22. Wait for me

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Ziah stared mindlessly at her surroundings. Aliya had left with Kabir right after Major Mathur, claiming that they'll be back tomorrow morning and would depart together for the airport, meanwhile Daiyan and Parizad stayed at the mansion.

She sat alone in the living room. The commotion on the floor above was heard till where she was or maybe even beyond that. A smile rested on her lips as she wrapped her hands around herself, comforting herself while the others seemed busy in their own tasks.

"Mama, yaar, itna saman kyu rakh rahi ho?"

Marwan groaned as he watched his mother piling clothes and snacks and towels and whatnot in his duffle bag that seemed to be getting heavier with every passing minute.

Madiha ignored her son's words. This wasn't the first time he was departing from home but that did nothing to ease her worries for her son's safety.

"Mama.."

Marwan got up from the bed and gripped Madiha's shoulders gently. His eyes darted from the anxious form of his mother to his duffle bag and he controlled in a heavy sigh seeing the items overflowing at this point.

"Mama, yaha baitho."

Madiha shook her head, not a word escaping her lips.

Seeing no other way, Marwan with a tender force made her sit on the edge of the bed and kneeled down in front of her. Taking her palms in his, he smiled up at his mother who's eyes seemed misty, clouded with tears that weren't ready to fall.

"In pyari pyari aakho mein aasu ache nahi lagte hai, senorita..."

He cooed at Madiha who swatted his hand away with a glare, silently asking him to stop with those poor lines.

Marwan gasped in fake hurt, one of his hands kept hold on Madiha's left palm while the other raised itself to clutch his wounded heart.

"Mama, stop crying-"

"I'm not c-crying."

"Yeah, your eyes are just sweating."

He rolled his eyes at Madiha who smacked the back of Marwan's head with a not-so soft force. Wincing at the sudden attack, he sat cross-legged on the ground, staring at Madiha with his face placed in between his palms and his elbows supported on his thighs.

"Hato ab, packing karni baki hai."

Madiha tried to get up but was pulled back again by her son. Marwan looked between the bag and her before raising an eyebrow in question.

"Jagah bachi hai aur kuch daal ne ke liye?"

"You-"

She raised her hand to hit him again but Marwan quickly crawled a little back with wide eyes.

"Allah, mama, why have you turned so abusive all of a sudden?"

Madiha glared at her son for his choice of words after putting her hand down. Trying to hide her sniffles as much as possible, she looked away from him and towards the surroundings.

Marwan's stance softened more if possible. With a smile playing on his lips and mirth in his eyes, he came up to Madiha and gave her a tight side hug, sitting beside her on the plush bed.

"Mama, bolo toh kya hua hai. You're never this upset."

"Bas kuch ajeeb si feeling hai. It's not letting me be at peace."

She finally whispered.

Madiha avoided her son's eyes. The unsettling sensation in her guts that felt more like an intuition than something physical was making her sane thoughts go haywire. It wasn't the first time she was letting her son step into a dangerous territory, but it sure as felt the first time for her feelings.

"Mama, pet kharab hua hoga. I'll make some tea."

Marwan nodded his head in deep thought even though the mischief was clear as day on his face. Madiha narrowed her eyes at her son and raised her hand to smack him again, making Marwan cower a little though as she stared at him, she could only place a gentle hand on the top of his head.

Marwan peeked a look at her from above his elbow that he was using as a shield for his face. A sigh left his lips when he felt his mother's fingers brushing the top of his hair, caressing them in an almost dazed state.

"Mama, just a few weeks and I'll be back, Insha'Allah, in one piece."

He snickered towards the end and got up from his place to place a kiss on Madiha's forehead. The latter could only murmur 'Insha'Allah' again and within a blink of her eye, she found herself and standing in the kitchen, while the others were yet to arrive.

Marwan tried to tie the laces of his shoe without feeling too bothered about the fact that a certain someone had not bothered talking to him or checking on him in general. Even as he cleared his throat a few times, she ignored him as though he were a plague and instead, joined Laiha in a small conversation about how they'd have the whole house to themselves- not like it made a difference.

"Laiha, ghee kaha rakha hai tumne?"

The distant voice of Madiha sounded from the kitchen. The old woman wanted everyone to leave with a full stomach and hence, got onto the task of making a heavy breakfast.

Laiha unapologetically left, leaving Ziah fumbling in her place in nervousness. It was only her and him and she had no idea how to put forward her words without them giving the worst ideas possible.

Marwan leaned back on the couch as he stared at her, pulling and twisting her fingers as though they were more interesting than the fine specimen sitting in front of her.

Clearing his throat, he raised an eyebrow in amusement when she still didn't look up.

"Mere chehre pe kuch laga hai?"

Biting his lips to stop a chuckle when she flinched at the sudden sound and quickly straightened herself, he stared at her with an innocent expression.

At least as innocent as he could make it seem.

Ziah gulped in anxiousness, the familiar feeling of her throat being clogged registered to her senses and she could only blink a few times, thinking of ways to escape.

