12th September, 2017.

Women are not created weaker but more generous than men. They are created more beautiful and less fiercer, as beauty hates to hurt and harm others. That is why they seem weak to people, but in reality they are not. Angels are the strongest of created beings, women are close to the angelic nature than men. As they are readier than men carry of angelic light.

- Prophet Mohammed Sallehau a'alyhewa salleham.

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CHAPTER 18 -
A Rose From The Past.

Sun was blaring, and showering its heat with full blown. After two days of continuous rain, it felt like heaven. Yellow and orange hues, of the sky looking so beautiful. Its a sight to watch.

Aasiya was enjoying her warm afternoon, in her balcony. Sitting on her personal white swing. It was decorated with tiny lights, with different colours of scarfs hanging on either sides, looking so full of colours.

But the sweat that was slowly forming on her forehead, its a completely different story.

She wiped her forehead, using the back of her hand. She stood up from her swing and went inside her room. She locked the glass door, which connect to the balcony.

Her gaze search for the remote controller of air conditioner. She moved to her bed side table, and found it under her pillow.

She swiftly grabbed it and turned it on, and lowered the temperature few degrees. She placed it back on the coffee table and she thought to read some book, but she was not in the mood for it.

Lets, arrange the wardrobe. Its been so long, I had done some real work.

She moved towards her wardrobe, and pulled out all her clothes, placed them on her bed. Soon, she started to folder her clothes.

When she was in mid way, she heard a knock on her door. She placed the folded clothes inside the closet and hanged them neatly. And went to open the door.

As soon, Aasiya opened the door, she was greeted by a brightly smiling Raiyaan.

"Salam, Siya." Raiyaan greeted, with a grin.

"Walikum assalam, bhai." Aasiya replied, with a smile. "Come on in." She moved aside, to make him a way.

She went to make him space and moved her clothes from bed onto couch. "I was just folding these and trying to rearrange my wardrobe, its been so long." She was in mid-way with her clothes, she heard Raiyaan calling her.

"Siya!" Raiyaan called, and bellowed her to sat beside him. Aasiya gladly accepted his offer and sat beside him.

Raiyaan placed his hands around his sister's shoulder, and side hugged her and placed her head on his chest. He pressed his lips on her head covered with scarf.

Aasiya just sat there confused, with the way, her brother was behaving. But, she stayed quite. Just enjoying her brothers embrace, she can feel it. The care and love, he had for her.

"Am fine, bhai." Aasiya spoke, after a long silence. She rubbed her hands on his shoulder.

Raiyaan just sat in the same position for sometime, without a word.

Aasiya understood what's going on with her brother.

"Bhai!" She cajoled him, with a soft voice. "Trust me, am good. Please, don't beat yourself. Its no ones fault." She spoke, softly in a mere whisper. Trying not to broke in front of him again.

He tightened his hold around her. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, he was trying really hard to hold them at bay. His heart clenched painfully, while reminiscing that he did protect his baby sister from the pain, she endured.

"Am really sorry, my princess. I really am." He spoke in croaked voice.

"Bhai! Please." She croaked. "How long are you going to apologise, for the things whose control, we didn't have in our hands. Just forget about it already." She hugged him back, with teary eyes.

After some time, he released her. She sat straight with her hands in his.

"How's life with Zaryaan? Is he bothering you?" Raiyaan inquired, with a serious face and hard voice.

Aasiya smiled at her brother, he won't change, at all. Even after giving, him warnings on their Nikkah, he was still not satisfied.

Poor my husband!

Aasiya shook her head and Raiyaan's face turned hard, and even more serious.

"He's not treating you good." He made a statement. Which snapped Aasiya from her reverie.
"No. I mean yes, bhai. He is treating me very well. He's been so attentive and sensible to me. He even helped me, when those___" Aasiya rambled, quickly. So that Raiyaan won't think badly about Zaryaan. And stop in mid sentence, when she realised what she was about to say.

