NAZIA NEVER THOUGHT SHE WOULD DIE IN AN ALLEYWAY FILLED WITH SMOKERS, while on the search for her missing boyfriend who was apparently dead and then killed by a sadistic cunt. Nor did she think that her last words to the love of her life was taken a week ago, or that the last normal conversation she had was with Harnaam about how bras suck. Her painting is half complete, Abeer will probably move on and find a different girl to harass, Harnaam will the rest of her life in guilt and Kabir would . . . Kabir would still be dead. Nazia would never learn to know if he was alive or if he was dead like Bella said.

What a fantastic ending.

"Did you know you're a cunt?" Nazia states. If she's going to die, why doesn't she die cursing Bella? At least something in her miserable life went right. Nazia refuses to go out wimping and crying for her life. "You're like the biggest cunt I know. Your hair is tacky and you look like a piece of used Kleenex."

Bella frowns, throwing the knife to her free hand as she grabs Nazia's hair. Nazia hisses and gives her a glare without trying to show the panick in her eyes. "Your insults are pathetic," Bella says, throwing Nazia's hair away from her. Nazia tumbles away, running her head as she watches Bella carefully. "Are you sure you want to die with those as your last words?"

Truth be told, Nazia is terrified. The stonic eyes of Bella is something she would expect to see in a nightmare. The knife is straight out of a horror story or even worse, a butcher's store. Nazia gulps, thinking of all the dead animals hung on window's as decoration. She wonders if she'll join them; sacrificed for Bella.

Although Nazia isn't religious, she finds herself thinking of god, Allah or whoever is above her. She wishes for her life, a fully completed one filled with the love love deserves. She figures God owes her at least a full life after all the torture she's been through already.

"Screaming seems boring," Nazia replies, shrugging. At most, she's brought herself two minutes. She hopes the number was of Harnaam's - she would be so much closer to her. God knows she Kabir is. And Abeer wouldn't be caught dead in this lower class area.

Maybe if she runs, she could have two more minutes. Bella is quite strong proven by how Nazia's head throbs from Bella's yank. On top of that, Bella is a ballerina. She'll obviously have some great legs and how to use them. Nazia's legs are shaking anyways and her hands are far too clammy to punch Bella.

Just when Nazia lost all hope, sires start to blare. When Nazia peers over Bella's shoulder, she could see the faint outline of a blue and red lights. The police car is parked nearby the smokers.

Nazia almost cries out a sigh of relief at the sight. Her face crumples, tears pool in her eyes - but she brushes that aside and tlits her shoulders back. "Are the cops almost here?" Nazia asks, mockingly tiptoeing to peer over Bella's shoulder. Bella swears loudly, her nostrils flaring and her eyes dark.

With a bloody hand, Bella grabs Nazia's chin."This isn't over," she states. There isn't any expression to Bella's face - just a blank glare. Somehow, it made the threat worse.

Bella looks Nazia over once more and walks off. Every step Bella took away from Nazia eases the fear in her chest. When the silhouette turns into the corner, Nazia finally manages to grab her phone. Her heart is still pumping, praying that it's Kabir on the line. She wants to hear his voice again.

"Nazia! We're here! I'm looking for you okay, I'm so close," Kabir says. His tone is desperate. "Hang in there. Please."

Nazia exhales a sigh of relief, her red lips slightly turning into a smile. He's alright and she'll be alright too. "Bella's gone. The cops came," Nazia states as she's overwhelmed by tears. Everything happened so fast that she didn't even get time to process any of the fear or sheer terror she had felt. Now, everything is crashing down and she finds herself getting teary with relief.

She presses a hand to her forehead, pushing her knees into the snow covered floor before she sits down. A breath that she's been holding escapes, and the glory of freedom hits her chest. She's safe now, and she can finally say the words hidden in her heart. "I love you."

The words have been hitting her heart ever since she saw Bella's knife. She swore she saw her life flash through her eyes but the fact she hasn't told Kabir that she loves him hit her the most. It stuck throughout the entire set of memories. She thought he died with their last conversation being an argument.

"I love you so much, Kabir. She told me you died -" she chokes back a sob "- and I believed her. It was the worst moment my life, God, I thought the entire world was falling apart."

With that statement, Nazia starts to cry harder. It has been the most terrifying moments of her life. Bella seemed to be the human version of fear. Nazia's hands shake with fear still, even after she's left. "Kabir, I was so afraid. I thought I was going to die or that I would have to go to your funeral and . . ."

"Hey hey - I'm almost there. I'm alive, and so are you, okay?" Kabir says. His voice is filled with warmth and softness. "You don't have to go to my funeral for hopefully another five six decades."

Nazia nods, muttering a "yeah" under her breath. She runs a hand through her hair, trying to control the tears that pool in her eyes. The sound of Kabir's voice reassures here, sounding like home. Like safety. "Look. I'm here," Kabir says.

Nazia looks up from the ground, her eyes meeting Kabir. His hair is messy as if he just woke up, his eyes are slightly red and they watch her with worry. The fading streetlight that flickers on and off behind him alluminates his bloodshot eyes. He runs, jogging towards her with such a panick that Nazia starts to cry without know why.

She pushes herself off the floor and starts to walk to him, sniffling and attempting to hide her tearstreaks. When she's close enough, she couldn't take the lack of speed and starts to run until she's jumped into his arms and he's hugging her. Against her hair, he starts to speak. "I missed you so badly - I'm so sorry I let you go through that," he apologizes. "I should've picked up the phone."

There's guilt within his chest. He believes he could've done something - he was the only connection between Bella and Nazia. Instead of expressing his guilt, Kabir watches Nazia carefully. He tucks a strand of loose hair behind her ear, his eyes watching her as if he might never see her again.

