نزاکت لے کر آنکھوں میں وہ اسکا دیکھنا توبہ
الٰہی ہم انہیں دیکھیں یا انکا دیکھنا دیکھیں

Maaya barely saw him the next day, and then three more days. She wanted to talk to him, ask him how he was, watch him until he fell asleep but it was all impossible. He wasn't home most of the day and when he was, he would go to his room and ask Saira to give him food. Their interaction had been reduced to a minimum of an exchange of glances or pleasantries.

Today was Saira's Ubtan and the whole function went beautifully. Now, after the function was over and guests were gone and Saira was covered from head to toe in ubtan, she was adamant on putting it on Maaya too.

" Maaya! Maan jao na. Mera dil kar raha hai."

Finally Maaya agreed and then Saira started putting the ubtan on her too in the middle of the lounge. Both of them were laughing hysterically as Saira started lathering her neck too after being done with her arms and legs till where her trousers could be raised when Hussain came through the door still in his white Shalwar Kameez he had adorned for the function.

Maaya saw him first and her face flushed, she quickly ran her eyes in the search for her dupatta which she found on the carpet. Walking to it with her feet lathered with ubtan was impossible so she sat there with her face reddening more with every second he spent in properly looking at her.

" Yey kya ho raha hai?"
( What is happening?)

Saira started chuckling as Maaya glared at her,
" Kuch nahi bhai, bus Maaya k dulhan bannay ki tyaari ho rahi hai."
( Nothing bhai, just preparing Maaya to be a bride.)

Hussain smiled with mirth as he bent and squatted a little to look into her eyes.
" Kis ki dulhan bann rahi hai yey?"
( Who's bride is she being?)

Saira smiled mischievously,
" Yey tau secret hai. Aap ko kyun batayein? Kyun, Maaya?"

Maaya tried her best to smile as Hussain raised his eyebrows in wonder.

Saira pushed him on the sofa, right beside Maaya so he was only some centimetres away from her.
" Aap bhi bethain."
( You sit too.)

Hussain shook his head, stopping his sister from doing it but she won't listen as she spread an even layer of the yellow pasty Ubtan on his right cheek and he closed his eyes at the cold feeling.
" Ew. Kya kar rahi ho, Saira!"

He scrunched his nose like a child but she could see the smile threatening to come out. However, her heart was jumping in her chest at his close proximity and the fact they both were getting ubtan applied on them like a couple.

How much could her heart dream before it had to kill itself at the end?

" Chalo buss karo nahi tau menay jaa kar Fahad sey kehna hai k apni biwi ko abhi ley jao, humney nahi rakhna issey."
( Now stop it or I am going to call Fahad and ask him to take his wife away right now, we don't want to keep her anymore.)

Hussain was teasing his sister, he knew how shy she was of Fahad whom she had already had her Nikkah done with. As his expectations, Saira stopped abruptly.

" Bhai! Aap boht buray hain."
She acted like she was angry, he knew it was all a drama as she set the bowl of ubtan on the table before leaving them there.

Maaya looked at the smile on his face as he looked after his sister fondly. Then he turned to look at her,
" Haan bai, jaun ab ya tumney bhi yey lagana hai meray upar?"
( So? Should I go now or do you want to apply it on me too?)

Maaya let out a chuckle at his exasperated tone, shaking her head as she said,
" Chalay jayein. Maaf kiya aaj."
( Go, go. You're forgiven today.)

Hussain blessed her with a dimpled smile as he tried to cuff his sleeves without staining them,
" Boht shukriya, madam."
( Thank you.)

She loved the way he referred to her so informally, like she was close to him and he had the right to address her like that. She knew there was no way she could sleep tonight too, his dimpled smile with that yellow ubtan on his cheeks as his eyes twinkled was already reflecting behind her blinking eyelids.

/////////////

     Maine tujhe dekha hanste huve gaalo me
Bezar khayalo me, husn ke hawaalo me
Soni ke baalo me, morni ki chaalo me
Matti ke pyalo me, peetal ke thaalo me

The song played in her headphones as she turned on her stomach and cuddle her face against the pillow she had sprayed his perfume on freshly. It smelled exactly like him, but just a little different. She still remembered his scent, when he had sat so close to her. Her eyes moistened as she thought about that smile. She had just prayed tahajud and all she could ask for was that smile of his be because of her. Just once. She wanted him to truly smile with his heart for her, just once, and that would be enough for the exchange of her mohabbat.

The cold night of the winter was silent and she felt like she was drowning in that silence that is why she started playing music but now that the song ended, she heard a door opening and something creaking in the silence. Hope sparked in her.

She thought about it for a second before she bit her lip and took her phone. Silently praying to God, she texted him.
" Jaag rahay hain?"
( Are you awake?)

She waited for a response but didn't get any. Disappointed rolled through her but then she heard her phone pinge. He had replied,
" Tum abhi tak jaag rahi ho?"
( You are still awake?)

She imagined his surprised face and a smile broke out on her lips.
" Jee. Neend nahi arahi thi."
( I couldn't sleep.)
She typed quickly but there was no response. Five minutes later, her phone pinged.

