© All copyrights belong to StarsAndMoon1447 on Wattpad

*

For the first time since I started to write on Wattpad, I have been made to feel genuinely bad about a choice I made for my own story. Yamna is the female lead. There's no second option, there's no love triangle. I respect the decision of those who choose not to read it further due to this, but please be mindful what you comment. It takes me too much time to write a chapter, and one comment like 'I don't want to read further' can be seriously demotivating. I may not get paid for this, but it's my hard work. 

On the plus point, I am now even more determined to make this my best romance ever, so stay along for the ride. 

*

Rohaan

<Yamna: I'm home.>

That one message made me sigh in relief as I made a sandwich after I'd gotten home from work. 

"So, how's the dream life?" 

I looked up and saw my younger brother Arsalan standing in the doorway. "Dream life?" 

"The life of a detective?" He loosened his tie and opened the fridge to get a water bottle out.

Arsal had followed Papa's footsteps into the world of publishing, and was currently working on his first novel. At thirty, our grasshopper had done well for himself, Ma Sha Allah.

"I'm still an a*****e. It's just that professional criminals also hate me now." I grinned. 

He chuckled. "At least you accept it. How many people threaten you on a daily basis? Four? Five?"

"Shush, loser. Don't even accidentally let Mama hear that." I smirked. "But, yeah, four or five."

"You seem proud about it."

"I am. It makes me sleep well knowing that I p**s a lot off criminals off." I said. After a pause, I looked up at him. "Some random twat threatened Yamna today."

"Why?!" He looked alarmed.

"I was equally bewildered. Why would anyone want to threaten such a harmless little hamster?" I shook my head. "I can't believe it. But apparently, someone desperately needs an a**-kicking, so they chose to do this."

"No..." He spoke slowly. "I meant, why would they threaten Yamna? It makes no sense for a criminal to threaten your cousin." 

I frowned. Arsal was making a good point. Usually direct relationships were targeted parents, siblings, spouses, children. It was only natural because they would want to target the people whose pain would hurt the police officers the most. "I guess the whole point is to target an innocent. And they must have seen me around Yamna."

"Why does Yamna always end up in situations when you are involved?" He laughed. "Bro, for her sake, you need to stay away from her." 

*

Amira 'Mira' Shafi

"Tennu Rab da wasta ay, khul ja!" I rattled the key inside the keyhole of my front door, but it wouldn't budge. It had been giving me a hard time lately, but I had been too lazy to have it fixed.

*"For God's sake, open up!"

Yusuf Bhai had bought a flat in a building where a lot of emergency service workers resided: paramedics, police officers and firefighters. It was a good location, close to a major hospital, the police station and the fire station. It was not only convenient, he had said that it was safe for when he was at work late into the night.

"Need help?" 

I turned my head and saw Zaryab Sufiyan, the firefighter who lived across the hall from us. "Great, now my situation is so bad that I need a firefighter to open the door for me." I stepped aside. "But go ahead, try it."

With one smooth jerk of his hand, he managed to unlock the door for me.

"Thank you." I gave him a genuine smile.

That's when I noticed the two people behind him, along with a luggage. It was an elderly couple, the man wearing a white shalwar kameez and a white prayer hat, and the woman wore a cream coloured shalwar kameez with a dupatta draped over her head. 

"Assalam Alaikum." I greeted them with a smile.

"Walaikum Assalam!" They both replied softly.

"My parents." Zaryab explained. "They just arrived from Pakistan." 

Zaryab was basically a giant at six foot three. With dark hair, the back of which curled at the nape of his neck, he was a bit of a heartthrob around here. 

"Thank you for...this." I gestured towards the door as he handed me the key.

"Have it fixed before you get locked out at odd times." 

"I will." I nodded and stepped inside my flat. Giving the elderly couple a polite smile, I closed the door behind me, biting my lower lip and closing my eyes in embarrassment. 

I walked into my silent...empty flat. My heart always sank at this time of the day, a regularly as the sun set each day. The loneliness itself was not the issue. The issue was the very strong absence in my life. The absence of someone who had always been there; of the love, laugh, affection, jokes and care. The overprotectiveness of a big brother.

When we'd lost our parents in a car accident, I had broken down, but he had been there for me at least. He had taken care of me, and I had been glad that at least I still had him.

Now I had nobody.

As always, I let the tears escape now that I was alone. I sniffed as I stepped out of my clothes and into the shower. This was where I cried at the top of my lungs, letting out all my sorrow and heartbreak.

