"Jawaab do, Umeed!"
Farjaad demanded, his grip firm on her arms, holding her in place.
"Kis baat ka gussa hai? Kyun mujh se aise munh pher leti ho ho tum? Kis baat ki saza de rahi ho mujhe? Tumhe nahi yaad shayad. Lekin mujhe sab yaad hai, ek ek lafz yaad hai. Jab meine tumhe roka tha, tum nahi ruki. Jab mein tumhe wapas lene aya tha tum nahi aayi. Woh sab tumhari marzi thi! Tou phir yeh berukhi kyun?! Aaj tumhe mere har sawaal ka jawaab dena parega!"
He kept firing questions while she remained quiet, her gaze away from his. But Farjaad wasn't having any of it, he wanted answers and he wanted them right now.
"Bolo Umeed!" He provoked her, making her flip and give him an angry stare. They were now looking right into each others' eyes, breathing heavily, barely inches apart.
"Mein aapko jawaab dene ki paband nahi hun" She said, with blazing eyes and before he could say anything else, she added to her statement.
"Aur aap mujhe force nahi kar sakte!"
Her tone was assertive and eyes sharp, boring into his. But it was the word she used that left him bewildered, so much that his firm grip on her arm loosened.
"F-force?" He could barely pronouce the word, still taken aback by her brash statement.
"Tumhe lagta hai mein tumhe force karunga?" The vulnerability in his eyes was heartbreaking and Umeed could barely keep up a straight face. Not realizing it could hurt him so much, she was now regretting her choice of words.
He kept looking at her, trying to grasp everything, not able to believe that Umeed could even think about him forcing her.
"You know what, Umeed? Whenever I think that this new version of you won't surprise me any more, it does! And in the worst way possible!"
He was exasperated as he finally let go of her completely, turning away from her to heave a sigh. Umeed saw him rubbing his eyes and letting out a deep breath, her own heart shattered to see him like this, but her face was expressionless.
"Aur kitna aazmao gi tum mujhe, Umeed?"
His tone clearly depicted that he was drained and worn out, with only a matter of time that the last thread of patience that he was holding eventually breaks.
'Mein tumhe samajh nahi paa raha hun, yaar. Bohot koshish kar raha hun, phir bhi..."
He never felt so helpless before, it was as if whatever he was trying was just futile. Umeed could see that he was tired of fighting and keeping up with her and she had to fist both her hands to stop herself from wrapping her arms around his exhausted frame.
"Tou aap se kisne kaha hai ke mujhe samjhein?" She backfired, gulping down her emotions.
"Haan, jab samajhna chahiye tha, tab tou samjha nahi aapne. Yehi bologi na?"
He raised his eyebrows, reffering to their fight which led to her breaking the engagement. He knew what she would say and he was well aware of his own mistakes as well as her ability to bring it up everytime.
"Galat tou kuch nahi kahogi..." He sighed, defending her statement spoken by him.
"Tumhe samajhne mein ek dafa galti ho gayi thi mujhse. Shayad iss galti ki saza saari zindagi milegi mujhe..." He sighed, looking up as if accepting it as his fate.
"Dekhein, beetein baatein dohra ke koi faida nahi hai. Jo ho gaya, so ho gaya. Baat khatam" She spoke in a placating tone.
"Baat khatam? Baat khatam tou kabhi hui hi nahi Ms. Umeed Pasha. Baat tab khatam hoti jab mera dil maanta ke tum wapas nahi aaogi. Lekin meine issi aas mein yeh 2 saal guzaare hain ke tum laut aaogi, kyunki tumne aisa kaha tha...aur meine yaqeen kiya tha tumpe"
"Shayad yehi galti thi aapki" She crossed her arms and replied with a straight face.
"Nahi. Yeh mohabbat thi meri..."
There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other. The pain in his eyes was glaring, piercing her heart, even though she still had the mask of indifference on.
"Aap beeti baatein kyun dohraate hain?"
"Kyunke mein aaj bhi wahin khada hun, tumhare intezaar mein....jahan tum mujhe chorr ke gayi thi"
"Lekin mein bohot aage barh chuki hun!"
