Obscured Affection (ON HOLD)

Safoora, Sabeena, and Ishaq were sitting and having lunch when Jameel arrived.

"Come, son, sit with us and eat," Sabeena offered warmly.

"Alhamdulillah, I’ve already eaten, Mami. You just call Mano. I’ve come to take her home," Jameel replied with a soft smile.

Hearing that, Sabeena looked around and said,
"She’s in Annu’s room, but why did you come to pick her up? You should’ve let her stay for a few more days."

Sabeena stood up and handed Jameel a glass of water as she spoke gently,
"In a few months, she’ll be living with you all forever. Let her stay with us for a little while longer."

Jameel smiled, but his heart still carried the weight of worry for Mahnoor.

"So what if she’s getting married? You can always come and visit her here. It’s not like Ishaq bhai will lock her away after the wedding," Safoora joked, laughing.

Ishaq, who was eating, suddenly began to cough at her words. He quickly took a sip of water from his glass and gave Safoora a sharp look.

"I’ll go call Mano," Safoora said, getting up and walking toward her room.

Mahnoor was already sitting there, ready to leave. Seeing her, Safoora asked,
"Did you call Jameel bhai?"

"No, he called to say he was coming," Mahnoor replied quietly.

"You could’ve told him you wanted to stay at your in-laws for a few more days," Safoora teased, smiling.

Mahnoor just gave her a soft smile in return and walked downstairs.

When she reached the stairs and saw Ishaq sitting with Jameel and talking, her feet froze. She stood near the steps, silently staring at him. Her eyes welled up again, but she held herself together and walked over to where Sabeena was sitting a little distance from Jameel.

"You’re all ready already? Beta, you didn’t even eat... Come, sit down and eat something before you leave," Sabeena said with concern, looking at her.

"No... I’m not hungry. I’ll come some other day. Jameel bhai, can we please go?" Mahnoor said, barely able to get the words out.

Jameel immediately stood up.
Sabeena, Ishaq, and Safoora all looked worried. She was perfectly fine a while ago — what had happened all of a sudden?

Jameel politely asked for permission to leave, and Mahnoor, hugging Safoora and Sabeena briefly, walked out, deliberately avoiding Ishaq as though she didn’t even recognize him.

Ishaq, who had just shaken hands with Jameel, silently followed them with his eyes as they left.

Outside, Mahnoor and Jameel sat in the car together. Ishaq stood there, watching them drive away. Mahnoor didn’t glance at him even once, which surprised him a bit.

The car had driven far, but Ishaq was still standing there, watching. Once the vehicle completely disappeared from view, he took a deep breath and returned to his room.

Jameel and Mahnoor didn’t say a single word the entire ride.
Mahnoor kept looking out the window, lost in thoughts of Ishaq’s words, and Jameel focused solely on driving.

As soon as they reached home, Mahnoor quietly greeted everyone and went straight to her room. Jameel followed her in.

"What’s wrong, Mano? Why did you suddenly leave like that? What happened?"

Jameel asked, standing at the door.

"Bhai… Everything’s fine. No one said anything,"

Mahnoor answered, forcing a small smile — but her red eyes told a different story.