'Na kabhi mohabbat ki, na iske mayne jane.
Unki nigahon se nigahein kya mili,
Hum ho gaye unke deewane.'
~Mehek Syed
Mahoor's POV
"Mahoor, yeh lo ek aur naan. Tumhe, pasand hai isiliye hamesha Zorawar se keh ke main extra naan mangati hu nihari ke saath." Khala mummy pushed a naan on my plate and smiled lovingly.
Seyran chuckled, "Naan nahi ek extra rumaal pass karein, madam ke aakhon ki taaki joh khali ho rahi hai."
I sniffed. If the bruises on my face didn't make me cry, these damn eye lenses surely did. It's already been an hour and the water continues to stream down my face.
I was wearing lenses for the very first time in my life and had to keep it for at least a whole day to get used to it.
Seyran clicked her tongue and pinched my cheek, "Aww, mummy ki yaad aa rahi hai? Rote nahi, mumma ka baby, mummy aa jayegi."
I slapped her hand away, she threw her head back and laughed.
I love this woman immensely, to my death actually but if she keeps annoying me like this, I'd have no other option but to push her off from the terrace of her building.
"Khi, khi karo sirf tum." I mocked her which was of no use as she kept chuckling, seeing the next stream of tears pass down my cheek.
"Mummy aa jayegi, Mahi. Aise aap ro tou nahi. Yeh lo," She gripped the candy which was near her plate and forwarded it to me, "Jab tak mumma nahi aajati yeh khau."
My nose flared in anger. If the burning of my eyes weren't sufficient, Seyran's jokes were like the petrol to the fire.
I looked at khala ammi as I wiped my cheek,"Khala ammi, isey kahe chup hojane."
Khala ammi peered at Seyran and narrowed her eyes a little, "Seyran, aaj ke liye kafi hai. Khane do bechari ko sukoon se abhi."
Seyran sat up straight at the glare and I flashed my teeth to her in victory.
"Ha, ha ab pyari dulari bhanji aayi hai tou aap ab iske side loge, iss pe hi pyar barsao."
I stuck out my tongue, "Pure saal pyar leti ho unsey ab main kuch dino ke liye thoda le lu toh tera kya jata hai bey?"
Before Seyran could retort back Khala ammi jumped in, "Kitni dafa kaha hai aise baat nahi karo? Ab bhai bhi aaye hue hai Dubai se toh bambai ki zuban nahi bolo yaha. Varna woh sab Munni, tumhe naam rakhenge joh mujhse bardasht nahi hoga."
I huffed. Whenever I come to Hyderabad, this is what khala ammi reminds me always.
Aise nahi baat karo, Mahoor!
My relatives thought that I was a spoiled brat who was brought up in Mumbai due to which i hear things like,
'Mumbai ka mahol hai aisi hi tapori baat karte hai..'
'Waha ke logo mein uthna baithna rakh ke apna, aulad ki bhi tarbiyat sahi se nahi ki isiliye beti bigad gayi hai.'
'Mumbai ki ladki hai na bado se toh zuban ladayegi hi.'
'Ladko se bhi baat karti hai aur woh bhi muskura muskura kar.'
And the list never ends..
Khala ammi stood up with her plate and looked at me, "Thode dino ke liye zara dheemi awaz mein baat karo, thoda dheere haso aur ladko se toh baat hi nahi karo. Maine yeh baat Seyran se bhi kahi hai," I looked at Seyran, her brows were creased together as she gave me a look saying, 'thode din bardasht karlo.' And I just rolled my eyes.
Khala ammi went to the kitchen and I whispered harshly which was only audible to Seyran, "Kuch log humein judge karenge, hamari character ki dhajjiya udayenge isiliye hum muh bandh kar ke baithenge?"
Seyran blinked her eyes rapidly and whacked her hand on my head. I winced and slapped her on her arm,"Bhai, badi hai tu 6 mahine iska matlab yeh nahi kabhi bhi haath saaf kare apna mujh pe."
"Ouch! Lagana mujhe."
"Toh mujhe bhi aisi hi dard hua!"
