IBADAT-E-ISHQ

Mujhse Shaadi Karogi? 🫶🏻

"कुछ मैंने भी ज़ख्म झेले थे
कुछ तुमने भी दर्द चुना था
कुछ मैं भी इश्क से डरती थी
कुछ तुम्हें भी मोहब्बत में तबाह होना था ।"

~RAISA~

"And if I say that I won't say Yes, then?" I ask him, looking straight into his eyes. He's also looking at me but I think he's not seeing my eyes, he seeing my soul.

I feel it every time I look into his eyes, and this thing ... it intimidates me.

His eyes ... intimidates me.

His way of looking ... intimidates me.

The power his eyes holds ... intimidates me.

He intimidates me.

Because I know he can, not only see me but he can read me like a book, and that thought alone intimidates me to my core.

Because I don't want to be read, I don't want him to read me, nobody would want to read me. I know. Because some days even I don't want to read me. Because I know whatever is written inside me ... even I can't force myself to like it.

"Then we won't get married." He says firmly. Breaking my chain of thoughts and leaving me shocked. And I know for a fact that it's not just me who's shocked. Everyone sitting on the table is shocked.

Qaiser is still looking at me with that powerful gaze of his. Even after giving the whole power in my hands, he's still looking like the powerful man that he is. His gaze piercing, his jaw sharp, his body posture relaxed but attentive and his eyes waiting for me to say something, anything.

He's not challenging me this time, the way he did when he ordered hot chocolate for both of us, he just simply left the power of decision making in my hand. Why?

"Why?" The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"Because as I said earlier, your Yes matters." He said calmly. I've never seen a man look this calm and intimidating at the same time.

"Why?" I ask again, trying to read him, like the way he's doing right now.

"Because you will be the one I'll marry, not your father." He says with a soft chuckle.

"Not that." I say, still hell bound on reading him. "Why do you care so much about my opinion? You don't even know me. And it's an arrange marriage, which means the decision depends on the elders of the family, not on us, then ... why?" I ask him, trying to decode him not caring about how his lips lift in a slight smile, seeing my determination.

"Because even if this is an arrange marriage, and even though the elders made the decision. My mother has taught me to respect women, the way they deserve to be respected. And you ... Raisa you don't even know the things you deserve and you're not getting. I want to give them all ... take my respect for your decision as the first sign." He explains in that soothing husky voice of his.

Wait ... Soothing?

Hell no.

I open my mouth to say something, anything but a voice interrupts me.