The truth is, you can never stop loving the person you once loved. But is it possible...?

Happy reading.....

"Shaziya Khan, WAKE UP! People will be here any minute. Please wake up, ladki, and get ready before you show up like an alien in front of them asking for bed coffee like every day," her mother, Hoor, tried to pull the blue velvet blanket off her daughter's shoulders, but Shaziya kept trying to snuggle into it.

"Won't they drink coffee or tea in the morning or what?" came the chirpy yet annoyed voice of her daughter. But it wasn’t Shaziya, it was her two-year-younger sister, Safiya.

Her mother’s eyes twitched in annoyance upon finding her little devil of a daughter awake.

"YA Allah! Where is Shaziya? And why are you here at this time? Didn’t I make it clear yesterday not to be present when someone is coming to see your sister?" her mother snatched the blanket off harshly and made her sit up.

"Ammi Jaan! It won’t make any difference if I stay by her side or not. It's their nature, not mine or Shaziya’s," Safiya grumbled, folding her arms across her chest while glaring at her mother.

Hoor glared back, "It will make a huge difference, my love. It would badly affect her and especially your sister’s self-respect."

"Exactly! That’s my point too, mother. If they won’t accept her family and her as she is right now, how will she be happy in their home? Won’t they look down on her?" Safiya argued seriously.

"You aren’t understanding a mother’s heart," Hoor worried.

"You aren’t seeing her future, mother."

Hoor, fed up with her nonsense, yanked her out of bed angrily.

"Just get ready and go to university. You are still a child to understand these things."

"Woah! Yesterday that so-called aunty...wait, what’s her name, who is that person again? Yeah, my supposed-to-be aunty, my father’s sister, taunted me to my face, saying I have grown up too boldly to laugh loudly in front of relatives, and literally advised you to look for matches for me as well. And you even agreed with her by nodding your head calmly. Now I am suddenly a kid who shouldn’t question my sister’s future?" Safiya whisper-yelled at her mother.

"Safiya!"

"Didi!" Safiya and her mother turned around to find her sister standing at the doorway, all dolled up. Her slender fingers trembled lightly around the yellow embroidered scarf draped around her shoulder, and her black hair flowed down below her hips. Some curls adorned her round face, framing her small forehead, temples, and cheeks. Her scarf sprawled across her rosy pink salwar suit, almost touching her one-inch heels.

"What’s happening here? I heard your voices from downstairs and rushed here immediately," she asked in a small voice while approaching her sister and mother.

Hoor squeezed Safiya’s hand and signaled her to shut up and not utter a single word about what had happened between them. Safiya looked reluctant and wanted to tell her sister everything that had been happening with the past ten matches. Of course, why wouldn’t she voice her opinion when it’s about her precious sister’s life? But some things are better left unsaid and unheard. She couldn’t tolerate a tear moistening her sister’s eyes.

She deserves the best.

So she decided to keep her mouth shut and play along with her mother.

"Mashallah! My love, you look like a hoor from heaven!" her mother said as she held Shaziya’s hands protectively.

"Literal hoor is you, my beloved mother," Shaziya said with a small smile on her face.

"Of course, you both are hoor from heaven, and I am garbage picked up from a dustbin, right?" Safiya rolled her eyes.

"Naah! You are the light of my life, my Jaan," Shaziya patted her sister’s shoulder lovingly.

Safiya made a bad face at her mother and then hugged her sister tightly after earning a slap from her.

"Okay! Now stop this family milaap. Safiya, go to university; you have an important test today. And Shaziya, my Jaan, wait here in your room. I will call you once they arrive," Hoor patted her head motherly and shoved Safiya out of the room.

AFTER AN HOUR

"It’s not like I am boasting about my daughter, but she is really a good-hearted child, unlike others. She is very sweet, simple, and emotional," Hoor replied.

"What’s her educational qualification?" the man’s mother asked while eyeing Shaziya up and down, who had literally said nothing since she sat before them, all quiet and looking down at her feet.

"She only completed tenth class. Because of our family situation, she couldn’t complete her studies. Her father died when they were kids, so she was forced to give her hand in home maintenance. But she is very intelligent and a fast learner."

"Naim, do you want to talk to her personally?" the elderly woman asked her grandson.

"Yes."

IN SHAZIYA’S ROOM

Naim looked around her room curiously once before settling his blue eyes on her, who appeared somewhat shy and worried.

"Come, sit here," Naim initiated the conversation first, seeing her all silent.

"Ji!" she hummed in a quiet voice and went towards the chair beside him, three feet away from her sister’s study table.

"So, do you like me?" he asked her straightforwardly without beating around the bush.

"Jii?" she looked at him, bewildered. For the first time, she took a full glance at his handsome face.

"Hey! There’s no need to be awkward or uncomfortable with me. Just say whatever is in your mind," he said, looking into her brown eyes.

"Whatever is in your heart. I am all ears," he said, deeply staring into her big brown eyes.

She always believed that words hold so much importance and meaning. But today, she was convinced that words can be powerful and unforgettable.

Especially the ones who say them.

"Just say something, Shaziya. I want to hear your voice. I have been hearing your mother and my family all this while. But the one I want to listen to impatiently is not speaking a word," he inched a bit closer to her chair, almost his knees touching hers.

"That’s unfair to me," he searched her widened eyes, "to my restless heart," he whispered quietly, only she could hear him. Even though they were the only ones left alone in that closed room.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her hands fisted her salwar out of nervousness.

"Do you want to marry me?" he asked directly and continued.

"If you are afraid of this relationship, then we will stop this right here. Because no relationship should be built out of fear or helplessness."

"NO!" she said unknowingly.

"What NO? Shaziya?" he asked her again.

"I-I mean, I want to marry you willingly. Nobody is forcing me into this," she said in one breath and stared at him like a lost ghost.

He took a glance at her confused face and then smiled heartily.

"Then get ready to change your world, Ms. Shaziya Khan. I mean, soon to be Mrs. Shaziya Naim..."

Shaziya blushed and blushed, hiding her head in her hands. She couldn’t believe her lucky stars. Almighty Allah had finally listened to her family and granted her the happiness she had been seeking for all her 27 years.

*****

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Allah Hafiz ✨