Beautiful silence "Just take the tank outside when you are finished.." - Rahat heard Munisar say as he exited his room and made his way to the living room. He glanced in her direction and saw that she was talking to the man who was installing the gas tank for her.
Uninterested in their topic of conversation, he lowered himself onto the couch and opened his file, his eyes focused on the information on the documents.
A few minutes later, Hayaa descended the stairs, sneezing a few times as she walked over to the dustbin to deposit the scraps of paper she had found during cleaning. Rahat looked up at the sound, his expression immediately softening when he saw her lingering by the bin. A slight frowned creased his forehead when she sneezed a few more times, her hand absentmindedly brushing her forehead as she made her way up the stairs once more.
Not surprisingly, he felt a hint of concern tug at his heart at her discomfort. With great effort, he forced himself to look down at his file once more, trying to fight the burning desire to follow her and enquire about her health. Did she get sick after getting drenched in the rain? -he the wondered. It seemed like regardless of his efforts to protect her the day before, she had still fallen victim to the illness.
With veiled frustration he glanced at the kitchen, feeling his muscles stiffen in tension at the sight of his sister. It was no use. With Munisar at home, he had no choice but to stay away from Haaya. The thought distressed him more that he expected and not wanting his sister to notice his annoyance, he returned to his room.
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Hayaa felt as though the fever was burning her skin but she still tried to overcome the weakness which clung to her body and continue her chores. Lunch was approaching which meant that she had to prepare the meals or Munisar will accuse her of laziness.
She did not notice when Rahat exited his room, his eyes focused on the paper in his hands. He did not even glance to the kitchen, simply assuming that it was his sister who was busy at work. However as he neared the couch, the scent of gas drifted to him and he frowned at the uncomfortable scent- "Gas?"- he muttered to himself. Immediately he looked to the kitchen and his eyes widened when he saw Haaya was about to light the stove.
"HAYAA!!!" -the shout left his lips in pure panic and without thinking he rushed into the kitchen- "HAAYA NO DON'T DO IT!! HAAYA!!" - Haaya glanced to her side when she saw him running towards her, her eyes widening in shock. Before her hand could slip from the nub on the stove Rahat grabbed onto her arm and pulled her towards him, his arm wrapping around her waist, his other hand resting behind her head as he hugged her close.
Pure relief washed over him when he held her protectively in his arms, his heart thumping thunderously against his chest as he dipped his head ever so slightly, his forehead brushing her shoulder as the silent prayer reverberated in his mind.
Haaya's fingers gripped the front of his shirt in her effort to comprehend what was happening, stunned and shock by his behaviour. Pure nervousness was coursing through every fibre of her being at his embrace yet in the same vein she could not help but feel a sense of comfort in his arms.
As the seconds ticked by Rahat slowly realized the nature of their proximity and he slowly released her, surprised at the passionate response the fear for her safety had triggered within him. Haaya quickly stepped away from him but his eyes remained on her, the apology which was on his tongue replaced with anger at what the repercussions of her actions could have been.
"Where is your mind?"- he asked seriously, a silent anger raging in his eyes- "Weren't you paying attention to what you were doing?!" - he asked rigidly, his eyes holding her gaze so that she would understand his words-"Did you even realize that if you lit that stove you could have been mortally injured! In fact this whole house would have gone up in flames!" -his voice rose and Haaya felt as though she could feel his silent words hitting her even though she could not hear their delivery. Yet the anger in his eyes, the seriousness on his face were enough for her to /hear/ what he was saying, however odd it might seem.- "Didn't you smell the gas!" - Rahat continued, walking past her to the stove where he fixed the gas to stop the leak before looking back at her- "The air in here is heavy with it so how can you be so oblivious to it!"
Haaya studied his lips, surprised at the words he was saying. Gas? Here? But she did not smell anything. She innocently looked at his raging eyesbut before she could answer, a bout of sneezing overcame her and she reached for a napkin on the counter to wipe her nose.
Rahat's eyes softened with understanding when he saw her reach for the napkin, his jaw clenching as he mentally cursed himself for his harshness towards her. Of course she did not smell it, he thought. She is ill, her nose is stuffy. He looked at her, the anger which only moments before had dominated his expression, now replaced with concern - "Haaya..." -he stepped forward and at his movement Haaya looked at him, slowly lowering her hands to her side, thinking he was still angry - "You didn't smell anything, did you?"- he asked gently and Haaya frowned slightly at the difference with which he looked at her, the coldness in his eyes replaced with warmth and concern. Slowly she shook her head and he sighed, looking away from her when the front door open.
