Short Serene Tales [A Collection Of Desi Short Stories]

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Chilly breeze was harshly blowing, it was the time of sunset, where sun was setting from between the mountains showing beautiful colors deep into the horizon, fog was everywhere. It was winter in it's fullest, making a void in her heart where only loneliness resided as she laid her head on the glass window and stared outside with a strange longing inside of her heart. Of the time that was wasted, all those wasted tears, all those wasted pleas, that utter sense of helplessness and no hope that had become home inside of her.

She read somewhere that; 'Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is time for home.' There was no comfort, there was no good food, there was no warmth for her and where was her family? Where was she? Where she had lost herself? Where was her home?

Home... This word felt so foreign to her and she closed her eyes.

She was suddenly startled by a pair of arms that wrapped around her from behind and shared warmth with her cold body, she quickly turned around seeing a head with dark hair that was buried into the nape of her neck and he inhaled her scent while she stayed still.

"Gul e Nayab..." That name felt like a taunt now.

Her father had named her Gul e Nayab with so much love, so much admiration, so much tenderness. Gul e Nayab, a flower so rare and special it meant.

"Still upset?" His warm lips met with the cold skin of her neck and left a small peck.

"... Nahin..." Her voice came from somewhere far away, his black eyes met with her honey brown ones that had become so dull. She smiled shakily, as she shook his arms from around her and went to the wardrobe she tried to appear busy as she grabbed a towel and a pair of fresh clothes for herself.

"Jhoot bol rahi hou?" His deep voice came from right behind her, she turned around to find him so close to her again. She looked down, running her tongue on her chapped lips.

"N...nahin... I'm not upset, aap ne kuch ghalat nahin kiya. Mene overreact kr diya tha. Ainda se nahin karun gi, I'm sorry." She nervously twisted her fingers, looking at her feet. Her heart was lurching in her chest and her eyes were wide with panic.

His hands came to rest on her shoulders making her more tense than she already was, "dekha, tum toh itni samajhdar hou. Chalo koi baat nahin ab jo tumhein apni ghalati ka ehsaas hou gya hai toh aisa karo go take a shower and wear something nice and I'll take you out to for dinner somewhere, hmm?"

Gul e Nayab quickly nodded her head, her hands holding tightly onto the garments in her hands. He sighed, placing his two fingers under he chin and lifting her face up so she could look into his dark sinister eyes.

"Zara muskuraya karo nahin toh logoun ko dekh kr lagay ga ke shayad Gul e Nayab ka shouhar Ahmed Awaan ussay khush nahin rakhta. Chalo ab give me a smile, give your husband a nice big smile." She blinked and nodded her head in affirmation as she tried smiling.

He chuckled and placed his thumb and finger on the corners of her lips lifting them up, "smile big, I said! With teeth, show your teeth as well." Tears welled up inside her eyes as his hold tightened on her face. His palms and fingers held on her cheeks tight as he put his thumbs inside the corners of her mouth pulling them up and she whimpered in pain trying to free herself from him. "Haan aise hi! Smile like this!" His voice got heavy with loathe and his eyes shone in anger and hatred.

Incoherent words came from her as she dug her nails into his wrist trying to free herself from his cruel hold. Feeling a stinging pain in his wrist, he quickly let go of her and slapped her hard, cursing at her. She fell down in his feet. Gul e Nayab sobbed placing her hand on her cheek where he had slapped her not for the first time.