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An early update :)

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........And Twists are just at the corner ;)

10| Rumpled Fate

Shehry | Kashmir

She kept staring my face as I told her everything, what happened in the camp and what I did and what it later on caused to Maya. I explained myself, and tried my best to clear the misunderstanding.

"How did you find us?" The lady clad gracefully in a blue cotton saree asked, her eyes searching every expression I had on my face while they look puffy and tired themselves.

"I got her work address from the camp back in Pakistan and then from the hospital I got your address. It wasn't that difficult" I replied.

"My name is Radha, Maya's sister in law" she introduced herself.

"Glad to meet you but I actually want to meet your husband or Maya's parents maybe" I told her, the lady and the boy who called himself Khushal exchanged a glance. He was the one who brought the letter for me?

"What do you want from Shiva?" she asked again, not letting me meet him.

"I just want to meet and clear him the point that his sister is and was completely innocent, she isn't responsible for whatever happened to her back in Pakistan so please before taking any extreme step listen to me once" I stated, finding a light frown over her forehead. "who told you about....

She trailed off and I replied to her unfinished inquiry. "Ranjheet." The frown faded from her forehead. "I met him in the hospital and he told me about what is going on in your family" I added. I felt the agony returned to her face.

For a few moments she remained quiet and I don't know why it felt like she will break up in to a sob or something. She looked messed up "The decision has already been taken" she uttered, her voice dead; hardly audible to my ears but loud enough to quicken my heartbeats.

"What decision?" I looked between them two, her head was hung low, her hands pressed firm to her stomach where she was fidgeting with her fingers. I looked at the boy to her left.

"she will be stoned to death and her body won't be cremated, letting her soul suffer" the boy told me in a low defeated tone. "they think its her fault to go there in the first place"

"What?!"Utter disbelief. "How can you take such a horrible decision for your sister when she has already been through so much?"

"We didn't take the decision, its not about her its about family reputation and our family matters are only sorted out in the Panchayat" she explained. Well, I guess the shittiest explanation ever!!

I raked my fingers through my hair in utmost frustration; I thought she was alive, I thought I could go to her and apologize but... but I was wrong, yahan to khud us k apney uski jan lene bethey hen! and once again my inner self started blaming me for this. 

"You should leave Shehryar" she spoke making me look up at her face, her eyes moist. "nobody will listen to you here" she shook her head.

"Is your family name more important than her life?" I asked in disbelief and she remained quiet and looked helpless. "I can't believe it is still Stone Age in your part of the world"

"this world is a sad place Shehryar! at least for us, women" she spoke almost to herself.

"Can I meet Maya?" I asked after a few silent moments. She was standing all quiet stone like in front of me, her gaze fixed at my face. She was clearly thinking something, processing in her brain. She was silent but her eyes spoke those words back in her mind.

I was about to repeat my question when she gave sound to her thoughts; "Take her away" and to be honest for a moment I felt she had lost her mind before she repeated, "Tum usey le jao yahan se Shehryar" this time her words came loud and clear, I looked at the boy who was staring at her face in complete disbelief.

"Mein yahan kisi ko bhaga lejane k liye nai aya tha Muhterma! Ap soch bhi kesety sakteen hen aesa?!"

"Ye log Maya ko mar den ge, tum samajh q nai rahe?" she took a step forward, I went conscious in my guard. She had gone nuts!

"Or ap ko kia lagta hea k ye koi apki Bollywood movie chal rahi hea k lerka aaya lerki ko le gaya and everybody lived happily ever after?!" she went quiet. "Ap janti tak nai hen mujhy or apni behen ko merey hawaley ker rahi hen, apko is waqt yahan us k sath khara hona chaiye, us k liye lerna chaiye. Instead of asking her to run away" I added trying to wake her up from her trauma.

"I don't know much but I know if you can come all the way from Pakistan just to clarify a misunderstanding about a girl then you can surely take care of her, if not for the rest of her life, only for the time being Shehryar!" she looked at me again with the same crazy hope.

