Zainab's POV

'Zaini!"

Those daring footsteps and that particular slang of my name were enough for me to decipher who was following me. In this whole world, only two people called me by this name; one of them had become too stranger for me to say this so it was surely the other one. It was the time, I should tell this jerk that I was not afraid of him. He couldn't just scare me off that easily. And now I would give him a perfect memory for the next time, he would think about messing up with me.

Without wasting a second, I bent down on my knees after spotting a lump of bricks on the corner of the empty area from where I was passing right now. They might be present there for construction purpose but now these would help me. I picked up a small torn piece of red-colored brick which was no bigger than a medium-sized stone and it was also perfectly fitting in my palm. Though its sharp edges were poking against my soft skin, I was paranoid about it as I was more concerned with shoving that person away. I swiftly turned on my toes after noticing that the footsteps had also stopped with me. From my side eyes, I could see a person - more probably a guy. Taking a deep breath, I hurled the brick onto his face with all the might I had.

As soon as the brick hit his face, he groaned loudly, and then I could hear a loud thump which was of course he fell on the ground due to this unexpected attack of mine.

"Shakir, get the hell out of my way and don't you dare follow me again. This is just a small chunk of brick, next time I will toss something bigger on your head, you piece of-"

"Ouch."

I hung back when the one who grunted in pain had a familiar voice. I stared at him more diligently but I couldn't saw his face as he had tilted his face down while his one hand was covering half of his cheek.

"Girl, are you on drugs?" He said in a meek voice while finally looking up at me. His hand was still on his right cheek where I smashed the brick and I could see strains of blood flowing through his gaped fingers.

Seeing his face, my jaw dropped in shock, surprise, and last but not least- remorse. I covered my mouth with my hand while a scream left my mouth.

"Meekal, you?" I whispered as my gaze was just fixed on the blood dripping through his face.

"I am so sorry, I...I didn't know it was you," I crouched down in front of him where I could have the fine view of my accomplishment in the form of his red blood and wounded face, "oh my God, there is so much blood. Ple...please forgive me Meekal. I...I am so stupid but you are stupid too; who in the world ask you to call me Zaini?"

Meekal glared at me before shaking his head sideways and bringing his palm which was on his injured cheek a while ago, before his eyes.

He gasped, looking at his hand, "my precious blood! What the hell did you just do?"

"I really had no idea that it would be you behind me. I am...truly sorry for this. " I said in clutter and moved my head towards my bag; hanging on my shoulder. I dragged its zip and searched for the extra tissue papers I put inside in the morning. After spotting them, I took them out and glanced at them for their cleanliness. Thank God, today I remembered to keep them.

"Please wipe your face with this," I forwarded the bunch of tissues to him at which his scowl got more pronounced but he still grabbed- more like snatched them from me and started rubbing on his cheek.

"Don't be so harsh, Meekal, "seeing him kneading harshly, I yelled.

"Look who is saying, " he mumbled as he rolled his eyes and continued stroking the same way as before.

"I said I am sorry, " I sighed before taking the tissue from his hand and rubbing gently across his face. There was a small scrap under his right eye but it was deep enough to bleed this much. At that time, I thanked God that I didn't choose large brick at that time.

After wiping all the blood, I stroked the tissue softly at the wound at which he flinched. After assuring that his face condition was much better now, I threw the used tissue papers away and stood up.

"Do you always attack the people who are walking behind you like this?" Meekal hissed while getting up on his feet and wiping his clothes with his hands.

"No, are you mad? It's just that," I rubbed my nape in agitation as I paused, "I thought that someone was following me."

"What?" For the first time today, his expressions changed to serious and worried. And I could understand why. I shouldn't have said I thought someone was after me. I must have made him suspicious.

"Nothing. Let's just go inside. We are getting late already. The interview is about to start," I pleaded to him so that he wouldn't ask me anything. But he didn't move a bit, instead, his eyes were fixed on me as though he was searching for something on my face.

"C'mon, Meekal," I said in irritation, this time in a loud voice.

"Wait, " he muttered as he took out his phone from his jeans pocket and brought it in front of his eyes. I groaned audibly while settling my hand on my waist.

Meekal settled his soft hair with his fingers while using his phone's camera as a mirror.

"Look what you have done to my handsome face. If this wound will leave a scar, I will make you buy an expensive mark remover cream for me," he sulked and pouted like a baby.

I chucked at this, "fine, I'll buy you but now let's just go," I said and started walking ahead.

He hit the brick which I had thrown on him with his foot hardly before following me and I couldn't help but smile at this.

__________________________________

"Here's your zinger burger and coke, " I announced while placing the tray on the table.

Meekal rolled his eyes at this before grabbing the can of the coke. He unsealed it with his nail and then attached it to his mouth. I settled on the chair beside him while pursing my lips in a thin line to stop a laugh. He looked so funny while faking anger but by bursting out, I didn't want to lessen his fun which he was getting by showing tantrums to me.

Our interview had finished and by the pleasing looks of the people sitting inside, I could live in a hope that I might be selected. Though Meekal didn't tell me how his went but I was sure it would be good. He was much more diligent than me and also, he prepared a lot for this job. It was now afternoon that we got freed. It was me who said that we should eat something together before going homes. And to make his mood better, I went to café and brought his favorite food to surprise him.

