The blast of freezing winds passes echoing the losses. The cold hallway of the hospital screams of pain.
Her pain.
His pain.
Their pain.
A sob left Rubina Ahmed lips as a vision arises up.
The spring is yet to arrive, London is still cold in February. The silent hospital corridor fills with cries, the baby has arrived, their wait is over.
"Shukar Allah" she whispers.
All these months were painful, Shaziya had gone through hell and back, credits to her abusive husband.
To say the truth, Rubina didn't expect the baby to survive, but it did. They were fights. The baby is a gem.
Soon her husband, Ahmed brings the baby, he operated just now. Few minutes old bundle of joy, pinkish skin, and the moment she opens her hazel brown eyes, Rubina Ahmed knows she is gonna rule hearts, a gem. She gulps, tears swell up, of happiness.
Ahmed smiled, "She is our daughter too. Shaziya asked me to name her."
Shaziya knows about their yearning for a daughter, and she fulfilled it. Friends are family. And she is the family.
"She is the moon in the sky full of stars. She will stand out in the crowd, always like that. A gem. Amaya, my Amy."
A forehead kiss, and a happy smile. Amaya is their daughter.
The winds approved as the sky pours happy tears.
Trees bowed as a gem has arrived, to rule hearts, to conquer, to fight.
A sob left her lips as the cold blast brings her back to the present. Her daughter is fighting for life.
A life where she suffered enough. And she couldn't do anything about it.
A hand pressed against her shoulder, she tilts her head a little. With tears in his eyes, Arhaan Ahmed is standing with hope.
He gulps. Never in all his thirty-four years, he cried for someone other than family. And Amaya is family.
His sister, someone he neglected because of what? Anger? Anger, pain, frustration. But nothing was her fault.
She was the victim, a martyr of fate.
"She is a fighter, Amma. She will be fine." He whispers.
She nods.
Life is giving her little share of happiness now, it can't be that cruel now. But who is she fooling, life is cruel, for her Amy.
A little away from them Seher sits next to her brother. Years ago a girl helped her in this hospital, years later that girl is fighting for her.
"Life is anything but fair," she said in the air as she leans on the stiff shoulder next to hers.
Losing her is not even an option, as she suffers, his heart bleeds, crying for them.
Time is the most unpredictable. It's been two hours of dead silence and still, no one dares to break it. Drenched in blood Zain sits just next to the Operation theatre.
Blood.
Her blood.
Red.
Red is her colour, but this is not even the worst nightmare he is living.
His mind is complete chaos, a mess he doesn't know how to clear out. Closing his eyes, his mind goes back to the moment five years ago.
The first he hugged her.
"What are we? Nothing but painters with a huge void canvas called life, tainting it with hues of laughter, happiness, memories."
She screamed as she runs near the ashore with him chasing behind. Her smile had always been infectious, she had always been the epitome of happiness.
The irony, life had never given her a share on that. He closes his eyes.
Coming towards the backyard, the open lawn is decorated, as expected. But the sudden rain is ruining it all. A sudden storm that's making everyone panic.
What catches his eyes is a certain figure, in the crowd which is fading now. A dancing certain figure in the rain, in her musing. Hands up in the air, filled with henna.
Her wild waves covering her face, she's clad in a multi-colour lehenga, with beads flowing here and there, her bareback is now in his view.
She seems to be a Hoor, radiance is what she is giving out as she dances in every beat. Her dupatta is now sticking to her body, like a second skin.
In the crowd, she stands out, like the moon in between those clouds. As she swirls, her eyes fall at him.
Amber against hazel brown.
Radiance against serenity.
And she smiles, making him lose a few beats.
He is here for her.
"I know you, will come," she whispers.
"How?" He teases.
"You promised me never to leave alone. You keep your promises."
She smiles, he smiles.
The wind conveys love in the air, his love, her happiness,
For years she had been in pain. Amaya Kareem suffered for years. And somehow just found her share of happiness in him, with him.
Perhaps life laughed at them and there he is now, sitting outside the OT waiting for what he doesn't know. Even the thought of losing her didn't cross his mind for once, he's terrified to even think that.
The sky is mourning as it spills tears. No one can lose her.
Life had given so much pain to him but with the door, he crossed years ago that lead him to Amaya, all the pain just vanished in a blink of a few months.
Living with her for all these years was just perfect. They found a home. They learned to live, he learned to live.
He lived infinity times in every moment with her.
But with her even a lifetime would not be enough, he needs an eternity together.
Saathi rey thoda thehar jaa
Abhi raastein kuch badal se jayenge
O saathi rey thoda thehar jaa
Yeh paanv bhi ab sambhal se jayenge
"We have so many things yet to do, so many moments yet to live, so many things yet to say. There are so many roads we haven't taken, so many trips haven't been done, so many places haven't travel"
He whispers, slowly.
Seher heard him, he is scared of losing her, of losing his home again, perhaps all he want is that to wake up, to get back to his arms where she belongs to.
"There are so many monsoons we haven't witness together, so many petrichor and so many Masala chai left to have. There are many showers of rain we haven't drenched together and so many books haven't read. She can't leave me hanging on here alone, can't leave me now, can't leave me ever."
He cries, slowly. Tears dying to come to the surface.
Phir wohi barsaat hogi
Aur ashq saare dhul se jaayenge
Roshni din raat hogi
Aur sab jharokhe khul se jaayenge
Somewhere in his mind as the scene of a few hours ago unfold again, he feels eyes swelling with some unshed tears again, his heart bleeds again crying for his love, for his friend, for his soulmate.
One never know what love looks like, Zain has always been the one.
For years he thought love looks like the Seher Mirza, like her patience, like her faith in her Love, something she never lost even after losing a life for her love, even after waiting for him for years, even after being abundant for years, even after living a life without feeling anything for years, she never lost the faith on her love, the faith on Her Arhaan.
Love looks like Ahad Ahmed too, holding on even after letting go.
Perhaps Love looks like Amaya Kareem, his Amu who didn't think twice before coming in front of the truck to save someone.
A person she should have hated but doesn't.
All she had for him was hope for happiness.
She was happy for him, for him becoming a better person. Maybe that's the kind of love she did once and even after everything she simply can't let him die, so many hues of love.
Even the reminiscence of the event makes him choke. All he knows was the last words she uttered.
"Love looks like you Zain."
Years, he had waited for years to hear those words yet the moment she told him those, he doesn't want it anymore.
Love means nothing if it's not with her to him, a life with Amaya Kareem won't be worth it.
All he knows that if by any chance something happens to her, he will die at the moment itself, engulfing death will be his only survival.
Maybe if it would be only a few months back, he may even live for a while that too for her but now, not a chance.
Zain Amir had long lost his heart to her, and if she leaves he will lose his life too, with her his soul will also leave.
There are so many things going on in his mind yet it's blank at the same time, in no time the operation theatre will end and that will decide his faith, either he will live or he will not, there is nothing in between.
His chain of thoughts broke as the doctor comes out, his heartbeat rises, anytime soon he will faint.
"Mr Amir?"
"Huh?
"She is a fighter. She is out of danger. Just unconscious will be back in a few hours."
Getting on his knees, he cried for the first time in hours, a sob led to another as he thanked Allah for giving his life, his Amu back to him.
Ishq hai tarz o taur ishq ke taiin
Kahin banda kahin khuda hai ishq
(love is the mode and style of love
it's man and God above)
Away from his sight, another person walked out of the corridor, with a single line echoing in his mind.
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