Shaiq's POV

Daniyal died and due to that damned weather issue, I couldn't make it to Pakistan. Zainab must be so alone and sad over the loss of her brother. I should have been there for his funeral and taking care of her. How much she would have been crying, missing me, and wanting my emotional support. I felt like a jerk myself for not being with her during the bad time of her life.

Those few weeks were hell for me. I couldn't focus on anything. Zainab was on my mind every day. Even though I was having reports about her well-being from my Mom and Nofil, still I couldn't get satisfied. I needed to hear her voice and console her. Then I did what was in my hand. I used to call her her friend Meekal on an almost daily basis. She was slowly coming back to life and that was such a blessing for me. I knew that my Zainab was strong enough.

That was the day of my flight back to Pakistan. I was finally going there. I would at last meet Zainab. In the morning, I called her Meekal.

'Do you have any mirrors at the place where you are right now?' After a few random talks, I begin.

'Yeah, there is one but what's with this?' She replied.

'Walk towards it and stand in front of the mirror and let me know when you get there. There is a surprise waiting for you.'

That was the way I had been using since our childhood to pacify her, to make her feel special whenever she felt down, and to lift her mood. That day, in the flow of emotions, I couldn't make a distinction between Meekal and Shaiq and that was the day, Zainab first time became suspicious of me.

'What now?' She asked later on.

'Are you there? So, are you able to see my friend in the mirror? She will be looking at you. You know she is my best friend, her name is Zainab. She is a really strong girl who isn't afraid of hurdles and miseries. She is one of a kind who doesn't get worried easily, she knows how to tackle every situation and--'

'Shaiq!" 

She suddenly uttered my name which made me stop in my track. I never in my imagination thought that she would recognize me like this. I always believed she would never be able to go this far. But I was wrong. Our friendship and love were so strong that the impossible seemed possible in the long run. We knew each other so well that one could get amazed.

At that time, I got a strong urge to end this all and tell her everything. But then I remembered what started all this and it was still not done. All my effort would be in waste if I just confess. I was doing all this to show Zainab that I was her husband now and not just a friend. And a husband in me did get offended by what she did and said. I wanted her to stop blaming herself for this marriage and the break of our friendship. I needed her to realize that before she did all this, I was more than happy with her as my wife.

All this had to be done yet and actions like this would do more harm than better.

'What did you say?' I ultimately asked with a laugh.

'I think you are missing your husband but that dude doesn't even-" I deliberately stopped in the middle since I wanted her to think back to these lines.

'N...No, th...that's not the thing,' she stuttered in my own words.

'I think my roommate is asking for me. I'll call you later, take care of yourself, bye.'

She should really be thinking about all this now.

               ____________________

And then I finally made it back to Pakistan. The feel of my own country and soil was something else truly. I suddenly felt freshened up. I missed my homeland very much.

I was feeling so excited and happy to see my family and Zainab again. I still saw Nofil and Mom on video calls but as far as Zainab was concerned, I never looked at her in all those five years other than a few pictures. How she would be now. It had been a lot of years. Would she be changed?

I never told Zainab about my arrival but my family knew it. Somehow I convinced Nofil to hide this from Zainab and then bring her in front of me; my presence was a surprise for her. And God, was it worth it? The awe and wonder on her face seeing me was priceless. Here, even my condition was the same as hers. I missed her like hell back in States and now seeing her cute face made me waver on my decision to keep on playing ignorant of her again.

"Shaiq, how are you?" She asked in her sweet voice. I fought an urge to hug her tightly.

And then my plan started. Even though it was difficult to keep up a poker face and rude behavior with her, I had to do it. Our relationship needed it. As she was in front of me now, it indeed get hard for me to keep on hurting her but nothing could be done.

"Are you still angry at me?" I questioned, really from her?

"Are you?" I again said.

"Don't worry! Because even if you are, I will make up for everything, and then I know you can't remain angry at me, don't you?" I asserted while crossing his arms on my chest.

