Hassas- Pt 2

*****

Mayza stood in front of the mirror, clad in a rogue pink top lined with an inner white shirt and rogue coloured loose pants. The dress made her feel comfortable for the most part, until words unwanted came to haunt her again.

"You should be exercising now. Don't you feel humiliated?"

Mayza didn't fall on the overweight side, nor did she have an hourglass figure. But often she was criticised for her chubby cheeks and not so thin thighs. The familiar feeling of her throat being clogged broke her out of her thoughts with an alarmed gaze.

Stumbling to the side table near her bed, she served herself a glass of water with trembling hands, hoping to calm the turmoil that had bubbled at a violent pace.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

She softly counted to herself, waiting until her ragged breaths had turned to normal. Rubbing her chest to ease her breathing, she closed her eyes as tears fell.

"Everything is fine. You're fine."

She murmured after a few minutes, hoping to coax her brain into agreeing to her words and shutting out the undesirable past.

Her flight to Rome was set for the early hours in the morning. She was yet to convince herself that she'd be fine but for the sake of her family and her sanity, Mayza chose the path that seemed the roughest of all.

Or was it?

To be alone, to have some space to breathe, to forget the emotions in the eyes she had got accustomed to seeing the past few months- to finally realise that there was nothing wrong with her.

Maybe, just maybe, she'll find the closure she desperately wanted, find a new thread to hold onto- but just not in the name of love again.

Rubbing her palms together, she took hold of her suitcase and eyed herself for the last time in the mirror, clearly noticing the rims of red in her eyes and the dried patches on her cheeks.

No matter how much she wanted to avoid the thoughts, some of them provided her with the least amount of bitter truth after being accustomed to even bitter lies for the past months- she looked broken, looking for peace among chaos that brutally dispatched everything she believed in.

Not wanting to alarm anyone, she washed her face a few times with cold water to get rid of the red in her eyes and was soon out of her room which she wouldn't be seeing for a good while.

The trip was of 2 weeks, 14 days, 336 hours and she hoped to make the best of it- hopefully.

*****

"Keep your phone by your side at all times. Call me in case anything feels off. Don't wander around too late. Have food on time. And-"

"Amir, ek aur ticket hi book kar le apne liye."

Ibtizam's sarcastic suggestion was taken seriously by her husband and the former stopped herself from hitting her forehead in annoyance. Mayza bit back a smile at the interaction. Her parents never left her unamused by their silly banters.

One day.

The thought skipped its way into her heart without her knowledge. Feeling the familiar waves of unpleasant desires and wishes that she now wished to stay away from, Mayza gave a gentle pinch to the tip of her nose, hoping to calm her emotions.

"Fikr na kare, baba. I'll be perfectly fine."

Mayza hugged her father, hoping to find the solace in his warm embrace like always. Amir reluctantly allowed her to go on the trip alone, knowing well that she needed fresh air and every bit of second to herself and not to sympathetic gazes and suggestions.

"Chalo abhi, flight nikal jayegi agar aise chalta raha toh."

Ahzan ushered her into the car and Mayza felt a little upset at not seeing her eldest cousin, Faeezah. The lady was busy promoting her new book and the cherry on top was the 2-year old toddler who couldn't stay apart from her mother.

The thought of her niece made her smile once again and just when she thought it was time to leave, the car door of her side was thrown open and her bewildered gaze met Masar's narrowed ones.

"With all due respect, bina mile kaha chali?"

He whined like a disappointed child. Who would think the man was 27 and a father? Makes no sense, but that's how it was. Her Masar bhai had aged only in numbers because the glimpse of the mischievous devil in his eyes had not reduced over the years, not at all. And when asked, all he had to say was that, Faeezah is there to act as the mature one, let the poor man enjoy his life.

"It was you who came late."

"Ever heard of traffic?"

He sassed back and Mayza rolled her eyes at him.

"Appi nahi aayi na?"

Masar sobered up at the question and gave her an apologetic smile, clearly upset but duty calls and the cries of a kid.

"Appi ki kya zaroorat? Main hu na. Ja, meri duaein le ke ja!"

