***
تیری آرزو نہ مٹا سکے
نہ ہی جان تجھ پر لٹا سکے
یوں تڑپ کـے جلے مگر
نہ ہی اگنی کو دل سے بجھا سکے

Teri arzoo na mita sake
Na hi jaan tujhpe luta sake
Yun tadap tadap ke jalein magar
Na hi agni ko dil se bujha sake

***

"You kutta! Kamina zaleel person! Finally bak hi diya tumne!" Saman shrieked. Finally the truth was out of his mouth.

"Don't make me open my mouth!" Ahad pointed his fingers at her angrily.

"Open it! I dare you. What do you even have on me?" Saman scoffed, folding her hands." But the same can't be said about you, isn't it girls?" She asked, sharing an evil look with her comrades. Sara and Mansha nodded, the same evil glint sparkled in their eyes.

"So what? Yes I like Nadia, yes she likes me too and yes we are dating! So what?" Ahad yelled, forgetting that they were in the living room, the main one and anyone could walk in any moment.

"See, it wasn't that hard to say. So our dear brother this is what we wanted to hear." Saman pushed him back, making him fall on the settee behind." But,how dare you go around sneaking behind our backs?" She leaned towards him with her lethal gaze penetrating holes in his entire self.

Mansha anad Sara too got up from their places and stood on either side of Saman.

Ahad gulped.

"Why should I even tell you?" He asked, trying to feign confidence.

"Huh! Girls look at his audacity."

"We are looking." Mansha replied. Saman and Sara exchanged looks, wanting to face palm and laugh at the same time. Mansha was hilarious when she wasn't trying to.

"Hato teeno, minions ki aulaad."[move aside, minion's children] Ahad tried to push them aside, but then again, it was three against one.

"Kabse chal raha ye sab?"[From when is this going?] Saman asked, stepping away from him. Making him sit up and sigh in relief.

"From november." He answered like a model student.

"It's fucking Feb now!" Saman shrieked again. The betrayal!

"Language Saman!" The rest of them screeched in harmony.

"Language be damned. How can you hide this from us, from your own people and that too for this long? I am more hurt than angry." Saman wiped her fake tears.

"Well, past months weren't all rainbows and sunshine. I had to wait." The three didn't argue on that. He was right.

So, what actually led to this whole chaotic confession was a full proof plan of the three, Saman Sara and Mansha.

From the day they found out about Ahad and Nadia, they had been waiting. Patiently, for him to tell them all of his doings, but it never happened. Time passed and when the three knew for better that Ahad won't spill anything they made a plan.

And their plan succeeded.

But of course after a lot of pushing and pulling.

Saman eyed her two comrades, the one who was already sitting on the execution site while the one who was coming now. Everything was planned to the Z and she was sure today, her team won't return empty handed.

"Mansha come here, see this." She screamed, earning the attention of their target.

"This is the guy, who asked for Nadia's details." She squealed, loud enough for Ahad to hear. He did hear them, and his head snapped towards them at an alarming speed.

Step 1-success.

"Woah, he is so handsome." Mansha spoke.

"Hai na! You know Simra, he is her brother and apparently he saw Nadia in the party and he was bewitched. Well, who wouldn't be Nadia is gorgeous. I am gonna send Nadia's number to simra, he had asked for it"

"Who's gorgeous?" Ahad asked sarcastically.

"Nadia." Saman replied nonchalantly.

"You must surely be blind." He spoke, shaking his head at his own lie.

"And why would anyone want to know about her, and why would you send her number to anyone. What if he is a creep?" Ahad had now walked into the trap the three had laid out.

"He is not a creep, our family knows him. And why shouldn't I help them, who knows they will get married." Saman retorted, watching his face as it morphed into so many emotions.

"You won't do that." Ahad warned.

"I would. You can't stop me."

"I said na you won't send her number to anyone. Nobody needs to know her. " Ahad was looking furious. Saman mentally squealed. They were getting closer to the reveal.

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"And why would I listen to you?" Saman asked, putting her hands on her waist.

"Saman, don't push it." Ahad spoke  grimly.

"I will send her number to whoever  likes her. Why are you jumping in between." Saman asked.

"Yes bhai, why are you causing her trouble? We know their family, this might lead to a nice union." Sara added.

