"If only I could go back in time. I would do everything and anything possible for neither me nor Yasir to ever get married!"- Hisham Hosseini.

CONTINUATION...

"THE HOSSEINI BROTHERS WERE ABOUT TO CLASH ONCE AGAIN!"

To say that immense fear instantly gripped literally each and every single little fibre of Khaleel's body would be quite the understatement, his eyes beginning to turn every darker shade of blue with literally each passing second as just but the mere thought of reliving through one of the most horrendous flashbacks from the past, zapped through his mind.

Greatly shuddering and in a very much desperate bid to prevent absolutely anything from getting out of line, he very much quickly said...

"If even just but an incy wincy bit of anything and I mean literally anything, happens unaccordingly, I swear I'll snitch to Khalo! Snitch and that too with some extra salt, cheese, pepper and onion rings! Just saying!"

Not getting even but the bat of an eyelid in response and with tension rising in the room to the point of Mount Everest, he very much desperately added...

"I have Khalo on speed dial! Just saying!"

That too only but seemed to fall upon deaf ears causing his fear to further and further escalate, making him waste absolutely no time in pretending to ring Hussein and the very second he very much loudly said "Hello, Asalam Aleikum, Khalo", both Yasir and Hisham very much immediately and very much loudly let go of breaths they themselves didn't know they had been holding and that too for so long.

A pin drop silence then engulfed the room for what felt like the longest time ever, causing Khaleel to be even more and more on edge with literally each and every passing second.

After what felt like nothing but eternity, Yasir was the very first one to break the silence...

"What exactly is your problem, Akhi?"

His question only but ended up being a catalyst for all that Hisham had bottled up inside to come pouring out and with that one very answer that was very much always at the very tip of his tongue, Hisham did not hesitate even in the slightest bit in replying with...

"WOMEN!

To say that Yasir's facial expression did not at all change after hearing his answer would be a complete and utter lie and while quickly shoving his hands into his trouser's pockets in a bid to hide his now balled up fists, Yasir even more quickly replied with...

"I absolutely do not want to have this conversation!"

With that, he then slowly began making his way out of the office only for him to stop dead in his tracks, the second Hisham said...

"Sure! Choose to just but walk away!"

A small yet very much emotionless laugh immediately escaped Yasir lips and while pinching the bridge of his nose for a second or two, almost as if contemplating as whether to answer or not; he finally answered with...

"I am not you Akhi!"

"Whatever do you mean by that?"

"I do not JUST do things, Akhi!"

"Meaning?"

"I do things very much with reason and currently I am very much choosing to walk out of here with good reason!"

"Your so called good reason being?"

"My good reason being that..."

"Being what, Yasir? Being what?"

"Being, that I no longer have even the slightest bit of interest in seeing you continuously play victim!"

"Who? Me?"

"Yes! You, Akhi!"

"Is that what you really think of me, Yasir?"

His question was met with nothing but silence and with nothing but hurt laced in his voice, Hisham couldn't help but ask once again...

"Do you really think that I play victim, Yasir?"

His question was very much once again met by nothing but sheer silence and upon asking for the third time, Yasir somewhat spat out...

"Yes, I do Akhi! Yes I do! I do really think that all that you do is play victim and I also think that it's pretty much high time you got over it!"

With that, Yasir once again began to make his way out of the office; as almost if not all the blood drained from Hisham's face and the very second Yasir closed the office's door behind him, Hisham too tightly shut his eyes as thoughts from his past overtook him but what however kept eating him up even more than the thoughts from his past, was that one burning question...

Was he, Hisham Hosseini really playing victim?

FLASHBACK...

At a speed faster than that of a reflex, Hisham's jaw tightly clenched due to immense anger, his hands balling up into fists as he watched another man's arms wrap around his wife's tiny waist for a few seconds.

With anger brimmed to the point of erupting a volcano, he most immediately took a step forward in order to roughly yank them off only for him to freeze in his step upon seeing Zulekha circling her hands around him in reciprocation.

Thin beads of sweat instantly broke out on his forehead and he exasperatedly wiped them away as his heart began to make its way to the very pit of his stomach.

What could be said to be a literal three second hug felt like nothing but an infinite number of seconds for him and as soon as he saw them break apart, he couldn't help but exhale out loudly; the one breath he had unknowingly been holding for way too long, only for his heart to immediately drop to his very core, the very second the man placed a small peck on his wife's cheek but what however caused his entire being to turn completely upside down, was seeing how very much flattered his wife was and nothing else.

Loudly clearing out his throat in an attempt to show as to how uncomfortable he felt, he then still very much politely asked for the both of them to be excused and as soon as they were very much out of earshot, he spat out, his voice laced with nothing but immense frustration...

"Zulekha!"

"What?"

"What the hell was that?"

"What the hell was what?"