But Raiyaan was fast to catch.
"What? Did anything happened?"
"No. Nothing bhai." She quickly denied it. "Offoo, tomorrow was my last day here and you are interested in your brother in law. Now, you don't even love me." She tried to change the topic. Her face looks apprehensive.

Raiyaan smelled that his sister was trying to change the subject, so he didn't prey more, for he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. But he surely, would going to look into that matter, what caused her to act so apprehensive, with him.

"Arrey, where did that come from., huh?! I was just making sure, that he was good enough for you. It all went so fast that I didn't get the chance to interrogate him." Raiyaan made a pout, which caused Aasiya to chuckle.

"Okay, enough of these things. You tell me how's your life., without me nagging you. You must be enjoying your time. Eh!" She teased him, to which he just rolled his eyes and smack her head.

"How could I be happy, when my little sister gone to other house, obviously I missed you." He made a face. "But, now it seems like, my little sister forgot her brother, after marriage." He teased her, with a mischievous smile, and wiggling his eye brows.

"Bhai!" She dragged her words, like a small girl. He just chuckled and patted her nose. And continued to tease her to death.

********

"Fatima, how about this? I like this one, it looks good na!" Hafsa inquired, holding a dark green colour dress in her hands. Placed it in front of Aasiya, while admiring it.

"Nah! I like this one for Siya." Fatima pointed, to a peach colour long sleeves, with red colour bottom and red dupatta. "Hey, Siya." She called her attention. "Try this one." She shoved it in Aasiya's hands.

"No. Siya will be going to try this green colour dress." Hafsa whined, and placed it on Aasiya's left shoulder.

Aasiya was just looking at their bickering, with an amused face. She left them both and went to change room to try the dresses.

"You always does that, Fatima. Am not going to back out this time." Hafsa huffed.

"Oh! Please, Hafsa. We both know that she'll choose me over you." Fatima stuck her tongue at her. Which cause Hafsa to roll her eyes at her over confidence.

"Will see, missy!"

"Yeah, yeah. Will see." Both rolled thier eyes with a huff.

When she came back from the room, they were still bickering. She just shook her head and stood in front of them.

"Girls!" Aasiya called for thier attention. Both of them turned thier head in her direction.
"How's it?"

"Ma sha Allah, it looks pretty on you. You should definitely take this." Hafsa beamed at her, with a huge grin. While watching peach and red colour dress on Aasiya.

"But, Hafsa. This one was selected by Fatima!" Aasiya gave her confused look.

"Really!" Hafsa's face fell, but she soon plastered her smile and spoke. "No worries, we'll take this. Anyways, you always choose her." She pouted, which made Aasiya and Fatima to burst in bits of giggles.

"Awww, Hafsa." They both cooed and hugged her from either side.
"Am planning to buy both the dresses. Because, I kinda like both." She smiled bright. "What's say?" She asked excitedly.

They both nodded, with enthusiasm and giggled at each other. They paid for the dresses, they bought. And make thier way outside.

"Am hungry." Hafsa pouted, under her niqaab. "Me too." Remaining too cooed in unison.

"I think, there's a halal restaurant at the end of this street, lets see." Aasiya suggested, locking her arms with both the girls on her either side.

Soon, they started to walk towards nearest restaurant, in the other end of the street.

They settled themselves, in a corner table. Where less people were seen, so they could comfortably have thier food.

Soon a waiter came in thier veiw, Fatima flagged her hand to get the waiters attention.

"Good afternoon. What would you like to have?" The waiter asked, with a well practised smile.

"Good afternoon., we'll have a pepperoni pizza, vegetable burgers, three coke along with a mineral water bottle. Thank you." they ordered thier food and waiter left to bring thier food.

Hafsa got busy in her phone, till waiter came with food. Fatima and Aasiya were just sat in silence.

"Faati, Siya, see this." Hafsa forwarded her mobile to show them. "Damn them."

"What?!" They both gave a quizzical look, while shifting thier gaze to her mobile.

"Ya Allah!" Fatima gasped, once her gaze fell on the mobile screen.

"Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raajioon." Aasiya mumbled, under her breath. (To Allah we belong, surely to Him we shall return).

