FROM NEVER TO HAPPILY EVER!

18.

Suman Malik.

After a long, passionate mind boggling kiss, he locks me into his embrace while we are still on the floor. Our eyes lock intensely as he slowly brings his face even closer to mine. My breath hitched when his nose pressed into my cheek and his eyelashes tangled with mine, and each time mine would sweep down his would come up and battle with mine.

Fuck! Is it possible to be this close to someone? From this position, I can clearly hear his thudding heartbeat, the way sweat breaks through his forehead is clear evidence of how nervous he is.

"Have you ever looked at someone and all you saw was poetry?  Utterly intoxicating, authentically irresistible, a collection of stardust. I have! And that's you! You are the poetry I have come to worship. If I will ever have a love story, it is with and because of you."

Fuck. No! He can't be saying all this now. Not when everything is at the brink of being shattered. Not when I had convinced myself he wouldn't ever be mine.

I have to leave this room now, everything is suffocating. I try in vain, to get up and get out of here. His hold is too strong to be resisted.

"Gaddi Nasheen! Ap hosh me nahi hain. Mujhe chodein, ap bakwas kar rhe hain. Jane dein, apko Allah ka wasta", I sputter with tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

His eyes reflect the same pain, tears begin flowing out his red rimmed eyes but he doesn't flinch away or break the eye contact, "Kismat to dekho meri. Meri apni biwi ko aitbaar nahi hai. Magar mai kasam khata hu Suman, sach yahi hai ki tumhare jane ke baad meri Huda se koi baat nai hui. Ab to ham dost bhi nai rahe, pichle hafte wo tumhare convocation ka batane ayi thi to hamne baat ki aur usne bataya usne us din wo faisla kyu liya tha. "

Flashback, one week ago.

"Fayaz! Assalamualaikum! Mujhe Suman ke silsile me kuch baat karni thi", Huda speaks after entering his study where he had again holed himself up with a cigar in his hand.

He doesn't even bother looking at her, nodding his head. Huda takes a seat across him, coughing slightly because of the smoke in the room.

Typical aashiq. She exclaimed in her head.

"Fayaz, tum Gaddi Nasheen ho. Magar lagta hai ishq ke mamlat me kache ho. Kab tak khud ko ye aziyat doge?", Huda pities his state, knowing she was partly responsible for his wretched marriage.

He snickers, "Tumhe meri fiqr karne ki zarurat nahi hai. Meri biwi hai uske liye, aur kya batana tha uske bare me?"

"Agle hafte uska convocation hai, usne mujhe call kia tha. Tum agle hafte apna schedule clear krwalo." Sh speaks trying to get a reaction out of him.

He sighs dejectedly, thinking she chose to call Huda and not him. He drags another puff from his cigar, chuckling sardonically.

"Mai chala jaunga. Tum ja sakti ho"

"Nahi. Tumhe apni halat sudharani hogi Fayaz. Ye kab tak chalega? Akhir tum kitne bewakoof ho? Ab tak samaj nahi paye? Ki beintehaa mohabbat karte ho Suman se" Huda speaks solemnly.

He finally lifts his head, looking at her shocked, "Meri life me dakhal andazi ka haq maine tumhe nai diya hai. Lekin ha, tumhe shukriya ada karna chahta hu. Mai us din pagal hogaya tha, jo tumse shadi ki baat karli. Pata nai kya bhut sawar tha, magar shukriya tumne usi waqt inkar kiya."

Huda sighs, he still hadn't figured out the whole thing, "Fayaz. Tumhe kya lagta hai maine mana kyu kiya? Kon ladki Mallika-e-Khilb nahi banna chahegi? Magar jabse mai wapis ayi thi, tum sirf aur sirf Suman ki baatein kare ja rahe the. Suman ne ye kiya, Suman ko log itna chahte hai. Tumhare har khayal me Suman thi, yaha tak ki tumne mujhe ache se ready hone bhi nahi dia kyuki tum usko dekhne ke liye bechain ho rahe the.

Aur phir jab tumne usse dekha, wha to tumhare hosh hi ud gaye. Tum saans lena bhul gye the, sirf usko dekh rahe the. Sirf utna hi nahi, tumhare bhai ki gul poshi ke samai maine dekh liya tha, pura Khilb hi nahi balki tumhare eklouta bhai bhi sirf usko hi Mallika-e-Khilb maanta hai. Aur ye darja, koi ladki kabhi nahi le payegi.

Pata hai us raat tum mere paas kyu aye the Nikah ki baat karne ke liye? Kyuki tum hurt the. Suman ke behaviour se, uske indifference se. Wo apni jealousy chupane ke liye tumse dur ho rahi thi, aur tum apni jealousy chupane ke liye mujse baat kar rhe the. Aur jab gul poshi ke liye tumhara bhai tumhare paas aane ke bajaye uske paas gaya, to tumhari ego hurt hogai. Isliye tum gusse me aye the. Mai tumhe bachpan se janti hu Fayaz. Agar tum ek percent bhi mujse pyar karte, to main kabhi na nahi karti."

Fayaz stared at her like a gaping fish out water, trying to absorb all that she just said. He stared into oblivion, once again chuckling, "Magar in sab baato ka ab kya fayda. Wo to ja chuki hai mujhe chod kar. Usko ek pal bhi mera khayal nahi aya pichle teen mahino me. Ek call tak nahi kiya, kya sach me main itna bura hu Huda?"

Huda smiles, "Tum bure nahi ho! Bas had se zyada stupid ho. Tumne bhi to call nhi kia usko, tumhe kaisa pata wo soch rhi hai ya nahi. Tum accept karlo Fayaz, ke tum ek simple si ladki se beinteha mohabbat kar baithe ho. Aur ha, is baar Mallika-e-Khilb ko wapis le kar aana"
With that said, she struts out the room.

Flashback ends

I was shocked is an under statement. Huda api could be this sensible? I had no idea , we have never had a good equation, we were always opposites.

But seems like she is not as bad as I thought. I owe her one for throwing sense into my husband.

A weight seems to be lifted from my chest, atleast there is nothing between them. But where does that leave us? Our marriage is in shackles, darkness haunts it's future. There's less than a slim chance it will not end in shreds. I had made my mind, every single day i bad trained myself to let go of him.

And now, he suddenly wants to work on it, infact he wants a love story with me.

"Yarr uth bhi jao ab mere upar se, bahut bhari ho tum", he exclaims struggling to get up.

Baigan banegi inki love story! 

I push him back on the floor, scrunching my brows, " Aise banegi apki love story? Mauka hai, ladki hai, mausam hai, aur ap moment banane ke jaga uthne ko keh rahe hai? Gaddi Nasheen ap ya to dumb hain ya apko mujhme koi interest nahi hai."

I slide off him, getting to my feet turning to walk to my bedroom, fully dejected and confused.

But I am quickly pulled into a pair of sturdy arms, he takes me by surprise as he twists my right hand behind my back, which pushes my butt more into his front.

He nips my ear lobe, exhaling sensually, "Interest is an understatement. I want you. Your bones. Your body heat. How you scratch my back just like a wild cat. To witness how bad and beautiful your eyes will look under me!"