Kaisi Teri Khudgharzi (ARY) DT #8 II Danish Taimoor, DurE Fishaan II - Page 59

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjXlBMrjah_/?igshid=ZjA0NjI3M2I=

Huh audience has lost it 😆

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Danish was on point! But when you look at Dur e .. you see her struggling to give expressions! Spoils the scene!

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I think ahmed bhatti watched Deewangi for some directing inspiration lol

A/N: This has to be my most hatke fanfiction ever and I've had a blast writing it 🤣

Hopefully y'all get the references 😆 They are all show-related but super meta too 😉

Enjoy!

*******************

To say that Nawab Begum Mehwish was happy was an understatement. The entire mansion was decorated like a movie set. There were lamps lit throughout the corridors and in her son Shamsher’s bedroom. A set of staff was hired and assigned only to ensure these lamps would not burn out, hence refueling and replacing the wicks regularly. Fairy lights covered every inch of the house, outside and inside. Chefs were cooking some of the best delicacies in the world and everyone was dressed to the nines.

Only because Nawabzaada Shamsher Dilawar was returning to Karachi.

Here is a summary— the Nawabzaada fell in love with a girl, coaxed her family in the worst ways to get her married to him, and on the wedding day, her car crashed and burned, killing her. Shamsher became a shell of his former self, even allowing his to-be’s ex to shoot him, in the hopes of dying. After recovering, he was all set to fly to the US…but he ditched the aircraft for a train and went to Multan.

The Nawab family was worried to death, not knowing when Shamsher would return, if he would ever return. There was a slight relief that the Nawab’s right hand for all wrong things, Sheru, had found Shamsher and was ensuring the hot-headed Nawabzaada would not do anything stupid.

So when Shamsher called his mother, informing he was returning to Karachi with a special surprise, Mehwish Dilawar was ecstatic. Never once did she question what the surprise would be. As long as her son was returning home, nothing else mattered to her.

Hence the entire fuss and all the fancy decorations. After all, she loved her son to death.

To add to the celebration, the Nawabs had invited members of their extended family, those who were the closest to Shamsher.

The first was Shamsher’s older paternal cousin, business tycoon and politician, Sultan Durrani. Originally from Larkana, the Durranis came from as much money as the Nawabs. The only difference was the entire family chose to stay back in Larkana instead of moving to Karachi and they did not have a royal title bestowed upon them. According to the grapevine, the Durranis renounced their title before foraying into politics but that was debatable.

Sultan used to be the only Durrani living in the city and had been in constant touch with his youngest cousin. In fact, it was not known to the Nawabs but Sultan and Shamsher were very close. And they continued to remain close even after Sultan suddenly migrated to London a couple of months ago. It was a bond they chose not to reveal entirely to their families, knowing how terribly opportunistic and selfish they could have been.

Sultan saw his own self in Shamsher, sans the bratty bit. That was no exaggeration, the two even looked uncannily alike. If it were not for Shamsher’s high spikes, you could dress them up in the same clothes, with the same accessories and they would pass off for twins.

Sultan always tried to make Shamsher a more responsible individual. Alas, Shamsher never paid attention. But Sultan was just as protective about Shamsher as the Nawabs, if not more. In fact, there were so instances where the families had no idea of the mess Shamsher had created because Sultan took care of it.

The other cousin, from Shamsher’s maternal side, was Shahzaib Sadat. Their mothers had been cousins twice removed and the family had lost touch after Shahzaib’s mother, Nafisa had gotten married. And once Mehwish married Dilawar, her responsibilities and social circle changed completely. But, by the power of social media, the two ladies managed to find each other and reconnected, giving Shamsher and Shahzaib a chance to meet.

It was a surprise the two men got along honestly. Because while Shamsher was angry, brash and unapologetically crazy who had not worked a single day in his life, Shahzaib was the quiet, more hardworking one, having taken his father’s garment business to national fame and acclaim. The Sadats were not as moneyed as either the Nawabs or the Durranis, but money and status were never a factor for the three men. In fact, it was rumoured that Sultan was helping Shahzaib to expand his business abroad.

Shahzaib was about five years younger than Sultan; and the only member of the trio who had little to no physical resemblance to the others. His long curly hair fell softly on his forehead and he chose to remain clean shaven, a trait the other two did not prefer. Still, if you looked at him very carefully, you would see the similarities.

The trio, ever since their first meeting, behaved like they knew each other for years. Forming a close bond which would last forever.

Everyone had gathered in the living room— Dilawar and Mehwish with their eldest son Dara and his wife Farwa, Farwa’s younger sister, Sophia, and Sultan talking to the Sadats— Shahzaib and Isra.

The excitement was contagious when they heard a car’s tires screeching to halt.