"I said what I said. You won't send her  number." Ahad glared at the three of them

“I will, he likes her.” Saman spoke, gritting her words. She was now losing patience.

"Why are you stopping me when you never cared 2 cents about her before?" 

"Because it's not the same anymore." Ahad all but yelled.

"Why,have you started liking her or something?" Saman pushed more.

"Yes I like her and that's it, you will not send her number to anyone. Do you understand me!"

"You kutta! Kamina zaleel person! Finally bak hu diya tumne!"

"Now what will you do?" Ahad asked, suddenly scared. He did not want elders to find it, not now at least.

"Now what, next badi ammi will get to know,then everyone and then it will be your shadi." Mansha spoke mechanically as if recitingba script.

"No!" Ahad shrieked.

"I mean not yet, it's still too early." He spoke but instead of nods of acknowledgement he found the three frowning at him.

"What do you mean by too early? Why are you trying to hide this, do you plan to ditch her?" Saman asked, again coming in action.

"Are you playing with her bhai? I knew you were foul but this bad?" Sara spoke.

"Are you taking some kind of revenge on her?" Mansha followed the two.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Ahad yelled, getting up in a whiz, making the three stumble back.

"Are you guys crazy? Ya Allah! What have I landed myself in!" He yelled, looking heavenwards.

"Then why wait?"Saman asked.

" I want it to be her decision, we have not discussed if we want to take this to the elders yet." Ahad spoke calmly. "Don't always assume the worst of me." He sounded hurt.

The three shared looks, well they did say hurtful things. Feeling bad for him, the three nodded at each other.

"This, this is what I don't like about you three. What kind of secret code are you talking about?"

"Nothing. We are sorry bhai." Sara said, smiling at him warmly. Saman and Mansha too whispered their apologies. He too grinned back.

"Well if I wanted to, I could have rejected your sorrys but, as you know I am a very fine gentleman, I will forgive you minions." He sassed,folding his hand arrogantly.

"Ajeeb janwar ho tum."[What kind of animal are you?] Saman couldn't help but retort back. She hated it when he acted so mighty, when everyone in the whole haveli knew what he actually was. An A-class idiot.

"Saman zaban sambhal ke."[ hold your tongue!] He pointed his forefinger at her.

"Hato, tumhare samne kyu sambhalun zaban?" [Why should I?]Saman dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"Back off Saman, I am in no mood to fight." He warned.

"Hato tumse kon darta hai."[I am not scared of you.] Saman all but laughed at his face. 

Sara and Mansha exchanged looks ,knowing very well what was coming.

"Saman!"

"Ahad!"

"Ab nahi bachne wali tum." Ahad yelled getting up from his seat with a force making Saman yelp and run.

"Wait till I catch you."

Ahad's yell made her close her eyes in frustration. He never changes, still the same annoying monkey who didn't know when to stop. Increasing her pace Saman made her way towards the stairs, not realizing he had already reached her.

Just as she took the first step Ahad grabbed her braid making her shriek in pain.

"Ahad not the braid!" She cried, a sense of deja vu hitting her.

"Aya maza?" Ahad teased pulling her braid more, making her hiss in pain. She turned towards him with a glare, ready to give him a piece of mind but her eyes fell on Mazhar Chachu who was coming towards them only.  She smiled at Ahad, sickly sweet smile.

Ahad couldn't understand why she was smiling like a psycho but the voice from behind not only startled him but also gave him the reason behind her smile."Ahad kya kar rahe ho? Choro bachi ko." He turned around, releasing her braid.

"Bachon wali harkatein hi khatam nahi hoti tum dono ki."[you guys will never grow up."] Manzar spoke, shaking his head and went away.

Ahad looked at her who was trying her best not to burst out laughing. But the moment their eyes met the two started laughing. Some things really don't change.

"Are we safe now?" Sara's voice yelled from the living room, probably hearing their laughs.

"Sara, your brother can never cause us danger, don't worry." Saman spoke, giving him a sarcastic smile and before Ahad could do anything, ran upstairs.

Panting and huffing, Saman finally reached her room. She wasn't a fool so she was going to avoid going downstairs. She was well aware of all the childish tendencies of Ahad. Closing the door behind her, she slumped on the bed after messaging Sara and Mansha about her whereabouts.

