While examining his phone and the emails Taahir had sent him this afternoon, Murtasim made his way toward the dining room through the passageway. He put emails on hold today as he attended to some panchayat-related issue.
As he approached the dinner table, his feet got more deliberate, and a maid walked over carrying a glass of water on a tray for him. He murmured "Thank you" as he took the glass. He casts a glare about the mansion. It was eleven o'clock at night and no one was aware of his unannounced presence.
For days, his sole thought was that Meerab wouldn't want him around, but yesterday evening, he received a message from her that said, "Maybe I overreacted and shouldn't have misbehaved with you, even if it was you who provoked me. I'm sorry, Murtasim Khan." It was the message he got that only made him smile
It was evident from the 'Murtasim Khan' in the message how difficult it was for her to type apologize, and his name was more of a taunt. Even her attempts to express regret to him end in accusations. As she considered what to text him as an apology, he couldn't help but imagine how distressed she must be.
Though he had intended to avoid her for her sake, he can't deny that her apology was the only thing that persuaded him to come back home. She sent him a text, which only means she won't mind him being in the house and maybe won't give him those hard glares that accuse him and scream "I hate you" even if he used to do the same.
"Khan, should I arrange a dining table for you?" A woman in her mid-40s asks, lowering her gaze in front of him as she waited for him to respond so she could swiftly set the table and serve him dinner. There was enough food for him to eat despite the elation and unexpectedness of his presence at this time of the night.
He quickly replied, "No" placing the glass back on the tray and glaring around one last time before he pointed at the maid. "Everyone slept?" he questioned hoping his mother had already fallen asleep so he wouldn't have to go meet her at this time. After a stressful day, he was drained to the point where he just wanted to go to sleep.
At the mention of his cousin, she immediately caught his attention with "Jee, bas Meerab bibi jaag rahi hain" said stated, "Azhaan sahab aaye hain, dono sath he hain chhat par." She added and offered him more information than was necessary.
( Yes, only Meerab Bibi is awake. Azhaan sahab has arrived, and they both are on the terrace together )
Murtasim turned his head in the direction of the stairs and asked, almost gritting his teeth, "Who else is there?" he asks, "I went to serve them coffee, they were alone" and she departed as he had asked.
Murtasim's eyes were already unobstructed, and he could feel himself clenching his teeth, he also felt a tinge of unease—or, more accurately, anger—about the fact that they were both alone upstairs on the terrace while the rest of the family was asleep. They shouldn't be close to one another at this hour, or any other hour, he reasoned after several thoughts.
Murtasim took a rapid intake and evacuated while repeatedly considering them. When he learned that they were alone on the terrace, the words had stayed echoing in his ears.
"Wait, why am I acting this way?" His subconscious questions assume he is thinking inadequately. His both cousins were adequate near to one another allowing him to be obvious that they had been hanging with each other before. He shouldn't be surprised if his family decides to arrange for their marriage soon.
Meerab is adored by Aasma, Azhaan's mother, and his khala. Throughout their childhood, she frequently brought up the idea of wanting Meerab to be her daughter-in-law, but his mother always broke out in laughter. Murtasim and Azhaan are cousins on both sides of the family because Aasma and Salma, sisters, got married to Raza and Shahnawaz, respectively.
And even if they were married tomorrow, it wouldn't matter since he would still feel sorry for his bother because he has to deal with his chacha sahab's rebellious daughter.
Murtasim sighs.
He muttered to himself, "What do I care?" as he nonetheless went back to his bedroom to take a shower to calm himself. After a stressful day, the hot water in the shower assisted him to recuperate, feeling calm, and quickly ridding himself of the thoughts that had been giving him a severe headache.
Before acquiring authority over his father's reign and finally severing ties with his beloved cousins, home, and dreams, Murtasim had a close relationship with Azhaan. He still does, but it rarely appears to them anymore.
Murtasim was taken aback by his attitude when he became aware of the fact they were together upstairs. He has seen Meerab and Azhaan together sometimes, but it has never happened in this way... it's as if someone has just set him on fire and he finds himself thoroughly inflated.
They are close friends!