‘He’s here!’ Mehwish said excitedly. ‘Okay everyone, hide somewhere, we’ll jump out and scream surprise!’

‘You surely can’t be serious?’ Dilawar rolled his eyes at his wife’s childish behaviour. ‘It’s not appropriate.’

‘Look around Nawab sahib, do you see any media or paparazzi? This is about our family, so please, just this once.’

Before the Nawab could insult his wife, Isra jumped in, ‘Sounds wonderful aunty! I can go under the stairs.’

Shahzaib and Sultan soon joined in and took their respective hiding places. Dara was dragged away by his mother and Farwa and Sophia squatted behind the sofas. Dilawar, knowing he had lost the battle, exhaled loudly and went to conceal his tall form behind a door. But not before mentally deciding to give an earful to his wife later on. The lights were turned off.

Footsteps approached the house, two sets to be precise. The door was pushed open and the guest of honor entered. Soon after everyone jumped out. ‘SURPRISE!’ They screamed, half-scaring the prince.

‘Oh my God,’ Shamsher had the biggest smile on his face when the light came back. ‘Shahzaib? Sultan?! What the hell man!’ He ran to hug his cousins. And boys being boys…wrestled like bears, their laughter booming in the room.

‘You rascal, you scared the shit out of us!’ Sultan playfully smacked his brother, ignoring the tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

‘Pull a stunt like that again and we’re gonna put you literally under house arrest,’ Shahzaib hugged him tightly.

‘Sorry bro.’

‘Yo Shamsher, I’m here too,’ Isra called out, getting out of her hiding place.

Shamsher half-ran and wrapped his arms around her, spinning her in the air, ‘How have you been?!’

‘Uff put me down! I’ve been great and your cousin is quite the catch!’

‘I’m glad to hear that. If he ever makes you cry again, let me know. It would give me a good reason to punch him,’ Shamsher smiled. ‘I’ve missed you guys!’

Isra giggled, ‘We’ve missed you too, Shamsher. I wish you would’ve told us everything that had happened.’

‘I’m sorry. It just happened so suddenly.’

‘Promise us you’ll never do that again,’ Isra chided him. ‘Even Raza was worried about you.’

‘I’ll come and see him soon too,’ Shamsher said. ‘We still have that Tekken rematch.’

‘What—’

‘Not now, wait a minute please.’ Shamsher had a gleam in his eyes. ‘I told you there was a surprise, right? Well, its outside. And I promise it is gonna blow your minds.’

Everyone looked at each other quizzically, genuinely curious.

A huge smile spread across Shamsher’s face, ‘Come in darling.’

Whether it was the fact that Shamsher used such a nickname or the person who walked through that door, everyone was left with their mouths open.

The tall woman, dressed to the nines and with misery in her eyes, looked at the group of people in front of her. Her ivory and gold outfit was timelessly beautiful and the jewelry looked like it was custom made for her.

‘Is that—’ Isra began.

‘Uhuh…’ Shahzaib confirmed. ‘But how…’ he said, baffled.

‘Impossible…’ Sultan breathed out.

The rest of the Nawab family could not even formulate a sentence. Dilawar had already visualized the ten thousand ways he would get Sheru tortured. Mehwish was petrified, Dara rubbed his eyes, Farwa pinched herself and Sophia…well, lets just say she saw her dream wedding shattering in front of her eyes.

‘Mehak. My wife,’ Shamsher said proudly.

And sure enough it was. Mehak Akram, now Mehak Shamsher stood meekly in the doorway, her eyes void of happiness. She stared at the ground, wishing a natural calamity would strike only on her, taking her life. At least that way Shamsher would not harm her family.

‘How did you find her?’ Mehwish asked.

Shamsher went to his mother, ‘Because I love her so much, even her death could not separate us. Can you believe it? She survived! What more of an indication do you need that we are meant to be together? Why are you standing there, Mehak? Come, meet my family!’

‘I’d like to have a word with you,’ Dilawar finally spoke up, his stone cold eyes would have sent shudders down anyone’s spine. Mehwish hurriedly scurried towards Isra. Isra, noticing things will get out of hand, held the Nawab Begum’s hand as a sign of silent support.

‘Whatever you want to say to me, say it in front of my wife, Baba Sahab,’ Shamsher said softly. He was as stubborn as Dilawar, if not more. This would definitely lead to a show down, one that would end badly.

Sultan, having assessed the situation, directly stepped in, ‘With all due respect uncle, I think Shahzaib and I should talk to Shamsher first.’

‘Yes!’ Dara chimed in too quickly. He knew that if there was anyone Shamsher would listen to, even consider their opinions, it would be his cousins. ‘I think that’s an excellent idea.’

