9 Faulty Disguise

"Don't Anger your parents in order to please other people, those people did not spend their lives building yours."

- Anonymous

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Gauhar's POV

"So Gauhar" he began, causing me to close my eyes in fear.

"Why did your mother send you here this time?"

"Y-you don't know why I've been sent here?" I did my best not to let it show in my voice how delighted I was.

"No I don't." Father admitted, putting his hands in the pockets of his dress pants "You know how your mother is, it is difficult to understand half the things she gets angry about. Then, what's even more difficult is attempting to make sense of the stuff she says when she's angry. I have long ago given up on trying to do it, so I just nod my head and try to appear as solemn as possible. Always works for me."

I placed a hand on my mouth to muffle my chuckles. I saw fathers wide shoulders sag as he sighed deeply, the light of the setting sun throwing his figure in stark shadow, his strong form giving off the illusion of strength.

The smile slipped off my face as I remembered what I had overheard today. Indeed, it was just an illusion, I wonder if he ever got tired of putting up this strong façade.

"You are absolutely not allowed to let your mother know about this tactic of mine." He exclaimed, suddenly turning towards me. His dark eyes looking at me beseechingly.

"Of course Baba, I'll make sure mum doesn't know about this. It's our little secret." I grinned at him, seeing his face to split into a familiar smile. That smile never failed to reassure me that everything was right with the world, no matter how wrong things were.

"Now that there are no worry lines creasing your forehead. Tell me what actually happened." He sat down next to me, smoothing the crease between my eyebrows that I hadn't even realized I was sporting.

The warmth in his eyes and the reassuring smile on his face relaxed me, I let out a deep breath I wasn't even aware I was holding in "There is absolutely nothing to worry about Baba, I'm fine. Like I always am." I placed my hand on his, squeezing it reassuringly.

Father shook his head to himself as he smiled at me. Lifting his hand, he lightly touched my cheek, causing me to wince in pain "See, you can't hide it from me my daughter. You are my child, you are a part of me. I will always know when you are in pain, no matter how well your attempt at hiding it is." He lightly stroked my cheek, I felt my lips turn up at his warm touch. The pain being the farthest thing from my mind.

I placed my hand on the one that was on my cheek "It is wrong for me to hide things that I know might worry you, but it's alright for you to hide them from us. How is that fair baba? You were worried, and you never let us get an inkling of it."

Father pulled his hand away, clasping his hands together, an action that I knew he did when he was uneasy.

Averting his eyes from mine, he sighed deeply "There are some things that you are better off not knowing Gauhar. I know you have been through a lot, and most of it is because of mistakes that I made."

He looked up into my eyes, his onyx eyes shining with unshed tears. It pained my heart to see him hurting this way, blaming himself for something that wasn't even his fault "Let me protect you, as long as I am alive. I cannot let anything harm you. You do know what your name means right?"

I nodded my head "It means a gem."

"You Gauhar are for me, the rarest and most precious gem of all. I cannot and will not let anything happen to you, as long as I am there."

Although I understood the reasons for father to act overprotective of us, that did not mean I liked it. And the fact that he shouldered all the burden alone, made me despise it even more. I wanted to help him, I wanted to be the one who reduced the burden that was upon him….and hence I was going to make sure that help him in any way I could, whether he liked it or not. Even if I had to do it in secret so that he did not know.

I smiled as I placed my hand in his large one "You can trust us with your problems Baba, that's what we are here for. We are grown up now, we should be the ones protecting you. It's our turn now."

"Yes of course, you can be totally trusted, as you have so aptly demonstrated here." He said wryly, his eyes trained at the bruise on my cheek.

How on earth was he able to find out about it anyways? Was the concealer that Daniya suggested so bad that it didn't manage to hide a measly bruise? I really am going to make sure Daniya pays for this, her choice in makeup is crap.

"There there, no need to look so murderous." Father chuckled as he smoothed my furrowed brows "It's not that your hiding technique was bad, it's just that you cannot hide it from me. I'm way too good of a reader of your behavior my child."

I groaned in defeat as he grinned triumphantly at me. "Yeah yeah, I can't hide anything from you."

"That's right, so there is no need to waste your energy attempting to do it. I know that you are more than capable of protecting yourself, but just take care of yourself. I don't want to know how you got to hurt yourself that way, though I'm sure you have a valid reason for it." He stroked my hair gently, his eyes still held traces of those tears that were unshed.

"Of course baba, you know you can trust me right?" I looked into his eyes, my hands itching to wipe those tears from his eyes.

Father nodded at me, a slightly wistful smile adorning his lips as he looked out at the swiftly receding rays of the sun. The last glimmers of sunshine leaving the world in the familiar yet terrifying embrace of darkness.

"So did you enjoy your classes today?" he turned back towards me, his eyes shining with mirth, as he draped an arm across my shoulders.

I winced at the question, I did not want to be reminded of the curse that was due upon me this weekend "They were alright I guess" I lied through my teeth, though my voice clear gave away how I felt about it.

Father chuckled at my response "Don't worry, it's alright to hate some of the subjects you are studying. As a matter of fact, I used to hate math when I was young, but see how important it is for me now'." I knew that he was trying to make me feel better.

But little did he know that the curse of my history class was so potent that even his superhuman father abilities were futile in front of it.

I smiled at his attempt of placating me, math was a subject everyone hated with a vehemence . Only freaks like brother liked it, I personally thought such people should be sent into space where they came from because they were a threat to mankind. I tried to kill him several times in sleep, hoping to help the world but I just couldn't do it. You needed to be heartless to take someone's life. And my heart was exactly where it was supposed to be, at least I thought so.

A loud knock at the door shook me out of my musings and broke contented bubble that had formed around us.