Masar wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eyes. Mayza blinked at her cousin with utmost annoyance and giving him a push, she closed the door back again and replied to him via the half-open window.

"Shukriya, ab jaake appi ko tang kare apni nautanki se."

Mayza couldn't get hold of Masar's reaction as Ahzan's loud laughter boomed in the place and the car started.

It didn't take long to reach the airport since the traffic Masar was talking about was nowhere in sight. Ahzan walked along with her for the limited while and Mayza could feel her nerves picking up when she realised that the journey was now of hers alone.

"Tujhe pata hai you don't have to go? Hai na?"

Ahzan gently reminded her and Mayza gave him a small smile with a nod. Taking in a deep breath, she patted her cheeks to cheer herself up and ignored the ridiculous look Ahzan was giving her.

"I know but I want to do this. Dil ko sukoon milega."

The last line came out as an audible whisper and Ahzan could only sigh, knowing well that she wasn't going to change her mind. Giving a gentle pat to her head, Ahzan offered a huge grin, the once dim mischievousness returned to his eyes as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Ab ja hi rahi hai toh bring something exquisite for me, okay?"

"Paise transfer kar dena, main le aaungi."

Mayza gave a sugary sweet smile to him and Ahzan scowled but nonetheless huffed and pushed her towards the entrance, motioning for her to be out of his sight as soon as possible.

Rolling her eyes at the dramatics of her cousin, Mayza was off to begin her trip with a nervous breath and a spark of hope. Waving at Ahzan who was literally jumping, looking quite eager to bid her a goodbye, Mayza bit back a chuckle and got lost amidst the increasing crowd.

The check-in was done and after a wait of more than half an hour, the flight was set to take off and Mayza took in a deep breath as she looked outside the window. The plane wasn't too crowded seeing that this wasn't the vacation period and the two seats next to her were empty much to her delight.

Taking out the brochure for the trip, she went through the details and the necessary things that were supposed to be done. A person would be waiting for the people who have booked the trip since their travel details were already with them. From the airport, they'd be going to a hotel and concluding the rest of the day to take rest. The next few days would then see the start of their tour from The Colosseum to the Pantheon and who could forget the Trevi Fountain.

Mayza controlled the growing excitement upon seeing the names of the places she had always wanted to visit, always until-

"Jao mang lao apni family se paise. Phir hum sab chalenge Rome."

The taunt, the mockery, everything burned her insides but she had sworn to not let it hinder her chance at seeing the place of her dreams. The past had been left behind for a reason, and her present would not bear the consequences of it.

After what felt like ages, the flight had finally come to an end and Mayza could feel the stiffness in her muscles and the exhaustion in her eyes. She always had trouble sleeping through the flight, hence why she was awake all through the hours, merely dozing off unconsciously before waking up again due to the ache in her neck.

"Excuse me?"

An unfamiliar voice spoke from beside Mayza and she looked at the female who seemed to be around her age, looking at her expectantly.

"Yes?"

"Are you a part of the 'Global voyage' agency?"

"Ahm, I'm not a part of them but I've signed up for the tour."

"Oh! Me too. I'm pretty confused about how to carry on with this alone. Mind lending me a hand until it's all set in place?"

Mayza felt the slightest bit of reluctance knocking on her doorstep before she pushed it deep down and offered a small smile to the woman.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind a company either."

"That's good to know! I'm Qizrah Mehr, nice to meet you."

The woman, Qizrah, forwarded her hand to properly introduce herself and Mayza returned the gesture, feeling a little at ease with her.

"I'm Mayza Bukhari. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before an involuntary laugh bubbled between the two. They giggled amongst themselves without any proper joke or reason and Mayza could feel it in her gut that she had made a new friend.

"Hey, look!"

Qizrah pointed at the crowd of receivers and Mayza looked ahead only to find a man standing with a board in his hands that read, 'Global voyage'.

"Our receiver?"

"Probably."

The two shrugged and made their way to him. The man was already greeting a few other people and Mayza let Qizrah do the talking.

