If Only- A Tere Bin Story

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Murtasim kissed Meerab with a fervor and she responded with equal intensity. They didn't know how long they stayed in that lip-lock. They only broke off when someone knocked on Murtasim's door and separated with a jerk. Immediately they were overwhelmed with the mixture of emotions that erupted within them. Murtasim looked at Meerab who was shaking her head and pushing him away softly with both her hands on his chest.

"No...." Meerab let out in a choked voice, now frantically shaking her head as her eyes welled up

"No...No...No" she was chanting

"Meerab..'' Murtasim started but then stopped because his mind was blank. He really didn't know what could he say that would rectify their act of recklessness in this moment.

Meerab was looking at Murtasim with an expression in her that Murtasim couldn't figure out. Was that pleading? was it a warning? or was it regretful? Murtasim was desperately searching her eyes for an answer as she said

"We can't....I can't, I shouldn't have...." 

"Meerab..." Murtasim said and instinctively moved towards her to calm her down.

"NO.." she held a hand up to stop him from coming close as she desperately traced her steps back and ran out of his room. The door of the room was ajar and as she opened it wide to get out she saw a maid standing outside the door with a tea trolley. She must have been the one who knocked, Meerab thought and felt like thanking her and strangling her at the same time as she rushed out.

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Murtasim stood in his room trying to recover from the recent events. What had just happened? Damnit!....you butt-head why can't you keep your emotions in control, Murtasim was cursing himself as he kicked the side of the bed and then winced in pain. 

Just then the maid entered the room with a tea trolley and Murtasim realized that she must be the one who knocked. He couldn't figure out whether to thank her or strangle her right then.

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Meerab didn't stopped running until she reached the poolside. She took long deep breaths to calm herself down. What did she do? God! was she that desperate?....What would Murtasim be thinking about her?....Meerab tried to rake through her thoughts to find a logical reason for what had happened and how to deal with it.

Just then Meerab heard a feminine voice calling her from behind and she turned to find the same maid who was out side Murtasim's door. Her face reddened.

"Meerab bibi, yeh Khan ne apkay liye bhijwayi hai" (Meerab bibi, Khan had sent this for you) the maid said handing Meerab a file. It took Meerab a couple of seconds to realize what that was. Oh the file on Malick Zubair.

Meerab took the file from the maid and signaled her to leave which she did immediately, leaving Meerab alone with the file in her hands, incoherent thoughts in her head and a tantalizing sensation on her lips reminiscent of Murtasim's kiss.

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The next three days passed with Meerab and Murtasim tip-toeing around the Haveli, avoiding each other at all cost, which they did successfully. Waqas's health had improved considerably and Meerab had pushed them to go back to Karachi now, so Waqas reluctantly agreed to leave Hyderabad early next morning. 

It was now getting really hard for Meerab to be in this Haveli. However, she didn't know why, whether it was because she didn't want to be around Murtasim or was it because she's around him but not with him and that hurt. She needed to get a hold of her emotions she decided, and she needed distance for that. She was rationalizing her thoughts as she went to the parking area to find Bakhtu because she needed some medicines for Waqas before they hit the road the next morning.

She found Bakhtu talking to a tall, dark, extremely handsome man who lived in this Haveli and always seem to wreck havoc in her otherwise calm and collected thought process.

Murtasim turned and his eyes locked with Meerab's and immediately Meerab lowered her gaze. She took a couple of steps towards them and nodded towards Murtasim and then turned her attention towards Bakhtu.

"These are some medicines I need for Baba before we start our travel." She gave a prescription paper to Bakhtu who nodded and left immediately.

"What travel?'' Murtasim asked before Meerab can walk away.

"We are going back to Karachi tomorrow morning." She answered and saw a wave of surprise pass through Murtasim's face followed by what looked like sadness but he nodded curtly and said

"Right..'' 

Meerab sheepishly stood there for a few seconds. She needed to chose her words carefully if she wanted to get this tension between them to ease down.

"Look Murtasim..." she paused and then said "We need to find a way to be around each other without the tension and awkwardness. Even if we will no longer be married, we are still cousin and we can't avoid each other for life." She was trying to pitch the idea to him and pushed further

"If nothing else we can offer each other casual pleasantries without discomfort, when we see each other" Meerab concluded.

"Yeah!" Murtasim let out

His one syllabi answer and stern facial expressions bothered Meerab. She saw him take a deep breath before he spoke,

"Well!...we are cousins, you have my number and know where I live....so, do tell when you need me" then he looked directly at her and said "But only if there is an emergency"

Ouch! So we are back to basic, Meerab thought. His curt reply hurt her more than she thought it would but she tried to hide it and shrugged before saying,

"Yeah sure!...I understand"

"No you don't"

"I do Murtasim"

"NO you don't! I am not capable of doing casual with you Meerab." said Murtasim staring down  at her soul.

Murtasim spoke his words with the intensity which Meerab felt from the crown of her head to the tip of her toe, as she saw him walk away while she stood there frozen.

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We are close to the end.

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