She shouted, her statement cutting right through his heart, hurting him even more if that was possible.
"Aur aap ke liye bhi yehi behtar hoga ke aap bhi aage barh jaayein"
Her voice was hard and indifferent, while she avoided her gaze. When she didn't hear any response, she looked up to see him staring at her with an unreadable expression.
"Kia dekh rahe hain?"
"Dekh raha hun, tumhari aankhein..." His voice was soft as he stared at her with everything he had, while she tried to control her heartbeat that was going haywire.
"...jin mein poori dunya basti thi meri, aaj apna aks tak nahi dekh paa raha hun. Itni ajnabee ho gayi ho tum"
Umeed felt another pang at her heart. Why was this so difficult?
"Shayad ab yehi rahenge hum saari zindagi....ajnabee" She replied, gulping down her emotions for the umpteenth time. She looked up to see Farjaad nodding at her statement while looking down. It was as if he had given up fighting, and accepted the fact that they were mere strangers now.
"You are right. I'm sorry for wasting your time"
He spoke in an indifferent tone, unlocking the door and making way for her as she walked out silently while he wiped a tear that slid down his cheek.
***
It had been 4 days since she landed in Lahore at her Khala's place. Initially reluctant, she had let her stay for a few days. Umeed had promised her she won't stay for long and she planned not to.
Not wanting to depend on anyone for anything, she wanted to start afresh, on her own terms. But that would require time and patience, she realised that after getting rejected for a job third time in a row, in a single day.
Tired and frustrated, she kept roaming on the busy streets of Lahore in low spirits, her bag hanging on her shoulder, after wasting her time in another firm.
Who will hire a fresh graduate with no experience?
Umeed sighed as she kept wandering, lost in thoughts. Realizing it was getting darker by the minute, she made way to her Khala's house, knowing she had to even if she didn't want to. Upon reaching the turn by the end of the street, she noticed a figure standing against a car, head resting on the roof of the car, his face towards the sky. Her heart jumped in her throat as she realized who it was.
"Farjaad?"
Farjaad opened his eyes and straightened as soon as he heard her voice. Disheveled, dressed in what seemed to be his night clothes, he looked at her as if her sight had given him life.
"Umeed..." he whispered, muttering a prayer of gratitude along.
"Aap...yahan..kaise?" She could barely form a sentence, not expecting him to show up here at all.
Farjaad's expressions turned miff at her question, remembering why he had to come here in the first place.
"Tumhe lene aaya hun. Chalo" He replied in a straightforward, no-nonsense tone leaving no room for argument.
Umeed raised her eyebrows at his order, "pehle aap batayein ke aap yahan aaye kaise?"
Farjaad took a deep breath, "Haya ne kuch nahi bataya mujhe, if that's what you wanted to know. It wasn't hard for me to trace your Khala's address, Umeed. Tumhe kia lag raha tha tum bhaag ke kahin bhi chali jaogi aur mein tumhe jaane dunga? Ek tou tumne apna waada toda, mujhe baghair bataye yahan aa gayi aur ab mujhse pooch rahi ho ke mein kyun aya hun..."
Umeed looked away as he explained in an exasperated tone.
"Chalo ab..." He took a step towards her and grabbed her wrist, ready to take her but Umeed pulled him back, her eyes wandering down to her wrist in his grasp, a feeling a deja vu hitting the both of them.
"Kia kar rahe hain aap?" She asked, looking around even though there was hardly anyone around in the deserted street.
"Tumhe ghar le ke jaa raha hun" he answered simply, a little hurt by her attitude.
"Mein kahin nahi jaa rahi hun, Farjaad" She argued.
Farjaad sighed, "Umeed, please. I don't have time for this. Apni halat dekho, you took an early discharge for what? Har cheez mazaak nahi hoti..."
She cut off his lecture, "Exactly! Har cheez mazaak nahi hoti. Aap logon ko tou yehi lagta hai ke mein bas yehi karna jaanti hun. Mujhe kia feel hota hai, iss se kissi ko koi parwah nahi hai!"
