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The story is taking tremendous turns so be ready for another plot today!
word count: 2689
CHAPTER #17
Hafsa's POV
I have some work so I am going out and will be back before afternoon. You'll have your breakfast and don't think I won't know I'll ask ammi. So do have it!
Only yours,
Zafar
Ok so, he went before I even woke up. I looked at the clock it was ticking 9 in the morning.
Oh no! What might be dadi and ammi thinking about me!
I went to bathroom to take a bath.
I wondered that zafar is doing a lot of work nowadays..
"assalamualaikum ammi, I am so sorry I slept today"
"no it's not at all a problem beta, I knew you weren't well yesterday. The cook will make the breakfast for you"
I smiled at her and went to the kitchen. The cook wasn't there so I prepared the breakfast myself.
After breakfast, I thought to spend some time with dadi.
"assalamualaikum" I greeted her
"walaikumassalam beta, how are you feeling now?"
"alhamdulillah I am feeling way better now"
"ah where is that zafar? Is he even taking care of you or just roaming out"
TBH, just being out
"no dadi, he is taking care of me, don't worry at all" I said smiling widely
"you don't know how much I get bored! Mumina also is always busy with her work"
"no ammi, I am here itself" she came inside the room, rubbing both of her hands to a napkin.
"today amira and her family is coming to stay for a week"
"really?" I was excited to meet that pleasant woman. Amira was Zafar's phuppu (paternal aunt) "I am excited to meet her..how about ammi and I cook together?" I asked dadi looking at ammi.
She smiled at me and nodded slightly
"sure beta" dadi approved.
"I'll go perform my zuhr Salah then we can start, right ammi?"
"yes, even I'll go offer my salah" ammi also seemed excited. I loved the way each and every family member had a pure and loving bond with each other.
I did my wuzu and came out to see there was a notification on my phone. Zafar has sent me text.
'did you have breakfast?' asking now! At 12!
'yes I did mr. Boss, where are you?'
'missing me? 😏'
What?!? You are asking me whether I am missing you or not?! Obviously! You were supposed to be with me!
'😒' I sent...
I offered my salah and headed to the kitchen.
The cook was there already cooking
"today ammi and I are going to cook, you can take leave for today"
He didn't say anything. He again looked at me with those cold eyes which made me twitch my eyebrows. He then moved on to his work.
WTH! Doesn't he have any respect to what I am saying!?
"you can take leave today" ammi said from behind.
"ok madam, if you need anything, you may call me anytime"
She smiled at him. He left the kitchen.
"ammi, this cook behaves so odd with me"
"why beta, what did he do?" she said making the batter for pakoras (crispy fritters)
"he doesn't listen to me, even I said him to take a leave but he just stared at me" I pouted.
She giggled.
"he is just a cook dear, don't take him seriously... Now what are we cooking?"
I looked at the things excitedly
We cooked biriyani, gulab jamun and daal together.
I was quite tired because of all the cooking I did after a long time so I went to my room.
I checked my phone to see the time. It was 1:15!! Where is zafar?
After a little time, bell rang. I rushed out of the room and accompanied ammi who was going to open the door.
Phuppu auntie was here!
"assalamualaikum"
"walaikumassalam"
We all exchanged our greetings.
"how are you beta?" she asked me
"alhamdulillah, how are you?"
"all fine alhamdulillah"
Phuppu auntie went in to meet dadi and I went to my room. I was having headache out of nowhere so I just wanted to be out of everyone's sight.
After a while, zafar peeked in.
So finally you came! Now see what I'll do to you!!
"how are you?" he asked me. I didn't care to reply. I just kept looking into my phone.
Just then, some kind of nasty smell occupied my nose
"what smell is this?" I whispered to myself.
"ahh" zafar made a noise, who was standing beside, to notice him.
"ewww go and take a bath....you're so nasty" I dragged him to the bathroom door.
"why?"
You are smelling so bad, I would faint. Please go have bath ya allah!
"smell yourself then you'll realize!" I said
"oh I have even smelt my socks this is nothing"
WHAT?!
"go and take bath" he was smelling so horrible that I couldn't handle. I opened the door, opened the shower tap and pointed it to show zafar to take bath
"take bath now" I said
"alright" he laughed.
