Khwabeeda-e-Ishq

Chapter 4| Meeting Her

🖤"Behind lowered eyes, whole worlds are hidden."🖤

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•||Meeting Her: Where It All Began||•

Zain adjusted his cufflinks for the third time, though they didn't need adjusting. His reflection in the mirror showed more nerves than polish, and he hated that it was so obvious-even to himself.

A light tap at the door pulled him back. Before he could respond, His mother, Hania walked in, her presence calm, steady, almost too perceptive.

"You're unusually restless today," she said, her eyes narrowing in that way mothers do when they already know the answer.

"I'm fine," Zain replied quickly, clearing his throat. "Just... thinking."

Her eyebrow arched in that way that meant she wasn't buying it. She stepped closer, studying him like only a mother could. "It's normal to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous," he muttered, tugging at his sleeve again.

"Of course not," she said, though her smile said otherwise. And without warning, her hand went straight to his carefully set hair, ruffling it.

"Ammi!" He jerked back, glaring at her through the strands now sticking up. "Seriously?"

She laughed, light and unbothered, her eyes sparkling. "You look too serious. Needed to fix that."

He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair, though a smile betrayed him. "You never change."

"And you never admit when something's bothering you," she teased, pausing by the door. Then her expression softened, her voice dropping into that gentle, motherly cadence that always had a way of settling him.

"Relax Zain, agar tumhe Hoor pasand nahi ayi, toh tum mana kar sakte ho. Tum jante ho, tumhari khushi se badkar mere liye aur kuch bhi nahi hai. Mera vaada bhi nahi. Main Hoor ke liye Aashiq ka rishta le jaaungi, aur agar usse pasand aaya, aur Aashiq ko bhi koi aitraz nahi hoga, toh phir hum baat aage badhaenge. Par mujhe pata hai, tumhe woh achi lagegi. Bohut pyaari ladki hai, beta."

She offered him a quiet smile, the kind that carried both reassurance and finality, before turning to leave.
Zain stood there, chest a little lighter, shoulders loosening, as if the tension had been drawn out through her words. For the first time in that morning's whirlwind, he allowed himself a slow exhale and a small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips. Relief settled over him like a warm blanket-quiet, steady, enough to carry him forward.

---

Zain carried a small bowl of seeds toward the balcony, where his parrot lounged inside its open cage. The bird tilted its head, eyeing him warily. Every time he tried to offer a morsel, it turned away as if in protest.

"Tumhara attitude bhi Mizaan jaisa hai... sahi hai, ek dum dhund ke laya hai tumhe," Zain muttered with a small smile. Mizaan Ali, his childhood best friend, had gifted him this parrot, claiming it would be the perfect chill companion. So far, the bird seemed to be living up to that reputation-by being impossibly difficult.

Just then, the Khan toli barged into his room without warning. Shahmir, leaning against the doorframe with all the drama in the world, said, "Bhai, we're already late and you're still feeding this Phatphatiya?"