The Last Meeting-VII

Standing near the cards rack,Sanna could see Rihan, helping the girl out in choosing the card.Whenever  their hands touched, he withdrew his hand,avoiding every touch...and after sometime he turned around and finally saw Sanna looking at them.

Without thinking and within a second, a broad smile crept through his face, it was as if a very thirsty person had a sight of an oasis...while smiling stupidly he realized that Sanna had no change of expressions  and someone was tugging his shirt, asking.."jaanu, do you know her?.."

Just then reality dawned on him but he couldn't refrain himself from meeting her.so, he started walking towards her while Shagufa was following him like a child.

"Hi!!how are you?" Rihan said in a hesitant voice."I am fine,won't you introduce us?"said Sanna in the strictest tone possible."Oh!she is my..fiance and she is my...uh...college friend"Sanna had watery eyes after hearing all this."HI!!its so nice to meet you..we are selecting valentine cards for each other...but Rihan is so unromantic,he doesn't like any card...Oh!!would you like to join us for a coffee?"

"No thanks I am a little busy,maybe sometime else..nice meeting you too...and all the best for your marriage.."

Sanna tried to keep as calm as possible but as soon as she came out of the card gallery,she was crying silently while continously wiping the tears away.

Here in the gallery, Shagufa had sensed that something was definitely wrong....the way Rihan was looking at Sanna, it was obvious that there was something which was still unknown to her yet...raising suspicions and undecipherable expressions were exasperating her..The way she was looking at him, Rihan knew that he owed her an explanation..But what will he exactly tell her, will she understand?

When Sanna returned home.she observed that the living room was occupied with more people than usual, few new faces could also be seen. Sanna's mother called her aside and handed her a tray of mango juice.After serving.she was made to sit in the only vacant place which was near an unknown man.He had a pleasant smiling face and seemed very calm,his name was Ali.

After the formal introductions, they were forced to ask questions to each other which was very uncomfortable for both of them.Ali had a husky and bold voice but it was pleasant to hear.He asked few questions about her college etc...After an hour of chit-chat the family finally dispersed, greeting farewell more sweetly than required.

Sanna was too preoccupied to notice anything. All this while,flashback of the morning incident were haunting her and she was blankly staring at the carpet.After the departure, the discussion started, Sanna was asked the same question again and again from every family member.."Do you like him?" and every time she nodded her head,silently staring at her hands...

To be continued....