Farjaad was surprised by the anger in her eyes and words, not understanding what exactly was bothering her.
"Mujhe parwah hai, Umeed" he spoke in a soft tone, holding her arms, trying to calm her down.
"Issi liye tou lene aaya hun..."
She kept looking sideways, her arms crossed, not saying anything.
"Samajh gaya. Mujh se naraaz ho na? Issi liye yeh sab...."
"Aap ko jo samajhna hai, samajh lijiye. Mein koi explanation nahi de rahi" she cut him off again.
"Theek hai mein kuch nahi pooch raha. Lekin please wapas chalo. Tumhe naraz rehna hai, mujhe saza deni hai...mujhe sab manzoor hai. Lekin apne ghar chalo, Umeed"
He missed the tears that were abruptly blinked back by Umeed at the mention of her home.
"Please..." He was literally begging her. She looked up to see his eyes filled with torment. But her heart was too broken to feel anything. Without saying a word, she removed his hands from her arms.
"Aap please wapas chale jayein"
"Sawaal hi paida nahi hota. Tumhe liye baghair kahin nahi jaunga mein..."
He crossed his arms with determination on his face. Umeed looked at him and sighed, fatigue from the entire day facing rejections and pain from the memories taking a toll on her, transforming into tears, sliding down her face.
Farjaad was immediately alarmed, "Umeed! Kia hua?" He cupped her face, his eyes softening. Gulping her tears down, she removed his hands, looking around consciously. Farjaad, understanding her predaciment, held her hand and made her sit in the car, driving off while having no idea where to go while she sat silently beside him, her head down as she collected her thoughts. He brought the car to a halt, making Umeed look up to realise they were in the garden lane with no more than a few people on the jogging trail.
"Kia hua hai, Umeed?" He asked her softly, giving her time to answer. But when she kept silent, he spoke again.
"Mujhe pata hai tum yahan kyun aayi ho"
She looked up with wide eyes, perplexed at his statement. Her heart started beating rapidly thinking he might've found out her reason for coming here.
"Mujhse galti ho gayi, Umeed. Meine gusse mein uss din bohot kuch keh diya tha, jo mujhe nahi kehna chahiye tha..."
He began apologizing, making Umeed turn her head away in relief. He still didn't know the actual reason she was here.
She kept listening to his pleas silently, realizing that even as she recalled, his words didn't hurt anymore. Infact, she had made peace with the fact and had in a way, accepted it.
"Kuch galat tou nahi kaha tha na..." she cut him off, agitated.
"Aap aur mein bohot alag hain, yeh baat sach hai. Aur hum chaahein kitni koshish kar lein, yeh farq kabhi khatam nahi hoga..."
Farjaad was stumped. Mere words spoken in anger by him had such a profound affect on her that she had come to accept the fact that they didn't belong together.
"You know that's not the truth, Umeed. Tumhe pata hai mein aisa nahi sochta. Then why are you..."
"Kyunki sab aisa hi sochte hain!" She bursted out, "Aur shayad yeh sach bhi hai...mohabbat hona aur saath zindagi guzaarne mein farq hota hai..."
She looked up to meet his eyes, mirroring the torment in his eyes.
"Aur hum saath zindagi nahi guzaar sakte" she whispered, breaking his heart into pieces.
"Umeed..." His whisper was painful as he tries to reach out to her but she shrugged his hand away. Tears seeped into his eyes as he realized that she was gritting her teeth so hard, just to stop her tears.
"Kyun nahi guzaar sakte?" His voice was breaking and he could barely speak. "M-mein...nahi reh sakta tumhare baghair..."
Umeed gulped down her emotions, blinking back the tears in her eyes again and again. She couldn't break down, not now.
"Please Farjaad...aap agar mere liye kuch karna chaahte hain tou iss waqt mujhe akela chorr dein. Mujhe thoda waqt de dein...abhi mein koi faisla nahi le sakti"
She requested, hoping he would understand and leave her alone. Her thoughts were far too scattered to take any sane decision and she needed him to go, knowing if he'f stay any longer, she might just push herself in his embrace and break down.
