اٹھی ہی نہیں نگاہ پھر کسی اور کی طرف
اک شخص کا دیدار مجھے اپنا پا بند کر گیا

//////

The twilight was bright tonight as Mirha's form beneath the moon was lighted by the twilight, as she stared outside from the window in their room. A thin hanging gold earing swung in the air like a pendulum, the pearls lined at the edges of the large pink coloured dupatta which was made of a tissue-like material felt like the embodiment of the moon, her feet bare against the cold marble as she fell deep in thought. It felt weird today, her heart was heavy but she felt like she was in an alternate universe.

Mirha watched with glassy eyes. The party was at its peak, the classy music being enjoyed by numerous men and women, holding glasses of beverages in their hands. Everyone wore different dresses, so many people she didn't know. So many people who were unknown, who came from outside the boundaries of this house.

The feeling of being in so many people yet so far away was confusing and for someone like Mirha who could never understand their feelings, it was chaos. She was ready, in clothes gifted by him, her hair parted from the middle and reaching her lower back, thinly veiled by the pink dupatta, her fragile body covered in a navy blue dress which looked like gown reaching above her knees and below, she was wearing cigarette trousers.

Biting her berry red lips, she came put of her room upon a thought.

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

Ahmed had tried to talk to that girl since a couple of days but the girl would merely glare at him which made him back off. But today, as he came upon her, his breath was caught in his throat.

In a maroon peplum frock, her hair a little black but little brown under the chandelier and her skin a luminous pink, she looked breathtaking. She was standing on the terrace, looking down at the lights of the party in the lawn.

Reaching towards her silently, he let out a loud growl, chuckling as she jumped and then screamed.

Placing her hand on her heart, she looked at him with distaste.

Ahmed scrunched his nose,
"darpok." (coward.)

Minal murmured something under her breath and then turned her attention back to the party below. He watched as she watched the party with wide eyes, like she was watching a fantasy play out before her.

"Kya dekh rahi ho?" (What are you watching?)

Minal glanced at him and then turned her attention back to the party, denying him worthy of being answered.

He came forward and stood right next to her, watching below as the moon shone on both of them in curiosity, the clouds moving far away to let the stars watch too.

After minutes of silence, she asked,
"Sab parties aisi hi hoti hain?"
(are all parties like this always?)

Ahmed nodded.
"haan... haven't you been to one before?"
(yes..)

Minal wetted her lips then bit on the bottom one, looking at him with the corner of her eyes when she said with a meek voice,
"No.."

"Do you want to go down there, then?"

Minal quickly shook her head, how could she go down among all these fancy people?

Ahmed waited a few seconds before he sank down the floor of the terrace, his back supported against the railing.

Minal looked at him like he was mad, why was he destroying his so expensive looking suit but she gasped when he held her hand, pulling her down to sit next to him.

She didn't know why she sat down without any fight, or why was she talking to him, why was she even looking at him, but she was. 

"What is your story, Minal? Kahan sey ayi ho tum?"
(Where have you come from?)

Minal looked at her feet before looking at him, he was looking down at her with his being larger than her, the quiff his hair falling above his left eyebrow.
She looked at him for a few seconds, determining how trustworthy he was before slowly sighing.

She didn't know what it was, but she wanted to let it all out. She had been holding it for too long and for Minal, keeping something a secret was impossible.

                        /////////

Fasih watched the girl walk across the lobby, his eyes lighting up as he quickly thought of a way to talk to her. Looking down, he pulled the button off his blazer.

Walking towards the girl who looked beautiful, it was the first time he was seeing her dressed up. He walked up to her,

"Hey, yey button toot gaya hai. Jorna aata hai tumhey?"
(This button flew off, do you know how to sew it back?)

The girl nodded meekly. So he walked back to his room and she followed, not before rummaging through a drawer in the lobby to look for a needle and some thread.
The shut behind them.

Mirha was shy or she didn't know what it was but her hands were shaking as the man watched her keenly but she kept her attention to the needle as she brought the thread through it. Then, she looked at him, who was smiling a little.

He stepped closer to her and Mirha was suddenly too nervous to even lift a finger, how could she sew the button without poking him with the needle? She held out her hand, he smiled, before placing the button in her hand in a way that his hand lay on top of hers for a second.

