"Maa, I am going out—" 11 year old Umar announced whilst darting towards the door.

"Umar! Wait—Take Fajer with you—!" Her words had an immediate affect, causing him to put brakes on his feet. He turned around with revulsion painted all over his face; only to gawk at his mother in disbelief; who had just come to visit Fajer's Mom at their house in Patriata.

"I am not taking that 'jungli billi' (wild cat) with me!" He had barely finished when a sharp pain shot up on the back of his shin.

With a painful shriek, he had reflexively bent down to clutch at his leg; only to turn around and find the culprit standing near the staircase with a slingshot aimed on him. The eyes looking back at him were filled with nothing but contempt. Like the rest of the world, Umar Gillani too wasn't spared from her deep enmity.

"Why you—!!" With a raging howl he charged towards her; unheeding of his mother's cries. Fajer who was only 6 and lanky, had the benefit of being quick on her feet. In no time had she made her way up the stairs. Yet, Umar was swift to catch up thanks to his longer legs and physiological upper hand.

Seeing him reach up to her in no time, Fajer went around to stand behind the sofa. Her eyes wide and sharp as they darted all across his face; gauging his next move. Umar, who was in turn watching her with a wicked snicker forming across his face, took slow and calculated steps while making his way towards her.

"You're dead meat toda—" He was still in the middle of saying this after springing towards her and jumping onto the sofa, when instead of getting his hands on her, he was met by a shower of soap water thrown at his face.

A painful growl arose in the back of Umar's throat, who was now wildly rubbing at his eyes in pain.

"FAJER!!"

He bellowed, blindly jumping towards her. However, she was quick to move out of his field of vision and bolt towards her room in the attic. She glanced back to watch him still trying to chase after her, with bloodshot eyes and hands extended out blindly in hopes to grab hold of her.

She smirked at the sight of him and rushed towards the open window; barely managing to step out through it in time, before Umar could get his hands on her.

Carefully, climbing down to the brick extension surrounding the top floor with great expertise after having done it a countless times before, she set upon her great escape; until his voice clashed against her.

"You idiot—! You're gonna fall!" She looked up abruptly at Umar's cry, who was standing at the window sill, trying to reach to her by stepping onto the extension. However, instead of stopping, Fajer began to quicken her pace and in process, missed a step. It happened so quickly that she couldn't manage to grab at something to hold onto.

Yet, a sturdy pair of hands had reached out just in time to save her, but unfortunately not quick enough to save both of them from a terrible fall onto the porch.

A painful groan escaped Umar's lips, moments after the back of his head made contact with the wooden floorboards. His eyes remained closed; hence, he couldn't see the shock brimming in those bead like eyes gawking at him in terror.

Fajer who had only grazed her legs thanks to Umar's cushioning was now gaping at her saviour in terror. She grabbed at the front of his shirt to nudge him out of his stupor; yet, he didn't open his eyes.

Her lips parted in terror, but no voice would come out. Instead, her lips began to quiver and tears started pooling in the confines of her eyes.

Upon hearing the loud noise, their Mothers had come rushing out immediately. Fajer who was still holding onto him in desperation, wailed silently; turning her gaze up to her mother in agony; who was attempting to free Umar from Fajer's clutches.

"—I am alright, you dummy—" His voice cracked with pain and he finally opened his eyes to glimpse at her.

Immediately, she let go of him in shock.

"God—Do you ever stop to use your head—" He groaned out in pain and closed his eyes once again; leaning his head against his mother's lap. Whereas Fajer could do nothing safe for gawking at him with a fresh onset of tears.

'Like you are the one to talk!'

She wanted to retort, but instead began to weep silently in her mother's arms.

And then all the way to the hospital, she didn't let go of his hand. It was one thing to get hurt because of her, but to get hurt in way of trying to protect her—he was only the second person in this entire world to go to such lengths for her. And it was in that moment, without realising; Fajer Ameen had surrendered whole of her heart to Umar Farooq Gillani.

———————————

"I don't want to hear any excuses—Get it done by tonight."

With a final warning, he ended the call. Stepping down the stairs cladded in his work clothes, Umar walked into the drawing room; only to almost crash into her.

Fajer, who was coming out of the room with an empty tray in her hands, halted abruptly in her tracks before she could crash into him. She looked up at him startled, who was in turn watching her skeptically with a frown deepening between his eyes.

"Umar—! Come have breakfast with us." His Mother's voice came from inside, breaking their trance.

Only for a moment, his gaze shifted between the room behind her and the shock faltering in her eyes. Without a hint of emotion betraying his detached mask, he stepped to a side to let her pass through.

Fajer opened her mouth in excuse, but closed it only a moment later. Immediately overcome by a feeling of helplessness, she turned her eyes downcast with a gulp and walked past him without looking up again.

"I will get late, Maa—I'll have coffee on my way."

"You are going to office on Sunday, too?"

"Maa, I have important clients coming in today. I'll see you later tonight." He placed a peck against her temple and turned on his heel to leave.

"I even invited Fajer for breakfast today. She made all this—Atleast try something."

