"In the garden of life, care is the water that nourishes the seeds of compassion."

~ Unknown

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As the next day arised, Ali found himself alone on the bed. Amira's bed side was made fresh. He freshened up and went downstairs. Exceptionally, he was one of the first among the brothers to come down. His parents were already there. That time Amira came out of the kitchen. Ali was struck after seeing her in the sea green saree which had a cold shoulder blouse design. Her hair was in a messy bun, half wet. She kept a dish there. Ayesha and Aabid observed him staring at her and looked at each other. Samad and Zain came there, along with Tara and Jasmine, and noticed this. They looked at each other and sat there without disturbing his sight. Amira was unknown by the stare.

"Ali?" Samad called him out with a smirk. Amira looked up to see his stare and got embarrassed. Ali looked at Samad, getting back to reality. Amira left for the kitchen.

"Yeah bhai?" Ali replied slightly embarrassed for checking her out.

"You should have told us before, you like her so much in saree. We would have filled her wardrobe up with it! Isn't it Aabid?" Ayesha teased him. Sam, Jasmine, Zain and Tara burst out laughing.

Ali got embarrassed with a sly smile, "Nothing like that mom. I was looking at the time. Excuse me."

He left from there. Ayesha and Aabid joined the 4 in laughing.

"Now, we have one weakness of Ali. How about making it worse?" Tara said mischievously. She took her phone and went through a few sarees.

"What are you doing?" Zain asked her.

"I am getting my devrani (sister in-law) a few better sarees. That will make my devar (brother-in-law) more speechless!" Tara answered him while winking at him. Soon all settled for breakfast. Ali again served her food, this time from the beginning. Soon all were done. Since it was Sunday, all were sitting there.

"Aunty, I had to go for some work, if you don't mind. I will be back in 2 hours," Amira said hesitatingly.

"Why would I mind? You should ask Ali though," Ayesha replied with a slight smile. Amira nodded. Ali thought of all the possibilities where she could be going. A concern crossed his mind that she may be going to her parent's place. Amira looked at Ali.

"Yeah, let's go!" Ali stood up, taking his phone. "I will just get the car keys!"

Amira was shocked. "You? Why? I mean, I can go alone."

"Yeah, but now I decided to go with you!" He left to get his car keys. Amira was shocked. The others were stunned. Soon both were in the car.

"So? Where do you want to go?" Ali asked while looking at her.

"The mall!" Amira was hesitant. They reached there.

"Can you wait here please? I will be back in 10 minutes. Please?" Amira said while looking down. Ali noticed Asif's car in the parking lot.

"Nope. I am going with you!"

"You are not understanding. Please? I need some things," She rubbed her hands.

"I am not stopping you from getting anything. And you could have gotten it yesterday too. Now wanna waste time by arguing?" She nods no. He followed her. Amira stood in front of a lingerie shop and looked at Ali embarrassingly while he was embarrassed as well. He masked it though.

"You need inners?" She nodded.

"Why were you keeping it this hidden?"

Amira hesitated for a moment before responding, "I just didn't want to bother anyone with it. And I thought it would be embarrassing to tell you this."

Ali, realizing the sensitivity of the situation, softened his tone, "Amira, you don't have to feel embarrassed or hide these things. It's a normal part of life, and if you need something, you can just let me know."

Amira managed a small smile, appreciating his understanding. They entered the shop, and Ali discreetly distanced himself to give her privacy while she shopped for what she needed. As she made her selections, Ali's mind couldn't help but reflect on the layers of Amira's life that were slowly revealing themselves.

Once she was done, he paid for her.

"Do you need anything else? You asked mom for 2 hours," Ali asked while exiting the shop.

"Actually, I wanted to go to the library. Spend some time there. It's been a few days now that I could not!"

Ali nodded, "Sure, let's go." He left with her following him. Instead of going towards the parking lot, he diverted their route to the bookstore, and once inside, Amira's eyes lit up at the sight of the shelves filled with books. But she was confused as well.