"angry from me?" he asked me. He was done with his bathing by now.
Obviously! You leave me alone and go out!
I didn't have anything to say, I just opened up my heart and poured it out "I don't know where you spend your days nowadays, you said you'll come before afternoon but you are coming past the afternoon"
"I think now it's time to tell you"
Time to tell me what? He has been hiding something from me all this while!
As soon as he said that, the whole world inside of me crashed. There was silence all over the room. I felt sharp pain and tingles in my neck. I turned my face on my side, not letting him know that there are tears forming in my eyes.
"I know" he began "I know that if I had said this to you before then you would be very disturbed but now I think you are completely ok to hear it"
Now the world inside me got destroyed by bombs, let alone crashing be.
A lone tear left my eye.
"why are you looking there? Look at me" he said. I swiftly wiped the tears and looked at him. He twitched his eyebrows as soon as he saw me. Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Thank god!
It was salman, phuppu's son.
"hafsa didi, zafar bhai, everyone are calling you for lunch"
"we are coming" I said him and got off the bed where I was sitting.
"wait" he said
I didn't look at him.
"come for lunch" I said slowly and left the room
"the food is amazing" phuppu's husband complimented. It made me and ammi very happy and there were smiles on our faces about which we ourselves didn't notice.
We all talked and enjoyed the food. zafar was looking at me again and again but I ignored him and pretended that I didn't care. I stayed in the kitchen after lunch to make roohafza (a particular kind of juice made of water and rose concentration).
I made the roohafza and filled it in a jug when the cook came.
"I'll handle it" he said me, smiling
Maybe ammi has knocked some sense into this stupid man.
I smiled back and handed it over to him and went to my room.
Before entering, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for any kind of consequence.
"where were you?" zafar asked
"I was just making roohafza in the kitchen" I sat beside him on the sofa.
"I want to tell you something hafsa, are you going to listen me?" he asked irritated when I took my phone and started operating it.
"tell" I said. I kept the phone on my side and turned towards zafar who was looking straight into my eyes. I felt those tingles in my neck again but I was prepared to hear anything.
"I was out most of the time because of a very important reason. I didn't want to leave you alone rather I wanted to give you all of my time but I couldn't because I had someone to deal with"
I looked at him with a questioning look. This was something I didn't expect.
"after everything sadiq did to you, I couldn't leave him open so.."
"wait" I interrupted him "who's sadiq?"
This made zafar take a deep and long breath which took him forever.
"the man who tried to harass you twice" he looked at me with a very serious look.
It went my blood go white.
"oh" I managed to say
"with the help of my friend abrar I kept him as my captive and tried to make him spit out why he did all that but he didn't say anything. I took his parents address from your parents and went to their house today. His father his a pleasant man but his mother was a pain. I returned their stupid son to them and came back but don't you think I am done" he winked at me.
My mouth was open and wait, he asked the address from my parents!
"why didn't ammi say me that you asked her the address?"
He shrugged as if to say 'I don't know'
"BTW, why did you behave so strange a while ago?" he asked
"umm.. Aahh.... Ummm" I didn't know what to say "I thought....I thought.."
"yes what did you think?"
"I thought you didn't love me like before or maybe someone else was more important to you than me" It was a whisper at the end.
"ya allah!!" zafar hit his forehead and laughed "how can you even think that? No one is more important than you for me" he said coming near me.
"I am sorry" I was guilty "I shouldn't have behaved like that but....but..."
"but?" he asked with a questioning look
"I am possessive when it comes to you"
He giggled
"and it's a sign you love me" I blushed "it's ok"
We were so near that there were only inches to cover the distance between us, just then, there was a knock on the door.
"yes come in"
_____________________________________
Zafar's POV
"where were you?" I asked her. She had been frustrating me all the way through the lunch and even after lunch she didn't come to room.
"I was just making roohafza in the kitchen"
She said that without looking at me but in that stupid phone.
"I want to tell you something hafsa, are you going to listen me?"
You are irritating me hafsa!
