YA' ABURNEE

Chapter 17

"Where are you going?" He stops me by my wrist abruptly as I was going towards the kitchen.

"Why?" I ask confused. Should I be doing something else? Oh wait-why should I bother? He's on the wrong side now and he has to convince me this time.

Obviously the experience was not pleasurable for both of us. He did me wrong but both of us had go through terrible times. Nevertheless, I'm going to enjoy being in power for a while.

"Have you freshen up?" He asks.

"What?" I snatch my hand away and fold them under my chest. "Mr Hamza are you perhaps saying that I'm carrying germs and I might contaminate your food?"

"No, no! Absolutely not!" He takes my hand in his again. Almost too careful to not scare me away.

"I was asking because I can't let you cook today." He adds.

"Why is that? Who'll cook then?" I knew very well he can help or, even cook a few easy meals. But preparing dinners or lunchs is not his cup of tea.

"We'll order something. But can you come here, please?" He pulls me by my wrist, leading me to one of the couches.

"Where?" I realised where and changed my question, "Why?" Yet I was letting him lead. "Do you want me to sit on the couch?"

"No." He stops before the couch and takes a seat himself.

"No?" My eyes look between him and the couch.

"No." He nods. "Instead, I want you to sit here." He pulls me on his lap, my legs are on both of his sides. He wraps his hands around my waist, may be to hold me firmly. Burying his face at the crook of my neck, he inhales the breath he was stopping.

"Umair? Are you crying?" I feel a droplet landing on my shoulder scale. I hurriedly try to grab his face and make him look into my eyes. He denies.

Instead, he keeps his face buried. I wrap my arms around his shoulder. Letting my palms roam about his back muscles. That's when I could feel he was actually whimpering. Inaudible to my ears but his insides were churning.

"Shh. Umair. Tell me what happened. Tell me, honey." I soothe my palms up and down his back. "Its okay. Everything's okay. I'm here. I'll never leave, I promise. I'm sorry."

I don't know what I was apologising for. Anything to make him feel better.

My heart was aching for him. And as he continued, my eyes started to swell.

"I am sorry." He voices out finally. "I was an idiot. I am an idiot. A jerk even. Forgive me, please. It won't happen again. Even if it happens, slap me, curse at me. But please, never leave me."

He lifts his face. His bloodshot eyes staring back at mine. Even at this condition, he wipes my tears. And continues, "I felt someone snatch my breath away. I couldn't breathe for two long days. All night I was driving back and forth. From your relative's to police station. From my parent's to your office. I even shout at a traffic police and got into a fight with him."

"Why?" Worried, I ask him.

"He was stopping me. Who was he to stop me from going to you!"

It was indeed a cheeky line. I might've cringed at it if everything were normal and we were chatting away just like that.

But, no. His simple words made my heart sway. As if he had pulled a certain string. Now I'm connected to him. My soul is connected to his. To the eternity and back.

"What was the need to do this? You could've just talked him into understanding." None the less, I was trying put some sense into him. He cannot do this again.

"He was not listening. I got desperate and my mind went vague and I don't remember what was I thinking."

"Exactly! Anger gets the worst of you. Same happened with me too. You let your anger control you even around me."

"It won't happen ever again." He cups my face in his hands desperately. "I promise!"

"Okay, I understand." I put my palms on top of his hands. "You're human too. I cannot expect utter self-control from you. But if this happens again, you know anger boiling in your head, just talk to me. Tell me or, even anyone you like what is bothering you. Supposing, it is not helping your situation, remember Allah. Close your eyes and remember him repeatedly. Ask his help to guide you. Allah willingly, you will calm down."

"See? Without you, I'm nothing. No one will take time to calmly make me understand." He gives a quick peck before leaning back on the couch. His hands residing on the curve of my hips again.

"Say Alhamdulillah." A smirk inflects my lips. "Could you find anymore beautiful wife than this?" My hand gestures, up and down, to my self.

A small smile adorns his cute thin lips. He shakes his head, "Never!"

"Do you believe in forever?" He asks out of the blue.

"Forever of a person staying same or, his way of showing love staying same? No. But forever of the love that binds your hearts together staying same? Yes." I reply as the words immediately flowed in.

"How do you manage to word your ideals out so good?" He exaggerates the O. His eyes held the same awe his words were dipped into.

"These just fly out of my mouth." I shrug.

"Do you know the first thing that attracted me to yourself?" His forefinger was busy wrapping a few strands of my hair around itself as he spoke.

"What?" I eye his action and smile. "My hair?"

"No. Your physique, your long black fountain of hair, your tanned skin, the mole on your abdomen attracted me way after than this. Way way after."

"Then?" Him describing me was rather a surprising one. I never realised he had me memorized so well. I let the small blush that crept right after his words, slide. I need to hear what actually he found attractive  in me.

"It was your idealism. Your honesty. Your simplicity. Your way of mingling with everyone, in spite of their social position, not that I care about it anyways. That reminds me-" He halts. A gloomy look taking over his prior happy expression.

"What is it?" I ask him worried.

"Do you not want to know anything about A-um-Afreen?" His eyes drifts from mine to my hairstrands wrapped around his finger.

"Not until you're ready to speak to me about it."

His eyes darts back to mine. He is searching for something, may be unease about the topic. Or, remorse even.

He found none.

"Yes." I affirm. "You know, at first I was so angry that you knew everything about my life but I knew nothing about yours. That was until the way she spoke to you. I understood it might've been hard for you to address the topic. My actual opposition rose when you acted that way. I knew I didn't deserve that and in no way I was ready to compromise on that."

He eyes drifted between both my eyes.

It was long until he finally decides to speak, "What did I do to deserve you?"

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