Besabriyan

14|FOURTEEN

The world darkened around her and her heart leapt in its cage. This wasn't what she expected when she allowed herself to take his hands. Nobody better than her could understand the fear behind her mother's rejection- fear of having to live unloved by the very man that promised to love her. Her eyes involuntarily found him and she couldn't say whether or not he was shocked. He portrayed nothing and his body movements were frozen and the warmth that crept into her bones was slowly retiring. His eyes were pasted on her mother and then moving them to his own.

Maheen ripped her hand off him, leaving him stunned into silence. He looked at his hand that was now empty and looked at her to find her looking away– it turned his heart and somehow he had an idea of how it was going to end but he held onto whatever little hope that birthed in him out of nowhere. His mother glanced at him and shook her head as if to assure him and the look in her eyes was oddly comforting. For the first time in years– in his entire lifetime, he saw his mother looking at him with softness and a look that was of a companionship. Today was the day where his mother would be redeeming for leaving her child uncared for and unloved.

He let his hand hang on his side and moved away from Maheen, for the warmth that she radiated was twisting his insides and moving away was the only option to save himself from an embarrassment and a heartache. His entire life would be decided today but not with the decisions their mothers took but with Maheen's decision. He could feel her getting swayed and he feared his downfall wasn't very far from reaching him. If this went downhill then there was no way he could recover from the damage and he knew it.

"Iski mangni ho gayi aur iska nikah aaj se theen hafte baad hai." Manha said it out loud.

However, this came as a shock to the both of them. While Maheen mustered strength to look at him, he didn't move an inch from his place, nor did his eyes. He was watching Manha like she was reciting from the list of his sins and that he could only watch it slip away from his reach. She was hoping to live a life with love but a life with Rayyan was anything but it. She would never be happy with him and he would try nothing to make her happy.

"Our children love each other-" Bazia begam began only to stop midway after seeing her son agonizing in silence. It was getting hard for her. She didn't think his consent was necessary when they decided on marrying Noorul Ain and him. She didn't think he would object but when he came down to their lawn for his baat pakki ceremony, she saw how he drew blankness on them for not deeming his consent necessary.

"Haan phupho, Maheen aur Zaviyar bhai ek dusre ko pasand karte hain." Daniyal beckoned to Zaviyar to do something- to protect his love but in his mind was something else. He wouldn't do anything. He wouldn't dare take a step unless she wanted it. He was leaving his destiny in her hands to decide.

On the other side, Maheen was more scared than nervous. She was brought up as a daughter that never lied to her mother, rather she just didn't want to see her mother hurt. Knowing this would ultimately end up hurting her mother, Maheen wasn't left with much choice than to give up. Maheen Kamran would do anything but could never see her mother shed another drop of tear after all that she was put through. Still, backing out on him after he started going against everything so much as his morals meant betraying him.

She could hear his shallow breath and something in her broke- something that would never really heal. He was keeping his silence but she knew he was wrecking a storm inside him and because he mastered at masking his emotions though a glint of hope that still glimmered in his eyes like he held onto some kind of faith. He knew his mother was impulsive. He knew she wouldn't have discussed it with his father. He knew she thought she could deal with Ali Dawar saab after they fixed everything but nothing was going to be right anymore. He was the only one at the losing end.