"Bhai, we're all alone now." I'd sobbed the day of our parents' funeral.

"We're never all alone. We'll always have Allah." He had reassured me. "And sooner or later, He will send a special person to remind you of that."

I won't lie. I had a feeling that Rohaan was that special person, but recently, seeing his interactions with Yamna, I had even began to question whether my brother and Yamna's engagement had been the right idea in the first place or not.

"The longer you retain your sabr, the greater the reward." Bhai's smiling face came into my mind.

I had to be patient. My pain and my loneliness will end. In Sha Allah.

*

Yamna

It was a bit late as I was getting home the next day. The sun had set and even the evening rush hour crowd had thinned. 

I was reading a book on the Tube. Wearing my black jeans, a black knee-length dress with magenta flowers and a magenta cardigan, along with my white trainers, I was sticking out like a sore thumb, surrounded by people wearing dark coloured outfits. The rose gold glittering lines and the golden heart shaped charms at the sides of my trainers caught the light of the Tube above, probably making me look all sparkly. 

As I turned a page, the lights flickered and I glanced up. It wasn't uncommon for the lights to flicker in the Tube. But looking up made me realise something. I was being watched. My heart almost stopped as I saw the guy who had bumped into me on the platform yesterday morning. He wasn't wearing sunglasses, but he still wore the surgical mask. And I recognised that stone-coloured jacket with the tear in the arm.

Okay, this could be a complete coincidence. 

Yeah...coincidence. He's on the same train as you, in the same damn carriage, staring right at you! You are not that naïve, Yamna. Don't insult your own intelligence.

I swallowed hard, and forced myself to look at my book again. I gripped my phone with one hand, but there wasn't much that I could do with it considering that I was underground.

Change carriages. Get off the train and run somewhere. Do anything. Just get away from that man. My hand shook, and as soon as the train pulled up at the next station, I got up and ran out just as the doors were closing. I watched as the man attempted to follow me but he was too late as the doors had closed.

Okay, I bought myself a few minutes, but I can't remain here. I have to go. The next train wasn't due till another six minutes. I couldn't take the risk and wait here. The next station was hardly two minutes away, and the man could come back on the next train on the platform right behind me. I dashed towards the exit, knowing that I'd have to take a bus home. I was terrified to even think about risking waiting for the train.

A few minutes later, I was at the bus stop and with shaking hands, I called Mama. "Assalam Alaikum, Mama." My eyes darted around me, keeping an eye out for the man.

"Walaikum Assalam, Yamna."

"Are you home?"

"No, sweetheart, not yet. Why? What's wrong?" She could probably hear my voice trembling.

"I...I'll just be a little late. I'm taking the bus instead of the Tube." 

"The bus? Why? Ya Allah, is there another Tube strike?"

"No, I just...no Tube strike." 

"Then take the Tube! It's quicker!" 

"Mama, I..." My eyes widened as I saw the man appear out of the tube station, glancing around. "Mama, I think there's a man following me."

"What?! Yamna... Haye Allah. Where are you?" 

I burst into tears and told her my location, giving her the Tube station name.

"Go into a shop, hotel, anywhere with security! Go! I'm calling your Papa." 

The man saw me. 

I shrieked and ran down the street, my backpack thumping against my back. I could hardy see. My eyes were blurry with tears and my glasses were fogging up. And that's why I ended up banging straight into a pole.

"Are you okay, hun?" A kind woman asked me.

I turned to glance over my shoulder, to point out that the man was following me. But now I couldn't see him anywhere. "I...I thought someone was following me."

"Okay, hun, there's a hotel right around the corner. Go in there and I'll make sure nobody is following you. What does he look like?" 

I gave her the description and she nodded. 

I then ran around the corner and, indeed there was a hotel. This was a swanky part of London, and the hotel was an example of the day. A doorman even opened the door for me as I stepped inside.

"Hi." I spoke to the guard. "I think I'm being followed. Is it okay if I wait here until my family gets here?" 

"Of course. Stay around, and if you see him, let me know." He nodded with a genuinely warm smile.

I dialled Mama's number.

"Yamna Yasin! You ended the call so abruptly! Are you okay?" 

"I'm okay now, Mama. I'm waiting inside a hotel."

"Send me your location." 

"I'll message it to you right now." 

*

I tapped my foot nervously as I sat on the sofa by the window away from the entrance doors. I wanted to keep an eye out in case that monster appeared in my sight.