Farjaad was fighting the urge to pull her against him and wrap his arms around her and breath in ger scent, to calm his nerves. She was so close to him, and yet so far.
"Mein kaise rahunga tumhare baghair..."
He wanted to say but he realized he couldn't be selfish. She wanted time to think, time to stay away from him for a whileans collect het thoughts. He could give her that. He had to. No matter how much it hurt.
"Theek hai. You want time, jitna lena hai le lo. Mein kahin nahi jaa raha, I'll stay here" He spoke, determined.
"Farjaad, please..." Umeed rubbed her temples. "You cannot do that!"
"I can. I'm not leaving you alone" he spoke stubbornly.
"For God's sake, I'm NOT a kid! I can handle myself, just let me be! Aur aap kia chaahte hain, do you want to give your mother another reason to hate me?"
Farjaad sighed, "I'll handle maa"
"Yeah right, I've seen that" Her sarcastic response failed to budge him.
"Please Farjaad..." she tried, calmly.
"Try to understand. Mujhe waqt chahiye...aap se dur. Sab se dur" she whispered the last part to herself but he barely listened to it, stuck at the fact that she wanted to stay away from him.
'Aap se dur' kept echoing in his head as he gripped the steering wheel tight.
"Nothing I say would change your mind?" He asked, trying for the last time. Umeed shook her head.
"Kab tak?" He asked.
"Mujhe nahi pata..." She answered, staring ahead.
"Theek hai" he gulped down his tears, "Bas itna waada karo mujhse...that you'll be back" he requested.
Umeed looked at him, her expressions hesitant.
"Please Umeed. Give me something to hold on. Waada karo mujhse, ke tum wapas aaogi. Promise me, please..."
He was desperately holding out his hand, his eyes pleading.
Her throat was clogged, eyes glazed with tears as she stared at his outstretched hand. She didn't want to give him any hope but the raw yearning in his eyes made her place her hand on his.
"I promise..."
She promised.
A promise meant to be broken.
***
It was supposed to stay that way.
He was supposed to forget her, move on and start a new life.
He wasn't supposed to hold on to the promise like his life depended on it.
Umeed sighed as bent her head down, placing it on her crossed knees upto her chest, looking outside the window as she sat on the bed in the dimly lit room, with all kinds of papers scattered around her but her mind was somewhere else.
How did they reach to this point?
He wasn't supposed to be here and they weren't supposed to be still stuck at the point they left off. As if nothing had changed, they were still the same people, madly in love with each other, wanting nothing more than to be with each other.
But here he was, demanding answers to questions she didn't have even though she knew she owed it to him. The person who had been waiting for her, as per her wishes, without any demands.
Why did she make that promise?
Would things have been different if she hadn't give him that?
A promise that was doomed from the start.
She knew that she wasn't going back and she probably never will. She didn't have any reason to, so why give him hope that she'd return? She'd never return to the place that was never hers from the start.
But what was his fault in this entire situation? He didn't know her reasons and yet had given her all the time and space she wanted, waiting patiently and loving her silently.
His eyes screamed how much he still loved her and longed for her and she felt that every time he was near her, with every fiber of her being. She had to physically fight the urge to melt in his arms every time he was close to her. But she couldn't do that.
She couldn't do that to him.
Mere paas aapko dene ke liye kuch nahi hai. Naam tak tou mera apna nahi hai, mein kia de sakti hun aapko...
Sighing, she clutched herself tighter as a tear rolled down, landing on her hand.
***
"Umeed...khana thanda ho raha hai, beta"
Salma's voice broke Umeed's chain of thoughts as she realized that she was actually playing with her food, not having eaten a morsel.
"Jee, khaa rahi hun" She spoke slowly, pushing the spoon in her mouth, even though she had no appetite. They were having dinner and for some reason, she couldn't spot Farjaad around which was making her uneasy, specially when she couldn't ask directly about him.
"There's just 2 more days to the event. Sab wind up ho gaya?" Aziz uncle asked her.