Seyran rolled her eyes, "We are even. Yaaro, dekho. Yaha ka mahol conservative hai aur tum janti ho na mami ko toh mauka chahiye humara naam jhande pe chadane ke liye. Isiliye mummy ki baat sun lo woh sirf humein salah de rahi hai jis wajah se kisi ko humein bolne ka koi mauka nahi mile,"She paused and filled the glass with water, "Agar nanu ke ghar sari yeh shadi ki rasamein nahi ho rahi hoti na, qasmey khudaya! Woh aurat ki shakal nahi dekhu main.
I nodded. I knew khala ammi always wanted the best for us and she didn't like the way people passed judgements or their brutal opinions on us so, she always asked and advised us to keep it all low.
Par?
All this seems impossible to me because I have a loud personality. Even if I talk, people would ask me to talk at a slower pace. The sound of my laughter was out of this universe. It would resonate in the whole room or in the whole house. Because I laughed either like a mad hyena or the sound of my chortles would echo as the truck's roaring sound. I love interacting with people. That's why whoever comes up to me and initiates a conversation, regardless of the gender, I'd just blabber with them.
That's why Seyran called me a social butterfly.
On the other hand, Seyran was an introvert. She was more like on the delicate side of the earth. I mean, the girl spoke softly at a very low pitch. Even the sound of her laugh didn't prick anyone's ear. It was very musical and fragile at the same time which I didn't mind hearing forever. She didn't like interacting with people, so I guess it was much easier for her.
Par mere hi L lagte hai..
I felt someone shaking my shoulder and i turned to see it was Seyran, "La la land se bahar niklo aur shopping ko chalo. 3:30 yahi ho gaye hai, aada din humne sone mein nikaal dia ab nahi nikle toh Rehan bhai ghar sir pe utha lenge."
My brows furrowed and I stood up with my plate, I followed Seyran behind me, "Zorawar bhaiya kyu nahi aa rahe humare sath shopping pe?"
I reached Hyderabad in the morning at 4:30 a.m. The winter season and Zorawar bhaiya along with Seyran welcomed me with open arms. He and Seyran were already waiting for me at the platform.
I thought we three would go together as Bhai genuinely enjoyed our company even if we had a huge age gap, it didn't bother us.
Our bond was unbreakable which I valued the most.
"Kyuke Afghanistan se uske dost aa rahe hai. Toh unhe woh pehle baba ka ghar dikhayega fir yaha leke aayega. Aur woh dono humare samne wale flat mein rahenge jab tak Valima nahi ho jata." Khala ammi said while chopping garlic.
"Aur mujhe yeh ab kyu pata chal raha hai?"
Seyran shrugged, "Mujhe bhi aaj subah pata chala hai."
I hummed.
Khala ammi looked at both of us and pointed her knife at us, at which mine and Seyran's eyes broadened, "Tehzeeb se paish aana woh ladko ke saath kyu ki unki khidmat humne hi karni hai toh zyada khi khi nahi karna! Samjhi, dono?"
Me and Seyran nodded meekly and ran away to the room to get our shawls. Sometimes, Khala ammi can be frightening like a demon.
While Seyran was searching for her shawl, I looked in the mirror. The bruises were still there and the treatment of Ayan didn't work. They might last for a week or two. Till now we haven't gone to my nanu's house which was right across from khala ammi's house in the alley where everyone was there.
When Khala Ammi saw my face, her eyes filled with tears. She got immensely worried and didn't let me go until she took me to the doctor and got me all checked.
She even told my other khala and mamu that when I was going to the college I got hit by a bike and got hurt.
She took care of the matter so I don't have to give clarifications for the decoration on my face.
Another stream of water flowed down my face and I wiped them out with the tissue paper. My eyes and nose turned slightly red.
I covered my head with the shawl and wrapped it around my torso. Giving a last look to myself in the mirror, I turned around to see Seyran talking on the phone.
"Accha, aani bhi aa rahe hai? Koi baat nahi. Hum utar hi rahe hai, taiyar hai hum dono, acha.." the call continued before she hung up.
Seyran put her cellphone in her handbag and covered her head with the shawl, which fell off while she was talking to Rehan bhai on the call.
"Chalo, Mahoor. Bhai neeche khade hai aur Isha ani aur hadia baji bhi aa rahe hai."
"Shaaapping karenge, shaaapping karenge.." Following Seyran's lead, I sang and danced and she only chuckled at my antics.