To his surprise, he saw the man who Munisar had instructed to install the tank walking towards them.
"Sorry Sir. But I forgot to take the empty tank away so I came to collect it.." -the man said with a kind smile. The frown returned to Rahat's face as he moved to stand next to Haaya, the anger returning to his eyes.
"You were responsible for installing this tank?"- he asked the man, his voice low. The man glanced at the tank and nodded, the smile lingering on his face- "Yes Sir? Was there any problem?" -the man asked frowning slightly when Rahat moved closer to him.
"Was there any problem?" - Rahat said, repeating his question, his hands balling into fists by his side. Haaya looked at Rahaat and could feel her anxiety rising when she realized that his anger was hanging by a thread. Before she could move towards him Rahat grasped onto the front of the man's shirt, holding it in a death grip, his eyes flashing dangerously at the man- "DO YOU SMELL THAT!" - Rahat's voice thundered in the room and seeing his expression Haaya grasped the front of her top in nervousness, her heart racing against her chest in anxiety. Pure fear flashed across the man's eyes as Rahat held onto him and at his words, he grew aware of the scent of gas tainting the air- "Because of your obvious incompetence everyone in this house almost died! She was unable to smell the gas because she is sick and if she had only lit that stove then----!!!" - he gripped the man's shirt tighter and brought him closer to his face- "What if she was alone hmm? THEN SHE WOULD HAVE DIED!!!" - he shouted angrily, his eyes raging- "If anything had happened to her then mark my words, I would have killed you.." - he said, lowering his voice, his dark expression and the threat in his words causing the man to gulp slightly.
"Rahat!" - he did not release the man at his sister's voice, the murderous rage still tumbling within him - "Rahat what are you doing?!" - Munisar asked in confusion as she tried to pry his hands off the man's shirt. At the commotion, Dilshad left her room and came to stand by Haaya who staring at the events anxiously.
Slowly Rahat released the man before looking at Munisar- "He did not install the tank properly Munisar!" - he said, his voice shaking with anger- "Do you know how dangerous that is?"
Munisar glanced at the man before looking at Rahat, touching his arm comfortingly- "Rahat, it was probably just a mistake. Why are you getting so worked up?"- she asked but Rahat didn't answer, not trusting himself to control his anger.
Greeted with his silence, Munisar sighed and looked at the man- "Come. I will show you where to put the tank." - The man nodded, a slight fear lingering in his eyes as he collected the tank and followed Munisar out of the house.
When the door closed behind them, Rahat closed his eyes, taking a moment to calm the rage his thoughts had become before looking back at Haaya and Dilshad. His expression softened when he saw the nervousness in Haaya's eyes but he did not approach her, now that her badi ami was with her. As he was about to turn away he saw her raise her hands and he looked at her, watching her curiously as she signed something to him. Confused he looked at Dilshad who smiled fondly at Haaya before looking at Rahat- "She said. "Thank you for saving me, Rahat."
At Dilshad's explanation, Rahat immediately felt the tension slip from his shoulders and his eyes lingered on Haaya's face, his gentle gaze meeting hers. She had said his name? -he thought, surprised at how his heart lit up in joy at the realization. He was vaguely aware of Dilshad saying she was going to help Munisar. When he heard the door close behind her, he slowly walked towards Haaya, his soft eyes holding her beautiful stare- "Do it again.." -he said quietly and Haaya glanced down shyly, her fingers twirling the end of her shawl in slight nervousness at his words. At her reluctance he stepped closer to her, his eyes lingering on her face- "Haaya?"- he said, titling his head until her eyes finally met his- "Say my name again.." -he said. Haaya stared at him, somewhat confused about his request. Slowly she raised her hands and signed his name, giving him a small smile before she turned away from him shyly and walked away.
A soft sigh left Rahat's lips as he watched her leave, a small smile tugging at his lips at the silent joy which was warming his heart as his mind replayed her signing- "Your voice is beautiful Haaya.." -he muttered to himself- "I finally heard it today.."
Edited by Asgard_Nim - 11 years ago
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