Haveli was quiet right now as it was a sunday afternoon. Most of the elders were probably in their rooms. This was just like how it always was, yet somehow Saman wasn't finding it usual. The silence, the calm which she was so used to, was now becoming too hard to bear.

Everytime, she was in silence her mind would get clouded by only one thing, that had happened a few months ago. It was frustrating, to have her mind rotate the same thing from time to time.

"I will wait for your answer."

How could she give an answer when she herself was unsure of. Even after almost going insane by thinking about it. She didn't know what she felt, as if her own self had suddenly became stranger to herself.

Her feelings, her thoughts and her actions had started betraying her, moving on their accord. She would often find her thoughts tangled, but many other times, her actions would make her question them.

Like why was she aware of the time a certain someone returned home, and why did she make sure after dinner that something was left for him.

Everyday, Saman Shah was finding herself dueling her own mind. One moment her conscience would scream at her, why was she doing it, why was she giving wrong impressions to him. While the next moment she would be doing it again.

"I am going insane." She whispered to herself.

"What am I supposed to answer him and what is he even waiting for!" She cried sitting up.

If she was confused before, she was perplexed to another extent now. 

_____________

Noor opened the curtains of the room and sighed. It was almost noon and she had woken up just a few minutes back. The night was tiring, as it was her night shift yesterday. But what was tiring her more was the absence of the usual warm feel of home.

It has been two days now, enough for any issue to get resolved. But here we were talking about the two of them. Equally stubborn.

"Zeeshan." Noor called, coming out of her room, tying her hair in a low bun. She didn't hear any response even though she knew he was around.

"Did you have breakfast?" She asked again, looking around to find him, only to find the empty apartment mocking her.

"Zeeshan where are you?" She moved around, looking in his office space, then guest room. He wasn't anywhere. As far as she  remembered he had no prior commitments today.

Was he this angry with her?

With a racing heart she made her way towards her room to fetch her phone, but before that she heard the front door open. Sweat beads adorned her forehead at the thought of any intruder.

She had no idea where Zeeshan was and on top of that, someone had opened the locked front door. Her legs felt numb as she made her way towards the main door, with a steel bottle in her hand.

"Noor?" She heard a very familiar voice call. Noor felt herself go cold for a moment and then release a sigh of relief. Putting the bottle aside she made her way towards him.

"Where were you? Why didn't you tell me earlier that you were going somewhere? Do you even know how worried I was?" She yelled, throwing her arms around him.

Zeeshan was caught off guard by her actions but he nevertheless embraced her tightly. He could feel her rapidly beating heart and frowned.

"Noor, why are you so scared? Did something happen?" He asked softly, completely forgetting that they were in a cold war.

"Nothing." She whispered, still clutching him with all her might.

Zeeshan caressed her head and smiled. They have been fighting frequently lately, sometimes due to a reason, while many other times without any. The two of them had been extremely busy the past few weeks and that had left them sensitive. When Noor would be home, Zeeshan would be gone and when he was home, Noor would be on her night shift.

"Love, shall we sit, I am tired and our food is getting cold." Zeeshan spoke gently, separating them.

Noor blinked at him with hazy eyes, making him chuckle. Giving her a small peck on her cheek, Zeeshan pulled her towards the couch. Making her sit, he arranged the food he had just brought in a tray and took a seat beside her.

"Are you okay now?" He asked,finding  her sitting still and zoned out.

Noor jerked, as if broken from a slumber. She nodded at his question and wiped her hand on her face.

"Why didn't you inform me before leaving? I thought it was some intruder." Noor spoke with furrowed brows.

"You were sleeping and I knew you were tired." He replied, dishing out her food.

"But I was-"

"Noor, shh. Have this first, we have fought enough to last us weeks without any more." Zeeshan's voice was calm and serene, as if it wasn't like they were shouting at each other last night.

Noor watched him for a prolonged moment, making him gesture towards the plate in front of her. She nodded vaguely and then concentrated on the appetizing chole bhature.

She smiled, she had mentioned many days before that she was craving this.

Having done with their brunch, the two cleaned up the dishes and retired back on the couch.

"Zeeshan, I am sorry." Noor whispered, breaking the silence.

"What for? It wasn't your fault. We were just sensitive and tired." Zeeshan replied, turning towards her. Noor shook her head, as if not wanting to accept that.