â¢â¡ï¸â¢
Third person's POV
"Uff, Lahore mein iss waqt din mein mausam sard hota hai." Arya said while fanning himself who was sitting behind Altan on the Royal Enfield.
They landed in Hyderabad,India an hour ago. Both the parties didn't rest at all whereas Arya threw a fit about how he needed to sleep at least for three hours to shake off the jet lag.
But Altan's one hard glare had him up on his toes.
Arya saw a board of Hyderabadi haleem passing by and tapped Altan's shoulder hysterically.
"Haleem, haleem, haleem. Piche reh gayi.. Rok phatphati, rok!"
Altan rolled his eyes and rode fast, "Waha jake joh khana hai kha lena ab chup raho varna tumhe dhakka de kar neeche girane mein do second nahi lagenge."
Arya pouted and scratched his fake french beard, "Ek toh yeh dadhi itni chub rahi hai aur upar se tum mujhe bhooka maar rahe ho."
Altan balanced the Enfield with one hand and jabbed his elbow in Arya's gut, making him release a string of profanities.
"Abhi toh sirf bhooka maar raha hu, tumhara muhn bandh nahi hua toh zinda dafan hi kar dunga."
Arya rubbed the aching area, "Ha, ha khana khilane ke baad shauk se dafan kar dena. Bhooka marne ka koi shauk nahi mujhe."
Altan ignored his blabbering. He himself was disguised as a man whom nobody else except Arya would recognise..
His sea green eyes were hidden behind by the light brown lens. He shaved his original stubble and put on a fake long ducktail beard.
They were on their way to Zorawar's maternal bungalow. Their belongings were still at a resort which would be sent by the staff as they provided the moving facility through rapido.
Altan's head was a mess. He didn't like anybody talking unnecessarily to him. Due to his high and very muscular build, people would stay away which he sadistically enjoyed.
His aura and presence screamed menace. Everything about this man was treacherous and he himself never hid it away from the world.
It was thirty past four in the afternoon. As the golden hour began, soft chilled air whirled around.
Altan stopped at the red lights of the traffic signal and Arya's bickering didn't seem to shut which was annoying the shit out of him.
His eyes wandered around and fell on a woman who was sitting in the back passenger seat of a car which was quiet far away.
Her left side of the face was concealed with her palm and a white shawl was covering her head.
This left Altan intrigued.
He leaned back a bit to get a clear view of the lady but still he couldn't get to see the vision he wished for.
The woman was bargaining with a man who was selling fairy light bottles. She took the bottle and paid the amount. The vendor moved ahead to another car.
Altan didn't waver his eyes away from the woman who seemed to have caught his attention.
The woman drew her hand away from the side of her face. She lifted her gaze and her eyes clashed with his.
The soft rays of the sun fell directly on her face, making the brown of her dark eyes look like the wet soil of the earth.
The not so long but thick lashes were curled up beautifully and guarded the beauty of those eyes.
The wheatish complexion of her skin shone like a firefly sparked in the night. Her nose and cheeks bloomed in a soft pink color just like the hues of a rose scatter in the sky during a sunset.
Altan's breath hitched. His heartbeat fastened and his hands fell off from the handle of the Enfield, seeing the dreamlike enchantress.
Those eyes bewitched his entire existence and everything around him blurred.
He couldn't wave his gaze away. It was as if he was pushed into a spell of magic where only that woman and him were present where he could only see rainbows and everything was as gentle as the petals of the flowers.
A shiver ran down his spine, seeing a stray tear fall from her eye.
Before he could bask in the delicacy of her eyes, the red lights turned into green. The woman turned away from his vision and the car drove past him, leaving his entire self feeling senseless and empty.
He stood there lost. His eyes looking at the car getting far away from his vision.
"Sultan," Someone shook his shoulder harshly, pulling him back to reality.
He blinked his eyes and turned to see Arya giving him a weird look.
"Chalega? Signal kab ki hari ho gayi."
Altan nodded and roared the engine of the bike to life but the continuous blaring of the horns fucking annoyed him.
He looked back and snarled at the people who kept blowing the horn of their vehicles, "Oh bhench*d! Sabr kar lo, nikal raha hu. Zindagi bhar ki fursat aaj hi mili hai tum sab ko jo ghar se nikle ho?"
Arya raised his eyes at Altan's sudden outburst as Altan rode the bike away.
