𝐈𝐬𝐡𝐪 𝐤𝐢 𝐃𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐚𝐧~

7• A new friend?

Assalam o Alaikum.
The seventh chapter is here...
I'm exceeding the length chapter by chapter. This contains 5.2k words.
Enjoy ❤️

*ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ *ੈ𑁍༘⋆

Haya's POV
"Dadi, main Hareem se shaadi nahi karun ga...I..I..mujhe koi aur pasand hai," Ayaan bhai said, each word trembling with the weight of the courage it took to speak them. His declaration hung in the air like an unexpected storm, shaking the foundation of the evening's joyful atmosphere.

The elders were visibly taken aback by this sudden revelation. Ammi's eyes widened in disbelief, Taya Abu's hand froze halfway to his mouth, and Dadi's confident smile faltered. The room, which had been filled with laughter and chatter, now buzzed with a heavy silence.

I turned my gaze back to Hareem. The hurt on her face was unmistakable, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. The smile that had once hinted at a hopeful future was now replaced by a mask of pain and confusion. She looked away, unable to meet anyone's eyes, her fingers twisting nervously in her lap.

Papa intervened, his voice carrying a weight of authority, "Who is she?"

Ayaan bhai, summoning all the courage he could muster, replied, "She's my university friend. Her name is Hala." The room fell into a tense silence, everyone's eyes fixed on Papa, awaiting his reaction.

Papa hummed thoughtfully, his expression unreadable. "Okay," he finally said, his voice calm yet firm, "we will discuss this further. For now, it's late. You all should go to your rooms."

Nodding, we greeted each other with a "Good Night/Allah Hafiz" and dispersed to our rooms.

As I ascended the stairs, heading towards the corridor, I felt a firm yet gentle grip on my wrist. The touch sent an unexpected shiver down my spine, and I turned around to find Youssef bhai standing there, his expression earnest. "Haya, wait. Mujhe tum se baat karni hai," he said, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.

Startled by the sudden contact, I hurriedly pulled my hand back and shot him a sharp look. Glancing around, I noticed that everyone else had already retreated to their rooms, leaving the corridor eerily quiet. I took a step back, creating some distance between us, and asked firmly, "Aap ki himmat kese hui mera haath pakarne ki?"

He seemed taken aback by my question but quickly composed himself, his features softening as he apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize." After a brief pause, he continued, his voice gentle yet filled with concern, "Haya, akhir baat kiya hai? Aaj subha se dekh raha hun tum distant hui wi ho. Aur theke se baat bhi nahi kar rahi. Agr mene kuch kaha hai to mujhe batao, please. But aise naraz nahi ho."

The softness in his voice made it increasingly difficult for me to maintain my resolve, but I knew I had to stay firm. Meeting his eyes, I replied, "Why would I even be angry with you? I mean, we're nothing but just cousins, right? So being cousins, I'm telling you that no, I'm not angry and you didn't do anything wrong."

I turned to leave, but after taking a few steps, I stopped and added without looking back, "And don't try to touch me, ever again." With that, I quickly made my way to my room, my heart pounding in my chest as I fought back the conflicting emotions swirling inside me.