Meher and Arham had finished their dinner in silence.
Arham had been working on finding Hoor's whereabouts as discreetly as he could while Meher was busy eating reading her book along.
"I'll be in my study." Arham said getting up from his chair and headed up the stairs.
Meher picked his plate and hers and kept them in the kitchen before heading to the living room.
She switched on the gas and lit up the fire place and turned on the tv, dimming the lights.
She settled on the couch and wrapped the comforter kept on it around her. Browsing through the movies she picked up her all time favourite to watch.
She knew she was going to regret it, but she pushed the play button anyway.
•••
Arham was busy contacting people to find out the taxi driver who had taken Hooriya from Butt mansion.
He was exhausted, he was done. All he wanted was to burry his head in his mother's bosom and let out all his frustration and anger and grief.
He wasn't just battling a war with the world, it was a war with himself and nothing made sense to him at the moment.
He looked at the clock it was quarter past 11, he thought for a while before giving up to his need. He pressed on the name of the only person he could talk to right now. A couple of rings later his phone was answered.
"Hello."
"Yusuf ? Where are you ?" Arham asked.
"Going home, I had some work."
"Do you have a minute to talk ?" Arham asked him.
"Are you .. are you fine meri jaan, why are you talking to me so formally Arham ? Should I come over ?" He asked worried about his friend.
"No brother I just need you to listen to me." He said getting up from his chair. "Hooriya is missing Yusuf." Arham said getting out of the study closing the door behind him.
"Huh ?"
"Phupho asked me to tell Hooriya to give her a call, she isn't with them, she lied about leaving Pakistan, she is missing Yusuf." Arham said walking down the stairs rubbing his fingers on his temples to ease out the pain.
Arham could hear the sound of tv coming from the living room but he walked straight towards the kitchen to brew himself a cup of strong coffee.
He switched on the coffee machine and waited while updating Yusuf with all the events which had taken place in the last 24 hours since he figured out about Hooriya's deceit.
"Arham, she isn't a small child. She'll come back." Yusuf said feeling guilty.
He had never lied to his best friend and now his chest held a lot too many secrets.
"How do you suppose I call down Yusuf, where could she have gone and why would she lie to me ?"
"You two weren't on the best of terms Arham, give her some time and space she will contact you."
"You say as if you know where she is."Arham replied. "How can you say for sure that she will Yusuf, what if she is in some trouble." Arham said running his hand over his face.
"Because if she was we'd know by now, right ?" He said trying to convince Arham.
"Yeah you are probably right." Arham said picking up his cup of coffee and headed out. "I can't help but feel worried Yusuf, I just-." Ahram stopped as he head unexpected loud wailing coming from the living room.
"Yusuf hold on a minute." Arham said placing his cup on a nearby table and rushed towards the living room. As he neared the living room the sound of Meher's sobbing increased.
"Is that Meher ?" Yusuf asked through the phone.
"I think so. I'll check what's going on and then give you a call." Arham replied cutting the call and quickly enter the living room. Arham saw Meher curled up on the couch sobbing into the pillow.
"Meher ?" Arham said placing his phone on the side table and crouched on the ground in front of her.
"What wrong ?" He said pulling the pillow covering her face.
"Dyi..dying." She sobbed. "H..he's going to die." She cried hiding her face behind her hand.
"Who ? Who is dying Meher ? I don't understand." Arham asked confused.
"Am..Aman." She replied and burst into another frenzy of tears.
"Aman ?" He asked. Meher nodded and pointed towards the tv which was paused and had a tree on screen. He pushed the play button and the very familiar face of the king of Bollywood popped in.
"He is Aman ?" Arham asked pointing his finger towards the screen and Meher nodded in affirmation.
"Oh god Meher." Arham exclaimed and got up from his seat. "I was worried for nothing, I thought there was something seriously wrong."
"Is this not wrong ? This is horrible Arham, he loved Naina and Naina loves him then why is Allah tala taking him away." She said and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Arham looked at her amusingly, she was crying a river for a character who wasn't even real. He sat down next to her and brushed her tear away with his thumb.
