H A R A A M A N D H A L A A L D O N' T G O T O G E T H E R

W O R D C O U N T:

Cocaine is what I needed right now but that woman had ruined it too. I was only about to take it when that bitch had peeped in. She had a bad habit of interfering in everyone's matter and it's high time, she had to learn and assimilate a lesson.

With an intention to hurt and mutilate her, I vacated my room and strode towards her's in fury. As I entered her room, I found her asleep. Those irritating ombre hair weren't hidden or concealed. A bit of her hair embedded her face and I couldn't see her properly.

I went to her side and successfully tugged the lock of hair behind her ears and sat on the furniture close to the bed. I studied her face longer than needed.

My eyes lingered on her neck, the area that I had bruised. I ambled towards the bed to sit beside her sleeping form. A pang of guilt and culpability cut through my heart. It only intensified when I touched her neck and she blenched. Her neck was now a contrast of blue and purple other than her skin.

There was some liniment applied on it but there was very little of it left on her neck so I left her room and went back to mine.

It looked as if a tornado had hit my room, destructing everything that came in it's way. The sofa and the love seat at the left were upturned. The glass frames on the wall were shattered on the floor. The flat screen on the wall was now hanging crooked. The lamp that was earlier placed on my nightstand was now smashed.

I searched for the embrocation in my room which was now a mess. As soon as I found it, I trudged towards her room again.

This time I froze when I saw her. She was covered in sweat and she was saying incoherent words. She even grimaced as if she was in deep pain and agony.

"Please not again." She whimpered and whined.

Her hands were closed in a fist tightly as if she was struggling hard to wake up. I relinquished the ointment at the door and walked hurriedly towards the bed.

She was trembling and quivering while curling up into a ball. Fear and terror was perceptible on her face. Nightmare perhaps.

Without any further delay, I engulfed her in my arms. Her head was pressed up against my chest. She fisted my shirt tightly. I could feel her uneven breathe on my shirt. "Uzair." She merely whispered. My eyes narrowed.

Who the fuck is Uzair?

I shut my eyes close as I tried to compose my own self for no reason.

"Shhhh! Everything is fine. It's just a dream. Stop crying. I am here." I cooed as I slowly kept on caressing her head. I immediately felt her body relaxing in my arms.

"Open your eyes." I commanded. Her hands were cold. My mind was still thinking about this Uzair. Did he cause her some pain? Did he hurt her? Is that why she had a nightmare?

My questions were answered soon though. "I love you Uzair." She spoke with all her love. I could feel her chuckling. My body stiffened and I don't know what possessed me. I wasn't angry on her. She can do whatever she wants and she can love whoever she wants. It's just that I didn't like the idea of it.

Fuck!

What the fuck is wrong with me? What am I even saying?

By now my hands were at both my sides as I stared into space. Within seconds she moved away from my embrace. I could feel her eyes on me. My thoughts didn't stop killing me for once.

So she loves someone else. I clenched my jaws unknowingly. What am I even angry about?

I Had fastened and secured my heart for good. I had erected walls made of solid rocks around my heart to shield it from further damage. I had my chance with love. I had my chance with happiness. It was all over now. This girl is creating a havoc in my system and I have to get away from her.

Without sparing her a glance I plodded away. I didn't go back to my room, instead I left the house. I need to think.

I maneuvered the car towards the old warehouse. It was 1km away from my house.

The sun was shining brightly, casting a happy atmosphere but I felt anything but happy. Fury was boiling in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to go mad with rage.

We had to cross a small alley to get to the warehouse. Cars couldn't go ahead so I had to walk. Gigantic trees looked down upon me. The sun rays weren't as strong over here as they were in the rest of the area. The silence here was thick, only to be broken by the occasional snapping of twigs under my feet.

The warehouse was soon in sight. It stood tall and proud on it's foundation. My men surrounded it, guarding it.

The guards at the front gate of the warehouse bowed their heads out of respect. This warehouse was used as a sort of dungeons so that I could capture all my enemies.

I made my way to room where my latest prey was held captive.

I could hear him screaming and wincing. His voice sounded like a melody to me and soon I forgot about the girl.

