Kahani Hamari Fasana Hamara

Chapter 7

                         Mariya Raha Ayub

Ammi had convinced me that Ahmed was a wealthy man who wanted to meet and get to know me. But where had this sudden idea of marriage sprung from in my parents’ minds?

This was not something I expected to deal with after coming back home. Today was Kainat’s mehendi ceremony, and I had told her that Ammi wanted me home for lunch. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about any of this. She was getting married; I didn’t want to drag her into my own problems.

As I made my way towards the main gate, Faraj appeared from the other side. We hadn’t spoken since that night at the theatre. As we approached one another, I tried to step to the right, but he mirrored my movement. Attempting to avoid him, I shifted to the left, only for him to do the same. Frustrated, I stopped in my tracks, taking a deep breath before looking up and meeting his intense grey eyes. For a brief moment, we just stared at each other.

He was wearing a sky blue shirt and black bottoms, his suit jacket draped over one arm, and his phone in the other.

“Beautiful,” he finally murmured, his voice like ice—cold, smooth, and cutting through the silence with an unsettling calm. I studied him in the growing silence.

“Are you—” I began, but he interrupted me. “The weather is beautiful, isn't it?” he said, a subtle twitch at the corners of his lips. I responded with a forced smile.

“You thought I was complementing you?” he mocked.

“I don’t need you to,” I retorted, spinning on my heels with a flare of anger, and stormed away without looking back.

I was waiting for Ahmed and decided to order myself a cold coffee. Scrolling through Instagram, I noticed, as usual, that my stories were liked by that one unknown account.

Marqazeel__436 liked your story.

I heard someone clear their throat and looked up to find a man in a grey suit standing before me. His gaze swept lazily over me, lingering just a little too long, making me feel uneasy. Finally, his eyes met mine. 

“Mariya?” He grinned, settling into the seat across from me.

“Assalamualaikum,” I said, offering him a forced smile that barely masked my reluctance.

"Walekum Assalam," He replied.

“Kaisi hain aap?” he asked, casually picking up the menu, his demeanor easy as if we were old friends.

“Alhamdulillah, and you?” I asked, taking a sip of my cold coffee.

“Seeing you makes me feel even better,” he chuckled, his gaze shifting to the menu in his hands.

“So, Ahmed, tell me about yourself,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck, a nervous habit.

He looked at me as if trying to gauge whether I was joking. God, where had my parents gotten me stuck? I felt like a fool. I wasn't great at conversations and always dreaded facing new people, yet here I was, doing my best to appear calm and composed in front of this man, despite the nervousness and unease swirling within me. He seemed a bit older—not by much—but I decided I should ask him.

“What do you want to know about me, sweetheart?” he asked, leaning in slightly, his gaze intense. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

At first, he said he wanted to meet me and get to know me, but now he's talking as if we have a lifetime to understand each other, as though I'm already destined to marry him. Was he even in his right mind? The thought left me irritated beyond measure.

“Like, what do you do? I heard you have some trade business,” I asked, trying to maintain my cool and calm demeanor despite the growing tension.

“Yes, I’m just a simple tradesman,” he replied, a playful smirk dancing on his lips.

I nodded awkwardly, smiling. “We have our lifetime to know each other,” he said, his tone light. He gestured for the waiter, ordering what he claimed was his favorite dish at the restaurant.

“Yeah, you’re right, but there are still months before my graduation and i would like to know you.” I said, taking a sip of my cold coffee that I had almost forgotten about, the chill refreshing yet grounding me in the moment.

“What does our marriage have to do with your graduation?” he asked, raising an eyebrow,

“It has everything to do with my graduation. We will get married after I graduate, Most importantly if i want to” I stated firmly and simply, trying to make my point clear.

“And what if I want to? I don't want to wait for your graduation.” he challenged, his eyes narrowing slightly. I set my cold coffee aside, suddenly losing the desire to drink it anymore.

“Then it’s not my problem,” I said, forcing a polite smile, though the tension in my voice betrayed my frustration.

“What the hell is that? We are getting married this next week” he declared, as if he hadn’t heard a word I’d said earlier.

“Excuse me, who are you to decide that? I don’t even know you,” I said, rising from my seat, my voice steady despite the rising frustration. Just then, the waiter arrived with our order, glancing between him and me, sensing the tension hanging in the air.

“Your future husband, sweetheart,” he said, rising from his seat as well, his tone laced with anger and frustration, the playful demeanor now replaced by an intensity that caught me off guard.

“No way,” I said, massaging my temple as I let out a humorless laugh.

“Excuse me, Sir, ma’am, can I serve the food?” the waiter asked, his eyes darting nervously between us.

“Throw it,” he snapped, raising his voice, and I felt a shiver of fear run down my spine.

“For God’s sake,” I let out a frustrated sigh, turning to the waiter and giving him an apologetic smile. “Take it away, please.”

“Now can we talk?” he said, settling back into his chair and motioning for me to sit down again.

“No, I don’t want to talk to someone like you. It was nice to meet you, Ahmed, but I have no intention of seeing you again, Right, I’m off.” I said, reaching for my purse.

Hello beautiful souls, I hope you enjoyed today's chapter. If you did, please remember to vote and comment. don't worry, I won't leave this story unfinished. Have a beautiful day! I'm deeply grateful to each one of you.