"Your lying" I glare at the older women who grins and shakes her head "No at all my son in law, Ziah is willingly marrying you" she jumps again in excitement.
Why the hell are they getting so excited?!
"Stop calling me that" I mutter under my breathe not at all liking the way she is teasing me when there is nothing to be teased about "What?" With an raised eyebrow she questions me mockingly, when I give her a glare, she giggles nodding "Okay okay I won't call you son in law since you're getting too shy" I scoff at the choice of her words, shy? Yeah I am so shy that I want this ground swallow me up.
"I an not doing this" I shake my head backing away from the promise they forcefully took from me, everyone stops what they are doing that is literally dancing and hugging each other like as if today is Eid.
"Don't you dare back away, you promised us!" Uncle sam yells at me but that does not affect me but the fact that Ziah accepted this marriage is what is killing me and my nerves are exploding from the mental pressure I am feeling.
"So your telling me you won't protect my daughter as you said?" Aunty speaks in a low voice the voice that tells me she is going to cry.
Dramatic women. Here comes the emotional blackmail in which she has done phd.
"We can protect her in many other ways, marriage is not the only solution" I hold her hand in mines but she shakes her head sniffing and wiping her eyes but I see no tears in it. What can I even say about this women and her emotional blackmail.
"Okay, tell us what other solutions you have? The police didn't help us, you didn't want Ziah to know that you already know about that man who is sending you her pictures almost everyday that are secretly snapped and since last three months, he keeps record on what she does and she doesn't and how much else creepy that man will go we don't know, and you have done nothing since last three months but only boiled your blood by looking at those sent photos, the only solution is you getting married to her and only then he will leave her or else if you have some other way to protect my daughter, do say" I bite my lips not knowing what to say but my eyes drops on my Mom who is looking at me with a soft look.
"I am sorry, I understand your worry but I don't think this is—" a sigh escapes my lips when I see everyone glaring at me "Okay, I am ready to get married, happy?" I stand up but see her nodding with a grin and wiping her tears away, this bipolar women.
I leave the place as quickly ad possible not able to stand their cheers and happy faces.
The first thing I do after entering the room is lying on the bed as I stare at the white ceiling and while thinking about what is happening recently and how fast it's happening.
4 days ago the first this I received when I entered my office was an envelope in which were pictures of me and Ziah hugging and me holding her chin and cleaning her face which was smudged with ice cream and many other pics of only me and Ziah but the note left me shocked and angry.
And the fact that this is not the first time I am receiving these creepy pictures taken from far angle only makes me disappointed on myself for not finding that person and not beating the shit out of him.
I have been receiving these since 3 months, that picture that scared me the most was her in a Robe in her room reading a book while lying on the bed,
I have contacted the police about this but nothing happened, I even hired a private detective but received nothing and when Ziah came and said me she receives gift every single day since last 6 months is what that shook me.
I thought that man was doing everything silently but I didn't know he already reached Ziah. And that dumb girl is some what proud that she has a secret admirer and that tells me why he is been threatening me to stay away from her.
And that day Uncle Sam came with her own old request of if I am willing to marry Ziah which I have been fed up of hearing since last 2 years, after Abbu asked me to take care of Ziah they all started planning my wedding in their head, with a girl that I never thought of as my wife.
She is beautiful, very beautiful but she is Ziah, my cousin and that's were I keep her and this shit is not something that can work out between us but who will tell them.
And this time I had no other choice but to tell uncle Sam about that unknown psycho who is keeping an eye on Ziah. But what he did was unexpected, he went and said everyone and they being the dramatic souls started crying as if Ziah is dying.
And even after trying to calm them down nothing happened and they asked me to protect Ziah by marrying her which I still think is bullshit cause we can protect a person in many other ways and the problem was I didn't know other ways and after seeing aunty crying so much I accepted it. I accepted their request like a stupid helpless man.
The problem is not Ziah, the problem is with me, I have many things going in my life now, Mom's health is very serious, I have a company to handle and my mind is not stable too and on top of that I can't take this responsibility, even if Ziah is an independent women who can take care of herself she is still dumb and it is an universal fact that no one can change. She gets manipulated very easily, even though she hates showing her week side to anybody else she is not strong mentally, I know she would do anything people ask her and that's how aunty took advantage of her innocence and made her accept this marriage, some times I really hate my relatives.
Aunty tried asking Ziah but when she rejected the offer I felt a sense of relief taking over me but then she asked me to give those pics of us hugging but the thing I didn't know was she would turn up the situation like this.
And the way she blamed Ziah for everything still angers me but what can I even do. They are elders and we are fucking kids who came to the world yesterday as they think.
A sigh escapes my lips as I cover my eyes with my arm taking rest of all these things.
