By silent_ninja_tfios

"Ahyan." He ignored his father's yell for the second time as Sia's voice burst through the headphones.

Within a minute, Wali's loafers thumped on the stairs to his son's room. Turning the door knob, he found it locked but applied some force anyway.

"Why is the door closed? I've called you a million times. Jaldi ao dinner kay liay." Expecting everything to be fine, Wali descended the stairs to his beautiful wife who was busy setting the table.

"He's coming." He answered before she asked.

Making his way to the kitchen, he rooted behind Khadija who was now grating cheese on top of the Alfredo. His face landed on her shoulder as his hands navigated their way to her curvy waist.

Khadija whohas spent the last twenty years with the man knew what was coming next. He nibbled her earlobe, murmuring God knows what; she was too busy suppressing a pleasurable sound. Just like a treasure map, he found his next stop on her slender neck but she jerked away.

"Wali, If Ahi finds us in this compromising situation, you're on the couch for a week." In an instant he pulled back.

"How very considerable of you, Mrs. Ahmed!" Giving her a wry smile, he placed the pot of piping hot pasta on the table.

"Where is this kid?" He voiced as his stomach grumbled.

"I'll call him. Didn't even have lunch today." Khadija pitied poor baby who drove an hour from his campus to do the laundry. He came a little while after both Wali and Khadija left for work and since have been busy.

Just last month, during the wedding of Khadija Jr. Ahyan came out wearing a white kurta shalwar with a purple waistcoat; his mother couldn't help but tear. Even though all the cousins wore similar clothing, Ahyan with his messy brown hair and sharp jawline stood apart. His lashes made every female in his family jealous. He was tall for a nineteen year old but had a body which girls fantasy about, and God his throaty laugh, that sent chills down the spine or when he flawlessly switch between Urdu, English and Spanish. Words weren't just words coming out of his mouth.

"What's wrong Ahi?" Sitting on his bed, she stroked the messy mop of brown hair.

"It's Ahyan! And leave me alone." Khadija knew something was very wrong. Her son was never like this.

As she opened her mouth, Wali waltzed into the door, switching on the light.

"What the fu....?" As he raised his head from the pillow, his parents eyes went wide and so did their mouth.

A long gash ran along his temple to his jaw, the black eye stood out and so did the bruised lip.

"What happened baby?" Dija leaped forwards tracing her trembling fingers on the bruises making Ahyan wince. He got out of his mother's hold walking towards the bathroom when Wali stopped him.

"In the study. Now." Never in the nineteen years of parenthood, Khadija saw her husband fuming at their son. 

Following her husband, she gripped his arm tightly.

"I'll talk to him Wali. Please."

"I don't want you taking his side." He was harsh and Khadija felt it.

Ahyan was never a trouble and Wali thanked Allah for that in every single prayer. He could tolerate his little mischief but not this attitude. So when a grumpy Ahyan came into the study, he shot.

"I want the truth and nothing else."

Truthfully, the dark circles and the over grown stubble clawed his heart.

"I got into a fight. Not a big deal." There it was again. The same tone he hated.

"No big deal? Since when?"

"Stop fretting over Dad. This is nothing." He touched his face and in that second his sleeve exposed something Wali couldn't take.

"You got a tattoo?" He galloped in his direction, yanking away his sleeve showing off a tattoo of a hand grenade.

Ahyan's world came crashing down. He never intended his father to find it out. Scratch that, he didn't want to face his parents today.

"Answer me before I lose my mind, Ahyan Bin Yahya!" His voiced echoed in the room making Khadija bursting in.

"Uff Allah! Ahi! What have you done?" Tears spilled from her eyes.

"It's my fu*king life! I'll do whatever pleases me!" That was it. Wali slapped him right across his face with all the force he possessed.

"There it is Dad. Thank you for making it confirmed that I'm not your son."

Wali couldn't look at Khadija who knelt down on the ground, unable to survive what happened in front of her eyes.

"Khadija tell him to get out of my house."

He failed. He failed Yahya and Rafia.

"You don't have to tell me. I'll do the honours myself." With that he was out of the house.
His mother sobbed loudly and when her gaze wandered to her husband, her heart stopped beating.

"Ya Allah! What is happening?" She called 911 and everything was blurred after that.

~*~

"You're very lucky Mr. Ahmed. With a condition like yours, you are blessed to be breathing in your own. We'll keep you under observation tonight, you can go home tomorrow." Dr. Gupta smiled at the couple unaware of the storm that took place in their haven. Khadija pressed her lips together slightly shaking her head, satisfied Dr. Gupta left the room and silence blanketed over them.

"Kha..."

"Just don't Wali. Please don't."

"Listen to me." He pressed.

"I don't want to listen to you! You threw my baby out of the house! What kind of father are you?" Khadija lost it. And Wali looked at her with shock.

"He came home all bruised up with a freaking tattoo on his hand and you are calling him a baby? Seriously Khadija?"

"Yes! I will call him a baby! He is my son! You made him leave the house! You're a monster Wali! Where would he go? At this time of the night! We could've talked about it in a civil manner. But no Wali Ahmed had to step in this with all his might." Wali couldn't believe his ears, though they had countless fights over the years but this was never a part of one of them.

Detaching the plugs of the monitor from his hands, he neared Khadija who once again broke down.

Taking her carefully in his arms, he soothed her. He placed small pecks all over her face just for the sake of her to stop crying. She struggled to push him away or even to punch him but he held her close.

"I want my Ahi back! I want him back." She kept chanting all through the long night.

~*~

Murtaza was surprised beyond words when he received a crying Khadija's call telling him to find Ahyan. He couldn't ask what happened but it was something bad. He drove around the neighborhood for a good 45 minutes before he spotted him sitting on a pavement adjacent to the park. Ahyan didn't need to be told twice to enter the car. He was thankful that Murtaza Chachu didn't bombard him with inquiries.

