*Can I just add that I think these two are my most beautiful couple yet!🤧♥️♥️How are these two so pretty together?!😩💘♥️*

15 year old Umar quietly walked along the stony pathway littered with Autumn foliage. The bright golden and scarlet hues adorning the ancient brick walled structure with a warm picturesque view.

Breathing out a puff of breath, he took his place on a nearby bench where he could see her easily without getting spotted by her.

10 year old Fajer sat a yard away from him, dressed in the uniform of Choate Rosemary Hall; a private boarding school, where she had been living for nearly 3 years, ever since she came to the US. Her blank gaze staring straight ahead without a hint of emotion; almost as if lifeless. To her side, a sketchbook laid abandoned on the bench.

For a long moment, Umar kept watching her unblinking. Finally exhaling a long sigh, he pulled out the stack of 99% dark chocolates from his jacket. A smile lingering on the ends of his lips as he let his gaze trail up towards her quiet figure and reminisced about their past.

12 years Umar silently gaped at the box of dark chocolate in his hands which Fajer had gifted to him for his birthday alongside other toys. For a long moment Umar couldn't come up with a response. But just as he looked up, he found Fajer silently watching him with a mixture of glee and anticipation; waiting for him to cheer in joy at the sight of the gift Fajer had handpicked for him especially with great care and love.

'Well?!' She raised her brows at him in question and Umar understood what she meant to ask. Her lips turned up the slightest in excitement, while her azure orbs gleamed with excitement. Even if it wasn't for that, Umar would never have had the heart to tell her that he hated chocolates; all kinds of them, let alone dark, bitter cocoa. But Fajer loved them very much. Hence, she had given to him what was most beloved and valued in her sight.

"You should have saved some for yourself because I am gonna finish them all by tonight!" Umar exclaimed gleefully with a cheeky grin and Fajer stifled the giggle bubbling up in her chest by pressing her fingers against her lips; yet, couldn't hide the crinkle of her eyes.

The memory washed over him like a wave of warmth and without realising it himself, a soft smile had formed across his face. He watched her until the last minute before he had to leave.

"Someone gave this for you." A 13 year old student came up to where Fajer was sitting and handed her the ribbon wrapped chocolates. For a moment she kept gawking at it in a daze and then let her gaze trail towards the path where the girl was pointing.

