"

What are you doing so late at night?" Faizal concerned voice answered my call.

"I was worried," I sighed staring at the clock that had strike 3 at midnight.

I heard him sigh, "I can take care of myself." Whenever I had read those texts, I had concluded it as rude, as if an indicator that he wanted to push me off. It took me months to realize that it was hard for him to allow someone else to take care of him.

"I know that," I leaned on the pillow. "My heart needed a double-check," I confessed.

I heard him chuckle, "you're one of a kind."

"So are you..." a yawn escaped from my mouth. "Seems like I need to go to sleep," I paused for a minute there wasn't any response from the other side. "Faizal? Are you fine?"

"Hmm..." And I knew he wasn't!

"There is something troubling you," I mumbled. "If you're worried about those words uncle..."

"I am sorry for the way my family treated you, Nivi." There was sadness underlying in his apology. "I felt so helpless standing among that crowd, seeing you being humiliated. I shouldn't have... knowing well how my family is... I shouldn't have..."

"It wasn't your fault, Faizal." I tried to correct his conception. "And I don't blame them either, it just not everyone likes everyone, isn't it? You had said that to me long back when we were not getting along with another of your online friend?" I waited for him to respond but I met with his silence.

"Should we leave tomorrow?" I asked and I heard his stunned reply.

"What? I didn't say that! I won't..." I interrupted him again.

"We won't ever want to spoil Zoya's wedding, Faizal. I know that you value our presence in your sister's wedding and you want us to be treated well. But is our presence worth it? On cost of her grand-wedding? I heard, she cried at such a precious day of her life. Would you want her to have such memories about her wedding? Just keep us aside and think about her. But for now, go to sleep." I mummed, "neither me nor Siddhi is displeased with the events. We are glad that we could meet your family and be part of the events." Saying so I hung the call, tears accumulated in my orbs. I knew these were the few minutes I was gifted in his presence, just few days and later I would have to crave for those texts, those calls, those voice message to feel his presence in my life.

I had dreamt for these days for so long. Visualize it in so many ways! I never knew it would be so short-lived. I was aware that his family won't admire me but never wanted them to hate my presence. No matter, how much strong I was acting in front of Faizal but I was crumbling into pieces. I buried my face in the pillow, attempting to suppress my cries. I needed to cry, to let those emotions out.

°°°

"What?" Siddhi was staring at me with horror-stricken face.

"We are leaving..." I shrugged my shoulder. What was that difficult to understand? "We had seen the consequence of our arrival. It will be better if we leave before worsening the situation."

"Do bhai know about this?" I didn't expect her to question my decision.

"Didn't a day back you were asking me to do the same?" Rather than answering her, I questioned her back.

"That was a different case!" She waved it off. "Did bhai know about your decision?"

"Yes!" I stared at her with stern gaze. What had changed within a day?

"And..." she was staring at me with hopeful orbs.

"What's wrong with you, Siddhi?" I was staring at her with suspicious gaze. "Why are you behaving weird?"

"I am not behaving weird!" She defended herself, "I am asking about bhai's reaction."

"It doesn't matter," I shove it off. "We are leaving whether he approves of it or not."

"He stood for you among his relatives. Against his family!" She pointed out, glaring at me. "You can't walk on him like that! You need to prove those accusation wrong. We can't be judged based on our castes, Nivi."

"I can't do it on the cost of Zoya's wedding, Siddhi. She deserves to have a wedding of her dream. She needs to take happy memories about her family, about her parents. I won't ever want her opinion for her father or her brother change due to me, due to us."

Siddhi stared at me for a minute longer, getting my point. "Then what about you?" She questioned a minute later. "You might..." she kept it incomplete, considering about my feelings.

"I know," I hold back my tears. "Sometimes you just have no choice... Just trust the faith." I closed my orbs in defeat and a drop of tear escaped from my orbs.

"Don't worry, you're going to enjoy in Banaras." She winked at me.

"Banaras?" Came a questioning voice and we turned to find confused Faizal walking in along with Zain.

"You are planning a trip?" Zain inquired getting curious, "if you're..." he continued getting excited. "Call me in! I always wanted to travel, to see those wonderful places."

I was trying to register their sudden interruption. "Bhai you need to knock before entering," Siddhi passed a glare at them.

"It's his room, he doesn't need a permission to enter." Zain spoked on Faizal behalf.

"But at the moment two single girls are staying in his room. Those are basic manners." Siddhi continued the discussion further.

"Don't fool me," Zain interjected. "You might be single but your companion is secretly dating someone who she claims to be her online-crush." I felt Zain suspicious orbs fixed on me, "or she won't have behaved so defensive last night. You had broken my heart, Nivi." He held his hand on his heart. "I never knew you had an idiot in your life. I was planning to be your Mr. Idiot..."

"Mr. Idiot..." Siddhi orbs moved to Faizal in recognition.

