till heavens bring us together

The car entered the vicinity of the city of Lahore and Laleh's heart stilled, beating furiously against the breastbone. Despite telling it otherwise, it thrashed in pain, knowing that a goodbye was fast approaching. Filling her lips with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, Laleh turned to Faris.

"You'll come visit sometimes?" She knew she was hanging on to lose threads at this point but her heart ached whenever the thought of not seeing him registered.

They had spent a total of two days together, too less of a time if you thought rationally, but Laleh had never had anyone affect her as thoroughly as this man had. Maybe it was her hormones speaking and once she'd settled back in her life in Lahore, she would forget him.

But she didn't want to.

No.

A part of her always wanted to remember this boy that reminded her so much of gentle summers and kind skies; a part of her never wanted to let the memories of these two days wash away.

Her trip to Murree hadn't been a success, not in the slightest, but the moment their eyes had clashed for the first time, she knew it wasn't a failure either. Far from it, actually. If at all, this trip had blossomed her faith in the goodness of hearts.

"I can. If you want me to." Faris replied easily, the humor laced with seriousness highlighting his voice.

"Of course I want you to," Laleh spoke while guiding him across the roads. "Do you ever come here for work?"

"Not really, no." When Laleh only hmmed, nodding her head, Faris added. "Will you ever come back to Murree?"

"Well, I don't have any plans in the future but that's the thing about plans, you can never be sure about them."

"Was that a yes?" Faris asked, frowning and at his expressions, Laleh let out a laugh.

"That was a maybe."

"I can live with that." He laughed as well, shaking the head in the meanwhile.

Soon, her block came into view and for a moment, she had the instant desire to turn around but as soon as it came, it was gone as well. The thought of seeing her mother well after a week dulled the ache this man was leaving behind. When he rolled the car to a stop in front of her house, Laleh froze.

With slowness to her actions, she turned her head around to gaze into his eyes. Finding them already trained on her, Laleh let a smile fill her expressions.

"I don't if I'll be able to say this in front of everyone inside but thank you. For the last two days. You'll always be one of the best memories I ever have." Laleh spoke slowly, the brown of their eyes colliding.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, seriously. I don't think I've met a woman quite like you ever before. Don't think I'll be meeting one again anytime soon either." When he spoke, there was kind humor in his voice and Laleh let out a laugh.

"Glad to be of some use," Laleh replied, shaking the head with a smile. "Come on, Mama must be waiting."

Faris nodded, stepping out of the car and following her to the front gates of the large house nestled in an upscale area in Lahore. When Laleh pushed the gate open and stepped inside, her eyes immediately landed on her mother pacing in front of the main door, anxiety rolling off her.

"Mama!" Laleh exclaimed, a skip to her steps as she approached her mother.

"Laleh!" The woman gasped, only half-turned when Laleh crushed her in a hug. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes," She replied while feeling her mother's frantic hands run over her, checking for injuries. Pulling back, she cupped her mother's face. "I'm fine, Mama. Completely fine."

"Are you sure? Oh my, God. Look at your face." She cried out, fat tears glistening in her eyes and Laleh shook her head with a laugh.

"I'm okay, Mama. Hundred per cent."

A wobbly smile touched her mother's lips as she pulled Laleh back in a hug, kissing her head while murmuring her gratefulness to God. At that moment, Laleh was reminded of a certain boy standing behind her and immediately pulled back, turning her head.

"Mama, I told you about Faris."

Faris, who was witnessing their exchange with a smile, stepped forward, his smile bright. "Assalam-u-Alikum, Aunty."

When he lowered his head in front of her mother, Laleh's mother ran her hand over his shoulders, still crying silently.

"Waalikum Assalam,. Thank you for bringing her safely back home, child. And for taking care of her in Murree."

"It's nothing," He shook his head, shoulders hunched in front of her mother in respect. "Mama was sending her salam."

"Waalikum Assalam. Waalikum Assalam," her mother nodded, her smile bright. "Give my salam to her as well."

"I will."

"Come inside, child." Her mother caught Laleh around the shoulders, gesturing for Faris to move forward.

With a smile in her direction, Faris stepped forward and crossed the threshold of her house. Once inside, Laleh was immediately whisked aside by her little sister, Zaaley, who all but shrieked when her eyes landed on her bruises.