In an instant she was up and running on the path leading to the exit gate. Her eyes searching for a glimpse of him in a mad frenzy; yet, returning empty handed.

~~~~~~~~~

Umar barged into his drawing room unannounced in the middle of the night and caught Chaudhry holding a loaded gun under his chin.

"Did you not think to mention that you had sent Fajer to a private boarding school?" Umar inquired in a tone laced with displeasure; completely indifferent to Chaudhry's attempt at suicide.

"Who said you could enter without my permission." Chaudhry returned in a blank tone, unlike his usual raging self and looked away from Umar to put down the gun on the table and pick the glass of scotch instead.

"And who said you could hide information about her whereabouts from me?"

"I don't owe shit to a brat like you—" He scoffed and in a split second Umar had picked up the gun and held it to Chaudhry's head on point blank.

"If it has to do with Fajer, then yes you do." Umar added with a snap. An unforgiving and hard expression plastered on his face.

"You're going to bite the hand that fed you?" Chaudhry sneered but his eyes remained vacant of any emotion, let alone rage.

"What difference does it make if you were going to kill yourself anyways. Might as well die an honorable death by hands of a traitor like me, than a pathetic one by your own." Umar remarked apathetically and a moment of intense silence stretched between the two who were staring down each other, until Umar finally looked away and locked the gun's safety before tucking it in the back of his pants.

"Until you see with your own eyes Faisal Durrani dying a rotten and vile death, don't even think about taking your life. After that if you ask me nicely, no—better yet, just ask me once and I'll gladly and happily put an end to your miserable life with my own hands." Umar turned on his heel to leave the room, when Chaudhry's voice breaking with tears made him stop in his tracks.

"That won't—bring back my Nafisah and—Rahmeen—" The old man managed to take the names of his late wife and daughter through broken sobs, both of whom had died an untimely death when they were caught in the middle of a terrorist attack discharged under orders of Faisal Durrani, whose involvement remained unproven to date.

Nearly 5 years ago, his wife and daughter were visiting a missionary school in a mountain resort of Muree for their routine charity trips, when four gunmen infiltrated the building and started firing indiscriminately; killing them alongside a few workers and pupils. It was only one of the few hundred attacks Durrani had carried out throughout the country and wrecked a wave of terror in every corner.

"You knew that since the start, so why second guess now?" Umar replied without a break. His back still turned to him, when he called out over his shoulders.

"I know you don't care to hear this from me...but you saved another Rahmeen from the hands of that monster. That thought should bring you some solace." Umar added in a voice devoid of emotion; referring to how Chaudhry Nadeem had save Fajer from the evil clutches of her Uncle, Faisal Durrani.

It happened after her father's death, when Fajer was left without any family; her mother having died a few months before Amin. That's when her Uncle, Faisal Durrani came into the picture, who had taken her away only to lock her in a mental institute.

Amin Rao's birth mother was a US citizen and so was he. Chaudhry Nadeem had pulled some strings and used Fajer's dual nationality as a US citizen to get her to leave the country. Not only did he help Fajer by immigrating her to the US, but also admitted her into a prestigious boarding school with his own money. And all this Umar had found out only after he saw Fajer on his trip.

Without waiting to hear his response, Umar left the room to send someone in to help Chaudhry sober up.

—————————

Once again Umar looked away from the road to sneak a glance at the quiet figure sitting beside him on the passenger seat. Her face turned away from him as she kept her gaze fixated to the passing by scenery.

"Why did you have to bring me into your life again?! Why did you give me hope if you were going to leave me again?!—But how do I leave now?!"

Her cries from a while ago rang in his ears once again and he sucked in a long tired breath. The memories of past had begun to haunt him once again as he recalled Chaudhry Nadeem words said to him before he was set to leave for US to meet Fajer.

"If you truly loved her you would've given up on everything just to be with her."

"It's enough for me to just have her living in this world safe and sound. She doesn't need to do anything in return for me to love her. As long as she is happy, I am satisfied. Even if that means I get no share of that happiness."

Despite what he had claimed then, he really couldn't hold the end of his bargain. Although he didn't regret changing his plans and making Fajer a part of his life; yet, it was true that he had taken a huge risk. However, it was too late to back out now. No matter the extent of sacrifices he needed to make, he was going to change their fate. At any cost.

He was about to call her out, when a peddler began knocking at his side of the mirror while they waited for the traffic signal to turn green.

"Haye! Kinna sonna jora! MashaAllah--! Sadqay jaavan!—Sahab apni sonni Begum waaste ye gajray le lo--"

(Oh! What beautiful couple! MashaAllah! I am awestruck! Sir, please take these hand garlands for your beautiful wife!)

Umar watched the lady for a moment and then turned towards Fajer who remained lost in her worries still looking out her window.

"Here." Umar turned down the window and paid a hefty price for the 2 pieces. Only when Umar had parked the car to a side did he finally catch Fajer's attention, who turned in her seat to watch Umar confused. That's when her gaze wandered towards the garlands he was holding out to her.

"If I bribe you with these and a promise to make up for my mistakes, will you smile please?" He tilted his head to a side, beseeching her with an adoring smile playing on his lips and reached out a hand to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers.

For a moment Fajer could only gape at him openmouthed in surprise. But it took only an instant for all her worries and fears to be replaced by a flood of warmth and love.

Exhaling a soft chuckle, she covered his hand with hers and closed her eyes for a moment before leaning into his touch.

"Only if you put them on me—" She murmured with a teasing smile through tears glistening in her azure orbs and earned a soft chuckle from Umar who took hold of her wrist and put them on her one by one.

"Pretty?" She inquired with a teasing smile while holding up her wrist to Umar who kept watching her with a playful smile. Just seeing her smile was enough to fill Umar's existence with a flood of warmth and happiness. Still smiling up at her, he gently took hold of Fajer's hand and pressed a kiss on top of it.

"The prettiest." He returned endearingly, gazing at her with eyes full of unconditional love.

------------------

Sitting on the edge of the bed of the Hotel room, dressed up for the event with the phone pressed against his ear, Umar listened with half an ear to what his manager was asking about the security team. He kept his onyx orbs glued to her back who was standing in front of the mirror getting ready for the event.

"I don't care. Just take care of it yourself." He remarked curtly and ended the call before grabbing hold of the end of Fajer's dupatta who was walking past him.

Puzzled by his sudden action, she halted in her tracks immediately. She turned to watch him questioningly, who'd let a half smirk extend across the corner of his lips before tugging at her dupatta.

"What?" She inquired quizzically and began to turn away when Umar took hold of her wrist and pulled her to himself so that she was standing between his legs.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips from the sudden move and she began to pull away when he snaked his arms around the back of her waist and pulled her closer with a jerk.

"Umar! We are getting late--I haven't even fixed my hair yet--" She glared at him while absentmindedly clutching at top of his shoulders.

"Who cares about that. I don't want anyone else to look at you."

He said that much and once again pulled her against his chest before beginning to extract the pins she had taken so long to fix her bun with. Only a moment later an adoring smile had replaced Fajer's features and she snaked her arms around his neck. Making herself comfortable on his lap, she hid her face in the crane of his neck to let him get a better access to her hairpins.

"Is this why you never take me anywhere with you?" She hummed while raking her fingers through the ends of his silky hair.

"Even during childhood you always picked fights with people thrice your size. I had rather lock you up somewhere no one could reach you than risk seeing you hurt—" He had now shifted to dropping kisses down her neck after taking out all the pins.

"You still remember that?" She pulled away from him in surprise, who shot her a smirk and tugged her chin to peer into her ocean blue eyes.

"Your memories were keeping me alive." He whispered against her lips and she felt heat creeping up her cheeks. Fajer felt herself gulp as her lips parted in anticipation; meeting his intense gaze with vulnerability laced in her own. And just as he was about to close the distance, she pulled away just the slightest but kept her arms draped around his neck.

"Didn't you say initially you wanted nothing to do with me?" Her voice coming out raspy as she kept gawking at him unblinking.

"Did I?" He cocked a brow and she gulped before moving her her head the slightest in a nod.

"You most definitely did--"

His lips curled up in a teasing smile before he captured her lips in a surprise kiss.

"Then I was most definitely out of my mind—For you are my beginning, my end—and everything in between." He confessed finally.

Assalamualaikum! JazakAllah khairun for waiting🥲♥️♥️Hope you guys liked the update? Don't forget to vote if you did InshaAllah 🥰♥️