Love? OR Politics?

Back to Zero

Continuing:

"If  it's Saba then all of it is true", he said flatly gulping the lump forming in his throat squeezing his eyes shut along with his action. He did not want to feel vulnerable in front of her. Being with Anum made him soft , caring, understanding and above all that he felt calm and at peace. A part of him liked the way he felt whenever he was close to her but the other part always made him think that it was wrong to feel all that, it was a crime for him to feel all the loving emotions being such a control freak and best at hiding everything he felt made him think that it was a crime to feel emotions enveloping love.

Anum looked at him blankly...minutes passed as Sohail waited for her to say something , be it anything ...telling him how pathetic he is , how much of a coward he is but she didn't. All she did was stare at the floor glaring daggers at it as if it was the one who did wrong, who hurt her, who fooled her.

"Anum say something...", taking a hold of her hands he whispered. He was still whisper talking to her afraid of what might happen if he spoke in his usual loud heavy raspy voice.

"What is there left to say?", she questioned looking at him.

He opened his mouth to say something, to answer her question but closed it as he realized there was nothing which could take back what he did.

'' You do realize that this is all going to fire back at me ?'', she questioned again.

He nodded,"I'm aware......"

Moments of silence passed but none of them uttered a single word. Both of them drowned in their thoughts .....contemplating of what to do next, what to say and who should break the silence. It was when Anum thought enough was enough so she stood up deciding to leave the suffocating room.

She had only taken a step forward when something halted her steps. She to see what was stopping her from moving , it was Sohail holding her wrist with his head hanging low facing the floor. He too looked up at her after a minute passed, eyes depicting despair. Anum's hard look softened a bit.

"I'm going to fix everything Anum... I- I know I've let you down and nothing I say will make up for what I've done but just so you know it was all before you came into my life."

"Nothing you do will make up for it and I've never questioned your relationships with anyone ever since we got together and I won't this time either as it was all in your past but this..", she pointed towards the now broken TV screen and continued , "this is not what I can ignore sure it is one of your past but it's going to effect me badly ... it already is."

He sighed and got up from the sofa , standing right in front of her holding her hands in his he stared at them thinking of how perfectly they fit into each other's hands , how touching her hands develops warmth and electricity in his hands.

"You know what its always like that with you", Anum tried to state. Sohail looked up at her raising his brow at her and asked,"like what?"

''Like taking one step forward, then stumbling on the next going all the way back to zero."

Hearing these words from her mouth made him gulp in guilt. He closed his eyes and squeezed them further , sighing he opened them again.

"I know.....you're right and I'll take care of everything... pick up all the mess that's been created..starting from now", he finished moving back he gestured for Anum to take a seat back on the sofa and so she did as he was about to tell her something perhaps all the truth and about what happened between Saba and him.

"I-there was a time when I used to drink and girls have always been my thing", he spoke with a slight smirk to which Anum raised her brow at his choice of words.

"Okay more like they were my weakness.... so I've had some good amount of flings and affairs which includes Saba too. I don't know but when she joined my party I started liking her and the  fact I'm attracted to beauty made me relentless  so I began texting her , I was being unprofessional with her. In the beginning she never replied to any of my messages but one day she replied to my messages saying that she'll not take anymore of my tactics or that she's not morally that low to end up being with me secretly. Then I just did not want to waste anymore of my time on her either. I said to myself if not her then it'll be someone else. This all happened four years ago when my party was not that big in number and it was when I newly stepped into politics so yeah I did had that hungry part of me at peak in those times but when you came  I just stopped doing it with anyone of my female party members...." Anum cut him at this and asked

"Wait what?? anyone of your party members? you mean there are more too to whom you''ve done this?", she was bewildered.

He nodded his head as a yes as well as shook his head as a no too at the same time and continued,"one...only one more", he said meekly with his forefinger hanging up in the air in front of Anum's face to emphasize that it was one more other than Saba.

"It was Saba and Zoha that's it...but I stopped doing all that shitty stuff know that and it was before you and I do know that after Saba Zoha will step in too and it'll get back at you too, it'll effect you..... people from media will try to get in contact with you just ignore all of them... don't answer any of their questions. I'll take care of everything and I promise to never let this happen again."

"O-kay but I've a question", Anum said hesitantly.

"Go ahead"

She licked her lips , tucking some strands of her hair behind her ear and questioned,"Why now...why after all these years is she demanding justice and she is  revealing the truth when she could've done it years ago being the brave women she is... she could've done it along time ago but she didn't ..she never even let anyone have a glimpse of what happened between you two. Why now?", she finished.

"Because she couldn't get herself the ticket for NA-120 and I even refused to give it to her a she's not up to the mark I think she's not ready to take up such big responsibility plus she has never been that much in the eyes of people lately so I refused her as a candidate for NA-120. So she's trying to have some revenge on me. Yesterday she left the party even ...remember!.."

To which Anum nodded reminiscing how she resigned and wanted to hold a press conference the next day which was today briefing the media and the people about why she left his party.

Sohail continued,"when she asked me for that ticket she thought I would give it right away to her thinking I might be afraid that she'll reveal our secret but guess she was wrong. I never am scared of anyone."

"All this still doesn't answer my question Sohail", she said chuckling.

"I love it when you say my name", he answered that mischief and adoration taking their place in his eyes. Anum raised her brow again while trying to maintain a serious look on her face.

Sohail nodded and came back to his serious mode again answering her previous question,"I think someone is behind all this otherwise she won't even have had the courage to pull such a stunt on me."

"But who", Anum spoke more like murmuring to herself.

"That's what we're going to find out."

            *************
Hello! Lovely readers! I hope you all are doing fine and I hope you guys like this chapter.  Please forgive me for any mistakes I'll correct them once I finish this book as I've told earlier too. Hope all the Muslims out there are having a very fun and enjoyable Eid. Let me know how the chapter is by voting and commenting.  Don't forget to

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-SOFIA