Ishq | (complete)

32 | sajda

 ❝ Maine uss kay saamneKhanjar rakh diya,Phir kaleja rakh diya,Dil rakh diya,Sar rakh diya,Aur arz kiya,Mere baad kisko sataogay? ❞

The omnipresent pain followed her through the dim hallways of the office, leaving behind a trail of her broken heart. The bland, chalky-white walls of the hallway witnessed Laila's tears as she tried to carry a pile of her broken heart in her trembling hands. She couldn't bear to look into the eyes of the man who'd just broken her heart.

Junaid stood in front of the car. He straightened up when she pushed through the door. The redness in her eyes conveyed more than either of them would have ever voiced. Junaid wasn't foreign to what was conspiring between the two. Something had happened. The wind around Laila became heavier. Junaid prayed, hoping that their boss hadn't ruined whatever was good in his life.

Laila stared out the window, yet watched her reflection in the window. The mascara smudged, eyes swollen, and the gloom swirled around her. She couldn't go to the wedding like this. As she fixed her eyes makeup, the tears somehow flowed more. She curled her hand in the fist and blocked her lips with it as the pain bubbled into cries, yet she didn't let them turn in to sounds.

Laila's eyes lingered on the buildings and trees blurring past the window. The burning pain in her heart haunted her. The pieces of her heart crumbled in the pit of her stomach weighing on her, causing her to contort in agony. With each breath she drew, her heart constricted in torment. The broken pieces lodged into walls of her heart, the pain was as physical as it was emotional.

The car came to halt in front of the venue. Laila closed her eyes, the redness and tears stung. Suppressing her cries, she sat there in the quiet until her heart came to rest. This was Inaaya's day, a day she'd remember for the rest of her life. Laila couldn't rain on it and stain her happiness. She fixed the smudged makeup of her eyes, preparing excuses for the lines of red still scorching her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Laila Baji." Junaid hung his head low, not knowing what his boss did, yet he wanted to see if there was anything he could mend. Laila closed her eyes and nodded. What else could she even say?

Laila walked through, watching her reflection in the glass door, she made sure her appearance didn't look distraught. People swarmed around her, basking in the wedding happiness, she nodded back but the threads of her pain scattered amongst the crowd. The melodies of wedding songs filled with love and joy nipped at the already throbbing heart. Pushing the coldness of pain away, she covered it with the warmth of friendship Inaaya needed.

"Oh my God, you bitch. Where the hell were you?" Inaaya yelled when Laila pushed through the bridal room door. Inaaya huffed in the mirror as the woman pinned the duppatta on her head. "Everyone is waiting for me."

"Why didn't you walk in already, you idiot?" Laila cleared her throat, making sure her voice didn't sound hoarse.

"Without you? Did you drop your mind in the gutter on the way or what? And what is this... why are those falsies crooked?" She scanned Laila from head to toe. "Mujhe choro yaar, isko fix karo," Inaaya told the makeup artist, making Laila sit in the makeup chair as she called her brother to inform him they were ready to make the entrance. "How do I look?" Inaaya stood in front of her while the makeup artist fixed Laila's hair now.

Laila looked over at Inaaya. Dressed in a beautiful Maroon Lehenga with Golden crystal embellishment intricately woven into it. Her eyes were as radiant as the golden zari beads and stones. Yet the heaviness hadn't subdued Inaaya's personality. The flare of makeup with dark crimson lipstick and dramatic lashes, Inaaya was there and she was glowing in love. Her eyes were a mix of anticipation, happiness, and nervousness. The eyes that matched the color of nighty sky today sparkled the brightest star in that night sky. The wisps of raven-colored hair framed her face as the rest fell into loose curls like a waterfall.