Dilawar flashed an angry look at Dara but seeing the pleading look in his elder son’s eyes, he decided to discuss it privately. Dilawar stormed off, with Dara at his heels towards his room.

Shahzaib put his arm around Shamsher shoulder, gently pulling him towards the poolside, Sultan leading the way.

Isra was quick to go up to Mehak and, with a comforting smile on her face, taking her to Shamsher’s bedroom.

Farwa and Sophia marched into Farwa’s bedroom, obviously to gossip, bitch and strategize what to do next.

And Mehwish sank into the couch, feeling her blood pressure rise.

This was not going to end well.

*****************

‘Okay, so…what the f**k happened?’ Sultan asked the new groom, not giving a crap about language. Shahzaib had made them all strong whiskey pegs. ‘We were all told she died in a fire.’

‘I thought so too,’ Shamsher sighed audibly, the huge beam of a smile still plastered across his face.

‘Will you tell us what happened?’ Shahzaib enquired, a deep frown appearing on his temple.

Shamsher leaned ahead, ‘Okay so I just couldn’t go to the States. Something felt amiss…just missing. So I had Shahmeer drop me to the train station and I boarded the first train.’

‘We know that,’ Sultan snapped. ‘Aunty had called and told us. Do you have any idea how many of my men looking for you?’

Shamsher looked visibly scared of his cousin. After all, Sultan was as hotheaded as Shamsher, if not more. Plus with all the power and money that Sultan individually had…Shamsher was no match.

‘Lets discuss this like civilized people, please,’ Shahzaib chimed in, running his fingers through his curls.

‘Yes,’ Shamsher choked out, hoping Sultan would calm down. ‘Anyways so…Sheru finds me at the train station. We go to our family farm house. The next morning we’re at some local tapri drinking tea and that’s where I see Mehak getting off a rickshaw. When I confront her, she ran, got on another rick and fled to her hostel. I follow her there, find her in her room and take her to the farmhouse.’

‘Wait a second,’ Shahzaib interrupted. ‘If she ran from you…it means she didn’t want to marry you. Then why?’

‘I told you, I love her,’ Shamsher said simply. ‘And I can tell you she will fall for me some day.’ Ignoring the expressions of disbelief on his cousins’ faces, he continued, ‘It wasn’t difficult to get her family to Multan. Then I used my own tricks to get her to say yes.’

‘Pray tell how,’ Sultan asked.

Shamsher grinned, ‘I threatened to hurt her sister if she would refuse.’

Sultan would have charged and sucker punched Shamsher if Shahzaib had not grabbed his arm quickly. Shahzaib believed every problem could be solved with a conversation and as much as he wanted to teach his younger, clearly deranged cousin a lesson, he could not afford a boxing match between the two short-tempered brothers.

‘Bro,’ Shahzaib shook his head repeatedly. ‘That is not how love works. You can’t force someone to fall in love with you. Basically you kidnapped her against her will. That’s not going to work.’

‘Grand coming from you, who kidnapped Isra on her wedding day, put a gun to your head and blackmailed her into saying yes,’ Shamsher said dryly, shutting up Shahzaib effectively.

Well…he kind of had a point there.

‘While that did happen,’ Sultan said, trying to put the focus back on Shamsher’s shenanigans. ‘Those two were in love. And they’ve gotten over their differences.’

‘Huh,’ Shamsher snorted, filled with new courage. ‘We know the losses Isra has had to face because of Shahzaib, even though her family was full on nutcases too. So don’t try to be holier-than-thou. Even you, Sultan. You were the smart ass who conspired and got your ex kidnapped just to teach her a lesson and then married your cousin just to save the Durrani name. You are lucky the divorce with Narmeen went through smoothly and you found someone else who forgave you. Which reminds me, how is Ashley? Are you proposing any time soon?’

Sultan was left with his mouth agape, trying to form a proper sentence. He turned to Shahzaib, who was busy tugging at his curls, biting his lip in anxiety. Apparently these truth bombs had broken their brains.

Finally, Sultan noticed Shahzaib taking in a breath to speak up, a sense of relief washed over him…but it was short-lived.

‘You’re dating someone and you never bothered to tell me?!’ Shahzaib asked the older man. ‘Are you f**king kidding me? I thought we never hid anything from each other!’

‘Hey! We’re here to talk about Shamsher, not me!’

Shahzaib snorted, visibly pissed, ‘The least you could do was drop me a text.’

‘Oh God,’ Sultan rubbed his temples. ‘Okay, I would have texted you but my girl is as bad as me. How am I supposed to get hold of my phone when we’re always busy under the sheets?’

‘Then how does Shamsher know?!’

‘Because I was having a one-on-one counseling session with him, to ask him to become more responsible and stuff and she gatecrashed the call!’

