— H O O R —. . .The world should be nice and a place where peace and happiness rule. Where people do not get jealous of each other but join each other in their happiness. People should be soft-hearted. It could be nice but the idea alone seems like a fantasy. It is a utopia. And unfortunately, the world is filled with evil powers that dominate human emotions and thoughts. Even if I wanted my focus to stay on Zahir, it could not remain so on the way. I could catch women staring at him. The emotions in their eyes were speaking something else. I felt this all pricking my heart. I did not like that. Why should they stare at him? Zahir's nature is stoic towards everyone in his office. He does not really acknowledge anyone with softness. He just worries about his work and he has told me already that he does not mind being called selfish. Zahir does not even have to impress any of them. But they?How could I even close their eyes? They whisper into each other's ears and among them, I
— H O O R —. . .The aroma has filled the room and my mouth is filled with water. It smells nice and I can expect the same in taste, too. Zahir complimented them, after all. “It smells nice,” I say in a whisper as I lean forward, putting my elbows on the table. “It does,” he replies monotonously, busy with his phone. His thumb is leisurely dragging down whatever is in his cell. I frown at him. “You can put it down,” I say, waving my hand in front of his face. He is always busy. He should consider the moment when he is not working and live it to the fullest. His eyes immediately leave the phone screen as he looks up at me. The blue in his eyes is shining. I can't help but admire them whenever I look into them. How beautiful his eyes are! I think I am going crazy after his eyes. “You want me to?” He asks, his phone is still in his grip but his attention is on me now. I hear the sound of water running on the other side, reminding me of the couple that is working behind the wall.
— H O O R —. . .Zahir and I go back to work. He is in his cabin while I am handling the rest of the work. For the rest of the day, no one comes to interrupt me and it is only when the day ends that I am able to take a deep breath. I lean back, stretching my arms as I yawn. My chair is pushed back because of the impact and my head lightly collides with the shelf behind me. I sigh, looking down at the screen. I have completed the work and I know it was not much because all the things that I have completed today were left by Siya. It was all pending. No judgment came to my mind as I opened the files. But I know I am going to get much work from tomorrow on. Maybe that's why Siya has pending tasks because being a secretary, she needs to match step by step with Zahir. I get up after I make sure to close everything. Grabbing my purse, I head straight to Zahir's office. I knock on the door twice. A faint 'come in' is what I hear. I open the door and peek inside before stepping ahead.
— H O O R —. . .We are home and I am welcomed by everyone happily. Zahir silently makes his way to the room and I am called aside by my sister-in-law who asks me question after question. She feels more excited to know more than me who should be excited to tell her about my day. It is because of tiredness that I do not speak much. As I was told before, my sister-in-law also runs an NGO. Everybody in this house is hard working but lately, I have been noticing that my sister-in-law is not engaging in any activity related to her NGO. I do not ask her about this but I wish to know about this all later. Finally, I am allowed to leave. I go upstairs and plop on the couch with a long sigh. My bag drops beside me and I take breaths while my eyes are closed. I can fall asleep anytime but the thought of showering is still lingering in my head. It keeps me in full consciousness. I rest for some time unless the door clicks open and Zahir walks out. I do not open my eyes, knowing very well
— H O O R —. . .“Bhabhi,” I hear the voice of Zahir that comes from behind. I look at him over my shoulder while my sister-in-law gives him a sweet smile. Her head slants her long and dark locks dangle through her cheek and her eyes are pretty soft. She is beautiful overall. (Sister-in-law.)“Ji kahiye, mere pyaare devar ji,” she asks him lovingly, earning herself a soft chuckle from my husband who is now standing beside me. (Please speak, my lovely brother-in-law.)I feel the touch of his hand lingering over the small of my back and I do not move an inch because of it. Not away, not closer. Just where I am, it is perfect. “Soch raha tha ki aaj Hoor ki madad kitchen me mai karu,” his words gain him a surprised look from my sister-in-law. (Was thinking that I should help Hoor in the kitchen today.)She folds her arms on her chest as I see her hand go under her chin and she beholds us, secretly smiling at me. I do not know what is for but I can surely say something is going through