"No. Its not possible" I firmly denied. I mean kahan le ker jaoon ga usey mein? Mein janta tak nai usey, itni bari zimmedari?! No.

"Look! I can't do this okay, I can not take her anywhere but yes, I can talk to her elders, I can talk to the panchayat. I will tell them that it was my fault" I stated honestly but she lowly shook her head and backed off. 

"Its not possible either" she said before looking at Khushal.

"take her to Maya's room" she instructed the boy. "Kisi ne dekha ya poocha to keh dena Radha bhabi ka mehman hea"she further added and left the room.

"Mujhey ek bar milwa to do Maya k bhai se, at least let me try. Who knows they change their mind after listening to the whole story" I looked at the boy.

"wo ghar per nai hen or wesey bhi faisla Nanni ji ka hea, Sarpanch ji ka. Kash wo kisi ki suntey hotey" he looked down as he spoke. "Chaliye!" he showed me the way, and I hesitantly followed him out from the room.

Pata nai mein us ka samna kesey ker paoon ga?!

Hussain| Lahore

"I just texted her a Hello Hussain. Come on its not that big deal" Maha casually rolled her eyes as I showed her my mobile screen in extreme frustration.

"Not for you but it created a drama for me and I was forced to watch the whole damn episode for last whole hour! There is a thing called as privacy Maha! don't you have least manners?!" I scolded her and she rolled here eyes yet again.

Din badin bigharti ja rahi hea. Sab Shehry ki ghalti. Or cherhao sr per

She got up from the couch finishing her apple throwing the seed part in the bin nearby, her target on the point. 

"Ub batao hua kia? Why are you boiling on the stove?" she asked me keeping her palms at her sides.

"you texted her from my phone? Why?" I asked and she made an oblivious innocent face. "Her? who?" she asked and I felt like.... Don't even ask!

"Khizrah ki bat ker raha hoon? Or kitni her ko janta hoon mein?" I blurted out and she giggled.

"Yeah so to hea. Khizrah api is the only her in your life. One woman man! how cute na!" she reached for my cheek when I glared down at her hand in the mid air and she quickly flatten her expressions, pulling back her hand.

"Acha sach bataoon na to Amna api asked me to do this, she gave me her number and asked me to feed it in your phone so in addition I OOOONLY texted her a small teeny weeny hello" she smiled sweetly and I heaved up in irritation.

"Yeah and after that she called me and the biggest mistake of my life that I answered" I snapped and she frowned. "Then?" she asked.

"Then starting from her shopping list to her lunch in a fancy restaurant, and from her Mom's rants to her idiotic Alpha's bakwas. Ek ghanta damagh chaata hea mera" I literally counted over my fingers while Maha clearly held her laughter.

"Or ooper se us ki khushfehmi k I texted her as if I was dying to talk to her" I added and she slapped my arm. "That's mean bhai!"

"By the way what is Alpha?" Maha frowned.

"Us ka Kutta!" I mentioned firmly and she finally burst up laughing hysterically.

"Oh God! Hussain, bhabi sounds interesting, nai?" she asked and I rolled my eyes, falling down in the couch and held my forehead rubbing it.

"You interesting bhabi gave me headache in the first call. Just imagine what she will do with my poor life!" I popped my eyes wide and Maha rolled hers.

She patted my shoulder carelessly. "Koi nai koi nai aadat ho jaye gi bhai!" she was about to walk past when I called.... "Chae he bana do yar!"

"Oh ho! Get married and bring your wife so that ye her waqt ka chae la do yar! Khatam ho meri zindagi se" I heard her blabbering and I chuckled.

"Tumhara viyah na ker den? jan chutey gi tumhari hum dono se. kesa Idea hea?" I asked loudly, teasing her as she was no more in sight.

"Yeah! so that another chae la do types comes in my life! no way." She countered even louder and I laughed at her response. I rested my head at the back thinking about what I had done to my peaceful life....

God! I don't know what I had put myself into. Kis ne kaha tha k baghair sochey samjhey shadi ki dawat de do?! Ub bhukto Hussain. jo boya hea usey kato sari life!

