29. I can take you away

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Mehndi Hai Rachne wali,

Haathon Mein Gehri Laali

The song was set to be played on full volume as the haveli bustled with joy. Many women from all around the town had been invited to the mehendi ceremony. The haldi had passed by in the early hours of the morning and the zenith of the sun was now viewing the ceremony of colour that people often symbolised with love.

Kahe Sakhiyaan, Ab Kaliyaan

Haathon Mein Khilne wali Hain

Ziah stared at her hands in wonder. The designs seemed so floral, so beautiful. Each vein connected with the other in a never ending terrain, not leaving an inch of skin untouched. The colour had started to appear from the gaps, darkening at a slow pace further and further.

Tere Mann Ko, Jeevan Ko

Nayi Khushiyaan Milne wali Hai

"Rang toh bada acha chad raha hai."

A woman from the crowd spoke. The youngsters were busy running around, gurgling and laughing, pushing and pulling, but Ziah could not muster even a small smile.

"Chadhega hi, akhir kar, itne saalo tak Badar ke dil mein iske liye mohabbat toh badi hi hogi."

They giggled at the remark but Ziah suppressed a wince at the words.

Mohabbat.

Such a lousy word that not many have the fortune to experience, especially when it comes to their life partners.

The world has come to a point where people bond themselves together just for co-existence. To rely on each other either materially or physically and many had come to call it love.

Love.

A word that people have now labelled as fantasy that lives only in stories- fairy tales and legends. Many go as far as comparing it to the attraction you feel when you look at someone- an attraction that might've come because of how they look, speak or carry themselves in general.

But that was not love.

"Arey, aap sab kya kabse yaha waha ki baatein le kar baithi hai. Chale, khana kha lete hai."

Khurshida begum offered a sweet smile to the guests who murmured in agreement to her words. The older woman turned her gaze towards Ziah who already had her eyes fixated on her.

Ziah observed the light in her phuphi's eyes. The light that was dark and cunning, as though a desire of years had finally been fulfilled. The smile she wore deceived everyone but her.

The expression was not different from a hunter catching a prey of a high value.

But time will tell, who was the hunter and who was its prey.

"Mehndi toh badi achi lagi hai. Bhuk lagi hogi na. Main khila deti hu."

Such concern, such care- though, it would've been a great joy if it were real.

"Aap rehne de khala. Main hu na."

Malak butted in with an innocent smile. A displeasing look appeared in Khurshida begum's eyes as she looked at Malak but not wanting to make a scene, she gave a nod to the young woman and left to attend to the rest of the guests.

Malak scooted a little closer to Ziah. Her eyes did a quick 360 of the area before she leaned towards the to-be bride and whispered cautiously in her ears.

"Appi, plan kya hai?"

Ziah bit back a smile at the curious cat who was enjoying this as much as her. She hadn't had the time to question Badar about the bait with the help of which he brought her here. The man seemed to have disappeared since she hadn't seen him once after coming back to the haveli.

"Itna dimag na chalao aur zyada kuch nahi karna hai tumhe. Just keep the number that I'm about to tell you on speed dial. Nikah se kuch der pehle, give them a call aur baki sab unpe chod dena, hmm?"

Malak quickly noted the number that Ziah narrated. Confusion glistened clearly in her eyes as she stared at it for a few seconds.

"Yeh?"

She asked in astonishment and Ziah could only nod. Malak seemed a little hesitant but did as she was asked.

The Nikah was set for tomorrow in the early hours and Ziah had less than 24 hours to get what she had come for here.

Trying to avoid further questioning, Ziah suppressed the urge to wash off the mehndi on her hands and asked Malak to feed her. The latter quickly prepared a plate of what Ziah liked and little by little, fed her the morsels.

The plate was almost finished when there was a knock on the doors of the haveli. Someone had closed it after the winds had picked up the pace and rain clouds gathered above the place.

Malak fed Ziah the last morsel and gave a glass of water to Ziah while she washed her hands. Quickly setting it all aside, Malak made a run to open the doors, thinking of it to be another guest.

Oh, and they were guests.

But just not the ones Malak thought them to be.

The doors were opened and came into view casually dressed Laiha, Parizad and Aliya. The three women squealed in joy upon seeing Ziah sitting on the khat placed in the centre of the huge courtyard.

The three pushed past a dazed Malak who blinked a few times before looking back at where the three had gone in bufflement.

A scowl made its way on her face when she realised that they had completely ignored her but what made her mood soar was the fact that they were gushing over Ziah like they were her closest friends.

It was her, not them.

