Chapter 2

Abrar

6 months ago

I was returning home from my office while crossing the foot over bridge at 10 pm. That foot over bridge reminded me of my high school girlfriend Nikhat. We used to go to school and come back together through this bridge. This was the only place where I could hold her hand for a few minutes and she used to blush like a hell. I could only remember those moments and smile like an idiot at that time, a smile of pain. 

Suddenly my steps stopped when I saw a girl sitting at the corner. She had rested her forehead on her knees and she was sobbing. I noticed her carefully. She had worn a well-designed salwar suit and her hairs looked silky and well organised. No doubt she was from a noble family. I was clueless about what I should do. Should I call her? Maybe she was in some sort of problem. Or should I ignore because I've heard about a gang of girls who used to rob while pretending to be in danger? I thought a lot about it and preferred to ask her.

   "Excuse me?", I came near her and went on my knees. She immediately looked at me. Her eyes were swollen because of crying continuously. She kept staring at me without uttering a single word. " Are you ok? What are you doing here so late?", I asked her.

She didn't reply to me. I didn't find it good to leave a minor crying girl like this. She looked too young. 

  "You can tell me", I added. She looked at me again and examined me carefully.

  "I'm Zoya", she uttered in a heavy voice. I became a little surprised as she spoke up finally. Her intense eyes met mine. I could see her clearly now. She was an average looking brown girl but if you noticed every detail of her face carefully she had an amazing spark into her eyes. Her pinkish lips matched her skin tone completely and her chubby cheeks made her look cuter.

   "Nice name", I said, I uttered the most stupid line as I was confused about what I should say to her. "I'm Abrar. Tell me where's your home? I'll drop you", I immediately came to the point. 

   "I can't go home", she said in a broken voice as she lowered her head.

   "Why? Did your parents scold you?", I asked her in surprise. She looked 17-18 years old, I just guessed by seeing her. Usually, this is the reason for most new-adults to leave their homes. She replied nothing. Maybe I guessed right.

    

   "See. I know parents become strict sometimes but that's for our betterment. You shouldn't leave your home like this. At least you have parents. I don't have that too", I explained to her as she looked at me surprisingly.

   "You don't have parents?", she exclaimed.

   "No", I half-smiled, a smile of pain. "Now let's go. Tell me your address"

   "No", she muttered. "They won't accept me"

I got shocked by her statement. What has she done? 

    "Why?", I asked her.

    "Because I have fled from my own home", she sobbed. I couldn't believe that. However, there must have some reasons.

Before I could ask her something she again spoke. 

    "For Anas", she added. 

    "Who's that?", I asked though I knew it must be her boyfriend or something. Girls only run away from their homes for their boyfriends whom they are loyal to.

    "I love him. We both love each other. My dad doesn't want me to get married to him. He wants me to marry his business partner's son. But I don't wanna. I left a note and....", she sighed.

    "Then? Why are you here? Where's he?", I asked being curious. Her eyes filled again but this time she controlled. 

    "I had been calling him the whole day. He didn't answer. At last, he picked up and told me that he can't marry me. He is too young to get married. He doesn't want to take responsibility", she busted into tears. I became speechless as I had nothing to say to a girl who was just betrayed by her boyfriend.

I let her cry and smiled at her. I didn't know that girls like her actually exist in the world. Wasn't it strange? This girl had left everything for a guy who didn't even ready to take her responsibility whereas my ex-girlfriend Nikhat had left me for her parents even when I was ready to take her responsibility. I wish Nikhat was like Zoya. But maybe Zoya should be like Nikhat. It's not right to leave parents for that person whom you recently met or loved.

    "What are you thinking?", she asked me as she stopped crying. I looked at her, she wiped her tears with a tissue paper.

    "Nothing. You are ok now?", I asked her.

    "Yes", she stopped sobbing and looked normal.

    "Give me his number. I'll talk to him"

    "He won't agree"

    "Let me try for once"

She passed me her phone and I called him on my phone and put it on speaker. 

    "Mr Anas?", I said as he picked up.

    "Yes", Anas replied.

    "I'm Abrar. Listen, the thing is I've found Zoya crying near the street. You had asked her to leave her home and now you're not taking her responsibility. At least think about her", I said

    "Excuse me? I didn't ask her to do that. And if you're so concerned for her, why don't you handle her?", he spat. I got shocked by his statement. He proved himself a jerk. He was lucky to have a girl like Zoya who left everything for him and he was behaving like a dick. I was about to say some but before that Zoya snatched my phone. 

    

   "You bloody moron!", she shrugs. "You don't wanna marry me, right? You don't need to. I'm not dying to marry you. Idiot! Duffer! If you didn't have guts, who told you to make a relationship? Get lost with your fucking attitude, you asshole", she abused him in a breathe and cut the call. 

I looked at her shockingly as she busted into tears again. The sudden change in her behaviour surprised me. Her cheeks turned redder that made her look cuter than before. She was still a child who messed-up her life completely after a guy. I waited for her to stop crying. After she controlled herself I looked at her.

   "Don't panic. You should be glad that you got to know his reality", I said as she shook her head. I knew somewhere that guy was right. What the hell these two would do after taking this immature step? Both are still very young to understand a relationship. There was no point in getting married at that age.

   "Let's go and eat something. Looks like you haven't eaten anything the whole day", I said as I stood up. She too obeyed me and we silently walked away.

We reached a street food vendor and ordered two plates. She ate impatiently. I was right. She hadn't eaten anything for the whole day. Her chubby cheeks looked cuter when she filled her mouth with food. I smiled at her. We quietly finished our food and I went to pay the bills as she stopped me.

   "Take the half", she said while handing me half of the bill.

   "No. No. That's fine", I tell her. 

   "You look exhausted. I can tell it by seeing you that you maybe work hard at your job", she looked at me carefully. 

I was actually tired and my clothes were old enough to make people know that I'm broke. 

   "Please take it. If I didn't have money, I wouldn't have given it", she insisted. I was too worried about my meal for the next day as I was going to pay for her too. I preferred sharing the bill to save myself from starving the next day.

   "Ok then, let me drop you", I said as we paid the bill. She shook her head and we walked by the road towards her place. 

We reached her place when it was 11 pm. Her huge residence was decorated beautifully like a bride. It seemed that she was from a rich family.

    "Today was my engagement", she said, lowering her eyes.

    "Engagement? Isn't it so soon?", my jaw dropped.