"You've pushed me away from the start, and I let you. Kept your distance from me and I let you. Now when you've finally come to terms with your feelings, you're letting me go without a fight?!"
Muaaz, a talented yet struggling architect based in Lo...
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The day progressed with Ms. Noor and I walking around the place, one vendor at a time. She'd say something about the monument's history, get distracted by whatever the stall in front of her had to offer and walk away with the thin plastic shopping bag they use around here with the newly bought item. And just like this, she's purchased bangles, earrings, Indian sandals, cotton kurtis similar to the one she's currently wearing, hair clips and bobbles, and many other things I can't even recall.
Now, as I watch her struggle with all those bags in her hand, trying to maneuver her way through the crowd, I let out a sigh. Guess all girls are the same around the world.
I had Layla making me do the heavy lifting back home and now her.
Allah has made me such a gentleman.
Muskaan looks taken aback when I reach for the bags.
"It's ok. I've got them, don't worry. I can carry--"
"I'm not as cruel as you think. I'm used to carrying bags anyway. Let go if this doesn't hurt your strong little heart."
"Help karna hai to help karo. Tana marne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai." She huffs, yanking the bags away and taking a step forward only to topple over something and crash land on her butt.
"Oooowwwwww!"
I bit my tongue, then jammed my lips together to stop the bubbling chortle. When that didn't help, a strangled snort that left my mouth.
"Laugh all you want." She muttered after I had looked away from her.
Given the green flag, I burst out laughing. The image of her landing on the floor with all her shoppers lying around her was too funny to hold back. And to top it all, the expression of scowl mixed with pain she had on her face and the way she glared at whatever had made her fall was too much.
"Itna bhi funny nahi tha." Ms. Noor grumbled again, only fueling the fire.
My stomach hurt and I was panting due to all that laughing that had me hunched over my knees. "Oh God!" I wheeze, wiping the corner of my eyes. "Aaahh!"
"Hogya aapka?" She sassed, now up on her feet with all the bags in place.
"Yeah. Let's go." I don't offer her my help and try to walk beside her as she makes her way to the actual monument. The crowd here was less as opposed to from where we had started walking and thanks to the no-vehicle zone, I was given more room to breathe actual air.
Ms. Noor walks over to the ticket counter while I take a moment to appreciate the build of the monument we were here for, Charminaar. The pillars, the intricate design of the side of the tomb, and the smart way they had installed clocks on all four sides of it.
A narrow flight of stairs took to the upper portion of the monument. A four-wayward balcony that gave you the view of the bazaar surrounded by all sides. The place was maintained not-too-well if you compare it to all the palaces and museums of Europe. I could tell by the way one of the minarets was surrounded by sticks, wrapped in a green cloth, the authorites jumped in to save the historic landmark at the right time.
