Fanaa - Tere Bin Au

chapter seven

♪ - Jeene Laga Hoon, Atif Aslam

Murtasim pulled back flushed, his cheeks red and heated from the intense makeout session. If he didn't pull back now, God knew what was capable of. He held each side of her upper arm, keeping her from falling. They stood there in silence, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of their gasps trying to fill their lungs with air.

Meerab felt like jelly, her legs gave in pleasure, she didn't want to stop, not now that they'd begun. She whimpered, her arms trying to get a hold of him again pulling him closer to her but his face remained in a distance.

"No, Meerab we can't, I can't, not right now."

He gave her a small peck on her lips before embracing her within his arms waiting for her to regain her consciousness. Meerab could hear his heart thumping rapidly as she melted into his arms, it was pleasing to know she wasn't the only one who felt like her heart was trying to jump out of her body.

By the time they walked down the vast staircase of the Khan Haveli hand in hand, the house was dead quiet with all the guests gone home, Anila and Waqas also on their way back to Karachi content that Meerab was safe with Murtasim. Murtasim insisted he drive Meerab back to Karachi himself even though Meerab was certain she could manage just fine with a driver, she didn't want to burden him this late at night.

Murtasim had an eye for vehicles, the garage in the Haveli was filled with a vast variety of cars and motorbikes, an array arranged for him, plenty to be chosen from. Today it seemed the BMW X1 was the chosen one, Murtasim scurried in front of Meerab to open the door for her making her let out a giggle. The drive consisted of slow bollywood filling the background as they drove side by side the serene beach which glimmered against the moonlight swaying with the balmy winds.

'Sochu main tham jaye pal yeh paas mere jab ho tum'.

From a near distance, Meerab viewed a kulfi stand. She loved kulfis, they reminded her of her days as a child when Mariam would come over and her abba would take them on kulfi dates. Murtasim watched as she reminisced about her childhood, her eyes twinkling at the kulfi stand, then and there he stopped the car at the stand and stepped out.

'What Meerab wants, Meerab gets', he chanted in his head. With the window open from his side of the car, he poked his head through, "What flavor do you want?"

'Pehle se zyada dil tehrane laga'.

Meerab's heart swelled with love, he had observed her, sensed her and took action. Now he stood there, his sleeves rolled up and his elbow leaning against the edge of the car window eagerly awaiting for a response. His hair that was once gelled now had softened, his hands raked it back leaving behind a strand on his forehead. He looked majestic. And there it was, the final piece of the puzzle, his crooked smile, the one where he pressed his lips together showing off his side dimple.

"Rose", she smiled as she admired his beauty from the car. Within moments he was back with two kulfis, one rose for her and a pistachio for him, Meerab made sure to remember his preferences in a mental note.

Meerab stepped out of the car, her engagement outfit flowing with the breezy air that enveloped the night. With one hand holding the kulfi, one submerged into the slender fingers of Murtasims they made their way to the shore of the beach. They settled barefoot on the wet sand closest to the water, Meerab was pulled in between Murtasim's legs, snuggling in even more to capture all the warmth he had to offer. She sneaked in a few glimpses of him from time to time, aloofly putting it off with an eye roll when she was caught, filling Murtasim's heart with warmth each time she did.

'Tanhaiyon mein dhoondhe mera dil, har pal yeh tujhko hi soche bhala kyun'.

Murtasim's hand reached out towards Meerab's lower lip, his thumb gently wiped away some kulfi that had escaped her mouth. Meerab's eyes widened, blushing as she witnessed Murtasim bring his kulfi covered thumb to his mouth and lick it, his eyes glistening a vicious tease.

'Milne lage dil, pehle se zyada, pehle se zyada ishq hone laga'

"Murtasimmmmmm '' a whine left Meerab as she tried to escape Murtasim's arms playfully.

"Don't act like you hate it, you've been giggling the whole time", he teased as he tightened his grip around her waist beckoning her closer to him as he spun her around one more time. Her laughter filled the amplitude of his ears, she brought out his inner child it seemed. The more time he spent with her, the more Murtasim realized how free he felt, every moment he spent with her was placed in a cocoon of his heart just waiting to be free and that's what Meerab was doing, setting him free one step at a time. Free of his burdens, free of his responsibilities, free of all the times he is forced to become someone he isn't, Meerab was that to him, a sense of belonging, his home.

'Milne lage dil, pehle se zyada, pehle se zyada ishq hone laga'

The mellow water hit Meerab's ankles softly as she was finally placed on the ground by her fiance, her hands clutching his shoulders in her hands as she stabilized herself from all the spinning. Their laughter coincided filling their vicinity, Murtasim took a hand that was placed on her waist bringing it towards Meerab's face as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. His eyes softened as he looked through hers, their laughter transforming into a silent sanctuary as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Let's get you home."

'Rehte ho aake jo tum pass mere, tham jaye pal ye wahi, bas mein yeh sochun'