— H O O R — °°°By 6 o’clock in the morning, Parul had also been released. When she regained consciousness, she cried a lot. She repeatedly apologized to me that she should not have hidden anything from me. But now there was nothing to be gained by remembering the past. Our today was much better. Parul’s health was better now. And what else I needed? Doctors prescribed some medicines for Parul. By giving medicines from time to time, Parul’s condition could have improved completely. And Zahir also spent all this. When we got ready to leave the house in the morning, Zahir took us home too. He did not talk on the way but Parul wondered why Zahir was with us. She asked me whether Zahir gave the money for her treatment, then I told her that Zahir paid the full amount for her treatment. She wondered why I took Zahir’s help but the very next moment she understood everything. She realized that I was definitely ready for marriage. I could not help but sigh. Her mind is sharp enough to pu
— Z A H I R —Another month had passed and today the results of Hoor’s exams were about to come. I knew this and I was also happy that today she will get the result, but my family was happier than me. Perhaps even more curious than Hoor would be today! Because when I got ready and went downstairs for breakfast, my family started demanding from me that I should also celebrate the announcement of the result along with Hoor. What have they understood about me? A crazy? “What type of idea is that? It’s her result, so she should celebrate, not me.” I rolled my eyes, taking the toast and stuffing it into my mouth. “What? She’s your soon-to-be wife, Zahir. Her happiness is your happiness.” Dad gained my attention and I eventually stopped chewing. What did he just say? “Wow, bro! What a line! I loved it.” I looked at my uncle who praised my dad. Dad smirked and bowed his head slightly, uttering, “Thank you, thank you.” I sighed. Once again drama. I continued eating. “Yes, Zahir, Dad is
— H O O R — “Wow Hoor, your results are very good. Your marks are above 90 in every subject!” I heard Parul’s voice. I was braiding my hair at that time and after hearing her words, I rushed to her in a hurry. “Did you check it?” I ask her. It was not that I did not believe in myself, but I did not want to put anything in a misunderstanding. “Of course! You’re wonderful!” She chirped. I glanced at the screen, finding her right. “Phew,” I sighed. Closing my eyes, I folded my hands to thank God. Whatever it is, it is what He wants because It is His Will. And my hard work also pays off only when God does His justice. That is why I thank Him for everything. It is a different matter that in my displeasure, I never remember Him because the sadness and silence inside me is so much that I cannot remember Him at that time. It is such a bad thing, which I try my best to improve. I remember Him in happiness but I want to call Him in sorrow, too. “How’s it going, my lovely daughter?” Dad’s
— H O O R — “Do you truly want this?” I asked him as soon as Parul left. We were all alone, under the bright blue sky, birds chirping around. He turned to look at me before answering, “My family wants me to take care of your happiness from now on. They want me to join you in your happiness.” Here I end this conversation as I do not ask him anything further. My happiness is not cared for by my husband. Instead, my soon-to-be in-laws are very much concerned about my happiness. There is both joy and displeasure in it. Glad that my future in-laws care about my happiness and displeasure so much that my husband needs permission from his family to join my happiness. This great man does not want to do anything by himself. “Come.” He opens the door of his car. I look inside before and then at his face. I do that awkwardly and give me a -what?- type of look. “What? Didn’t you open the door for yourself?” I ask him and here I realize how stupid I sounded. “You think I’ll open the passenge
— Z A H I R —“By the way, do you want me to turn the AC off?” She looked at me as her lips parted. She could clearly see I mocked her. I asked this question deliberately because I know this girl has a problem with AC cars. On that day, she also expressed her concern about the increasing global warming caused by my car like she was in some conference hall. And… My car is the ‘only’ reason behind the increasing global warming, is it? She stated it like that. Like I was some wanted criminal. But I do not want to cause any trouble for Hoor. Or say that I do not want to leave any chance to annoy this girl. This is a golden opportunity for me. Like she enjoys annoying me, I, too, am going to find pleasure in it. “This is your car, do whatever you want.” She rolled her eyes, folding her arms on her chest and looking outside through the window. “Okay.” I turned the AC off for an unknown reason and started driving. Hoor kept peeping outside the window and then no conversation happened be
— H O O R — “So now you tell me what happened between you two. Why did you come back within two hours? You didn’t have to worry about work. If you wanted you could stay till the evening. And, he isn’t a stranger but your future husband, Hoor!” Once again Parul put a queue of questions in front of me without a single pause. I am surprised that on the one hand, I left that strange meeting and went to work —no, actually I did not want to put the burden on her— and this girl doesn't like my coming. Instead of being grateful, she is questioning me. But I think it is normal for her to ask so many questions at once because when I came back, I did not answer any of her questions at that time and straight away started working. I silently asked her to work and let me work also. And perhaps by asking all these questions, now she wants to satisfy herself. “Hoor! What are you thinking? Oh my god, wait! Are you still thinking about the date?! Hell! Now I’m more excited to know…” She jumped on
— Z A H I R —When I came downstairs to eat after taking a bath, I saw that as soon as I entered the dining hall, everyone’s eyes gathered on me as if I was an alien. But when I looked intently into everyone’s eyes, I could see a lot of hope and curiosity. I can probably understand this curiosity. But saying nothing, I sat down on my chair. Ryan was sitting next to me, looking at me as if I had a treasure hidden inside me. I passed him a forced smile before turning my plate and filling it with food. Once it was done, I held the spoon and filled it with rice before putting it in my mouth. I started chewing silently when I heard Rayma Bhabhi’s voice as she asked me, “How was your date, Zahir?” But instead of answering her, I choked on my food and hurriedly held the glass of water. “Are you alright?” All of them asked me once I put the glass back on the table. I looked at them and nodded, “Yeah.” Hell, when do you let me sit peacefully? I wanted to shout but I suppressed the urge.
— H O O R —In the morning Parul and I got ready and came out of the room. But not before saying goodbye to my dad. He was happy to hear that the Matthews family was putting in effort and it showed how much excited they were.Though Dad did not speak his heart out, I knew he was once again guilty for not being able to participate in all this. The wedding preparations, of course. But I assured him that everything was okay and was going to be okay, too. Why would I want to burden him mentally? Zahir’s car was waiting for us outside. Parul quickly descended the stairs and went down because she was very excited. The color she wore, yellow, was adding to her excitement. Light yellow suited her. But what irked me was her excitement. Marriage is mine and excited is my friend! Not like I did not like her seeing grinning and hopping around like a kid, but why could she not see I did not want to get married to this jerk? Well, I was the only one who was hiding everything from everyone. Wow
— 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.