Noor e Mehtab ||MOONLIGHT||

• Comforting Warmth •

A shaky sigh trespassed her lips at their words.
Something panged again and did it pang oh so painfully making her barely suppress the urge to whimper.

"I sh-shouldn't have hidden it from you guys. I could have k-kept it from anyone but not you guys".
Her words made Manahil immediately move closer as she pulled Shanzay in her embrace.
Embrace that radiated the warmth and comfort her soul hadbeen deprived of for the past few weeks.

"You did and that was wrong but sweetie, that was the only natural thing to do. Wasn't it? You had already endured so much, you'd been through the worst and anyone in your position would have kept it to themselves because who'd have the heart to share it and freshen their wounds again".
Manahil patted her back making her blink away the wetness that had started coating her eyes turning them glossy.

"I know na".
A meek whisper left her lips as she lowered her lashes and continued while resting her chin on Manahil's sweater clad shoulder,
"And I really wanted to share it with you guys. I wasn't pl-planning on keeping it from you for long. I had earlier d-decided on revealing it after the mid terms were over".

Ayat gave her hand an assuring squeeze as she looked at her,
"Meri chanda, we understand you and we know you so well. We believe you. Why are you worrying so much, hun"?

Her slightly teary orbs swept past the air stopping on Waniya's frame who had still not averted her gaze from the slid open window,
“Tum log tou jaan ho meri. Tum logon say bhi kuch chuppaun gi m-main"?

At the end her voice cracked slightly as a crystal clear tear dripped down the fence of her pristine lashes, sliding down her rosy cheek.

Ayat huffed turning her infuriated face towards Waniya as she spoke through gritted teeth,
"Don't bother about this manhoos at all. Iski tabiyat meray aik chappal nay sahi kerdeni hai".

Waniya puffed a breath at her words as she kept her gaze stubbornly outside the window,
"I'm not even asking anyone to bother about me either".

Manahil parted from her as she tucked Shanzay's honey tendrils behind her ear as she spoke softly,
"Tum kiyun itni pareshan horahi ho, Shanzu"?

Ayat also hummed almost immediately,
"Bilkul! Hum bilkul bhi khafa nahi tum say. It was a bit unexpected and shocking for us but we would never blame you for this when you were the victim yourself".

Shanzay gave her a grateful smile with her teary eyes as she turned her gaze towards Waniya's frame.
She gulped softly as a meek shaky whisper trespassed her petal like lips,
“Wanu”?

The echo of the word appeared like a painful cry as Waniya, for the first time, turned her neck gazing back at her.

The dark orbs of hers kept glaring at Shanzay's light ones for a whole minute before she finally spoke in an extremely grave tone with no leniency edging it,
"Hum mar gaye thay, Shanzay"?

Ayat huffed at the tone of hers as she turned towards Manahil with a frown marring her features,
"Mera joota mujhe utha ker do zara, Mano".

Yet Waniya didn't stop, didn't reduce the sternness in her tone a bit even when Shanzay's orbs filled with moisture again.

"Hum mar gaye thay jo tum humain bilkul bhool gayee. Bhool gayee kay tumhari dostain hain jo tumhari fikar kerti hain aur tumharay liye dunya say bhi larnay ko tayar hain".

Waniya snapped making Shanzay bit her lower lip as she lowered her gaze.
The wetness slowly spreading across the thick curl of her lashes as the nose of hers turned almost scarlet.