Their Last Season

"Sumi, wait," Hamza said as she was about to enter their flat.

Sumaiya turned toward Hamza to see why he was asking her to wait.

She saw a man coming out of the lift, holding something in his hand.

From the packet, it looked like a small frame.

The man handed it to Hamza and walked away.

Hamza turned toward Sumaiya, who was standing at the threshold with her arms folded and one eyebrow raised.

Hamza tore open the packet and started taking out its contents.

Sumaiya watched with curiosity.

She gasped when Hamza turned it toward her.

It was a nameplate with their initials.

H & S Abode.

He had included her initial on the nameplate too.

"I had always wished to put this nameplate on our home with you," he said while caressing it.

How much more was he going to make her fall in love with him?

Did he know how adorable he looked while doing all this?

"Hold it," he told her, extending the nameplate toward her.

She took it.

Together, they fixed the nameplate onto the wall.

When they were done, they turned toward each other.

Their orbs collided, creating a symphony of their own.

It was a 3-BHK flat in one of the posh areas of Delhi.

It had a beige and teal-green themed interior with cream-colored furniture.

Both the hall and the bedroom had balconies, offering scenic views.

The kitchen was spacious, with a large countertop and everything neatly arranged.

The refrigerator stood near the counter in one corner.

Walnut wooden shelves adorned one wall.

Sumaiya fell in love with the house instantly.

The moment she entered the bedroom, her eyes landed on a king-sized bed with a couch placed opposite it.

There was a dressing table with lights in one corner, a wall cupboard, and teal-green and cream-colored curtains adorning the windows.

"I love the room," she exclaimed.

"Oh, such a cute study table," she said while inspecting the study room.

"Excuse me, Madam," she heard Hamza say.

"Love for the room, cute for the table. What about me?

I am the one who decorated this place."

Hamza huffed.

"Is that so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," he replied.

"Then I should definitely praise your choice."

She spoke nonchalantly.

He smiled and gazed at her.

"Definitely. You should admire and praise my choice."

He whispered.

Sumaiya understood the hidden meaning.

She shyly averted her gaze.

******

"Hamza, come fast. Breakfast is getting cold."

Sumaiya called him for the umpteenth time.

It had been more than twenty minutes since she had started calling him.

But the man was so invested in grooming himself.

After two minutes, he came out.

"Sometimes I feel you love the mirror more."

Sumaiya snickered.

"No, Begum, you're wrong. I love my wife more."

He winked at her while sitting at the dining table.

She glared at him.

But her blushing cheeks revealed the effect he had on her.

"Ready for the day, Professor?" Hamza asked.

"Yes, Mr. Architect," she replied.

He dropped Sumaiya off and then headed to his office.

*****

"Amma, I am fine. Believe me."

Danish tried to reassure his mother.

"I wish that were true."

His mother spoke in a defeated tone.

"Amma, tell me, have you taken your medicine?"

He tried changing the topic.

"Yes, I have."

There was a brief pause.

"Pray for me, Amma. Today is an important day for me as an HR."

He told her.

"I know. My prayers are always with you, my love."

His mother said softly.

Oh, a mother's love.

A sun in the long winter.

Arms that become cozy blankets.

Providing warmth and shielding us from the world.

"Amma... I miss her."

He spoke in a low voice.

His mother was left speechless.

"Allah Hafiz," he said.

"Allah Hafiz, my child."

His mother replied lovingly.

He looked at himself in the mirror while setting his hair.

A memory flashed before his eyes.

"Danish, when you get promoted, you have to buy me a diamond anklet."

Mahira told him while sitting on the balcony.

He smiled.

"My promotion isn't even confirmed yet, and you're already looting me."

He narrowed his eyes playfully.

"So what? I'm your wife.

I have complete access to your things."

She replied while flipping her hair.

"Yes, my darling. I am yours too."

He winked.

She winked back.

They burst into laughter.

His eyes welled up.

"Yesterday, I got promoted, Ira. See? I even bought the anklets for you."

He paused.

"But you're not here to wear them."

He said while placing the anklets inside the cupboard.