Maya

He kept on speaking, explaining himself while I just stood there silent; what was the need of all that now? Jo hona tha wo ho gaya. Nothing can bring back my integrity nothing can bring back the old Maya in me.

But I didn't stop him from taking all that out because I knew what it feels like keeping the truth inside and not letting it out, suffering inside, dying inside. I didn't want to give him anymore pain or suffering.

"I didn't even know Maya that the car which destroyed my life, snatching my parents was driven by a girl. Trust me! I did not know that you were responsible for the accident when I first saw you in the camp" he spoke looking straight into my eyes, I searched his and it took only a moment to realize he wasn't lying.

"And even if I knew that, I would have never done that to you" he added in a low softer tone, assuring me. "I didn't plan anything against you Maya! Mein soch bhi nai sakta aesa kuch kerne ka kisi lerki k sath"

I looked away from his face and walked past him; trying not to limp, trying to hide my wounds from him but I know I failed badly.

There was dead pan silence for a few moments. 

"If my parents were alive today Maya they hated me for doing this to you" he lowly spoke and I turned to look at his face but it was hung low. "They would have hated me for bringing such pain to your life"he added. I saw how ashamed and embarrassed he was for what he had done, unknowingly though. 

He wasn't the culprit anymore who destroyed my life... he was the kid whose parents I snatched years back and suddenly I felt he was in pain too, his agony wasn't less than mine.

We stood there silent once again; no exchange of words at all.

And then I spoke out what I had said a thousand times in my heart. "I am sorry" his head pulled up and he looked at me. "I am sorry for being the cause of your pain for all these years Shehryar. Maybe I deserve this death...

"Nobody deserves such a death Maya" he cut me through firmly.

He stepped near me. "They tortured Zamaan and hung him to death in front of his wife and two sons, do you think they deserved to face all that?" he said and my heart skipped a beat. "His wife is a widow of an ill character man and those two innocent kids who didn't even know the meaning of the act, will be called as sons of a rapist. Do you think they deserve this?" his eyes narrowed as he asked and I blinked mine.

"Nobody deserves bad Maya. Nobody. Not even you" I looked into his eyes, he meant every word and for a moment I felt my pain fading inside.

Maybe it wasn't pain, it was the burden over my shoulders since long which was shedding slowly today and I felt lighter. Better. Even after all that pain I felt not everything is so bad after all. 

My gaze shifted to the table where Khushal had placed the piled up torn pages of the brown diary after collecting them from the floor. I walked up to that, leaving him behind me and touched the leather cover.

Janti hoon buhat khush hen ap, buhat acha lag raha hoga na ye dekh ker k apk maan ne apka maan rakh liye. I know you must be smiling down proudly at your son and me; a silly impulsive girl... I know I was wrong, ap ne jhoot nai khaa tha wo sach mein ap ka maan hea.

"Just once let me talk to your brother Maya. If he loves you so much he will never let anything happen to you" his words broke the little moment I was having with his mom. "Ek bar mujhy bat to kerne...

He stopped in the middle when I turned; his gaze was was over the tears soaking my cheeks. I quickly wiped my face. "Tum chale jao Shehryar"

"Aesey kesey chala jaoon?" he frowned. "I won't be able to live my life under the burden of your death over my shoulders. I think you can better understand what it feels like" he added and a painful smile crept on to my lips.

"I forgive you for everything" I gulped down as I tried to smile. He stared my face for a few silent moments then spoke. "They are coming to kill you, aren't you afraid of dying?" he was searching my eyes knowing my smile was fake. I looked away from his face and wiped the moisture from the corner of my eye.

I remained quiet and he kept looking down at the floor as if was thinking hard, his forehead curled up in a frown and his lower lip rolled in between his teeth. I stole a few moments studying his features and thinking how wrong I was about his appearance every time, when I used to read his mom's diary and tried to imagine him and Hussain.

I was still looking at his face closely when he turned his attention toward me which was lost somewhere. "I wish I could save you from this Maya! I wish I could.....

