In The Pursuit Of Love

Of Chai and Apologies

"When the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray." Rumi

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She slowly removed the tape and then wiping away her tears, moved towards them and kicked them both in their stomach.

"This is for touching me"

Another kick.

"This is for covering my mouth with the tape"

While Zeeshan looked at her with raised eyebrows, thinking what in the world was she doing. He took a deep breath through his mouth and gulped down a few times to wet his dry mouth and walked towards her, who was probably busy in taking her revenge. Holding her from her backpack he dragged her away, before they wake up.

"Run, before they come again" he warned in a low tone and with that she didn't wait for him and started running making him follow her and then match her pace as he came next to her.

A few minutes later, he stopped at a tea shop, only after making sure that there was no trace of them. He bought a water bottle and forwarded it to her, without glancing at her and she took it without any complaints. After gulping down half the bottle, she gave it back to him and he emptied the bottle making her smile a little, knowing he was waiting for her to have her fill.

Her stomach grumbled a little, making her look away. He shook his head and ordered two tea and buns, making her grateful all the more for his thoughtfulness.

"Bhaiya, is the place still there" he asked the shopkeeper and he replied in affirmative with a big smile. She didn't know what they were talking about and so quietly followed him to a hut like structure located at a distance down the road.

Once inside, he gestured towards a small stool, made up of thick ropes, and went to sit on one himself, a little far from which he indicated her towards. She took a seat, her legs almost jelly with all the running but didn't fail to notice another stool near her, which he refused to sit on. She knew that he was giving her a cold shoulder because of what happened yesterday and she would be fooling herself if she said that she didn't feel a little.. ignored?

Nargis looked at the man sitting, hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers aimlessly scrolling through the screen of his mobile phone. The same man, who had saved her life many a times that she didn't wanted to count. After all it was her life, and just the first time had her indebted to him.

She was sure that he didn't know her. So why? Why was he helping her?

A sudden intrusion broke her train of thoughts and she looked up to see a small boy standing with a tray of tea and buns. She smiled at him and he placed the tray in front of her on the only small wooden table kept inside the hut and left.

He stood from his place and walked towards her, her expectant eyes looking at him, but his gaze never averted from his phone. Picking up a glass of tea in his hand he uttered,

"We can wait here for a while, but not for too long. I cant take the risk of these people getting hurt" he said indicating towards the shopkeeper and the boy. She nodded and couldn't control as a small smile graced her lips upon hearing the word 'we' realizing that he had no idea of leaving her here alone, and the next instant she had bit the insides of her cheek for even having a thought like that.

No wonder why it is said that a man and a woman should not be alone, as the third person is the shaytaan.

Shaking her thoughts away, she muttered Astaghfirullah and watched him walking back to his previous place.

Nargis wasn't loose in her manners but he might have thought otherwise as she still hadn't thanked him for saving her yet once again. She knew a simple thank you won't suffice, but she had nothing else to offer other than her sincere words. Raking her mind on how to start the conversation, she absentmindedly sipped the tea and regretted the next moment as the very hot tea burned her lips and tongue making her wince.

"You okay?" she heard a voice and looked through her blurry vision. He stood at his place, his face etched with worry and his stance at discomfort. She nodded fanning her mouth with her hand.

A few seconds later she again brought the glass to her mouth, but before she could get the glass to touch her lips, she heard him warn, "Careful". And she looked at him, not at all looking at her, but his phone.

"Umm.. you didn't take the bun?" Was all she could say after years. Note the sarcasm. And felt like pulling out her hair. Well technically hijab first.

"I don't want. You can have it" he almost whispered, loud enough for her to hear though.

"Umm.. Zeeshan you can at least have half of it" she said quickly tearing the bun in half and forwarding it to him. With an audible sigh, he walked towards her and took the piece from her extended hand and turned again but stopped short on hearing her meek voice.

"Zeeshan..?" he hummed without turning around and only he knew what she was doing to him.

"Th-thank you for saving me once again.." she stuttered but said nevertheless, her hands shivering with how overwhelm she was.

"You are welcome" he said with an edge in his tone and was about to walk away, "And.." her voice stopped him once again, his eyes closing on their accord. He was already having a hard time trying to not look at her, and the last thing he wanted was to have a conversation with her, because he won't be able to hide how much worried he was for her.

"Will you at least look at me? I hate it when the person I am talking to does not look at me." While the first part was somewhere close to a plea, the second part held more of authority.

He turned around with a straight face and looked into her eyes. Their eyes met for a brief second and his heart skipped a beat. She immediately looked away.

"I am listening"

"I..I mean..I am sorry" she stuttered and then looked at him with a gaze that held regret. His heart thudded against his rib cage at the sight but he kept his emotions in control.

"I am really sorry for yesterday. I didn't mean to say all those cruel things and believe me I regretted the moment I uttered those words" she looked as if she was about to cry, and so Zeeshan took a deep breath and sat across from her, her gaze following his actions.

"Its okay Nargis. You don't have to say sorry. I can understand where you were coming from. I mean you don't know me and you cant just trust anyone, seeing the circumstances you are in" he said with a heavy heart, but put up a mature front.

"No. I mean somewhere down the line I did think like that, and where, in the beginning I told you the same thing, I just don't think like that now. And no, my perception didn't change because of today's events. Yesterday and before that as well, I didn't think of you as a threat." She justified with all her might. She had to do this. She just cant hurt the only person who tried to help her.

He nodded once again, a relief washing over him and with it came a new set of heartbeats. "No issues" he shrugged and a comfortable silence fell over them; the only voices coming were them sipping their tea.