The gloomy melody of Aadat instrumental reverberated throughout the premises of the palatial library room as his long fingers danced meticulously on the strings of the guitar, weaving the bone-chilling soprano, as if heart-ache was an old friend of his. Sitting at the corner of the room that exuded nothing but aesthete vibes, his one leg was outstretched while the other one bent up to hold the instrument in place, sleeves of the black T-shirt he had donned rolled up to elbows as they exposed his veined forearms. His hair was completely disheveled as few stubborn strands fell over his forehead magnificently, eyes bloodshed while his head was leaned backward, Adam's apple jutting out and eyes darting nowhere as the vision flashing across them didn't belong in the room he was in.

It only belonged to one human in this world. One human who despite being alive he couldn't hold.

He had always yearned to hold Irtiza in his embrace just one more time, but the fact that he wasn't alive anymore somehow gave him the contentment that it wasn't in his hands. But this woman, oh, this woman was all flesh and blood, right in front of him, but he was still too damn unlucky to devour her warmth.

It was almost funny how life had taken so much away from him to give him this luxurious life. This luxury that he could oh so easily give away in order to just have her with him, even for just one minute.

Even one minute would be enough for him if it meant him being in the same vicinity as hers. But what he didn't know, for that woman, even an entire life time would be less than a minute for him. That was the intensity with which Azlan Shehryar loved Safa Hayat.

"Bhai!"

"Azlan, bachey!"

It was Raina and Sameena's screeching voices that intermingled with the mellifluous tone spewing around but did nothing to interrupt the lost lover carving out his pain into a beautiful music. Indeed the best of songs are brewed from the saddest of hearts.

Finally the large mahogany door shot open and in entered the duo of his mother and sister. "You're finally back!" Both exclaimed in unison, their tones vividly exhausted as they had just come home.

His hands stopped as he craned his head towards them. Standing up, he put the guitar to the side. "Ya, just arrived an hour ago." He said as he hugged them both.

"Why didn't you call?" Sameena asked, lines of frown marking their territory on her forehead at his torn condition.

"I didn't want to disturb you guys." He let out tiredly. It was hard to even speak.

Both of them nodded without getting convinced even a bit.

"How's Safa?" Sameena asked with worry.

This is exactly what he didn't need right now – someone asking him about her. A shadow crossed his crestfallen eyes as he gulped heavily.

"A lot better." He uttered, much to his difficulty, as he wrapped either of his arms around the two ladies to both his sides and walked out of the room – an attempt to not let them see the emotions surfacing on his face.

"You have to take us to her now." Raina almost commanded as she grabbed his wrist falling over her shoulder.

They had been insisting on visiting the hospital ever since they had heard about the unfortunate incident but Azlan didn't let them come.

"You didn't let us come to the hospital either." Raina complained with a scowl as they moved towards the living room.

"Yeah, that's because it's a hospital, Raina, not a club." He remarked, flopping down on the one seat sofa and Raina rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I can't take you guys to the valley."

"Why?" She squealed in indignation if the creases on her forehead were any indication.

"Because I have some really important meetings to attend." He lied effortlessly under the scrutinizing gaze of his mother who he knew was understanding everything. Mothers!

Passing an uncomfortable glance at Sameena for less than even a second, he shifted his attention back to Raina who was sitting just beside her. "You can either go with dad or driver will drop you."

"But why can't you..."

Her question was cut halfway between by her mother who just had to call her name with rigidity to make her back down from the chain of her questions.

Azlan mouthed thank you to her before standing up and excusing himself for a shower.

"I'll see you guys at dinner." He bid farewell as he ascended the staircase and strolled towards his room.

Just solitude. Him. And her thoughts.

******

The scintillating rays of sun streamed through the curtains drawn over the windows of their room as they brandished themselves on the nomad curled up in her bed, peacefully tucked under the duvet.

Asmara who had just come out of the bathroom after taking a shower sat on the edge of Safa's bed as her eyes drove through her expressions. So peaceful and serene. This was not the old Safa she was witnessing right now. This peaceful woman, right here, was someone else. During their entire times spent together, she had never found Safa in her bed whenever she'd wake up. She always had troubled sleeping, but today even that trouble had flown away. The power of sharing your inner turmoil!

