MANNAT : His desire

7. PAST : EXCHANGING NAMES

MANNAT POV.

I can't find him. "Who are you trying to find?" I heard someone say behind me. I turned and saw Zayn's mom standing there, throwing daggers at me with just her eyesight.

"Hello Aunty, how are you?" I try to be polite. She never liked me when Zayn and I were in relationships, because she always thinks I am not up to her standards. "Oh, I am totally great, and I don't have to be worried about my son falling in love with some characterless girl. If you know what I mean," she said to me smilingly. But just as her words left her throat, I felt so humiliated... She never missed an opportunity to insult me, but I only just thought to respond to her.

"Aunty I.."

"I think you didn't hear my question earlier, did you?" she asked when I didn't respond, but that's exactly what I don't want to do because I don't want her to know I'm looking for her son.

"I asked who you were looking for-my son," she said again.

Now I am in trouble. I can't say yes to her, and I can't say no to her... And by the look she is giving me, I know she knows that I am still in love with her son.

I know she is waiting for my answer, but I don't have any. I shake my head as a no because I don't want to take anymore of her insults now, even if I had to lie for that.

"Oh, stop with this innocent act of yours, we all know you're still in love with my son, the whole town knows that, the first person you look for in this hall is my son, and you think I didn't notice." She paused as she waited for me to say anything, but I was too embarrassed to even make a sound from my throat. "Listen, if you still have plans about my son in your brain, erase them immediately, because you never deserved my son, and I can never understand how he fell in love with someone like you in the first place. Someone with no personality... who sleeps..."

I can't take any more of her insults. I abruptly said "stop aunty" loud enough for others to hear... my voice is so enraged that even I can't recognize it...But contrary to my voice, a lump is forming in my chest, making it so hard for me to even breathe, and my mind is already making me aware of the tears that are taking place in my eyes.

Zayn's mom, look at all the people who are looking at us... She didn't say anything as she walked away, disgusted with me...The lump in my heart is already so heavy that I feel like even in this enormous place I can't breathe. As my eyes are already teary, I can't see anything except the exit toward the garden area. This is enough proof for me to know that no one will accept me in Zayn's life again. Even as I reach the garden, I keep running away from everyone.

Suddenly I bump into someone and trip on my dress at the same time. I shut my eyes tightly as I know that I am going to fall now, and I brace myself for the hard fall. but instead, I never touched the ground. I shut my eyes more tightly, trying to figure out why I hadn't fallen. I don't want to open my eyes. Who is holding me? What if it's someone I don't want to see?

"You finally get it." I heard a deep voice as my eyes were still shut. I realize I've heard this voice before, but where should I look for answers ? I open my eyes suddenly, but all I see is blurriness; I blink many times to make the tears disappear and the view get clearer., I recognize him; he is looking into my eyes his hands are tightly around my waist securing me from falling; and my both hands are on his back as I need to hold something. He is just in his shirt, and the shirt is hugging every inch of his upper body. showing his tight and strong biceps, his broad, hard chest... To know that he is a gym freak, I don't even have to look at his body; I can feel it under my hands. But on his face he had a smirk at first, but as he saw me for a few moments, the smirk was gone and replaced with a confused look, and I was even more shocked because this person was not confused even between naymat and me. What made him confused now?