23rd January 2019👑

                       ❤Shezaad❤

"Do you think they would be talking by now?" Maryam initiated fiddling with a grass blade in her hand.

we were asked to assist Nushrath and Ilthumish in their private talk as the duo couldn't have one and here we are, eyeing the couple on a bench 10 feet ahead of us while we were plopped down on the freshly mown grass of the park.

I was sitting a feet next to her wriggling uncomfortably in my work clothes while she was squatting beside me comfortably hugging her knees.

"I bet ilthumish would find the ground more interesting than talking to her" I replied back.

"you are not wrong'" she sighed.

"huh?' I shot her a confounded look while she pointed at the duo in front.

Itthu was staring at the ground as if his whole life depended on it while Nush was playing with the edge of her shawl suddenly finding in entertaining.

"couples I say" I chuckled shaking my head while Maryam managed a smile from the corner of her lips.

Twirling the leaf blade in her hand,she laughed out loud. I shot her a muddled up look raising my eyebrows, while she shook her head vehemently still chuckling. I pleaded with my eyes asking what it is, when I got no response I pouted and turned my head the other way, making her laugh even hard clutching her tummy. in a few seconds I gave up and joined in her laughter which was way irresistible and infectious to not join in.

"Ahaana tell na.." I whined.

"shezaad no na" she whined back in the same tone furrowing her eyebrows.

I stared at her and turned the other way sighing " ok whatever I don't care"

I kept staring at the ground while she chuckled time to time looking at me.

"shezaad sir stop.." she giggled stressing on the word sir to infuriate me further..

"Miss Aahil I order you to say" I shot back stressing on the word Miss Aahil depicting our troublesome employer- employee relationship.

It was seriously enthralling how our relationship changed from rivalry to a beautiful friendship on full bloom. it seriously amazes me that it all started with a slap.

"stop.." she pouted "what do I get if I do so?"

"Just name what you want.. I will bring you the moon" I grinned

"cheesy much" she chortled..

"Just chuck it and name your price ladyyy"

"nope I don't want the moon.. then what do I want?" she rubbed her chin..

"yayyy I know it.. gallons of choccy milk shake and trucks of pumpkin pastries for nush" she exclaimed gleefully.

"deal sealed.. now shoot, why did you laugh" I asked coming back to topic in hand.

"you know I have this weird habit of tickling anyone nearby whenever I get a leaf  or something. Nush hates that habit of mine but still I cannot control it. It feels so right, since the moment we sat I was like seriously tempted to do the same with you and I imagined me tickling you and that's what made me laugh.. imagine simply imagine me tickling Shezaad Ikam Mahnoor of dev industries with a grass blade" she spoke in a spooky voice keeping her face blank staring at me while I stared backlike the girl has grown a new pair of horns, and then both of us burst out laughing scaring the old ladies nearby..

"that would be the most daring task I've ever accomplished" she poked her tongue out laughing like a maniac.

I looked at the girl beside me in awe. Its been only 2 weeks since that encounter where I had the bad luck to witness her breakdown in front of my very eyes and here she is laughing her heart out as if she is the happiest girl in the whole world , on a mission to bring a smile back to that darkened world of others.

"Hamad is Ahaana's ex husband. she divorced him 3 years back. "

"It was an abusive marriage, she had to go through a lot"..

Nushrath's voice laced with hurt when she narrated the story haunted me every night.. I was thoroughly shocked but knowing that she had to witness the cruelty of this money minded fools in such a tender age stabbed me straight into my heart, uplifting the urge of wanting to damage that so-called drool worthy face of Hamad Ibrahim shoot rocket high.

My curiosity got ahead of me and I blurted out " how Ahaana.. how? despite everything?" I wailed out, my voice hoarse and desperate..

"huh?" she turned drastically firing me a look of bewilderment' " what how? despite what?"

"hehe nooo" I chuckled embarrassingly..

" where are we heading now shezaad? would I have to book an appointment in the asylum" she chuckled scrolling on her phone..

"Nope it's nothing.. " I murmured looking at her with fear and embarrassment, fear of hitting a weak spot and embarrassed of being told off by her..

I kept staring at her from time to time.. My heart aching for all the troubles she had to endure..

"hey.. stop its weird" her annoyed voice brought me back from my train of thoughts.

"what?' I asked her absent-mindedly.

"number one: stop staring at me.. number two: shoot that question that you so badly want to ask" she finished.

"being a mind reader now are we" I grinned goofily.

"ohh trust me I am a born pro" she smirked back lifting her imaginary collar. " now shoot I say"..

"umm.. how Ahaana.. how did it happen.. you look like the happiest girl in the world and how come you are.." I trailed on

"how come I am married and now a divorcee?" she finished for me..

ignoring that flash of hurt hearing the word divorcee, I nodded leaning back on my forearm.

