SS: Red, the colour of love...
She ran past him again, her red saree swaying behind her, caressing his face making his heart thump faster than it already did. Her touch made him squirm, he looked around himself furiously for her one glance, her red scarf brushed past his face once again making him freeze on the spot and close his eyes to cherish that moment. As soon as the ends fell off his face, his eyes opened again, this time he caught her body tiptoeing past him, his eyes fell on her low back blouse, her beautiful bare arms adorned with red bangles, they made noises as her hands flapped beside her. He ran behind her, following her musical anklets jingling with each delicate step. She playfully held the end of her saree over her face half turning to face him, his head moved side to side trying to catch a glimpse of her face. His eyes glistened seeing her jet black hair dance carelessly over her face as the wind played with them. He ran faster and jumped forward only to roll off a sandy edge... He halted at the bottom of the sandy mountain flat on his face; he looked up quickly to find her walking towards him with the red scarf over her head like a newlywed bride, holding her lehenga up to reveal her bare feet. His eyes ran over her revealing stomach before admiring her beautiful attire; which was red. He slowly got up to his feet; his hands found themselves moving forward towards her when he finally threw the scarf over her head. He was barricaded out by her hands as they shyly rushed to hide the beautiful face behind it. He held them in between his slowly before she turned and pulled his hand behind her suddenly. He ran behind her,
'WAITTT' He stretched forward off his bed, rolling to the middle of his bedroom. On reflex from the hit, he jumped up into a crouched position holding his hands out to reach for something. He blinked a few times before realising what he was doing; he looked at his crouched martial arts position and sighed heavily before falling onto the floor and crossing his legs. 'What the hell is wrong with you Asad?' He shook his head as he knowingly spoke to himself. 'You stupid fool' He hit his head, You're going to get married to Aaliyah in a couple of weeks and here you are dreaming about someone else?' He breathed into his hands; his restless dreams were worrying him. At first, he had thought the girl in his dreams were Aaliyah but after meeting this angelic beauty every night, he had noticed she was nothing like Aaliyah. He had never been able to put a face to this woman in red, yes; she was always in red, from clothing to accessories. She always puts him in a trance, something he never wants to wake up from... were these signs that he shouldn't get married to Aaliyah his heart always questioned. He had tried his level best to get out of this marriage, his mother's promise made it so much difficult to scare this girl away. For the past two years, she had shown him picture after picture of proposals but he had always rejected them because they weren't her.
Her, he doesn't quite know who 'her' is because he hasn't seen her face but there was this weird feeling inside of him, like a woman's sixth sense, that told him, those girls were not the one. Aaliyah met the strict criteria he had always wanted in a life partner, well when his mother forced him to think about it but somehow it doesn't feel like she could match up to his heart's conditions. He rubbed his chest feeling an unknown sensation burning inside of him,
'I hate this, I'm getting heartburns thinking about it' He stressed forcing himself to get up and fix his bed.
'When the hell did I start thinking about girls?' He questioned himself in disbelief. The man, whose strict nature forced his own family members to think twice before speaking in front of him, is here dreaming about girls as if he suffers from a multiple identity disorder. He shook his head feeling slightly ashamed of himself; think he needed to give himself a tameez and tehzeeb lecture. He stood in front of the mirror staring at his face,
'Why did Ammi have to fix the wedding date before having the engagement done?' He pressed his temples, 'I don't even know this girl, I didn't even look at her face properly. Why' He ran into the bathroom feeling as if he's life was about break apart at the thought of getting married to this girl.
'GOOD-' Najma paused before correcting herself, 'Asaalamu Alaikum Bhaijaan' She flashed him a smile as he walked out of his room dressed in his three piece suit, looking sharper than ever before. His Akduness was back, the man who was acting like a lost puppy moment ago has bounced back as a lion no one would dare to mess with. Asad Ahmed Khan was a protective brother, dutiful son and a would-be responsible husband, he had no time for time wasting dreams he reminded himself straightening up.
'Walaikum Asalaam Tamater' He smiled back at her, brushing her hair back. His eyes mellowed down from his pep talk, he felt bad for scaring his little sister so much. He was overprotective sometimes but he couldn't help his temper that knew no limits. He loves her so much; he's just never been able to show it to her... properly. He kissed her head before wrapping his arm around her neck and dragging her to the dining table playfully to make up for his little scare. He wished his mother before sitting down,
'Beta, your engagement is tomorrow and you haven't even gone shopping for the ring. You promised to come shopping with me today and here you are, ready for work' She spoke sadly, her eyes emotionally blackmailed her son. Asad mentally held himself together; you can get through this he told himself.