Indeed I was talking to Zainab but my eyes had already caught the sight of my six-year-old niece.

She slightly smiled at this as tears of happiness formed in my eyes.

"Shaiq you..." Her words died down in my throat when I diverted my gaze from her, shoved my right hand inside my pants pocket, and started searching for something inside. Her eyes popped out in strangeness when after a while, I came out with a bright red-wrapped thing.

"It will work, right?" I asked while waving the thing- apparently a chocolate bar in front of my eyes.

"Won't it as well?" I beamed after a while as he put the chocolate bar down and hide it behind his back.

I was liking her confused state in all this.

I rubbed his forehead and made an expression as though I  was thinking something. After some time, I sighed and again looked at me.

"A candy?" I again started while trying to tug my hand in my pocket.

She was so baffled at that time to speak anything.

"Not this either?"

"S...Shaiq..."

"Okay now I get it," I chimed loudly causing her to stop talking.

"Amusement park, right?" I pointed his index finger at me with excitation.

She cringed hard at this.

"Okay, I am sorry kiddo! I can't think of any other way. Please, I am sorry."

That was it and then how her smile dropped off made me remember the trailer of the movie I was about to start.

               ____________________

It had been a month since I was back. I started working in a multinational company as well. Everything was going well except for my behavior with Zainab. She was trying hard to appease me but I never gave her any space to read me. She was totally seeing a different version of me and every time she got saddened by my attitude, I was the one to get hurt and worried by this.

Ahmad had already got Shakir arrested on the case of trying to harass and abduct Zainab. That God that bastard was rotting in jail. With this, my main concern also got solved. When I was there, no one would dare to lay even a dirty eye on my Zainab.

              ______________________

"First setting tables of food for me and now this. Like who you are doing all this? As my cousin, as my friend, or..." I deliberately stopped and glanced at her before continuing, "Or as my wife?"

That was the time when I showed extreme rudeness to Zainab for finally bringing out a reaction of a wife from inside her. I used to ignore her, hurt her with my words, and as usual, I was the one who was getting affected by this.

That day, she prepared a whole marvelous dinner date for us. She was looking stunning and I couldn't lay my eyes off her. That was the time I got betrayed by my heart as also happened in the moment when I stopped her from falling down and then I was on top of her. Her beautiful lips were looking so irresistible that I forced myself not to kiss her and fulfill the craving of my lips. But I controlled myself then and now as well.

That day Mom and Nofil had to leave for attending one of her friends and then I tried to show Zainab that I didn't care for her but not coming home early as Mom asked me to. I knew she would be alone but harsh things needed to be done for making her realize her loss. I somehow got news about her well-being by constantly asking Nofil to check on her.

Her eyes filled with relief seeing me but what I kept on doing later on, acted as an endpoint for this all. That day she brought tea for me and then my question made her stunned. Finally, she showed a reaction of a wife and then that worked as a way for the reconciliation of our relationship.

Zainab hugged me which surprised me a lot. She even confessed to me that she loved me. I thought everything was going to be fine but that was not always the case. We spent a wonderful day together before that accident hit us. That made me admit how much Zainab meant to me. She was leaving me in front of my eyes and I couldn't do anything for her. Shakir was the one who ordered a w of his men to attack our car from the prison. He wanted revenge on Zainab and it did his work. Ahmad had rejected the attempt of his bail and again put him in prison being a mastermind after the plan for trying to kill and harass Zainab. 

But even when everything got fine. I and Zainab reunited, but still ill there was something ween us. And that was Zainab's fear of again making me angry and me leaving her which never happened in the first place. I didn't think Zainab would get affected by it this much.

That was something which needed to be corrected and I didn't know how this would happen.

               ___________________

Salaam/ Hi guys!

How are you?

I am finally back on this book after such a long time.

How is the chapter?

I hope you like it.

That's the final flashback and only 2 chapters and an epilogue are remaining. After this the book will end.

You can expect to find Zarmaan in the last two chapters btw.

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