— H O O R —. . .Zahir is cute when he cooks and I have mentioned it before. When he cooks, he stains his face and jaw and he is not aware of it. He struggles with his hair that falls over his eyebrows but can't do it. I raise my arm and help him, pushing away his dark strands. He gives me a lovely smile. “Thank you.”I just shake my head, going back to my work. In movies that Parul used to watch and drag me along, I found the male lead doing such things — tugging back the female lead's hair behind her ear — but it was me who was doing such things. Zahir was giving me lovely smiles which tickled my heart every time. It took us time because I had to give him instructions but he was doing well. “Is it done?” He murmurs to himself, raising his arm to take off the lid of the breaker. I shot him a glance, wondering what he was talking about, and soon he jerked back, growling. I rush to him, gripping his hand instantly which he keeps jerking. He just hurt himself because the lid was
— H O O R —. . .Another day of work and I can't help but notice a few things. A few things that make me wonder what Siya has in her mind when she looks at my husband and especially for me. We are welcomed by everyone with respect. They bow their heads to us, being silent. Their eyes are always looking down in respect for us. The entire building is now well aware of the fact that their boss's wife is working with him. Anytime they look at me, they bow their head at me. I acknowledge them but not with a word. It all feels awkward to me. I am not used to this attention and treatment. Zahir has ordered everyone strictly about this. But Siya is really different from them. She greets me with a smile on her lips when Zahir departs. As soon as he is away, her demeanor changes with the speed of life. Gone is her nervousness along with Zahir's presence. She stands confident, her head held high, and confidence oozing through her. I wonder how she changes in the blink of an eye. She ente
— H O O R —. . .Silence was never fitting to me in my entire life. It was bitter to me. Like nails being pushed into my skin, it felt. The feeling suffocated me. I was never fond of deafening silence like some people are. They are in love with isolation while I felt it to be like a swarm of bugs crawling up my skin, giving birth to the urge to jerk them away but I can't because they are not physically present. The feeling chokes me. But not today. It is different. It is Zahir and I alone. The silence between us is pleasant or say it has veiled itself with pleasantness the moment Zahir entered the frame and held me close. Oh, what a beautiful feeling it is that my Lord has introduced me to. I can let it seep into my skin and run through my veins. I can let it fuse into my blood and go warm and influence my mind, my entire existence. I find it beautiful. I find it beautiful to realize that God made it possible through His amazing creation. I can feel it and I am glad about it. He
— Z A H I R —. . .It's been days since Hoor and I returned home after attending our relative's wedding. It was awesome, by her side, and on the other hand, I was nearly bored. Only nights were the most beautiful to me because we prayed together and spent some time together. I could not even imagine using the guest's room bed for making love with my wife so I restrained myself. However, it turned out to be a little harder when she kept throwing glances at me and getting ready for the functions. I had no other way than to look at her and praise her. I wanted to do more. After we returned, the first thing I did after taking a shower was to grab her in my arms and hug her like my life depended on it. She giggled, asking me about what changed in ms all of a sudden but I had nothing to answer her. I only breathed at that moment, loving her warmth and the softness of her chest against my head. That's my haven. That night we made love again and the more I explored her, the more needy
— Z A H I R —. . .I rejected it and I regret it now. It has been days since she confessed her feelings to me and I, like a bastard, rejected those feelings. Like every time, I only thought of responsibilities and all, not wishing to give our relationship a chance but after she started avoiding me, I had no other way than to realize my mistake. Hoor does not know, or maybe she is well aware of it that she even takes advantage of it that her ignorance brings me to my knees before her. I have felt it. Hoor makes me feel like I have admitted it to myself. Hoor has become a piece of mine, without whom, I am not whole. I am incomplete without her. I feel restless when she is away from me. When her eyes are not on me, I crave even one look at her. I know I can't live without her and she made me see it in those days. I thought maybe it was because we were getting used to each other so I decided to keep myself away from her. However, my own decision made me feel restless in my heart.