"Go rest in the guestroom. We'll talk in the morning." Once again, he did what he was told.

Alizeh who peeked through the curtain as her parents talked in hushed tones. Curiosity got the best of her, and while getting a good look at Ahyan she tripped gaining all his attention.

Ahyan who never let a chance slip to tease her, just briefly glanced at her way.

"Ahi... Are you alright?" She was scared as she stepped closer to the bed he was sitting on.

He blamed Alizeh for everything. She never should've said anything about her interest in bad boys nor should that Alex, one of the delinquent from her school have posted a picture of him and Alizeh together where his friends dropped all sorts of nasty comments. Jealousy took over his senses and he got into a fight with him today. And about the tattoo, it was temporary. And yet again it was out of his hidden love.

~*~

"Can you get out please?"
He merely whispered to the girl who had taken his heart when she just had a toothy grin and pigtails.

She did but a moment later appeared back in the room with a first aid kid.

Scooting over, she sat beside him with tears brimming in her eyes.

How can he be so reckless?

Expertly, she cleaned all his facial bruises and the dried blood on his knuckles. He winced occasionally hiding the groan when it stung keeping up his careless façade.

"Take off your shirt." He smirked at her and her creamy cheeks turned crimson.

The black shirt was off his muscular body in no time, exposing yet another bruise.

"I never took you as someone who gets into fights." Moving her hands on the mounds of his abs, she managed.

"Can I have my glasses back?"

"No."

"Alizeh I'm blind without them. Hand them over." He was nearing anger.

"Not before you answer me." She was more stubborn than her elder sister.

"Alizeh...." He warned her in a low voice.

"Ahyan." His heart did a back flip hearing his name in the sugary voice.

"Damnit Alizeh! Give me my fuc*king glasses back!" He growled, frightening her. Quickly she handed him his glasses and by the time he saw everything clearly she was out of the door.

~*~

"Wali and Khadija Bhabi are at the hospital. Wali just dodged a stroke. I can drive you to the campus if you want." Murtaza announced on the breakfast table.

Ahyan's plate was still full as he played around with his favourite omlete by Rumaisa.

"How's he?" He never wanted to hug his Dad this badly.

"Out of danger, Allhamdulilah."

They both were the only ones on the table, Alizeh was supposed to be at home as it was Saturday but woke up before everyone and left for some soccer practise. Rumaisa was busy in the kitchen giving them enough privacy.

"I screwed up big time, didn't I?" He threw his head back in remorse.

"Indeed." Murtaza's eyes never left his food, showing off his calmness.

"I wanna see Dad."

"I don't think that's a good idea. The doctors forbade him to take any stress."

"I'm his son!" He got up from the table, furious at his Uncle's implementations.

"Sit down Ahyaan." And he silently did.

"Khadija and Wali took you in at the time when our entire universe clashed down. You reminded us of them you know, Rafia and Yahya. Apart from that they took you in and raised you with no difference. You were their shelter in the dark storm. You still are." He paused looking at Ahyaan whose eyes were pooling in tears.

"It's better for everyone if you go back to the campus for a few days. Or maybe you can go to Abeer's place for a change."

~*~

"Khadija?" It has been ten days since their son left the house and nothing was same anymore.

Khadija was mentally lost. Nothing appealed her; her house, food or even Wali. Whereas her husband was pretending that he didn't hear his wife cry in the shower or in the middle of the night. Just like now, he entered the living room where Khadija was sitting idly.

"I asked for coffee. Half an hour ago."

"I'm going to his campus tomorrow. And Wali Ahmed don't you dare say a word against it."

"Oh Dija!" He knelt in front of her taking her cold hands in his warm ones. This brought terrible memories back.

"We were supposed to raise him well. Not turn a blind eye to his mistakes. That isn't healthy parenting."

"Screw healthy parenting! I haven't seen him for TEN DAYS! I don't know how he is." Wali failed to understand his wife but didn't utter a word.

"Fine, we'll go there tomorrow," he surrendered and dejectedly shaking his head left his wife alone.

Wali still remembered the day he brought Ahyan home, and every single day after that, their first morning with him, Ahyan calling him baba for the first time, Ahyan's first day at school, his presence removed the pain of not ever being able to have his own child but in past ten days his heart was clenching again and after all being a parent he was ready to give up.

The next day they reached his university as the first ray of sun spread across the city, dialing Ahyan's number Wali rested his back on his car as Khadija patiently waited beside him.

In matter of few minutes they both saw him running towards them and this time he didn't stop his wife who also walked faster towards their son. A weak smile embraced his face as he witnessed the two most important people in his life. Wali quickly looked away when he saw Ahyan coming towards him and stopping few feet away.

"I am sorry Dad," he heard him whisper and the mere sentence brought memory of his own youth, in the midst of all these all he ever wanted was to protect his son from doing the mistakes he did.

Sparing a glance at his son, his eyes landed on Khadija who was pleading to him.

Taking a step forward he removed hair which was covering Ahyan's eyes away from his forehead, "I don't know what words should I say to tell you that I love you exactly the way if you have been my own flesh and blood, I just stop you from following the steps which once I did, you are my pride, beta and I don't have the courage to lose you. You are my son and I know about everything you do," he saw fear flicker in Ahyan's eyes and he smiled. "All in right time."

"I am so sorry baba!" Ahyan wrapped his arms around his father like he was used to, and Wali's heart swell when he embraced the child once he carried in his arms was now ready be his shoulder.

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A.O.A

Isn't it great? I had tears in my eyes when I was reading this!

Anyways swipe up for some important announcement! ;)