Saba's POV

I feel my courage falling down to my feet with just one phone call. Not in my craziest thoughts I had felt that Danish would do something like that. The man didn't learn anything at all even after being imprisoned. How could he even call me?

I quickly dial my mom's number on my phone and call her. It keeps ringing and scaring the hell out of me. Mom please pick up the phone! I mutter under my breath until she finally answers.

"Hello?"

"Mom! Where are you?" I ask her, my hands are already shivering.

"I'm at the grocery store dear.. I left a notice, didn't you see?" She asks me kindly.

"Mom, listen to me very carefully." I say to her, "When you are done with shopping, just don't leave the store. Do you hear me mom? Just don't leave the store. Stay there, I'll come and get you." I explain.

"But why Saba?" She asks worriedly. I close my eyes for a moment, the thought of someone attacking my mother feels more painful than the pain I went through the night of Haya's wedding.

Why did I even meet him? He ruined my entire life for nothing.

"Mom, I will explain later. Right now please do as I say. Just don't leave the store." I tell her and quickly rush towards my mom's cupboard. I pick up her black long coat she bought a few years ago and run outside the house.

I open the front door and find Zain standing right in front of me. "Zain!" I cry out his name, tears falling from my eyes. Zain looks at me surprisingly. "Saba? You alright?" He asks.

"Zain... " I sob, "Danish... he called me." Every word takes a lot of effort to come out of my mouth. "He threatened me, he said that... my mother is gonna die real soon." I wipe off tears from my face. Zain's face falls, he looks at me with pale eyes as if he's trying to believe what I just told him.

"My mom's out at the All You Need store. I have to go and save her. " I tell him and start to walk towards my car when Zain takes a hold of my elbow. "You can't go Saba." He says, "if you go there, they'll find out eventually because they know you. I will go and pick Aunt Sarah."

"But...." I begin to insist but Zain puts his index finger to my lips.

"Sshhh... don't worry, she will be fine. Just give me that coat." He says and I hand over the coat to him.

"I'll be right back." He says and gets in his car and drives away.

I walk back inside the house with tears in my eyes, my mind only focused on my prayers for mom's and Zain's safety. If anything happens to any of them, I swear I'm gonna die of regret. I wish I hadn't gone to Lisa's party that night. I wish I hadn't met Danish at all. Everything has been disturbed since he walked into my life. I just don't understand why he is after my mom?
My mom is the only person I can depend on.. and I can't bear the thought of losing her. Never.

My phone rings again, I turn my head down to find Haya's number lightening up the screen. I quickly slide to answer the call, "Haya?" My voice is a little heavy with tears, I find my heart beating faster. I have to fight the feeling of hugging my best friend right now. But God knows how much I need her hug at the moment.

"Saba? Why are you crying?" She sounds worried. I put my hand over my mouth to keep myself away from sobbing but I fail.

"Saba tell me, please! You're scaring me out... what happened?" She asks again. I shut my eyes tightly. I have so many things to tell her but no strength. No strength to tell her how Danish raped me! How he kidnapped me! How Zain has stayed with me throughout the whole situation and how Danish is after my mom.

"Is it about Danish?" Haya asks, "did you.. did you two breakup?"

I feel that I'm not gonna get better even if I cry the ocean. Haya's words brings a loser's smile on my face. Breakup? He ripped my soul apart!

"Yes." I tell her slowly.

"Oh, Saba I'm so sorry! I know how you must be feeling. But hey! Listen to me, he wasn't your type either. He doesn't deserve you, you're far way better than him and you deserve perfect!" She tries to make me feel light and I appreciate her efforts. After all, she's the sweetest person I know.

"Listen... I called you to inform you that I'm coming the day after tomorrow and I'm inviting you to my house for dinner. Just be there okay? I can't wait to see you!" She exclaims with joy, bringing a smile on my face.

"I'll be there.." I say slowly.

"Alright.. see you soon, bye!" She says and hangs up.

Why best friends are far when we need them the most?

******

Zain's POV

My life seems not to be in my favor these days. I mean everytime I think of taking one step closer to Saba, something from her deadly past comes up and either drags her away from me or pushes me to take a step back. I came here today to spend some time with her, to take her to my favorite place and make her feel better. But that villain never leaves her side. And how the hell did he get someone to go after Saba's mother? My biggest fear came true, Danish is far more dangerous than I expected. And powerful.