"Mjhey mat maar dena" (Don't poke me)

She nodded, gulping before she placed the button on his blazer and started to put the needle through it.
One stitch, two stitches.

Fasih raised his hand a little to slowly brush her hair behind her ear and Mirha jumped, her face losing all its colour as she gasped and stepped back.

Fasih raised his eyebrows,
"Woah, itna kiyun darr rahi ho?"
(why are you so frightened?)

He stepped towards her again, and she stepped back, her eyes on the floor as she stumbled on the edge of the carpet, a vase on the little table behind falling down with a crash.

"Dekh kar!"
(Watch out!)

He quickly held her by the arms before she fell down and that was when the door opened and Shehryaar came into view.

                 /////////////

Shehryaar saw nothing but red. The girl was trembling nearly in Fasih's arms and her face looked as if she had no blood in her and Fasih was standing too close, too close to her for him to think anything else.

He strode forward, dark eyes burning with a fire, his body tense as he eyed Fasih with so much anger that Fasih quickly left the girl as he stepped back, opening his mouth to stay something but Shehryaar pointed towards the door with his arm raised,
"Bahir niklo, Fasih."
(Get out, Fasih)

His words were so firm, like a command that even though Fasih opened his mouth again, one look at Shehryaar's face told him it was useless.

Hesistatingly, he eyed the girl. What would Shehryaar do? it's not her fault.

"Bahir, Fasih!"
(Out, Fasih!)

This time his loud voice boomed inside the room that Fasih could so nothing other than leave the room, closing the door behind him.

Shehryaar eyed the girl who was now standing against the wall, looking like a deer caught in headlight.

In two steps, he was looming above her.
"Tum..kya kar rahi ho tum yahan?"
(You.. What the hell are you doing here?)

The anger in his voice reflected the state of his being, he was was howling like a storm from inside.

Mirha watched him with wide, scared eyes, her lips failing to form words.
"Wo..wo unhon ney bulaya.."
(he... he called me..)

She jumped with fear when his hand slammed on the wall above her,
"Itni bewakuf ho k koi bhi aadmi bulaye ga aur tum chal paro gi?"
(Are you so stupid that you will go to any man who calls you?)

Mirha wetted her lips, wetness pooled in the corner of her eyes as they got red, ready for crying.
"button.. button toot gaya tha.."
(The button.. the button broke)

She wanted to explain more but her voice was not helping her, nor the blurriness in her eyes.

Shehryaar bent down, his eyes looking directly into glass of her's, reaching the depth of her soul as all the anger in his eyes turned into possessiveness,

"Tum meri biwi ho. Meri!..Samjhi? Kisi aur ko nahi tau tumhey tau pata hai na. Meray ilawa kisi bhi, kisi aadmi k paas jaanay ka sochna bhi nah!"

(You are my wife. Mine!.. Get it? So what if others don't know it, you do. Don't even think about going to any, any other man.)

The universe stopped, the stars stopping their revolution, the clouds held their breath and the moon hid behind a cloud.

Mirha nodded assuredly, a trail of tears falling from her eyes to her cheek, wetting her lips.

Looking into her crying glassy eyes, he stepped back to control himself and gather his emotions. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he calmed down a little.

He thought if she was hurt as his eyes assessed her body and clothing.

"Chalo meray saath."
(Come with me.)

He grabbed her hand which felt cold and pulled her with him, out of the room and through the corridor to his room, her dupatta hanging from one shoulder as she followed him like a doll.

That path, this distance of some feet was all it took for her life to change, her fate to be sealed.

"Betho."
(Sit)

He made her sit on one of the chairs around the coffee table in his room, looking at her deeply before tilted his head a little forward.

"Idhr hi rehna jab tak mey wapis aata hun, theek hai?"
(Stay here till I come back, okay?)

He left the room, shutting the door behind him before she could even nod in answer.

Now, she sat alone on his vast room, the fur carpet cushioning her feet as she mulled over every syllable he had uttered, every confession his lips and his eyes had made in such a short time. He had finally acknowledged her presence in his life.

( To be continued)

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confused? shocked?

The next chapter will be continued from this one.

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And thank you so much for your love. I know I am not that good of a writer but you guys make me feel like I am something great. Lol. Thank you. ❤️❤️