"Nush told you all right" she sighed, her eyes taking on a distant look..

"hey maryam.. its ok if you don't want to talk about it" I said half-heartedly.

"Naah. I am good, besides how long can the truth be hidden, one day or another its bound to come out" she finished making me nod.

"At 18 like all the other girls, I was in my dreamland too, dreaming about my prince charming and so desperately waiting for that day when he would come and sweep me off my feet and take me back with him, except for the fact that my prince charming had a face,"

Now it was my turn to look at her bewilderedly..

"A naughty ten year old with an impish grin who loved to annoy me" she chuckled making me smile. so she had a childhood love too? great we are syncing in everything.. I said to myself..

"everything was fine, until the day when my dad's best friend who loved me as his own daughter so badly wanted to marry me to his eldest son so that I would officially be a part of his family except for the fact that he didn't know that his eldest son had way too many affairs to consider me his wife- a plain girl who isn't matured enough for anything but an added burden and a scapegoat to toy with in his boredom" she snickered..

"I had to let go of my dreams, my wishes, my likes everything for the sake of the man whose smile was my world. that glow on my dad's face because I was marrying his bestfriends son and now they are officially a family was worth all the pain.. I married Hamad Ibrahim half heartedly yeah but I was ready to give my best to make this work, but I guess he had other plans," she rolled her eyes.

"everything was fine for the first week, he never acknowledged my presence nor bothered me, his true face came out when aunty and uncle left and I was left alone with him and his little brother in his mansion.."

"that's when his devil started to kick in. his sadistic self which saw immense pleasure in my tears, in my hurt, in my blood for ruining his life and the price I had to pay for the mistake I never know I committed was my dignity, my tears.." her eyes welled up, dredging up the storm which contorted her to this extent.

Her words echoed in my ear drums sending spasms of frustration.. disbelief.. anger and nevertheless a profound amount of hurt into my veins already popping with rage..
I gaped at the pearly drops waiting so long to rain down her cheeks, but she was quick enough to stop them before they became the heavy down pour but not before they viewed my attention.

" it was a hard time alright, before I finally found the courage to stand up for myself and fight back and eventually I did and here I am narrating my so-called life story while you are here pretending to be interested while you are actually snoring within right shez? she chuckled, her annabelle mode on.

I stared at her speechless, was this the same girl who broke down in front of me, now smiling as if nothing mattered?

she is both the storm and the rainbow.. the soft breeze as well as the hailstorm.. the epitome of strength and sensitivity.. purest of souls.. cracked by crucial reality, glued back by her willpower to live. Her scars ornated by that vivid glow emitted by her smile. yes her smile says everything..

battles fought..

heartbreaks encountered..

waves of hope dissolved into sea..

agony buried deep within

yep her smile says it all..

I smiled looking at her, the respect for this girl reaching extents unknown,

"how did you manage Ahaana you know after" I asked her

"too curious now are we?" she questioned amusedly

"totally yeah, I smiled back, this is way better than any live stories I ever had the privilege to listen to" I joked back..

"Dumbhead, go to hell" she muttered,

"I'll go there later now you go on.." I laughed again wanting both to hide my admiration for her and to ease the tense environment though she is pretending there is none.

"Alhamdulillah for my family, and the idiot of a best friend I am blessed with, without them I never would have been able to come out of that trauma, everyone from my family from dad to Azzu supported me in everyway s possible. Dad he helped me find back my wings and my passion which I though was long lost though I know he still hurts himself with the blame of spoiling my life even though he has 0% in it.. mum with her words of encouragement and every single night she spent in prayers and tears for me showed me that there isn't a single reason to give up..

Nush on the other hand, I seriously donno what I would have done in that stormy period of life without her, there are gazillions of chances we could never have met, but all thanks to allah we still did, she knows that I sometimes falter in my steps, she knows how difficult it is for me to keep moving forward when the force pulling me back is soo strong. she understood every breath of mine and still does and never will give up on me, even if I do so, she knows how to trigger up the devil in me and how to tame it too.. she is my other half would be the better way to describe that thing I called good for nothing" she winked..

Illthumish you lucky ass, the perfect Bhabhi you've found you dumbass" I sighed contently..

"but still there are days when regret consumes me whole, when those nights I've spent wishing for death haunts my nights, there are times when I wish that I wasn't born, there still lingers that chasms, that void that can never be fulfilled, nights when tears which I locked up make me succumb to.. in those depths of night did I find my solace with my almighty.. instead of succumbing to the heart wrenching past clawing my heart, I learnt to succumb both myself and my grief to the lord who has everything within his massive control. once, I remember vividly when the weight seemed to crush me more than I could bare, I fell down on sujood as if my whole life depended on it, then did I realize my entire world did depend on it, when I lifted up my head with the glee and contentment of a purified soul, that moment I knew there will always be one place, where I would never be cheated, where I would never be toyed with, one place where I would never will have to return emptyhanded, one place where my entire solace relied on.. sajdha- bowing before my lord, that day I knew I never would lose.. "

she stared contently at the velvety horizon, the rays of the evening sun playing truant on earth, sun-kissing everything within its extent, resonating on her face adding to the glow.

