Arham pulled the brakes in front of the house. Meher who was slurping on her second ice cream of the night frowned as her face plastered against her ice cream, her ice cream smearing on her nose and chin.

"Go easy on the brakes Mr. Butt." She said with a frown.

"Sorry." Arham replied sheepishly. He pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to Meher who whipped the ice cream off her face using it.

The two got down of the car in silence, except the sound of Meher licking up on her ice cream cone.

They walked in, Meher behind Arham.

"Oh before I forget." Arham said making Meher stop in her track.

"What." Meher said still licking her ice cream.

"We have a party to attend on 17th, Yusuf's hospital holds a charity ball every year so.."

"A ball ?" Meher squealed. "Really ?"

"Yes." Arham chuckled. "Find yourself a dress." He said.

"I will." Meher replied as the two entered the warmth of the house. The warm yellow lights giving a soft glow to their faces.

They walked up the stairs in silence, Meher following Arham . Standing in front of the heavy oak doors, Arham turned around to face Meher who looked at him with her doe eyes.

"I have work to do, I'll see you in the morning." He said and Meher nodded. She was use to having the entire room to herself and Arham spending the nights in his study working.

She walked past him and pushed the door open entering her room.

"Goodnight."

Meher turned around and gave Arham a smile. "Good night." She said closing the doors.

•••

Meher woke up as the sun fell on her face, lazily stretching her arms she pushed herself out of bed.

She turned her head to see the time on the clock by her bed side.

8:15 A.M

Meher quickly brushed her teeth and got down to get herself a cup of tea.

The sound of utensils had already reached her ear as she descended down the stairs.

"Gul please can you keep the kettle on the stove." She said entering the dinning area.

Arham sat at his usual seat going through his emails drinking his black coffee.

"Good morning." Meher wished Arham who looked up from his iPad and a frown etched across his face.

"Are these your work clothes ?" He asked her ignoring her pleasantries.

"Do you allow night suits to work ?" Meher replied back with sass cocking up her eyebrow at him.

"Well Ms. Haideri, I hope you know in exactly 27 minutes you have to reach office." He said with a smirk. "Tardiness isn't appreciated at the Butt corporates." He said switching off his iPad.

"Twenty..Twenty seven minutes ?" Meher chuckled humourlessly.

"Twenty six now." He said checking his wrist watch. "Office starts at 9 am, Monday to Saturday." He said pushing back his chair and getting up.

"You should have told me earlier. " Meher yelled springing up from her chair. "Or you could have at lease woken me up." She said. "I hate you." She whined before running back upstairs in haste leaving behind her husband who chuckled at her condition.

"Gul." Arham called out to their house help. "Pack breakfast for Meher and her tea too. Send our lunch to office, but separately." He said before leaving for work.

•••

Meher had broken all her records. Record for the shortest and the quickest bath, record for wearing the most mismatched clothes, record for covering the journey of 15 minutes in 9 and the record for being late as well.

Meher pushed the door of the 'beta' room, panting. Her dramatic entry had all the eyes turned towards her. Five pairs of eyes looking at the weird lady heaving like a dog at the door.

"Well, it's a progress, yesterday you were 10 minutes late." Seher said looking at her with her arms folded across her chest. "Today it's 20." She sneered.

"Sorry Ms Seher, I didn't know the office started at 9." Meher apologised removing her bag from her shoulder and placing it on the table her and Zara were given.

"Not my problem and God just were clothes that go together." Seher sing songed before walking out of the cabin.

"Don't fret, she has snapped at us all today." Zara said placing her hand on Meher's shoulder.

"Must have fought with Zain bhai." Arsal said joining them at their table.

"Zain who ?"

"Her husband." Zara replied. "And Arsal that's not a nice thing to say, you know even jokes like these can spread like a fire of rumours."

"Sorry." He said looking at Zara holding his ears like a child making Meher chuckle.

"Time to leave ladies, have a lot of work to do. Chao." He said winking at Meher before turning around to head back to his bench.

"Let's get to work too." Zara said and the two again began discussing and sketching designs, using the pointers Meher had made the previous day.

Half the day had passed in sketching and working tirelessly. It was two when a clocked named Eira reminded them about lunch. The five of the beta team made their way towards the canteen which was just a floor below theirs.

Seher as she was the head of the FD was rarely seen in the beta room or with the team.

The five of them took a seat at the corner table. Arsal, Fahim and Eira were engaged in a conversation and Zara and herself were busy browsing through the menu of the day. Meher realised that she was extremely hungry as she had no time to eat breakfast at home and the packed breakfast Gul had given her, she had forgotten it in the car in her haste.