"You were being nosy for no reason, your wound is nothing serious," I chimed while taking a big bite of the buyer.

"Zainab?"

Suddenly he called me but his voice was nothing but serious.

"Yeah?" I asked without looking up, my voice getting muffled due to the bulk of food in my mouth.

"Today, did you think of me as the same guy who kidnapped you, and then you met me on the way when trying to flee from his house, a month ago? Didn't you?"

This caused me to stop chewing on the burger and lifting my face. I gazed at him with a dropped jaw who was already looking at me with an expressionless face. His blue eyes were bored deeply into mine. And his face was as stern as a rock. Why did he still remember it?

"Huh? Nn...no," I said while stuttering a little.

"Don't try to deny because you called me Shakir before you got to know it was me and I know quite well that person's name was Shakir," he retorted while folding his arms on his chest.

I licked my lips in apprehension. I remembered I did tell him about Shakir the same day, he founded me running out of his house.

Meekal looked here and there before bending towards me and lowering his voice, " so that Shakir didn't stop bothering you, right?"

"That's not the thing, Meekal, " I mumbled while scratching my forehead, "he doesn't bother me since I have shifted to Shaiq's place. Even he doesn't call me now. He was just taking advantage of me being alone. Everything is fine now."

"Nothing is fine, Zainab. You are still afraid of him and that's the worst thing," he whispered in a stout tone.

I gritted my brows in annoyance, "I am not."

"You are Zainab. You are," he pointed his index dinger towards me, "you are still afraid that he will again show up and harass you. That's the reason you were so careful today."

"It's not at all like this, Meekal. Can we stop talking about this?" I contended while glaring at him.

"Fine, let's not talk about this. But before we end this topic, can I ask you one thing?" He questioned while leaning back to his initial position.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Have you told your husband about this?"

I blankly gazed at him at this. He just made my tongue sew as though I couldn't say anything.

My husband? Who no longer talked properly to me. Who no longer cared for me. Who didn't even ask that I was dead or still alive when he was abroad. Who didn't feel the need to contact me or take my calls? Who kept on ignoring me like I was invisible.

But that was your mistake, Zainab. You made him like this.

I sighed before shaking my head, "no, I didn't."

This was Meekal's time to look at me with widened eyes. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, "Zainab, are you- Seriously?"

"Meekal, he doesn't need to know this," I announced while scratching the empty can with my fingers.

"He is your husband. He has every reason to know this," he almost yelled.

"I have told you everything about my marriage to him that day Meekal. The guy who didn't even bother to take up my call, how can I tell him about this?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"I know, I remember everything you told me," he deliberately paused and dragged his chair near to mine, "but Zainab, I told you at that time as well that it's his responsibility to protect you. You are his wife. His wife is afraid to go out because some bastard may harass her again and he doesn't even know it. Even if he is angry at you for whatever reason, as a husband, he is the one who should look out for your safety. He married you, he had taken you under his nikkah. A nikkah means he has to ensure your protection. He has to make you feel that way that you will go out of your home without any fear. And for this, he has to know what his wife was and has been going through."

Now how I should tell you Meekal, he had changed. He didn't even want to talk to me. He had been avoiding me. I couldn't even discuss any normal thing with him, let alone this one.

I found my eyes getting blubbering but I held my tears by biting my lower lip because I didn't want to burst out in front of him.

"It is a forced relationship for him Meekal, "I said while sarcastically laughing.

" It might be forced but nikkah is nikkah. Whether you were forced in it or you deliberately did it, the safety of the woman who is linked to you should be the foremost thing you have to worry about," he paused for a while.

"Okay, let's accept what you are saying, " he placed his both hands on the table and joined them, "but being your cousin and best friend wasn't forced for him. He deliberately accepted being your best friend. Then not as a husband, as a friend, it's his responsibility again to look out for his childhood friend's safety."

The husband's mention though stopped me from tearing up, this best friend thing said by Meekal made my all strengths went weak. I could feel warm fluid oozing out of my eyes. But yet again, I didn't want Meekal to know this. I stood up harshly and frowned at him.

"Meekal, as a friend if I had told you about my personal life, that doesn't mean you can comment about it whenever you want. Please refrain from talking about this from now on, I didn't like it," I yelled at the top of my lungs, grabbed my bag, and ran out of the café.

I saw many emotions crossed his face; from shock to humiliation and the last one-pain.

But for me, the utmost priority was to go out of his sight before I would become a sobbing mess.

And right at that time, my mind thought:

Did I lose another friend today?

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Assalam o Alaikum people!

How are you?

Eid Mubarak to everyone who is celebrating it. May Allah bless you and your family.

Finally another chapter!

How is it? Do you like it?

I feel so bad for Meekal while writing the second half of this chapter though I didn't think I will do it when I was planning this chapter in my mind. The first half was also bad for him but it was in a fun way lol. But in the second one, I genuinely felt bad for him. He was caring for Zainab but of course, we can understand her as well. It isn't her mistake as well. She is also tormented between what to do and what not to do.

So do you think they will get back to friends term or not? If yes, then how will it happen?

🔴IMPORTANT🔴

Starting from this chapter, another important part of this story has begun and also the main part. You will understand what I mean when you will read the next chapters.

If you like this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment.

Take care of yourself and remember me in your prayers. Allah Hafiz.