"You have a fiery heart.

But me? My soul is fluid.

Baby, fire and water can't coexist."

Three minutes. But I wasn't fond of leaving things incomplete. I looked at my wrist watch for the final time and took it off; then threw it away so its restriction wouldn't bother me.

I ran towards her to the fastest of my capabilities. My pace increased on its own with each step she took. I now felt angry at her for making me do this. But the problem was she wasn't making me do it.

She tripped on her dress just as I approached her from behind. I gripped her arm and pulled her upwards, dragging her forward with myself. She held on my wrist and was trying to wrench it with all her might. That was when I heard ticks from below the ground not too far away but we still had a mile to get across.

This was enough. I grasped both her arms and hauled her in front of me, making her move quicker. She suddenly bit my hand that was enforced on her arm and I lost the grip. I swear I was about to make her skin change colours right there and then!

Just when I reached out to her again, the soiled ground between us moved as an earthquake's surge. I already knew that was it. The very next second, the earth violently tore apart and blew into an explosion. My ears fell completely numb from it's sound and I was struck into the air with a strong push of burning heat.

I only caught a glimpse of her shawl being swayed up aggressively at the sky, behind the subtle blazes of fire and nothing more.

Ali drove past the village to cross the borders of the Amber. He was worried but he also had full belief that they would come out alive. Testing out different gambles of life was a habit for Ismail; each one he would return back safely from! This was no surprise.

He left him several messages from the past minute but didn't get a response untill just now. He opened up the text,

"I will contact you in a few hours. For now, leave this place for I think there's going to be a police raid. If I don't get back to you, don't jump to my drawer, the cheque is bounced begairat aadmi ;)"

A smile carved Ali's face. He knew exactly what Ismail was referring to.

During their teenage years, they made a bet on a few hundred rupees which was rewarded to them as a cheque by some official. It was decided that whoever stays alive the longest, wins the money! Ali's Amma thought they were just kids and would forget about the bet after some time. It turned out the pair was of Ali and Ismail, not an easy one indeed.

["Majal hai jo tum dono ye be-tukki shartein lagana band kerdo!" She held her head.

"Nai Amma, ab to mai bhai se pehle nahi marunga! The cheque will be mine," A seventeen year-old Ali said.

"Kal ye 'nahi-marunga' 6 inch k talaab mei doob raha tha.." A nineteen year-old Ismail sat down.

"When you didn't even try." Saba said.

"Aag ka darya hai aur doob k jane se mai raha!" Ismail replied.

"Bilkul, mera iss bete ko zarurat hi kya darya paar kerne ki?" Amma caressed his cheek with her hand.

"Mai bata raha hoon.. MAI NAI MARUNGA!!" Ali exclaimed from behind.

"Touba hai Ali." Saba flinched.]

The bet was still on till this day, when now they didn't even need the money rather it was just about winning. Of course the cheque had to be bounced!! Ali laughed.

He just came out of his thought when a sudden wave shook his car and a strident noise arose from far behind him, filling the atmosphere into grey smokes. The bomb exploded, he knew. His heart skipped a beat for the first time in years.

•••••

"Sir, I think there wasn't anyone affected by the bomb. We should proceed.." He suggested.

"Jaldi ka kaam shaitaan ka hota hai. We have to take small steps for now." Ejaz said.

This was a shot in the air regarding their investigation, a prediction. They all had communicators chipped in their ears and displayed themselves as 'tourists' in the area, dressed in public attires.

After an hour of investigation, Omar, Ejaz's second in command, took to him explaining the situation.

"No physical or locational clues yet but I have found a call station that a girl used a few hours ago. Upon asking the people, they said she was in a hurry and looked strange," Omar was describing as he stood on the slopes of the Amber retreat.

"Was she alone or...?" Something clicked in Ejaz's mind.

"Yes, according to the villagers."

"Alright. I want you to look into this closely."

"Sure Sir. Over and out."

"What???" Saba was shocked.

Ali just looked at her.

"And you're telling me all of this right now?"

"We didn't have time. Bhai left as soon as he found out," Ali said.

"And you have no clue if both of them escaped the bomb or not?"

"Not yet. He told me to wait."

"But.. but.. ALI WHAT IF-" Saba wasn't blinking.