I park my car infront of the All You Need Store and walk inside, searching for Aunt Sarah. After more than fifteen minutes of continuous searching, I find Aunt Sarah standing against the main exit door. Why didn't I look there first?

I run towards her, "Hello. How you been?" I ask as I reach her.

"Zain?" She looks at me in confusion, "But Saba said she's coming to pick me up." She tells me and I nod.

"Yeah. I came instead, I want you to wear this on and then we can go out." I hand her the black coat and she looks at me with surprised eyes.

"But why?" She asks.

"Danish sent someone after you, when you put this on they won't be able to recognize you." I tell her while she puts the coat on. I hold her shopping bags and we both step outside the store. Very carefully and fastly we walk towards the car. I open the passenger seat door and let her in, then I keep her stuff in the back and get inside the car and drive over Saba's residence.

"I told Saba that it wasn't that easy. But that girl wouldn't listen. Now she's risking everyone's life. What if something happened to you? What will I tell your mother?" Aunt Sarah complains.

"As long as you're there to pray for us, nothing is gonna hurt us." I assure her with a smile.

"I always pray for you my dear, but don't you see how dangerous that man is? He ruined my daughter's life once, he won't think twice about ruining it again." She says, her tone serious and angry.

We park the car infront of her house. Saba comes running to her mother as she gets out of the car. "Mom!" She cries and hugs her tightly.

"I'm so sorry, mom...." Saba cries in her mother's arms like a baby. Her mother moves her hand on Saba's back and plants small kisses all over her beautiful face. The three of us walk inside the house and take a seat on the couch. Saba looks at me with the expression hard to explain. It seems like she's happy, sad, worried and thankful at the same time. She hands us a glass of water and runs upstairs to her room.

"She's scared." Aunt Sarah tells me  slowly, " Her father died when she was just two years old. Since then we've been alone. The thought of losing her mother has scared her." She tells me.
"Parents are a blessing, be it a father or a mother. Both are incomplete without each other. A father can never take a mother's place and a mother can never become a father. If you don't mind, will you go upstairs and talk to her? I know she needs you." Aunt Sarah suggests and I nod. "Sure." I say and go upstairs.

Saba's room door is half open through which I can see Saba crying over a bed of silk bedsheet spreaded over it. I walk inside the room and close the door behind.

"I'm gonna take the case back." She says coldly without looking at me. I walk towards her and sit on the floor beside her bed. I take her hand in mine and rubs it a little. "He could have killed my mother." Saba cries.

"No, Saba. Please try to understand, he's trying to scare you so that you can take the FIR back. Once the date of the case comes, he won't be able to get away because we have proof. You, I, uncle Salim, Zoya and fahad, all of us were there. He knows, once you agree that he attacked you, there's no way out. That's why he's scaring you. So that you can take a step back." I explain her and put my hand on her cheeks, "but you're not gonna let him get over you. You're gonna fight and you're gonna win."

"He's dangerous, Zain! You don't understand!" Saba says and stands up from the bed. I stand up behind her, "I know you're scared ______" I try to calm her down but she cuts me off.

"No! That monster has already taken half of my life from me in just one night! I can't let him take my mother away from me! Don't you see I have no one else in this world who actually cares about me!" Saba's words are painful to listen to, "I care about you, Saba." I hold her face in my hands gently. Her watery eyes look at me in disbelief. Her cheeks and nose have turned pink due to constant crying.

"I don't deserve you...." she whispers at a distance of just an inch between us.

I put my finger on her lips, "ssshhh.. never say that again to me. I love you more than anything else Saba. I accept you for who you are, what you are and what you've been through. Nothing can take away my love for you... I just... I just want you to put your faith in me... trust me... and .. and let me love you.. let me love you until you fall in love with me... "

Saba's eyes are locked up with mine. Deep down in her sad and painful eyes, I see some light, a desire of love, an ocean of care. I move my finger gently on her soft pink lips. A desire of kissing her lips takes over my mind. "May I?" I ask slowly.

She closes her eyes in response and I know what that means. I bent down my head and plant a soft kiss on her lips, then place my hand on her right cheek and kiss her deeply. Saba holds me close by my back. Her lips move gently over mine, taking me on the top of the world.

"Promise me you won't leave me...." she whispers softly under my chest.

I wrap my arms around her and plant a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I won't.."

For the first time in a very long time, I actually wish that time could stop and the world could take a pause.

*********