"Kya hogaya hai, Sultan? Kyu aise bomb ki tarah phate jaa raha hai? Aisa kya.. oh bhai left lena tha humne, seedha kyu jaa raha hai?"
"Hum pehli baar jaa rahe hai Zorawar ke ghar, khali haath nahi jayenge."
'Kitna jhoot bolega, Altan?'
'Woh bhi kis liye? Woh ladki jisey nazar bhar dekha nahi uske liye?'
He shook his head. The voices in his mind were probably very dangerous and brutally honest which were now distracting him.
The car wouldn't have gone far away. He thought or he wanted to believe so. Altan accelerated the Enfield to 120kmph, shocking the life out of Arya.
"Oye! Mujhe marne ka shauk nahi hai. Kya kar raha hai, Altan? Dheere chala!" Arya yelled which Altan didn't get to hear properly.
His eyes wandered around the road looking for that one white SUV.
His lungs released a breath of relief at the sight of the familiar car. He cringed at himself for even letting such concepts cross his mind but it was too late.
He slowed down the bike as the SUV took a turn to the Charminar and followed behind.
He parked his bike far away from the car and got down as he saw four women and a man getting out of the car.
His eyes ceased at the lady with white shawl whose hand was tangled with another woman as they all moved towards the main bazar.
"Tum kuch le lena, main abhi aaya." Altan threw the keys to Arya who clumsily caught it and sprinted towards the direction where the woman went off to.
"Isey ho kya gaya hai aaj?" Arya thought.
Altan was stunned to see the huge crowd of the bazaar. As the sun was setting down, the crowd only kept getting bigger in number.
Nonetheless, he was pleased that he didn't lose the trace of the woman about whom he was peculiar.
Thanks to his huge 6 '4 build, he could see and follow her from a distance even in the swarm of the people.
The lady stopped at a stall of bangles with her sister or whoever she was. He stood at another jewellery shop pretending to buy some stuff.
But his eyes, his ears actually his whole senses were only focusing on the woman who was wearing a shawl.
"Yeh kaisa rahega? Mere woh teal color ke peplum pe match karega?" He heard her saying.
"Nahi, yeh nahi dusra dekho. Bada old fashion lag raha hai yeh."
"Yaar, mujhe yahi accha lag raha hai!"
"Mahoor, yeh acha hai par old..." He couldn't hear what the other lady said further.
As his mind got stuck on one thing actually in one name, Mahoor.
The mysterious woman now had a name and she was no longer a lady with a white shawl.
'Mahoor' he whispered under his breath as his lips tugged upwards and he liked the way her name rolled off his tongue.
'Ek hoor ke liye hooron wali hi naam.'
He wasn't able to see her face, her back was enough for his sight
The only thing that brought him to her was her eyes. He did see her face but seeing it from a distance didn't satisfy him.
"Chalo dusri stall pe dekhte hai,"
"Arey yaar, Seyran." Mahoor followed Seyran and Altan followed both the ladies.
"Dheere baat karo, yu public mein zor se baat karna achi baat nahi."
Mahoor rolled her eyes, "Haa, ab tu bhi meri maa ban jaa. Certificate la du? Mummy wala official tag lag jayega tumko."
Altan was maintained a few good feet away from the duo, still he could hear what Mahoor was talking about.
His lips threatened to spread in a smile, hearing the nagging of the woman.
'Dilchasp insan hai..'
His medley of sentiments broke, as a man crashed with Altan's front, resulting in him and the man to fall down.
Altan stood up and dusted his clothes. The man got up angrily and marched towards him, "Andha hai kya, miya? Dekh teri wajah se mera kitna nuksan ho gaya. Ab iski bharpayi kaun karega?"
Altan looked back at the broken glasses and many other things which were scattered on the ground.
Altan's eyes darkened in rage as he curled his fingers into a fist, "Tu khud mujhse takraya hai aur main iski qeemat kyu ada karu? Bewakoof samjha hai?"
The man inched forward and pointed a finger towards him, "Tum jaiso ku sadak pe chalna aata nahi aur hum gareebon pe apni akad nikalte ho. Chup chup se mere ku mere paise dio aur chalte bano tum varnaa.."
Altan grabbed the man by the collar and snarled, "Varna? Varna kya kar lega?"
The man shook in fear. All the arrogance left his body and every emotion was replaced by terror.