I let my eyelids grew heavy as I create my own dreamland which is filled with only peace. A series of curses leaves my lips when I only see Ziah's face when I close my eyes, god I can't even get peace when I am dead! What the hell is happening in my life.
Sitting up I grab my laptop to do the pending work which I thought I would do to tomorrow but I guess I would be a free from work tomorrow.
11 pm
A groan leaves my lips as I stretch my body after sitting in same position for hours had actually numbed my back.
Feeling my stomach grumble in hunger I finally decide to go eat something, while secretly praying that everyone should be sleeping by now. Cause they thought it is very inappropriate to leave and decided to stay and my brother being the pampered one here was all happy seeing Ziah and didn't want her leaving at all, I sometimes feel like it's Naim's prayer that are being fulfilled. He always wanted Ziah in this house and I can see his wishes being fulfilled.
When I find an empty living room a sigh of relief escapes my lips as I walk towards the kitchen but the urge of taking a u-turn and rushing towards my room came faster than I thought in my mind and before I could do as my mind asked me to, our eyes meet and a gasp of surprise leaves Ziah's lips and she drops the spoon filled with icecream on her lap but she is very careful to not drop the big bowl in her hand which now she is holding closer to her chest.
For the first time in my life, I was the first one to break our eye contact since I was not feeling comfortable in looking into her eyes which holds lots of emotions.
I so want to turn and leave this place but that's sounds like I am being a shy girl and scaredy cat which I am not so I against what my mind is screaming at me to do, face the reality Ziyan Obied Ali.
I ignore the girl seated on the counter licking her spoon and her dress where she dropped a spoon full of ice-cream, this girl. I mentally face palm myself while looking at her with the corner of my eyes. So unhygienic of her to lick her dress, she could have washed it but Ziah being Ziah had to do that.
Ignore her, Ignore her.
Opening the refrigerator I look for some food if these hulks even kept for me but found a plate of pasta so I take it out before heating it up.
"Hi" Ziah's soft voice reaches my ears and my brain reacts quickly but I stop myself from snapping my head at her direction but slowly take a peek at her before nodding in response.
She nibbles on her lower lip which she always do when she is nervous while shaking her legs up and down.
"Ice cream?" She forwards the bowl and I shake my head not feeling like eating anything sweet now.
"Okay.." she mumbles to herself quietly but fills her mouth with the same desert again. "Are you angry with me?" Ziah again questions me in a low voice looking unsure and hesitant and the innocent look she is giving me literally squeezes my heart.
How can anyone be angry if she gives them this innocent look.
Letting out a deep sigh, I walk towards her to have a real talk with her but see her flinching and jumping in her seat.
When I stand infront of her she looks at me with wide eyes, and the urge of wiping her lips where there is cream left with my thumb is so high but I do not cross any line or I can say I try my best to not cross any line.
"Why did you accept this marriage Ziah?" A deep blush catches her cheeks in no time and her eyes widens more hearing me. She squeezes her soft lips in between her teeth and again the urge of pulling them away is so damn high cause it drives me crazy every time she does that, but I do not cross the line.
"Why did you agree to this?" She fires the question back and I have nothing to say, what can I even say. Tell her how creep his sweet stalker as she likes to name him is and scare her to death by showing her those pictures which I did not have the guts to show our elder accept the appropriate ones.
"I had no other choice Ziah, but you could have denied it" I look into her eyes as I speak but see her eyes glistening with so many emotions as she tries her best to look somewhere else other than me "No I did not had much to say about this" she mumbles quietly.
"I won't be able to say mamma why I was actually hugging you, I don't have that much guts to face their pity looks" she speaks in a whisper and I nod understanding, they asked me the reason behind the picture but I did not say them knowing Ziah wouldn't like if I do.
"Can't we do something about this?" She again questions me with some hope and I shrug leaning against the counter beside her but hear her sighing in defeat as well. "I don't think so, it's fucked up and our parents are so determined to set us up together especially your mother" I groan internally but when she hears me a giggle leaves her lips as she agrees to what I said while nodding it multiple times. She pats my head like a grandma still giggling like a mad women.
"Are we really getting married?" Her question-is followed by her soft laughter "Don't take me as a creep but actually it sounds fun, After our wedding will you take me to Maldives please?" She wraps her arm around my shoulder pulling me closer as she requests ever so cutely but leaves me shocked at her excitement.
What the actual hell is happening here? Is she serious? Did she already planned our honeymoon in which the honey is dead but the moon looks very excited. Wait—Isn't it the other way round?
"Are you serious?" I give her a glare asking her to shutup but she grins in response "you know-" she gulps starting to utter some rubbish but stops and takes a big scoop of ice cream which I am surprised that it still did not melt and moves it forward to my lips "Come on, I know you like chocolate ice cream, open up" with an eye roll I let her fill my mouth with the same ice cream she is been eating since I entered the room. I ignore the fact that she was licking the same spoon which is in my mouth now a few seconds earlier.
