Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter 45

Ibraheem was drunk. On love. Not Alcohol. The feeling was beautiful. Misha was reciprocating his love, even though it was at a turtle's pace but she was doing it and he was more than happy. He couldn't believe that this was happening. It felt so surreal and he had been the happiest he had been in a long, very long while. Everything seemed better now. He still remembers how when Misha first confessed to him a week ago, he had gone to a nearby masjid to give shukrane k nafl before leaving for Karachi.

Misha was at peace with her feelings. She had accepted what she felt for Ibraheem and it just felt so right, so real. She however had begged Allah for forgiveness and asked Him to give her a sign if what she was doing was wrong. She was conflicted between her feelings for Ibraheem and her loyalty and trust to her family and her belief in her faith. When Ibraheem had asked if they should become boyfriend girlfriend now, Misha refused and said that although they both really liked each other, they shouldn't put on such a haram label on them and that boundaries should be respected even now.

Both of them didn't know what they were officially but they were happy and to them, that was all that mattered. Misha's college and Ibraheem's university was starting in two weeks so they wanted to make up for the future lost time as much as they could.

....

"You know, when I first saw you, little fox, you reminded me of line from a Qawali I once heard." Ibraheem said out of nowhere while on call with Misha.

"Really? Which one?" Misha had a love for Qawalis because they were so deep and beautifully written that they touched her soul. Ibraheem smiled as he started to sing the qawali into the phone,

"Mast nazron se Allah bachaye
Mahjamalon se Allah bachaye
Har bala sar pe aa jaye lekin
Husn walon se Allah bachaye.
(Oh God save us from mesmerizing glances!
Oh God save us from the moon faced ones!
Let any affliction come upon us but
God save us from the pretty ones!)"

"Mujhe samajh nahi aye meri beezti howi hai k tareef. (I can't let tell if you praised me or roasted me.)" Misha said while turning red and speaking softly.

"All I knew at that moment was you were someone I wanted and was scared of wanting at the same time. I was afraid of what you would do to me because I had never fallen for someone like that. What my feelings would do to me and you. You had entranced me without even knowing it, without me knowing it as well. And yet, I couldn't help but want you." Ibraheem confessed and Misha felt like she lost her voice.

"That is um intense."

"Yeah, the intensity swept me away." Ibraheem replied sincerely.

"It swept me too. I don't remember having any song or Qawali come to my mind when I first saw you apart from sheer fear back then but I do know that I am feeling all of this for the first time, the feeling of liking someone so much that it's weird and suffocating if they are not part of the future you have planned for yourself, that if you don't talk to them, it feels empty, that just a single text from them can brighten up your day. I had no idea love was like this. I had no idea love you was such a beautiful thing. Ibraheem?"

"Yeah?" Ibraheem felt simply overwhelmed.

"Falling for you came so slow, it was as if I had been bitten by a snake and its poison took its sweet time to spread through my veins leaving me breathless, sleepless and in sheer agony." Misha said with raw naturalness.

"And do you regret it?"

"Not one bit." Misha said immediately.

"It was the other way around for me."

"What was?"

"Falling for you, I mean. It came so fast that it made me stumble. I felt like I was hit by some natural disaster and I had no time to prepare myself for it, I had my guard completely down and it left me feeling confused, paralyzed and anxious."

"Do you regret it?" Misha counter questioned and Ibraheem laughed.

"Never. Coming to your school was the best decision I made."

"Why were you in my school anyway?" Misha had always wanted to know this.

"I know your principal. She is my mother's friend. I had to deliver an invitation for my mother's event to her personally."

"Oh alright. What a small world."

"What a small world indeed." Ibraheem smiled into the phone and he heard the distant sound of a door bell. Misha looked out of her window to see some man standing outside the main gate and frowned.

"Hey, Ibraheem I will talk to you later, someone is ringing the doorbell and my brother is sleeping and no one else is home so I am just going to see who it is. Allah hafiz."

"Oh alright, meri jaan. Allah hafiz, love you."

"Love you too." Misha hung up and put her phone down as she walked downstairs to see who it was.

"Kis se milne ayen hen ap? (Who have you come to meet here?)" Misha asked as she covered her head with a chaddar and questioned without opening the door but loud enough so the man outside heard her.

"I am Humayun's friend, Sarmad. Is Humayun home?" Misha recalled Humayun mentioning Sarmad to her often. "I called him multiple times but he is not picking up. We have a cricket match in less than an hour with another college so he needs to show up for it." Sarmad explained and Misha nodded in understanding although she was sure Sarmad couldn't see her. She realized that Humayun was sleeping so she told Sarmad she was going to go wake him up.

Misha quickly went to wake her brother up who was sleeping soundly and without a care in the world.

"Bhai! Bhai! Wake up. Your friend is outside to come pick you up. BHAI WAKE UP ALREADY!" Misha shook her brother with her max energy but he wasn't budging at all.

"Ughh Misha, kon aya hai? Kya hai? (Ughh Misha, who came? What happened?" Humayun groaned as he covered his head with a pillow and changed sides to scoot away from Misha.

"Some Sarmad guy came. He says you have a cricket match." Misha kept shaking him while Humayun groaned.

"Haan na, usmen kafi time hai abhi. It's supposed to be at 5:30. Abhi kya time hai? (Yeah, the match is late though. It's supposed to be at 5:30. What time is it now?)"

"Bhai, it's 5."

"What?! Five?! Oh shit! Oh shit. Misha quick get me my water bottle. Oh shit! Sarmad is going to kill me." Humayun sprang up from the bed, washed his face and quickly grabbed his sports bag and joggers. Misha handed him the water bottle and Humayun ruffled Misha's hair before going towards the main gate where Sarmad was waiting. Misha remembered that Humayun's phone was charging in the lounge so she sprinted to get it to him before he left without it.

"Bhai!" Misha screamed as both Sarmad and Humayun paused to look at her. Misha ignored the stares she got from Sarmad as she stopped infront of Humayun who looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You forgot your phone."

"Thanks, little one."

With that Humayun sped away in Sarmad's car leaving Misha in a disheveled state.

Little did Misha know that the door she had opened was the door that was going to close all the doors to her happiness and freedom. If only, she hadn't done it back then, she wondered if things would have been different. That door was the beginning of the end.

Author's note:

So what do you think is going to happen? This book is nearing it's end. Just 4-5 more chapters I think.