A N O A S I S I N T H E

Hello Joonams! ♥

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I did cringe back in fear and terror. The look in his eyes propounded me to stash myself in my deepest dorset but it wasn't the time to back off.

People had already gathered in a circle along with their dance partners. The rule was simple, you had to dance with your partner till the song changes and then pass her on to the person next to you.

Ahad seemed to be peppy about it, after all he is a guy at the end of the day. "Too excited to toss me away. Aren't you?" I upheaved an eyebrow at him.

"If you won't go, how will she come? " He said playfully while pointing his gaze towards the third couple to our right. The girl was really beautiful though.

"You are not my brother anymore." I faked sadness and dejection.

"Oh please, I know you want to dance with your mate." A lour immediately captured my face even though my heart beat sped up.

"No I don't." I looked at him as if I was offended. For people who absolutely knew nothing about dancing, we were doing pretty much fine by now. We were able to match steps with the others.

"Then why were you giving him all the creepy looks in the world tonight?" His question had me zip my mouth up. He was right. I did want to dance with Humza.

Humza was the second person to my left. Between us was a young man who looked average but his dimples were something that caught your attention. He gave me a seductive look and I cringed back in fear.

I peered at Humza. He looked frustrated and embittered. He wasn't even paying attention to Malika nor the dancing. His eyes were hunting for someone in the crowd. He was continuously looking at his watch. He nodded his head to no one in particular. I was puzzled. What was he trying to do?

When his eyes snapped to mine, I turned my gaze to the person beside him, the one I was going to dance with next.

All of a sudden Huzaifa heckled the man beside me. He muttered something in his ears and the man at once ceased dancing. He held his partner's hand and moved away to some seat at the corner.

Exactly at that point, the music changed. The song that echoed was love me like you do by Ellie Goulding. It was as if my heart had ceased beating. I knew what was coming next. With one swift move Ahad swirled me around as I moved away from his embrace and into another man's arms, into Humza's arms.

I placed my hands on his shoulders while his hands slipped around my waist. My breath hitched. He tugged me to himself abruptly, our bodies now flushed against each others. "Finally." He murmured. Our proximity carved an unknown pleasure in my body. His eyes were full of emotions that I had never seen. My palms began to sweat.

He moved his left foot backwards in a smooth motion, sliding across the slick floor. I slid my right foot forward, chasing his retreating foot with mine, like a fox on the hunt. Dipping forward and looking into my eyes, his fingers tightened on my ribs as his left foot came forward again, surprising my foot and chasing it back.

"Why don't you ever listsn?" A low growl escaped his lips. "Where have you been?" I counterback. I don't know where did that question even come from but it did bothered me ever since the day he was gone.

"That's none of your business." He spat. He has mood swings just like a girl. Now I just wanted the song to change.

"You look beautiful." He complimented out of nowhere and I felt my cheeks burning. I must have looked like a ripe tomato. I met his eyes and they were looking at me like I was the most important thing in the whole wide world. What has possessed me?

"Thankyou but then why are you ashamed of me?" I choked back a sob. Why was I being so emotional today? Specially with the man I have detested all my life.

"Why would I be ashamed of you?" His husky voice seemed like melody to me. He was so tender in holding me that for a minute I forgot that he was the one who bruised my neck mercilessly the other day.

"I want my phone back." I blurted out as soon as I remembered that it was still with him. Honestly I didn't have an answer to his question.

Something within his face twisted, as he closed his eyes tightly. A low groan ripped from his lips. His eyes were now blazing with fury. "So that you can talk to your beloved Zubair? Or wait, do you want to talk to your sister who hasn't stopped cursing you since the day I shot that ape." He snarled, his hold around my waist tightening by the passing second.

"It's Uzair." I corrected him and his eyes darkened all the more. "Tell me is it one of your fantasies to enrage me?" He scowled but I wasn't paying heed to his words. I was busy thinking.

Nabiha cursed me, my own sister cursed me. My heart sank in my chest when the reality of his words slowly sinked in. Why was I still surprised?

Humza's eyes softened. I felt as though an air of despondency had ingested me.

"Why isn't the song changing? It's past 5 minutes." Somebody groaned.

"Do you love her?" I asked him out of nowhere. He looked at me quizzically.

"Who?" He probed. " Malika." I responded shortly. He looked amused but soon he began to lean onto me and for a second I thought he was going to kiss me. I shut my eyes tightly and inhaled sharply but instead I felt his warm breath on my ear lobe. "I am capable of many things Joonam but love isn't one of them. You see, monsters are incapable of it." He seethed. An eerie like whisper resided in each corner as if it was awaiting something. Waiting for a storm fermenting, ready to unleash it's darkness.