I dunno what got into me; a smile unknowingly spread across my weary wounded lips and I neared him who was looking at my smile in confusion. My gaze lowered from his face to his neck to the buttons over his shirt and I slowly snaked my sore arms around his waist keeping my head over his chest.

He went stiff under my touch, his arms to his side as he didn't expect this coming. "Thank you for coming here Shehryar! Thank you for shedding off my burden. Thank you for letting me know that real men still do exist in this world" his arms still at his side as he stood there unable to comprehend my rant, even I didn't know why I did that! It was just from my heart to his heart, I hope he understood.

Shehry

I stood there confound, totally baffled. Not at what she did, not at what she said but an unknown reason unknown feeling had grasped my heart.

Her tears sopping my shirt as she sobbed against my throbbing heart.

Tu kia kerta agar terey khud ki behen hoti is jaga Shehry?! kia phir bhi tu yun hi khamoshi se side per ho jata? Ye jantey huye bhi k kaheen na kaheen tu zimmedar hea is ki is halat ka... my hands fisted at my sides as my brain galloped thoughts inside my head.

And right when I was about to come up with something the door at our back banged hard. "MAYA!!" and Maya pulled back with a sudden repulsive jerk, her face suddenly looked horrified.

"Maya derwaza kholo" a grumpy and urgent male voice along with the slamming over the door. I looked down at her face; pale as if all the blood was sucked out. "Dev?!" it was a low whisper escaping her lips. Was he her brother too?

"Mein ne kaha tha tumhen jane ko. Oh god!" she looked at me with a lot of panic in her tone.

"Maya open the door!" the man barked this time from against the door. And Maya quickly held my wrist pulling me at her back.

"Hide in. Quick!" she pointed at another door in her room, as she tried to push me inside but she was weak and I was reluctant. I pulled my wrist off.

"Bhai hea tumhara ye? Mujhy bat kerne do is se" I tried to walk back to the slamming door but Maya held my arm again. "Why don't you understand they won't listen to you. Jao ander werna ye tumhen bhi nuqsan puhanchaen ge" she screamed in a hushed voice and I looked at her face in utter helplessness.

"Maya! Mein aakhri bar keh raha hoon. Derwaza kholo!" the man warned. Along with his voice a female voice was heard too but it was low, I couldn't get what she was talking.

Maya looked at the door with barren eyes and then looked back at me. "Tumhen tumhary Ammi Abbu ka wasta! For their sake Please get inside and don't come out. Khushal will lead you out from here safely. Please. I beg you Shehryar" I gulped down the lump in my throat as she begged, with a tear rolling down her eye and I looked at the door before turning the knob and stepping inside.

The door was shut at my face, I leaned close with it as I tried to listen what was going on outside but I couldn't hear anything, turning the knob a little I quietly pulled the door just a little.

My heartbeats were increasing with every second passing. I saw a man standing tall and firm in front of Maya whose arm was clasped by the same lady I met, Radha. Everything was confused in my head; if her brother loved her then why was he doing this?

"Dev! Please listen to me. please don't do this, she is your sister" Radha was begging him, the man who was fuming flames at Maya while she stood there all calm and composed, apparently.

"Radha bhabi! Ap dermiyan mein na he periye to behter hea, is se pehley k ye kalank hamarey liye shrrap ban jaye lets get rid of it" I could feel the sneer in his tone. My hands fisted at my side at utmost disgust. 

"Chalo!" I saw him grabbing Maya's wrist and I could tell how harsh he was the way Maya gasped in pain but he pulled her towards the door oblivious to the agony his sister was going through.

"Dev! Bhagwan ka wasta tumhen" Radha was crying at their back but nobody listened to her cries. And I wonder in this huge ass house was there no one who could stand for Maya?!

Maya turned her head and looked towards my door; I felt our gaze meeting for only a moment before that cold hearted evil man dragged her out of her room. It was a moment I knew going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

....

how was the chappy guys? Emotional? yeah?

One word for:

Shehry😇

Maya😖😖

Hussain's poor future life 😂😝

hope you liked it :)👍

next will be on Tuesday Inn Shaa Allah

Till then SMILE with others and LAUGH at yourself before you laugh at others ;)