Chapterr : 49 - A Game Of Eyes

Yaah Allah, if Appi wanted to go shopping with me, she should have come herself, or let me go with Ezzeh. I don't know which driver she sent, who isn't even bothering to show up. I thought while waiting for Appi's driver outside the house.

Five minutes later, a black Porsche pulled up right in front of me, and Appi's driver, dressed in a white uniform, wearing white cap, was approaching with his eyes lowered, moving with such ease as if he owned the place.

Then that person finally looked up, and my eyes forgot to blink.

Everything started to feel like a dream, a beautiful dream that I had always wished for.

That person was walking towards me, the face I always see before closing my eyes.

The person who still lives in my heart as if he was the rightful owner of that place.

The one I still haven't been able to move on from, and how could I? When I still love him.

Samir, dressed in a driver's uniform, stood in front of me.

"Samir Farsi, at your service, madam," Samir said, bowing slightly.

Then, as he lifted his head, he gave me that slight smile I had always been craving to see.

He was saying something, but I couldn't hear anything. It felt like my ears didn't want to listen anything right now, and my eyes only wanted to look at him.

Wanted to see his face, his smile, just wanted to look at him and nothing else.

"Sahara!" I snapped back to reality when I heard my name from his lips.

"Don't take my name," the words escaped my lips, something I never thought I'd say to him.

"Ms. Reza, then?" Samir asked, smiling.

"You lost the right to call my name, Mr. Farsi," I said sternly.

"Mohtarma, let's go. Bhabhi sent me to bring you." He said still not taking anything seriously. This man could never be serious.

''Allah must have skipped the part about shame when He was making you. He must have thought, 'Why would he need it? Shame itself would be embarrassed in front of him,'" I taunted sarcastically.

"If you're done with the taunts, shall we go, MOHTARMA?" He used that word again. How could you fall in love with someone like him, Sahara? I asked myself.

"The surprising thing is, you still love him," my heart taunted.

"I feel like hitting you with something else right now, Mr. Farsi," I said with the same sternness.

"Then do it," he said, opening the trunk and pulling something out. After a minute, he came to me holding an empty vase and extended it toward me.

"Agar mujhe maarne seh, tumhara dukh kam hota hai, toh maarlo yaah mardo mujhe, Sahara," he said softly.

(If hitting me lessens your pain, then hit me, or kill me, Sahara)

And here I was, trying my best not to melt at his words.

"If one murder could be forgiven, I would have really killed you, Samir. But what can I do? I don't want to go to hell after killing someone like you," I said, knowing well that I had just broken his heart. I was breaking his heart and yet feeling the pain myself.

What am I saying to him? Why am I saying this? For what reason? Who is he? What does he mean to me? Why does my heart still beat so fast for him? Why does my heart wish everything could go back to the way it was? I just want my idiot Samir back, the one I loved every little thing about.

"I know what I did to you was wrong, so wrong that I deserve a punishment worse than death, Sahara" he said in a voice that was breaking my heart too. My mind was telling me to slap him right now and stop him from saying anything further. But on the other hand, my helpless love for him was stopping me from doing anything.

"Thank you for coming, I'll take a cab, Mr. Farsi, don't bother yourself for me," I said softly, turning to walk away from the car, thinking that if I stood there any longer, he'd say more bad things about himself, which I wouldn't like hearing.

"If not for me, then at least come for Bhabhi, Sahara," Samir's voice stopped my advancing steps.

I turned around to see him opening the passenger seat.

Without saying a word, I tried to open the back seat, but I couldn't succeed.

"Why isn't this opening?" I asked, struggling with the handle.

"It's broken," Samir said, still holding the door open.

I moved to the other side and tried to open the left-side door, but it wouldn't open either.

"And this?" I asked, looking at him.

"That's broken too," he said casually.

"Is there anything that's not broken in this car" I asked, irritated.

"Yes, the two front doors work just fine," he said with a smile.

"What a piece of junk! Send it to the scrapyard, or better, bring a bike!' I said, finally done with his incredibly stupid answers.

"As you say, Mohtarma, a bike would be best." This man is truly insane.