"I'm Lucien De Luca, your guide to Rome. 'Global Voyage' aims to give you the best and the safest of trips all around the globe. I happen to be an assistant who handles the tours of Rome. We have different people for different places, since no one knows a place better than its natives."

The man introduced himself to the crowd with a confident smile. Mayza hummed at his words, impressed enough with the way the company managed its customers.

"A total of 25 families and 18 individuals have signed up for the trip. No last minute cancellations- thank goodness. We'll be staying in the hotel 'Grande Rosa'. Your rooms are ready for check in and have been allotted as per the requirements. Please follow me."

"He's hot, isn't he?"

Mayza choked on her breath at Qizrah's words. Her bewildered eyes looked at her new friend who only gave her an innocent look.

"What? I appreciate beauty when I see one. You're looking pretty fine too."

Qizrah winked in the end and Mayza chuckled, unable to hide her amusement and the blush that appeared on her skin at the compliment.

Two buses were waiting for them outside the airport and Qizrah was quick to hold Mayza's hands and pave her way as fast as she could through the crowd, not wanting to hunt for seats when she could clearly get in first and choose the one she liked.

Mayza laughed at the way Qizrah couldn't care less about the number of people who gave her a stink eye when she collided with them. Feeling the most carefree than she ever had, Mayza let herself free from the invisible cage she had been kept a prisoner of for so long.

"Once at the hotel, we'll be meeting the owner of the agency. Mr. Mirza, who is in Rome too and took the chance to interact with the travellers that have chosen his company to fulfil their dream of visiting beautiful places. It'll be a short session, so buckle up people."

Lucien clapped once after he had spoken and the crowd cheered at the thought.

"I've heard the owner looks as fine as the facilities provided by his company."

"Qizrah!"

"Kya? I'm just saying. You know, in case his beauty just bashes us on the face and you unexpectedly faint. Oh my Allah! Imagine the embarrassment!"

Qizrah laughed, fully well imagining the hilarious scene in her head and Mayza gave a gentle hit to her shoulder with a cute frown on her face.

"I'm not that innocent."

"Yeah yeah, we'll see."

Qizrah winked in the end, thoroughly enjoying the crimson colour on Mayza's cheeks and the way the latter huffed and ignored her for the rest of the ride.

They reached the hotel not long after. Mayza took hold of her bags and walked inside the hotel that looked as grand as its name. Flowers- specifically roses were what contributed to the huge part of the decoration of the insides and the outside of the place. The fragrance was strong which made Mayza wrinkle her nose but she couldn't bring herself to dislike it.

"Mr. Mirza is waiting for all of you in the main room. Please follow me this way."

The surname sounded very much familiar to Mayza, so much so, that she had zoned out everything, trying to push through her memories and recognize who it was. Mirza was a pretty common surname but she knew she had closely known someone by it.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope you had a safe flight without any troubles. My name is Humaid Mirza, the CEO of 'Global Voyage' and your humble host for the next 2 weeks."

Mayza blinked for what felt like an eternity. Her wide eyes stared at the centre of the place where he stood, clad in a three piece suit that suited him good enough for Qizrah to whistle lowly to herself. Struck with utmost bewilderment, Mayza took her sweet time to let the shock wear off but it never did.

A smile was constant on his lips, highlighting the dimple on his left cheek and Mayza felt her heart skip a beat. It had been 2 years since she last saw him. 2 years since the horrific day, since the day when the thought of where and how he'd be had bugged her every now and then until it was buried under her own tragedies.

The last time she saw him, he wore an expression of sorrow, of failure, with tears in his eyes and humiliation that he shouldn't have felt surrounding his form.

Her wide eyes didn't waver from his form and soon enough, Humaid's familiar brown gaze locked with hers. Surprise, disbelief and utter joy was what she saw searing through the beautiful mocha brown eyes.

"Mayza?"

*********

Yup! Now that they have officially met, we're gonna go on a hell of an intense ride. Beware, the topic can be sensitive for a few and I'm sure you've guessed what it is by now.

We need to teach a certain someone a good lesson and then grab the happily ever after we're so fond of.

***********