Zayan felt as if he would get a panic attack seeing the way Hooriya's father was glaring at him.
“So you are the boy Hooriya had helped that night?” Nawaz Shah asked in his stern voice.
Zayan gulped nervously and nodded meekly.
“And the one who sent her the painting?” He asked again in his dangerous voice.
Zayan again nodded nervously.
“And you want to take her on a date?” Now his voice grew ten times dangerous.
Zayan shuddered internally while nodding.
“Are you mute, young man?” Nawaz Shah asked.
Zayan in his dumbfounded state nodded but then quickly shook his head, “I can speak, uncle.”
“Hoorain will be accompanying both of you.” Nawaz Shah declared.
Hoorain's eyes widened at the prospect of being a third wheel. But she couldn't say a no, or else their father won't let Hooriya go with Zayan.
Zayan looked at Hooriya who was stifling her laughter at Hoorain's side.
“Okay.”
💘💘💘
Hoorain decided to leave Hooriya alone with her lover boy and went to watch a movie. Zayan and Hooriya were sitting in a restaurant and eating their food. The restaurant was popular for its Japanese cuisine, so they decided to order the same. Hooriya chose to eat Ramen and Sushi while Zayan ordered Tempura and Yakitori. The names sounded very weird to them but the food was delicious.
“Your father is a scary person.” Zayan told her with a shake of his head.
“Hmm, you were asking permission to take his daughter on a date. Of course, he will scare you to make sure his daughter comes home safely.”
“Yeah, that's right. By the way, what did you do with that painting?”
“I hung it in my bedroom.”
The very moment they heard a loud noise of lightning in the sky. It was so strong that it came as a shock. And almost immediately heavy rain began pouring on the city. It happened out of blue. One moment the land was basking in sunlight and the next moment it was invaded by darkness and downpour. Zayan felt suffocated. The sound of rain was raising his heartbeat. It always happened to him when it rained. He will get on the verge of a panic attack and then faint only to realise he lost his memory for few days. Which is why his bedroom was made soundproof. However, at that moment in the restaurant he had no escape from the tormenting noise of rain. It reminded him of his cries from that tragic night. He hated the feeling. The feeling of being vulnerable.
“Zayan...” Hooriya's voice brought him back to reality.
“Yeah.”
“Are you alright? You stopped eating.” She asked.
Zayan kept quiet for a moment,“I think we should leave.”
“Because of the rain?” She asked, noticing the discomfort in his voice.
“Yes.” He nodded.
She took a bite of sushi and picked her phone to call Hoorain. Hoorain was stuck in the nearby shopping mall because of the rain. So Zayan and Hooriya went to the car. Hooriya insisted on driving because it was risky to let Zayan drive in bad weather. He was prone to panic attacks and she had seen the consequence herself that night. So she drove to the mall to pick Hoorain. Hoorain sighed in relief when she sat on the backseat with her heavy shopping bags.
“You were going to watch a movie. Then these shopping bags?” Hooriya asked her.
“The cinema hall was housefull. So I decided to do shopping instead.” Hoorain replied.
Hooriya nodded and began the ride. She was driving towards Zayan's residence. He could rest at home and maybe his brother could drop them or they could book a cab online. But she couldn't let Zayan drive. Zayan rested his head against the car window and closed his eyes. His head began to pound very badly. He wanted to block the noise around him. It was getting hard to keep his eyes open. His vision was getting blurry. He was afraid. What if his amnesia hit again? And soon darkness engulfed his senses completely.
“Zayan.” Hooriya shook his shoulder,“ Oh, he fainted!” She sped up the car to reach his residence as soon as possible. His condition was scaring her. She couldn't understand if she was mentally and emotionally strong to be with him.
💘💘💘
An hour passed. Hooriya and Hoorain were sitting in the living room with Zayan's father and brother. While Zayan was lying unconscious in his room.
“It isn't anything dangerous. His mother's car accident had traumatized him. Storm and rain trigger his trauma. When it rains, the sound of rain will cause him temporary memory loss. He will forget few weeks of his life but will be back to normal after a few days. That's why we have made his bedroom soundproof, but of course we can't keep him safe all the time. Now we are kind of used to it.” His father explained.
“Didn't you consult a psychiatrist?” Hoorain asked.
“We did. Zayan is on medications too. But traumas are almost impossible to cure. Medicines can only give temporary relief. But we try to keep him stress free and happy. That's all we can do as his family.”
After a while both the sisters decided to leave. Ayan insisted on driving them home. When they reached and narrated the entire incident to their parents, Nawaz Shah and Hareem Begum were shocked to say the least.
“Hooriya, do you really want to date a guy who is mentally unstable?” Her mother asked, horrified at the prospect if it.
“I am not sure yet.” Saying so Hooriya went to her room and spent rest of thr day staring at the painting Zayan had gifted her.
“Do I want to risk my peace for him?” She asked herself but couldn't find the answer to the question.
•••
Question: What's your favourite cuisine?
Mine is Punjabi 😋
•••
And yesterday I watched Wahaj Ali's new drama called Jurm. It's fantastic and gives a very important message. I would highly recommend you guys to watch it. Wahaj Ali and Durefishan looked nice together. But Tuba Siddiqui stole the show.
