Whispers Of The Heart

Chapter 11

Aur phir yunhi wo humare nazron se kuch iss tarah utar jaate hai.

Ki humare subah, shaam, sab unke bina bhi guzar jate hai.

"First of all, she is not a victim. Secondly, I don't believe in curses having any effect," he said, getting irritated.

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. It is Allah who does everything." Her voice had the same confidence.

"I don't believe in him either."

Dinayah blinked her eyes as if trying to process the words that she just heard. She felt a wave of confusion wash over her as she tried to comprehend the words of the person standing before her.

How could he not believe in God?

"You don't believe in God?" She asked, trying to cross-check the information she had just received.

"Yes, I don't," Arham replied with the same indifference in his voice.

She froze momentarily. Her eyes widened in disbelief, the eyebrows shot upwards towards the hairline, and the jaw dropped open.

"Then whom do you pray to?" She asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"I don't pray." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know how you people believe that there is someone who sits and listens to your prayers and does miracles for you. I believe in doing for myself. If I want anything, I get it by hook or by crook. I don't simply sit and pray. I don't believe in someone making things easy for me. It's me who does it. Then I should be taking the credit, right?" He said, his face betraying no emotion.

"And what if you don't get something that you want?"

Arham let out a chuckle. "That's not possible. I always get what I want. After all, I don't waste my time praying."

Dinayah shook her head. She felt as if they were speaking two different languages. A pang of frustration gripped her as she kept hearing him. How could he be so blind?

"Jo khud ko sabse uncha samajhne lage unka bharam jald hi tuth jata hai. Tumhara bhi tutega." She said quietly, eyeing him with the same frustration. (Those who start thinking of themselves as the highest, their illusion is soon shattered. Yours will also be broken.)

"Tumne toh Allah ko hi sabse uncha samjha tha, tumhare saath kya hua?" He said in a mocking tone, each syllable dripping with scorn. (You considered Allah to be the highest, then what happened to you?)

The cutting tone seemed to attack her like a bite, sending shivers down her spine. Her face fell and a strange sadness covered her eyes.

"What happened? You won't answer?" His voice sounded as if he wanted to scrape the wounds.

"I don't regret anything that happened to me. I still believe that Allah will make things better for me." She lifted her head with confidence and stared at him.

Arham has a smirk on his face. "That's the difference between you and me. You need him to make things better for you. And me! Mujhe Allah ki zaroorat nahi padhti." (I don't need Allah.")

Her lips curled into a subtle smile. It was the first time she felt pity for him. 

How can someone be so ignorant!

"Padhegi. Sabko padhti hai. Aur uss waqt chahe tumhare paas puri duniya kyun na ho, tumhe bas wahi chahiye hoga." Her words didn't carry any hint of taunt, unlike his. It was just a simple sentence that she said out of the deep faith that she carried in her heart. (You will need him. Everybody does. And at that time, even if you have the whole world, he will be the only thing you'll need.)