TARGET VOTE: 1500+
PLAYLIST- King Of My Heart- Taylor Swift
"Late in the night, the city's asleep
Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep
Change my priorities"
PLAYLIST: Daylight - Taylor Swift
"I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you
I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you"
PLAYLIST : Dancing With Our Hands Tied - Taylor Swift
"I, I loved you in secret
First sight, yeah, we love without reason
Oh, twenty-five years old
Oh, how were you to know, and
My, my love had been frozen"
"But we were dancing
Dancing with our hands tied, hands tied
Yeah, we were dancing
Like it was the first time, first time"
"I, I loved you in spite of
Deep fears that the world would divide us
So, baby, can we dance
Oh, through an avalanche?
And say, say that we got it
I'm a mess, but I'm the mess that you wanted"
Alizeh appeared with a small handful of roses in her hand. She came forward faced me, and extended the red roses in my direction. While I looked at her with a blank face.
"What? Take it." She urged with a cheery face.
"You got this for me?" I asked her taken aback.
"No I got it for the stall vendor there." She replied.
"Ohh" I said slightly disappointed as she shook her head with a sigh.
"Of course it's for you grumps, as a sorry for causing you all this trouble and as a thank you for staying." She said pointing at that little almost invisible mark in my forehead.
"Oh-I - thank you" I said taking the roses from her awkwardly. No one had ever given me flowers before. Never even in birthdays I don't know why.
"You didn't have to-" I said after finally finding my voice back. The roses were as red as her dress.
"Consider it a gift grumps. Has no one ever given you flowers before?" she said starting to walking again and I shook my head.
"Its okay I'll get you flowers for the next four months." She said casually but she probably didn't realize what it meant to me. The red roses were going to be a constant reminder of her in my life. It was the red her cheeks became when she blushed - because of me.
"Alizeh" I stopped. She instantly turned towards me.
"Say that again." She immediately responded.
"What?" I questioned.
"My name. I thought you forgot or you didn't know my name." She looked at me.
"Alizeh I know I am ignorant about us but not that ignorant that I won't know your name." I replied softly, did she think that lowly about me?
"Its not my fault you act- " she started again but I shut her up by putting my finger on her lips.
"Chup" I told her and she stopped talking looking in my eyes directly.
"I am sorry for earlier. I was stressed about something else. That's no excuse but-" before I could say another word she put her fingers on my lips shushing me, "Chup" she said softly.
"Did the Zain Aziz just say sorry to me?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes as I removed my fingers.
"Yes do you want me to apologise again?" I asked her.
"An apology won't work Aziz I got you flowers when I apologised." She demanded.
"You want flowers?" I asked sincerely but she shook her head eyeing my teddy bear again. This girl!
"No!!" I responded immediately like a kid.
"Zain 'aap' 27 hain!" She argued back looking at my teddy bear greedily.
(Zain you're 27!)
"So what if I am 27? Stop eyeing my teddy bear!" RIP my reputation I thought looking around. The way she just mocked me saying 'aap' to remind me of my age. But again the way she said 'aap' every time, sent me to another dimension. During dinner I choked on my food hearing this. All this started from the mention of her changing my room. Why would she even change my room, not like she would live there, well they didn't know that. I knew they were trying to get me to stay there using her. My family was so eager to get me married, hoping things would change again after my marriage. But I wasn't going to let that happen.
I wasn't giving her the teddy bear just to annoy her. That was the only reason I had carried this damn teddy the entire fair with me.
"You're so shameless!" She retorted back but I paid no attention. After a while she looked at me again.
"So you don't want me to forgive you?" She said making puppy eyes.
"Fine teddy bear for the sleepy bear" I said handing her the teddy bear biting my lips to not smile.
"I knew you had no interest in a teddy bear, you were just doing it to frustrate me." She said with a knowing tone, grasping my teddy bear immediately. It was a cute scene, the teddy bear was bigger than her as she struggled to hold it. I can't believe I had been roaming with it the entire fair just to annoy her. Well hopefully no one knew me here- so it was easier to do things I normally wouldn't do.