'Ammi, why don't you go? With Tamater, you've got my card-' He froze with his mouth open as his mother shot him a look of disappointment.
'You said yes without even speaking to her properly. I understood.' Asad looked at his mother, he remembered meeting her and her brother, he doesn't even remember glancing at her forget speaking to her. His mother didn't exactly give him a chance to deny this time; he had faith in her faith. 'But you promised to support me on everything after that, go shopping for the rings, clothes, help me prepare but... are you not happy with this?' She asked him again.
'Yes I am happy' He choked, his heart screamed something else. He pressed his eyes to reassure her and himself.
'Okay, you know she's an orphan Asad, her big sister has brought her up like her own daughter. She remained unmarried to fulfil her sibling's wishes and dreams. They need our full support Asad, you need to show them that you'll be there for her, be the assurance for her family members that they are not giving her away to just anyone. Won't you beta?' His mother went on, his mind wondered off again. He remembered his mother telling him that there were 4 of them, the eldest sister acted as a parent for her siblings when their parents died when she was only 14 years old. She worked hard day and night to provide for them, to make sure they didn't lack anything. His heart went out to her, being able to relate to her as he had faced similar problems except his mother was still with him when his father abandoned them. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose both of his parents; he admired his mother talking to him, explaining the details over and over again. Each time, his heart urging him to meet this superwoman, the strength in her was unbelievable, he felt a sudden pride that such women actually existed in this world that were selfless. One of the reasons he said yes to this marriage was because he didn't want her to fail, not now after working so hard to bring their life to this stage. 'She's coming to pick out the engagement rings Asad. Meet her at least.' She looked at him,
'I'll meet her Ammi. 3 o clock?' He looked at his watch and then at his mother,
'Okay. Fine.' She sighed, at least he agreed. Be there on time. Asad, do not waste her time, she works too' She warned before getting up to do the dishes.
'Ammi, are you-' She shot him another warning look; he gulped and got up from the table. He whispered goodbye before rushing out of the house to his favourite place; office. The only stressful place that actually gives him some peace, he mentally hit his head against a wall for feeling so helpless. He doesn't want to marry her but for HER sister's sake, he's keeping mum. He held his door open and wondered to himself, why was he attached to all these unknown people? He jumped into the car and drove off.
'Samiha beta, don't say that. It's a happy occasion, we could always meet Aaliyah. Yes baby, their family is very nice. Don't cry, chalo chalo, wipe your tears and give your aapi a huge smile' She laughed harder almost tearing up hearing her little sister smile widely on the other side like she could see her.
'There you go, that's my tubelight! Go home now, I've kept the key with our gollu neighbour, yes yes behave. You and Aleem please get something to eat, food is in the fridge. Bye baby' She kissed into the phone. People passed her an awkward glance walking past her; she gave them a goofy smile making them smile back at her, reluctantly. She looked at her watch and gasped, 'Ya Allah, I'm late' She rushed towards the jewellery shop. In her hurry, she bumped hard into a young male whose rock solid body made her rebound backwards; he quickly paced forward and placed his hand under her waist pushing her upwards.
'Allah Miyaan, what are you made of?' She blinked at him as he held her body half dangling above the ground. He stared into her eyes through his Ray-Bans; her pink lips twitched trying to remove the strand of hair stuck in between her lips. His eyes went over her creased eyebrows that were trying to see through his glasses, he realised what he was doing and stood upright picking her up and removing his hands instantly.
'You should watch where you're going' He tried moving off only noticing her blue jeans and white top, his eyes caught the red scarf tied around her neck.
'I think you-' She stopped herself from fighting with him, thank you' she shouted behind him quickly running towards the jewellery shop. He sighed and walked off,
'Waste her time' He remembered his mother's words walking towards the SUV. He looked back at the girl entering the shop and then stared down at his hands, they were tingling. He shrugged his shoulders and entered the SUV.