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't know when Safa woke up.

"What are you doing?" She squeaked as she propped up on the bed, wiping the droplets of water that had dropped from Asmara's still wet hair on her face.

"I came here to wake you up, you sleeping beauty!" She shot up on her feet as she folded her hands on her stomach. "Because I'm not stepping in that school without you. God, those kids go vile when it comes to you. I don't know what kind of spell you have casted on them."

She feigned to be hurt, but Safa knew her better than that. She knew it was her attempt to make her feel normal, to let her know nothing between them had changed because of her secret and she couldn't thank her enough for that.

"Well they love me more than they love you. And that, my friend, is a fact you better accept now." She smiled plastic as she pushed the duvet off and slid her feet inside the slippers."

"Only because of your black magic." She turned, her eyes following Safa who strode towards the cupboard and retrieved her clothes as she exclaimed, "Whatever!"

"Anyways, I'm gonna go and make breakfast now, and when I come back, you better have gotten dressed. You hear that, lady?" Asmara ordered.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Safa let out with determination no less than that of a soldier going for a war and a throaty laugh evaded Asmara's mouth as she threw her head back. A laugh that hid the excruciating pain of separation deep in her.

******

Needless to say Safa's day was spent in enjoyment and umpteen hugs thrown her way, because the moment she had stepped inside the building of the school, she was showered with nothing but love, and she was immensely grateful to Allah SWT for that. The respect and love He had blessed her with was beyond her imagination. Wholesome and overwhelming.

The smile had found a way to her lips today but her eyes, her eyes remained anything but happy as they ebbed nothing but longing. She didn't want to be ungrateful but she had no control over this void she felt inside of her. There was this constant yearning inside her that just wouldn't budge. The abyss she had fallen into was too deep to emerge from this time. Because this time it wasn't filled with hate. This time it was galore with love. The love she wanted to erase from her life, or at least turn it into hate.

Suddenly the bell rang, making her jut her head towards the direction of door. Asmara who was busy in the kitchen took a step forward to open the door but Safa beat her to it.

"You carry on. I'll open the door." She said before moving towards the door, earning a nod from Asmara.

With the opening of the door, a humongous smile found its home on her face as her eyes landed on the three people she hadn't expect to come over even in the least.

She might hated Azlan Shehryar - or so she thought so - but she could never hate him family.

"You're here?" She exclaimed, flashing her teeth.

"WalaikumAsSalam!" Raina chirped in, making Safa laugh, while Sameena hit her slightly on the head before pulling Safa in her embrace.

"How are you, my child?" She asked once they pulled away.

"Even better now." She grinned as she stepped aside to make a way for them to come inside, receiving a fatherly pat on her head from Mr. Shehryar.

Once the introduction with Asmara was made, they all propped themselves on the sofas placed in the drawing room.

"What happened to your hands?" Raina asked as she frowned.

Safa instantly shot a look at her bandaged hands that got burned last night.

Your brother - the voice inside her said but she shrugged it off. "Ah, nothing. I was just cooking and..." Before she could complete her sentence, her gaze landed on Asmara who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, don't give me that look. I know how to cook." She straightened up in her position. "I'm even a better cook than you are."

"Sure." Asmara shrugged her shoulders.

She was just teasing her. She knew Safa was a damn good cook. Better than her at least, and she also knew she herself sucked.

Raina giggled as she looked at Safa who was clearly offended. "If you don't believe me I'll make lunch today."

"But your hands are injured." Mr. Shehryar intervened from where he was sitting beside his wife.

"It's alright. I can do it." She stood up with determination and everyone in the room knew she wasn't stepping down now.

"Alright, then I'll help you." Sameena stood up, too.

"No, auntie. It's alright." Safa instantly contradicted the decision but Sameena was no less stubborn than her.

"I'm not listening to anything. I'm coming with you." She gave her final verdict as she ushered Safa towards the kitchen. Reluctantly, Safa guided her through the way.

"Let me know if you need someone to test your dishes. I'm more than available for that." Raina shouted from behind and a round of laughter erupted throughout the house.

Feeling awkward between so many ladies, Mr. Shehryar rose up from his seat as he coughed a bit to draw attention. "I'll go and take a round of schools." He announced and both the audience nodded in unison.