After a good fifteen minutes, he entered the bedroom while dressed in his black pajamas and kurta. He rubbed his wet hair with the wet towel before tossing it on the bedside and hunched on the couch to contemplate. He questioned himself, "Are they still there, together?" He had never been more tormented by the word together. He made an effort, but the notion wouldn't leave his head.
He was completely aware of his odd behavior and the feeling that he had no control over his emotions, but at the present moment, finding out where they were appeared more important. Simply hearing that Meerab was with Azhaan caused him to lose his sense of calm, he couldn't comprehend how exhausted he had been before returning home.
He tried not to think about them, but it seemed that he was powerless to stop himself. He abruptly stood from the couch and proceed out of his bedroom with semi-wet locks and decide to investigate what was happening there.
He was reckless and it was readily apparent.
"Did you apologize?" Azhaan inquires while examining the entirely starless sky. They had been chatting for some time as they stood close to the terrace railing, he awaited for a while expecting Meerab, who was standing right next to him, to respond to him.
Meerab turned to face her cousins, who were engaged in little argument. The last time she heard from them, they were squabbling over who had the cutest childhood looks, and all she could think was how cute they were. After witnessing Amaya smiling for the first time since returning home, she even had a few instances of suspicion that something was wrong with her, but her cousin disregarded any concerns and questioned.
As she turned to face Azhaan, he chuckled when she nodded in accord. She acknowledges him, and that was enough! "I messaged him yesterday because even when Dua told me I'm not important to him but still somewhere I thought I did hurt him with my words. Finally, I texted him as you advised me" she said.
He hummed, smiling in response to her.
She wouldn't lie to herself about how reluctant and awful she felt when Murtasim didn't come home, the truth is that she didn't want him to leave the house out of spite and make his mother wait days to see her son. She is aware of her attitude towards him and his behavior, but Murtasim was not the type of person to take offense at a tiny remark, which he denounces as nonsense.
When she told Azhaan about it, he advised her to text him an apology for her sanity and reasoned that if she did offended him then Murtasim's rage would be diminished.
Gritting her teeth, she added, "But he didn't reply to me." She found it difficult to apologize to him, but she did it nonetheless and instead expected a simple text back in return from him, but there was none.
She was right about him.
He's an arrogant ass!
"He must be busy with land, Meerab." To alleviate her, he explained that he handles office work as well as village duties concurrently. She never worries about anyone, but when it comes to Murtasim, she will take any slight offense from him and engage in combat.
"I could care less." She spoke more like an infant nagging his mother about how he was expected to respond to her. Laughing at her facial expressions he comments, "You're such a kid, Meerab" and she simultaneously smiled.
She sarcastically said, "Well, it's better to be a kid than get old like you and your favorite brother, Murtasim." Azhaan's face stayed in the breeze for a brief moment before he moved forward while still keeping his distance. "I'm getting old?" he asks, staring at her.
Murtasim goes upstairs in the meantime, where he can already hear laughter. He knew there were more than two people because of the sound that was approaching. There had to be a few additional people within reach, and he knew that one of them had to be his younger brother because he could hear him even from a distance. It appears that either the maid misunderstood what she was told, or that others were tardy in arriving when the maid spotted them together.
Numerous thoughts ran through his head, but the fact that Meerab and Azhaan weren't alone on the terrace helped him to remain calm. He briefly considered backing up and leaving before anyone noticed him. When all of his cousins are gathered talking and having fun, reminiscing about the good old days, he never gets involved.
His steps come to a halt when he approaches the large glass window, which may have given him a distant glimpse of the terrace. He could see Amaya and his siblings discussing some images while they were perched on the chair. His eyes suddenly widened as he noticed Azhaan and Meerab conversing while standing apart from others. He was enraged by the fact that they appeared to be content and comfortable with one another.
Meerab chuckles at the expression on his face She muttered, "Kidding, yaar" followed by an unplanned, hand crashing on his arm, striking, "Can't you even take jokes from me now?" She asks while looking at him and he nodding. "Do not call me old, please," he warned.
"Fine. However, not old but you're partiality when it comes to Murtasim and me; you love and care for him more just because he is your cousin on both sides. When I assumed that you would support me, I overestimated. You would never find anything wrong about him when you know he tried to come in between my law studies" she remarked, sounding off.