"Pick whatever you want," Ali encouraged her.

Amira, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the options, initially resisted, "No, it's okay. I don't want to be a trouble."

Ali, determined to make her feel comfortable, insisted, "It's not trouble. It's rather troublesome for me to wait 2 or 3 hours in that boring place. Take the books you want. Go ahead, choose."

Despite her protests, Ali gently guided her through the store, encouraging her to explore different genres and authors. Amira, unable to resist the allure of the books, eventually gave in and started selecting a few titles that caught her interest. Ali, true to his word, paid for them without any objection.

As they left the bookstore, Amira couldn't help but feel grateful for Ali's insistence. She realized that he not only attended to her practical needs but also cared about her personal joys and interests, creating a moment of unexpected delight in the midst of her challenging circumstances. Something which was entirely new to her.

They headed back to the car, and the atmosphere between them remained respectful and supportive. Ali broke the silence, "Anything else you need to do?"

Amira shook her head, "No, thank you for coming with me."

As they drove back home, Ali couldn't shake off the realization that there were aspects of Amira's life he knew very little about. It stirred a sense of responsibility within him, a commitment to understanding and supporting her, no matter how challenging the journey might be.

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They reached home and Ali left the lingerie in his car while took the huge staple of books inside. He kept them on the table.

"Books?" Tara exclaimed boringly. "You went to take them?"

Amira nods lightly. Ali took them to their room and kept it there. Amira followed him.

"Ayesha, what did you say to him? Such a huge change?" Aabid questioned her. She just smiles.

In their room, Amira took them out. Ali stood in front of her, observing the happiness on her face.

"How can books make someone smile this much? Normally girls are happy with dresses and makeup but she looked yesterday as if I stole her goat and ran away! Huh. Stupid girl," Ali muttered. Amira looked at him with a frown.

"Makeup and dresses make you hide your reality. Makeup is used to beautify yourself. Dresses need to be brought according to the person. Books take you to a new reality. A reality way more beautiful than what we are living in." Amira expressed looking into his eyes.

"You haven't yet faced the beautiful part of reality. Once you discover that, you won't rely on this book's reality!" Ali said while stepping closer to her. "These wounds show a lot about your bad reality. But there is more, what you haven't seen yet."

Amira was caged between him and the wall. His hand was caressing the wound on her throat . Amira gulped the big lump in her throat.

"It was an accident..."

"It was caused by someone with a knife! WHO?" Amira looked down and nodded no.

"It's nothing as such."

"I will wait for you to tell me the truth! If you want to make this relationship work, you have to be honest with me. Same as I will always be. Else it's of no use!" He stepped back from her.

"Why do you want to make this relationship work?" Amira asked, expecting honesty from him, as he just stated.

"Because you and I are tied in this relationship. And we both have the same situation. It was neither your will, nor mine. We have no control over how we were brought together, but we can decide how we move forward from here. Also, it will give happiness to mom and papa. I always thought, mom hates you, so I had no reason to do it, for papa. He had forced me. But now I do know that mom doesn't hate you. She hates you as a forceful part of my life," Ali responded, his eyes reflecting a mixture of honesty, determination and sincerity.

Amira, though still apprehensive, felt a sense of understanding in Ali's words. She couldn't deny the truth in what he said – their connection was a result of circumstances beyond their control. It left her grappling with conflicting emotions, torn between the scars of her past and the uncertain possibilities of the future.

As Ali reached out, gently touching her cheek, he spoke with a softness that contradicted the intensity of the moment, "I want this to work because I believe there's more to both of us than the shadows that haunt us. And together, maybe we can find a way to break free from the shattered chains that bind us."

Amira, overwhelmed by the complexity of her emotions, nodded in acknowledgment. The room, once filled with tension, now held a fragile promise of understanding and acceptance, marking a subtle shift in the dynamics of their evolving relationship. He moved away from her.

"Your skin is pretty smooth. Ohh, and the color suits you," Amira got red after hearing this. He went to the washroom. Amira decided to keep the books above the cupboard.