"You're forgiven grumps" she said dismissively looking fondly at her teddy bear.
"I am not any grumps" I told her.
"You are! I have never seen you smile. Can you smile?" She asked me raising her eyebrows.
"Of course I can. But there needs to be something to smile about but there are idiots all around me." I told her.
"You're no joy either Aziz" she said huffing at me as I glanced at the roses in my hands. For some reason I had the urge to frame these roses.
"Zain—" she looked at me suddenly making puppy eyes.
"Can we go on the ferris wheel?" She asked.
"I never said no, go I'll wait for you." I told her.
"I said WE not ME" Alizeh shook her head. I looked at the watch in my hand it was more than 1am. This girl was making me do all sorts of things I never did. I always followed my routine- going to bed, waking up everything at a set time. But here I was standing in a fair in the middle of the night. She was a total baby sometimes.
"Fine- but after that I drop you two off. I don't want to keep your parents waiting." I told her as she excitedly stood in the line for the ferris wheel.
"It's fine I told my mom and my dad isn't here." She informed me. As we sat on our compartment on the ferris wheel.
"Don't tell me you haven't been on a ferris wheel before?" She asked stupidly. But the answers was also stupid.
"I just wasn't interested." I told her admitting the truth.
"Zain Aziz what are you even interested in other than working?"
"I was scared of heights as a child. So I never tried any of these. But now I just don't care anymore." I said without realising I was opening up to her.
"Aww little Zain was scared of something at least." She said mocking me cutely as the ferrris wheel took off.
"Wherever I go I always get on the ferris wheel. I love it when it's at the top, the views are always so pretty that you forget everything for a moment." She blabbered but I paid attention to everything she said. I didn't talk to people much but I always listened to them carefully.
"What do you wanna forget?" I asked her.
"Nothing in particular but there are just somethings you wish you didn't feel." She said with a sad smile.
"Why did you choose another career when everything was already there for you?" She asked me curious.
"I didn't want any of that. Not only was I uninterested in that business. I wanted to prove something to my family." I didn't get into the details.
"They must be proud of you" she said. Not once had they said they were proud of me. In fact, my dad still held a grudge for not joining the family business as his heir. So I just shook my head and she looked at me startled as I replied, "No there's nothing for them to be proud of."
"Zain- just because no one told you they're proud of you doesn't mean there's nothing to be proud of" she told me with such confidence I almost believed her.
We both became quiet as we reached the top of wheel. I knew what she meant. Above us what the night sky and beneath was the whole city. Colourful lights surrounded the stalls and the people inside seemed like ants from bird's view. We were separated from the chaos down there, where we were in a peaceful little world of our own. The cool breeze started blowing suddenly hitting our face. The urge to settle in this moment forever was overwhelming. But the moment was temporary like everything else in life.
"Did you like it?" She asked as we went down and I nodded.
"Okay when I go back after 3 months and you come to London next time I'll take you on the London Eye there. It has the best view at night." She told me reminding me even she was temporary in my life.
"One month is already over?" I asked
"Well about 9 weeks left" she replied and I calculated well yeah the first week was Arya's wedding- then the next week we got engaged- the week after that we went on the trip and now this was the 4th week of the month.
"It's good for you, you won't get headaches anymore" she said as we got down from the ferris wheel. But I was too busy in my thoughts to reply anything to her. We got back to the centre of the fair which was yet again crowded but now much less than before as people started to leave but they were leaving not because of the hour but because of the weather. It was starting to rain. All the stalls started packing up. It was utter chaos.
Suddenly instead of the little droplets it started raining heavily. I took her hand reflexively and started running for our car.
•••
•••
But we stood on a little shelter in between before we could reach the car. But she left my side and handing me the teddy bear. She left me to stand in the middle of the way to get wet in the rain.