Calming myself down, I got into the passenger seat, while he just stood there, staring deeply into me.

"Will you close the door, or do you plan on breaking this one too?" I taunted.

"Oh, sorry, I got busy looking at you," he said shyly, and here I had no control over my cheeks, which were blushing because of his words.

"You shouldn't hide your smile, and if you're blushing, definitely don't," Samir said as he closed the door and got in.

"Whether you blush or get angry, you look beautiful to me in every way, Mohtarma," he said, smoothly slipping in the word "Mohtarma" between the compliments.

Oh Allah, please give me patience, I prayed as I watched his driving.

"Will we reach today?" I asked, trying my best to be patient.

It felt like the car wasn't even moving, it felt like the light behind us was pushing this junk car.

Speed? It was absolutely 10.

"Actually, this is its top speed," he said, giving me another illogical reason or, rather, something that would just make me even angrier.

"Do you drive this junk to work?'' I shouted at him in frustration.

"It just broke down today,'' came Samir's reply. And once again, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

"If you knew it was this bad, you could have left it at the garage and taken a cab?" I tried my best not to get angry.

"The garage was closed," came his reply, and my face turned red with anger.

"You're the CEO of one of the biggest companies, and you don't even have a spare car?" I said, regretting my fate and throwing another taunt his way.

He only smiled at my question and started driving at the same slow pace.

"Mr. Farsi, let's do this, however it's only been two minutes since we've been in this car. Let's take mine instead," I suggested calmly.

"No way, Mohtarma, Bhabhi will scold me if I take you in your car." He said dramatically.

"She won't, she's very sweet. Besides, you'll be the one driving; I'll just sit in the passenger seat," I said even more softly.

"But I want to take you in my car," he said gently.

"Toh theek hein kar waa lete," I whispered through greeted teath.

(You could have get it fixed, then)

"Did you say something, Mohtarma?" he asked playfully.

"Did you hear something, Mr. Farsi?" I asked him in return.

"I can even hear your whispers clearly, Jaan," he finished his sentence. And here I was, coughing badly after hearing him call me "jaan"? Like seriously? I mean, is he serious? Allah, please forgive one murder, just one? I pleaded.

"Do you want water, Jaan?" he asked teasingly.

"Thank. You. So. Much. For. Asking!!!" I emphasized every word as I said it, turning towards the window. Then he did something that made my heart melt even more.

While driving, this man started rolling up his sleeves, and his veiny hands came into view.

Where did he get so many veins? I wondered, staring at his hands.

I quickly shook my head, trying to bring myself back to reality.

Sahara, don't get distracted by him, focus on something else. Phone? Yes, scroll through your phone, I reassured myself and started looking at my phone, but it seemed like my eyes weren't interested in anything right now except his veiny hands.

"Don't betray me," I pleaded with my eyes.

"It's not in our hands; his hands are just so fine," my mind, heart, and eyes all screamed in unison.

"You hate him, Sahara," I reminded them.

"Oh really?" my heart taunted.

"Ye-yes," I stuttered.

"You couldn't even say a simple 'yes' properly to hate him. And here you are, trying to hate him, Sahara?" My heart taunted me again.

Finally, we reached our destination, and Samir's voice reached my ears, ending the debate between me and my organs.

"Wait for a minute, Mohtarma," he said before I could open the door.

He got out, came to my side, and opened the door wide for me to step out.

I got out and looked at him. His eyes held only love, while mine were filled with the fear of loving him again.

I am afraid to trust him. What if he breaks it again?

"Thank you," I murmured and started walking towards the mall.

The elevator wasn't working, so we took the escalator. I called Appi while standing on the escalator and felt Samir's presence behind me. I didn't dare to look at him, but I could sense him.

"Appi, which floor are you on?" I asked after greeting her.

"Come to the third floor, Sahara," her soft voice came from the other end.

"Okay," I said and hung up the call. We both reached the third floor and started searching for Ezzeh and Uns Appi. While looking around, I didn't find them, but something else caught my attention.

"Sahara" My name was written beautifully in big letters as a brand of one of the fashion store and it looked luxurious.

