Meri Musibat [Tere Bin FF]

7. 20, 23 - Part 5

Murtasim found himself ensnared in trouble, a magnetic kind that halted his feet and riveted his gaze upon the courtyard. The veils of sheer curtains and cascading flowers, adorned for the wedding, granted him both concealment and a view of the scene unfolding before him. Though responsibilities beckoned — a council meeting, agitated farmers, myriad problems demanding resolution — he remained anchored, transfixed by the sight of Meerab.

There she was, sitting in the middle of the courtyard, clad in a simple pink suit that rendered her an elegant silhouette against the vibrant backdrop. Her hair, usually flowing in unruly, tempting curls, was now restrained, revealing the graceful line of her neck as she bent over a small bathtub. Originally designed for children's whimsical baths, the tub now accommodated Murtasimbakri Khan, Meerab's pet goat, who had quickly become her shadow.

The air around seemed to dance, suffused with Meerab's laughter, a symphony of joy that reverberated through the haveli's stone corridors, a siren song that had drawn him inexorably toward her. And as he observed, the reason behind her glee unveiled itself. Each attempt Meerab made to cleanse the goat's coat resulted in playful, wet reprisals, the baby goat shook and moved around, droplets of water gleaming like diamonds as they flew through the air, hitting Meerab.

Between the droplets and the laughter, Meerab conversed with the goat, words and giggles. Murtasim couldn't help but drink in the sight with a sense of awe intertwined with an emotion he refused to acknowledge.

"You should stay away from Murtasim," Meerab cautioned her ward, her voice a gentle lilt as fingers massaged shampoo into the baby goat's fur.

At the mention of his name, Murtasimbakri offered a responsive bleat, almost as if understanding the gravity of the advice being bestowed upon her.

"He likes slaughtering your kind." Meerab sighed, a wistful sound tinged with mirth. "But then again, maybe it was just Khushbakri, she hated him because I complained about him to her a lot." A giggle escaped her, light and infectious, and he found himself smiling despite the context.

Memories flickered, vignettes of the past wherein Khushbakri would charge at him, a determined glint in her eyes, and suddenly the puzzle pieces fell into place, the little goat was trying to avenge its owner.

"But, you know," Meerab's voice drifted towards him again, pulling him from the recesses of memory, "Murtasim isn't all that terrible... not usually. He's different now." Her hands worked diligently, fingers creating rivulets of foam in the goat's coat while venturing behind the ears, eliciting a snuggle from the goat.

A twinge of something akin to jealousy flickered within Murtasim's chest, an unfamiliar and disconcerting sensation that he swiftly suppressed. The sight before him — Meerab, confiding in and caring for the creature like he had meant for her to do — elicited a complex set of emotions in him.

Murtasim found himself wishing he was the entity she confided in, the one she sought comfort with, shared laughter and whispered secrets. As these thoughts swam in his mind, images from their close proximity during their handcuffed predicament flashed before his eyes. The memory of her, pressed up against him, her warmth seeping through the layers of fabric to kiss his skin, infiltrated his senses.

With an ineffable lightness coloring her features, Meerab began to tenderly rub around the goat's face. Her eyes crinkled at the corners with a smile of genuine delight. "You know, Murtasim..."

Each syllable of his name, as it rolled off her tongue, sounded like music to Murtasim's ears. There was a melody in the way Meerab articulated "Murtasim", rendering the name sweeter and more significant than it ever seemed before. It was as if she wove affection and warmth into the very letters, wrapping them in a tenderness that settled deep within his chest.