"It's not true, Meerab" Azhaan says with a tongue-clicking expression of disappointment. "I don't support him; rather, I take better care of you because I love and appreciate you more than I do him." He replied, attempting to acquire her to understand, "I don't want you to do anything inappropriate and give others a chance to point the blame at you" he added
Before acting on the things she wants, Meerab would never evaluating what was right or wrong. This was a family where everyone had to abide by the rules, including how to behave and live. And in their family, she has always been a rebel in family where women are subject to many limitations. She didn't fit the stereotype that people had for her, nevertheless, she had the power to influence change.
He had known her since they were child. He consistently showed him compassion for her, he was protective towards her. He had no idea how or when he had fallen in love with someone he regarded as a close friend. He made repeated attempts to suppress his feelings, but it turns out that he had fallen in love with Meerab even if denied at beginning.
He never made it obvious to others, except Dua and Mariyam nobody knows about his feelings. He was acting in this way out of concern that she would not feel the same way about him or that the possibility of him feeling something for her might cause her to distance herself from him. He wanted to earn her love, but her friendship was more valuable. He won't ruin their friendship by acting foolishly or impulsive.
He will always want in seeking out about how she feels about him first before asking his mother to propose to his Salma Khala, for Meerab.
"Great justification. For the sake of keeping me safe, defend your brother" she said giving him disinterested look. "We will talk about this at another time" he said as she rolled her eyes off and he moved in closer, keeping his hand on her left arm, down the shoulder. "For this moment, just know that I'm trying to keep you safe from harm since you're still sensitive, impulsive, and sentimental" he said with seriousness and concern "You're also an idiot, you know right?" he continued, looking away.
"I want to punch your face" Meerab snarled at him.
He chuckles a little and says, "I'll get you boxing gloves tomorrow, all right?" he smiled. "Really. That would be an amazing workout. Perhaps I may lose a little weight" she claimed.
"Oh, shut up please" He remarked, turning to face the other cousins who were sitting on the couch, "You look good the way you are" he says walking away from Meerab.
Murtasim, who had been watching them from a nearby window, moved closer to the terrace's entrance when he noticed the two of them together sitting when Meerab followed him and sat next to Azhaan despite there was another couch she could have seated. "Great, so now they're sitting next to each other like there isn't another couch for her to sit comfortably" he murmured out of unjustified jealousy.
He has been watching them closely as they do everything from speaking slowly to laughing enthusiastically. Everything about it—from her unintentionally stroking his arm to him grabbing her hand voluntarily to their crazy eye contact and smile—bothered him.
Fuck. He wants to destroy everything.
His inner turmoil eating away at him. He was not surprised by what he saw, so why did it start to disturb him so much? Why did he feel the need to approach and separate them apart? Why would he even consider when he has no rights to her and has no control over how his brother is obligated to treat their cousin?
When Meerab moved towards the rear of couch, she hears Azhaan questioning, "Decided who looked cuter in childhood." he asks. "No. Taahir Bhai is such a snap. He doesn't want to accept that I was the cutest when I was a kid. Bhai, please tell him that I looked cuter than him." Mariyam spoke, expecting her Azhaan bhai to support her.
"Stop bickering over such a little matter, I said both were cute" Amaya said. Despite spending the last thirty minutes watching over this infamous sibling, she was unable to get them to agree to the same terms.
Meerab frowned at her cousin's endearing fight and leaned down to take the photo album in her hands so she could look at the images. When Meerab wasn't busy with the images that she probably never saw since a moron had them concealed in the storage room for years, they continued their chat.
When she saw a childhood photo of one of her cousins, she grinned widely, though she couldn't tell if it was Taahir, Azhaan, or Murtasim. The baby in the image appeared to be no more than six months old, if not younger, and she couldn't help but grin when she saw those gorgeous, huge eyes of his.
Meerab motioned the album in Azhaan's direction and further stated, "Look, he's so cute" while reaching over to show him the image. Azhaan had a difficult time hiding his feelings in his eyes, which were visible as she smiled and there was no awkwardness between them despite she was closer to him unintentionally.
