Mahir barely slept that night.
The words he had thrown at Anabiya kept circling in his mind like a curse. Why had he been so harsh? Was it Urhaan's overprotectiveness that gnawed at him, or was it the sight of Anabiya crying in front of him? He couldn't figure it out. The more he thought, the more restless he grew, until finally, exhaustion dragged him into a troubled sleep.
The next morning—Sunday—he woke to find Dado sitting on the sofa. Without hesitation, he went and sat on the floor near her, resting his head in her lap like a little boy.
"Dado," he whispered, "I think I made a mistake. What should I do now?"
Dado's hand stroked his hair gently. "Beta, apologise. Everything will be fine."
"But... I'm scared of how she'll react," Mahir admitted, his voice low.
Dado chuckled softly. "Biya's anger doesn't last longer than two days. But if your mistake is really big... take her pistachio shake. She'll forgive you instantly. That's her weakness."
Mahir blinked, surprised. "But she's always talking about coffee, coffee..."
Dado laughed again. "Exactly. Coffee is her habit. But pistachio shake—" she tapped his forehead—"that's her apology drink."
Mahir stared at her in disbelief. "What kind of... nonsense weakness is this?"
Dado smiled knowingly. "Her little way of showing charms. You'll learn."
Mahir rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his smile as he left for his room.
⸻
Meanwhile, in her own apartment, Anabiya wore a loose casual shirt and trousers, her glasses perched on her nose, hair tied messily in a bun. She was supervising her maid, determined to get a full deep-clean done.
"Baji( in urdu baji means sister sometimes house worker called her maam), the washroom cleaner is finished," the maid announced.
Anabiya sighed, scrubbing dishes. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I would've brought it yesterday with the groceries." She wiped her wet hands and dug into her wallet, handing her some cash. "Go and buy it quickly. We need to finish everything today."
The maid left, and Anabiya got back to work. Just as she entered her room again—
Plop!
Something landed on her head. She froze. A cold shiver ran through her. Slowly, she touched her hair... and felt tiny, scaly legs.
Her scream shook the walls.
"CHHIPKALIII!!!"(in urdu chhipkali means lizard)
She dropped the dish soap, shaking her hair wildly. The lizard tumbled to the floor, but instead of running away, it stayed still, right in the middle of the room. Anabiya leapt onto her bed, hugging her knees, shrieking:
"Help! Somebody help! Please!!"
At that exact moment, Mahir entered the building, holding a pistachio shake and a box of pastries. He froze when he heard her voice. Without a thought, he ran straight into her apartment, dropped the bag on the table, and grabbed a knife from the kitchen before storming into her room.
But the sight made him stop dead.
There she was, perched on the bed, hair falling in her face, eyes wide with terror. And there it was—the enemy—an equally frozen lizard staring back.
The absurdity hit him so hard that even he shivered.
"Oh hell no..." he muttered, backing up onto the bed beside her.
Anabiya gawked. "What are you doing?! Kill it!"
"Why me? You kill it!" he shot back.
"You're the guy here!" she pushed him.
"So what?! Guys can't be scared of lizards?!"
For a moment, they just stared at each other, both panicked, both ridiculous. Then, with a sudden burst of bravery, Mahir waved the knife half-heartedly from a distance. "Shoo! Shoo! Please just go away!"
Anabiya burst out laughing. "Do you really think it'll listen to you like that?"
"Then tell me what to do!" he snapped, frustrated.
Somehow, by pure miracle—or pity—the lizard finally scurried away through the corner crack. Both of them blinked, then looked at each other in disbelief before breaking into relieved laughter.
But in that laughter, Anabiya lost her balance. She slipped forward, clutching Mahir's collar for support—and dragged him down with her.
In an instant, Mahir toppled onto the bed, Anabiya beneath him. His body stiffened. He lifted his head slightly, ready to move away—
But then his eyes caught hers.
She was staring back at him, breathless, her chest rising and falling rapidly. For a long, suspended moment, neither of them moved. Anabiya couldn't even tell if the pounding in her ears was her own heartbeat or his.
Finally, Mahir whispered hoarsely, "I wanted to say something..."
Her lips parted, barely managing a nod.
"I... wanted to say sorry."
Her eyes softened instantly. "It's okay."
The spell shattered when the maid's voice echoed from the hallway:
"Baji!"
Like a jolt of electricity, they sprang apart. Mahir rubbed his forehead, flustered. "I, uh... brought pastries and pistachio shake for you. They're on the table. Sorry—again. Bye."
Before she could respond, he escaped.
Anabiya stood frozen for a moment, her cheeks burning. Slowly, she walked out and spotted the bag on the table. The pistachio shake gleamed like Dado's secret weapon, sitting beside a box of pastries.
She smiled, clutching the shake, pressing her hand over her still-thundering heart.
The maid asked again, "Baji, did you say something?"
Anabiya only smiled wider, tugged the maid's cheek playfully, and whispered, "Clean up everything. I'll be in my room."
With the bag in hand, she disappeared inside, the echo of Mahir's apology still warm in her chest.