‘That’s true,’ Shamsher nodded. ‘They’re both freaks. She was wearing his shirt when she got into the frame. Do you guys even take a break?’

‘Can we stick to the topic?!’ Sultan was clearly furious and exasperated. ‘This little shit distracted us on purpose! Shahzaib, I’ll tell you everything later okay? Hell, I’ll make you talk to her. But first, lets deal with the mess this stud has created.’

Both men turned to see the source of all problems humanity had ever had sitting on a deck chair, sipping on his drink, refilling when he was done.

‘Shamsher,’ Shahzaib started. ‘We’ve all made mistakes and I’ve probably made the worst of them all. But try and understand this. You threatened the girl’s family. You scared the crap out of her. And now even though you’re married, how do you expect her to be your wife? Marriage isn’t just about sex, you know that, right?’

‘I know.’

‘No, no you don’t.’ Sultan added, his temper gone. ‘I’m the only one who has been divorced, so let me tell you. It’s not easy. While physical compatibility is necessary, its only one aspect.’

Shamsher chortled, ‘Yeah right.’

‘No seriously,’ Shahzaib moved closer to his younger cousin. ‘Tell me, what’s Mehak’s favorite movie.’

‘Uhh…DDLJ?’

‘Pray tell why,’ Sultan grinned.

Shamsher replied with the most serious poker face ever, ‘Because every girl seems to love that piece of hot garbage. Don’t they all want their Raj.’

‘Oh you have so much to learn!’ Shahzaib quipped. ‘I got another one for you, what is Mehak’s favorite color?’

‘Um…pink?’

‘Why because every girl supposedly likes pink?’ Sultan choked back his laughter.

Shamsher shrugged, ‘Ya’ll tell me, don’t Isra and Ashley love it?’

‘Isra’s favorite color is lavender,’ Shahzaib rolled his eyes.

‘Ashley prefers pink but she has a particular inclination to red too,’ Sultan said, refilling his glass. The conversation was not helping him get even a little whoozy.

‘I’m surprised you have the time to talk,’ Shamsher retorted dryly.

‘Is it really that bad?’ Shahzaib asked.

Sultan choked on his drink, ‘Can you guys stop getting f**king distracted?’

‘Sorry,’ Shahzaib said sheepishly. Turning towards Shamsher once again, he began his lecture, ‘See Shamsher, falling in love with someone is not a problem. Both of us have been there too. And we’ve made major mistakes, there is no denying that. But you threatened the girl’s entire family. How do you think she feels about that?’

‘She’ll get over it, when she realizes how much I love her.’ It was as bad as talking to a brick wall.

‘Dude, you’re not getting it,’ Sultan sighed, exasperated. ‘So you got married. Congratulations! All of us want you to have a healthy happy marriage. However for that you’re gonna have to really change your ways.’

‘Lets assume Mehak eventually gives into physical intimacy since she knows that’s the most important aspect of our society i.e procreating. But instead of having a warm and loving partner, you’ll see her being cold and unresponsive, just enough so that you’re happy. She would let you use her, in that sense. Would you be okay with that?’

If there was one thing Shamsher loved more than anything in the world it was the pride he held in himself to satisfy his partners in bed. The more bruised his back was, the hoarser his partner’s throats were from the night before, the happier it made him. He was not a selfish lover. Sure, he slept around for his physical pleasure, but he always put his partners first. And Mehak was the woman he loved…surely the last thing he would want is what Sultan described.

Shahzaib, knowing Sultan had hit the nail on the head, added, ‘Because no matter how much you love her, she will always remember you as the man who harassed her and her family. Even if she wakes up next to you every morning, your face will remind her of the horrific time her father was jailed on your command.’

‘You might end up looking like the picture perfect couple, but there would be no conversation, no warmth, no basic affection. Mehak would become lifeless, worse than what she is now. Do you want that in your life? Most importantly, do you want your children to grow up seeing such dysfunctionality between their parents?’ Sultan asked, a gentle smile on his lips in hopes of keeping things light. ‘You know how my parents were and you know the things I’ve done because of never experiencing normalcy. Don’t make the same mistake, brother.’

Pin drop silence engulfed the room. Shamsher was deep in thought, biting his nails. Sultan and Shahzaib exchanged a glance, gauging their young cousin’s reaction. They knew they had put enough doubt in him to get him to access the entire situation.

After what felt like forever (and two more refills of whiskey), Shamsher finally cleared his throat, ‘Wow…I screwed up.’

‘Indeed,’ Shahzaib spoke up, cutting Sultan from making a snarky remark. The boys knew each other way too well.

‘So now what?’ Shamsher enquired, taking in a deep breath.

Sultan pursed his lips, ‘Firstly, apologize. Don’t expect her to accept your apology easily. And don’t just say you’re going to change, show her results. Give her time and space to warm up to you.’

‘And if none of that works?’

‘Then…you know what to do,’ Shahzaib said knowingly.

The trio refused to say the word. Divorce.

‘I can’t do that,’ Shamsher whispered, his eyes glistening with tears.

‘You need to remember you’ve really wronged her big time,’ Sultan smiled sadly. ‘So if nothing works, you gotta let go.’

Sultan and Shahzaib stared anxiously at Shamsher, who was at the verge of breaking down. Their anxiety was justified, Shamsher in every negative mood would end up doing the stupidest things, without thinking of the consequences. The last thing they wanted was for him to run to his room, grab Mehak by the arms and hysterically declare that he would never leave her.

However, for a change, Shamsher said something very different. ‘That won’t happen. I’ll make this work.’ His voice was laced with confidence. ‘It might not happen overnight, you’re right. But I can try, right? I can love her and be the husband I should be. At least if she can’t forget, she might be able to forgive.’

‘Well then you do you,’ Sultan grinned, effectively lightening the mood. ‘Remember that no matter what you chose, we’re always here for you.’

‘I love you guys,’ Shamsher said softly. ‘I know we’re guys and we have to be a certain way but really…you’re more than family.’

‘Okay now since that is done,’ Shahzaib tapped his foot expectantly. ‘I need deets.’

‘You’re never gonna let that rest, are you?’ Sultan beamed at the curly haired man.

‘Nope. So how did you meet?’

‘Online.’

‘Like Tinder?’

‘No, she was a fan,’ Sultan blushed. ‘She followed me on Instagram.’

‘No way,’ Shamsher gasped. ‘You’re dating one of your 1 million followers?!’

‘You make it sound like its a bad thing!’ Sultan raised an eyebrow.

‘On the contrary, that’s hot.’

Shahzaib rolled his eyes at Shamsher, ‘I thought you knew the story.’

‘No, I just know she exists and they’re both crazy.’

‘Will both of you listen?’ Sultan asked the two impatiently. ‘C’mon Shahzaib.’

‘Yeah, c’mon Loki.’ Seeing Shahzaib about to deviate and Sultan ready to smack him on his head, Shamsher quickly brought the topic back to its focal point, ‘Ya so, Instagram fan!’

‘So she used to like my pictures regularly. In fact she was one of them I noticed who wold drop salacious comments, not knowing I read them. Under one picture, she’d commented “stop your distractions, daddy, I need to get work done”. That’s what got to me.’

Shahzaib guffawed loudly, nearly falling off the chair, ‘She really sounds amazing. You found your match!’

‘You’re right,’ Sultan tried fighting off the smirk off his face. ‘Okay so…I was in Devon for a weekend getaway, drunk my ass off and very lonely. Naturally, I DMed her.’

‘What did she say?’ Shamsher had moved closer, his interest piqued.

‘She thought it was a prank initially, but I bought her a plane ticket and asked her to come meet me. She took a leap of faith.’

‘And that’s how you fell in love?’ Shahzaib asked, confused over when the story really started.

‘Well she’s an author and lives in London. Everything else just…happened. Very organically. One weekend we’re in Devon all over each other and the next thing I know I’m waking up to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and scrambled eggs while Ashley’s dressed in one of my shirts.’

‘She surely loves your shirts,’ Shamsher said teasingly.

Sultan had a proud smile on his face, ‘That she does. And I love her.’

‘Photographs!’ Shahzaib chimed in, clearly happy for Sultan. ‘I want to see the woman who’s got you so whipped!’

‘Speaking of women… do you think Isra and Mehak are getting along?’

******************

‘Do you want some water?’ Isra asked the young bride seated on the bed. ‘I think you should eat something.’

‘I’m not hungry,’ Mehak said softly, staring at her palm.

Isra smiled gently at Mehak, sitting across her, ‘Do you know I got married in similar circumstances.’

Mehak looked up at the young woman, puzzled. ‘What?’

Isra continued, ‘Yes. Shahzaib and I were madly in love and had made plans of getting married. Unfortunately it was us versus our families and that was just…tragic. I had broken off our relationship for my family and gotten engaged to someone my parents chose. But on the wedding day, Shahzaib abducted me before I could get to the venue and…well he wasn’t himself when he coaxed me into saying yes.’

‘What did he do?’ Mehak asked, the pit in her stomach growing. ‘Tell me.’

Isra took a deep breath, ‘It doesn’t matter now but…he put a gun to his head.’

‘So he threatened to blow his brains if you refused?’

‘Pretty much.’

‘But that’s insane!’

‘I agree,’ Isra nodded, now passing on a glass of water to Mehak, who thankfully drank up. ‘But here’s the thing. My parents were against the concept of love marriage. They didn’t care what kind of a guy Shahzaib was, they only cared about some weird family values shit. You know how desi families are.’

‘Yeah.’

‘All I know is, Shahzaib was not himself when he did all of that. I knew him for two years before that incident, and its been more than a year of being married. He still tries to make up for his atrocious behavior everyday.’

‘You forgave him.’ That was not a question.

Isra smiled, ‘See, the difference is I love him too. And if I had the guts at the time, I would have done the same thing. Maybe even worse. Today, if someone tries to steal Shahzaib from me, they have no idea what they’re in for.’

Mehak sat up slightly straighter, ‘Still, it was wrong.’

‘I never said it wasn’t. All I know is we love each other much. I know if I had fought harder, the gun incident would’ve never happened. That still doesn’t excuse Shahzaib’s behavior. But we’ve moved past it.’

‘It must be horrific to remember your wedding day in such a way.’

‘We did a do-over on our first wedding anniversary,’ Isra spoke. ‘We both got dressed, had a dinner celebration for my side of the family and after they left, we danced under the stars.’

Mehak felt a smile creeping up to her lips forgetting momentarily what had transpired with her, ‘That sounds beautiful.’

‘It was!’ Isra moved closer to Mehak, unlocking her phone. ‘Here, see for yourself.’ And sure there were pictures and a very special video of the couple swaying on “A Thousand Years”. Mehak found herself blushing seeing the way Shahzaib held his beautiful bride to himself, stealing kisses occasionally. ‘Yeah that’s why I can’t upload this video anywhere.’

‘The kisses,’ Mehak nodded knowingly. ‘You two look so much in love.’

‘What did I tell you,’ Isra grinned, picking up the plate of kebabs off the tray, placing it in between them. She took a piece and Mehak followed suit. Isra sighed internally, glad Mehak was eating something. She knew how traumatized the new bride must be feeling, hence she decided to help her in her own little way.

‘By the way…just your side of the family?’

‘That’s a long story and I’ll tell you the details some other day,’ Isra chuckled. ‘Shahzaib has been estranged from his for a long time.’

‘Oh,’ Mehak did not press further.

Isra flipped through her social media, finding her brother’s profile, ‘See, that’s my brother Hammad and his wife, Naina. That’s my momma…and she’s holding Farhan, my nephew.’

‘And who’s that?’ Mehak was pointing out to a thumbnail. It was Hammad with a senior lady and another man.

Isra rolled her eyes, ‘That,’ her voice laced with venom. ‘Was the guy I was engaged to. Haaris.’

‘He looks eerily similar to my ex-fiancee. Ahsan.’

‘Really?’ Isra had served both of them biryani.

‘Mmhmm,’ Mehak had a spoonful of raita. ‘I would’ve shown you his picture but I don’t have my phone anymore.’

‘Use mine.’ Seeing Mehak’s bewildered expression she added, ‘Don’t worry about Shamsher. He won’t know. And if anything happens I’ll deal with him.’

Meahk half-grinned at how fearless Isra was when it came to that menace. ‘Here. See? That Haaris looks like Ahsan.’

‘Wow…that really is some resemblance,’ Isra agreed. ‘Had you not told me, I would’ve thought its the same guy.’

‘No kidding!’ Mehak had visibly relaxed around the other girl.

Isra took this chance to ask her what she was dying to know, ‘So…what’s your story. Yours and Shamsher’s?’

Mehak’s body turned rigid, ‘Its too long.’

‘We have all night. And we can do this over drinks too,’ Isra skipped her way to a cupboard, pulling out a bottle of Scotch.

‘What the— how?’

Isra grinned, pouring herself a large, ‘Started after marriage. And in a good way. I’ve hung out with the boys long enough to know where each of them hide their stash.’

‘So you’ve been in here before?’ Mehak asked.

Isra nodded, ‘Shamsher’s like a younger brother to me. We’re very chill that way. But this sort of informality is only because we’re very close as a group.’

‘Since I’m already in hell…please, pour me some too,’ Mehak said dryly, seemingly understanding how the upper class works.

‘Attagirl!’

Mehak coughed after taking her first sip, gaining a back rub from Isra. She began her story, from the day Shamsher set his eyes on her, tears rolling down her face as she went to describe every ordeal her family went through, every bit of pain she felt, all leading to the moment she thought everything would return to normal, but Shamsher found a way into her life again.

‘So, that’s that,’ Mehak slurred slightly. ‘Very romantic, isn’t it?’

‘It sounds like a badly written television drama,’ Isra responded honestly.

‘Whose life, yours or mine?’ Mehak snorted. ‘Who shall we give the rights to, ARY or Geo?’

Isra gulped her drink quickly, grabbing Mehak’s glass and downing it too, ‘You’ve had a little too much to drink. I don’t want you waking up with a hangover.’