'FIVE MINUTES! Are you kidding me?' Zoya exclaimed, 'Only 5 minutes late, he could've waited' She questioned the worker who looked at her innocently at her outburst. He looked around himself at the empty shop guiltily as if it was his fault; he was scared of getting arrested. She flicked her hair back and looked at the options he left for her to pick out. She admired the rings in front of her, 'Not bad' She spoke out loud not realising she was voicing her thoughts, the guy behind the counter smiled at her appreciation for his choice. She shot him a smile before holding her favourite ring in front of her and admiring the detail. She closed her eyes for a moment,
'Don't worry beta. He will be just like your father; he will pick out the best ring for you. He will know of your choice without knowing you, because marriage is not just any kind of bond. It is your hearts that will unite.'
A lone tear escaped her eyes; she quickly wiped it off and presented the ring to the worker to confirm.
'See Aaliyah, baba was right.' She smiled to herself as she walked around to the rings for men. Her eyes fell on one specific ring that matched the one he picked out for her sister. She pointed towards it, her eyes refused to move off it as he brought it to her. He recited the price to her,
'Please pack it' She said without a second thought despite the price. Anything for her sister, this is the day she has been working for; to make sure they didn't lack anything. She followed him to the billing area, she opened her purse and handed him her card,
'Sir has left his details with us. He wants to pay for both of the rings.' The worker told her.
'Nope, I'm paying for that ring. Tell him that we can handle the expenses from our side' She spoke proudly. She saved her earnings for Aaliyah's wedding; she wouldn't leave any stones unturned to make sure she bears all the responsibilities of a parent. Their standard might not be as rich as the groom's but that didn't mean they were any less. She walked out of the shop and took in the breath of fresh air letting it caress her face. Her eyes suddenly focused on the spot she almost tripped, her heart thudded,
'Oh no, was that him?' She asked herself. She only stared at his Ray-Bans and his light stubble; in her rush she didn't notice his face properly. She only seen a glimpse of Asad's picture, she left it up to Aaliyah to investigate every inch of the picture and then decide but her innocent sister put the picture back in its envelope and away in some draw. She knew Dilshad for three years, in those years she grew close to her and she trusted her enough to agree to her proposal for Aaliyah. It was originally for Zoya who Dilshad adored from head to toe but knowing how Zoya was and her duty towards her siblings agreed for Aaliyah on Zoya's insistence instead who was instilled with Zoya's values and upbringing. Obviously Aaliyah doesn't know this or else she would go on a strike to get Zoya married off. She shook her head at her thoughts brushing off her suspicions of the guy being the groom and whistled for a taxi.
'What she did? Already? I only left the shop five minutes ago though' He spoke into his Bluetooth. He knew she would refuse his offer to pay for both of the rings but it was worth a try. He just hoped he didn't hurt her self-respect in any way knowing how she was.
'Zoya beta, is everything okay? That's great, you have picked it out.' She looked at her son who was entering the house; his eyes went wide seeing his mother on the phone. She hummed into the phone; Asad looked here and there trying to avoid her gaze. 'That's great beta, I hope he didn't say anything stupid. Was he late?' He rolled his eyes but then looked down, 'See you tomorrow beta. Yes, I won that argument. Engagement will be here at the Khan Villa, no Zoya. I won't listen to you. Okay Allah Hafiz' She hung up and looked at her son.
'That was Zoya' She told him, he nodded at her knowingly, 'Thank you for going beta.' She caressed his face; he looked up at her innocently. She saved him. 'She praised your choice' Dilshad beamed at him before walking up stairs, 'So much work to do, how will I manage...' She mumbled to herself.
Asad leaned against the sofa, slouching his shoulders to ease his stress. He twitched being able to hear his heart beating anxiously, his eyes shot open as her eyes flashed before him. He ran his fingers through his hair looking around the living room that was being decorated for his engagement. He looked down at his shirt, there was something sparkling back at him. He unhooked the little heart shaped charm and stared at it confused; he remembered bumping into the girl earlier. His ears were alerted as he heard a jingling noise; he looked around the room carefully before jumping on to his feet. He ran towards his room, 'I think I'm going crazy' He diagnosed himself.
Bhaijaan?' Najma rushed down the stairs wearing her new anklets, she watched her brother shut the door close behind him. She decided not to disturb him seeing him in such a bad just in case he decides to change his mind and rushed for her new classical dance class. Ayaan bhaijaan?' She spoke into her phone.
