I heard people say time flies, but today, I felt itâone second, I was saying qubool hai (I do), and the next, I was hugging my parents, preparing to leave their house and settle in another's for the rest of my life.
"I never thought I'd shed a tear at your wedding, fatty," my brother sniffs, giving my arm a light punch out of frustration.
"Don't cry! I'll take care of Ziya!" The cute little munchkin, Naim, wraps his tiny arms around Saif and pats his back. I chuckle at his cuteness.
"I'm not worried about her. I'm worried about your brother. Take care of Ziyan, broâI'll be calling to check on him," he warns playfully, earning my glare. But everyone else finds it funny, laughing at his wordsâeven Ziyan chuckles lowly beside me.
Ziyan pulls me up so I don't stay crouched on the floor.
Grandma takes me into her arms, squeezing me to death. "I will miss you, my baby," she cries, probably remembering her own parents in this emotional moment.
I rub her back, nodding at her words.
"Ziyan, you better take care of my child," she sniffs, pushing me away only to hug him instead. He looks at me with slightly wide eyes, caught off guard.
Grandpa, standing beside Abbu, steps forward with his usual straight face and pats my head. "Take care."
I smile at him, and he nods like a robot before turning back to stand in his reserved spot, as if he shouldn't move from there.
"We'll come see you tomorrow, okay? Now stop crying." Mamma cups my cheeks, grinning at me before pressing a tight kiss to my forehead, then doing the same to Ziyan.
And soon, I'm pushed inside a sleek black SUV that could fit six people easily, yet it's just me and Ziyan. He's driving, and I'm sitting beside him.
"Drive slowly!" I bark when he starts the car and speeds up while I wave at my parents, knowing the other cousins will be at Ziyan's house.
Even when they're out of sight, I keep my head out of the window, tears still staining my cheeks. Why do people grow up so fast? I've been with my parents since birth, and now they're telling me to leave. This isn't fair.
"Ziah, stop crying." Ziyan's calm voice reaches me, but I ignore him.
"Ziah," he calls again, and this time, I sniff loudly, making it very clear that I am cryingâso leave me alone.
"You miss them already?" His soft tone melts my heart, but I stay quiet, answering only with a nod.
"You can visit them tomorrow. Think of it as a short stay, like you always do. You have me, Naim, Momâwe'll keep you company. Stop crying, sweetheart, you're not alone." His voice is gentle, and for the first time, his hand finds mine, holding it securely as we sit in the car.
I bite my lip, looking down at our now-intertwined hands, my stomach bubbling with an unfamiliar feeling crawling under my skin.
"You good now?" His thumb rubs my knuckles soothingly. With one hand on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road, he speaks effortlesslyâbut in my eyes, he looks nothing less than breathtaking.
"Yeah," I breathe out, rubbing my eyes, only for a gasp to escape me as I suddenly rememberâI'm wearing makeup! Waterproof, Hafsa said, but did it really hold up?
"Oh no," I mumble.
"What's wrong?" Ziyan glances at me, confused.
"Iâum... Hafsa said my makeup is waterproof, but can you check? Do I look like a bride or a witch?" I lean forward so he can see.
A very amused chuckle escapes his lips, making me sink back into my seat.
And his reaction tells me exactly what I feared. I look like a
""The foundation was 87 freaking dollars which apparently is more than 2000 bucks and eyeliner was nothing less, they looted me telling its waterproof, I am gonna file a complain on them!" I huff but open my purse to grab my compact to clean myself.
"Ziah, I didn't say a word so calm down, you look beautiful and just in the corner its smudged, well if you cry like your being abandoned no waterproof product can help but smudge a little unless its a permanent marker" he shakes his head smiling while taking the brands side, why is he supporting these cosmetic products, as far as I know his company does not deal with cosmetic product. I am sure he is having some inner business.
"But still.." I mumble while checking my face to see only the eyeliner being smudged "Can you give me your handkerchief? I lost mine" I ask Ziyan who nods and pulls out his from his pocket.
When he hands me I start cleaning my face, even though I do not look that ugly I still apply some compact to look fresh.
"Thankyou" I grin at the guy who nods taking it back.
