RIWAAYAT ( HIATUS)

♡MANZOOR♡

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"Will you please stop moping?" Naaz tilted her head to see Zunair hovering over her with a frown. As usual, she ignored him and brought another chip to her mouth. "Why are girls so dramatic?"

Says the man who used to write sonnets for his girlfriend in second grade.

She always knew, of course, that her grandfather will chose her life partner. But the fact that he decided on Shehryar of all people, despite knowing their aversion, was a big blow to her.

No matter how hard she wracked her brains, she couldn't come up with one single common thing between them that might make this relationship bearable.

Lying on the floor, still in the same dress from the event, Naaz thought about her quickly darkening future. She tried to picture how it will be once she gets married to Nanajaan ka Chamcha.

Everything will probably be in black and white. She will spend her days melancholily looking outside through the window, dressed in a plain cotton saree and simple hairstyle. Her indifferent husband will come home late, drunk and smelling like a lady's perfume. But she will not complain, she will only cry in silence.

Eventually, when their children grow up and ask why their father is always working, she will dramatically wipe off a single tear with the corner of her saree and make up a fake story about how their father truly loves them. 

Then after years of living in plain cotton sarees and no makeup, she will one day cough blood and the doctor will diagnose her with TB, but even then, her husband will not look back at her and she will die in her older son's arms while he swears revenge on his father.

Then he will join his father's rival business and the CEO's daughter will fall in with him. But he won't return the feeling because love is a hindrance to his road to vengeance

But one day while they are at a construction site, his foot will slip and he will dang-

"Stop making up absurd scenarios inside your head, You weirdo!" Saba smacked her forehead and pulled her into a sitting position by her hair. "Let go of my hair! I'll go bald!" Naaz screamed as Saba's professional wrestler hands gripped her hair tighter.

"If you love your hair so much then go and brush it! Look at you!" Letting go of her hair, Saba pulled Naaz to stand in front of her mirror.

Her hair was a mess, her mascara was running down her cheeks and she had crumbs of chips around her lips. "You look like Manjolika." Zunair's obnoxious laugh didn't help the situation at all.

"Shut up, Zunair!" Saba smacked his shoulder and he yelped in pain. "And you?" She pointed an authoritative finger at Naaz, "Go and take a shower. Sherry bhai's mother is here. She brought your engagement ring."

Engagement ring?!

♡

Until now, it all felt like a nightmare to Naaz. She hadn't exactly fully grasped the situation. She kept thinking that if she refuses to accept it, the whole thing might turn out to be a nightmare.

But as she walked down the stairs with Saba, her feet started to feel numb. The fuschia Kameez felt tighter around her chest. It was making her feel suffocated. The dupatta around her head felt heavier and heavier as she constantly kept having to fix it. Tears of frustration threatened to trickle down as laughter from the living room echoed through the halls of the haveli.

"It gets better eventually." Saba's voice was uncharacteristically gentle, unlike its usual commanding note. "When my marriage was fixed with Adaan, I didn't like him either." She stopped and turned Naaz towards her. With expert hands, she fixed the stubborn dupatta that refused to say on her head.