"Aaj phir?"
( Today again?)

Should she wait to reply? Would she seem too eager if she replied right away? She bit her lip as she waited for a mere two minutes until she could not anymore.

" Aap kyun jaag rahay hain?"
( Why are you awake still?)

This time he replied right away and Maaya couldn't hold back her grin.

" Mey tau kaam kar raha tha. Tum batao, kya kiya jaye k aapko neend ajaye?"
( I was doing some work. You tell me, what should we do that you get sleepy?)

Maaya wanted to ask him to talk to her, to continue talking to her but she didn't know how to put it in words so that she didn't seem too... flirty?

" Baatain kartay kartay ajaye gi neend."
( I will get sleepy after talking for some time.)

She closed her eyes. It was too cringey, wasn't it? He would be laughing at her. Or what if he thinks she is too demanding? Or flirty? God, what did she do!

" Coffee piyo gi?"
( Want to have some coffee?)

She would gladly, she would even drink a bitter gourd juice with him.

" Jee."

" Neechay ajao phir."

He was calling her downstairs. In the kitchen where she would make coffee for him and then they'll talk. She immediately got up and made her clothes presentable. Brushing her hair quickly, she even put a tinted lip balm on. Rubbing her sweaty hands on her shirt, she silently walked down the stairs. In the kitchen, only a single golden bulb was lit and in that golden hue he stood leaning against the wall with his arms folded. In over all black sweats, he looked very comfortable and soft. Maaya had the urge to run her hands through his messy hair.

He lightly smiled when she came to stop in front of him.

" Meray haath ki coffee piyo gi?"
( Want to drink coffee by my hands?)

Maaya couldn't help but smile, barely keeping in her grin.
" Agar aap pila dein tau zaroor."
( If you will, please.)

He gestured her to sit on the table as he started taking out the cups. Within five minutes he was done making it and turned to her with two steaming cups only to find her staring at him deeply.

" Lo. Ab bolo, neend kyun nahi arahi?"
( Take it. Now tell me, why can't you sleep?)

She grabbed the cup before taking a sip.

" Buss wesay hi."
( Just because.)

He scrunched his eyebrows.
" Aik cheez poochun?"
( Can I ask you something?)

" Shoot."
He replied as he sipped his coffee.

" Aap ko kabhi mohabbat hui hai?"
( have you ever fallen in love?)

He placed his cup on the table as his eyebrows raised.
" Boht barray sawal poochnay lag gayi ho."
( You have started asking the big question.)

He tried to let it go in a laugh but she was looking at him intently.
Two seconds stretched between them like a lifetime.

" Aap ney jawab nahi diya?"
( You didn't answer.)

Hussain shook his head as a resigned smile graced his lip so that only one dimple on his right cheek was visible.
" Nahi."

" Kyun? Aap k saath tau boht khubsurat larkian kaam karti hongi."
(Why? There must be many beautiful girls working with you.)

He let the smile stretch under the golden lamp,
" Bus khoobsurti dekh kar mohabbat kar lu?"
( Should I fall in love only after seeing their beauty?)

" Logg kartay hain."
(People do.)

Hussain shrugged lightly, sipping his coffee and looking at a distance in thought for a couple of minutes before he looked at her who was staring at him,
" Aik baat kahun? Bura tau nahi maano gi?"
( Can I ask something, you wouldn't mind?)

" Jee?"
( Yes?)

Maaya waited with a thumping heart for what he had to say. In this golden light, with the sleeves raised till the middle of his forearms and hair messed up and that facial hair, he looked so handsome.

" Tumhari aankhon mey aik nasha sa hai,ya kuch aur. Inmey dekhnay sey darr lagta hai mjhey."
(There is something in your eyes Maaya, I am scared to look into them even.)

Maaya gulped, lowering her eyes as they moistened. Why couldn't he realise what actually was in her eyes? Trying to smile but only managing a small one, she looked up at him.
" Aik dafa himmat kar k dekh lain."
( Be brave and see for once.)

She challenged him and he raised a single eyebrow, smiling before clasping his hands on the table and bending a little forward to look into her eyes.

" Chalo aaj himmat kar letay hain."
( Then lets be brave today.)

Maaya raised her eyes to his as her heart thumped loudly in her chest and her world was restricted to only one thing, those brown eyes with a blue in them. He looked into her eyes with confidence which turned into confusion. His eyebrows scrunched as her eyes slowly moistened, becoming wet slowly as he looked into them, turning into pools of liquid emotions. She didn't blink her eyes even once until they became too foggy to see into his. Then she blinked and two  trails of tears wetted her cheeks but she didn't move, staring into one point, his eyes.

When he closed his eyes, with what emotion she didn't know, she closed her's too and when he opened his, she was getting up from the table with a hand held to her mouth to control her sobs.

Hussain was too deep in a trance to stop her and ask her what happened. He baffled, confused to the extent of hypnotisation.

There was love in her eyes.

                   /////////////