Grumbling under her breath, Malak made a move to close the doors but stopped abruptly when more people came into view. An older woman walked forward and greeted her with salam and a smile and she returned it with excitement.

She seemed nice.

After her, three men came into view and she immediately straightened up, turning her back to them. She covered her face with the chadar hastily and the older woman was kind enough to ask the men to wait outside.

Her frantic eyes found Ziah's who seemed stunned. Her face was pale as her eyes darted to Malak's.

"Nikah? Seriously? Kyu?"

"Wahi toh. Have you looked at him properly? I'm sorry but ewww."

Parizad and Laiha spoke simultaneously while Aliya stayed silent. The latter assessed Ziah from head to toe. An underlying look in her eyes spoke volumes but Ziah couldn't find it in herself to ponder on what it was.

She got up from where she sat and walked up to Malak who looked ready to flee. One thing that Ziah had known about her cute friend was that her interaction with the opposite gender lasted as far as the interaction between water and fire. Malak couldn't tolerate even looking at them, reasons that Ziah had labelled as valid.

"Kitchen mein jao aur kuch khalo. You must be hungry too."

She suggested to a frightened looking Malak who didn't wait another second before excusing herself from the scene.

Ziah waited for her to be out of sight before turning her gaze at Madiha who was watching her with concern. The older woman took a step forward and engulfed her in a hug that Ziah reciprocated just as emotionally as Madiha.

"Tumhari marzi hai isme?"

Madiha asked in a whisper next to Ziah's ears and felt her body stiffen at the question. Pulling away, Madiha cupped Ziah's cheek as though to assure her, to share her misery with her and to rely on her in case she wanted to say 'no'.

"Aap fikr na kare. Maine apni marzi se hi haan ki hai."

The lie slipped so fluently from her lips that Ziah herself had to cover her shock. Madiha clearly was unconvinced but not wanting to push it at the moment, she patted Ziah's head and silently walked to where the three women sat, two out of which were mumbling to each other in haste.

Ziah took in a deep breath to prepare herself for what was to come. She could feel the change in the warm gaze that had always turned her fuzzy. The gaze that she had once described like the soft grasses of spring had turned like the hail at the times in winter. Hard and icy.

Covering up the tremors racking down her spine, she offered a small smile to Daiyan and Kabir who shared a look of concern with each other.

"Filhal ke liye backdoor se aayenge toh behtar hoga. The house is full of females who wouldn't appreciate your presence."

She tried to lighten the mood that seemed to be getting darker second by second. Daiyan cleared his throat and subtly motioned for Kabir to follow him. The latter glanced at the man standing silently beside him and with a sigh, he left with Daiyan after sharing a smile with Ziah.

Now that there was no one around, Ziah felt her nerves picking up. She didn't have the courage to look at him nor did she want to because the emotions that she'd find in his eyes might be enough to make her loathe her own self.

"A-aap ko kuch-"

"Come with me."

The words were spoken in a way that Ziah understood it wasn't a request. The detachment in them was clear.

Marwan followed the way Daiyan and Kabir had gone. The sound of footsteps behind him indicated that she was following him. His fists kept themselves strained lest he might end up smashing something without any care. The tense muscles won't loosen themselves, instead, he felt as though his whole body had been crushed under a weight 10 times his.

Ziah peeked over his shoulders and caught sight of Daiyan and Kabir. The backdoor opened directly beside the staircase and Ziah walked ahead of Marwan and ushered the men to the first floor where most rooms were empty.

She had asked someone to clean them after sending the message but what she didn't expect was for him to be with them. Ziah didn't show it but she had surveyed him from head to toe in worry, anxious that she might find any injuries but he was safe and unharmed. With a sigh of relief, she motioned for Daiyan and Kabir to choose any rooms. The two didn't take much time, in fact, they bolted in the first room that came in sight, leaving her bewildered and slightly confused.

Another door knob twisted just beside the one Kabir had disappeared in. Ziah looked towards her side and found Marwan already staring back at her with a neutral expression.

"Baat karni hai. Come in."

He stepped aside and waited for her to do as asked. Ziah didn't want to create a scene that might land the two in trouble. The ground floor was filled with women who'd speak volumes if they saw the scene. Cautiously glancing around, once she had made sure that there was no one in sight, Ziah hurriedly got in the room and was startled when she heard it being locked.

"A-aap ne lock-"

"Kyu?"

Just a word.

And Ziah didn't know how to respond to a question so simple.

The guarded expressions that he had once worn were now crumbled. A look of defeat had marred his features as he gazed at her, hoping for an answer, for a justification, for anything that would calm the rampage created by his soul.