'It's all your fault your parents die-' Zoya entered her house to find her uncle in the living room torturing her little sister. She fisted her hands,
'How dareee youuu?!!!' She roared, Samiha ran towards her and hugged her. Zoya caressed her head, 'baby, you go inside. Nahi beta, you don't cry like that. Go, I'll be right inside. Where's your bhaijaan?' Zoya heard her whisper outside before rushing towards her room. 'How dare you come into my house and scare my little baby? Who the hell gave you the permission to enter my home?' She screeched.
'Oi learn to respect your elders. I care about you-' He was cut short by Zoya's mocking laugh,
'Care about us? Where were you when we starved for days? When we cried for days hoping mama baba would come back? To heck with you and your relation. Get out of my house.' She pointed towards the door.
'You're forgetting this is my brother's house' He told her,
'My baba's house. I have the wills; the house was left in my name. Don't you dare even try to sell it off, you have no rights. Please leave. Now before I say something I'll regret.' She closed her eyes tiredly.
'What happened aapi?' Aaliyah entered the house to find a tensed Zoya and her raging chachu. She dropped her bag and placed her hand over her sister's shoulder,
'Watch. She will steal all your rights. Dekh lena. It happens, people become selfish when they see so much property. She will throw you out onto the streets. Watch, mark my words, she will ruin you' He spat trying instigate Aaliyah against Zoya.
'Leaveee' Aaliyah scowled with Aleem rushing in to punch his guts. Zoya rushed towards Aleem and stopped him; her hands held his arm and pulled him away. Their chachu shot them a disgusted look and walked off,
'Watch' He shouted behind him,
'You watch how I break your legs' Aleem raged, Zoya tried to stop him.
'Aleem. Stop baba. It's fine. Ignore him. He just wants to annoy you. Look at me' She caressed his face; he looked at her with teary eyes. She shook her head wiping away his tears.
'You okaay aapi?' He asked cupping her face, she nodded.
'Why wouldn't I be silly? You tell me. How was it?' She raised her eyebrow,
'I got the job aapi. I got it' He hugged her, picking her up and spinning with her. Zoya squealed and Aaliyah started clapping with excitement. He let go and stared at his sister who looked at him with pride, she wiped her tears,
'I'm so so proud of you. You have no idea how happy mama baba would be knowing what a capable man my brother has become.' She hugged him,
'All credit goes to you aapi. It's because of your hard work and determination, I was able to study further and get this engineering job. I did nothing- ahh aapi' She smacked his back.
'You did everything' She smiled into his chest closing her eyes with contentment. Her happiness knew no bounds. Aaliyah hugged Zoya from the back resting her head on her shoulder. She felt relaxed being able to lean on Zoya's shoulder; her touch eased all her stress.
'I want to join' Samiha stamped her foot. They all broke apart and laughed seeing her pout. They opened their arms and she came running, the four siblings got into a group hug with 3 sets of eyes watching their mother figure cry with happiness. Aaliyah looked up at her brother; he pressed his eyes at her before resting his head on hers.
'Aapi, here you go' Aaliyah fed Zoya. Samiha sat on her lap and watched TV while Zoya fed her.
'Here' Zoya brought the piece of roti to Aaliyah's mouth. Aaliyah held in her tears,
'Don't leave me out.' Aleem complained. Zoya laughed,
'Okay come here' Zoya fed him.
'Aapi I'm going dance class. Couple of new students are joining.' Aaliyah grabbed her bag,
'Ehh, your engagement is tomorrow and you're going work?' Zoya asked,
'I'm done with tuitions aapi but some new students are coming for the dance classes. Amelia is out of town. I'll have to handle it.' Aaliyah answered fixing her duppatta. Zoya looked at her dedicated little sister, she was so happy with the new found confidence in her.
'Okay. Come home early, I need to show you the ring.' Zoya beamed, Aaliyah nodded. 'You are happy na?' Zoya frowned, Aaliyah looked at her brother.
'Are you happy aapi?' Aaliyah asked,
Zoya nodded with a smile and then asked her,
'If you're happy aapi, why wouldn't I be?' She bent forward and hugged her sister quickly wiping away the lone tear. She turned around and clutched her duppata against her chest,
'Stop thinking about others aapi. For once please think about your own happiness. I will never be able to answer to mama baba. You have sacrificed your whole life for us. If only you agreed to marry without the condition of us settling first. Aapi I want the world's happiness for you. A guy that will know your value, that will bow down in awe of your strength. Who will respect you and love you selflessly. I pray for that kind of love, that kind ofhusband, for you. And if he ever falls in my destiny, I will change that destiny for you' She wiped her tears getting into the taxi.