"No! You've known that man since he was a child. Now stop overthinking."

"Can anything be worse than this?" Saba rubbed her forehead.

"As a matter of fact, yes! They're married." Ali compressed his lips inwards, staring at her.

"Ready for World War 3?" He added.

Saba fell straight onto the couch behind her with a horrificly stunned face.

"I.. guess not." Ali wanted to laugh.

My eyes opened to the view of dry grass. I was on my stomach and my face touched the ground. As a reflex, I tried to move but It brought a bad pain to my right shoulder following my arm. It was evening now which meant that hours had past being unconscious.

There was still a lot of smoke around me as I tried to look at the surroundings. Where was she? Blood slithered down my ears that I carelessly rubbed off from my sleeve and walked. If I was still here, she had to be too.

I continued to search into a random direction, hoping to see something. Frustration took over me each time my legs tripped while walking and I had to regain balance. This shit never happened to me before.

I reached the edge of the other side, getting off the field and into an open land where I saw her vivid hand through the smoke. She was laying below the hill. I sat down and turned her over but she wouldn't move. Her eyes were closed and other than that, she was covered head to toe.

I checked her pulse immediately. It was still working and a relief ran through me. There were no hospitals nearby but there had to be some way I could get medical help. The very useful Saba would always not be there when she was needed but anyway, there was no time to spare.

I ran towards a hut which wasn't too far away and knocked on it.

"Jee?" A fair elderly woman opened the door. She observed me as though I wasn't normal.

"Could I get a glass of water?"

"Give me a minute," She went inside and brought some bandages with water.

I grabbed them from her and turned back to run when she called me.

"Beta!! Kider chaley? Idar aao." She spoke in a half pakhtoon accent.

I stopped forcibly.

"Tum zakhmi hai... udar kya lene jaate ho?" She was asking.

"Mere sar pe lehrati hui talwaar!" I wanted to say.

"I'll just be back.." I said instead and left.

I pulled her up from the ground and almost threw some water on her face. She squinted her eyes for a second then became still again. For real, killing someone was way easier than saving them, I figured.

I lifted her completely to stand up but she leaned on my shoulder. Perhaps the same thing that happened to my legs but it felt different as something I wouldn't have taken normally. But how would I? No woman dared to be this close to me. She was unconscious, I had to remind myself.

I then walked her down to the hut where the lady was already waiting. She held her from me and layed her on a charpai inside.

"Ye sab Kese hua?" She asked me.

"Bomb." I replied.

"Bachey.. ye to nai bache ga agar iska khoon band nai hua."

I looked her in the eye harshly but unknowingly as the words left her mouth.

"Tum baito wahan aur apne aap ko behtar karo.. mai iske liye koi bulati hoon." She said calmly and picked up her landline.

I sat on the floor crossed legged, resting my head on the wall and looked at her, whose feet were slightly shaking in the sandals but her eyes were still down. It was surprising how the blast had caused me the minimum of damage but to her, still a little more. It was also a miracle that we were even alive.

There was a mirror right opposite to me standing on the floor. I realized I was in my own form and this wasn't my territory! Obviously, the people of gilgit didn't recognize my actual appearance as of now so they were treating me as a local rather than hiding in their homes.

Another middle aged woman entered the hut with a bag in her hand. She gave me a brief look and went ahead towards the charpai. I got up and left the house then.

There was a well behind the hut from which I cleaned the blood off of me and waited outside.

After a few minutes, she called me in.

"The basti ki doctor has given her injections and she is only hurt from the outside. Not much organ damage!"

"Ok. How long will she be able to walk?"

"Ye to beta Allah pe hai.. vo jab jissey shifa dey dey....tum dua karo." She raised her hands up.

I was about to leave again when I paused hearing her.

"Ye.. tumara bv hai?" She asked.

I clenched my jaw. This lady could've gone the whole day without saying this phrase. But no! She just had to break my state of tranquility.

I turned around.

"Jee." I said, left with nothing else to say.

"Acha, Issi liye..."

I stole my eye from her, or who, I didn't know and neither did I want to.

"Tum fikar nai karo, Allah isko tumare saath hi rakke ga..." She continued saying while handing me some spare clothes from a closet.

"Anything. But this." I spoke in my head, contradicting her.