‘Hey!’

‘Gotta build up your tolerance,’ Isra said softly. ‘On top of the alcohol you’ve had half the deserts from the cart. The alcohol will hit you harder.’

‘If you say so,’ Mehak wiped her face with a tissue. ‘Any advice for me?’

Isra thought for a while, ‘All I can say is, you’ve been through hell. Now that you are here, in this house, I won’t ask you to try and fit in, or any of that nonsense. Take your time to decide which direction do you want this marriage to head in. I’m here if you need to discuss anything. Meanwhile, I’ll talk to Shamsher so that he stops being a dick to you.’

The whiskey had gotten to Mehak because she burst out laughing, ‘You really are fearless!’

‘Comes with practice,’ Isra grinned. ‘Come now, let me fix your makeup and we’ll go find the boys. I’m sure Shahzaib and Sultan have knocked some sense into their heads.’

********************

‘When are you returning? The bed’s lonely without you.’ Sultan’s ears turned pink as soon as these words escaped his girlfriend’s lips. Soon after the boys saw their to-be sister-in-law, they wanted to talk to her. Sultan, knowing he could not escape, FaceTimed Ashley. Soon enough, she received the call, makeup free, with her hair up in a messy bun and a scrappy beach dress Sultan loved.

Oh how she enjoyed torturing him.

‘Soon baby. You aren’t making it any easier though.’

‘Well that’s the plan,’ Ashley replied. ‘Hey Shahzaib, Shamsher? You guys have to come over visit, I’m almost done writing so its gonna be vacay time for me.’

‘For sure,’ Shahzaib said. ‘We’ll all be there.’

‘You haven’t slept yet?’ Sultan asked, knowing it was nearly 11:30 there.

Ashley snorted, ‘Can’t sleep. I blame you.’

The duo left Sultan to himself, moving slight far away.

‘Bro, I gotta say…she’s a catch,’ Shamsher grinned at Shahzaib. ‘I always knew Sultan was a horn dog even though he concealed it very well but…man I can see what you mean by compatibility.’

‘He can’t even post half their pictures,’ Shahzaib shook his head. ‘You saw them too, right?’

The photos in question was of a couple very much in love, who could not get enough of each other. Their eyes shone, their smiles were genuine and what stood out is the way she held him in every picture, either hugging him or stealing a kiss. Sultan was very careful to not open an adjacent folder of pictures which were…well…something that would scandalize the two men.

‘You two are gorgeous.’

Sure enough, they were. It was the difference in their beauty that made them a stunning visual. Ashley’s ivory skin complemented Sultan’s porcelain complexion, her tresses highlighted with blonde and dark chocolate colors a stark contrast to his jet black hair. Her slender self, caged in his massively built arms was a sight to behold. Sultan deep eyes staring into Ashley’s almond shaped ones, his angular sharp nose rubbing against her rounder softer one and his small lips gracing his teeth on her slightly fuller, but with a fuller lower lip was what could be described at Tumblr aesthetic.

Their favorite, where they really saw Sultan’s change, had to be a black-and-white one, clicked on a beach by a photographer, where they are busy in each others’ embrace, her legs wrapped around his waist, and them having the biggest Cheshire Cat smiles on their faces.

‘She’s made him alive, you know?’ Shamsher said. ‘He used to be so wound-up and up-tight. Now look at him, he hardly censors himself, he is so much more relaxed and expresses himself openly.’

‘That’s what I mean,’ Shahzaib replied, noticing the girls coming towards the poolside.

‘I know…I’ll do whatever it takes.’

‘There you are!’ Isra called out, Mehak slightly behind her. ‘Are you done with dinner?’

‘No darling. You?’

‘We ate,’ Isra smiled at Mehak. ‘And we talked too. We’re gonna be great friends.’

Mehak shuffled awkwardly at Isra’s declaration but she knew it was true. They really got along.

‘That’s nice to know,’ Shamsher grinned, going to stand next to Mehak. ‘After all, Isra is the only sister-in-law who matters.’ Finally, he looked at Mehak, who he noticed was struggling to stand straight. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I had a drink,’ she slurred, a sloppy smile adorning her lips. ‘And I don’t care if you don’t like it.’

‘No no. That’s actually…more than okay,’ Shamsher replied, a bit puzzled at this sudden change. But then he had always wished his wife to not be a typical society hypocrite, at least not in front of his people. ‘Here, hold my arm.’ He extended his bicep, which Mehak caught on immediately. She laced their fingers together which surprised him, but it was so that she would not fall over.

‘Thankssss,’ Mehak droned, looking into Shamsher’s eyes.

‘No need to thank me over this,’ Shamsher replied softly. ‘You’re my wife.’