Crazy girl-" I muttered.
If there was anything in the world that I loved the most, it was rain. The feeling it brought to me was something I couldn't ever explain to anyone. I wasn't the one to take shelter from it. I enjoyed it through and through. As soon as the droplets started hitting the ground Zain took my hand reflexively and ran for the nearest shelter but I had other plans. I handed him my teddy bear and went to my first love- the rain.
"Zain come on!" I urged him looking at him standing in the shelter yet looking at me blankly.
"I don't have a wish to fall sick unlike you" he told me grumpily and started fixing his wet hair and his shirt getting ready for what? This guy always had to stay tip top. But I felt like teasing him. The wet shirt fit him too perfectly. It's been a while since I flirted with him making him act all confused and surprised. Even though I hadn't been in a serious relationship I had a few flings and I did friendly flirting but after getting engaged I hadn't. I was always afraid I wouldn't be able to stay committed but even though I wasn't bound to this but I respected it even if it was temporary. So I would have to do by flirting with him for the next three months.
Without even waiting for any response, I went and took him by the hand immediately and dragged him to the rain as I started singing the most random lyrics that came to my mind looking at him, as a joke,
"I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you, I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you"
I looked at him as I sang these lyrics, his expressions were unreadable. Here, I gave him another headache, just when he becomes nice I overdo it. I was ready to see him being annoyed and back to being cold again but what he did next shocked me. He slightly shook his head sideways with a smirk on his face which changed into a smile. Now looking at him I knew I meant those lyrics. Just one smile made me feel butterflies all over me. He shook his head again at me laughing at my antics now. "You really are crazy" he muttered softly with his eyes still smiling with his lips.
You just made me go crazy for you Zain and you have the audacity to say that I replied in my head obviously.
"You should smile more grumps, it suits you" I said still lost in his smile.
"You gave me a reason to smile" he replied but I didn't really understand it.
"Have you ever danced in the rain?" I asked him raising my eyebrows to which as I expected he shook his head in a no again.
"It's okay I'll teach you how to enjoy while I am here" I said holding his hand in mine while I rested my other hand in his shoulder. For some reason, there was no discomfort I always felt so comfortable with him. Like that's where I was meant to be.
"No wait" he said and I took my hand off his shoulder feeling stupid thinking I had crossed the boundary. But instead he took our intertwined hands and freed it from my clutch except holding my index finger with his two fingers. Oh- he wanted to do the spinning step.
Even though it was raining there seemed to be some sort of heat between us. Before I knew it he started spinning me. Best part of wearing this red dress was that it spun with me. I could see his smile through the corner of my eyes and it was probably the most beautiful and genuine smile I had ever seen in my life.
•••
•••
After a few spins I felt dizzy and hit his chest but he caught me. When I looked up at him he was still smiling. Did this guy want to kill me today itself?
"See it was fun?" I asked him in a baby voice.
"Mhmm" he replied looking at me with a glint in his eyes.
"Zain-" I looked at him again with a serious tone in my voice. I knew how it felt when you gave your everything and still couldn't make anyone proud of you. Everything for a little bit of validation but in the end it was always complains and I didn't want anyone else to feel that way if I could help it.
"Yes" he said looking at me too. Our eye contacts were always intense.
"I don't know if you'll care about it or not but I am proud you" I told him. His smile disappeared for a second but it returned again more genuine and composed than before.
"It does matter- thank you" he replied looking at me with a different emotion in his eyes.
"We can go now" I said finally feeling satisfied as the rain slowed down.
"Okay let's go before you catch cold" he told me as we took our teddy bear and roses kept on the shelter. Zain and I reached the car but we first took out some towels which were in his car and dried ourselves. We entered the car to find Noor and Ahaan sitting on the backseat already, they seemed to be in deep conversation which we seemed to have broken as we entered.
