Obsession

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Sheharzaad screamed as soon as she ended the call, jumping up and down before running towards her friend's room.

She opened the door and barged in, smiling brightly, her grey eyes sparkling with happiness.

"What happened, Shehar?" her friend asked, who was lying on the bed.

She was getting paler day by day, the dark circles were becoming more prominent, and her cheekbones were protruding.

"Amna! Amna! I'm selected for the interview!" she announced wholeheartedly.

"Really?!" Amna's dead eyes twinkled immediately, and a small smile adorned her features.

"Yes! Really!" she squealed with joy, jumping up and down with excitement.

Her wild and carefree nature was only revealed to her close ones, which only included her closest friend, Amna.

"From where and what will be your job, Shehar?" Amna asked, trying to sit up. She helped her and sat beside her.

"They have called me for an interview; it’s from Syed Enterprises. Remember I applied for the vacant post of assistant to the CEO?" she said excitedly.

"Syed Enterprises?" Amna asked with widened eyes. She couldn’t believe that Sheharzaad was talking about that famous company. It was a multinational company that involved many countries across the globe, and many youngsters dreamed of getting a job there.

"Yes, Amna! Yes! Our life is going to change now. I still can’t believe they called me. Pinch me hard," she said, extending her hand.

"When will you grow up, Shehar?" Amna said and pinched her arm hard.

"Oww...stupid," she squealed, making her laugh.

"When is your interview?"

"Tomorrow! Oh shit! Shit! Shit! I have nothing to wear! And now I want to die!" she said briskly and quickly stood up, moving towards her room to dive into her cupboard and find something to wear.

Amna just chuckled behind her and prayed for her.

Sheharzaad was an extremely hardworking and career-focused student. She was always determined to achieve her goals. Her whole life revolved around studies so she could be a successful woman one day, and getting a call from a multinational company was her dream come true.

She completed her degree two months ago and, in the meantime, worked in a cafe to pay the rent of the apartment they both lived in. She was like a lone soul in this world until she met Amna. Four years ago, her parents died in a car accident. She was devastated; her world crumbled that day, and she had no idea what would happen to her. Her parents left her a small piece of land, which she sold with the help of Asad, her neighbor. He was a man in his mid-fifties, extremely humble, and well-acquainted with Sheharzaad’s family. He was also the one who bore all the expenses of her parents' funeral.

Sheharzaad had no aunts or uncles, her parents were also the only children of her grandparents, and she didn’t have much idea about her other relatives, so the funeral included only the neighborhood. That following week, she received a call for a scholarship at a university in Lahore, where she had applied for admission. She left her city for Lahore with the small amount of money she got from selling the small property.

When she got a room at her hostel, she met Amna, who was her roommate. Amna was two years older than her and, like her, was a free spirit. Her grandmother, who passed away the previous year, had raised her. Due to this, Amna couldn't clear the entrance test and had to wait a year. Slowly and gradually, they became best friends, more like sisters. Amna was always like an elder sister to Sheharzaad. Sheharzaad used to blabber, and Amna would listen to her endless stories. She took her out of troubles, advised her, scolded her for not cleaning her bed, and much more. When they both completed their degrees, they rented a small apartment, and Amna met the love of her life, Ahmed, who worked in a bank, and they got engaged.

Sheharzaad noticed how Amna’s health had deteriorated over the past few months, and when they went for a check-up, Amna was diagnosed with cancer and needed immediate medical assistance. A lot of money was required for Amna's treatment. And Sheharzaad’s job at the cafe was not sufficient to support Amna's treatment.

She desperately needed another job when she saw an advertisement that the post of assistant to the CEO of Syed Enterprises was vacant. She immediately applied for it. She had quite a vague chance of getting the post as she was a fresh graduate, and assisting the CEO required a lot of experience.

She knew what position that company held globally; it was like a dream job to her, and it would provide her enough money to at least initiate Amna’s treatment. She couldn’t see her dying. Though it might require a lot of money, she would break every limit to get her out of this disease before time ran out.

"Amna, which one should I wear?" Sheharzaad asked, holding two dresses in her hands.

"The white one, it’s simple and elegant."

"Ahaan! You’re right. How come you’re so intelligent, Amna?" She joked.

"Genes," Amna answered.

"You’ve got good jeans," she said, making her laugh.

"Are you sure, Shehar, you’ll make it there? The company is quite well-known, and there might be a lot of candidates."

"I’ll give my hundred percent, Amna. I want this job. We both can’t live on the mere ten thousand rupees I earn from the cafe. Your treatment needs to start now, and this job would provide me with enough money."

"I don’t know where this cancer came from. I-" she stated in a sad tone before she was cut off.

"Genes," Sheharzaad answered quickly before she could complete her infamous sentence: "I don’t want to be a burden on you," followed by her face dropping, depicting her sadness.

"Aha! Sheharzaad," she chuckled.

"I’ll call Ahmed. He’ll be so happy to hear the news," Amna said, picking up her phone and dialing her fiancé's number.

"Oh yes, do inform him. Ahmed bhai kept bugging me on and on about whether I got the call for an interview or not."

"Yes, yes, I will," she said as Ahmed immediately picked up the call.

"You carry on with your husband-to-be; I have to dig into my wardrobe to find some shoes for tomorrow," she said, leaving the room.

"By the way, Shehar, who’s the CEO? What’s his name?" Amna asked, as she only knew about the company, not the CEO.

"Shehryaar Haider Syed," she replied without looking back, moving towards her room.