By the time Laleh had assured everyone that she was fine before freshening up, Faris had stood up to take his leave. Laleh's heart immediately stilled as her uncle saw him to the door, collapsing around her feet as he took slow steps away from her.

When he turned around for one last time, saying goodbyes to her family, his head raised and their eyes collided across the room. In there, Laleh saw a pool of unsaid emotions and breath caught in her throat. The intensity of his gaze had her reeling, slow tremors taking hold of her.

But before she even had the time to process the emotions, he was gone.

...

Weeks flew by uneventfully.

Once her wounds had completely healed, she had resumed the work. Her boss had given her shit for the stunt she had pulled in Murree but with a warning, decided to let it slip. For this time only, Laleh, he had said and she had obediently nodded her head.

He was a coward, she wasn't. And knew without a shadow of a doubt that if given the chance to do it all over again, she would in a heartbeat. Her peace, she had found, was in her work.

Walking the length of the courtyard, Laleh approached the front door of her house and stepped inside. Throwing the keys in the tray by the door and dragging her exhausted form to the bedroom, Laleh all but fell on the bed.

"Hello, Aapi," Zaaley spoke as she exited the wahroom, wiping her hands. "How was your day?"

"Productive but exhausting," Laleh replied, turning around to lie on her back while adjusting the pillows under her head. "How was yours?"

"Very exciting." Zaaley exclaimed and Laleh frowned, raising the head.

"Why? Did something happen in college?" She asked and Zaaley only shook her head, coming to sit beside her.

"Yeah, some college thing. Nothing important," she denied easily but her eyes still shone. "Can I ask you something, though?"

"Yeah, sure." Laleh murmured, flopping her head back on the pillows.

"Did you talk to Faris Bhai?"

It wasn't the question that stilled Laleh – for Zaaley had asked her this question numerous times before – but the curiosity that rested in her sister's voice which made her narrow her eyes.

"Not really. Why?"

"When did you last talk to him?" She asked instead of responding and had it been some other time, Laleh would have probed.

Right now, she was returning from day's work and was exhausted to the bones.

"A week ago, I guess."

"Call?"

"Text."

"Right," Zaaley nodded her head in contemplation, frowning thoughtfully.

"Why are you asking?" Laleh asked, feeling sleep overpower her senses.

"No reason," She shrugged, standing up from her place. "Don't fall asleep, Aapi. I'll bring something to eat."

Laleh only hmmed, already feeling the hold of sleep tighten its clutches. And before Zaaley had even made her way out of the room, the final sense of sanity slipped.

The last thought in her brain, even after a few weeks, was a certain boy who looked like summers and reminded her of stars.

...

When she woke up from her quick nap, the evening skies hung low in the air. Her stomach groaned in protest, making her abandon her sleep and head to the washroom to freshen up. The house was oddly silent but Laleh credited it to the pleasant winds outside that must have made the family head out and made her way to the kitchen.

Her footfalls slow, she opened the fridge for leftover lunch, taking it out and turning towards the microwave. When the oven started with a ding, Laleh poured herself a glass of water and with hip leaning against the marble countertop, gulped the content.

That is, until, she heard a cough from behind.

Startled, she whipped her head around and the mere sight had her reeling from shock, eyes widening in her sockets. For there, in the middle of her kitchen with arms crossed in front and a smug smile on his face, stood Faris.

"Faris?" Laleh gasped, heart galloping in the chest cavity.

Faris smiled brightly in response, a step moving in her direction. Taking the glass from her trembling fingers, he placed it on the countertop, all the while grinning at her.

"Laleh." He nodded his head in greeting, making Laleh's eyes widen.

He was here.

"Wh–what are you doing here?" Laleh's eyes remained widened, heart not calming in the slightest.

"Just came to see if the fire in you is still intact or not." He responded and this time, the sight of his smile and the sound of his calm voice eased her erratic heart.

"It's intact alright," she nodded, chuckling softly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. And if I wasn't before, I sure as hell am now." The undertones of his voice had goosebumps dotting her skin, pupils dilating.

"Di–did Aunty come with you?" Laleh asked.

"She did, yes. She's outside with your family." Faris replied and Laleh's eyes instantly lit up, hurrying past him.