"Wow you got bhabi roses" Ahaan said suddenly ignoring Noor and looking at the roses which Zain put on the car beside him and i sat with my teddy bear on the passenger seat. I looked at him as he concentrated on his driving. Tonight I had discovered a different Zain. The one way different from which he shows everyone. A vulnerable side. He didn't open up much but whatever he said was still something- a part of him which he had suppressed under that cold avatar. Maybe it wasn't a lost case after all.
"No she got me roses." He replied making both Noor and Ahaan looking at me in confusion. I have no clue why I got him those roses. When I saw the stall vendor selling those I just had an urge to gift it to him even though the opposite happens but I knew he wouldn't do such things for me. But now I was glad I had given him those roses maybe anytime he ever saw roses I hoped if I was lucky enough it would remind him of the first person who ever gave him those.
"And he gave me the teddy bear" I showed them my teddy bear proudly. They both exchanged a sort of a smile at each other. I have no clue how in the course of one day had changed so many things between them and - us. I still had butterflies all over me and the fact he didn't even realize it most probably but I was doomed for him.
As we got in the line for the bumper car I left her for a second to attend a call. When my eyes fell on a pair of white glass bangles being sold on the stall in front of me. I had noticed Noor looking at them dreaming right before she hurriedly got us away to give Zain and Alizeh bhabi some space. She probably would have bought it if hadn't hurried out of there. I don't know what got into me I purchased it. After buying it I was dumbfounded myself. Why on earth did I buy these for her? How would I even give this? I had definitely lost it after everything that happened today. Maybe I just felt bad for her which is why I bought this. Yes that was the reason.
I approached her again but to find her somewhat scared - a group of guys seemed to be looking at her and her body language gave it away that she felt uncomfortable. I should have thought better than leaving her here alone even though I was just five feet away. I stood beside her and held her hand very gently as to not make her feel uncomfortable but at the same time to tell them off- she wasn't alone. I glared at them and they turned away.
"Noor?" I said- calling her by her name still felt forgein to me.
"Yes" she said not looking at me and just still looking everywhere else.
"Noor-- look at me" this got her attention and she looked at me now with questioning eyes.
"You're not alone" I didn't say it in details but she understood what I meant and she gave me a reassuring nod.
"Do you want to go sit in the car" I asked her. I had taken her here thinking it would cheer her up a bit.
"No I want to do this." She assured me.
We had just finished our game and I was thinking on how to give her the bangles or whether to even give it or not. When out of the blue it started raining. I gestured for us to run away but she looked at me.
"I can't run" she said.
"Oh yes I am sorry. We can't get wet either we'll catch cold so-" I was saying but she cut me off.
"Don't you dare! Don't you dare carry me again." She rebuked me.
"Bhalai ka toh zamana hi nahi raha. And don't lie sweetheart I know you liked it." I winked her but she rolled her eyes.
"You will never change" she said.
"Okay just hold me then" she looked skeptical at first but then agreed because there was no other option. The rain was increasing every moment. So we took the chance and somewhat ran as I put my jacket on top of our head.
•••
•••
We hadn't gotten much wet as we settled ourselves in the backseat of the car waiting for the rest two to arrive.
There was silence for a few moments where we neither of us tried to break it.
"Where are they?" Noor broke the silence.
"I think they're stuck somewhere it's raining heavily" I answered back.
"Noor I am sorry for leaving you back there I shouldn't have." I told her feeling guilty.
"Oh please I roam around alone all the time when I am in USA, it's not a big deal, it's just sometimes people here make me uncomfortable." She answered.
"Okay so yeah I--" I didn't know what to say so I just handed her the white bangles which I had kept in the pockets of my jacket.
She looked at me confused, "What?"
"I mean I just thought as I spoiled so many of your white dresses you could I don't know-" I replied blank.
She looked at me a little surprised almost blinking her eyes and took it "thank you- there was no need."
"Yeah whatever" I replied this was so awkward.
