Bekaraan [Limitless]

11 Daal Chawal

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages."
– Friedrich Nietzsche

She looked at him and swallowed hard. His hazel eyes which always captivated her, now no more, were locked on Mahrukh's. They say hazel eyes are deceptive and yet she had fallen for the very deception. That's what he was — a beautiful deception.

Haneen had always found herself bewitched by those deceiving orbs.

"Please don't go." Mahrukh cupped his face gingerly. Growing up they weren't close. Mahrukh always had interests different from her siblings. Her inclination towards computers always put Aslam off. To him it was unladylike. It infuriated him and his infuriation would make her feel victorious, so much so that now she couldn't fathom if it was her actual interest in computers that led her to enroll in Computer Science or the fact that it'd rub her father the wrong way which made her take the step. Maybe it was a bit of both.

Hamail had lived most of his life away from the Haveli as he studied in a boarding school. When he'd come home for vacations he'd spend most of his time with Sana. Mahrukh and him did share a good camaraderie but never enough to develop a genuine connection. It was only after Sana's demise did they finally get close. Their shared grief had bonded them but there were still threads left loose. She trusted him but she didn't trust the nature of the men of her family and he after all had the same blood running in his veins. She didn't doubt him but she couldn't bring herself together to trust him enough to divulge the truth about Bilal. Her trust in men was shaken.

Hamail smiled at her, eyes teary. "I wish I could stay."

"Then do."

"You know I can't. This is your home."

"My home is wherever you are."

"And yet you were about to leave me, keeping me in the dark." The words had come out on their own accord and he bit his tongue soon after as he chided himself inwardly.

Her hand loosely fell from his face in dejection.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He apologized quickly.

She shook her head, interrupting him. "You're right. I should have trusted you."

Silence stretched between them. They stood there, gazing at each other with perpetual agony homing in their eyes.

"You didn't answer me."

"About what?" She scrunched her eyebrows.

"When I asked you to give this marriage a chance."

"Hamail." She released a long breath. "I can't promise you that."

"Why not?"

She threw a fleeting glance at Maaz who had Anastasia perched on his lap, gesticulating animatedly as she spoke about something that apparently seemed highly important. Her hands were flying about herself, completely immersed in the subject at hand while Maaz was nodding very intently and with utmost focus. Mahrukh smiled unknowingly.

"I do not deserve him. He's too nice." She looked back at Hamail and he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was grateful she didn't say it was because of Bilal. That was some progress he believed.

"That's not a good enough reason."

"All my life, fate has been nothing but cruel to me. Now all of a sudden how could it be so kind to bless me with this? There must have been a glitch. This doesn't feel right. This can't be for me."

Hamail clasped both her hands in his. "Mahru Aapi, when life gives you lemons you make a lemonade, but when it gives you a lemonade you don't go ahead and throw it away. Learn to grab the good things God sends your way. He knows what He's doing. It's never a mistake on His part."