Umeed nodded, "It's almost done, uncle. Bas ek do cheezein go through karni hain"
"It would've been so great if Farjaad had decided to stay till the event. Pata nahi aisa konsa kaam aa gaya hai usse ke event tak bhi nai ruk sakta" Aziz shook his head.
"He's leaving?" The questions slipped from Umeed's mouth before she could realize it.
"Haan, I tried to make him stay till the event atleast, lekin pata nahi kyun he seemed very persistant. Even though he had no such plan till yesterday..." Aziz shrugged, confusion playing on his face.
Her grip on the spoon loosened and it fell into her plate with a clank, making her jump. "Sorry, sorry...." she apologized profusely, picking it up.
"Beta, you okay?" Salma placed a hand on her shoulder, understanding what she must be going through. What she didn't understand was how was Umeed unaware that Farjaad was leaving.
Umeed felt as if someone had pour an entire tub of cold water over her, jolting her entire being.
He was leaving.
He was actually leaving?
"Didn't you know about it?" She asked softly and Umeed shook her head.
"Why would I know that?" Umeed gritted her teeth and Salma sighed, feeling bad for the poor girl.
"Waise itni jaldi achanak kyun jaana hai usse? There must be something important" Salma tried to see any reason behind it. The guy who seemed to be so in love with the woman beside her, how could he leave like that?
"I guess. And given how serious he is where his work is concerned, it must be important"
Work my foot.
Umeed clearly knew the reason he was leaving.
Her.
And as much as she thought she wanted that, the uneasiness running through her was a clear indication that it wasn't sitting well with her. Infact, it was practically eating up her insides.
Looking down, she stared at the food in her plate, her appetite lost completely. She got up with a sudden force, startling the couple and dashed out without listening to Salma who kept calling her.
She ran upstairs to the terrace, wanting space to breath, feeling suffocated all of a sudden. Physically fighting the urge to barge into his room, pull him by his collar and demand answers, she just gripped the railing of the terrace tightly, knowing she can't do anything of that sort.
You have no right, Umeed Pasha.
Taking a deep breath, she tried calming her nerves down.
He had to go anyway. If not today, then after the event, but he had to, right? And she knew that. Infact, she kept insisting for him to leave but now when he was actually leaving, something wasn't right.
She could feel her nerves calming, her heart rate normalizing and her grip loosening as she felt someone reach her.
Without turning, she knew who it was.
Farjaad silently came and stood beside her, knowing that she was aware of his presence. Standing beside each other, with a few inches of distance between them, they were staring ahead, his hands tied behind him while she folded her arms across her chest.
Few moments of silence passed as neither of them said a word. Umeed, seemingly calm as ever, had a storm bubbling inside her. Her hands were fisted against her chest just so she could not grab his arm and vent out everything she had been holding up.
"So, you're leaving?"
Her voice was eerily steady with no hint of any emotion that was creating a havoc in her.
"Yes. Something came up" He replied in an equally steady voice.
"Ofcourse..." she let out a sardonic chuckle. "Batane ki zehmat bhi nai ki..."
Her tone had turned bitter now and he could sense the detestation in her words.
"Kia karta bata ke?" He questioned, "Tumne konsa rok lena tha"
His jab pinched her heart but she showed no reaction.
"Koi wajah bhi tou honi chahiye na..." she shrugged carelessly.
"Wajah tou hai..."
He turned his head sideways, looking at her directly, tightening his hands together as he fought the urge to hold her. She could feel his piercing as he uttered those words, knowing what he meant exactly, but still chose not to react.
Tou kyun jaa rahe hain?
She had to physically bite her tongue to stop herself from voicing what was in her heart.
"Lekin meri wajah se barh kar woh takleef hai...jo mere hone se yahan logon ko hoti hai" He spoke, tearing his gaze away from her as he heaved a huge sigh.
His comment was directed at her and she knew that as well. Letting out a chuckle that had no humor in it, she spoke.
"Chalein, aapko ehsas tou hua..." The sarcasm in her tone was not unnoticed.
