The Los Angeles airport was the springboard of so many flights of opulence. And it did the same thing for her as well. This place, acting like a time travel machine, acted as the beginning of new inceptions or maybe the form of notations in the long term of a beautiful memory for her heart, mind, and soul.

Her blue eyes looked into the foggy sky as it gave her the feeling of a change and a different start. When she came to LA five years ago, her heart was broken and hurt. Her mind was shattered due to endless and insane thoughts. Her soul was whacked by someone's cruelty. At that time, it felt like she was only spacing herself from the harsh memories. As though she was giving herself fake and void hopes that it would help her heal. Her family supported her in this healing but now she was amazed that living in this beautiful country and making new friends really aided her to overcome her past.

A past as dark and irksome was very difficult to forget but perhaps that was the one which shaped her personality to gain what she wanted.

The sky was dark the first time she arrived here five years ago, and presently, its replacement by the grey yet foggy sky was presenting a perfect example of her insides.

She had gone past what had happened years ago, but its effect was still there as this foggy sky. One peek at the horrible monster-like past would make the sky cry with rain.

She was wearing comfy denim blue jeans with baby pink plain high neck. Matching this with a soft, cozy, and oversized skin cardigan, she was giving attractive vibes. A pink scarf was draped around her neck for added warmth. Her hair was dark brown, reaching a little below her shoulders, slightly curled at the bottom. She was grabbing the handle of her suitcase with one hand and a pink purse was hanging along her left wrist. She once again put her sunglasses over her eyes and gazed around the airport.

The LA airport was a shell of steel, the walls so exquisitely curved and wrapping around to create this inner space. And the beams had so many windows, let in so much light, that in the daytime it is as bright as any summer day.

At this early hour, the airport was as tranquil as it ever was. The people moved with comfort. The floors were clean and white, reflecting the early rays and the manmade light the same.

After a while of necessary steps, she finally boarded the plane. Occupying her booked seat, she didn't care about who was beside her and what was happening around her as she jabbed ear pods inside her ears while closing her eyes by making her head rest against the seat.

For a new beginning, she had to calm herself down. The place where she was going back held so many bitter and harsh memories. If it was in her domain, she would've never even thought of returning. However, it was inevitable. Her loved ones who lived there were waiting for her, and they would be the ones to give her the strength that she needed.

Think about what made you feel comforted. A voice in her heart reverberated in her ears.

That serene sense of warmth and ease suddenly covered her in a cold surrounding. The way her trembling body found solace slowly.

Think about what it looked like.

Brightening yet mysterious blacks flashed against the blues of her eyes.

Think about what it sounded like.

A sound filled with consolation and reassurance like that of the waves of water whacking against the sea shore. The noise of the tides coming over the sand and rocks.

Think about how it smelled.

Like a brewing and amazing fragrance, which was like an addiction to oneself, providing comfort once again.

And it felt like a brightness seeping inside and out of her, healing and strengthening her.

She came back to the present when the sweet voice from the air hostess asked her about the onboard meal. She was never fond of foods served by the airlines. As a true hygiene-phobic person, she always made sure to take care of herself, but some things really needed to be done;e; hen, so she accepted the tray of breakfast with half heart. The flight spanned many hours, and one couldn't remain hungry.

There was a time when she tried to change herself but as it all got backfired at her, she reverted to her old ways because that made her believe that she had always been right.

It was when she noticed the passenger sitting beside her. It was a woman who looked European with sharp, long red hair wearing a skirt.

"Hey!" The woman waved at her enthusiastically, her cheeks drilled with attractive dimples. Her voice is gentle and shrill-like.

"Hello." She gave a tight-lipped smile in response. She wasn't a very friendly person, often tagged as being rude and arrogant for remaining quiet. However, the woman on the other side gave off friendly vibes by the way she funnily waved at her from such a close point. It felt like she loved this opportunity when her ear pods were out of her ears as she was perhaps in wait to talk to her seat partner.

"Can we talk?" The woman asked.

She first stared at the donut and then the mother whose shimmery brown eyes were gleaming. "Of course."

"What's your good name, if you don't mind?" Her lips were painted red and they spread more as she grinned.

"Rahmeen Sufiyan," she murmured.

The woman chortled. "Oh so nice to meet you. Myself Alexandra Thompsons. I am here as a part of the American University of Fashion Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan."

"I did my bachelor's degree in Event Planning from LA University and am returning to my hometown," she said truthfully.

After a while, they both resumed their own activities. In mid-descent, the plane gave a new jolt. She stifled a deepening sensation inside her heart at this. With each passing moment, she was getting close to meeting her past once again.

She inhaled a sharp breath of air and thought to herself, 'Brace yourself and forget about every useless thing. It didn't deserve to eat your mind, Rahmeen.'

She pushed her window shade down and stared outside. The horizon of the sky looked wife and beautiful; the clearness of the spring sky of Lahore made a potion of happiness roam inside her system. Yes, there was the presence of some reminiscences that were here to bother her, but she had to find the courage in herself to stand up on her ground.