She retained "See" to him causing him to wince briefly. He briefly turned his gaze away to see whether anyone was seeing him, but they were busy looking for more images and talking about events from their youth. He smiles as he looks back at her and the images she indicated. "Are you sure? He cautioned, "Once you know the name, you might change your mind." he said
She smiled in amazement "No way, Murtasim can't be this cute" she said still with a grin. She wouldn't have denied it if it was Taahir or Azhaan, but the way Azhaan interpreted it made it obvious that it could only be Murtasim.
"Are you just saying that due to the fact, you aren't fond of me?" Speaker: Murtasim. He stood leaning down, his hands were holding the edge of couch on which Meerab and Azhaan were sitting. With his hands gripping the edge of couch, he gives a rough smile. Even though he was hunching over and nearly touching Meerab's ear, nobody would know otherwise from a distance. He ravaged her right ear with an authoritative tone, and she felt his hot breath touch her cheeks as he stood in that position. Her breath caught in her throat as she breathed.
"Bhai, when did you return?" Mariyam asks. Meerab realized that she correctly identified him after hearing his gruff yet sensual voice.
He had a smile and gazed at her with something dark in his eyes; she could see a wave of rage there when she turned her face and looked at him. He appeared perturbed and outraged about something, but he was able to hide it with his cold eye expression to all except her.
He moved away from them and moved towards the couch he wanted Meerab to sit on, away from Azhaan. "What's going on here?" he asked in a masculine voice. He continued to look at Meerab, his eyes stern and dark with wrath at her for being so near to another person.
Taahir explained, wondering when his older brother returned home, "We were going through all the old albums, kind of a planned cousin chat night." Even if he did arrive, he wouldn't pay them any attention even after learning that they had repeatedly organized such conversations for hours. He would never interact with them; instead, he prefers to stay out of the pleasure of upholding his position as a feudal lord, even though he is unable to comprehend the connection between the two. Taahir thought
"Why wasn't I invited?" His gaze shifts from Meerab to Azhaan as he asks. She glances away quickly after noticing an odd emotion in his eyes; he had never appeared that way before, and his black eyes had never intimidated her before tonight.
"Murtasim. You've never joined us, so don't complain." Amaya stated, sounding blatant. He nods quickly as he turns to face his cousin and couldn't dispute what was said. For the past seven years, he has always declined their invitations to join them. Eventually, all of them stopped asking him, except for Azhaan.
He is certain that Azhaan has always looked out for him and that he has always thought of him as the best brother he could want in life, even though today Azhaan was pinning in his eyes like a needle.
Amaya pointed to the image and remarked, "See what I got." Murtasim took time to focus on the image and pay close attention before everyone else started laughing. When the image finally got to him, it had already traveled from Taahir to Mariyam. He looked at the image in his hand and saw a cute, chubby girl and a boy who appeared to be older than her. In the photograph, he and Meerab were the ones. It was Meerab, who had been pulling his hair.
"Meerab was so notorious in childhood, allah" Amaya said. She still recalls how Meerab used to always contrive to fight with Murtasim and then go on an extended rant about how he caused problems for her even though he was the real perpetrator.
Meerab felt embarrassed since she knew she had annoyed Murtasim and nearly all the kids in the family. Between albums, she can't help but laugh and cover her face. "Stop it. Why am I being discussed here?" she said, keeping her face hidden.
"You didn't deal with you when you were a kid. Because of Meerab, our childhood was enjoyable and memorable" Taahir chuckled.
As soon as Meerab comes to mind, Azhaan bursts out laughing as he recalls the most bizarre moment from his childhood. He continued to laugh and asked, "Do you remember?" He stated, eliminating the album, "Do not hide your face," and then continued to describe the incident. She attempted to take back the album from Azhaan's grasp but failed; there was no way she was going to stand by and watch them become even more embarrassed.
Murtasim had his eyes fixed on Meerab. She is exceptionally eye-catching, but her beauty simply shines more brightly when she smiles heartily. She still seems to him as adorable as she was in childhood.