"No, I should have asked them to change my shift, it was possible." She reasoned, her voice wavering as she spoke.

"Your work requires a lot already from you Noor and Ma sha Allah. It is a noble profession so you shouldn't say sorry for doing such a beautiful job. And besides, it's absolutely fine for us to fight." Zeeshan chuckled at his own last sentence. Noor wasn't satisfied but. 

Zeeshan sighed and holding her hand pulled her towards him and laid back on the couch, with her almost on top of him. If Noor was surprised by his actions she didn't say anything.

"All your life you have suppressed what you wanted to say Noor, I know this because it was you and there was no way I wasn't paying attention to you. But now, with me, you can say anything you wish to say." Zeeshan was rubbing her back soothingly while she closed her eyes, listening to him and just him.

" You can fight with me to your heart's content, yell at me, the only thing you can't do is hide what you feel." He completed making her raise her head and look at him with glittery eyes. Her lips wobbled as she tried to form any word.

"I love you." Noor whispered, her voice heavy with emotions.

"I love you too." Zeeshab replied, making her lay down back.

"I have applied for leave. When are we leaving?" She asked after a while.

The election Fahad had nominated for was over and the results were out too. Luckily he was able to succeed, that too with a great margin. Their family had been active in politics for three generations and the past years were enough proof of their good work.

"Tomorrow, we can leave in the morning or evening, whenever you wish." Zeeshan replied.

Noor nodded and again closed her eyes, smuggling more into him. Zeeshan smiled, holding her tightly. Time stopped right there and nothing else mattered now.

____________

Afternoon brought a lot of chaos with it as the whole haveli was alive again. Excitement of the result that was announced yesterday was still lingering. Also the pride of producing another successful leader from the Shah family.

"Chai taiyaar hai?"[Tea's ready?] Munazza asked, entering the kitchen,where most of the ladies of the house alongwith the house help were present.

"Ji bhabhi." Nausheen replied, gesturing to the girls to pick up the trays. With the elderly ladies in the front, all of them made their way towards the living room.

"Munazza, send our tea to the front room." Anwar spoke getting up along with his brothers, Fahad and Armaan.

"Why are you still here?" Mahi asked seeing Ahad plopped on the ground with Mansha and Sara.

"Politics doesn't excite this gentleman bhabhi." He replied grinning ear to ear.

"Politics tumhe samajh bhi nahi ane wali." [You can't understand even if you want to.] Saman smirked.

"Dekh rahin ammi. I am not starting anything." He immediately turned to his mother who dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Nobody listens to him!

Their banter died down as Mahi chided them to stop.

"Armaan doesn't listen to me at all." Nausheen sighed, earning Saman's attention. The mere mention of his name was enough.

"Kitna kehti hun shadi karlo lekin ye ladka sunta hi nahi hai."[ I ask him to get married and he just stalls the topic.] Saman's head snapped towards her aunt at a lightning speed.

"Why don't you search for a girl yourself. I am sure he wouldn't refuse your choice." Rameesha spoke while sipping her tea. Saman glared at her, even though Rameesha couldn't see.

"I have seen some, but after all Armaan has to agree first." Nausheen replied.

"Han Naushi, let the guy decide for himself. He is a sensible child, I am sure he will make a good decision." Munazza said, smiling softly.

Saman didn't find her smile nice like she used to.

Whatever happened further didn't interest her, as her mind was still stuck to the conversation she had overheard.

She couldn't help but think about it, relentlessly. Her clogged head couldn't register when afternoon turned into evening and when evening into night.

She laid on her bed with her arms spread and head almost hanging by the edge, while her heart was as erratic as it was in the afternoon.

The idea of him married to someone wasn't settling well with her. It felt as if her insides were clenching at the mere thought of it. This shouldn't trouble her so much, it was meant to happen. Yet here she was, restless and anxious.

But what about the things he said to her that night. Was that a lie?  Was he playing with her?

Numerous questions clouded her mind making her cry out in frustration. She needed to find closure. And she knew where she had to go to find the answers to her as well as his questions.

__________________

Assalamualaikum everyone.

A very early update for all of you.

A notice- for the next update you guys have to wait for a longer period of time, maybe two to three months. I hope you understand and be patient.

Until then stay tuned.

Vote and comment alot.

Choolha- mud stove