A Strange Premonition. 

A Strange Premonition.

The sight alone sent unease curling through her stomach. Somehow, his mere presence seemed to dominate the entire surroundings without him even moving.

Her fingers tightened unconsciously.

Sabba nudged Radhika lightly, trying to grab her attention. Blinking out of her thoughts, Radhika finally looked at her.

“Someone seems awfully busy staring, hmm?” Sabba teased with a knowing wink. “Very unusual, I must say.”

Heat rushed almost instantly to Radhika’s face at the accusation.

“Don’t worry, mate. I’m not judging.” Sabba winked again, looking far too amused by her flustered expression.

Mortified at being caught so obviously distracted. Had she really been staring that openly?

Radhika quickly looked away, silently praying the warmth spreading across her cheeks would fade soon enough.

“At least pretend to listen when I’m talking,” Sabba huffed dramatically.

Blinking, she said, “I am. I am.”

“Anyway, forget that,” Sabba continued excitedly. “Did you know the mall is inspired by the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta? And Ibn Battuta Mall is actually considered the largest themed mall in the world!”

Radhika shook her head softly in response, indicating she had no idea.

Sabba gasped dramatically. “Then today, my dear Radha, I shall educate you properly.”

Meanwhile, the man responsible for her sudden embarrassment remained entirely unaware—or perhaps pretended to be.

With a deep sigh, Radhika was just about to compliment Sabba on her surprisingly detailed historical knowledge when another voice cut through the conversation.

“You’re late, Maa. twenty minutes and fifty-six seconds.”

Uzair glanced at the large silver watch strapped around his wrist before giving his mother one of his usual unimpressed looks. “I thought you would at least try being on time.”

The late afternoon sunlight reflected faintly against the silver frame of his watch as he spoke.

“You and your brother will never change, will you?” Neelam shook her head dramatically, rolling her eyes. “Always so obsessed with time.”

Radhika stayed unusually quiet, though her eyes drifted toward him far more often than she intended.

Then, turning toward the girls, Neelam lifted her brows knowingly. “Ladies need their sweet time getting ready, don’t we, girls?”

A chorus of “Yes,” “Yeah,” and “Absolutely” filled the air for a few brief moments before fading into laughter.

“Punctual freaks,” she muttered under her breath. That jab was both for him and her husband. Unfortunately for her, everyone still heard it clearly.

“One day,” Uzair muttered dryly, “all of you will be the reason I develop high blood pressure.”

The familiar banter flowed so naturally between them that it almost made Radhika forget her earlier unease.

A snort escaped Sabba almost immediately while Zara burst into open laughter. Even Shaur let out an excited squeal at the sudden noise around him, completely unaware of the conversation yet determined to participate anyway.

“Don’t be such a spoilsport, brother! We’re here now, aren’t we?” Sabba huffed dramatically.

“Yeah, let’s just go already!” Zara quipped impatiently.

Meanwhile, Uzair merely sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as though he had long since given up arguing with his family.

“Someday, all of you will be the death of me.”

Neelam aunty gasped theatrically. “Did I just hear you say something negative about yourself?”

A few muffled laughs instantly broke out around them.

“Of course not,” Uzair replied dryly. “I was merely calculating how much time it’s going to take to reach the mall with all of you.”

“You better,” Neelam aunty warned, pointing a finger at him suspiciously before climbing into the car with as much dignity as she could manage.

And of course, with his help.

“Please be careful with the steps,” he said quietly, his hand instinctively moving to support her as she stepped forward to climb in.

Sabba snorted beside Radhika while Zara muttered, “Poor man,” under her breath with fake sympathy.

For the first time since arriving there, a small, genuine smile threatened to appear on Radhika’s lips at their ridiculous banter.

Neelam aunty winked knowingly. “Now then, if everyone has received their respective responses, shall we proceed?”

“Maa—a lady? Wow.” Uzair grumbled under his breath. “Of course.”