"I'm starving."

"I am too." Arsal replied to Meher.

"You just had snacks an hour back." Eira chipped in.

"That was sixty minutes ago. Allah why does she always keep an hawk's eye on me, why is she so obsessed with me." He said dramatically making Meher chuckle and Zara roll her eyes at the two.

"Let's go get our food then." Fahim suggested and got up from his seat.

"Yes let's -." Zara was interrupted by a man carrying a large picnic basket in his hand.

"Meher bibi apke liye aur apke dosto ke liye khana aaya hai." The peon said and placed the large jute basket on the table and left . (I've got food for yourself and your friends.)

"Wow." Arsal said and did not waste a second in opening the basket.

"Arsal." Zara said in a disappointed tone and swatted his hand away.

"Who sent us so much food . Meher ?" Eira asked curiously.

"I don't know I -." Meher was interrupted by her loud ring tone.

She looked at her phone which was placed on the table and the name flashing on the screen made her smile widely.

"Salam." She said.

"Wasalam Nur." Yusuf replied.

"Where are you ?" She asked him.

"Uh..Hospital ?" He replied a little confused as to why Meher was interested in his location.

"Kya aapne humare liye khana bhijwaya hai ?" She asked. (Did you send food for me ?)

"Jiske khud ke khane ka koi thikana na ho voh kya Shehzadi Nur Jahan ko khana bhejega." He replied making Meher laugh. (I haven't, I barely have time to fend food for myself)

"Why don't you come home for dinner ? I'll make you your sea food Thai curry and Hyderabadi mutton biryani ?"

"Dont tempt me Nur Jahan."

"Will you come ?" She asked hopefully. She desperately wanted to share her and Arham's encounter in the kitchen yesterday with a friend. Since Hooriya wasn't there to listen to her, Yusuf was her next best option.

"I have a few important cases, those patients need my attention Nur and the ball, I have some work to do before the ball as well." He replied.

"You certainly love your job and patients more than you love me Yusuf Choudary." Meher faked anger.

"That's not true Nur." Yusuf replied.

"It is. I'm going to go have my food now, don't make me more angry. Allah hafiz." She said. A few moments of silence later Meher spoke on her phone again.

"Are..you still there ?" She asked in barely a whisper.

"I am." Yusuf replied. "I'm sorry Meher these few cases need my immediate attention or I would give everything up to be with you." He said in full honesty.

"I know and don't call me Meher." She said. "My name sounds so forgine when you say it."

"Duely noted madam."

"Now get back to work. I love you." She said with utmost innocence.
She didn't know the impact her words had on the man on the reviving end.

"And I love you Nur." He said softly. "Allah hafiz." He said and cut the call, trying to even his breathing and slow down his heart rate.

•••

"And I love you Nur. Allah hafiz " Yusuf said and cut the call.

"Idiot." Meher said and shook her head in amusement. She looked up from her phone to see four sets of curious eyes staring at her.

"You have so much to explain Ms Meherunisa Haideri." Arsal said in a hushed tone.

"Yusuf Choudary ? How Meher how ?" Eira said literally swooning at her spot.

"I think we should have food for now and then come back to uh .. this." Fahim suggested.

"Agreed." Zara chipped in and immediately started to pull out the food from the picnic basket.

Meher looked at the four people in confusion, what did Yusuf have to do with their exaggerated reaction, and how was Yusuf such a big deal ?

AN:
WARNING: long author's note, kindly read

hey my pretty people.
Here is your chapter
I hope you are liking it so far, I need a little help, kindly tell me if the following plot lines are to your liking

1) Arham and Meher have started behaving cordially with each other, well Arham basically. How do you guys feel about that ?

2) And how are you liking the office angle to the plot ? Is it unnecessary and slowing the story ?

3) which character you would like to have a point of view from or would like to see then more often

• The next goal for the next chapter is 175 again.

I would also like to bring it to everyone's notice that some Wattpad authors who also are my readers feel it's okay to promote their books under my comment section.

It's not okay.

If a fellow wattpader wants to gain an audience and feels like my readers would love their books I would be more than happy to give them a shout out as I have done in the past. Please do not pull such stunts as your comments would be deleted and the person muted, I'm willing readily to promote your book and introduce it to my readers and would read and vote for your work myself, i as an amateur author understand the need of platform and audience myself.

Done with the rant
Stay safe my lovelies
Lots of love
xoxo