She had ran out of options.

Her phone ringed, it was Ahmed and she answered it immediately.

"Yes Ahmed bhai?" She worriedly asked, thinking something might have happened to Amna.

"Shehar, they are demanding for the fee. I'm penniless. It's end of the month. Do you have some money?"

"Around how much would you need?"

"Almost 8 to 10,000 rupees, for her medicines and tests,"

"Ten thousand Ahmed bhai?" She reiterated, shell shocked, "I don't have ten thousand. Now what we will do?" She asked, her voice at the verge of crying.

"I'll try to arrange some money, don't worry. I'll ask my friends,"

"I'll try too Ahmed bhai, don't worry," She replied.

"Please try to come fast, shehar. I need your help,"

"Don't worry, bhai. I'm coming. Allah hafiz,"she answered and cut the call, before placing her phone in the purse. She wanted to get out of this lift and rush to the hospital as soon as she could. She needed to stand beside her family.

To check the available cash, she had at the moment she drifted her attention to her purse and searched for her wallet in it. Her eyes widened upon realizing that her wallet was not with her. She searched through her purse twice but again she could not find her wallet.

She began to think that where she could left it and she got her answer. It was in the tax. She had left it there. Now, her tears were at the bay.

She didn't get the job.

Amna was in the hospital.

And now her wallet was gone. She practically had no cash to go back to the hospital now. A sob formed in her throat. She was breaking. The life and the circumstances, all were breaking her apart. She was vulnerable.

"What happened," A voice came from her left side. Thick, rich, deep and dark. That suddenly made her heart skip a beat.

She just spared him a glance before turning her neck back. Was that question directed at her? She couldn't tell, as he was looking infront of him, not at her.

"Nothing," came her reply. Her voice was firm and hardened. Yes, she was broken but that didn't mean she would tell her worries to everyone.

He didn't speak anything. Kept quiet. Gave no response to her.

"No, I'll come, wait," his voice came again and she confusedly looked back at him again only to realize he was talking on the phone.

Her face got red.

He had asked 'what happened' to someone on the phone and she thought the question was directed at her. Oh god. She didn't even notice him receiving a call, maybe she was too submerged in her thoughts.

"Yeah, hold on," he said again, now as he continued speaking on his phone and directing orders.

At last, the elevator dinged open and she rushed out of the building while his hawk like grey eyes followed her. He took off his phone from his ear, while looking at her retreating back. He tapped his phone against his palm and rose an eye-brow as his eyes still followed her.

"Nothing," he muttered under his breath, "nothing," he repeated her answer again as a small smirk unnoticeable smirk, subconsciously appeared on his face and it vanished as soon as it came and he walked out.

As soon as he sat in his car, his eyes again landed on her. She was standing near the foot path looking here and there. His eyes widen for a moment when he found her walking swiftly in the middle of the road looking towards the bus that was coming in her direction. The driver was honking the bus violently but she kept on moving.

"What is she doing?" He whispered with a frown thinking she was going to commit a suicide when suddenly he saw her snatching the arm of a young girl and pushing her towards her. The buss near missed them both and the little girl began to cry hysterically in her arms when she wrapped her arms around her and immediately crossed the road along with her.

The little girl continued to cry in her arms and she consoled her as if she was her guadian angel. Just minutes later, that girl's parents came and took their children from her before thanking her profusely to which she gave a bright smile as if she was content with saving a life.

For a moment he thought that how much she differs from him. She gets content in saving a life whereas he found his satisfaction in taking lives.

Nevertheless, not focusing on her more, he roared the engine to life and drove himself to home.

.......

Both Ahmed and Sheharzaad were able to arrange the money somehow and had gotten Amna back to home. Ahmed was gone and now both Sheharzaad and Amna were alone in their small house. Amna was sleeping as the doctors had prescribed her some pills while Sheharzaad had already started her job hunt again. She had applied in each company that came across her.

The day was too hectic and tensed for her. Everything came running down on her. It was one of the worst days of her life. Her high hopes got shattered and she was back to where she started. She missed the golden opportunity and now she was back on the hunt for a new job.

Yet the thing that brought tranquillity in her was the fact that she survived it. She survived this day till the end. That gave her a hope that she would make the ends meet, she would resist, oppose and fight. It rekindled her spirit. Despite losing her wallet and all the money, she still managed to get to the hospital as she convinced one of the taxi drivers to take he to the hospital as she had lost her wallet. She would pay him upon reaching the hospital and luckily the driver agreed and also he was one of the close acquaintances of that cab driver who took her to the company from the hospital and she got her wallet back as well. It taught her never lose hope. The nature not only tests you but also protects you.

She closed the lid of her laptop and laid down beside Amna and set the comforter on her.

"Thank you, buddy," she smiled looking at her dear friend and then looked at the sky that glimmered with stars.

A peaceful smile sprawled on her lips as if thanking the nature and tired of the todays events she found herself snoring.

Unmindful of the devil that she had awaken