"Please I just gave you 50 000 don't you all dare think I'll give you a penny" Ziyan shakes his head sitting beside me while the cousins whine looking at the elders for help, god these people are so greedy, I used to get 100 when we fight with are jiju's and here they are asking without any Reham (Mercy). Atleast they should fear Allah before asking such big amounts.
"This is not fair, this is the only time we earn and your snatching our Rozi (livelyhood) how will we live if you do this to us, how are we going to survive!" Fuzail whines like a kid but throws tantrums like those old aunties who gets everything but still our ungrateful and the unbothered soul of my husband rolls his eyes.
"Brother Listen, we are not letting you in if you don't give us 30 000 cash now and you will be staying without Ziah tonight" Hafsa deadpans and everyone nods with her "I am very comfortable in the couch too" Ziyan infront of whom no one can argue replies to which everyone whines.
"Okay okay enough, you greedy children, now get up and take your bhabhi to their room, she must be tired" Laiba Aunty comes and slaps fuzails back while laughing but asks the girls to take me to Ziyan's room.
Oh my goodness, the edible butterflies again becomes alive and they start roaming here and there when the word bhabhi and Ziyan's room reaches my ears. Our room. Astaghfirullah. I am not thinking anything.
I squeeze my finger nervously while hafsa and Nisma stands up with a huff probably upset that their plan off looting Ziyan failed.
"I am not listening a No, please don't do this to me bro, please don't kick our stomach" Fuzail dramatically cries "Fuzail, Should I remind you your monthly income my brother?" Ziyan raises his eyebrow but that shuts up the dramatic fuzail.
"What are you still doing here? Take our lovely bhabhi to their room, they need rest girls" Fuzail shoo-es away Hafsa and Nisma who throws him a glare.
I giggle when he apologetically smiles at them obviously didn't want his bank balance to be announced in public.
"You guys are so greedy, you've got 50 000 already and still you guys are asking, you better send me my part" I tell the girls who laughs "Oh please, go ask your rich husband yourself we are not giving you any money" they rudely throw away me from their group when I give them a glare they laugh side hugging me.
"Enjoy your night princess" when we reach the room they drag the word princess winking at me and I am blushing really hard at these different feeling.
Hafsa opens the door and we all three froze but a loud scream leaves hafsa's lips and I gasp stumbling back when I see a very ugly scene in front of me.
The once beautiful room has been destroyed in another level, the flower strings, decoration has been thrown and the bed is forced to be torn apart, while the woollen had been forced out, but the most scary part is the black cat sitting on the bed looking at us with deadly eyes as it eats the dead rats which are on the bed.
My heart thumps against my chest and I cover my mouth to not sob at this scary scene and we three push our self to the very corner, we are not even able to run our legs are numb. Hafsa cries and I quickly crouch down to hide myself from this scary thing which is not leaving my sight.
Stay Away from him or your dead written just above the bed in red paint or with blood I do not know but that does not leave my eyesight and I shudder feeling so scared that I feel suffocated and I feel like dying. The before gift replays in my mind the things I tried my best to avoid comes back and my body trembles in fear.
Loud food steps echoes through the corridor with Aunties 'what happens' from afar and soon I was taken into a bone crushing hug but knowing it is not the one's hug I feel safe in I do not hug them back but lift my damp eyelids up and when my eyes meet his worried one a sob leaves my lips and I hug myself tightly.
He is here, No one will kill you Ziah, your safe. Ziyan is here.
I roll my eyes at the whining Fuzail, who is whining like a kid, but I ignore him with my eyes on Ziah's disappearing figure.
She leaves the living room to go rest in my room, and I am feeling so tired that I just want to jump into bed.
"Fuzail, did you check who did that?" I ask my cousin, who comes out of his playful mood, and a sigh escapes his lips. "They are investigating," he tells me, and I nod, feeling tired of this shit.
A whole amount of food was wasted today because when the workers came back after a little break, they saw the food spilt on the ground and some rats thrown here and there.
And this tells me the stalker has some obsession with rats.
We had time and also people who replaced the food really quickly, and we were able to serve the guests, but the stress it gave everyone is beyond thinking.
"Ziyan, don't worry. Eric is looking out. I'm sure he will findâ" My heart jumps out of my chest when Hafsa's loud scream reaches our ears from afar. I look at Fuzail with wide eyes, who is staring at me with the same terror in his eyes.
