Nikaah ~A MeeraSim SS~

~The Ruse~

"Haya- main wahi cheez pehnoongi jismein main comfortable hoon. Tumhe iss baare mein fikar karne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. Agar tumhe yeh haar itni hi pasand hai toh tum kyun nahi pehen leti- kya pata Arsalan tumhe hi pasand kar le?" I asked in a faux saccharine soaked voice, earning an immediate frown from her.

I smirked to myself victoriously as she muttered a few curses under her breath and exited the room.

I looked to my left in order to gauge if Mariam was similarly amused, but all I saw on her face was silent disappointment.

"Kya baat hai, Mariam?" I asked, hoping that it wasn't anything serious.

She merely shook her head as she looked away and started rearranging her makeup kit, seemingly evading the question.

I grabbed hold of her wrist and made her face me before she could move away.

"Bolo Mariam. Kya tum kisi wajah se naraaz ho mujhse?" I asked, hoping that the answer would be in the negative.

"Kuch nahi, Meerab. Mujhe laga tha ki aap abhi nikaah nahi karna chahti- shayad aage padhai par focus karna chahti hai aur isliye Murtasim bhai se rishta nahi jodna chahte...lekin main aapke baare mein galat thi..." Mariam said, her voice dejected.

"Mariam, main..." I tried to offer her some relief by revealing the truth of my plan to her, but she cut me off within a second.

"Mujhe koi safai nahi sunni aapse...aapne kitni buri tarah se Murtasim bhai ko thukrakar, ek aise shaks ke saath rishta jodne ke liye tayyar ho gayi, jinhe aap jaante bhi nahi hai...wahid isi wajah se na, ki woh Canada mein settled hai? Lekin yaad rakhiyega Meerab, ismein sirf aap hi ka nuksaan hai, kyunki main ek baar phir keh rahi hoon- Murtasim bhai jaisa koi nahi..." She said passionately, unable to suppress her true feelings any longer.

I swallowed hard as I processed her speech, determined to overturn the cynical opinion she'd formed of me.

"Mujhe...mujhe pata hai..." I admitted in a low voice, earning an expression of surprise from Mariam.

"Kya? Phir aap iss doosre rishte ke liye raazi kaise ho sakti hai?" Mariam asked, confused.

I got up from my seat so that I didn't have to strain my eyes to meet her gaze anymore.

"Mariam, yeh sab ek chaal hai. Mujhe Arsalan se nikaah karne mein koi dilchaspi nahi hai...yeh sab toh main iss wajah se kar rahi hoon taaki tumhara bhai apni zid chhod de, aur khushi khushi humare rishte ko ek mauka de de. Abhi tak toh use yahi lag raha hai- ki woh mujhse door bhaag kar mujh par koi ehsaan kar raha hai, lekin main use aisa hargiz nahi karne doongi. Main bhi utni hi dheet hoon...main peeche nahi hatoongi..." I said, crossing my arms together defensively.

My words turned Mariam's frown upside down in a mere split second and she flashed me a wide smile.

"Iska matlab hai- aap Murtasim bhai se hi shaadi karengi? Aap unhi ko pasand karti hai?" Mariam asked, her eyes sparkling.

I was suddenly thankful for the excessive rouge on my cheeks that seemed to camouflage the flushed expression that'd appeared on my face pretty effectively, upon hearing the question.

"Haan..." I confessed, making her squeal loudly in response as she hopped up and down in excitement.

"Mariam...Shh!! Kisi ko iss baat ki bhanak nahi lagni chahiye- nahi toh bahut problem ho jayegi. Aur especially Haya ko toh bilkul bhi nahi...woh already ek baar mujhe ghar se nikalwane ki dhamki de chuki hai. Agar use sach pata chal gaya, toh woh zaroor kuch na kuch karne ki koshish karegi." I said urgently, steadying Mariam as I grabbed her by the shoulders.