Neelam aunty’s eyes narrowed immediately at his snappy tone. “Did you say something, child? Because if I’m not mistaken, you most certainly did.”

“No. No. Not at all,” he corrected himself almost instantly. “I was merely saying that all of you should get seated first.”

“Thought as much,” Neelam aunty replied sweetly, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

And then, suddenly, Radhika’s eyes met his.

The world around her seemed to quieten for a brief, disorienting second. His gaze carried the peculiar heaviness of a storm waiting to unfold.

Her fingers curled unconsciously against her palms.

His obsidian eyes—deep, unreadable, and carrying an unsettling darkness within them—held hers effortlessly. The intensity of his gaze alone altered the rhythm of her heartbeat. There was something dangerously arresting about the way he looked at people.

The longer he looked at her, the more aware she became of her own heartbeat.

Silence stretched quietly between them.

Suddenly, breathing itself felt oddly difficult.

Neither of them looked away. Something unreadable flickered briefly across his expression before disappearing just as quickly.

It almost felt as though his dark eyes had caught hers in invisible threads, holding them captive without permission. Perhaps it was imaginary. Perhaps not.

All she truly knew was that her heart had begun beating at an unfamiliar pace while a strange nervous tremor travelled beneath her fingertips. There was no expression on his face, and somehow that made his gaze feel even more intimidating.

Blinking rapidly, Radhika tore her gaze away the very moment the strange ensnarement of his eyes released hers. Flustered and vaguely panicked, she hurried toward the car before quickly slipping into the backseat by the window, Sabba settling beside her moments later.

Her heartbeat still refused to steady properly. Even without looking ahead, she remained painfully aware of his presence.

“Hello, Maa. How have you been?”

A strangely cheerful voice suddenly called out from the passenger seat, startling all of them at once. Ahmed carried the kind of effortless energy that instantly lightened the atmosphere around him.

“Oh, Ahmed!” Neelam aunty’s face brightened immediately. “It’s lovely to have you join us, child. I hope you’re doing well.”

“All good, maa, by your grace!” he replied with an easy grin before turning around slightly. “Hello, ladies! Tighten your seat belts now because we are officially ready to leave. Let’s go, Uzair!”

The ignition turned over smoothly. A low roar filled the air as the car came to life before steadily pulling away toward their destination without delay.

The soft hum of the air conditioner and low chatter inside the car slowly filled the silence.

Radhika quietly turned her face toward the window, hoping the passing scenery outside would somehow distract her from the unsettling storm still lingering inside her chest.

Outside, the city lights and crowded streets blurred together as evening slowly settled around them.

She silently scolded herself for reacting so strongly over something as simple as eye contact.

From the front seat, Uzair remained unusually quiet, his attention fixed entirely on the road ahead with a slight smile on his face.

They all settled comfortably into their seats. Even so, an uncanny feeling of dread lingered stubbornly inside Radhika’s chest. She could not quite understand why.

Meanwhile, everyone else continued talking and laughing normally, entirely unaware of the strange heaviness settling over her mind.

Unease curled quietly in the pit of her stomach despite the cheerful atmosphere around her.

For a moment, she tried ignoring it altogether.

Perhaps she was simply overthinking again. Hallucinating problems where none existed. That explanation sounded far more reasonable, so she forced herself to accept it internally.

Perhaps.

She rubbed her palms lightly against her clothes, trying to rid herself of the nervous chill creeping beneath her skin.

Or perhaps not. She could not stop that thought coming to her mind.

Or perhaps something truly unpredictable was waiting ahead of her. Something far more unsettling than she could even begin to comprehend.

The very thought sent a shudder racing through her body.

What could it possibly be? What was this strange unease making her so painfully cautious? It was not fear exactly. Nor anxiety alone. It felt heavier. Stranger. As though her instincts were desperately trying to warn her about something she could not yet see.

The feeling lingered stubbornly, clawing quietly at the corners of her mind no matter how much she tried dismissing it.

Sometimes her instincts frightened her more than the possibilities themselves.

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