In a few minutes, after a bone-chilling separation of five years, she would finally reunite with her loved ones. It was ironic how the thought of her most favorite people in the world had made the clouds of nostalgia wash away from her, and she made the notion in her head that this was her best and favorite place as well.

The plane's wheels clanged against the runway. Rahmeen yanked out her earbuds, worry lifting off her shoulders as though it occurred when the wet soil got the first rays of sunlight. Alexandra, who,after their brief talk, had mostly slept the whole time, woke up as well.

She glanced at her with a warm look. "More than anything, I am more eager for the spring festival of Lahore. What about you?"

Rahmeen shrugged her shoulders. She was never interested in the outside world anyway. But that woman didn't need to know that. "I do."

Alexandra nodded but didn't say anything.

Rahmeen retrieved her suitcase from the airport baggage carousel and moved through the foyer, feeling the new energy emerging through her every pore. All she thought was that this was a new day, a new place, and a new start. She had to remain happy by forgetting everything else.

By now, her life would definitely change. The stagnant water would find motion. The rays of familiarity and love were already oozing out of her for her grandmother, brother, and his family.

She soon found her brother Ruhaan standing in the parking lot for her with her cute, naughtiest nephew Aliyan, raising a board of her name in his small hands. He was overjoyed at her sight and started jumping up and down. Soon he ran towards her and hugged her legs.

"Phupho!" He excitedly shouted.

He was now eight years old and she recalled when she left for abroad, he and his twin sister were both three years old. Yet she spent these three years with them with so much love and enthusiasm. And even staying away, Ruhaan and his wife Nisha managed to get her on video calls and her bond with her niece and nephew became more closer and unbreakable by this. 

"Bhai," after getting a warm welcome by Aliyan, she moved towards her brother and hugged him.

How much she had missed him. How much she had missed the tiny moments she would have gotten with her family by living with them if not for that one person and that one moment. Seeing her sister-in-law, Nisha had intensified that urge. She wasn't very nice to her in her first year of marriage. Despite correcting their relationship, she still wanted to spend quality years with her sister-in-law. And now she would do that, without caring for anything else. Once she had fled from this scene due to that person making him successful, next time she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't run away from any situation. But it was easier to say than act upon it and Rahmeen knew it very well.

             ______________________

The day dawned crisp and clear, bringing with it new hopes and aspirations. The sun poured through his window, his first rays which lit up his room. The chorus of melodic birdsong drifted in. He rubbed his bleary eyes and sat back on the bed. He checked his phone for the time. It was seven in the morning.

Stretching his arms, he roamed his gaze around his room. There came another hectic day for him. He sighed and stood up. He lacked any shirt right now as he was only wearing sweatpants; hence, it gave the view of his sculpted and well-defined muscles of chest and back. By the look of his abs, it was evident that he indulged in working out. He was tall, sturdy, and with excruciating strength.

When he went inside the washroom, he shifted in front of the mirror. He had light brown, bright eyes with perfectly arched eyebrows, a straight nose, and alluring lips. He had high cheekbones, and his angled jaw was dusk with an attractive brown beard.

After getting freshened up, he came back to his room with a towel over his shoulder. His room wasn't very big. It was medium-sized with a bed situated in its heart, two side tables, and one writing table on the front. An area was there on the left for a wardrobe and washroom. The floor was tiled and the walls were painted grey. Wearing black trousers and a white tee, he came out.

It was an apartment-like enclosure with three rooms and one kitchen. He stared towards the closed door of the room at the right side and a smile struck his lips. As usual, no one was awake at this time. It was his duty to get them all riled up.

Coming into the kitchen, he moved towards the fridge and took out seven eggs and a packet of bread. He broke the eggs one by one and put them in the bowl. Mixing them with a spatula, he looked like someone for whom that wasn't the first time. Spreading the egg on the pan, he attempted to make an omelet of the eggs.

He put the toasts in the toaster and waited for them to pop out. Grabbing the saucepan, he put it over the stove to make tea. It was his everyday routine to prepare breakfast for his family. After his mother got wheelchair-bound and the father died, as the oldest son, he had to take over the role of the father and eldest both. Even though they could afford a maid, however in their bubble of life, they never liked any intervention. Especially after the bad experience, he would never want to bring a woman into his house once again, even in the form of a worker.

They were four brothers. He was the oldest. Aryan was 26 years old; the immediate younger than him was a doctor. Zaviyar was 22 years old and was currently studying engineering. Hamza was just 20 and studying biochemistry. While Yusuf was just a teenager, studying still in school. They had distributed the work between them evenly and, by this, lived a nice life.

After the omelet was done, he placed it on the plate along with the toasts. He was about to pour the tea into the cups when he sensed someone's presence behind him.

"Mir beta, you are again working in the kitchen?" His mother, Farhana, called him, sitting in her wheelchair.

                ______________________

Assalamualaikum/ Hi guys!

How are you?

Here's the first chapter of Irresistible Cravings giving introductions of Rahmeen and Izmir.

Did you like them?

How was the first chapter?

Shower your love by a lot of votes and comments. 💓💓

Till next update, Allah Hafiz/ Bye. ❤️