"Love is not a real feeling I believe," Faris confessed leaving her jaw to drop in shock.
"It's not practical and not long lasting as well. One should be realistic and I am realistic," he completed with a slight shrug of his shoulder.
"So you are saying you can not love someone?" She asked without even knowing why was she going too deep in this conversation.
"Is it even a real thing?" He questioned back, smiling sharply.
Her heart felt a strong pang at his words. Why was she so much indulging in it? She wasn't going to live with him forever so it shouldn't matter to her whether he could love or not. But for some reason, it did sadden her. She always craved to be loved and her husband didn't consider this emotion as real.
"Oh yes, I forgot..." He suddenly broke the silence and then she looked at him.
"I got a phone for you," he picked up a blue shopping bag from behind and pulled it toward her. She still blankly glance at it like she didn't understand what he was saying.
"I don't need it," she mumbled.
Faris raised a brow. "Why?"
"I don't feel obligated to answer you everything," she sternly retorted and was about to walk away when Faris held her wrist.
"What's wrong?"
She pushed his hand away. "Nothing. I am hungry. I am going down."
She fled the room after that, leaving Faris confused. What happened to her all of a sudden? He left the shopping bag having a brand-new phone box on the bed and strolled out as well.
When he reached the dining area, he found Ajwa sitting there already, even busy gobbling the food. Khan Baba on the other hand was in the kitchen. When he came in front of her, she briefly raised her head to glance at him but quickly put another morsel in her mouth. He gave her a curious look before sitting on the chair opposite to her.
Khan Baba came with a jug of water. "Saab, do you need anything else?"
Faris smiled and shook his head. "No. You go and have lunch as well, Khan Baba."
The old man then looked at Ajwa who was so active in eating. "And Bibi G?"
"Don't worry about her Khan Baba. Whatever she needs, she can get it herself. It's her own house after all." Even though he was talking to Khan Baba but his eyes were on her. She could feel the heat of his gaze.
She glared at him at which a twisted smile came across his lips. Why did his smile look so charming? It didn't before as far as she could remember.
Khan Baba left after that and she again divert her attention towards the food as she didn't want to talk to that jerk. The old man was a nice cook, she agreed. She liked the chicken karahi he made.
"A wife should wait for her husband to come and then eat." She heard him say.
"Then fulfill all of your fantasies with your wife," she answered back.
"Then who are you?"
"I am not your wife," she mumbled, now taking filling a generous glass of water for herself.
His pupils darkened and he kept on looking at her without blinking. She was getting annoyed by his continuous scrutiny. Gulping a big sip of water, she glanced at him with exasperating eyes.
"What?" She couldn't stop herself now.
"You know when I tell my patients about their illness, most of them go into denial. They don't want to admit that they have this lethal disease. Then do you know what I do?"
She kept quiet but she was interested to know what he exactly did in this case.
"I search the root cause of their denial. And then with care, gently, and sensitivity, I try to help them to understand this root cause and fight against it to accept what's the reality," he asserted, twisting the glass of water with the help of his index finger and thumb. And the movement was so captivating that Ajwa felt fascinated by it for a moment.
What the hell was happening to her?
Ajwa quickly understood what he was referring to. The patient was she who was in denial of their relationship and he was the doctor who was indeed a prick and wanted to find the root cause of it. But didn't he know the reason? Perhaps he didn't know the extent to which she was forced into this marriage.
"You can give everything to them but not love. Right?" She challenged him.
He snickered. "Doctors are not sympathetic. A good doctor should be empathetic. Love is another form of sympathy."
She rolled her eyes. "You have such a bad impression of love, Faris. It seems like you are professional in your house as well."
"I am professional in every aspect, sunshine. Just once dare me," he whispered and she realized how sensual his voice was.
He didn't seem that pleasant to hear before instead he always reminded him of Faraan. But not now. She could see he was a different person than his brother. When Faraan had a flirty, immature, evil, and mischievous glint in him, Faris seemed quite honest to the ones related to him. For him, emotions seemed like a waste of time. Perhaps he thought healthy humans should also be treated and operated on just like deceased ones with medicines and surgeries.
She stood up and clearly understood the hidden meaning behind his statement a while ago. "Don't call me by these stupid names."
He chuckled and got up too before walking in her direction. She raised her neck to look at him when he stood next to her. He admired her audacity in his heart.
"The weather of this valley always remains pleasantly cold. But since you have come here, the sun isn't going anywhere that's why you are sunshine which is making everything glow." He held her hand and gently caressed it.
She jerked away her hand. Not him, making her feel unusual every other moment by touching her. "How big of a flirt you are. Just like your brother."
She was bringing Faraan just to tease Faris but the way his jaw clenched gave her gratification that finally there was something that this doctor guy was not professional at. There was a thing that didn't make him robotic and urged him to feel emotion.
He was about to say something when his phone rang. Giving her a pointed look, he took it out of his pocket. Ajwa rushed away finding the nice opportunity but his eyes followed her figure till she was visible.
