Chapter Four
Raina looked up to see a darked haired man look down on her. "Raina?" He questioned. She noticed the way his lips tilted into a smile, his dimples deep in his bestubbled cheeks. His dark eyes twinkled of happiness. She gasped, memories of them laughing, him consoling her came rushing back.
"Rehaan?" He was about to say something when an Air Hostess reminded him to fasten his seatbelt, as the plane would be away in under a minute. He hurriedly did as Faiza and Fahmida looked at him and Raina, confused.
"Wait, you too know each other?" Faiza was quick to reach the point as Fahmida edged over her seat on the far side to listen to the conversation.
Rehaan gave them a slight smile, "Yeah, we knew each other from college."
Fahmida smiled. "What a coincidence, I can't believe the same girl that helped me, is the same girl that you went to college with."
"Right, Amma. If Rehaan Bhai did have any friends, then I'm glad that's it's Raina." Faiza laughed as she turned to her brother. "Well, Bhai, you're coolness has gone from here." She placed her hand in mid hair. "To here." Before moving it higher.
Rehaan rolled his eyes. "Yeah well your coolness is still pretty much down here." He laughed indicating to his shoes. Faiza began to protest but was quietened down by her mother. A few minutes went by when Faiza became occupied by the Twilight film, occasionally fawning over Jacob Black whilst Rehaan turned around unable to watch his sister crush over someone who didn't know she existed. Fahmida, who couldn't bear the unusual silence had turned her television onto Star Plus and was quietly watching the latest episode of Saathiya. She gasped as the character, Gopi cried whilst getting angry over the lead's Aunt and her trickeries.
Rehaan laughed a little as his family became occupied in their own world. He sighed, facing Raina who trying to immerse herself into her work but was unable to. She couldn't believe she is sitting next to the very same person who she used to know. Though she only knew him for a few months, and was not very close to him, she felt uneasy knowing that he came from the same past that she ran away from.
"So how many years has it been? Seven? Eight?" He asked, trying to make conversation.
Raina looked up from her laptop screen before replying, "Eight, I suppose. What - you're twenty-six, twenty-seven now?" She smiled, trying to make the situation feel less awkward.
"Twenty-Seven." He smiled, again his eyes twinkling. She couldn't help but look into them before stopping, thinking that she was staring too much. She looked away, embarrassed. "Er, So..." He tried to think what to say. "How have you been? What have you been doing after College? How was University?" He said all at once.
She didn't know what to say. Though they were harmless questions, each had been linked to her past and she didn't want to talk about it. She had spent five years getting free, there was no way she was ever going to remember about him and what he did to her.
"Fine." She couldn't look into Rehaan's eyes. "You know the usual. You?" She wanted to get the attention off her.
"Well, got into University in London. Studied Medicine and now I'm a practising Doctor." He laughed lightly.
She nodded. She remembered that he had wanted to become a Doctor. He was two years older than her but had to stay back a year to get a higher grade, therefore technically he was in the Upper Year. They had both bonded over their love for English Literature, her wanting to study it further whilst he chose it as an extra subject alongside his three Sciences. He and his friend had helped her, and her peers. They were just acquaintances, not really friends. Just someone they knew.
"So, you live in London now, huh?" She asked.
He nodded. "After coming to study here, I guess I got used to it. And then my brother got a job here and got married. We all decided it was better for everyone if we just move from Birmingham to London." Raina nodded slowly. "So what about you? Why are you in London?"
She stopped, not knowing what to say. She opened up her PowerPoint Document before starting to type, completely ignoring him.
"Raina?" She sighed and stopped writing. She couldn't ignore him, not when he was sitting right besides her! She didn't want to tell him the truth, after all who was he to her, really?
"Urm, I moved here five years ago." She couldn't talk in front of his eyes. "I own part of Meera Fashion House so I handle the main domain from London."
"Five years ago? Weren't you meant to be at University then?" She bit her lip at his words. She was part angry, part upset: Why couldn't he just stay quiet?
"I left University." She replied quietly. He tried to reply back but stopped as she hurriedly dispersed herself from the world by mere headphones and looked intently at the screen. He sighed, knowing that even if he did speak she wouldn't hear him. He looked to his left where his mother and sister were still watching television before wondering what Ibrahim, Naila and the twins would be up to. He picked up his bag from the top bunk before taking out a book he was currently reading Animal Farm by George Orwell.