I took my book out to try and calm myself down, but my hands were shaking too much. Putting it back into my bag, I took my phone out and scrolled on it.

There was a sudden knock on the window and I jumped, dropping my phone. A small squeal escaped my mouth and I closed my eyes, too afraid to look. But then there were simultaneous knocks, a pattern which I recognised because this was the way my door was knocked on... I looked up and stood up.

Rohaan stood on the other side, eyebrow raised and a small smile on his face.

I almost collapsed with relief and I immediately grabbed my bag, ready to rush out. However, as I turned, he knocked again. I turned back to face him and he pointed at the floor with a smirk. I glanced down and saw my phone.

Oops. I reached down and retrieved it, cheeks red, before making my way to the front.

"Family here?" The kind guard asked me.

"Yes, thank you so much." I smiled at him, before exiting through the revolving glass doors of the hotel. Instinctively and automatically, I glanced around nervously.

"You have your own personal police protection. Don't worry." 

I turned to look at Rohaan. "Assalam Alaikum."

"Walaikum Assalam. Come on, troublemaking hamster." He nodded across the road. "My car is parked there." 

I nervously glanced down the road where I'd come from.

"Hamster, this isn't going to work if you don't trust me. Come on." 

I nodded and walked towards him. He held out his arm continuously behind me, almost protectively, but without touching. Looking both ways, we jogged across the road into a narrow side road. 

Even in the darkness, I noticed his tensed and alert posture. He was discreetly keeping an eye out, while keeping his arm behind me. Even without the physical touch, I felt safer. Like Allah had sent me my own human guardian. 

The moment we were in his car and he had locked the doors, I sighed in relief.

"Talk to me." He said. "What exactly happened?" 

"The man shoved into me on the platform yesterday, so I instantly recognised him..." I narrated everything, without leaving a single detail out.

"Clever b*****d wearing a mask each time." Rohaan muttered, but shook his head. "I'll see if we can collaborate with the British Transport Police and TfL to get CCTV footage on this guy. I'm going to officially make this a police case. He's not going to get away with it."

"Who is he?" 

He shrugged. "I don't know exactly. But it's someone that I p**sed off."

"Why is he coming after me? I didn't do anything. I'm sure you are also a great guy and all, but there's a reason why someone would go after you. But me?" 

He laughed loudly, surprised. "You're sure that I'm also a great guy? You know I'm a great guy. You've known me forever." 

Sometimes even my brain doesn't understand the words that come out of my mouth. I turned my head away from him. "You know what I mean."

"You're connected to me. That's the only answer that I can think of." He sighed, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Using that logic, what next? He'll go after your gardener?"

He chuckled. "We don't have a gardener." He turned the ignition on and pulled the car out of the parking space.

I drew a heart shape in the condensation on the window as we drove in silence for a while. When I couldn't remain silent any longer, I turned to him. "Do I need to be worried?"

His jaw clenched.

"You can tell me. I can handle it." 

"I don't know, Yamna. I need to get to the bottom of this before I can give you any answers myself." 

"I have to continue going to university though. I can't just stay home."

"Maybe ask Chachu to get one of the Tariq family drivers to drive you to and from uni each day?" 

"That will take me forever on the road each day." 

"Yamna, if you want to go to university, this is the safest option for now." 

I nodded. "I guess."

*

He took me to Tayan's house instead of mine.

"Saba Chachi said she's on her way, but she asked me to bring you back here until she or Chachu get here." Rohaan explained, getting out of his car.

I also got out of the car, grabbing my bag. Rohaan took out his laptop bag from the car boot, and the two of us headed to the front door. As he unlocked the front door and pushed it open, he stepped aside to let me in first.

The house was warm and smelled of something delicious. As soon as I stepped into the home of my favourite (and only) uncle, I felt safe.

"Rohaan, you are back..." Anabia Tayi stopped as she saw me with him, and a warm smile lit up her face. "Yamna, honey! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Assalam Alaikum, Anabia Tayi." I walked over to hug her.

"Walaikum Assalam, my love." She kissed my cheek. "I thought you forgot your way to your Tayan's house! We haven't seen you here in a while."

I smiled. "My dissertation has been messing with my head."

Tayan came down the stairs and grinned immediately when he saw me. "There's my girl! Where have you been hiding?" 

"Assalam Alaikum, Tayan." I walked over to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. 

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. "Walaikum Assalam. How are you, Yamna? Why did you miss the dinner last time?" He feigned disappointment.

"Sorry, Tayan. The only reply I have these days is 'dissertation'." 