‘Hmm…’ Mehak rested her head on her husband’s shoulders.

Shamsher blushed at her antics, turning to look towards Shahzaib for advice, who was busy stealing kisses from his wife, having pulled her on his lap. Seeing them together, something awakened in Shamsher, ‘You looked beautiful today. You always do.’

‘Thanksss,’ Mehak giggled, hiding her face in Shamsher’s shoulders. She was not really drunk, just a bit woozy and the alcohol had loosened her inhibitions.

Feeling emboldened, Shamsher grabbed her arms and made her face him, looking at her square in the eye, ‘I know we met in horrible circumstances and I’ve been a terrible person to you so far. But if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I’ll prove to be the best partner you could dream of. And I don’t expect an answer immediately because you’re intoxicated.’

‘Your eyes are…something else,’ Mehak said, clearly dazed. ‘Is this why you wear sunglasses at all times?’

Whether it was Mehak’s pupils dilating or the fact she bit her lower lip, Shamsher found himself pulling her closer. He took her palm, resting it on his cheek, reveling at the warmth and their first physical contact. Mehak, having never experienced anything before, turned red as a beetroot when Shamsher’s arm snaked around her waist and along the length of her back.

But before they could do something they both regretted, Sultan’s voice broke them out of their trance, ‘Okay everyone, say bye to Ashley!’

The two couples said their goodbyes, and amongst their loud voices, Shamsher heard Mehak’s soft “awww” at Sultan’s interruption. He grinned, taking her reaction in the positive, giving him a ray of hope that things might change someday.

‘Can someone introduce us?’ Isra asked. On seeing the screen more clearly, she let out a loud gasp, ‘Oh my God you’re that author!’

‘Yup, and I’m Sultan’s girlfriend,’ the girl answered through the screen. ‘You must be Isra and that should be Mehak.’

‘That’s right,’ Isra nodded. ‘Nice to meet you!’

‘You too. I must say though, I’ll call you tomorrow. I make a much better first impression when I’m awake.’

‘You already did!’ Isra turned to Sultan, mouthing “I love her!”. ‘I’m a huge fan of your work!’

‘Are you talking about the book series you never keep down?’ Shahzaib asked, putting two and two finally together. ‘The one that makes Fifty Shades look innocent?’

‘That’s the one!’ Isra replied excitedly. ‘The romance you write is fire!’

‘You’re standing next to my source of inspiration,’ Ashley grinned. ‘I gotta warn you, this one will be hotter because its heavily inspired from real life events.’

‘We’ll wait for it! And I’ll get Mehak her copy too!’

‘I could send you signed ones if you want,’ Ashley offered. ‘After all, you’re family.’

‘It’s official, I love you,’ Isra shook her head in disbelief while the others laughed at her fan girling.

‘Stop stealing my wife!’ Shahzaib put his arms around Isra, resting his head on her shoulder.

‘Wouldn’t dream of it,’ Ashley chuckled. ‘I hope you’ve taken inspiration from my work behind closed doors.’

‘Oh she most certainly has.’ Shahzaib nuzzled his nose in Isra’s neck, planting a kiss.

‘Well, it was lovely talking to you people but I gotta go now. My beauty sleep and my dog awaits me,’ Ashley saluted at the screen.

‘Don’t let her take my place!’ Sultan said quickly.

‘I love you darling.’

‘I love you too. Bye,’ Sultan said dreamily, disconnecting the call, blushing when he looked at his the rest of the group.

‘You need to get married soon,’ Isra declared.

‘We will, for sure,’ Sultan agreed.

Shamsher grinned, ‘She’s great.’ Then turning towards his wife, he whispered, ‘Not as great as you, my love.’ Mehak’s reaction was exactly what he wished for. Before he could make another romantic gesture, the sound of a car pulling up the driveway distracted them.

‘That’s odd, who would be here this late at night?’ Shahzaib asked quizzically. ‘Did you invite someone else?’

‘No,’ Sultan shook his head. Suddenly looking at the number plate of the car, he turned pale. ‘Oh no…looks like the news reached him.’

‘Shamsher, you’re probably screwed,’ Isra whispered. ‘He knows how you got your bride.’

A man, dressed in jeans and a tee came walking towards them, busy on the phone. The group tried to stay calm but the man’s laughter filled them with dread.

Yup, definitely screwed.

‘So late though? I’d think he would be fast asleep at home,’ Shamsher whispered, his grip tightening around Mehak, who nestled herself further in his arms without any complaints.

Isra looked pointedly, ‘Its Saturday. Game Show karke aa raha hoga.’

‘Hello guys! Missed me?’ Danish said, staring directly at Shamsher who took in an audible gulp.

The Pantomime was just getting started.

https://youtu.be/HQdeayGq8RM