It was destiny ✨

Chapter 8

Haya woke up at noon after spending the entire night catching up with Erhan. As soon as she woke up, she grinned from ear to ear as she was truly excited about the adventures she had planned. Last night, Erhan and Haya agreed to just spend their day strolling around the streets of Muzaffarabad, reminiscing about their childhood. Haya was so eager that before sleeping, she worked out each and exact detail of what they'll do tomorrow. Without wasting any time, she jumped from her bed and dashed into the bathroom to get ready.

Haya dressed in an asymmetric white and blue striped flared midi dress, and she accessorized it with a waist belt to cinch and create a waistline. Haya covered her head with a solid-blue hijab, and lightly dabbed a nude pink lipstick on her lips. She paired her outfit with sky-blue suede platform wedges. Haya's height was average, but she still loved to put on heels to emphasize it. She was about to leave her room, but instantly remembered something and smiled to herself. She swung around and pulled out her jewelry box from the closet. Erhan had gifted her a vintage coin pendant as a bribe to let him leave for Australia; she completed her outfit by wearing that pendant, and it added a special touch.  

Haya entered the dining room where her parents and Erhan were already sitting, chuckling over something.

"Itni hassi kyoon arahi hai subah subah," Haya keenly asked.

"Subah? Din charhne ko aaya hai," Hamna replied.

"It's almost noon,"

"Aunty, samjha karein. Haya ki subah toh abhi hoi hai na," Erhan never misses a chance to pick on Haya.

"Aunty, please try to understand. It's Haya's morning." 

Haya rolled her eyes at his statement and grabbed a cup to pour herself some tea from the kettle.

"Haya, what do want in breakfast?" Hamna asked.

"Nothing. I'll grab something bahir sei hi," Haya replied while sipping her chai.

"Nothing, I'll grab something from outside,"

"Erhan, shall we leave?" Haya asked.

"Yes, just lemme grab my phone,"

"Alright, I'll wait in the car,"

When both of them left the room, Haya's mother had a small smile adorning her face. Curiously, Faris Khan asked the reason behind it. 

"Kitne ache lagtei hain na ye dono saath," Hamna Khan revealed the reason behind her mysterious smile. 

"They look so good together,"

"Haan, magar Erhan pathan nahi hai. Warna toh mei kab ka rishta maang chuka hota. Bohot acha larka hai Erhan," Faris Khan replied.

"Yes, but Erhan is not from our tribe. If he were to be from our tribe, I would've asked for his hand for Haya quite long ago. Erhan is such a nice guy," 

Haya's parents are open-minded. However, they're quite sensitive and strict with their tribal values and practices. They adored Erhan and genuinely wanted a 'damad' (son-in-law) just like him, but it was impossible because of the caste-marriage tradition of their tribe.

Erhan and Haya spent the day roaming around the old lanes and eating snacks sold by roadside vendors. They were unhygienic but truly scrumptious. It reminded them of the times when they'd sneak out from their house just to devour them because of the fear of scolding from their parents. 

They were drained by wandering for hours, but there was one last thing Haya had planned: a peaceful ending to their day. It was a 50-minute drive to the top of the hill from the hustle-bustle of the city, but watching the sunset from the top of a hillside with gentle but cold winds soothing your mind was all worth the hassle. Erhan didn't know about that spot as it hadn't been discovered back when he was residing in Kashmir, so Haya decided to surprise him. She was confident that he'll love it. Erhan was all smiles and sunshine during the day, but at night, he needed some 'alone time. It was to reorganize his thoughts and just reflected upon his experiences of the day. Haya knew him inside out, so it was the most appropriate conclusion to their day she could think of.