Written Among The Stars.

Chapter 27 - A shock

Haneen was standing helpless in the basement parking of the building. She had gone to buy some toiletries from the shop in front of the building but was met with Ali on her way back.

Ali and her went way back. When Haneen was a child and her family lived in Pakistan, Ali was her neighbour. They had lots of childhood memories together and co-incidentally, Ali was the younger brother of the groom whom Aaban's cousin was getting married to. That's how they had met again. Ali liked to call it fate but Haneen was pretty uncomfortable to meet him once again. She never got good vibes from him.

She didn't want to talk to him right now, specially when she was alone because he and Aaban never got along. She still had to display some courtesy towards him. She couldn't just say it to his face to get lost.

"You've come back here after so long. I think you've forgotten me. Remember how we used to play back then. You were such a tomboy and you always played with my boyish toys and guns. You were almost hanging out with me every other day. Our elders thought that we would end up getting married one day." He chuckled making her cringe. She couldn't even imagine the thought of her and him being together.

"Hmm." She faked a smile. She just wanted to get done with this and run to her room. He came near her and she stepped back, consciously.

"Hey, why are you so scared? Is everything okay? Did Aaban do anything to you? You've changed so much, Hanie. I am the same old Ali. Your Ali." She cringed and closed her eyes, backing away from him. He leaned his hand forward and she consciously stepped back.

"Ali please, stay away from me." She warned, frustrated like anything.

But he kept coming closer so she left the shopping bag on the floor and ran towards the elevator. The door opened and revealed the man that she needed the most right now. Aaban stood there and for a while, he was stunned to see his wife's terrified face but then he saw the man standing behind her and smirking.

He clenched his jaw in anger and his hands turned into fists. He was extremely furious right now. He went past her and grabbed Ali by his collar. She ran after him. Aaban threw a punch at Ali so strong that his lips began to bleed. He punched him twice and was about to hit him hard when Haneen shouted at him to stop. Ali found this as an opportunity and Aaban got hit in the process very badly but he couldn't care about anything.

"Please stop!" She begged him. He looked at her and then at Ali. He jerked him away and walked past Haneen again, angrily. He had told her to stay away from him because he didn't like the way he looked at her.

"I knew Haneen would never allow you to hurt me." He smirked making Aaban go crazy. Before he could react and beat the shit out of him, Haneen came in front of him.

"She still cares about me but because of you, she is staying away. You've scared her enough not to let her crawl out of the boundaries." He continued, trying to trigger a reaction out of him so that he could make a scene in front of his family.

Haneen didn't know what would be the consequences of the step that she was going to take next but she could take the risk and end things and misunderstandings right there and then. She slipped her hand in his and clasped their fingers together and then she just buried herself in him, in front of Ali. She hugged him tightly and wrapped her slender arms around his torso. Her scarf flew with the wind and fell down on her shoulders revealing her beautiful hair. She rested her head on his chest and she could feel his muscles relaxing but he didn't hug her back and that made her afraid.

What if he got angry at her, again?

Finally she felt his arms going up. He adjusted her scarf back on her head and wrapped one of his arm around her petite figure, marking his territory. Haneen saw Ali's face fall and although she felt a little bit guilty but it was now or never. She wanted to mend her relationship which she had been already struggling for and this was her chance. She couldn't let it go.