Yan to khuda ne mujhe be-tahasha paasbani di hai aur yan to vo mujh se itna khafa hai k ek k baad ek museebat mujhe chu ker guzar rahi hai jese vo mujse milna hi na chahta ho.

I felt as if my legs were left paralyzed. It didn't hurt as much but it gave me a strong sense of numbness which I couldn't resist.

As soon as I felt them again, I got up to see where I was. This room was very small and it had a few pieces of pure wooden furniture around it. I shivered as the cold sensation of the floor touched my bare feet, then walked a few steps but couldn't any further.

"Awo larki..." She kept her palm on her forehead and then came towards me.

She sat me back down again and touched my hand to check for fever. Flashbacks ran in my eyes... I was running away, trying to cross some field and... and...

"Bilkul ek jesa hai tum dono. No patience."

She said, carrying my legs up to lay me down.

What was she saying? My head hurt.

"Here eat this." She handed me a tablet.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You were injured due to the explosion but now you are fine."

The explosion, yes. But I had to get to my house, to contact my family which just got ten times more complicated. I was so immensely tired that I wanted to bang something on the wall and scream as loud as I could!!

"Change into this, your clothes are heavy and they're stained. You will feel better." She gave me a plain grey suit that had a large brown veil.

I took them immediately, wanting to get out of this manhoos jora as soon as possible. I hated everything associated with it.

She wouldn't let me go anywhere and asked me to rest but I kept trying because the thought of him coming back from somewhere was keeping me restless. I wasn't able to but I wanted to go away as far as I can so he wouldn't appear in front of me.

She kept on mentioning a man who brought me to her and I was taking all my chances of hope with that.

"Please aap mujhe janey dein. I-"

"Beti usne kaha ae k tumko kayin nai janey dena hai."

"K..Kesa dikhta hai vo?" My heart raced. Please Allah!!!

She laughed at my question as if I cracked a joke and went on to do her chores.

*****

It was before Zuhar time and she was talking to me about her children who lived away in the city and how she missed them. Her husband was a post man, he travelled long distances in the north and would return every three days. She called me 'baano.'

"Am to intezar kertey rehte hain k kab apne bachon ki shakal dekain," She said while smiling.

"Vo apse milne nai aate?" I asked.

"Aate the, phir vo bohat... bohat bazooka ho gaye.." She was saying.

"Busy?" I smiled, which felt like after days.

"Haan wohi!" She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Badkismat hain vo.." Left my mouth as my smile turned into sorrow again.

"Hain to meri aulaad beta.." She kept her hand on my head.

A thousand memories arose from within me but they will make me weak, I knew. Here I was counting seconds to see my family again while people were out there that wouldn't stay with them on choice.

The door was knocked seconds later and I quickly tied the veil on my face. I was aggressively twisting the edge of the bedsheet in between my thumb and index.

"Rasha.. " She said.

(Come.)

The door clicked open and he walked in. HE.

Wearing a black shalwar qameez, his right arm was tapped and his sleeves were halfway. A part of his forehead was also bandaged but his narrow honey eyes still dazzled below as he glanced at me. I saw his hair unkempt for the first time, foreshadowed under the bright sun as he stepped in.

"Tum ne kuch kaya? Nai kaya hoga.. idar baito mai ley k aayi.." She told him and got up to leave.

I was also getting up quickly to leave after her because I didn't want to stay there but my legs betrayed me. The pain happened and I sat back.

He sat on the chair at the edge of the charpai and joined both his hands together, not looking away from me.

"Did you have fun?" He was weirdly asking but with a straight face.

I gave him an expression.

"Fun, running on the fields.." He said, making an even more sariyal face.

"No you answer. Who do you think you are?"

I was annoyed. I knew he was taunting me at the fact that he almost saved me from 'dying', which was worse.

"I think I am Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau."

"Lanati shaks.." I whispered under my breath, then looked up where he was eyeing me vigorously as if he was saying a lot but just not saying it.

"Why did you come after me when you knew there was a bomb?" I asked him what I was wanting to.

He didn't answer and quite abruptly looked away from me.

"Here. You must be hungry.." She came in and said to him, handing a plate of rice.

I wondered how him being there didn't bother her.. did she not know?

"Baano ye bacha bohat hi zimmedar hai! