Mine To Be Called ✓

~~•Sixty one•~~

"Oh Allah, I don't know what's happening to me. He is my husband and if I fall in love with him, that's not wrong. But he is a bad man. He killed him. How can I fall for this kind of man? Please help me. Whatever I am hearing through these panic attacks and nightmares, please let me know the reality behind it, or else I'll turn crazy," she called Allah in her heart.

She wasn't very religious. She couldn't even remember the last time she offered the prayer. She called Allah for help not that much but in front of this emotional turmoil, the only one she could find to look up to was Allah SWT.

She couldn't realize when the door to the balcony got pushed and Masab came behind her. He was sleeping when she woke up because of her bad dreams. He walked up to her and placed his hand over her shoulder.

"What's wrong? Why are you standing here?" He asked, his voice completely fine as it didn't feel like he was sleeping soundly a while ago.

She whirled around to face him, and the sudden warmth she felt in her heart upon his presence couldn't be hidden from her anymore. His eyes were soft and understanding. He seemed apprehensive for her. Seeing him, made her get a film of what happened a while ago. A few hours ago, when she was on the verge of breaking down because of giving her most precious to him, now it didn't bother her. The reality was that she liked that man to be him, and denial would only make her rebellious self crave for Masab more.

Andaleeb moved away from his touch. "Nothing. I just couldn't sleep."

He looked at her more meticulously. Her demeanor always felt like she tried too hard to build a shield of indifference around her. A boundary that would always make her distinctive. Right now, too, she looked like a wounded lioness who was hurt but she wouldn't let her guard down because that would be her setback. And that was exactly what Masab liked about her.

"You got a nightmare. Right?" He murmured, causing her body to become hard as a rock.

Andaleeb raised a brow. "How do you know? You were sleeping."

He smiled. "I am a light sleeper. I sleep very little. Most of the time, I just lay in bed with my eyes closed but my mind running fast. I was awake when you got scared in your sleep."

"Do you do this because you think that I will run from here again? Do you want to guard me?" She asserted, sarcastically.

He held her on both shoulders. "I have faith in my love that it will do this task for me."

Andaleeb rolled her eyes. "You are so overconfident in your love. And no, I didn't get any nightmares. I just couldn't sleep."

He pulled her closer to him and he was amazed that she let him do so. Even now, too, she didn't want to let her guard down in front of him. He wished that she would forget that he killed the man she wanted to marry earlier and accept her likeness towards him with full belief so that they could establish a decent relationship where there would be trust and happiness. But that was so far-fetched to hope.

"At least you accepted that I love you," he commented, with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "That's such a big progress for me to be confident in the fact that my love wouldn't let you go anywhere away from me."

Andaleeb swallowed as she realized that she did say that she believed in his love. But now it didn't affect her anymore. Her heart was drawn towards Masab completely, and she wouldn't say that he, a sly and smart person like him, wouldn't realize that she was affected by his love.

She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Does this even make a difference? Thousands of men would claim that they love me. You are one of them. What matters is who I love. And I only love---" She trailed off when she discovered how hollow and shallow this confession of so-called love for Aurang was coming from her mouth. She really didn't love him and the only one she loved was this guy standing in front of her. "I only love him."