"tell" she said finally
"I was out most of the time because of a very important reason. I didn't want to leave you alone rather I wanted to give you all of my time but I couldn't because I had someone to deal with" I began "after everything sadiq did to you, I couldn't leave him open so.."
"wait, who's Sadiq?" she asked in between
Dang! I forget she doesn't know the name of that stupid Buffalo!
"the man who tried to harass you twice"
She just said "oh" I know she wasn't expecting that. Then I told her everything that I did till now with sadiq. From keeping him as a captive to whatever happened today. She was so shocked that her jaw dropped to the ground (not actually, she is also a human like you!)
"why didn't ammi say me that you asked her the address?" she asked but I didn't know. It was her and her parents' matter. I just shrugged.
"BTW, why did you behave so strange a while ago?"I asked her because she was IGNORING ME!
"umm.. Aahh.... Ummm....I thought....I thought.."
"yes what did you think?"
"I thought you didn't love me like before or maybe someone else was more important to you than me" she was telling properly but as she kept saying, her tone got lower and lower to a whisper.
"ya allah!" I hit my forehead on her assumption and laughed "how can you even think that? No one is more important than you for me"
"I am sorry I shouldn't have behaved like that but....but..."
"but?"
"I am possessive when it comes to you" that produced butterflies in my stomach.
"and it's a sign you love me, it's ok" I said and moved closer to her as her cheeks turned pink. I could hear her breath getting heavy every inch I moved closer to her but a knock on the door ruined the moment.
"yes come in" I yelled. I gotta a kind of frustrated because every time I am with hafsa, one or the other person would knock and ruin the moment.
"roohafza" the cook came in and presented the tray in front of us. We both took the glasses facing and took a sip.
"so refreshing!" I complimented. Hafsa chuckled. Both of us drank the roohafza but hafsa didn't drink it full. "I like rose but not rose flavor much" she shrugged. I laughed at her action.
"you know my holidays are over?"
"really? So soon?"
"ah no it's already a month, I have to join from Monday" which was the day after tomorrow.
"aghh" she groaned and started wiping her sweat. She was unusually sweating a lot. It was cold in the room as the AC was on then why was she sweating so much?!
"are you ok?" I asked.
"I don't feel good" she said clearing her throat.
"wait I'll bring water for you" I ran to the kitchen, filled a glass with water and came back to the room. Hafsa was now breathing heavily.
"hafsa? Hafsa.. What is happening to you?"
I attached the glass to her mouth, she drank a little but then, she fell down the sofa, her eyes bloodshot. She was holding her neck and lifting her head up again and again.
I got terrified "ammi phuppu" I yelled.
Everyone came in, running
"hafsa" I was so terrified that I couldn't say anything.
I was patting on Hafsa's cheek and kept screaming 'hold on'
I took her in my arms and started walking towards my car when I heard the ambulance siren weeing.
"take hafsa to the ambulance, I've called it" shafiq bhai said. I nodded and rushed towards the ambulance.
It's half an hour since we brought hafsa to hospital and we still don't know what has happened to her. Dadi stayed at home, so phuppu also had to stay. Actually ammi didn't let her come even though she was insisting a lot. Instead phuppu promised to be in continuous contact with us.
Hafsa was taken to the operation theater and all the nurses and two doctors rushed in which made me even more anxious. I did not realize it but the tears were falling from my eyes.
Hafsa's parents also came and adil too also came which I didn't like but for now nothing was on my mind except hafsa!
Her mom was crying and her father was completely blank.
I was walking to and fro in front of the OT door, worried and anxious, when the head doctor came out and when he did, each and every one of us rushed towards him and circled to hear what he has to say.
He had worry written all over his face.
Everything was drowning inside me.
"the patient is poisoned" he said
"what? How is that possible?" her mom yelled "I knew this man wasn't a suit for my daughter"
What did I do? Even I am worried as much you are!
I ignored her whilst ammi patted and kept comforting her.
"we tried our best to remove the poison from her body before it could spread fully"
he said, we all were listening like our lives depends on it...well my does!
"she has 24hrs to regain her conscious. If she doesn't, then we can't do anything"
I was taken aback.
This is not possible! Hafsa cannot leave me!
NO!!