Ballad Of Love

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"ghum sum pyar da mausam,
aaj na dard jaga vi....."

°°°

Seven years later,

He was sitting in his office working on the new case that had been a pain in the heart for him for months. He switched off the laptop and put down the files. He wanted sometime away from all this mess. He wanted to clear his head right now and only cigarette could do that. He wasn't a chain smoker but the ups and down in his life had turned him into this man. He lit up the cigarette and took a long drag of it before releasing it. He had been known to pain all his life but he still couldn't come to terms that he had lost her. He had lost the only light in his life, now he was again wandering in the allura of darkness.

"Knock. Knock."

He put the cigarette in ashtray and with a heavy authoritative voice he called out the person to come in.

"Ahh i hate cigarettes. Astagfiruallah."

A timid girl in hijab appear in his sight and he smiled at her non existence sarcasm.

"What are you doing here Aisha? Don't you have any scandalous celebrity divorce to handle?"

Aisha frowned at him and threw her bag on his chest which he caught in no time.

"Well. Well. What the hell is this Aisha."

She sat on the chair opposite to his and started rotating the paper roller.

"I need your help Dawood."

Aisha was still rotating the roller and avoiding looking at Dawood.

"What kind of help?"

Dawood sat back on his chair and give her his full attention.

"Dawood there's a case of domestic violence. The girl wanted a divorce but the husband isn't letting her, plus the girl says he has murdered her mother."

Aisha said all of this things in one go and now she was waiting for him to say something but he was sitting their with Plain face.

"Look Aisha I'd have taken this case but I can't. I've already so much on my platter."

Aisha looked up for the first time in this whole conversation and now she was really seeing him her childhood friend who had endured pain all his life, couldn't come to terms with losing a girl. She can see that hollowness in his eyes, that she had saw seven years ago.

"Dawood I'd have taken this case but this is now a murder case and the girl is not safe. Please I don't have anywhere to go but you. She needs you Dawood."

Dawood placed his hands on the table and with a serious expression, cutting her off midway he said, "Look i don't care who that girl was and apparently you're one of the highest paid attorney in the country. I hope you'll find someone else...."

"Dawood. This is about Zahiah."

Dawood who was frustrated with her continuous requests of taking that case was now sitting silently hearing her name.

***

She opened the door of her apartment and he followed her league. He was getting impatient and all could he think about was seeing her face after seven years of torment.