Maybe it's someone else's name, I thought, and turned around to look but didn't feel Samir's presence. When I turned back, I saw him standing there, looking at the name that was mine, but someone else's brand.

He wasn't just staring at it; he was admiring it. And seeing him like this, something unexpected happened to my heart. An odd kind of happiness started to bloom, seeing him admire my name.

Before I could say anything, Uns Appi came out from that same store.

"Appi," the words slipped out of my mouth uncontrollably, seeing her after so many days.

I rushed over to her with quick steps and embraced her.

"I missed you so much, Appi," tears started to flow from my eyes, though I wasn't sure why.

"I missed you too, my little Sahara," Appi said, breaking the embrace and kissing my forehead.

When I looked at Appi's face, there was even more noor than before. She was beautiful even before the marriage, but today, she looked like the full moon-absolutely stunning.

"Whose brand is this? And how are the clothes here?" I asked her, curious about the store.

"It's Samir's brand," Appi said with a smile.

And once again, tears started welling up in my eyes. I tried my best to hide them, but nothing could be hidden from Appi.

This time, Appi embraced me again.

"Are you going to cry in front of him?" she whispered.

"No," I replied.

"Then wipe your tears," Appi said, handing me her handkerchief.

"Where is Ezzeh?" I asked, wiping my tears.

"She went to get coffee," Appi replied.

And once again, I sensed his presence behind me.

"Bhabhi, I've safely brought your precious one back to you," Samir said to Appi with a smile.

"Thank you, Samir," Uns Appi thanked him.

"Anything for you, Bhabhi, Samir said with a smile and went to other side and got busy talking to someone in his phone.

And I wasn't even able to meet his gaze.

Shayad hairat thi uske brand ke naam ko dekh kar.

"Sahara" hein kyun rakha usne?

(Perhaps I was puzzled by why he had named his brand "Sahara." Only?)

"Look, Tamir, I can't go to the office wearing a drivers uniform. So bring my clothes to the mall," I heard Samir's irritated voice on the phone early in the morning.

"Samir, what's your problem so early? Let me sleep," I tried to hang up, but Samir's shouting made my ears ring again.

"It's already 11 in the morning, Sir. How long will you sleep? Have some mercy on me; this is about my love. Get up now and bring my grey suit to the mall," he yelled.

"The mall is yours, the store is yours, the clothes are yours; wear whatever you want. Why are you bothering me?" I asked.

"Do you know how long it takes me to choose clothes? I can't even miss a single minute to see Sahara, so be at the mall by 11:30. I'll come by 12 or 1," he said heavily.

"Fine, I'll come," I said, and hung up.

Getting out of bed, I took a quick look in the mirror. My eyes fell on my own reflection, and I remembered the woman whose eyes I hadn't seen. All I could recall was her fragrance and her bowed face-nothing else.

Mera allah, mujhe pehli baar koi aurat itni pasand aayi hai, bas mujhe usse mila deh, ek baar hein sahi, is dil ko chain dede, in aankhon ko un aankhon seh milaade, aur sabre mat kara, mujhe meri mohabbat seh milade.

(Oh Allah, I've never liked a woman this much before. Just let me meet her, even if only once. Give my heart peace, let these eyes meet hers, and don't make me wait too long. Bring me to my love).

I took one last look in the mirror before heading off to freshen up.

Dressed in a cream suit, I went to Samir's room, packed his clothes into a bag, and left for the mall without having breakfast.

Arriving at the mall, I checked the time; it was 12, and there was still no sign of Samir. As I headed towards his store, I started feeling hungry.

Without much thought, I headed to the cafe. I ordered coffee and a light breakfast for myself and sat at a table, waiting for my order.

As soon as I finished breakfast, I grabbed my cold coffee and started walking towards Samir's store. I was walking without much thought when suddenly, my steps came to a halt as I saw the woman in front of me.

"Tamir? Is this a dream?" I asked myself.

"Mere khuda, mai dua karta hoon ki meri peet ki ek phasli isi aurat ke paas ho," meri zuban se sirf yahi lafz nikle, use dekh ke.

("Yaah Allah, I pray that one of my missing ribs belongs only to this woman," These were the only words that escaped my lips when I saw her).

