𝗗𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗿-𝗲-𝗗𝗶𝗹

اضطرارِ دل ۱۴۔

جب کہا تھا محبت گناہ تو نہیں
پھر گناہ کے برابر سزا کیوں ملی؟

Jab kaha tha mohabbat gunah toh nahi
Phir gunah ke barabar saza kyu mili?

(When it was said love isn't a sin,
then why was the punishment equal to that of a sin?)

The next day, to celebrate her father's return from the hospital and his quick recovery, she baked two batches of brownies—one for Ibrahim and his family, and the other for her own.  She also used it as an excuse to meet Ibrahim, hoping to ask about what had kept her tossing in bed that all night.

Upon entering, she found Shehreen in the lounge. After chatting for a while, Shehreen said,

"Inaya Ibrahim ko bula laao, ussne breakfast bhi nahi kiya ab lunch karlega. Main kamrey mein thodi deir ke liye laitney jaa rahi hun. "

(Inaya, call Ibrahim. He hasn’t had breakfast and will have lunch now. I’m going to lie down in the room for a while.)

Inaya nodded, this was exactly what she had been hoping for. She stood outside his room and knocked twice but received no response. Since it was Sunday, she knew he was off from work.

After the third knock, she cautiously entered the room. Glancing around, she saw him asleep on his bed.

Inaya quietly approached and stood beside his bed, watching him for a few minutes. Even in sleep, he looked so serious. He was lying on his front, his hair tousled across his forehead, unlike its usual neatness. The urge to brush it away from his brow was strong, but she resisted. His straight nose was pressed into the pillow, his lips set in a firm line even in sleep. The muscles of his arms bulged beneath the white T-shirt he was wearing. The disarrayed hair made Inaya want to reach out and smooth it back, but she held herself back.

At first, she leaned forward, intending to brush the hair from his forehead. But, coming back to her senses, she quickly pulled back, surprised at her own impulse. Scrunching her nose in self-reproach, she was about to turn and leave when Ibrahim suddenly caught her wrist.

Shocked, her head snapped back toward him. He looked at her with sleep still lingering in his eyes.

"Kya kar rahi thi?"

(What were you planning to do?)

His voice was soft and drowsy, and Inaya's heart somersaulted at the sound of it.

"K-kuch nahi."

(Nothing)

She hesitantly stood there, not making any effort to free her wrist from his grip. Her face flushed with embarrassment. What had possessed her to even consider such a thing?

He tugged at her wrist, pulling her onto the bed. She managed to avoid falling on top of him, and instead, she sat beside him. She looked down at his grip on her wrist, unable to meet his eyes.

She could easily feel his gaze on her. As the seconds passed, her heart pounded with an unfamiliar emotion. When she finally looked up, she found him simply staring back at her.

Ibrahim, now upright and propped up with one hand under his head in a relaxed position, gazed at her with complete concentration.

As her eyes met his chocolate-brown ones, her heart flipped. It felt as though time had stopped.

"Ab batao kya kar rahi thi?"

(Now tell me, what were you going to do?)

He asked again. She gently freed her wrist from his grip and shook her head with hesitation.