She carefully arranged the books above the cupboard, standing on her tiptoes to reach the top shelf. As she cautiously placed one book after another, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. However, the weight of the books and her precarious position soon proved to be a challenging combination.

Just as she reached for the last book, her balance wavered. A stack of books slipped from her clutch, and before she could react, she found herself toppling backward. The thud of the fallen books echoed in the room as Amira landed on the floor with a surprised yelp.

Ali heard the thud sound and rushed to the room. Seeing Amira on the floor surrounded by books, he couldn't help but chuckle softly. He extended a hand to help her up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a mixture of concern and amusement in his eyes.

Amira, a bit flustered from the unexpected fall, took his hand and got up. "I guess I overestimated my skills," she admitted, offering a sly smile.

Ali couldn't hide his grin. "Well, it was a good attempt. But next time, maybe let me handle the acrobatics."

She tried to walk but her foot hurt. He picked her up and made her lie on the bed. Ali sat beside her foot and removed her saree a bit.

"What are you..."

"I am checking up on your foot. Not that you may have broken it!" He interrupted gently, before leaving the place. He came back to their room within a while. Amira winced slightly as Ali applied the cold pack to her injured foot. She hadn't expected him to take such swift and caring action. As he sat beside her, she couldn't help but feel a mix of surprise and gratitude.

Ali continued to apply the cold pack, his touch careful and considerate. Amira settled back on the bed, watching him with a mixture of discomfort and appreciation. She had never experienced this side of Ali before – the side that went beyond the stoic exterior.

"Stay here and take care," he instructed, his tone soft but authoritative.

Amira, though initially hesitant, nodded in acknowledgment. The unexpected tenderness in Ali's actions left her contemplative. The room, once filled with laughter, now held a different kind of intimacy as Ali tended to her, bridging the gap between their past and the evolving present.

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Diary Entry - [15.09.23]

Dear Diary,

Today's day felt as if my life became sorted. The day started with the lingering warmth of Ali's embrace, a comfort that felt both alien and strangely reassuring. We woke up entwined, a situation I vowed to prevent but couldn't. Thankfully, he was sleeping and failed to notice it.

Breakfast was a peculiar dance of shared glances and unspoken words. Ali's gaze lingered a bit too long, and the realization that he found me captivating in a saree wasn't lost on me. I couldn't help but blush, feeling exposed yet oddly flattered. I never had him observe me the way he was doing it today.

The shopping expedition that followed was an unexpected twist. I wonder why he decided to join me. Ali surprised me by taking me out, even if I was in denial. I needed intimate stuff and the mere thought of having him see me buy them, made me uncomfortable. In the lingerie shop, embarrassment painted my cheeks as Ali's understanding gaze met mine. He respected my privacy, allowing me to choose without interruption. His actions spoke volumes about the layers of something unknown.

The unexpected detour to the bookstore left me stunned in between irritation and gratitude. Ali insisted on buying books, pushing me to embrace the joy of new stories. I don't remember the last time I bought some books. His insistence, a gentle force that I couldn't resist, added more weight to the already mounting emotions.

The day took a serious turn when we returned home. Ali confronted me about the wounds, and a cold fear gripped my heart. His insistence on honesty was both comforting and stressing. The truth felt like a heavy burden, and I couldn't bring myself to share the painful details. I still can't trust him enough, that he would trust me against Asif bhai.

A small accident with the books led to a moment of vulnerability. Ali's caring touch and concern for my well-being were a stark contrast to the past. The time when he even avoided giving a glance to my face. As he applied a cold pack to my foot, I couldn't help but wonder about the complexities of our intertwined lives. We were both forced to do this marriage. I am not aware how he knows that I was forced or why he thinks like that. But I am thankful that this fact came to his knowledge.

Tonight, as I pen down these thoughts, I'm left grappling with emotions that refuse to be neatly categorized. The web of secrets is slowly unraveling, exposing the fragile threads that connect us. Only time will tell whether this connection will strengthen or fray.

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