"You are forgetting about the matter we were here for," Faizal's stern voice spoke in the background. I glared at him; his rudeness wasn't needed at the moment. He could speak to him normally.

"Yes!" Zain took a step forward. "I want to apologize for my deeds. It wasn't intentional," he confessed. "I was teasing around..." he shrugged his shoulder at the end.

"I know," I blinked at him in assurance.

"So, you don't hold any bad feeling against me?" I shook my head as a response. "So, if things didn't work out with your Idiot. You will give this Idiot a chance?" He was staring at me with those hopeful gazes and I ended up giggling.

"What if I say he is just her friend?" Siddhi suggested though her orbs were fixed on Faizal.

"Then I would claim myself the luckiest man alive." He declared and I laughed at his dramatic reaction.

"You might have a chance because I kinda approve of you," she muttered staring at him with suggestive orbs.

"But I am not interested in you," Zain mumbled in confusion. Glancing between me and Siddhi, I laughed at his direct rejection.

"As much as this hurt," she blinked away her fake tears. "I wasn't talking about me but her. I approve of you. I am against her online-crush and for that if I have to help you in impressing her, I won't mind. You're much better than him!" Her orbs averted back to Faizal for a nano-second. "Bhai! Where are you going?"

"I have more important things to do than listen to the nonsense." He groaned in frustration.

"You're getting to hear this nonsense for just few hours. We are going to Banaras," Siddhi blasted the bomb. I avoided glancing at anyone. That wasn't the way to inform him! He was surely going to make a scene about it!

"Banaras?" His voice was filled with tension. "Why?"

"After last night..." she was going to clarify but Zain interrupted.

"Just a minute back you confessed, you weren't mad at me." Zain was facing me, inquiring from me.

"It isn't about you, Zain."

"Then whom is it about?" Faizal yelled, he was losing his patience.

"I don't want to be a burden..." I wasn't even allowed to complete the statement.

"Yes, burden!" He dried a laugh, "you have always been a burden to me." He gritted his teeth; his orbs were fuming in dangerous rage. "Fine! It would be better if you walk off. I want a burden-free life."

"What are you saying Faizal?" Zain was taken aback with his tone. "That's not the way to behave with your guest..." Zain was staring at us with a pleading orb but my orbs were fixed on the fuming lion.

I wasn't able to hold myself as I walked towards Faizal. His orbs were attempting hard to avoid eye-contact.

"So much frustration?" I stared at him; he was adamant not to glance in my direction.

"I am not frustrated," he grunted. "I am just confessing the truth."

"That I am a burden to you?" I inquired, "I always had been a burden to you?" His orbs met mine at the last statement as his head gave a slight nod.

If I hadn't known Faizal Qureshi from past few years I might have accepted that as the truth. If I hadn't wasted those years in decoding him, understanding his behavior. Listening to my heart over his half-hidden truth answers, I would have come under his lie but I knew him, I could proudly claim that I knew him better than he knew himself.

"Faizal..." I whined, "you know me, you know what I meant by those words. Our presence was only causing you trouble. I really want you to enjoy the wedding. I really want Zoya to enjoy the wedding." I was pleading with him. I was never good with handling his anger. I could never see anger in those orbs for me, it would crush me alive.

"Zoya won't ever be happy with your absence," Zain suggested his opinion. "I agree, last night wasn't a pleasurable one but don't walk out of the wedding. None of us would like it!"

"But Zoya's father don't like our presence," Siddhi tried to reason out.

"Zoya had talked to Fufaji last night," he paused for a minute glancing at Faizal before continuing. "He has no problem with your presence in the wedding." He waited for a second before adding, "he might look strict but he is a good human. He won't ever break his children heart."

I wanted to argue on the opinion Zain had about his Fufaji or Faizal's father because at many occasions he had broken Faizal's heart. He might had meant good for him yet it was cruel the way he acted with him. Though I won't ever manipulate Faizal against his father yet it was difficult for me to forgive his father for the way he treated his son.

"So, are we not leaving?" Siddhi was staring at me with hope. I was uncertain about the decision yet I knew, I couldn't leave when Faizal was avoiding to even glance at my way. He was way precious to me; I would manage his stern father. I sighed as I gave a slight nod, my orbs locked on the gloomy Faizal.

"How long are you planning to avoid my presence?" I touched his pinky finger with mine to grab his attention towards me. He was acting as if I was invisible.

"Why does it even matter, when you have everyone's attention?" He grumbled as he walked away, without sparing a glance at me.

"He behaves different," Zain muttered at Faizal's departure. "I had never seen him behave in such a manner. Showering his anger, and displaying it rather than apologizing for his outburst." His orbs moved towards me. "And you, rather than getting offended with his rude words you..."

"She has always dealt with him better than we ever could," Siddhi was staring at me in admiration.

"Always?" Zain inquired getting suspicious.