"What's it about?" He looked genuinely interested.

"It's about the usage of clichés and tropes used in modern literature." I replied.

"What's wrong, Rohaan?" Anabia Tayi noticed her son's expressions.

"Some man was following Yamna." Rohaan replied. "I had to go and pick her up."

"What?" With a clenched jaw, Tayan looked down at me. "You okay?" 

"She's a smart girl, Ma Sha Allah. She cleverly managed to save herself." Rohaan replied. "But that man is still on the loose." 

"Allah, you must be shaken!" Anabia Tayi placed a hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you come with me, honey? I'll give you one of Hoor or Haya's old outfits to change into for now. I've made masoor ki daal with rice today. You can have it once you've freshened up."

*Masoor ki daal: brown lentil.

She took me upstairs to Hoor Appi's room and closed the door behind us, before placing her hands on my shoulders. "You okay?" 

I nodded. "He didn't come anywhere near me."

She kissed my forehead. "Good. Alhumdulillah." She gave me a hug and then gave me an outfit of Hooriya Appi, before leaving me to freshen up and change.

*

Rohaan

"I don't give a s**t." I growled into the phone. "Track that f**ker down and bring him in front of me. I need to deal with him."

"No, you don't, Ro. The law does. Being a police officer doesn't automatically make you the law." Ahmed Mohsin, a colleague of mine and my first friend on the team, spoke calmly. If I was fire, he was water. 

"He chased her out of the f**king train and all the way down the road from the tube station." I stood up and paced the room. "You think I'm going to sit around and wait for the law to just give him a f**king slap on the wrist and letting him walk free again? Mate, when I'm done with him, he won't be left capable of walking."

"Rohaan, I understand your anger, but you aren't just a lay person. You're an employee of the police. You need to think in a calm-headed manner, no matter how tough it is." He paused. "The girl is fine, isn't she? Just let the legal authorities look for him and deal with him."

"Fine. But you better pray that he doesn't come in front of me." 

"Okay, my curiosity is at its peak. Why are you so overprotective of her?" 

"She's my cousin. Don't overthink." I ran a hand over my face. "I'm gonna go, but keep me updated, okay?" 

"I will, don't worry about it." 

When the call ended, I unbuttoned my shirt and took my belt off. Why am I so overprotective? Why did my heart go in my throat when Chachi called me all panicked about Yum-Yum?

This was Yum-Yum, the annoying little hamster who always complained to Papa about me! 

Yeah, but annoying or not, how dare anyone go after her?

I was surprised at the rage I felt as I stepped into the shower stall of my en-suite bathroom. 

After the shower, I put on my casual trousers and splashed on a little aftershave, before heading over to the wardrobe to get a clean shirt.

There was a knock on the door; the same manner of knock that I had used to alert Yamna of my presence at the hotel yesterday. The same manner of knock I used when knocking on her door.

My towel on my shoulder, I opened the door. "What is it, hamster?" 

She was frowning down at her phone, and looked up while pushing her glasses up her nose. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red. "Uh-umm...Uh..." 

I headed back into the room and grabbed a random t-shirt before throwing it on and returning it back to her. "What's up?"

"N-Nothing. Anabia Tayi is calling you down for dinner." 

"I'm in the police. I know when people are being dishonest." I looked knowingly at me. "Are you being dishonest with me, hamster?"

She shook her head. "I...I wanted to ask you something, but I changed my mind."

"Why? Ask me." 

"No, it's fine." Her blush deepened. "I'm going downstairs." She ran off before I could question her further. 

*

Yamna

I silently chewed on my dinner. It was funny how Rohaan ended up rendering me incapable of uttering even the most basic of things to him. My cheeks warmed up as I pictured him standing in his doorway with his shirt off. Madiha was in the process of buying a second hand car and had sent me photos of two cars, asking me for my opinion. The moment I saw Rohaan shirtless, my mouth had felt dry and I had no idea about how to even ask him that random question.

Now when he came downstairs and sat on the opposite side from me, I could barely look up at him.

Fortunately, my parents were here now and they started asking him questions, asking him for reassurances that I was going to be okay.

Tayan is going to be so disappointed in me. I had checked out his son! I groaned internally.

"What happened, Yamna honey? Is the food not good?" Anabia Tayi asked me in a light, teasing tone.

"It's delicious as always, Tayi." I smiled at her. "I'm just not feeling very hungry right now."

