Farmeed / One-shot Series

~ hello, welcome home~

Farjaad couldn't lie, ever since he stopped Umeed in the middle of the road and asked her - rather told her - that they'd be meeting for lunch, he had questioned himself a number of times in the next few hours. Not because he was unsure about Umeed and him, not a chance. In fact, that was the only thing in his life about which he had no uncertainty. His thoughts emerged from his overthinking, in-control nature.

Farjaad Khan wasn't one to lose composure and control. Even when he was faced with multi million rupee losses in the company, he would be able to think with a straight head and reach a rational solution. However, the newest enigma in his life - Umeed Pasha - was where all his rationality and composure took a dip. More often than not he found himself pulling up stunts that he would've never even thought of.

It happened when he climbed over the wall of her house to hide from her father.

It happened when he began apologising even though she dropped his laptop.

And again when he blurted out "haan to hum chai pi lein gay".

He still couldn't believe he woke up at 1 am and showed up at the police station to bail her out. The memory made him smile.

And although he knew very well that he had to ask her out before any further delays, he was still replaying his antics of gifting her red roses in the middle of the day on the road.

But as he sat in front of her looking ravishing in all-white with makeup heavier than anything she had ever worn, all his doubts went away. In fact, there was a regret of not doing this earlier.

For the first time in years, Farjaad Khan Bahadur felt calm. Not in control, not powerful - just calm. It made him realise how badly he had been craving this in his life. He was so used to being meticulous about things at work and ignoring the existence of anything called emotions that he forgot how good it felt to not have everything always planned out. How good it felt to sometimes just let oneself fall and let life take control.

He was sitting back on his seat, listening to her intently. Another thing he had realised over time - he enjoyed not always having the last word. He enjoyed letting this girl silence him, let himself lose arguments to her, let her dictate him. He was so used to bossing people at work and having an authoritative position at home too, but somehow it felt right to let himself be bossed around.

So he let her talk and get her emotions out while he wondered just how beautiful she was. Could the word "beauty" be given a face? If it could, it would be Umeed Pasha's face. He was lost in her large eyes when he suddenly saw them filling up with tears, jolting him out of his thoughts. Those tears did not suit those eyes - only the glint of mischief coupled with hope and innocence did.

"Magar I promise, mere in masoom jhooton se kabhi kisi ka nuqsaan nahi hua hai, ulta mere saath hi fraud hua hai. Mere saaray pasiay chhin gaye. Jo kuch haasil kiya tha, sab khatam ho gaya."

Farjaad felt a pang in his heart seeing her so vulnerable. He felt an instant guilt too because he was one of those who would always call her out for her lies, and even mocked her game show money. He had never realised that it meant so much for her. As someone who had grown up with an abundance of money, perhaps he failed to understand how it was to not have it lying around.

But what hurt him the most was Umeed blaming herself for it and feeling like she lost everything. To feel as if she was alone now, and had nothing to value in her life anymore.

He had to show her that not all was lost.That whatever she lost was temporary anyway. To show her that she wasn't alone.

So he did the only thing he could figure out - he gently slipped his hand under hers, squeezing it and caressing it with his thumb.