God I am ignoring many things today, and If I do not ignore I am sure I'll go through depression because of this crazy women.
"Okay so what I was saying was, first I was very upset on mamma for even thinking about us you know getting married and all, and then she tells me how happy I'll be after getting married, I'll be blessed with Naim taking my side always, aunty hugging me if I need hugs and a husband who will give me days off from work if I ask him since he is my Boss and he should listen to his lovely wife" she grins thinking of something that would never happen. "And then I started thinking about it and after thinking about these things I felt like it won't be such a bad idea to get married you know" she nods to herself with a grin.
She has gone Mad, but I don't know why I feel like playing with her all of a sudden so I did and said something which even surprised me.
With a fake smile on my face I turn to face her but palm her knees to push them apart so I could stand in between her legs, I take the bowl of ice cream from her hand before dropping it on the counter as I keep my hands on either side of her waist. And those few actions were enough to pale her face.
"You know what I thought when they said we should get married and after hearing that you accepted this marriage and I had no other choice but to accept it?" she blink her doe eyes which are wide open now at my boldness but her red cheeks only raises my heart beat at how cute she looks.
She slowly shakes her head at my question "I thought how it would feel like to sleep next to you in the same bed everyday, and to stay closer to you when you flinch at everything I do, how I would even have a proper husband and wife talk with you when you can't even look into my eyes for more than two seconds and how it would feel like to stay closer to you and whisper things in your ears" everything comes out in a whisper and as intimate I didn't want it to sound but everything sounded inappropriate but her flushed cheeks only made me continue. I never thought any such things but I don't know why I was going on like a pervert.
"And just now I thought what I would do with you if we go to Maldives as you have already planned our honey—" a gasp leaves her lips and she pushes me away before jumping of the counter "Astaghfirullah" she slaps her red cheeks grinning to herself but with her head low so I do not look at her. She repeats astaghfirullah multiple time as shakes her head and that only makes me laugh harder at her innocent actions.
"You—" she points at me with angry look but that looks nothing like she is angry but I would say she looks adorable rather than angry "I hate you!" She growls before rushing out.
God, I scared that poor girl. But I didn't know I would have so much fun talking to her like this.
This looks fun as she said.
A chuckle leaves my lips as I see her small figure running towards living room. She is literally running not even jogging.
Letting out a deep breathe I turn to grab my food which I hope is still hot and to my surprise it was, and I quietly eat with a stupid smile on my face as Ziah's flushed face flashes in front of my eyes.
Next day
"Good Morning" I mumble when I see all of them seated on the dinning table accept Ziah, I walk towards my Mamma to check if she took her medicine on time and she assures me that her nurse gave her. I take a seat beside mamma as I fill her empty plate with fruits.
"Hi everyone" The loud voice that belongs to non other than Ziah echos through the room and I stop myself from turning looking at her as I keep my eyes on the plate I am serving.
"Hi darling did you sleep well?" Aunty Laiba replies with same excitement "I did, what about you?" I finally turn to look at the girl who made my night sleepless because of her statement and the way she literally said me she finds nothing wrong getting married to me.
When our eyes meets, my heart literally flips for an unknown reason and I hate myself for even feeling like this within one night, how can a humans feelings change just within a night.
She quickly drops her eye down on her plate and I clear my throat but grab a toast to eat it.
I thank Ziah's mother quietly who gives me a glass of juice but when I take a look at her I see her grinning but she throws a wink at me, I am sure she probably noticed the quiet exchange we just had. Her eyes are sharp as lions.
God this women.
"So we are thinking that you guys should get engaged as soon as possible cause you know I am getting many phone calls from our relatives still asking me the reason of you guys were hugging, god I am fed up of these calls" how can she lie so professionally, I turn to glare at her but she gives me a cheeky grin, I heard her bragging about how she was about to get caught when Ziah literally took her to check who really called her but somehow she managed to change the topic.
"I think today is the best day, me and laiba can go buy some beautiful rings and in the afternoon you guys can get engaged with just few close family members and then we can plan a big wedding" she claps her hand excitedly already forgetting the fact on why we are actually getting married.
"The wedding will be done as simple as possible, A very quiet nikkah is what I want and a simple wedding reception party, I don't want many people in my wedding" I tell them but hear everyone groaning in defeat but what I didn't expect was Ziah's loud voice.
"Heck No! I will invite my whole school and I would buy three dresses for three 'I do's' and will think about what to wear on reception later and it will be the best wedding ever that everyone should remember even when they are dying, and no quiet dead funeral type nikkah will happen when the bride is Ziah Otman Ali" She pokes the fork on the table while breathing heavily as she gives me a hard glare an I do not hesitate to return one.
Not this shit now.
*****