'Aapi, should I put down the deposit for the hall?' Asked Aleem leaning back on her lap.
'No, I'll do that. You just focus on your new work.' Zoya brushed his hair back. 'You know Aleem, today after ages; I had a flashback of baba when I was looking at the rings.' She told him staring ahead of herself. He looked up at her,
'Bond of the hearts' He whispered, 'Baba saved those lines for you. You will get yourself not a husband but a life partner. Both of your existence will be a symbol of your bond, your love, like the colour red. Red is not just a colour of love, red will be a colour of your love.' Aleem laughed with Zoya, 'baba loved red didn't he, I still remember him asking mama to wear red on every occasion. He used to buy a red rose for her every day.' He sighed remembering their parents. 'I believe it too aapi' He met her eyes,
'What?' She asked,
'That he will be your red' He winked, she tapped his cheek playfully, 'Really, you will find someone who will never get tired of loving you, who will never stop appreciating you, who will never stop thanking the Almighty for you. Watch aapi, both of your hearts will bond in such a way; everyone will be left in awe of your relationship. I pray every day to Almighty that you receive the world's happiness. If only you didn't agree to marrying without settling us first. But your brother makes a promise today; I will fulfil all your wishes' He smiled to himself.
'A lot of talk about love? Don't tell me you've found someone in uni?' Zoya teased ruffling his hair.
'Nahhh aapi. Noone has caught my eye' He looked at her smirking face, 'what? I haven't'
'If not, you've always got our neighbour. She's latoo over you' Zoya laughed,
'Please aapi. Have you seen her-' He choked seeing her stand at the door twisting her plait, 'I've got work to do' He coughed walking towards his room.
'What's up Saniya?' Zoya asked, smirking.
'Sugar' Saniya smiled longingly staring at Aleem'a back, Zoya coughed,
'Take it' Zoya nodded towards the kitchen.
'Aapi, I'll go order the mithai hampers. Flowers will come in the morning right?' He walked back out with his jacket,
'Here take the money' She reached for her purse,
'Please aapi.' He kissed the top of her head and rushed for the door. He flew back seeing Saniya's mother enter. He looked at his sister helplessly who pressed her lips together trying to contain her laughter.
'Hai Allah, raja beta. You've got the job. All my prayers have come true' She exaggerated holding her hands up in the air. Aleem looked up and then at her with a raised eyebrow. Saniya rocked her body side to side.
'I've got the job. How has your dreams come true?' He folded his arms waiting for her selfish explanations. Haseena laughed,
'Beta. Your future is all set. You're ready for marriage now. I knew you'll grow up to be such a capable man. My prayers have got-' Aleem laughed. Zoya shivered at his tone,
'My aapi's prayers have come true. I got the job because of her, FOR HER. And for her only' He shot the mother and daughter a disgusted look. Both of their jaws dropped at his tone of voice. 'Whatever I earn or will earn will not be enough to pay back my sister's seconds she has put into bringing me up. This is for her contentment, so please don't try and take credit for something you haven't done. And by the way, I will be ready for marriage the day my sister finds a suitable girl, never earlier nor later, not now, not tomorrow.' He blew a kiss towards his sister before whistling out of the house brushing his hair back stylishly. Saniya gritted her teeth; she looked at Zoya irritably before storming out of the house. Haseena twitched her mouth,
'Behen ka chamcha' Haseen mumbled. Zoya looked at her with wide eyes,
'Behen ka laadla chachi ji. Pagal ladka, loves me a bit too much' She shrugged her shoulders pinching Samiha's nose, 'Hai na bacha' Samiha nodded back at her. 'See. Chachi jee, do you want tea?'
'Some other time.' Haseena faked a smile.
'Please take that back with you' Zoya pointed at the sweet box, 'My brother only eats Desai wali mithai' She smirked.
He placed his aviators on and walked out of the shop, his mind was elsewhere as he hit something. He watched this person go flying back, he stepped forward placing his hands under her before she could fall. He felt a shot of goose bumps as his hands fell on her waist pushing her half dangling body upwards. The red scarf swayed over her covering her face, he lifted his other hand slowly and pulled it downwards. He stopped as it revealed her deep kohl lined eyes, those light brown orbs pulled his soul; he was losing himself in those beautiful eyes that glistened a reflection of his own heart. His thumb let go of the scarf, it brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead, the scarf slowly slipped down her nose revealing more of her face.