With his words, Nazia started crying harder against his chest. "I love you so much, mainly because you're an idiot," she mumbles, sinking in the comfort of his deep voice and peppermint scent. He laughs, surprised by her response. For some odd reason, his deep laughter at the remark makes her heart even warmer. It didn't help that his arms were warm and held her firmly as if she's a fragile flower. "It - it wasn't your fault. Bella is a sadistic looser."

She needed this so badly. Her chest feels so heavy, filled with sobs and pain that all released on que. Like a caged butterfly flying away, her chest slowly falls out of its pain and allows tears to streak her cheeks. All throughout these last few minutes, her body has been tense - but now, she feels as if she's in water. Her legs fall limp, her arms tightening around Kabir, her Kabir, her love, who is here with her, alive and holding her.

Relief smoothes out her chest and she presses her lips to contain another sob. He's here, he is alive and Nazia still has him. She hasn't lost another loved one to the cold clutches of death, Kabir is still within arm's reach and alive.

Nazia leans upwards, her hands placed on Kabir's chin. Her eyes wander over his face, taking in the familiarity of his face. Somehow, although she's seen it a million times before, it feels new and foreign to her. She's seeing him in a new perspective, in a sense of raw desire and joy at seeing him once again.

With trembling hands, she strokes his stubbled cheek before she kisses him for a mere second. It took Kabir a few seconds to process how the kiss felt so homely and lovely before he leant down to kiss her for a longer period of time. The kiss is more urgent, more desperate and filled with longing. His hands stroke through her hair, weaving through the knots to the tips of her hair.

When they break off the kiss, Kabir watches her for a moment and Nazia starts to sniffle away a new batch of tears. "I love you," he states out of the blue, his hand meeting hers. His hand is warmer than her cold hands, and his eyes are a soft shade of brown and love. Although Nazia's eyes have eyeliner dripping beneath them and her cheeks are bright red from the frigid wind and tears, Kabir watches her with love.

She peers at him through clumped eyelashes and smiles. "I love you too," she croaks out. For a moment, she's silent and reels in the warmth of Kabir for speaking again. "Don't leave me again please. Come back home."

Just when Nazia thought her tears had stopped, she finds herself crying again. Kabir wraps his arms around her again, muttering 'it's okay'. She cries a bit harder at the sound of his voice and comfort, thinking of how close she was to loosing it. She doesn't want to loose it ever again.

This is a completely foreign side to her, and Kabir finds his heart sinking. She doesn't deserve this, he tells himself. She doesn't deserve this pain, these tears, this fear and everything she's been through. She really doesn't deserve this, the pain of thinking all of her loved ones are dead.

"I'm here, okay?" Kabir reassures her. Its almost as if Kabir is afraid to let Nazia out of his reach. If she does, maybe she'll float away or he'll drift away. There's no more of that fuzzy focus he has in life without her when she stands here. All he can feel is raw emotions that overwhelms him. "And I'm not going anywhere else. Ever again."

Nazia bites her lip to not allow the new batch of tears to appear. "I'm not letting you out of my sight either," she chokes out, nodding slowly as Kabir laughs. He wipes away her new formed tear stains and wraps his arms around her again. "I really bought you were dead. I just couldn't take it - first my parents, and now you too?"

They stay like that for a moment before Kabir starts speak in again. "I didn't think that you would cry -" he starts off before pausing. Nazia leans out of his grasp to raise an eyebrow before he starts to speak again. "I didn't think you would cry that hard at the idea of my death."

Immediately, Nazia frowns. "I would've cried harder!" she claims. Kabir starts to laugh at her reaction before she shoots him a glare. "I even followed Bella for you without even thinking twice."

She points a finger in the middle of his chest, looking him in the eye. "And you think I wouldn't cry? I love you. I really do."

Kabir's lips slowly break out into a smile. "You do," he dumbly repeats, his smile becoming bigger. Nazia scoffs at him although her heart is swelling with warmth. Kabir leans his lips towards her, kissing her forehead before he meets her lips for a soft kiss. "I love you."

I love you. I love you. I love you.

It seems as if they're incapable of saying anything else. I love you. Love. Loving is the blossoming of the heart, the redness of cheeks, and daylight lingering on a bed. It takes everything you have and replaces it all with an oblivious idiot who only knows their lover's name.

They repeat the words to each other, over and over like an act of worship. They let the soft words float in the air and whispering in each other's ears. I love you. They don't want another day to pass where they don't state the obvious of how the other has their entire heart and soul captured on their fingertips and lips.

Today, Kabir was almost too late to tell Nazia how much he wants her. How much he loves her and everything about her and how easy it would be for him to sacrifice his life for her and how all he wants his her to be happy . . . He was almost too late and he never wants another day to pass where he doesn't tell her I love you. I love you so much.

"I love you." Kabir presses his forehead to hers, resting in the silence surrounding them. She sniffles for for second before closing her eyes with his. "I love you. Let's go home, and drink some tea alright?"

□

How was the chapter? Was a bit worried about it as it was more emotional driven rather than plot driven. I hope this chapter goes with the flow tbh.

someone praise me this is a surprisingly short chapter (it's 2384 words including this A/N.)

Anyways! Do tell me what you thought of the chapter and what might happen next?

Kabir's and Nazia's reunition might not sit so well with Abeer and on top of that, there's a lot of photographs that need explaining! We have Kabir x Sahibha, Nazia x Abeer, Veer's photo, Sahibha x Abeer . . . it sounds like an alternative universe lmao. next plot twist: PKKNH is science fiction.

Vote?

- Maya.