Colors of Ishq (Tere Bin FF)

chapter one

one / AFTER THE STORM

When episode 20 aired, I was so sure that it was a turning point in Meerasim's relationship, but what we got was a turn in Murtasim and Malik Mukhtar enemity, sigh. So, I thought I'd try writing what I'd in my head and work around it. Thank you for giving this a try!

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     The moonlight filtered through the large windows of their room, blending with the golden glow of the lights in the room, forming a halo around them that carried them away from the rest of the world. Murtasim's words wrapped around her, cocooning her with a newfound affection, his emotion laden voice reaching the depths of her heart as he stared at her, his gaze roving over her face, tracing every little contour while his finger brushed against her knuckles, a smooth and comforting touch that spiraled through her insides. Meerab felt herself holding onto the gaze, studying the vulnerability in those deep brown orbs, his confession ringing loud and clear in her ears, whispering to her a secret that had perhaps found a haven in her subconscious mind, but one that she'd been too resistant to accept.

     Ever since she'd seen him lain on the road, blood pooling around and smeared across him, staining his black suit, his entire form shaking in the aftermath of the accident, the question had lingered in her mind, wanting to find an escape out of her system. She'd yearned to know why he'd risked his life for her, taking the brunt of the accident upon himself, ensuring she'd remained unscathed despite the chaos that'd unfurled in the village prior to that moment an episode that'd threatened to ruin an image he'd built over the years because of her. She'd wanted to believe he'd done it out of his duty to protect her, a responsibility that'd been pressed upon him in the name of a marriage, but his words from minutes ago of not being able to live without her had made the emotions a tangible entity between them—something that she could no longer ignore.

     She'd been certain that the flirtatious comments, the penetrating gaze and the fleeting touches were all a façade for avenging her, to trap her into a false impression of love, amplifying her expectations from the marriage and stranding her later, mocking her for believing into the falsehood he'd intricately woven to trap her. For how could his feelings have metamorphosed from hatred to love and attraction that drastically? But as she stood before him in the quietude of the room then, his arm restrained to the confines of the sling and bandage, a testament to the emotions that now nestled between them, the memories from the past few days invaded her mind and she felt her defenses crumbling, the walls she'd forced around herself to repel him away slowly developing cracks.

     She'd believed the trip to the village would've offered her a brief respite from the mess that'd consumed her life in the past few months, a reminder she'd woken up to every single day within the confines of the Khan Haveli, repeating to her like a litany that she no longer had a home and family of her own. Instead, the series of events had pressed the reminder harder upon her, ingraining the understanding deeper into her mind that she knew nothing of the feudal life and had been thrust into this family, expecting to fit in and mold herself like a woman everyone else wanted, her existence and identity as Meerab, the curious girl who was her Baba's favorite, lost in the maze of obedience and responsibilities.

     But despite it all, Murtasim had chosen to stay by her side, attempting to understand her predicament in a way no one else had, not even the parents who'd brought her up for years, calling her their own child. She'd understood his anger—at least, parts of it—knowing that despite her intentions, her methods hadn't been right, an impulsive set of reactions that'd borne out of her desire to help and prevent him from doing things she'd always known to be unfair, a trail of decisions that wouldn't have been approved by the law she'd studied in the past few years.