My love was walking towards me, my love, my beloved! The heart that had stopped the first time I saw her was now completely out of control. The breath that had been taken away at the sight of her seemed to stop once again. The eyes that had lost their sleep yearning to see hers were now shining with joy as it looked at them.

She was engrossed in her phone, and I was staring at her without blinking. The faster she walked toward me, the faster my heart raced. And before anything could happen, she bumped into me, and my coffee spilled all over her.

Thank God it was cold coffee, I thanked silently.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry, I didn't see you. Sorry about your coffee," she said, looking at the stains on her clothes, then at me.

And just hearing her voice made me feel something inside.

"Breathe, Tamir," I kept telling myself.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't move," I stuttered very badly, while taking off my coat to give it to her.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"Oh, I-I mean... I meant a handkerchief. I wanted to give this to you," I stuttered again, finally handing it to her with trembling hands.

"So, you were the one who didn't move? And I thought I was clumsy," she started scolding me. But even her scolding felt like music to my ears.

"Don't you have eyes?" she asked, the anger clear on her incredibly beautiful face.

"I do, but they refused to look away as soon as they saw you," I replied without tearing my eyes away from her. And then I regretted it. Why, Tamir? Why are you making your first impression your last one? I cursed myself.

"Crazy," she said and walked away from me.

I watched her disappearing figure while trying to calm my racing heart. It was unexpected, actually, literally, incredibly UNEXPECTED!!! I wasn't expecting to meet her like this.

Why did I stutter? Why did I say those words? Just why? And now she took my heart and my handkerchief with her too.

I was sure she might be in the washroom cleaning the coffee stains, so taking a guess, I headed toward the washroom and waited for her to come out so I could apologize and introduce myself.

I waited for more than 20 minutes, but there was no sign of my love. She didn't come out-maybe she went to the washroom on another floor. Carrying Samir's bag, I started searching for my beloved, whom I had just met and lost in a matter of seconds.

I failed to find her, and as if that wasn't enough, Samir's continuous calls drove me even crazier.

I don't know if I'll ever find her again, but I couldn't let Samir down; he should get his love. With a slight smile, I picked up his call.

"Will you bring my clothes today?" came his stern voice.

"I'm on my way," I said, cutting the call and heading towards his store.

When I entered, I found Bhabhi, Sahara, and Samir Bhai sitting there.

I greeted Bhabhi and Sahara with a salaam and sat down beside Samir.

"Sahara, can you call Ezzeh? She hasn't arrived yet," I heard Bhabhi talking to Sahara, her voice filled with concern.

"Who is Ezzeh?" I whispered to Samir.

"Bhabhi's best friend," Samir whispered back.

"Oh, okay," I replied.

"Here are your clothes, Samir," I said, handing him the bag.

"You came too quickly, didn't you?" he taunted.

"Someone's eyes stopped me," I whispered back to him.

"Whose eyes?" Samir asked.

"My beloved's," I whispered with a smile.

"Did you find her?" Samir asked in amazement.

"I found her and lost her too," I said with regret.

"You've seen her eyes, so don't worry. You'll find her too," Samir assured me.

After chatting with Sahara for a couple of minutes, I got up to leave.

"Alright, I'm off," I said, picking up Samir's uniform bag and looking at CEO Samir.

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

"This soft side doesn't suit you," I replied and started heading home.

Sahara and I were busy choosing my Walima (wedding reception) dress when Ezzeh walked in with a deep sigh. She sat down beside me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"What happened, Ezzeh?" I asked with concern.

"Kya India mein bhi itne handsome mard hote hai, Uns?" Ezzeh lifted her head and asked calmly.

(Does India really have handsome men, Uns?)

Haan, mere Shauhar ko hein dekhlo, Ezzeh" I replied with a slight smile.

(Yes, just look at my husband only).

Ezzeh immediately straightened her posture and sat up straight upon hearing my answer.

"So, your allowing me to look at your husband?" she asked playfully.

"Only from a distance," I said with a laugh.

"Possessive?" Ezzeh asked with a knowing look.

"Way too much!" I replied proudly.