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She looked at the wall clock on the lounge which was showing it was eight in the night. The weather was getting chilly and she had draped her dupatta around her body as she was leisurely half laying on the sofa watching tv. Faris after having lunch with her went back to his hospital.
Didn't the old man say that the prick doctor would come at seven already?
But soon she mentally slapped herself. Why was she thinking about him? But now as the night was commencing, she was feeling anxiety in this weird place.
"Bibi G, do you want to eat anything?" She thanked the old man who came and at least she was relieved, he was here and she was not really alone.
"Can you make coffee for me?" She asked him.
Khan Baba nodded. "Okay, I'll bring it right away."
After drinking the coffee, she suddenly felt sleepy. She had already eaten quite well in the evening so she wasn't feeling hungry. Turning the tv off, her gaze again went towards the clock.
Eight thirty and he was still not back.
Who did this to his newly wedded wife? By leaving her alone in such a stranger place.
She sighed and walked upstairs where two rooms were situated; one master bedroom which Faris was using and another smaller room. She couldn't just share a room with him at this house as well. Setting her wardrobe with his clothes was an unavoidable thing since the other two rooms were locked. When she asked the old man about opening them, he excused himself by saying Faris had their keys.
However, it was not in her sanity to use the same room as his. She would not bear it anymore. She decided to ask him about the keys when he would be back. Nevertheless, she was very drowsy right now so she went into his room. Thank God, it had a couch even though it looked much smaller than the one she had been sleeping on in Faris's parents
She quickly stepped forward to get herself a pillow and blanket but the appealing sight of a comfortable and fluffy bed made her stop in her track. She swallowed when she thought how relaxed she would sleep on this soft thing. But Ajwa quickly flouted this stupid thought.
That Doctor guy wanted her to surrender and by thinking like this, she was exactly doing the same thing.
She mumbled something under her breath and yanked the pillow before making her way to the couch. Soon sleep came to meet her and she found her mind blank with each passing second.
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It was almost afternoon as the sun started to set already and the sky was bright orange. A slow yet cool breeze began which became more pronounced and chilled as he drove his car towards the airport of Karachi. He pushed his foot on the break which caused the car to stop before the vast building. His eyes went towards the sky which was looking so calm and gentle; opposite to his life.
Without wasting a sec, he grabbed his phone and scrolled through his contact list. His fingers stopped on a name and he quickly called him.
'Yeah, Faraan? How come our busy man remembered the poor me?'
Faraan sighed in frustration upon hearing the words which he thought were out of care and friendship; still, he hated it at that petty moment.
'Jazib, I called you because I need a favor from you.'
Jazib Siddique was his friend for five years. They got to know each other when Faraan gave an interview for a private company A&Z Corporation; that was also because his Dad was insistent on him doing a job as soon as possible. Jasib was there too as an applicator. Faraan worked there for seven months but that was hell for him because he never liked to be getting bossed around. That resulted in him abandoning the job; though he never told Burak about it.
One thing he got from that job was a sincere and truthful friend like Jazib. They kept contact, although Faraan no longer used to work there. Jazib used to help him financially as well. That was the particular reason he was the first person who came into Faraan's mind in this crisis of his life.
His body again shuddered remembering what happened at Alice's apartment.
He didn't want to even think about it lest anyone could read his mind and get to know what he did.
'Yeah Faraan, what is it?'
Jazib's voice got him out of his thoughts and he diverted his attention back to him.
'Jazib, I am leaving for England for the job offer I have got but as I already told you, my Dad isn't accepting this and you know how much I want to do this job. Please help me. I am at the airport right now. Can you please come? I'll let you know everything once you will get here.'
As usual, Jazib confronted him and tried to make him understand that he shouldn't go against his Dad but he was Faraan- the master of compelling people to speak his words. After some reluctance, Jazib agreed to come to the airport.
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After how many days, Ajwa had a pleasant dream that on her fifth birthday, her father brought her a new doll house the same as Huma had. Khalid was holding her in his arms and she was so happy to get her new gift.
"Wake up." She heard a faint voice.
"Hmm." She didn't want to wake up from the dream hence just groaned in annoyance.
Then someone shook her shoulder. "Ajwa, wake up."
"Let me sleep. What the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled in her sleep.
"You won't wake up like this then." She heard something say this and then she found a mesmerizing touch in her bangs before her forehead got hit by a cold air; the same feeling when she was sleeping on that damned bed last night.
"Wake up, sunshine," she now could this whisper near her ear, and then her mind clicked. The movement in her bangs and then that sunshine reference. She fluttered open her eyes and found her husband standing there.
Faris straightened himself when he found her getting wake up. She bit the inside of her cheek and sat up with a jerk.
"What is it now?" She exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.
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AssalamoAlaikum/ Hi!
How are you?
Here's another chapter for you.
Hope you like it.
How are you liking Ajwa and Faris's scenes?
So finally Faraan made an appearance. Let's see what will happen to him.
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