"Ja..jane do, bhaiya. Nakku dio, paise. Nahi hona ek rupay bhi."
Altan let go of the man harshly. If it was his fault, he'd have surely paid the amount of the expense but here, the man purposely collided with him to take out some money from him.
The man collected his things and went sprinting away.
Altan looked at his front to see where Mahoor was but there was no sight of her.
He moved through the crowd with very difficulty and looked everywhere to get a glimpse of her but he got none.
He went to every shop, every stall and alley to search for her but he didn't even get a glance of hers.
It was as if she wasn't there in the first place and he was just hallucinating.
She vanished into thin air.
Altan sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Madarch*d, sala woh aadmi! Ab dikh bhi gaya toh kahi, maar hi dalunga jaan se!"
He was frustrated. He didn't know why this was affecting him so much because she was just a woman who meant nothing to him. He wanted the answers and he got none which was adding more to his misery.
Because of that one particular bizarre man, he lost sight of hers and now that she was gone, she was gone forever.
â¢â¡ï¸â¢
"Arey lo, yaar. Kuch kha hi nahi rahe tum toh."
Zorawar pushed the plate of curry puff into Altan's hand who forcibly took it.
"Yeh tumhara ghar hai?" Arya asked while chewing the samosa.
Zorawar smiled, "Nahi. Yeh mere nanu ka ghar hai. Hum log toh subhash nagar mein rehte hai bass yeh ammi ke armaan the ki Hadia ke sab shadi ki rasmein yaha ho toh isiliye sari rasmein yaha ho rahi hai aur wedding hall bhi yaha se kareeb hai."
Arya nodded and looked at Altan.
He looked disinterested.
'When the hell he doesn't?' Arya thought.
The dark brown eyes, a stray tear falling from her eye, her rosy cheeks and nose, the white shawl, her voice...
Mahoor.
Everything kept playing on loop before his eyes. He couldn't take her off of his mind even if he tried to, he did not succeed.
Throughout the journey to Zorawar's maternal home, Altan couldn't concentrate while riding on the bike. So, he switched seats with Arya who gave him a weird look but was concerned about him as he was behaving strangely.
He would question him about his odd behavior later.
"Kya main puch sakta hu yeh nakli dadhi kyu lagayi hui hai tum dono ne? Altan, tumne toh brown lens bhi pehne hai. Sab khair toh hai?"
Altan kept the plate on the coffee table, "Isi silsile mein tumse baat karni thi."
"Haa, kaho."
"Hum kisi ko salo se dhund rahe hai aur woh iss shadi mein sharik hone wala hai. Usey aur puri dunia ko humara asli roop pata hai isiliye yeh hoolia dala hua hai. Aur mujhe tum Altan nahi mere dusre naam Haider se pukaroge."
Zorawar nodded and looked at Arya, "Aur tumhe?"
Arya smiled cheekily and held out his palm for a handshake, "Hi, I am Aryan."
Zorawar laughed and Altan rolled his eyes.
Zorawar shook his hand, "Nice to meet you, Aryan."
"Pleasure is all mine, Zor." Arya cooed, making Zorawar cringe at his tone.
"Chalo, main tumhe tum log ki rehne ki jagah dikha deta hu. Aaram kar lo. Aur fikar nahi karo, khane peene ka sab ki taiyari maine kar li hai. Main, meri behen aur meri khala tum dono ki khatirdari mein koi kami nahi chodenge."
Altan stood up, "Shukriya tumhara par hamari wajah se apni behno ko aur khala ko takleef mat do."
They got out of the room and walked towards the back gate of the bungalow.
Zorawar shook his head, "Takleef ki koi baat nahi, tum toh ho hi apne."
Arya scoffed, "Mai nahi hu kya? Sirf yahi sagga hai tera?"
Zorawar snickered as he opened the gate of the exit, "Ho bhai, tum bhi ho."
Upon exiting the house, the men heard a loud feminine voice, "Uff.. Mere se yeh saman nahi uthaya jayega akele, main Zorawar bhaiya ko bula rahi hu, lo yeh toh aa gaye."
The three men stepped outside the house and saw the two women standing near the apartment across from them.
And between one of them, took Altan's breath away.
He couldn't believe his eyes that she was now in front of him. He thought that he would never get to see her again.