His eyes slowly came down from her forehead, slowly taking in her own detail, his eyes blinked for a moment, his eyes opened again to find themselves staring at his ceiling. His hands shot over his face to stop the peeking rays of sunshine from burning his eyes. He forced himself to get up and lean against his headrest. He glanced at his bed side table, it was 11am. He had overslept yet he couldn't finish off his dream, he felt restless. His heart was burning, he didn't know why. His yearning to meet this girl, to see her face was killing him day and night. What was this unusual feeling that was driving him crazy? What would he do if he ever came across this girl? Tell her he dreams about her? No no, he was getting married. He'd tell her he's getting married. She should stop bothering him then. He wiped his face before walking towards his cupboard, he opened it to grab a towel, his eyes fell on the little charm. He remembered bumping into the girl; he only noticed her eyes that were overflowing with the deepest of emotions. That few seconds he held her eyes, he wanted to dig right into her soul, there was something about her, something that made him want to ask her, ask her what was in those eyes that made him feel like he was actually lost. He looked at his hands; he remembered feeling every hair on his hands point outwards as if someone had electrocuted him.
'What kind of a situation am I in? These restless feelings, these questions are driving me crazy. But they're all in here' He pointed to his heart and then his mind, 'I can't even practically solve this problem. I seriously need help' Asad shook his head resting his forehead against the cupboard; he was getting engaged today. His mind remembered Zoya, the sister of the bride to be. He wanted to meet her but the function that was going to take place in her presence he wasn't looking forward to. 'Come on, you can do this. For Aaliyah's sake.' And Zoya's. His heart told him, Asad hit his wardrobe in frustration not being able stay adamant on one thing; this wasn't like him, his own heart was deceiving him. What had happened to him in the last 2 years that he was changing mentally?
Asad stepped out of his room; his eyes went over the decorations glistening back at him. He looked at his sister jumping and running about practicing her dance as she did the house work. He couldn't help but smile at the grin on her face as she dreamily moved around the room, he heard her say something about her 'new bhabie to be' teaching her how to dance. Asad slowly walked towards the dining table and sat down in his place, he looked to his side surprised to find his mother placing a cup of coffee on the table in front of him. He smiled back at her watching her rush towards the workers; his eyes went towards the clock. He took a sip of his coffee and winced feeling his tongue burn.
'Samiha beta, chaldi ao. Breakfast is ready' Zoya turned the parathas in haste, she moved her hands over the stove to check the vegetables, her arm touched the burning pan.
'Mama!' Zoya closed her eyes in pain, Aaliyah ran inside hearing her cry.
'Kya hua appi? Oh no' She rushed towards her sister and held her arm before blowing onto it. She rummaged through the drawers for some medicine, giving up she searched for some butter and applied it onto the burns. 'Better?' Aaliyah sniffed looking up at her sister admiring her.
'Much better' Zoya cupped her face. 'Thank you, come eat something now. I can't believe I overslept today. Breakfast during lunch. I don't know how everything will be done' She tensed.
'Don't worry. It's because you're overworking yourself and I am not happy. Please relax' Aaliyah held her shoulders and made her sit down while she turned the stoves off.
'It's my little angel's engagement today, how can I relax?' Zoya smiled widely shrugging her shoulders in excitement.
'Have you looked at the ring?' Zoya taking a sip of her hot tea and winced.
'Jee appi, beautiful. That ring isn't made for me, but for you.' Aaliyah spoke truthfully.
'Pagak ladki. He picked it out for you! By the way, can I have a look at his picture?' Zoya asked her,
'Why are you asking me aapi? It's inside the drawer in your room.' Aaliyah smiled sitting down to eat next to her sister.
-
'No appi, no arguments' Aaliyah pouted looking at her sister, 'I want to wear that pink saree, that means you'll wear this red one.' She pulled her sister and made her sit in front of the mirror. Aaliyah then placed the end of the red saree over her head, Aleem stopped in his tracks as he moved past Zoya's room. He admired his sister glowing with the red pallu over her head, how much he wished he could've seen her as the bride his father would've wanted her to be. He whistled from the doorway, Zoya got up and held her sister,
'You two are crazy. Come on get ready now' Zoya shook her head, 'Okay meri ma, I'll wear it please get ready now. Dilshad phoopie gave these as an engagement gift for you, you two seriously' Zoya rolled her eyes at Aaliyah's emotional blackmail attempts.