"Can I ask you something?" She said breaking my thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you acting like you care?" She asked making me dumbfounded. What did she mean? I know what she meant but -- before I could answer Alizeh and Zain came in and I immediately turned my attention towards them as if looking for an excuse to not answer her question.
Alizeh bhabi had Zain's teddy bear in her hand and Zain had a rose in his hand? Most probably for her.
"Wow you got bhabi roses" I said avoiding Noor's eyes on me as I ignored her question but she too turned to look questioningly at the couple in front of us.
"No she got me roses." he replied starting to drive while she added with a satisfied smile, "And he gave me the teddy bear." Noor and I looked at each other surprised and gave a small smile being happy about their improvement.
But Noor suddenly gave a glare at me staring back and forth at the mango plushie.
"What guys can't play with plushies? You're so judgemental sweetheart!" What I even doing?
"Dramebaaz!" She muttered.
We reached Alizeh bhabi's place soon enough. The girls got out and so did I to bid them goodbye and was getting back to the car to sit in the front now but Noor turned around and suddenly and gave my hand a look and said, "I don't care but take care of yourself."
"Your wish is my command sweetheart." I teased her back. She huffed again, it was good to see her back to the normal.
I settled on the front seat now and my eyes fell on the roses kept beside Zain and I took it in my hands only to recive a slap in my hands which held them.
"Keep it down" Zain ordered.
"Areh since when do you care about roses or is it because bhabi gave them huh?" I raised my eyebrows teasing him.
"I don't" he replied back.
"Okay so let me throw them" I said opening the window but he immediately jumped out of his seat snatching the roses away from me.
"I can throw it myself" he replied regaining his composure.
"Then do it or accept it that you care" I was so enjoying this. For the first time in life I got the opportunity to tease my best friend like this.
"I don't need to explain anything I will do it when I like." He replied back trying act to nonchalant. I let out a suppressed laugh.
"Don't laugh so much you're the one who seems to care about people so much suddenly." He retorted back at me. This guy never missed anything.
"Unlike you I am very caring towards everyone." I replied casuallym
"Specially towards sweetheart isn't it" he said raising his eyebrows. He got me there so I told him everything that had happened. He listened without showing any reactions but when I finished he shook he took out his phone and made a call, making sure those bastards pay for what they did.
We finished our conversation there as we reached home and I got out still holding that mango plushie stupidly but he didn't get out of the car.
"You aren't coming?" I asked.
"No I'll be in my place." he answered me.
"This is your place" I tried to stop him. But this was nothing knew, he moved out long ago, and only stayed on requested of his mom or our grandparents some days.
"Was" he gave his one-word answers but there was a volume of history behind it. So I let it be as he drove away. What would I even do with this plushie? I smacked my head with it as I got up the stairs to go to my room but I saw a figure sitting in the balcony.
I approached the balcony to find Kabir sitting there with his laptop and some paperwork laid out in the front.
"Since when did my nikamma (useless) brother start working so hard." I asked from the distance as I had no energy for a conversation.
"Since the day you started playing with stuffed toys" he gave me a pointed look at the plushie in my hand.
"I just got this for Alisha" I replied making an excuse.
"I was just working on some legal work for tomorrow's project for the Aziz Industries" he replied yawning. Well it was almost 3am in the morning. Even thought Kabir was a criminal lawyer, which the family hadn't interjected but on one condition, that he would have to stay connected to the family business. So starting this year he was going to handle all the legal procedures.
"Okay." I bid him night as I walked away to my room, clutching my plushie.
(No spoiler :) Also note I uploaded once every week at least in the last few days. So everyone who's been texting me to upload earlier, know that I can't. In fact upload for the next few weeks will be even less frequent because I am busy. Kindly wait and enjoy other stories.)
CHAPTER AESTHETICS ;
The Couples in Rain
Alizeh's first gift to Zain
Who's mango plushie do you think it is? Noor or Ahaan?