"Later Maa—"

Fajer came out of the kitchen to catch him leaving through the front door. A feeling of dejection began to stir in the depths of her heart but she brushed it away as quickly as it came.

"Always in such a hurry! He even forgot his bag. Please hurry and give it to him, dear."

Umar had just drove the car out of the garage when he realised he was missing his briefcase. Immediately, he had rushed back, only to find Fajer coming out with it.

Fajer noticed the frown deepening between his eyes and the displeasure etched on his face at the sight of her. Yet, she took cautious steps towards him and crossed the distance between them. Umar who stood still at his place, gaped at her silently, until she had reached him.

For a moment, he blankly stared at her face filled with apprehension—and then his gaze shifted to his briefcase she was extending towards him.

When his gaze flickered back to her, it held nothing but contempt and hostility for her—just like her gaze did; almost 2 decades ago.

"Why did you return? You're a nuisance—"

His tone was inscrutable—but the words leaving his mouth were cold, merciless and devoid of any hint of warmth.

The flash of hurt crossing her eyes didn't miss Umar. He clenched hard on his teeth to stop himself from letting the display of emotion betray his uncaring act. His nails dug deeper into his palm, as he shot her one final scorn filled glance before turning his back on her.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot up in her chest and her hand reflexively went up to clutch at it to quiet the ache. Her breath coming out in ragged gasps escaping from her quivering lips, as she willed herself to not shed any tears. Yet, she could do nothing to stop the hot tears stinging the corners of her eyes from streaming down her cheeks.

With the back of her hand, she roughly rubbed away the unceasing tears dripping down her chin.

More than the pain of being forgotten, the hurt of being unwanted had shattered the dying hope burning in the pits of her heart. But this was the truth—Their reality. For, their present had no room for the tragedies of their past.

————————

"Umar—Did you say something to Fajer today?"

He had just returned home and came straightaway to see his mother, when she shot off.

"Did she tell you that? " He inquired calmly, without meeting her gaze, making himself comfortable on the couch in attempts to appear unfazed. His mother eyed him disapprovingly and he averted his gaze, pretending to not have seen it.

"She didn't have to say anything. I saw it in her reddened eyes and the way you dismiss her every time you see her. She left right after you—" Her voice was overcome by emotion and Umar could do nothing to erase the feeling of guilt digging at his conscience, since he left her this morning.

"She is my employee, Maa. How else am I supposed to treat her—" He tried dissuading the matter by brushing away the whole thing with a facade of forgetfulness; which unfortunately for him, she didn't buy for a single second.

"That's all?" Her voice was filled with shock and so was the gaze fixated on him.

"She is more than your employee, or my guest Umar—" The hint of something cautious in her tone had caused Umar to suck in a sharp breath.

"She doesn't deserve your hate, Umar—"

"Maa—I don't hate her. I have neither the time nor the need to harbour any sort of feelings for her."

Clenching the muscles of his neck, he averted his gaze towards the TV. Because if his mother saw his face in that moment, she would easily be able to see the huge contrast between the words leaving his mouth and the intensity in his gaze.

A few moments passed and she only gawked at him silently. Realising the truth even without the need for him to spell it out.

"Umar...even after all these years, are you still living in the past?" Her tone was cautious this time and it stirred something deep in the core of his soul. A place, in the deepest darkest corners of his existence, which he had forged 20 years ago.

Instinctively, he sucked in a sharp breath in attempts to calm down the turmoil of emotions raging through him.

"I am tired. Can we please do this later?" Trying to keep his tone levelled and devoid of any emotions, he turned towards her in defeat, only to look away as quickly. Moments of silence passed between the two, as she continued to watch him unblinking, who wasn't ready to meet his mother's firm and unflinching gaze.

"Umar. Don't blame Fajer. She is innocent in all this." The intensity of her words had caused Umar to clench his teeth in attempts to control the turbulence rising within him, since her arrival a week ago. But the walls of dam had already begun to crack.

"You're right." His voice shook with restraint, as he turned up his gaze to watch his mother with a feeling of bitterness etched across his face.

"I forgot nothing. Not even for a single moment." He held her gaze for an intense, long moment before finally averting.

Sarwat watched him shocked at this revelation. She could feel her heart getting crushed underneath the weight of his pain. Watching him in so much agony and not being able to help him was torture. But she too was torn between loyalty and love. And she had made her choice long before.

Sarwat averted her gaze to blink away the uncertainty glazing her eyes and met his gaze with a renewed resolve.

"Umar, for both of your sake—most importantly for your own, please let go of the past and move on. This is my only request of you. You can consider it my dying wish or a restitute if you please." She paused to gather her last shreds of strength. Hoping against hope to stop history from repeating itself and delivering its decree.

"Marry Fajer."

His gaze snapped up to meet hers. A wild, untamed flame, burning in his eyes at the revelation. Yet, no matter how much he wished and screamed for the clock to turn back—to erase all traces of their tragic past; the truth was as clear as the day. That they were all stuck in a never ending loop of tragedy and the only way to end it was breaking through it.

Assalamualaikum wa rehmatullahi wa barakatuhu! Hope you liked the update, InshaAllah! ♥️🥰