Since that night in the hotel when Murtasim had gone out, a doubt had taken it's seed in Meerab's mind. He was hiding something from her. And that doubt had only grown with his frequent visits to the gao since they had come back. She had tried to ask him a couple of times but only got answers with empty reasons. This made her doubt grew but she decided not to ponder over it and focus on her studies for the entry test.
Until one day.
Meerab was entering into their room after a long day of studying in the garden, when she overheard Murtasim on phone with someone.
"Hum uski tarah gire nahi ke ghar ki aurat par haath daalein, lekin agar usne nahi suna toh shayad humein ye kadam bhi uthana padhe", he growled in the phone. His voice laced with venomous disdain.
Meerab stilled at the tone of his voice and as she took in the connotation of what he said implied, a chill ran down her spine and her hold on her books almost loosened.
"Yeah so tell him, he only has two days, until we take another drastic step", his deadly voice echoed in the room. And Meerab's heart pounded in extreme measures.
She composed herself and entered the room with cautious steps as he cut the call, observing his face for some trace of the deadly man that was just now talking on the phone, but he was long gone as he looked at her with a smile spread on his face. She wondered how easily someone could change.
Salaam, Mrs. Khan", he moved forward and stood in front of her. "Aaj kaafi padhai ho gayi, hmm?" He said as he took her books from her and put them on the side table.
"Uhm-haan, yes" she said, her mind still repeating those words of his. "Who were you talking to on the phone?", she asked, not beating around the bush.
That stopped him in his tracks. He looked back at her, "no one, just bakhtu," he said as he came back in front of her. He wondered how much had she heard as he removed a stucked leaf from her hair strand.
"Seemed kind of an intense talk" she said, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Haan gao ki baatein, waha ke masle, un sab ki baat thi", he said, playing with her hair strand now, nonchalance in his tone.
"And threatening too, she said, finally getting to point, her body completely still, not reacting to his touch, like it normally would.
"Yes, sometimes you need to be dangerous for people who deserve it", he said with deadly edge in his tone which made Meerab shiver at the connotation of it.
"Mujhe tumhare saath kal gao jaana hai," she suddenly changed the topic. She wanted to get to the bottom of this dangerous game he was playing and hiding from her.
"Don't you need to study?" he asked, as he removed his hand from her hair and went to sit on the bed.
"Yes, precisely why I want to go, yaha par Maa Begum ki panchayat, unke mehman, they're quite disturbing and I believe the gao haveli will be peaceful in comparison." she came up with a convincing half-truth.
Murtasim looked at her, trying to gauge her expressions and only found an innocent look on her face. But the thought of her being there while he was working on a dangerous task scared him to bits.
"But your last trip was quite an adventurous one, I am afraid I don't want a repeat of that." Murtasim said slowly, a vulnerable edge lacing his voice.
"Just because it happened one time, doesn't mean it'll happen again, also I am more aware this time," she reasoned. She was right but he had to discourage her.
"I am actually working on a project there so I won't be able to be there with you and you know Meerab, it'll just give me anxiety," he sighed, stood up and held her by her shoulders, "I will be finished in two or three days, then I will take you. Promise," he said as he cupped her cheek.