A very much disbelieving laugh most immediately escaped his lips and he couldn't help but stare at her for something like the longest time ever, hoping against hope that she would at least try to see as to where he was coming from, only for him to be taken by completely aback when she said...

"Just come on, Hisham!"

"Huh?"

"When in Rome?"

"I am not in Rome, Zulekha!"

With literally each and every passing second, his anger only but rose up a notch higher and higher and very well knowing that they most definitely did not read the same books and that he could never ever get her to be on the same page as him and not at all having the energy to even try, he quickly blurted out...

"I am leaving!"

"What?!"

"I said, I am leaving!"

"Don't you even dare, Hisham!"

Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath contemplating as to whether he was making the right decision or not only for her to fully convince him the second she said...

"Stop the drama, Hisham!"

Drama?

Did she really just say drama?

Really?

He shook his head vigorously in disbelief only for a small chuckle to escape his lips when she further added...

"Never took you to be the one to over-react over nothing, Hisham!"

Wait!

What?

Did she just assume that he was over- reacting?

That too, over nothing?

Ouch!

Low-key, he had rooted for her to pass it off as pure jealousy!

Never mind!

Maybe, next time!

Hastily digging into trouser's pocket, he pulled out his wallet which he gently shoved into her hands and just as he was about to turn to leave, she said...

"Please don't embarrass me, Hisham!"

Not knowing what to really say, all he did was whisper out a heartfelt sorry after which he swiftly sprinted out of the restaurant not at all having it in him to spare back even a single glance.

It had now been hours since and in all honesty as time had slowly elapsed and with literally each passing second, he just couldn't help feel nothing but...

Guilty!

Extremely guilty!

In fact, with literally every single tick of the clock, he couldn't help but put more and more thought into it and he couldn't help but get himself to agree that...

Maybe...

Just maybe...

He had failed to see things in the light they truly were.

Putting himself in her shoes, he couldn't help but feel more and more burdened.

As she had said, "When in Rome?".

Well, they most definitely without any doubt, were not in Rome but they most definitely were in a western country.

A western country thereby meant a western culture.

What however, drew the line when it came to any culture whatsoever, was religion.

Religion!

Religion and Zulekha.

Let's just say that two didn't quite go hand in hand.

Wait...

Who was he to judge her?

Was he a perfect Muslim?

The answer was an absolute no!

He just however but tried his very best to be one.

That's it!

See, that's where the hypocrisy came in.

If he could easily pass himself off as 'trying' then he should even more easily pass her off as 'trying' as well, most especially because...

She came from a much much more modernised family.

A much much less practising family.

That hug!

That kiss!

The two probably meant...

His thoughts once again got shrouded and all he could think of was what the two meant for him and it took him quite a good amount of deep breaths to be able to fully calm himself down and as soon as he was back to his norm and gotten his closure, he just couldn't wait to...

Speak with her.

Desperately speak with her.

He couldn't wait to convey to her as to how he felt.

As to why he felt.

As to...

His thoughts were cut short when he heard the front door open and literally sprinted towards it knowing very well that it was her and the very second their eyes met, he lovingly called out to her...

"Zulekha!"

No response!

"Zulekha, I am sorry!"

No response!

"Zulekha I am truly very sorry! I shouldn't have gone about things the way I did!"

"It's just that when you see it all from an Islamic point of view..."

Her silence only but made him nervous but that didn't stop him from pouring out as to how he truly felt...

"It's just that as your husband, call it jealousy or whatever you want to call it, I just cannot get myself to accept just but the mere thought of another man even breathing the same air as you! I know he is not just any man and that he is your college friend but..."

Her uninterestedly walking away was made him to stop short and he quickly got hold of her hand, gently pulled her towards him and as soon as he whispered out a feather like sorry in her ear...

SHE SLAPPED HIM ACROSS THE FACE!

***

His heart strongly clenched as a very much loud sob involuntarily escaped his lips and it wasn't long before tears of nothing but extreme bitterness began to continuously trickle down his face and he couldn't help but just cry out a little louder the very moment he felt Khaleel comfortingly place his hand on his shoulder.

In between deep breaths and in between even much more louder and tinier sobs, he couldn't help but cry out...

"I am not lying, Khaleel! Trust me, I am not lying! Trust me!"

"I trust you, Hisham! I very well know that you aren't lying! I trust you, Hisham!"

"Do you really trust me that much, Khaleel?"

"Yes, of course I do, Hisham!"

"Trust me on one more thing then, Khaleel."

"Sure! What is it, Hisham?"

"DON'T MARRY ASIYA!"

***

TO BE CONTINUED...

PLEASE DO VOTE AND COMMENT.

HOPE YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER.

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

ASALAM ALEIKUM.

PRECAP FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER : A CERTAIN SOMEONE REALISES THEIR FEELINGS FOR ANOTHER CERTAIN SOMEONE! GUESS WHO?