Mama side-hugged me. "You must be feeling shaken, my sweetheart. I cannot even imagine the terror you must have felt." 

"From now on, I will drive you to and from uni until this guy is caught." Papa told me.

"Papa, we can just ask a driver from Dado's house. It's not reasonable to expect you to drive me there every day. Sometimes I have really early starts. Or in the daylight hours, I can still take the Tube." 

"We'll discuss this and come to a decision." Papa nodded. 

*

"Rest assured, Chachu. I'll have this guy tracked down sooner than you think." Rohaan told Papa as him and his parents came to walk us out to Papa's car.

Papa hugged him. "I know you will, Rohaan. I know you well enough to know that you won't rest until he's been caught."

As our parents talked to each other, Rohaan turned to me. "You have my number. Let me know if you ever need anything, okay? If you're worried for your safety, never hesitate to call me."

"Number? I even have your address." I giggled.

"You stalker." He grinned. 

Tayan patted my head, Tayi hugged me tightly and we said our goodbyes. 

*

Rohaan

I was in the gym, repeatedly punching the punch bag, a string of colourful words coming out of my mouth. "I'm going to f**king kill you, you filthy little b*****d." My grey vest was drenched in sweat. "How dare you come after her?"

*

Yamna

I sat amongst my papers, piecing my dissertation together. I wore a seat of lilac night suit. My hair was in a bun on my head, tied by a fluffy pink scrunchie. "Another cliché."

➐ They don't know that they love each other, and yet it seems that everyone else is blatantly aware.

I glanced at my white and pink teddy bear. "I know, I know. I'm a hypocrite. I adore these clichés as much as I hate them." 

*

Rohaan

I glared at my own reflection in the mirrored wall of the gym. I had no idea where this rage was coming from. I lifted up the hem of my shirt to wipe away the sweat from my face.

He targeted Yamna. He crossed a f**king line.

Maybe it was because I felt guilty? It was my fault that the person went after Yamna. It was my fault that my innocent, sweet cousin was chased by a vile, disgusting piece of s**t.

I remembered the way she had seemed nervous when she had stepped out of the hotel. 

With a frustrated roar, I turned and punched the punching bag once again.

*

Yamna

I sipped on the chocolate milkshake that I had sneaked in. Mama preferred me to drink plain milk, but I needed the sugar as I worked.

I had been shaken, no doubt. But now I wasn't scared. I don't know why. I should have been scared, but I wasn't. 

I grabbed my diary and lay on my stomach as I started to write on it.

I believe that I'm under Allah's protection, but also He sent you to me as a human guardian. 

I've known you forever, so I know that you won't relax until that man is caught!

But why does my tummy get butterflies when you say overprotective things about me?

I turned over at my back and stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling, which would only be fully displayed when I turned on my bedside table lamps. A small smile appeared on my face as I thought of Rohaan. 

I really like you, Rohaan. 

*

Rohaan

My hand hovered over Yamna's name on my contact list, and I chuckled as I looked at the contact photo I had chosen for her.

A frickin' smiling Hamster! A perfect photo for Yamna.

I clicked on the message option.

<Rohaan: You okay?>

I was worried that she might get nightmares after the incident today.

<Yamna: 🌈 and 🌞>

<Rohaan: Why can't I ever get a realistically miserable reply from you?>

<Yamna: Do you want me to be miserable?>

<Rohaan: No, I want you to be realistic.>

<Yamna: This is my reality! I am a pink sunshine! 🌞>

I chuckled again.

<Rohaan: You going to uni tomorrow?>

<Yamna: Yes.>

I wanted to offer her to pick her up, but I had to remain within my limits.

<Rohaan: Is the driver going to pick you up?>

<Yamna: Mama will tomorrow. Then Papa will arrange for the driver.>

<Rohaan: Good. And don't worry about a thing. We'll catch that guy, In Sha Allah!>

I had barely messaged her when I received a message from Ahmed.

<Ahmed: Looking through the CCTV footage provided by the BTP and the TfL, based on the timings given by your cousin, we tracked down the guy... and we found him, Rohaan!>

<Rohaan: Who is he?>

My jaw clenched and I stood up.

<Ahmed: He had been wanted for other offences against women too. The police are on their way to get him.>

<Rohaan: Send me the address, Ahmed.>

Knowing that the law enforcement officers will be there to stop me from killing the man, Ahmed sent me the address.

"Let me go and see who dared mess with Yamna." I muttered to myself.

*

Rohaan is so overprotective of her! 

How will he deal with the man?

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