"What had happened to this world? Slowly humanity was sweeping off from the earth." Hafsa spoke, so much hatred towards the mayanmaar army.

She was scrolling down her instagram account, she came across the images of Rohingyan people, who got killed mercilessly by the Buddhist army. Because, just they were Muslims.

Small kids, infants, each and every individual of Rohingya, were pooled in thier own blood. Its just so horrible scenario.

Some were slacked by thier arms and legs, while some had thier heads cut off. In one image, a merciless devil was standing on a infants neck. It was just so, horrible and terrifying thing.

Three girls were so into those images from mobile and in deep thoughts when waiter came with thier food, but they lost thier appetite.

How can they even have a morsel, when after just knowing, some where in the world our brothers and sisters were being killed cruelly. They have been tortured to death just because, they follow islam.

"Am not hungry anymore." Fatima dismissed, with a wave of her hand. Hafsa nodded her head.

"Can you please, pack these food for us?" Aasiya asked politely. To which waiter nodded.

Soon waiter came with thier boxes contains food, and they paid the bill, left for home.

On thier way, to thier car, they saw some beggars and shelter less people at the footpath. Aasiya and both the girls distributed the boxes containing food among those people.

In return, they blessed three girls with loads of dua'a. Which brought a huge smile on thier faces and some what thier heavy heart felt at peace.

With a smile they headed back to their place.

*******

Aasiya heard a loud ringing sound from thier front door, she was sitting in the living room, lazily with a magazine, trying to kill the time.

Her mother wasn't allowing Aasiya to enter kitchen. Its been ten days, since her marriage, still she was not allowed place her foot inside the kitchen or do any household chores.

You are newly wedded bride, honey. You need to rest more and be present able for your husband. Its just for few days, enjoy this time and try to get to know each other well.

When Aasiya whined to do some chores, those are her mother's words.

She swayed her thoughts away, and got up to receive the person, who was incessantly banging on thier door.

When she opened the door, she found empty place. No one was there, she thought may be watchmen, accidentally pressed the bell button. She was about to close the door, when a man in his early forties, came in her veiw.

He came in front of her, with a small smile. "Are you the one ringing the bell, watchman uncle?" Aasiya asked him, with a confused look.

He shook his head, "No, dear. There a delivery boy. He was ringing the door bell for so long. He delivered this to me for you, with this card." He handed her, a single red rose. With a red colour note.

Aasiya took it from him and thank him, and locked the door after that.

She walk back to living room, and deposited herself on the couch, which she vacated a while ago.

She placed the note card on the couch beside her and bring the fresh red rose to her nose and sniff its fragrance. A smile broke on her lips.

She searched for her mobile, but she didn't found it.

I must have left it on the coffee table in my room.

She ran to her room, like she had spring in her sole. She found it on the coffee table and quickly typed a message to Zaryaan.

'Thanks for the rose. Its so beautiful.' ~ A

She quickly pressed the send button. And waited for his reply.

She heard a ping in her mobile, her spirit lifted up, and a smile broke on her face like a bulb lit up.

"Your welcome, but, why thank me now. You've already thanked me for that, and I highly doubt that, those flowers are still fresh.' ~ Z

She was confused after reading his text. She was so deep in thoughts, she forgot to reply to him. She heard another ping.

'Hey, you there? I missed you so much. I can't wait for the remaining four days.' ~ Z

'I missed you, too. I'll text you back. Have a good day.' ~ A

She typed a reply hastily and send it.

She swiftly walked back to the note, which she placed on the living room. Soon, she spotted it on the same place, which she placed it earlier.

She was all the way scolding herself for texting him, without reading the note. She took the note and unfold it.

After what she read, it felt like the ground swept away under her feet.

'Be ready, for am going to take what was mine. Hope you like the rose.'

*******

Assalamu alikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu lovlies.

Hope you guys like the chapter?
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Back to the chapter., so.. what's happening in Aasiya's life. She got a rose with a note. What do you think? Who could it be?

Its not so hard to guess, right?

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Untill then.

Allah hafiz.

#Bush.