"though Hamad wasn't successful enough in his endeavour to contort my soul though he did scar me for life, he actually won on branding me a divorcee.. divorcee at 19 seemed to matter but what made me one never did, that label kept chasing me every where I go rendering all my efforts futile. to be honest it haunted me to an extent where I wanted to end my life once and for all..." she paused. I knew she was once again battling hard with the tears fighting their way out..

"and then again, I was never the girl to give up easily, one word he used to refer me kept tugging at my heart ever since and I was ready to fight my way in every ways possible to erase that stain in my name which was never my fault, I was never a plain girl and I never will be one.

The brief interlude gave me ample time to ponder upon my life, there seemed two possibilities,

One: to mourn over my grief.

Two: to use the only weapon im good at, since school days I was named an extraordinary nerd, I loved studying..I named studies my weapon and started my fight against my own self which so badly wanted to give up. I started chasing my passion till I mastered controlled over it, I chose studies as my priority discarding my fears, aiming the horizon my limit, I started running, being the sadist I am I enjoyed the pain it gave me, I endured, I ran, ran till I was out of breath, ran with every ounce of energy left, I am famished but I will always keep on running, I always will"

"I 've learned to hold on to hope even after I 've lost everything. I have always got what I wanted and still never had hope.. maybe the almighty wanted me to learn it the hard way.. I 've learned it alright, the price being my dignity and my whole life and there is no way I m letting go of it. A single shard of hope is something all it takes to keep us going on and I will always keep on hoping.. one day everything would change one day it will" she finished with a contented look of defiance, sitting back while I felt my jaw drop in awe, unable to control my reflexes I kept staring at her like a fool, every word she spoke echoing in my ears resonating in corners I never knew existed,

after few seconds, she sighed "stop shezaad"

"what?"

"stop looking at me with sympathy, that's the last thing I ever want" she replied back annoyed..

I raised my eyebrows, if only this girl knows my feelings of her, I shook my head how ironical things can get

I laughed " Ahaana, stop giving so much credit for yourself, you do not deserve sympathy" I joked to cover up both my admiration for her there are people who you feel to sympathize but sh is totally out of that league.. she is one of a kind who make you burst out with admiration..  earning a glare from her..

"whatever makes you sleep at night Mr icy eyes" she snarled " now enough about me, tell me about you" she smirked mischievously

"Naa.. nothing much except for the fact that i am one awesome soul waiting for my childhood love to come back and claim me" I smiled..

"Yeah you and awesome yeah right NTS" she scoffed..

"Wait what.." you have a childhood love too? Man we are twinning up" she yelped excitedly

"Hey we are supposed to talk and you guys wait on us or is it the other way around" nush interrupted in an exasperated tone before I could reply

"I doubt that too bhabs" i shot back making her glare at me though i could see she loved me calling her bhabs by her eye convo with Ahaana..

"Guys who wants ice cream?" Itthu announced running to the ice cream truck playing its stupid tune..

"Me.. me.. me.." Nush chorused..

"You traitor before you run with your weasel head for ice cream help me up" Maryam pouted while I got up dusting myself..

"Yah yah come now.." nush pouted.. pulling Ahaana off the ground

"Hey weeju" Ahaana screamed at itthu who was ordering by the truck making him go red in embarassement"get me me two cookie cream"

"You aint getting anything unless you come here kiddo.." he shot back "shezaad wbu?"

"One blue berry cone"

"Soo Ahaana umm what about your plans you know for future" I asked at her while she was struggling with her sandle straps..

"You mean I am gonna marry again or not right? Why cant you ask it right away shez" she smiled..

"Umm yeah.. the question is that.." i scratched my chin" will you?"

"Maybe or maybe not" she shrugged..
"Same as you buddy I am waiting too.."
"Waiting for my dumbhell pumpkin shell to come back amd claim me his" she replied running back to the truck.. making my heart jump out of my ribcage bewildered..
FINALLY IVE FOUND HER..

Hey there folks..

I am back after a break..

Soo sooo hws da chap?
What do u think about the story now after some twists and turns..

Soo finally Ahaana s past is revealed.. what do u think..
And would you all like me to include some itthu-nush moments or go on with Ahaadh moments..
Feel free to let me know in your comments..

Until that see ya peeps..

Allah hafiz lovelies😙😙😙