He was abruptly pulled back to the present by a voice of laughter, after which he could hear Azhaan continuing to narrate memoirs. "Remember the time Meerab was refused permission to play cricket with Murtasim, and she made a big deal out of it? Little Meerab was told by Anwar Chachu that she shouldn't play cricket because she is still young and has already fallen three times while running" He said this while pausing to take a glass of water, from the table in. center.
Taahir said, "I'll go on." He sat upright and stared at them both; Meerab had a sheepish grin on her face, while his bhai appeared to be quite interested in what was being said. "Later, Murtasim bhai made fun of Meerab by saying that she cannot play cricket since she is a girl. This infuriated her to the point where she grabbed that large bat and ran after bhai to beat him" he recounted before breaking out into a loud laugh.
Murtasim slightly smiled and turned his head aside after learning that she was chasing after him with the bat as he fled to safety. He was eleven years old and Meerab was only seven years old, if he recalls the incident correctly.
When everyone was laughing, Meerab nodded negatively and turned her head away, but she was secretly pleased with herself for consistently giving Murtasim hard times. That is something for which he will always remember her.
"And except Anila Chachi nobody scolded her with seriousness. No, I mean, Maa attempted to chastise, but-" Taahir cracks up once again. "I remember" Mariyam said, chuckling.
In her mother's voice, "Meerab, meri pyaari beti. Aisa nahi karte, Murtasim tumse bada hain." Mariyam translated making everyone cracked up except both, Meerab and Murtasim.
( Meerab, my dear child. You should not act like this, Murtasim is elder to you. )
"She appeared so innocent, yet her actions were so diabolical" Azhaan chuckled. Meerab swung his arms and said, "Shut up" She almost whispered to him, "At least not you" and he laughed quietly, piercing Murtasim's heart. Meerab opted to look at additional photos as they proceeded to talk about more childhood events.
She didn't dared to stare back at Murtasim assuming he must be furious by now remembering about she used to trouble him. Well, instead he was enjoying silently except the moment his eyes unwillingly went to duo sitting next to each other.
After some time, "Again, Murtasim... with a canvas this time" she said. Meerab sighed and turned the album to show others. She looks at him and says, "You were so fond of canvas, paint, and colors as a child" Meerab does remember their childhood and his habits. He was quiet, confident, and obedient as a child, unlike her. She said, "And Taau Ji never liked Murtasim's painting, he used to get angry."
As she continued, Murtasim began to reminisce about how his father used to chastise him for everything he did—things that an heir to the Khan throne shouldn't be doing. He was kind to everyone, but his father was usually harsh with him and wanted him to be disciplined. He always desired that his father would love him a little bit more, just like Taahir, his younger brother, and especially Meerab.
Despite being his brother's daughter, Shahnawaz loved her dearly while omitting his own, which is what young Murtasim used to think. This is how his early jealousy towards Meerab connects with his father. He initially thought it was strange how much their family loved Meerab, but as time went on, he put those concerns to rest.
She was simply more fortunate than others to be adored in that way, as he desired.
Murtasim added with a small smile on his face, "And Azhaan used to always calm me after baba scolded me and I used to cry, he always stood by me." He truly means it when he claims that Azhaan is the best brother he could ask for.
"Even though I'm 3 months older than you" Azhaan stated, "I must take care of my younger ones." Although he is not a flawless person, he always takes good care of his cousins.
Murtasim turned questioning "Hmm... So you consider every younger one as your brother or sister?" moving his gaze from Azhaan to Meerab, Murtasim enquires. He would be delighted if his cousin agreed to the statement right away; at the very least, he could rest easy tonight.
Azhaan chuckled. "Not all of them. Who knows what the future holds" he muttered, looking at Meerab, who was preoccupied with flipping the album's sections. Murtasim's hand became a fist, his latent rage was obvious if one looked closely.
He immediately remarked, rising from the couch, "You guys continue ahead, I'll leave" and he strode off to his bedroom. As he passed Meerab, he heard her saying "good night" but he was unwilling to respond.
"Has something happened?" Amaya questioned dubiously.
"Ignore. He must be tried" Meerab spoke subconsciously while she had her eyes fixed on pictures.
Do let me know how was the update, it was supposed to be little shorter but I ended up writing more in flow.
Leave your feedback in the comment sections please.