Falling for Him

..32..

It was as if his heart had broken into a million pieces and he felt like the biggest jerk ever. "Tell me about your past." He took in a sharp breath. Those memories were too painful for him to recall. He sighed before starting. "After graduating, I got into one of the universities in Islamabad which meant i would have to stay in a hostel. At first my parents, especially my mother was very hesitant but after some persisting, they were finally ok with me living in a hostel."

"Things were good for months, I studied hard, stayed at the top of my class and aced every exam. It was 6 months later when everything started."

Inaya's POV:
I stared at him, my heart huffing in my chest as he narrated the story. From the way his fists were clenched, I could tell he was in pain. "Things happened and my room mate changed. It was a boy named Adam." I suddenly remembered the picture of him and a boy I had found in his drawer. Was that Adam and was he the same Adam who was with Sarah?

"My father had immediately disliked him from the way he dressed to the way he smoked and had piercings. Following my fathers advice, I stayed wary of him for weeks but as we spent more time together, I realized that he wasn't as bad as he was said to be and with time we became best friends."

"He introduced me to some of his other friends who were just like him but I didn't pay attention to that. It was one day, when they asked me to come along with them and I agreed. Turns out, they took me to an underground club."

I took a deep breath as I placed a hand on his clenched fists. He looked at me from under his lashes, sadness swimming in them. "I hated it. The way it smelled of something so strong and just everything about it in general."

He went silent for a while as if remembering everything and I could feel tears forming in my eyes. "That was the first time I tried alcohol." He muttered squeezing his eyes shut. I placed my head in his shoulder, in a way of comforting him and he took in a deep breath. "Turns out they were in an underground gang and with time I somehow became a part of it. At that time I liked it. I liked the feeling of being so free and at the same time of being in control."

"I got so engrossed into it, that my grades fell to the point that the university wanted to kick me out. My parents tried to talk to me but I wasn't ready to listen. I shut them out too, the most affected one out of everyone was my mother. I remember how she would cry on the phone, begging me to come back but I-" he chuckled staring at the sky.

"They were drug dealers and I became one of them. We would deal drugs with other gangs and even provide them to students at our school. I would smoke, I would drink, go to clubs. It was like, as if I didnt even know who I became anymore."

A tear slipped our of my eye and I let it fall. "4 years Inaya, for 4 years I stayed like that. I stopped praying, I indulged in every kind of vice, i-"

"Did you-" I couldn't even get the sentence out. The thought of him being with an another woman killed me. "God no. I would never ever do that and that was one thing I was grateful for. I never touched any woman." I breathed out in relief at his answer.

"What happened next?"

"It happened one day. We were at the campus, when we heard that a student died. Do you know how he died?" He looked at me with those dark orbs, that looked broken. I shook my head and he chuckled humourlessly. "He died from drug overdose. From the drugs that we had supplied him." I froze at his sentence as I stared at him with wide eyes. "It was that day when I realized of the person who I became. It was Gods way of showing me my actions. That was the first time, I looked at my actions. I tried to talk with Adam but he told me that once you were in this you couldnt get out."

"I was so lost. I had no idea what to do and that was the day after years, when I visited my parents for the first time. My mother had gotten so thin and it had hurt me to look at her knowing I was the cause of it. She looked so fragile, as she had stared at me with those tear filled orbs. God Inaya, I felt like killing myself."

I hiccuped as i sobbed. "I apologized to them and told them how I wanted to move on. I couldnt even go to the police because I had no evidence or anything regarding them. I had to go to rehab for a little to get my mental health back together. That was when I decided, I would get out of this no matter what. After that I was still with them but not the same as before and I think they noticed that. I would make an excuse everytime they would go  to the club or something."

"What did you do?"

"I called the police on them and they raided the place they'd be drug dealing that night. After that I graduated and my parents sent me to Turkey to my mamoo so that i could move on."

"It was hard at first but with time everything started getting better and my parents got me engaged to Sarah. I had agreed to that engagement only because I thought I owed it to my mamoo and I couldnt stand the fact of making my mother upset anymore."

"Are they still in jail?" I muttered and he gazed at the sky while answering.

"Adam and the rest got out of the jail a year later due to the lack of evidence."

He finished off the story and for the first time I saw tears in his eyes. "You must hate me by now and I'm ok with it. I guess I deserve it for everything I did." He spoke in a broken voice and a sob broke out of me. I could never hate him, if only I knew how much he had been through. "I could never hate you, I wish you would have told me sooner." I whispered and he turned his gaze towards me.

His thumb went under my eyes and he wiped away a tear. "Why are you crying?" He asked softly and I gave him a tearful smile. He pulled me in against his chest and I dug my face into his chest as he stroked my head. "It wasnt your fault." I whispered against his chest.

And it really wasn't, he was a teenager who got into a wrong crowd. But the important part was he had gotten out before it was too late. And no matter how much I try, I couldn't imagine myself at his position. I decided to keep the rest of the questions for later and just enjoy his warmth right now.

Ww stayed like that for a while before I pulled back and wiped the tears away. "Zayaan." He hummed in response and i held onto his hand. "The past doesn't define you, you are who you are right now. And in my eyes, you are a very strong, independent, hardworking man. And your company is an example of that." I placed my hand on his cheek and his eyes stared into mine in question.

They looked so confused and so lost and I just wanted to move my gaze away because the thought of seeing him like this killed me. Before I realized what I was doing, I closed my eyes and placed my lips on his. He froze at the place and i was about to pull back but his hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me in.

His other hand went behind my head as he kissed me slowly. The kiss was filled with all the emotions he felt, hurt, guilt, confusion and I poured all the love in mine. He pulled back placing his forehead against mine as he gazed at me.

"I missed you love, please come back." He whispered and I averted my gaze. He seemed to realize my answer but didn't say anything. "I-I need a bit time. I forgive you Zayaan but I just need time to take everything in."

He sighed before giving me a small smile. "Take all the time you need love, just dont ever leave me." There was desperation in his voice and I shook my head. "I couldnt even if i wanted to."
......
*sighs out* Well that was a lot to take in. I swear I'm not crying:( but what do you think about this all? Should Inaya go back? And thoughts on Zayaan? Let me know:)

Find out what happens next in the coming chapters.

Until then
Peace:)