"Accha faisla hai, aapko wapas chale jana chahiye..." She spoke, nodding and pretending hard that it was a great decision he had taken. The facade that she was trying to keep up was tiring, when all she wanted to do was break down in his warm embrace.
"Waise bhi...aap ka yahan hai hi kia?" She kept blabbering until she realized that she had asked him the wrong question. He slowly turned himself towards her, his posture now facing her who was still facing ahead.
"Iss sawaal ka jawab bohot acche se jaanti ho tum..."
His deep voice sent shivers down her spine as she realized that he had inched closer than before, his words directly hitting her ear. Trying to control her erratic heart rate that had suddenly increased, she took a small step away from him, making space.
"Kuch nahi jaanti mein. Aur kuch nahi janna mujhe"
She spoke in a harsh tone, her appearance turning completely stoic.
"Sab jaanti ho. Aur jaan ke anjaan banti ho"
It was the way he kept looking at her as he spoke that she could barely focus on her pretense.
"You know nothing..." Her angry eyes pierced right through his.
"Exactly, I know nothing. And you have decided to keep it that way despite my million efforts, tou meine bhi socha ke mein apni energy kyun waste karun?" He shrugged, bitterness seeping in his tone as well.
"Jab har faisla tumne khud hi karna hai, tou mera kia kaam?" His scathing eyes were full of admonishment.
He was blaming her for running away, not keeping upto the promise she made and deciding for the both of them that they were better apart.
She stayed silent as his searing eyes burned holes in her entire being, but she didn't lose her composure. His eyes narrowed on not finding any reaction from her.
"Tumhe waqai koi farq nahi par raha?" He asked, surprised and hurt that she was still as unaffected as ever.
"Mujhe kyun farq parega? Na mujhe aap ke aane se farq pada, na jaane se parega" She replied, in the same emotionless voice, stomping further on his broken heart.
"Subah nikal raha hun. Mulaqat ho hogi?" He asked her.
"Mujhe subah jaldi nikalna hai, since you know the event is in two days" was her random reply.
"Tou matlab yeh hamari aakhri mulaqat hai?"
"Technically" She nodded.
Farjaad was constantly trying to push her by repeating that he has to leave but she remained as steady as a rock. Having had enough of it, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her harshly. Umeed, who wasn't expecting any such action from him so suddenly, was surprised as she landed right on his chest, their faces barely inches apart.
"Mein jaa raha hun, Umeed. Do you know what this means?" He cried in anguish.
It hit her like a bullet train that she might never see him again, but there was barely a change of expression seen on her face.
"I know exactly what it means. Baar baar bolne se sach badal tou nahi jayega na"
She was struggling to get out of his grip which was firm enough to hold her in place.
"Badal sakta hai. Agar tum chaaho tou. Tell me to stay, Umeed. Just once"
He whispered, begging for her to stop him. His voice was full of desperation and eyes filling with tears, was breaking her heart, fighting a battle she knew she would lose any moment.
"Why would I say that? Mere paas koi wajah nahi hai aapko rokne ki. Behtar hai ke aap chale jayein, aur kabhi wapas na ayein!" She raised her voice, still trying to free herself.
"Ab chala gaya na, tou waqai wapas nahi aunga. I swear Umeed, tumhare bulane pe bhi nahi aunga!"
There was something in his eyes that made her shiver and it was not related to the intimate position they were in. His words made her shudder from a feeling she displeased.
"You know what?" He asked, suddenly releasing her.
"You were right. Meine yahan reh ke sirf apna waqt zaya kia hai. Shayad mujhe rukna hi nahi chahiye tha"
"I'm glad you realized it" Umeed replied in an indifferent tone, regaining her composure.
"Ab aur nahi karunga" He shook his head, looking ahead.
"Great" She nodded, still trying to get a hold of herself.
Her one word answers full of sarcasm made his blood boil as his head swapped her way. His eyes had turned bloodshot red, full of tears and she could see his heart breaking in his eyes.
"Tum bohot sangdil ho..."