Before she could even take two steps, Faris' hand extended and caught hold of her forearm, effectively halting her. "Wait."

"What happened?" Laleh frowned, her arm still in his hold.

"Mama is talking something to your family. We shouldn't disturb them." He replied, voice slow and tensed, and this time, it wasn't her heart that froze.

It was her world.

She wasn't a child, she knew what he meant. But even then, as her heart pumped ecstasy in front of blood, she felt fear crawl her skin. She didn't hear it wrong, right?

"What do you mean?"

Please let it be what I think it is.

"Laleh, I tried to forget you. God knows I did. But forgetting you is not something Allah gave me any power over. It's out of my hands – missing you, loving you."

The word love had her heart dropping in the stomach, the entire world around them moving into periphery and in that moment, only one thing mattered. Only one person did.

"Love?" She whispered, voice a rasp.

"Love, Laleh. Always love. From the moment you hit me in the legs to this moment, it was only love."

In his eyes, she saw a multitude of emotions swirling but the deepest of them, the most profound of them, was love. Their love.

"Faris..." Laleh whispered but Faris shook her head, lips pressed in a smile.

"Do you remember what you said to me when I came to drop you here?" He asked and Laleh's brows furrowed in thought.

"What did I say?"

"That I'm the most beautiful memory you'll ever have."

"I remember." Laleh smiled at the memory, gazing up in his voice where the only thing she was was herself.

"Why a memory? Why can't I be a reality?"

Her world shook around its axis again, ears in disbelief over the beautiful things he spoke to her. Before she could say that he was the only reality she'd ever known, he began again.

"Laleh?"

"Yeah?" She whispered, hanging on to his every word like a woman whose life depended on it.

This woman's life did depend on it, however. The weeks she had spent apart from him hadn't dimmed the memories of him, hadn't allowed her to move forward in life. If only, it had only confirmed her belief that what they had wasn't coincidence – it was fate.

All day, his kindness came back to haunt her. All night, his gentle care kept her awake. Faris was unlike any man she'd ever met in this life – he was a living, walking, breathing example of breaking toxic masculinity and machoism, of what happens when mothers raise their sons right.

And what a fortunate soul she was to have him love her.

"For this time, let's reverse the law. Let me do the stealing." He began slowly, voice not rising above a whisper in fear of breaking the purity that laced the room.

"And what will you be stealing?" Laleh asked, the smile on her face inching up with every word he spoke.

"For starters, your heart."

Laleh kept staring at him, the smile on her face now widened to take hold of her eyes as well. "What makes you think you don't have it in the palm of of your hand already, Faris?"

"I do?" He whispered, losing his smile and exhibiting a shocked expression.

"You do, Faris. You do," she replied gently, the vulnerability that laid between them in that moment a rare sight on this earth. "You've had it from the moment you apologized after hitting me with a frying pan, when it wasn't even your fault to begin with."

"You have no idea how glad I am that I had a pan in my hand when you came, then." Faris replied, his words a jest but his voice as serious as ever.

"I am not," Laleh mumbled, taking a step back to allow her heart to breathe before it exploded from joy. "It still hurts sometimes."

"Yeah, well, so does my leg." He narrowed his eyes and Laleh threw her head back in a rich laugh, joy crashing against her nerves in a bundle of waves.

"It wasn't even that hard." She replied and Faris only scoffed.

"Yeah, okay, if that eases your conscience."

"It does, actually," Laleh laughed with a shrug, turning around with the brightest smile on her face. "And now I'll go meet Aunty."

"Go wherever you want, Laleh At the end, you have to come to me. It's fate."

As Laleh made her way through the kitchen door, she heard his voice from behind and her heart completely stilled for a fraction of second, murmuring a quick prayer up at heaven to eternalize the bliss that ran through her veins.

They were brought together by fate, tied together by heaven. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

For this man, who reminded her of winter coffees and spring suns, was right – they were fate.

...

Thank you rameesharants for such a lovely story 😍

That's all folks! We've reached the end of our Desi Disney Retellings! Thank you so much for all the love and support these past six weeks, all of us here at Wattpad-South Asia are a bit overwhelmed 🙈

We'll be thanking you properly real soon, but for now ❤️