"Everyone please fasten your seat belts as the plane will be stopping in a few minutes." There was a slight hustle of noise as men and women alike grumbled from their seats, as they placed their belts over their body. Rehaan got up from his deep reading and did the same whilst glancing over at Raina. She was still listening to music, whilst working on her Business work. He smiled watching as she did. She was always a deep thinker: both smart but yet someone who liked to have a laugh. He remembered her always being optimistic even when she was down. He remembered the day when she had gotten her exam results for English Literature and how she wasn't really phased with her marks despite getting the highest in class. She was always someone who was mature, modest and always so happy. But this Raina? She was quiet, despite his attempts she didn't want to talk to him. He wondered what was wrong.
Raina stopped typing for a second before feeling someone stare at her, she turned around and asked Rehaan if everything was alright. He stopped, looking away before telling her that it was time to land and to fasten her seat belt. She muttered a thanks as she did.
A few minutes later, the plane landed and they all stretched as they got up from their seats. Rehaan helped Faiza and Fahmida get their side bags as Raina helped herself. She quickly placed her laptop in it's bag before waiting to get out.
"So, finally we're in Paris!" Faiza squealed, trying to pronounce Paris with French accent.
Raina smiled as they walked out. "Urm, so if you haven't found a Hotel or anywhere to stay then you should go to Hotel Du Lourve, It's linked to your boarding pass so you can stay there if you show them that."
"Thanks, Raina. We'll meet up with my son and my daughter-in-law first and then we'll make a decision." Fahmida replied. Raina nodded before waving off and settling into a Taxi. Rehaan watched she went off, he said goodbye but she didn't hear him.
"Have you informed Ibrahim, yet?" Fahmida asked Faiza.
"Bhaiya hasn't turned his phone on yet, I guess they're all going to come out this way." Faiza replied. "Oh look!" She pointed at the parents, holding their young children who were in awe of the unknown City.
"Amma?" Ibrahim said, shocked. "What are you all doing here? I thought there were no seats left."
Faiza giggled, picking up the young Humera before playing with her. "Actually," Rehaan was about to say when Hamza tugged on his trousers, begging to be picked up.
"Actually, you remember that girl I was talking about, the girl I met in Birmingham?" Fahmida said as Ibrahim and Faiza nodded. "Well, I met her not long after you two went. Turns out she had three extra spare passes as her colleagues weren't able to come. So she gave them to us."
"And guess what?!" Faiza shrieked with Humera giggling. "Raina, the girl, is Rehaan's bhai college friend!"
Rehaan went red in the face as Ibrahim and Naila started to ask him questions. "Ah, we...we weren't really friends. We just knew each other." He said clearly. It was true of course, he hadn't really thought about her not until he met her just recently. If there was something that he couldn't get rid off, it was her difference in personality. She was no longer the happy-go-lucky girl and he wanted to know why.
Faiza gave Humera back to her mother before turning her phone back on. Rehaan rolled his eyes as his sister immersed herself into the technology.
"So, Where are we going to stay?" Ibrahim asked.
"Why don't we just stay in the Hotel that Raina told us about?" Faiza said, tilting her head up from her phone. She fiddled with the Internet browser looking for the very same Hotel before dropping her mouth into a gasp. "It's a five star? We totally have to stay there!" She jumped in delight as Fahmida shook her head.
"No, no. That's too much, we can't stay there."
"But Amma, come on. Raina did say that it's linked to our passes meaning that there are rooms available for us and it'll only be empty even if we don't go!"
"But even if we go, what about Faiza, Ibrahim and the children?" Fahmida gave her a stern look as Faiza gave her a stubborn look.
Rehaan looked at his sister and couldn't help but disallow her. "We'll get them a room too, it's fine. After all, better to stay together right?" Faiza didn't wait for her mother's approval as she simply hugged her brother.
"Thank you Rehaan Bhaiyya!" She smiled, with excitement. Rehaan nodded, sure he wanted to make his sister smile but there was another reason: it would have meant that he would see Raina again. Fahmida sighed, relenting to her daughter's wishes before they made their way to the Hotel by Taxi.