Dhaagey: The Ties that Bind Us

2. home is where the heart is

As Meerab's car pulled up into the driveway of the Khan Mansion a week later, she could not help the rush of emotions that flooded her heart. It was as though every cell in her body was singing with joy, finally being home. She could feel the pride bubbling up inside of her, as she realized that she was returning home after doing what she thought once impossible for a woman of the Khan Household.

She had completed her law studies and written the bar exam, and was returning home to where she belonged. As she stepped out of the car and looked up at the grand facade of the Khan Mansion, Meerab felt a sense of pride. She could see the gleaming white marble of the steps leading up to the front door, and the elegant columns that stood sentinel on either side.

She had missed it. Even in its lavishness, it felt like home.

Meerab took a deep breath, letting the scent of flowers from the garden fill her senses. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, as if it was welcoming her home. She smiled as she saw Maa Begum and Maryam rush out of the house, heading towards her with huge smiles on their faces.

"Finally, my daughter is back." Maa Begum gushed, while hugging her. Meerab couldn't help but hug back the woman who had raised her, her aunt in name, but someone who felt like a mother, a strict one, but a loving one nonetheless. "I shouldn't have agreed to Murtasim's words, the house has been too quiet without you." She sighed as she pulled away, cupping her face, her eyes trailing over it.

Meerab couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, Anila chachi and Waqas chachu fed me well and took care of me, Maa Begum."

"Welcome back!" Maryam gushed, as she pulled her into a hug next.

Meerab hugged her back, but her eyes were behind Maryam, searching for his familiar form, expecting him to be lingering somewhere behind his mother and sister. Her eyes flit over the crowd that was gathering to see her, eagerly seeking his presence.

"Bhai is not home if you're looking for him." Maryam teased as she pulled away.

Meerab's heart ached as the words registered. A deep longing had stirred within her as she got closer to the Khan Mansion, an unquenchable desire to see him again after being away for so long growing inside her.

She wondered if he truly didn't feel that way. Why wasn't she important enough for him to come see her? Doubts and fears that had plagued her mind all of last week filled her again as she tried to keep her composure in front of her family.

"I am not." She told Maryam with a smile.

Maryam rolled her eyes before whispering to her quietly. "Like the two of you haven't been using me to ask after the other these five years."

She didn't want to think about how he never willingly contacted her right then, those were thoughts she saved for when she tossed and turned in bed, wondering what she meant to him.

"My...baba?" She asked, hoping that the man who was her father in name wasn't around. The one who had given up all rights to her, letting his brother and sister-in-law raise her while he left the Khan Mansion, blaming her for the loss of his wife.

"Not here."

Meerab was glad.

"You two can talk later, settle back into your room, I have asked for your favourites to be made for lunch. Murtasim should be back by then too." Maa Begum chimed in.

Meerab hated how her heart skipped a beat at his name.

She tried to steady her breathing and calm her nerves, wondering how she would react to seeing him. It had been two years, seven months, and nineteen days since she had last seen him in person, across another table in another city.