Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Emil and Emily walked into their apartment tiredly after their first day at college.

Emily threw her bag onto the couch and plopped herself beside it with a relieved groan.

"Goodness! I feel so tired" Emily said with a tired groan.

"Of course. You ought to. You just started World War III, didn't you?" Emil asked sarcastically, as he sat next to her.

Emily looked at her brother sharply.

"I started? Really? You are saying this, Emil! That bad boy is the one who started. He hit you Emil. Hit you!! My brother! How dare he? Did you think I would just let it go, if some spoiled brat bullies my brother?" Emily asked furiously.

"Will you stop it and listen to me for a moment. I have been trying to say this for God knows how long." Emil said in exasperation.

"What? He might be your childhood best friend. But that is no excuse for you to defend him. He hit you. I hit him. We are equal now." Emily said adamantly.

"No. You misunderstood the situation and over reacted." Emil said in a calm tone.

"What the hell! How is defending my brother over reaction?" Emily asked, feeling offended that her brother was supporting Zahir over her.

"I didn't need defending, Emily. He didn't hit me. He saved me." Emil said.

"Saved you from what?" Emily snorted at her brother’s words.

"My phone was dead. I was trying to charge it. The socket was open and I got an electric shock. He saved me." Emil said and Emily stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh," she said softly.

"Oh? That's what you say? Oh! Mistake is yours Emily. You should apologise to him. Instead you punched him and fought with him for some silly reasons." Emil accused her.

"I didn't see you getting the electric shock, right? I only saw him hitting you with his bag. You know how I am. If anyone hurts you, I get hurt. And I react." Emily said with puppy eyes melting Emil's already marshmallow heart.

"I know, Em. But he was not at fault. So, the next time you see him, apologise. Okay?" Emil said softly.

"Do I have to?" Emily asked, making a face.

Apologise to the bad boy? Her ego wouldn't be able to bear it. Damn it!

"Emily.." Emil called in a stern tone.

"Fine, fine. For you ,I will apologise." Emily accepted defeat.

"Don't apologise for my sake. Apologise because you realise you did wrong." Emil said, glaring at her.

"Okay, darling. I get the point. Let's not talk about the bad boy anymore." Emily said in exasperation.

"Okay. I will order some food for us." Emil said and opened his phone to order food online.

"We should have brought Emma along." Emily said as she saw Emil ordering pizza for them.

Emil laughed.

"Maybe I will order one for her too, with her hostel address. Call her and tell her to wait for it." Emil said as he ordered one for their cousin too.

Emily dialled Emma's number who picked up the call on the second ring.

"Hello Emily," came the chirpy response from the other side.

"Emma. We are ordering a pizza for you. Keep your phone with you. I will call you when we get the notification for food delivery." Emily said.

"Woohoo. You two are the best. I love you loads and loads and loads." Emma squealed in excitement.

**

Zian pressed an ice pack onto Zahir's nose and he winced slightly.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath.

"Does it hurt?" Zian asked.

"No," Zahir refused, or rather his pride refused.

Zian and Zada rolled their eyes.

"You are not going to lose your macho image if you admit to your siblings that it hurts." Zada said.

"It doesn't hurt," Zahir said, adamantly.

"Yeah right. That's why you have been wincing ever since we started tending to your wound." Zian said sarcastically.

"I am not a baby. I don't need tending, damn it." Zahir said earning another eye roll from his siblings.

"What is the actual relationship between your nose and Emily's fist Zahir?" Zada asked cheekily.

"Shut up. That girl is crazy mad." Zahir said furiously.

"Aww. What do I name this love?" Zada teased and Zian chuckled.

"For heaven's sake. Can we stop talking about her? This is her habit. Always misunderstands me and attacks me." Zahir grumbled.

"Aww. Zahir boo is hurt?" Zada teased again.

"Get lost!" Zahir said with a stink eye.

"Zi! Don't you think it's time for payback?" Zada asked, making Zian frown.

"What payback?" Zian asked in confusion.

"Remember how he called momma and told the whole family about you and Emma?" Zada asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Zian smirked and Zahir stared at them in horror.

"Noooo!" Zahir screamed.

"Zi, call momma," Zada said and threw herself over her brother, tackling him.

Zahir tried to get out of Zada's hold. It was not very difficult, but if he used force, she would get hurt and he didn't want to hurt her.

Zada, very well knew her brother wouldn't hurt her and took full advantage of that knowledge.

Zian dialled his mother's number and waited for her to pick up the call.

"Zian baby. How are you?" Ava asked with a smile, and then frowned hearing the voices from the other side.

"What's going on?" She asked curiously.

"Momma. See this," Zian said, showing Zahir's face on the camera.

Ava gasped seeing her son's wounded nose.

"Zada!! Did you punch your brother?" Ava asked, seeing their position.

"Not me momma. Guess who did it!" Zada said, getting up.

"Who dared to hurt my baby? I am coming there." The momma lion came out in full form.

"Relax, Ava. It must be some girl." Zayed commented from the bed where he was lying and patting Zera to sleep.

"Papa! You guessed right. Ten points for you!" Zada clapped her hands gleefully.

"Zada!!" Ava warned her daughter.

"It's true momma. And guess who the girl is!" Zada prompted.

"How would I know?" Ava said, her eyes still on Zahir's nose checking whether the injury is worse.

"Just rewind fifteen years and try to remember who did this back then?" Zada gave a hint.

Ava's brows furrowed as she tried to remember.

Zahir huffed in annoyance.

"Can you all please stop? Don't make a big deal out of this." Zahir said tiredly.

"Little Emily?" Ava asked, remembering the incident that happened fifteen years ago.

“Ten points for momma!” Zada clapped, letting her mother know that her guess is right.

"Emily who?" Zayed asked curiously.

"Remember the girl whom he kissed on stage during that Cinderella play?" Ava asked in a loud whisper.

Zahir’s neck and ears turned a shade of red remembering that incident.

"Okay. That's it. Discussion over." Zahir said and walked into his room leaving his siblings a laughing mess.