CHAPTER 4
AHAD POV:
I was working in my company when I got a call from my younger brother Ashar.
"Where are you, bhai? I told you to be at Do Darya by 8 p.m. so we can race! I have been on my knees to beg you for this race, yarr. You can't just ignore me, bhai!! Common yarr!! You know, many people came just to meet you today!" He was screaming his lungs out on my phone. I had to keep it away from my ear just to listen to nonsense-filled screams.
"I DID NOT SAY YES!" I said, frustratedly remembering that my paternal aunt's family was coming to visit us after a long time... and it wasn't the main problem, but their daughter was... she's kind of always around me, trying to have a chat with me, I was never into chatting with someone I can't pinpoint my perspective.
"I don't give a damn, bhai! I'm waiting for you right here at our old place of Do Darya, be right here within half an hour, or else I'll not go to Baba's company to work!" He cut the call on my face after ordering me!
His being 4 years younger than me doesn't make him respect me!! He needs a lesson...
After getting my keys, I took the lift, walked towards the parking lot, and got on my bike while wearing my helmet. I rode my bike at full speed towards Burger O'clock to get him and his friend a burger, knowing that today he wouldn't have anything as he had to arrange the race and all.
On my way to the place, my eyes caught a man on the roadside selling balloons, a pure, blissful memory hit me hard…
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"Aren't you being too stubborn, little one?" I said, pinching her cheek lightly.
"So, what, you monkey?" she said, trying to get rid of my hold. She looked up at me aggressively, "You are being too much now, monkey. Why do you think I shouldn't have changed the lip balm to lipstick when he literally insulted my Hazel!"
"Oh, your hazel this, your Hazel that, shut up. She can defend herself, and you should not behave this way with your juniors." I helplessly dragged her off the campus as she kept on screaming, defending what she did as right.
"You know, right, that Hazel can be in trouble because of your silly mistake?" I questioned her, making her understand the situation.
"She won't be in trouble, I'll always protect her, and the other thing, that guy, who you are trying to save, called me a loser because I couldn't win the chess competition against his friend." That made me angry. How dare he say that! To my baby.
"And you know Hazel defended me that time, and then he insulted her, so at last it was because of me that she got so much hate from other people, so the prank is justified!" said my little one as she folded her hands, chin up, looked proud.
"You gifted him lip balm, which was a red lipstick, and he roamed all around the university with it while people took his picture. Do you think this humiliation is justified?" I tried to resonate with her one last time before I lose all the freaking brain cells that I saved up until now.
"Justified!"
Is she serious?
I-
Can't-
Believe-
Her-
Anymore-
She is truly biased!
"I won't talk to you anymore, you are being mean to me, monkey!" Now what did I do? Is she crazy or what?
"Because you didn't listen to me and started lecturing me like always!" Okay, I know that I lecture her, but it's for her good only. How will she understand it?
"Okay, so my sweet little one, what do you want?" She looked at me strangely, her evil mind working as fast as light.
"Well, firstly, I want those balloons," she pointed at the man selling balloons on the roadside. Nodding my head, I waited for her other demands, as always, "Then I want a lot of chocolates, a polar bear stuffed toy, and a race on our way home tonight, agreed?" her silly little demands.
Getting out of the car, I moved towards the man and got all the balloons as she requested, oh, I mean, demanded.
"You are the best," she said, excitedly clapping like a child she is… pinching my cheek at last… that hurts.
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It's such a silly yet deep memory of her… her smile and enthusiasm to live her life cheerfully made things traumatic for me now.
It's such a silly yet deep memory of her… her smile and enthusiasm to live her life cheerfully made things traumatic for me now.
Arriving at the place, I got down from my bike and handed the bag of burgers to Ashar.
"Eat first, or else I won't go for the race," I said while he nodded his head with a smile on his face. His smile hides so many secrets from me that I sometimes feel like I haven't done much for him…
"Okay, I'm eating." Looking at his face, I could see so many similarities with hers.