Marwan frowned when he saw her expressions changing to that of a bambi on seeing the hunter.

Was he looking that bad?

He discreetly did a once over of himself and found nothing out of the ordinary. A black button-up shirt tucked within the confines of the same coloured denim jeans. His hair was like that of a wild being, no matter how hard he tried, the midnight locks could never be tamed to sit in one place seconds after combing through them.

Ziah finally let out a shaky breath and stood up to leave. The air around felt less for her to breathe and she needed space-

Or maybe she wanted to be embraced.

Marwan was quick to get on his feet when he caught onto her plan to flee. Here he was, trying to have a decent conversation with the lady but she couldn't stop treating herself as the mice and him as the big bad cat.

What had gotten into her mind?

Or was it something that he had said?

But to say something, they should've had a conversation- which, according to him, they didn't.

"Kiya kya hai maine?"

He groaned in annoyance and latched onto her wrist, stopping her on her steps.

Ziah tried to wriggle her arm from his hold in response to which he gripped more firmly, gentle enough to keep her in place but not much to form a mark.

"H-haath c-chode."

"Nahi."

Ziah gaped at him at his blatant reply. What had gotten into him today?

"Kuch hua hai kya? Maine kuch kiya? Ghar mein kisi ne kuch kaha? Why are you behaving so detached?"

Marwan blurted out without any care. His eyes bore into hers, searching for answers for her hesitation and closed off demeanour. Her cheeks had lost a little bit of colour and her eyes seemed dull, so sad and numb.

Ziah quickly shook her head. The tone in his voice gave way to unnecessary guilt and she had enough on her plate to deal with. Trying again to remove her hand from his grip, her shoulders slumped in defeat when she realised that he hadn't let go.

"K-kuch nahi hua h-hai. My spirits have been a little down since a few days. It'll go away in sometime."

Or would it?

Marwan scrutinised her for a few seconds. What she had said didn't sound like a lie but he knew it wasn't the whole truth either. Knowing better than to push the topic, he half-heartedly nodded his head, still gripping her wrist as though it was a common occurrence.

"I'll be leaving in a bit. Kuch- kuch kehna hai?"

His posture turned from a little stiff to nervous. He could only hope the hesitation in his eyes and the hues of red rising on his neck were not very visible.

Bahot kuch.

Was the response of her heart and mind but when had her words ever been in favour of her inner voice?

"N-nahi toh. Kyu? A-aap ko kuch kehna hai?"

She knew she was pushing her luck, asking questions that lay dangling on a dangerous territory.

Her words were followed by silence- a silence that spoke a thousand words, hushed murmurs of the wind that passed by, nothing too loud that would register in their ears but caresses tender enough to tug their hearts.

When had it all changed? When had the line turned translucent?

Neither knew the answers nor did they want to.

Ziah felt his fingers flicking slightly around her wrist. She took in a sharp breath when the same hand moved forward to take her palm in his. She couldn't bring herself to look away from his gaze that had pinned hers in a merciless battle- something she didn't have enough courage to do but was desperate to carry on.

She didn't understand any longer whether his gaze was the torturer or the healer.

Heavy emotions swirled in the familiar mocha brown eyes- turning them into a shade of that of melted dark chocolate with the intensity in them. Ziah had to dig the heel of her sandals on the ground to not move back when he took a step forward, his eyes not leaving hers from the invisible hold even once.

Ever so softly, as though afraid, his fingers caressed the back of her palms, the cold skin turning warm under his touch. A small smile slowly paved its way on his lips and seeing the expression on his face, Ziah felt her cheeks blooming like the flowers at the oncoming of spring.

"Kehna toh bahot kuch hai. Umeed karunga ki aap sunne ko tayyar rahengi. Wait for me, will you?"

The air around felt more intimate than any of them would like to admit. Ziah never knew her heart could behave the way it was at the moment. The rhythm felt so unfamiliar yet so known.

Ziah slowly gave him a nod but the way his fingers tightened around hers, she knew he needed a verbal answer, something to hold onto as a promise.

"I-I will."

An invisible weight lifted off his shoulders at her whisper. His heart eased itself in his chest while his mind came to a halt with the jumbled whispers and fear of what she might say.

Marwan slowly let go off her hand, the wind suddenly turned a little cold at the loss of the touch. Ziah almost let herself grip his fingers to not move away but she knew the line might be blurry but it wasn't erased.

The sound of approaching footsteps made the two take a step back. The distance between them increased but the thread that was weaving what their words couldn't say seemed to have gotten closer.

"Assalamu alaikum."

A manly voice rang across the room. Marwan took a deep breath and, staring at Ziah for a second longer, he finally averted his gaze towards the person who had just arrived.

Hafeez Sulaiman.

Marwan greeted him back, walking towards him to share a manly hug. Meanwhile Ziah looked at Hafeez with mild curiosity, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Kaisa hai tu?"

Marwan asked while ruffling Hafeez's well made hair. The latter scowled and pushed his hand away in mock annoyance but the adoration in his eyes was clear as day.

"Alhumdulillah, theek hu bhai, aap bataye."