Mahoor and Seyran, both stood outside their apartment which was right across from their nanu's bungalow.
Zorawar moved towards the sister duo, "Tum log aa gayi itni jaldi?"
Mahoor nodded and Seyran wrapped the shawl a bit tighter around her shoulder as it was already dark outside and the cold kept on increasing.
Mahoor's eyes fell upon the two men who were standing near her nanu's gate, both of them staring at the trio.
Her eyes widened and she gasped, "Khala ne kaha tha ladke aa rahe hai, yeh toh mushtande hai bhai."
Zorawar and Seyran's eyes broadened in astonishment as they knew Mahoor had no filter to her mouth but now wasn't the right moment to open her mouth.
As realization kicked in her nerves, Mahoor slapped her hand on her mouth.
Altan's lips twitched in amusement. The woman was something else.
"Al.." Zorawar cleared his throat upon realising he was about to call them by their real names.
"Haider, Aryan, yaha aa jau."
They both nodded and strode towards the apartment.
Mahoor and Seyran backed off a little in fear as the two men who stood in front of them were too huge for their eyes.
"You don't need to be scared." Arya smiled lovingly.
Mahoor stretched her neck up and smiled hesitantly, "We aren't scared. It's just we never witnessed such men who are so tall and muscular. I..I am sorry for my comment, I didn't mean to come off as a rude person."
"It's okay aisa..."
"Koi baat nahi."
Altan's voice grabbed everyone's attention and Mahoor had to stretch her neck a bit more up to look at him as he was really tall and if she wouldn't stretch her neck back to look at him, she'd only be able to see his chest.
'Bhai, kaha se aaye hai yeh pahad?' She thought to herself
Altan looked at Mahoor and spoke softly, "Humein aisi nazar se sab dekhte hai par kisi mein itni himmat nahi hoti ke apne khayal bol dein. Tumne kaha wohi tareef ki baat hai."
Mahoor smiled genuinely, "Shukriya par mera koi ghalat matlab nahi tha, dil se na lagaye aap meri baaton ko."
'Ab tumko hi dil se laga baitha hu main.'
The smile of hers pulled the strings of his heart into a soft rhythm and he could feel the pounding of his beating organ even in his ears.
"Tumhara naam?" Altan asked softly. He knew her name already and he wanted to hear it from her.
Arya looked at Altan in horror. The 'Altan' he knew had never spoken softly to any woman, not even to Jannat. He had this manly and dominating voice which always echoed in orders and power.
Now him being soft was astonishing for him.
Mahoor looked at Zorawar for approval who smiled and nodded in agreement.
Mahoor held out her hand, "Mahoor Durrani."
Altan looked at her small palm and engulfed in his huge one.
He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have taken her hand in his. Just a mere touch of her hand against his, sent down electric chills in his body.
He shook her hand, "Haider Mirza."
He hated his middle name with a passion and wanted to introduce himself as Altan.
He wanted to be real and true to her and he didn't know why but lying to her didn't feel right to him.
"Acha laga aap se mil kar." Mahoor said.
Altan nodded and Seyran introduced herself to him and he bobbed his head in return.
"Ladies. You are ignoring the lover boy here."
Mahoor and Seyran chuckled at Arya's statement.
Seyran held out her hand to him, "Seyran Rahmani."
Arya shook her hand, "Aryan Sahai."
"And you already know me, Mahoor Durrani." Mahoor said and shook his hand.
"Oh, of course. You both have beautiful names." Arya complimented and the girls thanked him.
Altan kept his mouth shut because he didn't know what to say. He only kept staring at her. Now that he was standing near her, he got a proper view of what she looked like.
Her almond shaped eyes were russet brown in color. He cannot pin point out the actual color of it but they were dark. She had a wheatish complexion which shone in the sun. There were two moles on her left cheek and one on the right cheekbone. Her eyelashes were thick but they weren't either long or short. Her teeth were covered by silver braces and soft tendrils of hair were sneaking out of the shawl which covered half of her head and body. Her round apple cheeks made her look more adorable. The girl didn't have a double chin but wasn't blessed with a sharp jawline either. She had a five feet six inch frame which was a normal height. She wasn't skinny, she had a perfect healthy body which was convenient according to her height.
There were bruises too on her face which didn't go unnoticed by him.