They both had the same smile, the same habits, and the same nature, yet they would fight like Tom and Jerry; never had I thought she would disappear from our lives like this.
I got on my bike again, with him and his friends on their bikes. We were starting our bikes when a young boy came to Ashar and said, "Bhai, bhai, a beautiful girl came to meet you just now, she said you met her yesterday at Seaview, I told her that you were about to race and won't be able to meet her now so she said she will come at midnight to watch the car race and drifting." The little boy said in one go, looking excited. (Translation: Brother.)
"Bhai, she got a really big and nice car. Can you ask her to give me a ride in her car if she races, please bhai?" The little guy requested, which now had my curiosity.
A girl came here at this time with a nice car herself!?
"Okay, Zeeshan, I will ask her, I promise, and thank you for telling me about her. Now you should go to your brother again. We will start racing now," Ashar said to him while ruffling his hair a little.
The only thing everyone here had in their mind was to ride as fast as they could, not caring about anything.
I sat astride the Kawasaki Ninja H2, my bike... night light glinting off its obsidian armor...
AUTHOR POV:
Ahad wasn't just mounted on his bike. He was focused on speeding his bike at a speed of 400 km/h (249 mph). The traffic did not bother him. The space that would have been dangerous for a bike to cross, he crossed it without any fear. Under his calloused palms, the handlebars hummed with anticipation, the supercharged heart of the beast thrumming, and adrenaline ran through his body.
Knowing the roads would be full of traffic, he didn't flinch. Speeding his bike up as he saw the empty road ahead of him, taking notes to not crash into someone else and make their life as problematic as his. The speed of his bike gave him satisfaction as it struck a familiar note in the song of the track. He closed his eyes, inhaling the heady cocktail of gasoline and adrenaline...
At points, the world melted into a blur of speed. The H2R surged forward as it felt a caged falcon unleashed, ripping through the thin air. G-forces pressed Ahad into the seat, and his body felt raw power coursing through the machine.
Each corner was a challenge, but he took it as an adventure to unleash a new beginning. Ahad leaned into the curves, turning his bike to the side, crossing the road without any fear of all the traffic, not caring about the traffic lights; he crossed the road bravely.
As the check red flag fluttered in the wind, Ahad crossed the finish line, victor not just of the race, but of his doubts. He dismounted, his legs trembling with the aftershock of adrenaline, his hands still tingling from the past he was seeing in front of his eyes...
Memories of the past started to come... memories of the accident... memories of those black eyes staring at his… memories of the murder… memories of the haunting past…
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"Monkey, my handsome monkey."
"He fought with me, monkey."
"Can we go out to eat tonight?"
"Mama was scolding me."
"Can you not pull my ear?"
"Help me…"
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His breathing stopped. It was as if his whole body surrendered to the surroundings, his mind stopped, and everything around him started to spin...
"Bhai," He heard or maybe imagined, his whole body started to tremble. Getting down from his bike, he took a deep breath.
He felt his eyes grow moist inside his helmet, and his trembling hands, taking a few deep breaths, he looked around his surroundings, wanting to find his brother. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning around, he found his brother by his side, hugging him tightly.
He heard him saying, "Bhai, bhai, are you alright? Don't think about the past, bhai, look everything's okay, look I'm alright, everyone is fine, look bhai no one has gotten into any accident, we all are fine, take a deep breath bhai please," Ashar was rubbing Ahad's back.
"Ashar, get me a cab, I want to go home to Ammi, please, you too, please come home," Ahad said, still not leaving his brother.
"Okay, I'll come home soon. You can go home with Arham. He came here in his car. I'll take your bike to your penthouse soon, okay?" Ashar tried to console, to which Ahad gave a single nod. After breaking the hug, he walked over to Ahmad's car to get inside.
His body felt light as he sat in the passenger seat, taking some deep breaths, his mind reminded him of the memories again and again, trying to overcome the trauma haunting his days and nights, he closed his eyes...