Hafeez subtly combed his hair, putting the fallen midnight locks back in place. Marwan rolled his eyes at the action while Ziah bit back a smile.

"Allah ki rehmat toh yaha bhi bahot hai," Marwan paused before taking a discreet glance at Ziah who was busy offering Hafeez a welcoming smile. Clearing his throat, he continued,

"Have a seat now. Kuch baat karni hai tujhse."

He pushed the younger guy towards the couch and Hafeez slumped on the surface with a dreamy sigh. Snuggling more into the soft surface, he gave a sheepish smile to an amused looking Marwan and blushed when his eyes connected with the amusement filled ones of Ziah.

Marwan caught onto the gesture with a frown. His gaze did a quick once over of Hafeez and Ziah before he shook his head and took a seat beside the boy whereas Ziah sat on the opposite couch.

"Kuch urgent kaam tha kya? Not like I'm complaining. Isi bahane college se break toh mila."

He snickered towards the end, happy about a day off the boring college lectures.

"Now now, that's not very nice, is it?"

The words were followed by Laiha's arrival in the living room. She took a seat beside Ziah and shook her head in mock reprimand at Hafeez who seemed to have been pulled in a daze. Laiha offered him a smile, unaware that the gesture just failed the sane mechanism in the young man's mind.

"Yeh kaun hai?"

Ziah whispered- or tried to whisper to Laiha but was heard loud and clear by everyone in the room. Marwan chuckled at the question while she blushed in embarrassment, hoping that her words didn't fall on the rude side.

Marwan turned to look at Hafeez who was busy gaping at Laiha with an awestruck look and just like that, Marwan's amusement and curiosity returned by ten folds.

"Hafeez Sulaiman, a close family friend for years."

Marwan introduced and discreetly pinched Hafeez's thigh, making the latter yelp in pain. Ziah and Laiha flinched slightly at the sudden sound and were met with an apologetic smile from Hafeez who turned away from Laiha to glare at the man beside him.

"I'm not that old."

Hafeez snickered at the way Marwan's words were framed and could turn red in mortification when Marwan's whispered reply reached his ears.

"So you weren't too deep in your dreamland to not hear me."

"Bhai!"

Hafeez whisper-yelled, wanting to get away from the teasing look in the man's eyes.

Ziah and Laiha shared a look at the secret conversation going on between the two men, wanting to know the reason behind Hafeez's riled form and Marwan's smirk.

Were they missing something?

"We're here!"

The loud yell that sounded like Aliya's boomed across the halls, giving a mini stroke to everyone who was unprepared for it.

"Ghar ka darwaza kisne khula choda hai?"

Marwan mumbled to himself when he saw Aliya strolling in the living room with Kabir hot on trail with a duffle bag on his shoulder. The former squealed and hugged Laiha and Ziah while Kabir smiled at his wife before sharing a hug with Marwan and Hafeez.

A few minutes hadn't passed before Daiyan and Parizad too came in, smiles on their faces that didn't reach their eyes. Daiyan held a tense look while Parizad tried to suppress her gnawing worries.

All in one, the little time had flown by quickly.

The younger man was introduced a while later after everyone settled on their seats.

"Mathur sir hasn't arrived yet?"

Came Aliya's curious question as she bit onto the biscuit brought not long back by Madiha along with steaming cups of tea, coffee for Hafeez and parathe.

"Saw saal jeene ka irada nahi hai mera."

Marwan closed his eyes, confirmed about the fact that indeed, the doors of his house were left unguarded and open.

Major Mathur took a seat on a vacant couch in the living room, refusing the call for breakfast since he had his on his way to the Qureshi mansion.

Silence prevailed over them. The ticking of the clock and the moving hands of the watch finally landed on 7 and 12, and what followed were intakes of breath.

Parizad looked at her husband who now held a poker face. Aliya felt her shoulders being rubbed by her husband's arms, assuring her tense muscles to ease. Madiha and Laiha both looked at each other and then at Marwan who smiled at them, a smile that was more of namesake than real.

And lastly, Ziah listened to her heart's pleas and glanced at him, only to find his eyes etched on her face, taking in the details with an unfathomable look in his eyes, a look of that of someone memorizing something exquisite.

Ziah didn't smile nor did he but the air that passed between the two held a promise.

The promise to wait and say what they had concealed for far too long.

.

.

Posheeda si kuch baatein thi unke beech,

lekin waqt ke alam ne khel aisa khela,

ki kehne ko toh bahot kuch tha,

par zaban se sirf khamoshi mili.

(A/N: Please excuse my failed attempt to thread with poetry..)

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That's it... now all that follows is tragedy after tragedy and I swear, I can't wait to type down all that evil-ry!!..

Lol, anyways, my writing in this chapter wasn't the best (not like it ever is) but anyways, sure to say that I would edit it someday to reassure myself...

Marwan finally took the ball in his court- well, it always was there but the guy finally decided to acknowledge it while Ziah's just clueless- in a hopeful way...😁😏

But but but, hopes are meant to be broken, no?

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