Today, he had to visit a college for the recruitment of new employees who would secure placements through the campus drive.

*****

It had been a week since Sumaiya and Hamza moved back to Delhi.

Today, a placement team was visiting Sumaiya's college for campus recruitment.

Sumaiya was a professor of Statistics.

She had prepared students for job opportunities such as Data Analyst, Business Analyst, MIS Executive, and similar roles.

She was in the college when the principal called her to meet the placement team.

As the head of the placement committee, she entered the room and greeted everyone.

Her eyes fell on a man in his late twenties staring at her without blinking.

It wasn't a lustful stare.

It was the gaze of someone who was stunned, as though he had seen something impossible.

Danish couldn't take his eyes off her.

The woman in the peach saree and beige hijab had walked in.

Her orbs...

They made him unable to look away.

They were an exact replica of Ira's eyes.

The resemblance was so uncanny that he couldn't distinguish between Ira's eyes and hers.

"Good afternoon, everyone."

The woman began.

"I am Sumaiya Ahsan Khan, the in-charge of this placement."

She spoke gently in a professional tone.

Her name brought him out of his trance.

She was Sumaiya, not Mahira.

But her eyes...

After the placement procedure was over, he returned home.

Yet he couldn't stop thinking about those eyes.

Why did they resemble Ira's so intensely?

*****

"Sumi, this weekend we have to go to Kanpur for dinner at Rahil's house."

Hamza reminded her while sitting on the bed.

"I remember, Hamza."

She replied while applying moisturizer to her hands.

"Well, Sumi, let's play Ludo."

He exclaimed.

She chuckled.

His little ways of spending time with her.

She had never liked Ludo, but with him, even that felt enjoyable.

How the tides of her heart had changed because of her beloved.

"Sumi, you're cheating!" he exclaimed when he found himself on the verge of losing.

She rolled her eyes.

The classic dialogue of every opponent when they realized they were losing.

"Let's just say I beat you."

She smirked.

He smirked.

"Ma'am, I've already lost my heart to you.

What is this game compared to that?"

She was left speechless.

"This man and his habit of tugging at my heartstrings..."

She muttered.

"Aren't you being a little too much?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"No, My love and expressions for my wife can never be too much."

He smiled at her.

******

It was Saturday when they were driving to Rahil's house for dinner.

Sumaiya was feeling motion sick.

Hamza stopped the car near a medical store on the outskirts of Kanpur.

While Hamza went to buy medicine, Sumaiya leaned back against the seat, watching the hustle and bustle of the Kanpur bazaar.

But then her eyes caught something.

A familiar face emerged from a restaurant.

It was Hashir.

With him were a teenage girl and a woman in her mid-thirties.

The unusual part wasn't their presence.

It was the way Hashir was smiling at the girl.

As though they shared a very close bond.

And the woman looked at them both with affection.

Her reverie broke when Hamza opened the car door.

He noticed her staring somewhere and followed her line of sight.

He froze.

Flashes of his conversation with Rahil rushed through his mind.

Their thoughts were interrupted once again when Hamza's phone rang.

It was Rahil.

They looked at each other.

No words were exchanged.

Yet somehow, they composed themselves and headed for dinner.

After dinner, Hamza pulled Rahil aside.

"Are you sure, Rahil, that you saw Bhai that day?" Hamza asked firmly.

"Yes."

Rahil answered without hesitation.

Hamza fell silent.

One thought kept replaying in his mind.

Is Bhai cheating on Bhabhi?

The very idea felt absurd.

Hashir was a man who loved his wife deeply.

At least, that was what everyone believed.

Then who were that woman and that teenage girl?

And why had Hashir become so defensive when Rahil mentioned seeing him?

Questions.

Questions.

And more questions.

But no answers.

Hamza glanced at Rahil.

"If you remember anything

else about that day, let me know."

Rahil nodded.

"Sure."

Hamza forced a smile and joined the others.

But his mind remained stuck on the scene outside the restaurant.

The woman.

The girl.

And Hashir's smile.

A smile Hamza had never seen on his brother's face before.

Something wasn't right.

His heart whispered it.

And for the first time, Hamza feared what the truth might be.