We do not waste a second rushing toward where the voice is coming from. Anxiety hits me like a wave just thinking about what could have happened.
Even in my home, she is not safe? Where the hell is the security?!
When we reach, my heart shatters at the scene, and I stop a few steps away from Ziah and my other cousins, who are crying really badly. My head snaps to the room to see a very ugly scene, and the way my room is ruined only boils my blood in wanting to kill that freak in every way possible.
I turn to look at Ziah, and when our eyes meet, she lets out a muffled sob as if telling me, I am so scared. Please take me away.
I do not just stand there frozen but walk toward the group of women who are calming the scared girls.
Ziah is ducked down as if she does not want to show her face.
I politely ask Fuzail's mom to move so I can take Ziah away from this scene. She leaves the crying girl with a worried look on her face.
And when I hold Ziah's arm, her body automatically crushes into mine, and a loud sob escapes her lips as if she was hiding and suppressing the cry, and now, finally, she is letting it out.
Hafsa and Nisma have calmed down in their mother's embrace, but Ziah is still trembling. I look at Fuzail, who looks confused at the scene happening but pulls out his phone to probably call Eric.
I squeeze Ziah in my arms as I rub her back to calm her down, but I see no sign of her calming down.
"Ziah, look at me." I force myself to pull away from her tight hug, but I cup her soft skin so she looks at me. Even with her head up, she does not open her eyelids.
"Ziah, look at me." I try again so she forgets the terrible scene that must be playing in her mind on repeat.
"Ziah." And finally, she opens her wet lids. "You're safe. Calm down."
She shakes her head, and a sob leaves her as she presses her body into mine again.
"Aunty, I am taking her to her room. Please tell Mamma that everything is fine and we are in her room," I tell Fuzail's mother, who nods with a small, hesitant smile on her lips.
Before, they had only heard that things were happening with Ziah from me, but today they all saw it, and I am sure it's terrifying in their eyes.
I pull Ziah with me, but a loud scream from the girls stops us from walking further, and Ziah flinches in my arms. I snap my head to see the black cat looking at them with confused eyes before rushing inside my room again.
"It's just a cat," I whisper to Ziah, who must be wondering what is happening, and her muscles relax hearing me.
When we reach the room, I open the door but ask Ziah to get in. She hesitantly leaves me and enters, and I do the same before turning and locking the door.
A deep breath leaves my lips when I see Ziah hugging her trembling self. She must be scared of everything.
"Ziah?" I gently call her, and she slowly turns to look at me with her head low.
"Can I hug you?" My heart breaks into a trillion pieces when she quietly asks me in a whisper, as if she doesn't know what to do.
She looks so vulnerable in my eyes that I want to pull her into my lap and rock her to sleep.
I quickly move forward, taking her in my arms, giving her all the warmth and protection she deserves.
"I'm sorry, baby. Calm down." I rub her back with my palm while my other hand gives her scalp a gentle massage.
"I'm scared," she tells me in a trembling voice.
"I know... but I also know that you're strong. You're my strongest sweetheart, who can face everything."
She looks up when she hears me, and I give her a soft smile. With her chin resting on my chest, she gazes at me, and I lean forward to peck her tiny, cute red nose, hoping to distract her from her thoughts.
A giggle leaves her lips, and she shyly hides her face in my chest.
A chuckle escapes me, seeing her act all shy, but I cup her face to wipe her tears. I gently caress one cheek while the other is pressed against my chest.
We stay in complete silence, just in each other's embrace for a few minutes before Ziah looks up again, resting her chin on my chest.
"When you know who the stalker is, can you slap him from my side too?" she innocently asks, and I nod with a smile.
"I will," I promise, and she nods, appreciating it.
"That creep of a stalker used to be so sweet. Before, he bought me many things, and all the gifts were so sweet and lovely. And now I'm only receiving blood and dead rats. That psychopath is scaring me, Ziyan. He even ruined your beautiful room." A pout forms on her lips, and her eyes glisten with tears.
"He is not a sweet stalker. He's a psycho stalker. I don't like that person," she shakes her head, complaining.
And now, I think it's time for her to know everything she needs to. I just hope she reacts positively.
I press a soft kiss on her forehead before letting out a sigh at how things are about to go.
.....