Ziah shook her head. Her form trembled at the weight of his question and the intensity of his gaze. She took in a sharp breath and made a move to open the door but Marwan gently tugged her wrist, a silent plea could be heard humming in the air and Ziah felt her throat constricting.

"M-Marwan, please d-don't."

A set of broken words were met with a broken smile from him. Ziah could feel the tears that she had tried to hide away clouding her vision as he released his hold on her wrist and took a step forward. His presence in her comfort zone didn't alarm her, no, it soothed the burn in her heart but not the one in her eyes.

Marwan gulped the emotions that were tough to be put into words. Raising his hand, he softly wiped the tear that had fallen down her cheeks.

"You p-promised me."

There it was.

The words she feared the most were the same words that had kept him going.

Ziah couldn't hold it back anymore. A sob broke free from her throat as she cried after so long. The emotions that had been piled in hopes of being locked away were set free just by the sadness in his eyes and the loss in his words.

She covered her face with her hands, trying to suppress the heart wrenching sounds and the never ending tears. In midst of the misery that was residing in her heart, she didn't feel it when Marwan pulled her in his embrace.

A hand caressed her hair, soothing her, trying to calm her down. His warmth spread across her form and her heart took it all in, happy about the reunion that it had craved for so long.

"Shh, bas abhi. I'm here."

He whispered softly.

Ziah cried harder at his words. How long had it been since she wished for something like this? For someone to wipe her tears, comfort her at times of sadness and tell her that it was okay. Her soul had long been silenced while her heart learnt to remain put. Her mind had been numbed to the raging sorrow until she met him.

The one who had given light to her dying hope.

"I-I'm s-sorry. P-please d-don't h-hate me."

Marwan stiffened at the words. His hands stopped the caresses and he pulled away from the hug. Something akin to warning flashed in his eyes as he removed Ziah's hands from her face. Sheer seriousness was expressed on his features as he wiped away the tears and held her face firmly in between his hands.

"Do not say that again. What I feel for you, is far more precious and true."

He placed a kiss on the crown of her head. His words healed the small part of her guilt but the majority remained untreated because Ziah knew what the next days held for her and what she had to do for everything to go in order.

Ziah couldn't bring herself to nod at his words and silently let her hands fall to her side. Marwan seemed to have sensed the change in mood and retreated his hand with reluctance.

Ziah wiped her cheeks and mustered up the tiniest bit of courage, gave a small smile to Marwan.

"Ziah, I-I can take you away. In sab se door, somewhere safe, somewhere we-"

Marwan tried to assure her. He knew she wasn't doing it by will. Why would she? The sorrow, the fear, the doubts, all these could be seen shining bright in her eyes and he didn't like it.

He wanted her to smile that shy genuine smile she gave him for the first time. He wanted to see the way the dawn would come to rest on her cheeks when she laughed freely. He wanted her to live instead of being caged under the weight of emotions so negative.

At his words, Ziah didn't know how to respond. She wanted to be free. She wanted to go away. She wanted to be with him.

But some things had to wait if she wanted a peace that would be life long.

"Marwan, please don't do anything to stop the wedding. It'll all be for the best."

Her words irked Marwan's slipping temper. He had seen her expressions, had felt her emotions, then why did she think it was so easy to lie to him as though he were a child.

"For the best."

He repeated her words in a daze. Ziah could clearly sense the way he retreated back in the shell that he had created for himself. She knew how much effort it took to smile, laugh and act as nothing had happened when you were truly falling apart from the inside.

"Laiha."

Marwan blinked at the sudden mention. He calculated the subtle smile on Ziah's lips and the conversation from days back made its way into his memory while she spoke the next words.

"She's nice."

It was a simple comment, though its purpose of being said was known to the both of them.

Ziah didn't want to stay amidst the air that acted as a medium of suffocation than life. Her eyes darted to the door and she took a step back. With her hands clasped together, she offered another fleeting smile to Marwan who had adhered to being silent.

"Thak gaye hoge. Take some rest."

In other words, 'I'll take my leave now'.

Taking another deep breath, she turned around to leave. The smile that she had worn slowly fell and disappeared as though it was never there.

Shaking off the feeling of sinking into an endless depth of darkness, she turned the knob but felt a hand clasping around her wrist. Goosebumps rose across her skin at the touch that made her heart lurch and soul lean forward to grasp more of the soothing touch.

Though what he said next made Ziah force herself to take a breath,

"Nahi hai woh meri fiancè."

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Woah, finally! Ik you all are detectives but please act surprised. It'll heal my writer ego.

P.S. Something's cooking in Ziah's mind and I know for sure that a certain few are booking their tickets to hell!

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