The corner of her lip was busted, her right cheekbone was swollen which was bruised and a cut on her eyebrow.
It clearly looked like she got into a fight with someone.
He wanted to ask the question but knew it wasn't his place so he acted like he didn't see.
And he knew how it felt when people would point out the marks or make fun of it.
He's been through a terrible phase of life which taught him better.
In all, she was the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
"Tum log yaha khadi kyu ho?" Zorawar asked the duo sister breaking the chain of Altan's thoughts.
Seyran sighed, "Hum log ke hatho yeh bartan bhijaye hai mamu ne aur store room mein rakhne ke liye kaha. Humne kaha bhi hum peeche ki gate se jate hai ghar samne hi hai par unhone zabardasti samne ke darwaze se bheja aur hum thakk gaye aur yeh bartan nahi uthaye jayenge humse."
Zorawar's jaw clenched, "Mujhe call karna chahiye tha. Mazdoor ho dono? Joh bawarchi ke bartan tum dono ko kaha le jane?"
Mahoor placed her hand on Zorawar's bicep and caressed it, "Chill, Zorawar. Gussa aapko suit nahi karta."
She emphasized on the name knowing clearly how much Zorawar despises it when Mahoor called him by his name instead of bhai and she did it intentionally to annoy him which gave her joy.
Altan looked at her hand on Zorawar's bicep and he didn't like it. She called him by his name and it unlocked a level of analysis of his brain.
'Shayad Zorawar mangetar ho Mahoor ka?'
He thought.
Zorawar clutched her ear not enough to hurt her, "Kitni dafa kaha hai bhai bolo. 12 saal bada hu tumse aur naam keh ke pukarogi toh pitogi."
Mahoor winced and held his hand, "Accha, baigan ki kasam ainda se naam nahi se bulaungi. Ab toh kaan chodein meraaa."
Zorawar rolled his eyes. Whereas, Seyran and Arya chuckled, Altan was relieved knowing that this was a sibling bond and nothing else.
Zorawar looked at Altan and Arya, "Mafi dosto par main yeh batana bhool gaya yeh dono meri khala ki beti hai."
"Aap dono saggi behne hai?" Arya asked.
Seyran shook her head, "Yeh meri badi khala ki beti hai par umar mein mujhse 6 mahine choti hai."
Mahoor continued, "Meri ammi, Zorawar bhaiya ke ammi se choti hai aur main yeh dono se."
"Aww, tum teeno close lag rahe ho? Ho kya sacchi mein?" Arya inquired.
Altan mentally thanked Arya for interviewing them or else if he'd have thrown such questions, it'd sound so odd and weird to himself and Arya would have doubted him because he never took an interest towards anyone.
And now his sudden lureness towards Mahoor was blowing his peace.
"Arey agar kidney ki zarurat bhi ho toh hum ek dusre ko kidney yu aankh bandh kar ke de dein. Ek dum fevicol ka jod hai humara." Mahoor said happily, making Seyran and Zorawar smile at her goofiness.
Arya chuckled and a smile threatened to escape on Altan's face. This was probably the first day of his thirty-one years of life, where he was tending to glower in contentment.
And only one woman was the sole reason behind it.
Mahoor.
"Accha. Tum dono upar chalo aur woh flat unlock karo hum teeno yeh saman le aate hai."
Mahoor raised her eyebrows, "Pakka utha layenge? Ya beech mein gira denge? Takat hai itni ya fir madad karu kuch?"
Zorawar glared at Mahoor who smiled sheepishly.
"Accha, accha jaa rahe hai."
Mahoor and Seyran swiveled around to leave. Seyran walked into the apartment but Mahoor stopped and turned around to remind Zorawar about something.
But she forgot everything as her gaze fell upon Altan,
Her eyes met his,
Apocalypse.
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Mahoor aur Altan ka milan ho gaya..
Le my heart:Ab jake aaye mere bechain dil ko qarar.
My school's best friend, Aliza got married on Saturday. Throughout the whole week, I was busy and didn't get any time to edit.
I hope you all understand, you have to -_-
The scene where Altan sees Mahoor for the first time will forever be etched in my heart as it's very special to me.
I hope that I'll be able to live a moment like this in future, please Allah jiðð¼
Also, vote, comment and share. Leave your reviews about this chapter ;)