'My beautiful girl' Zoya cupped her face kissing her forehead; she pulled her and made her sit in front of the mirror. Aaliyah looked at the reflection,
'Guess what I have. Mama's mangteeka.' Zoya took it out of the box and placed the kundan looking mangteeka on her forehead, Aaliyah held her sister's arm,
'Ammi left that for you appi. There was a different one for me, why are you giving me yours?' Aaliyah shook her head,
'You wear it or I wear it, same thing. Vaise you look better in this' Zoya pressed her eyes at her sister's reflection.
'Stop doing this aapi, I won't be able to leave then' Aaliyah cried,
'I don't want to let you go, but don't worry. He'll keep you happy I know he will. And, stop what?' Zoya asked innocently kissing the top of her head.
'You two ready? Aapi, what are you waiting for? You're not ready yet, we have to leave now.' Aleem stared at his watch while looking dashing in a cream sherwani.
'Haan sorry, was getting Samiha ready. I'll be two minutes' Zoya spoke letting her hair loose and brushing it over once. 'Listen you take the car, you, Samiha and Aaliyah go with the other girls. I'm just waiting for the rest of the gifts to arrive and I'll be there behind you.'
'What aren't they here yet? Are you sure, i'll wait' Aleem side hugged Aaliyah.
'No no, you go. Don't want you lot to be late. I'll be there, don't worry' She threw the keys at Aleem before putting her earrings on. She pressed her eyes at them before running into the bathroom with the saree.
'Don't forget the rings' She shouted,
'I think I've got Asad's in my pocket, let's go' Aleem helped her out of the room without checking his pockets properly.
-
'They'll be here any minute' Dilshad rushed around the living room turned hall. Her head shot towards the door nearing voices.
'They're here' She panicked moving towards them. 'Hello beta, how are you' She welcomed Aleem as he passed the plates and gifts to her. Najma ran towards the door and helped with the gifts.
'As salaamu Alaikum' He greeted, 'I'm well and you?' Aleem's eyes ran over Najma before looking at the ground in front of him. He entered with Samiha by his side; he looked back and helped Aaliyah enter the house. He guided both of the girls towards the seating area. The guests gathered around the bride to be,
'You look beautiful' Dilshad blessed Aaliyah, 'Where is Zoya?' She looked around,
'She's on her way' Replied Aleem.
'Teek hain, Najma please bring the refreshments.' Dilshad called. Asad moved away from his relatives as the corner of his eyes watched the bride's party enter. He walked towards Aleem who smiled at him before taking him into a friendly hug,
'How are you?' Aleem shook his hand,
'I'm well, and you?' Asad smiled. His eyes fell on Aaliyah dressed in a pink saree; this was the first time he was seeing her properly but his eyes only remained on her for a few seconds before moving off somewhere else. He sighed before excusing himself and walking out of the door to get some fresh air. The crowd inside the house was suffocating him.
'Allah Miyaan, these boxes are so heavy' Asad heard a voice followed by a forced laugh and a grunt. He turned his head towards the side to find something swaying behind the car; it was the end of a woman's saree. He watched carefully to be greeted with lots of colourful gift boxes, he stared at the bottom of the woman's red saree getting stuck in between her legs. She walked in zigzags trying to balance the boxes. His eyes followed her movements as she swerved to the left and almost fall forward, he tried grabbing the boxes that was falling but his hands fell on her arm trying to support her up. She stared down at the huge box with wide eyes, the only box she was holding as the tip of her head hit something hard. Asad stared at the top of her head as she panted holding her head against his chest. Zoya moved away, throwing her hair back and looking up at the wall like structure she hit but did not impact from,
'Allah Miyaan, what is this wall made of?' She whispered staring into Asad's eyes. Asad blinked watching her flick her hair backwards revealing her enchanting eyes, his eyes ran over her face down her nose to her red lips. He watched holding on to her elbows as her hair danced in a frenzy behind her as she apologised to his deaf ears, she stared back at him before looking at him confused.
Ignore all mistakes, they're all mine!
Much loves <3
Book Talk
CID
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
4