"Since you've said so much, why don't you also say you love him?" she asked next.

"Yes, I do," I confessed with a smile.

"I'm going, I seriously can't handle this new version of you, Uns," Ezzeh said dramatically and stood up.

"Are you done?" I asked sternly.

"When are you going to propose to Jiju?" Her next question threw me into deep thought.

I know he loves me too, but Aziz has never expressed the words of confession. When I did before, he didn't respond. And now, I'm scared that if I express my love again, will he respond, or will he stay silent this time too?

I just smiled at Ezzeh's question and went back to selecting a dress for myself.

At exactly 8:30 in the evening, I saw my Shahjahan opening the door and walking towards us. I don't know what happens to my heart when I see him; a strange smile starts to spread on my face as I watch him. His eyes looked tired, his hair slightly messy, and he was holding his coat in one hand. With a smile on his face, he came and stood right next to me.

"Mujhe, meri biwi wapas kardo, Ezzeh?" Aziz asked with a innocent smile, while placing his other hand on my waist, and pulling me closer to him.

(Give me my wife back, Ezzeh?)

"Mann to nahi hai, magar kya kare, aap hein ki amanat hai, toh le jaiyea, Jiju," Ezzeh replied playfully.

(I don't really want to, but what can I do? She's yours after all, so take her, brother-in-law).

And here I was, standing between these two crazy creatures, feeling absolutely embarrassed by their conversation. I don't belong to them, I screamed internally.

"Shall we go, sweetheart?" Aziz whispered loudly near my ear, sending an electric current through my whole body. I mean, Ezzeh is here, Sahara will be back in minutes from the washroom, and not Samir? They all will literally leave no chance to tease me if Shahjahan keeps doing these crazy things in front of them.

"We're actually here, I hope you both can see us too," Samir said with a mischievous smile as he walked towards us.

"Leave me, Nader," I whispered softly near his ear.

"I am your husband, Begum. I have all rights on you," he answered softly while pulling me even closer to him. I am absolutely done with this man now.

"Aziz? Should we give you the whole mall? We'll just go, continue your romance," Samir didn't miss a chance to tease us, but this shameless man had no shame in him at all.

He ignored Samir's teasing, Ezzeh's playful gazes, and Sahara's shocked expressions and simply took the bags from my hand, held my other hand, and started walking towards the door.

"Aziz, let me at least say goodbye to them," I tried to stop him.

"I can't stay away from you any longer now, Uns. So let's just go," he commanded, and seeing his serious face, I gave in, turning my head back to wave goodbye to them, then followed my Shahjahan, who was in a serious mood right now.

"Are you okay, Nader?" I asked with concern as we reached his car.

"Now I am," he said with a smile and opened the door for me.

"You're definitely a drama queen, Aziz!" I declared while sitting down.

"If I had asked you lovingly, you wouldn't have come. So I had to pretend to be angry, Begum," Aziz said with a mischievous smile playing on his lips, and I just blushed!!! At his statement!

The drive was silent, with no one speaking.

Aziz was driving calmly, while I was looking at him, admiring each of his features, which were absolutely perfect.

He glanced at me once and then focused back on the road. And today, I didn't even try to make conversation. Sometimes, just watching him in silence feels good; sometimes, it feels good to just to feel his presence in silence.

My chain of thoughts was interrupted when Aziz's beautiful voice resonated in my ears.

"There's something missing in your hand, sweetheart," Aziz asked calmly, glancing at me.

"What?" I asked in a confused tone.

"My hand in yours," he said with a smile and intertwined his fingers with mine.

"Aziz!" I said, trying to control my blushing cheeks.

"Uns!" he said, looking at me lovingly.

"Are you ready for tomorrow's Reception?" Aziz asked after a moment.

"Yes," I said, softly kissing his hand.

And just then, Aziz stopped the car and kept looking at me while his face was completely turning red now.

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🌟ThevTruthful Betrayal🌟 fans:

The next chapter will be posted tomorrow! Spoiler alert-Our third couple is about to make their entrance, bringing a whirlwind of mixed emotions. Stay tuned for all the drama and excitement!

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𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 :

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