Ishq | (complete)

59 | intekhab

❝Chehre Pe Khushi Cha Jaati Hai

Ankhon Mein Suroor Cha Jaata HaiJab Tum Mujhe Apna Kehte HoApne Pe Ghuroor Aajata Hai❞

Laila darted from the cold room through the hallway towards the lawn. Shehryar's hand had loosened around her with the shock. She bent over and whatever breakfast she had spilled over the grass. Her throat hurt with each fit of cough, but she wanted to get rid of everything. The anxiety, pain, bitterness, and the fact that she'd have to choose between herself and her home. That orphanage was her home and the career she had built spanning over years of hard work. That's who she was. How was she going to choose. It was either killing herself or burning her home. Why?

"Laila." He held her shoulders, stopping her from keeling over and falling to the ground. "Here." He held a bottle of water to her mouth. She shook her head, deliberately coughing. "Laila." His stern voice barely made it through the hazy pain. It hurt to breathe, her throat hurt as he helped her take a sip from the bottle to rinse her mouth.

The moment took her back to the first time they had opened up to each other. She'd give anything to go back so she wouldn't have to make the choice. When the biggest struggle in her life was to get him to work, not make a choice between an orphanage and the hospital. She couldn't remember how she got back home except the fact that he held her the entire time. Stopping her from ripping her dupatta away or coughing out her organs.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, his head was bent, face covered with his hands when she walked out of the bathroom. It wasn't just about her or the orphanage. If she chose the orphanage, she was giving up all the trust, the hard work, and his dreams. She wasn't just going to damage herself, she was going to destroy his dreams and maybe even his peace. Suddenly, her shoulders seemed extra heavy as if she was going to fall through the cracks of this earth, six feet under, with all this weight.

"What do you want me to do?" She sat on the floor in front of him. Removing the hands from his face, he stared into her eyes. His eyes were bloodshot and laced with fading tears. There was no chaos within those dark eyes. No, they were lost just like hers. For the first time, they both didn't know which way to go. They were drowning and it seemed Laila had to choose who could survive.

"Whatever will make it easy for you to breathe. Whatever will damage you less." He put his hand on her jaw, tracing it all the way to her hairline and then threading it in her damp hair.

"What about you?"

"You are my world. That business is my dream and my passion. Whichever one hurts, it will hurt me at the end of the day, but I'd rather have my dreams and passion crash than my world. I'd rather suffer through my business than seeing you suffer. I'm not going to lie to you. It is going to hurt, but I'm willing to take that pain rather than seeing you suffer for the rest of your life because of me. So choose the one that will make you regret less."

"My choice will destroy you, Shehryar Ali." The words burned on her tongue as she helplessly stared into the eyes of the man who was stuck between love and his dreams.

"Haq hai, Mrs. Laila Shehryar Ali." He bent forward and kissed her forehead.

Laila ke kandhon pe jo bojh tha woh thora sa halka huwa. Bus kuch lafzon mein Shehryar Ali ne Laila ka faisla aasan kardiya. Kaise kar leta tha woh yeh sab. Ab tou dar lagne laga tha Laila ko jaisi mohabbat Shehryar Laila se karta hai, kya Laila ki qismat mein woh likhi bhi thi ya nahi. Uski apni qismat us ke raaste mein kanta ban jaati thi. Jo faisla Laila ne karna tha us faisalay ke baad uske pass kuch nahi hoga siwaye Shehryar ke. Ab sirf woh yeh dua hi kar sakti thi ke Allah Shehryar ko hamesha aesay he rakhe aur usko himmat de Laila ka saath dene ki, Kyunke woh jo karne jaa rahi thi uske baad naa sirf woh apne aap ko barbaad kar rahi thi, balke woh Shehryar ka woh sapna tor rahi thi jiske piche woh pichle 10 saal se khwar ho raha tha.