— H O O R —. . .He picks up the call while I sit, anticipating what is going to happen next. I fear Zahir's answer to Mr Hunt. I know he is a nice man but Zahir, in anger, says harsh things. I do not want him to start a fight with Mr Hunt. He puts the call on speaker and looks at me. His eyes linger over my face and solely catch my eyes. I swallow when I hear Mr Hunt's voice. “Hoor?” He asks, and I know I have to keep my mouth shut. “Hoor is with me. And stop calling her, okay?” Okay... It was not as gruff as I expected. I literally expected him to grab Mr Hunt's collar right pushing his hand into the screen of the phone and venting out all the frustration of the past night but he controlled it. Phew!“Uh...”“Yeah,” he breathes and disconnects the lines, tossing away my phone. My eyes widen. “Zahir, it's my phone! Have mercy on it!” I utter, trying to reach for my phone when he grabs my wrist and pulls me to him. I gasp, swallowing as I look at his face. I am glad the sheet
— H O O R —. . .“What's your problem, huh? Why are you behaving like a beast?” I utter, fuming with anger after whatever has happened. He has done this all! His jaw clenches but he does not give me a single look. I see his grip becoming lethal around the steering wheel as he drives the car smoothly. “Ask yourself! What's your problem, Hoor?” He asks instead, giving me a sharp glance over his shoulder. I purse my lips, trying not to say any bad words that will make me regret it later. “I'm totally fine. It's you alone who created a drama there. I don't understand why are you behaving like that!” I do not care if I am making it even more serious. I need answers. The atmosphere inside the car seems to change as it drops. He is trying hard to control his anger but I know he is dangerous when angry. However, I am not afraid to see his limits. Have seen his sides before and no doubt he is going to be like that again; harsh and brutal with words. “Behaving like what? A beast?” He tau
— H O O R —. . .Finding Mr Hunt at the party gave me some kind of relief. As Zahir too knows him, we got interacted and there I got to meet the girl with him. He introduced me to her and she felt pleasant. His choice is very good. However, on the other side, I could see Zahir glaring at us non-stop. It irked me. Now what does he want? I ignored that look. Mr Hunt too noticed how Zahir was keeping a poker face and answering him gruffly every time. When he was called suddenly by some of his partners, it was only Mr Hunt and me left alone. The woman he took with him also left to use the washroom. “Why is he behaving like that?” He asks me in a mutter, confused as he looks at me. My eyes remain on Zahir who is busy holding a conversation with an official man. There are two more with him, keeping him occupied. I stare at him silently, not answering Mr. Hunt for a moment being. I do not feel like doing it or maybe I am too lost admiring my husband among them. He is handsome, after
— H O O R —. . .“May I come in, ma'am?” I know what he is taking with him, and it is only for me to handle. I sigh as I look up from the screen that troubles my eyes. My gaze lands upon a man standing at the door and I am not sure how many times I have seen him today with towers of files in his arms. Only for me!“Of course,” I have to pass him a fake smile.He comes in and sets the tower beside other files. Wow. Just look at my room. How amazing it looks filled with files and files alone. And whose hand is all in this? Surely, my husband's! Because he does not want me to meet Mr Hunt anymore and he can't even confront me and order me around, so he is using such methods to keep me here. Not only that but he is keeping me with himself in meetings. All the meetings which were to be held in the next month and whatever was arranged by me, he thought of completing them all in this month itself. He made me make some changes in the schedule and everywhere he carried me. All this just
— H O O R —. . .“So tell me...” He begins nervously, running a hand through his hair as he looks at me. I wait for him. Maybe he is going to take eternity. Who knows? He is always like that around me; shy and all. Even now he is unable to look me in the eyes. I too do not have any obsession with it. To me, Zahir's eyes are everything. Keeping the straw in my mouth as I enjoy my Faluda ice cream, I steal a glance at his already-flushed face. Now what does he see? I roll my eyes back to the setting sun and realize that I have spent more time with him. I do not worry about my work. I know I will complete the pending tasks but I needed to refresh my mind which he helped me having. He is an amazing friend, to be honest. After how Zahir spoiled my mood with that interrogation, he called me and I came out to meet him. He took me to places around and bought me ice cream. Walk with him was nice as he kept cracking silly jokes. I was even laughing. Yeah, I like such stupid jokes. He wa
— H O O R —. . .Three days have passed. Life is going on as before. The only difference is that whatever happened between Zahir and me seems like a dream. Everything disappeared as soon as I opened my eyes.Work and prayer help me to forget all this every moment, but I cannot use them every moment to escape from the past. Because of whatever happened that night, I still feel as if there are wounds in my heart that have not healed yet. But I know that time will change everything and all wounds will heal. God will do it. Right now I am just waiting for these days to pass. Now that I know that our relationship is not going to improve, I do not want to stay here any longer.Another time my phone rings. It is Mr Hunt. I have been ignoring his calls since this morning but he does not seem to give up. I am not in the mood, simple. I do not want to talk to him but I know I have to. I will be responsible for many things then. Clenching my jaw, I pick up the call and I remove my gaze from
— H O O R —. . .“Are you out of your mind, Hoor?” He says, breaking all my expectations just in a second. I stare at him dumbfounded, my heart sinking deeper. My eyes do not flutter as they are set on him but he has my hands clammy in anticipation. I muster up the courage to ask, “Wh-What do you mean, Zahir?” My tone is confused. Still. I am still expecting him to give me an explanation so it can relieve the burn in my chest. “It's simple, Hoor!” He utters, getting up as he releases a deep sigh. His arm raises and he runs a hand through his hair. Once again as he shows he is frustrated. I narrow my eyes at him, staring at his face as he steps away, continuing, “It's simple that I don't wanna be in a relationship. And haven't I told you that already?” The next he turns around, eyes boring into mine. They hold frustration and anger, resembling a darker and deeper shade of ocean. His jaw clenches as he adds, “I made it clear already!”He did but I started having feelings for him.