As soon as I entered the room, Huzaifa and my other men greeted me. I nodded in response. There was this thing about me, I never replied to a salam nor did I ever greet anybody.

"Brother, he has given a lot of information already." Huzaifa spoke. I looked at my captive. His name is Abu Zauq. Zauq was once one of my most trusted men but he betrayed me and because of him my two most honest men had to die a horrible death.

Zauq was tied to a wooden chair. I couldn't recognize his face due to all the blood that was coating his skin. His shirt was torn open and there were deep gashes all over his chest. His hair was matted with dried blood. My eyes lowered to see the man's hands and ankles bleeding where the rope was digging in.

He was barely conscious. I stood in front of him and stared at him to see any sign of remorse in his eyes but nothing, absolutely nothing.

"So either we go the easy way, where you tell me everything and I let you go or we go the hard way as in I will bring your family here and let you watch how I would effortlessly kill them and then offcourse I will kill you too. The choice is yours." He trembled with fear. I knew his family was his weakness.

"Humza bhai I swear Zaid and his men had blackmailed me. I didn't want to betray you, I swear." I looked at him with pure disdain.

"What information did you give them? I want to know everything." I spat. He kept his mouth shut as if contemplating about what he must say and what not.

"I love you Uzair." Her sleek voice again claimed my mind and I was even more agitated now. I shook my head out of frustration as if it would help me to dismiss the thought.

I clenched my fist and landed a hard punch on Zauq's jaw, disorienting it in the process. He winced audibly.

"You will answer me the moment I ask you something. Got it?" I raised an eyebrow.

Zauq nodded.

"Uzair." Her voice again messed with my head.

"Fuck." I shouted before punching Zauq again and this time he was knocked out. I could feel how amused the people around me were.

"He isn't conscious." Huzaifa declared.

"Don't hurt him anymore. Call for a doctor." I spoke with finality before leaving the room.

As I climbed the stairs towards the enormous hall in the warehouse, I could feel Huzaifa's presence behind me.

"You know that he nodded right? And that the last punch was unnecessary?" Huzaifa's voice was a little sharp.

"Just because we are cousins doesn't mean that you can disrespect me or question me." I spat and he didn't reply. We both walked out towards the alley.

"What you did today was irrelevant." He spoke from behind. I knew he was referring to that woman but I chose to ignore it. I unlocked my car door and sat on the driving seat.

"Why can't you decide upon one thing? You either hate her or you either like her." My cousin spoke as he opened the car door and sat beside me.

"Huh! You think I like her? Man I thought you knew me better." I laughed bitterly. I hate her. She is an ungrateful bitch. She doesn't submit to me. She keeps on fighting and I certainly don't like her.

"Yeah right, so have you forgotten how you ate the leftover biryani that she had made?" Now he was trying to act smart.

"I like biryani doesn't mean that I like the one who made it." I was gripping the steering wheel tightly. My knuckles had turned white.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Anyway, just drop me near the mosque. It's friday today." Huzaifa never missed his Friday prayers but my belief's were quite different from his.

I parked outside the local mosque.

"Won't you come with me?" He looked at me expectantly.

"When will you stop asking me the same question on every Friday? My answer won't change." I looked outside ignoring Huzaifa who heaved a dejected sigh. I looked at the people who strolled towards the mosque. There was this man holding his sons hand, both wearing similar clothes. I shifted uncomfortably as a wave of memories hit me hard.

"I will never stop asking. I am not regular with my salah but at least I try to pray on Fridays." I heard his side of the door opening and then closing shut.

"Sorry brother haraam and halaal don't go together." I almost snapped before starting the engine and leaving him there. I had no plans of going back home and seeing her so instead I went to my office.

My mind didn't stop agitating me. It kept on raising questions like who the fuck is Uzair?

Her words were like a constant echo in my mind. Even though morning blended into night, her words were as loud as if she was speaking right in my ear. Even though considerable time had passed since she said it, it's impact was still afresh.

Three days had passed by in a blur and I had not seen that woman. This was going good. Everything was fine.

I just have to stay away and everything will be as good as ever.

To be continued..

Humza's

iction award 2017. I can't

on 26.1.2018