******

Darkness started to overtake the day as birds flew into their respective homes. And with that came time for goodbyes as all four of them strolled outside of the annex. Mr. Shehryar had left again after the lunch and was on his way back, right now.

Safa's heart felt heavy as she hugged Sameena one last time. "I'm so glad you came." She said, her hands interlaced with Sameena, eyes filled to the brim. This woman was no less than a mother to her.

During their entire time together, neither one of them had interrogated her about her sudden leave. No one questioned her about anything that happened over the last two weeks and to say she was greatly thankful to them would be an understatement.

"And I'm glad to see you." Sameena smiled as she cupped Safa's face, her eyes mirroring that of hers. "You're so brave, my child." She tilted her head as she rubbed her thumb over her cheek.

"Thank you." She hardly managed to say as her hold on Sameena's hand tightened who only messaged it in return, easing out her nerves.

"Thank you for coming to our lives, my child." She said as she placed a fleeting kissing on her forehead and she closed her eyes to savor it completely. "You're not like my daughter; you are my daughter. You understand that?" She asked as she pushed the stray strand of Safa's hair and tucked it behind her ear.

Her eyes that were cast downwards now shot up towards her instantly as her heart fluttered.

"You are my daughter."

Oh, just how long she had waited to hear these four words!

Her lips pressed into a thin line to keep her emotions at bay but the tears didn't spare her this time as a few of them tumbled down on her crimson cheeks. Not thinking for even a second, she thrust herself into that woman's warmth once again.

No matter how hard she had built her defenses up, from inside she was still the child who had always craved for parents' love.

She held onto Sameena like an anchor. A safe cocoon of mother's love. And Sameena didn't pull away either. She let her cling onto her. She very much understood her emotions and if needed, she was ready to spend the entire night standing there for her.

After what felt like an eternity, Safa finally retracted herself from that pristine woman and after exchanging one final goodbye, she moved towards Raina whose face was also marred with tears.

"Promise me, you'll come visit us." Raina cried once they had pulled away from the hug.

Safa's heart sank. How could she promise to set a foot inside that man's house? But this kid here in front of her wasn't the one at fault and she wasn't going to let him come between them.

"I can't promise, but I'll try." She reasoned and Raina nodded in understanding.

It was weird how each member of that household understood her so well, except for him - thinking of which a question popped in her head.

Throwing a glance towards Sameena and Asmara who were busy in conversation, Safa looked at Raina as a somber look descended in her eyes.

His words about Saqib being his criminal too from that day had constantly been reverberating in her head to the point she couldn't hold herself from digging into the matter. She needed to know the truth. But dying was better than asking him directly and other than that, there was only one way she could get her answer.

"What?" Raina raised her eyebrows as she stared at Safa in bewilderment, knowing she had something going on in her head.

She ran a tongue over her dried lips, trying to construct a coherent sentence in her mind. "I...uhm..." She cleared her throat. "...you once told me your brother sees a therapist, right?"

"Yeah." Raina scrunched her brows, not knowing what she was getting.at.

"If I'm not being too personal, can I ask why?" She questioned, a bit scared of Raina's reaction whose face had gone completely ashen, a fresh bout of tears marching down in her eyes, letting Safa know his tale wasn't an easy one either, just like hers.

Raina sniffed as she tried to take ahold of herself. "He's not what he shows he is, Safa. He is broken from inside. A broken child who yearns for his loved ones."

That was all she managed to say. She didn't have the heart to narrate the gruesome tale of her brother.

"What do you mean?" Safa asked in confusion.

"I'm not sure I should be the one to tell you that. It's his story and only he has the right to narrate it. But I'll tell you one thing; my bhai has lost so many people in life, but I saw him on the brink of sanity when he thought he had lost you." Her words lurched Safa's stomach into tight knots. "You weren't there to witness his condition. I was, and I was so afraid I was going to lose him that I had to act like his elder sister to keep him on track."

And after that she had no idea when Mr. Shehryar arrived; when they bid one final goodbye; and when she went back to her room as the only words that kept repeating in her ears were: "my bhai has lost so many people in life, but I saw him on the brink of sanity when he thought he had lost you."

******