Tere sang ishq hua

mere saath tum raho jaane kee baath naa karo

" Eat" Salar tells her as the waiter serves food to sitara. The restaurant was empty and sitara did not notice at the beginning. There was only she, sana and salar in the restaurant. Surprisingly Sana seemed in better condition and had the food happily served to her without any questions.
" I know you haven't eaten anything since the morning, if you don't eat anything now I will not take you back " Sitara blinked in surprise. "I-"
"I'm serious," Salar interrupted, his tone no longer allowing room for negotiation. " I'm not taking you back until you eat something."
"I'm not hungry," sitara muttered, but the words felt hollow even to her.
Salar sat down across from her, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "Mujhse toh jhoot mat bolo sitara "
Sitara hesitated, swallowing the lump in her throat. She wanted to protest. She wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but something stopped her. It wasn't just the quiet intensity of his gaze, but the way he was looking at her. Like he actually cared-like her well-being mattered.
"Please," Salar said, leaning forward slightly, his voice a little softer but still commanding.
Sitara found her heart melting at his gestures.
With a sigh, she takes a bite of Paratha She glances up, meeting salar's eyes.
"You're not going to stop, are you?" she asked quietly.
"Nope," he replied, his lips quirking into a small smile. "Not until you eat."
Sitara felt her lips curling into a small, genuine smile after crying from last night. His card felt good.
Salar's gaze softened even more as he watched her eat, his heart swelling with love. He didn't care that it took a little longer than usual for Sitara to open up or that she didn't immediately trust him completely. He knew she'd get there. She was here now, and that was enough.
Sitara glanced up at him, pausing mid-air as she suddenly wondered something she hadn't dared to ask before. "Salar... why do you care so much about me?" she asked, her voice small. "I don't get it. My family... they don't even care if I eat or not. So why..."
Salar's eyes softened further, and he reached across the table, his hand settling gently on hers, warm and steady.
"Because you matter to me Sitara" he said simply, his voice full of quiet conviction. "And because I love you. Bahut mohabbat karto mein tumse"
Salar confession made sana stop eating and look up. She honestly did not expect salar to confess too soon. Even salar hadn't expected that he would confess like this, he wanted to take sitara somewhere out, decorate some place and then confess it to her but seeing sitara being this vulnerable and questioning her self worth made him confess it to her, the words had been out of his mouth before he could stop himself.
Sitara's breath caught in her throat. The words felt surreal, like something out of a dream. She blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what Salar had just said. Love. She had never had anyone tell her they loved her before-not like this. Not with that kind of conviction.
Her heart raced, her mind spinning. "Woh mujhse mohabbat karta hai ?"
Sitara couldn't speak. She couldn't find the words. She wanted to ask him if he was sure, if he knew what he was saying. She wanted to scream that he didn't understand the mess that was her life. But instead, all she could do was stare at him in shock, her mind reeling.
"Sitara..." Salar said, his voice a little hoarse now, but still filled with that same sincerity. "Shaadi karogi mujhe se?"
Sitara's breath hitched again, and her heart nearly stopped. Sana also gasped with salar's sudden question.
Sitara blinked at him, her chest tightening, the shock and confusion overwhelming. " K...kya?"
Salar didn't look away. His gaze held hers with unwavering certainty, and his voice softened but grew firmer with each word. "Shadi karlo mujhe se sitara. Bahut pyar karta hoon mein tumse. Bahut pyar se rakhoga. Kabhi tumhe talkeef nahi hone donga. Humesha protect karoga. I will always keep you happy And I'm asking you, right now, to be with me. For the rest of our lives."
Sana did not know about sitara if any guy would have said such words to her looking at her the way salar did. Sana could have not taken a second to tell a yes, nevertheless sana watched on without interfering.
Sitara's hands shook as she pulled them back from his, her mind reeling in a way she couldn't even process. She felt like she might collapse right there. The weight of what he was saying-what he was offering-was too much. She had never expected anything like this. And yet, here it was.
"Tum paagal woh kya," sitara whispered, a weak laugh escaping her as tears welled in her eyes. "I have been accused of being characterless by my own family, no matter what you say, I have no proof of innocence.Getting married to me will ruin your reputation too"
"Sitara," Salar said, his voice full of raw honesty. "Mujhe farak nahi padta hai. I trust you. I know you. Duniya kya soch thi isske parwa nahi hai mujhe. Bass itna pata hai, kisse itne himmat nahi hogi meri zaamane tumhari bezaati kare. Shaadi ke paad tum meri izzat hogi sitara. And I love you. I love you more than anything, and I'm not going to let anyone's words tear that down."
" Haan bol dho sitara, salar bhai se better insaan tumhe duniya mein nahi milega" Sana thinks.
Sitara stared at Salar, her breath catching in her throat as the words sank in. She couldn't process it all. Couldn't comprehend the depth of his feelings, of his trust in her. It was too much, too sudden. But as she gazed into his eyes, something inside her began to stir. A glimmer of hope, something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in so long.
"You... you really love me?" sitara asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Salar nodded, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "With all my heart."
Tears filled sitara's eyes, but she didn't care to hide them this time. She blinked, her heart finally starting to catch up with the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her. She could not believe that yesterday she was cursing her fate and crying but today she was crying because of the same fate but due to happiness
"Salar mein aapse mohabbat nahi karti but I want to learn to love you the same way," she whispered, her voice shaky.
Salar shook his head, his hand reaching out to gently cup her face. "Meri jaan, it's okay. People have given you too many scars and traumas that it will take time for you to heal. I will wait for you till you heal from it and start loving me par tab tak ke liye mujhe sirf tumhara saath chaiye aur kuch nahi"
Sitara for a moment thought about Qasim who was behind her till yesterday evening begging for her love and marriage and proclaiming his love for her but when time was here to prove his love and trust he abandoned her as her family did and joined the people taunting her but salar wasn't like that, all he wanted was her and he trusted her without any questions. He understood her without even her saying anything. This was love not Qasim's.
And in that moment, sitara decided with whom she wanted to spend her rest of her life with.
" Mujhe aapse shaadi karni hai salar" Sitara says and she sees salar's face brightening with happiness. She wonders for a moment that how could her one yes bring so much happiness to someone.
" You will not regret this ever sitara"
" Mujhe pata hai salar" she says.
Sana claps her hands in happiness and side hugs her friend. The trio left the restaurant satisfied.