His voice was low and painful, expressing his heartbreak. Umeed looked away, blinking back the hot tears of agony.
"Haan, hun. Aur kuch?"
"Nahi. Aur kuch bacha hi kia hai bolne ke liye..." He sighed, his shoulders slmuped.
"Fine. Goodbye, then..." Gulping down another bout of tears, she turned around to leave, not being able to stand and face him a second more, when his voice stopped her.
He looked up and saw her back facing him.
"Tumhe akele rehna hai na? Ab tum akeli hi rahogi. Taras jaogi tum, lekin ab jab pukaro gi tou nahi aunga. Yaad rakhna"
Tears finally spilled down her cheeks as she heard him, feeling thankful that she wasn't facing him anymore.
"Yaad rakhungi..."
She could barely get the words out of her mouth before her feet started moving on her own accord, away from him while he kept staring at her back, fisting his hands while fighting the urge to run and wrap his arms around her, hold her until she melts in his arms.
Nothing would ever change her mind and he was finally tired of trying to do so.
***
A series of sudden, rapid knocking made Farjaad look up at the door of his room. Busy in pushing clothes inside his suitcase, he sighed in frustration at the interference, throwing a look around him.
His clothes were scattered everywhere, his bags messily packed with his unkempt self standing in the middle, full of frustration, fighting with the zip of his bag.
No one would say it was the same Farjaad Khan Bahadur who had everything organized to perfection.
His conversation with Umeed had left him frustrated and burning in anger. Deciding to leave was an emotional decision he had taken, but seeing her react so calmly to it made him lose his senses. He had expected her to react or show some kind of annoyance or anger, or any minor emotion, but seeing her deadly unemotional made him mad, resulting in making a mess of his room under the pretext of packing.
With streaming tears he had continued to throw his stuff around, trying to dissipate some of his anger and hurt to no avail. No matter how hard he tried, her words kept playing in his head, leaving him devastated over and over again.
He had reached his limit long ago and yet found reasons to stay everyday, finding hope in bits and pieces she didn't even offer. But he had had enough now and he wasn't going to stay around any longer. She wanted to stay alone, away from him. She'll get that.
The banging on the door turned harder, making him frown as he wiped his face, clearing any signs of crying.
"Farjaad, beta..."
It was Aziz Uncle's trembling voice followed by pounding against the door again, making Farjaad jump up immediately. Kicking all his stuff aside, he made his way to the door and opened it to reveal Aziz Uncle in a pretty disheveled state, making Farjaad anxious.
"Uncle, kia hua? Is everything okay?" He tried calming him down but the old man was too disturbed to be consoled.
"We need to go to the centre. Now!" Aziz ordered urgently.
"What? But why? The time..." Farjaad's confused syllables were cut off by Aziz's next words.
"A fire broke out at the centre! I don't know...some short circuit...the guard called me..."
His explanation in broken words was enough to shake Farjaad up. A fire at the centre meant everything they worked for was at stake.
"Uncle, relax! Aap beth jayein. We need to call-"
"No, we need to go! NOW!"
Aziz was clearly very distressed and hyperventilating but Farjaad knew he had to calm him down first. Given his co-morbids, the old man was in no state to handle any stress at this age.
"Uncle aap-"
His words were cut off by Salma running up to them.
"Umeed is not in her room!" She cried, "Where's she?" She asked her husband, making Farjaad's heart drop. Something was wrong and he could sense it and judging by Aziz's expressions, something told him he was going to lose his mind if Aziz answered the question his wife was asking.
"Umeed kahan hai, Aziz?" She repeated her question, at the verge of years.
"Uncle, please..." Farjaad's plea made Aziz look up with tears in his eyes. The anguish in the young man's eyes broke his heart as he answered.
"She's there. At the centre..."
And Farjaad lost his mind.
***
God, you guys have been nothing but sweethearts! All of you! And I'm so soo thankful to each and every person for not giving up on such an irregular writer like me🥺😭😂
HUGS TO ALL OF YOU.
Please, ignore any mistakes. Har waqt aadhi mareez mein khud bani hoti hun😂