I didn't know what happened next as it happened so fast. Humza's right leg intertwined with my left leg shortly, pulling it off the ground. As a result I lost my balance and fell on the floor. It was exactly in that moment that the song changed. A serrated pain ran through my ankle and I knew he did it purposely. I gripped it tightly as tears threatened to spill from my eyes.

"Are you fine miss?" Humza and another man who I didn't knew, kneeled beside me. He looked at me as if he didn't just do it intentionally. I glared at him only to find him a little tensed.

People around me were laughing at me. Who wouldn't? I knew I was a bit clumsy but today it wasn't my skill, it was Humza's doing.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Ahad genuflected beside Humza. He looked concerned.

Some people were still dancing while the others were watching us intently.

"I'll take you up." Ahad stated.

"No I'll take her, it was my fault." Finally, he accepted it but I wouldn't take his help.

"I can walk on my own. I don't need your help." I seethed as I tried getting up but a sharp pain shot up from my ankle making me wince again.

"You are one hell of a woman." Humza gritted before slithering his hands behind my knees and back. He was carrying me effortlessly. I didn't protest because the pain that shot up was quite severe. I looked at Humza who was staring at me as if he could feel my pain too. My heart rate skyrocketed. He carried me effortlessly as if he was accustomed to it.

It must have looked amusing to the people in the party since for them I was Huzaifa's cousin. I felt embarrassed and further tried to hide my face in the crook of his neck. His body stiffened but he didn't say a word.

He carried me to my room and placed me on the bed. "You did it on purpose." I grimaced as soon as I felt the comfort of my bed.

"It would not have happened if you would have left the floor on your own." He accused before placing a cushon below my now injured leg.

He examined my injured ankle for a second before getting up.

He raked his hand over his disheveled hair and groaned in frustration.

"I should have thought of something else." I couldn't believe that he was talking to himself. He paced infront of me as if he was deep in thought.

"Listen now don't leave your room. Try to sleep. The injury is not severe. It will be fine soon." I turned my head to the other side. I didn't want to see his face.

He left without another word. I felt tired and exhausted, I wanted to change my clothes but I couldn't even move right now.

Groaning in frustration, I shut my eyes. I grizzled like a small baby. Why am I still not used to it?

After 15 minutes or so my eyelids felt heavy and I couldn't help but let it close. I fell into deep slumber soon.

I don't know what time it was but in the middle of the night I felt as though I was trapped. I began to cough incessantly. I felt too warm, my lungs confiscated and I wanted to breathe but I couldn't.

When I finally let my eyes open, I was horrified and terror stricken, the whole room was burning. Fire was blazing at every corner of the room, blocking the entrance too. All the expensive things in my room were smothering to ash, to nothing.

It was as if everything around me was crumbling and falling, right through my fingertips and I was disappearing into oblivion. I couldn't stop the fire. All I could do was watch my world crash before my eyes. This was the end of me.

I dared swallowing down my now dry throat hoping, the lump would disappear, as would the emerging tears. I got up from my bed and tried to walk but the pain on my leg only escalated.

"Help. Any body please help." I yelled for anybody to come to my rescue but I knew nobody would risk their life for me. I couldn't help but think of the question my friends had once asked me when I was in school.

"Imagine there is a fire in your house and all your prized possessions are about to get burnt. If you were given a chance to save someone or something, what would it be?" My classmate had asked.

"I would save Nabiha." I had answered in a heartbeat. "And what if the situations were reversed? Do you think anybody would save you? Are you anybody's prized possession?" The question had made me think for about 2 days but I still couldn't come up with a name. I was nobody's prized possession. The thought was depressing.

I had asked the same question to Nabiha once and she had said that she would run for her life without looking back. I had laughed it off back then. I didn't know the question would someday sink into reality and I would be burnt alive because nobody valued me enough.

I coughed and coughed. Breathing was becoming difficult by every second. I was giving up on life. I tried to reach the window but it was on fire too. Nonetheless I tried opening the window but ended up burning my hand. When the fire scorched my skin, I screamed as the pain devoured my whole.

I could hear a lot of voices from outside the house. I was whimpering. I was Humza's responsibility. He should have come. Deep down inside I knew that he wouldn't. It was his chance to get rid of me. I gasped feeling sweat tricking down my back and forehead.

I collapsed on the floor, no more able to take the pain that shot through my ankle. Just then the door to my room burst open with a huge thud.

"Anaabiyaaa." As his eyes lingered on me, my savior breathed out a sigh of relief. It was the very first time he had called me by my name and to be honest it felt like I had found an oasis in the desert.

BTW answer the same question that ANAABIYA's friends had asked her.

What or who would you save? 🤔