"Stop crying." He said firmly.
"I'm not crying." Meher said embarrassed and hugged the pillow closer to her chest.
"Sure you aren't." He replied rolling his eyes playfully. "And to answer your question Allah tala needs good people by his side don't you know that, also why should he complain he found love tr-."
"He did but what of their love ? They won't ever be together." She said sadness laced in her voice.
"Haven't you heard of Laila-Majnu, Heer-Ranjha, Romeo-Juliet and Jack-Rose ? What happened of their love ? Death doesn't mean that your love dies, it doesn't mean that your love leaves with the soul. It's going to be there forever." He replied.
"What about Rohit ? Isn't it unfair on his part ?"
"Who is Rohit now ?" Arham asked pinching his forehead.
"He is the guy who loves Naina. They get married in the end af..after Aman-."
"Well he got his girl, what's wrong about that ?"
"She loves Aman."
"She'll learn to love Rohit."
"How ? Isn't that unfair."
"People learn to love again."
"There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice." Meher whispered.
"That's enough discussion, I'm going to remake coffee for myself, do you want some ?" He asked getting your from beside her.
"Ugh I don't drink coffe-."
"I'll get you your tea just get done with your movie by then." Arham said turning around to head back. He picked up his phone and headed again to the kitchen.
Switching on the coffee machine and after placing the kettle for tea on the stove he texted Yusuf who had sent him half a dozen messages inquiring about Meher.
'She is absolutely fine, was bawling her eyes out watching a classic Bollywood movie. What do I do with her.'
He thought about his naïve wife and a small smile played on his lips. He quickly strained the tea into a cup and picked up his piping coffee taking it to the living room.
He noticed that the credits had started to roll and Meher sleeping on the sofa her face pushed against the pillow she was cuddling with. He looked at her for a long minute before switching off the tv and fireplace. He placed a hand under knees and the other under her waist and carried her up the two flight of stairs.
Placing Meher down on the bed, he saw her turn to her left immediately and curl up, looking innocent like a child.
Arham felt the exhaustion catching up to him. He looked at the other empty side of the bed and the battle began. Should he or shouldn't he.
A few moments of tiring debate later, Arham plopped on the bed beside Meher and pulled the duvet cover covering both of them before switching off the light.
Darkness consumed the room and sleep had him.
•••
The loud sound of the phone had woken up Meher. She wanted nothing more to than to throw the phone out of the window.
Opening her eyes ever so slightly she she took in the familiar surroundings of her room, however the heavy arm that draped around her waist and the pair of feet her own had tangled with under the cover were the latest addition to her morning.
Slowly prying off Arham's hand from around her waist Meher got down from the bed placing a pillow in her place for Arham to hold. She quickly made her way towards his side and picked up the ringing phone.
It was an unknown number so she pushed the phone on silent and kept it beside him on the table again.
It was still early in the morning but she decided to get on with her day and stepped into the bathroom to begin.
A nice long bath later Meher dressed into her work clothes and stepped out of the wardrobe. It was still early for office and Arham wasn't around, so she decided to tidy up her room. Folding the duvet they had used she thought about how her life, it had been a roller coaster always and she hoped it stayed how it did now, she was happy, she wanted to stay happy.
Meher picked up her phone from the bed side table and opened her one sided chat window and typed on her phone
'Hey Hooriya bhaji. Life is so unpredictable right ? I thought nothing could make me happy and to get rid of me my brother and Bhabhi married me to a man I had never seen or heard of.'
'And then I met you, you showered me with love, then Yusuf and Safa aunty and although I met Arham before I met all of you it took him time to warm up to me. Allah tala has blessed me, truly. I miss you very much. Allah hafiz.'
Meher hit the send button and rested the phone against her forehead, thanking god for all the new welcoming changes.
AN: so ???
How was the chapter, not much progress in the story but between Arham and Meher maybe.
Let me know how are you liking the story so far.
Next update at 175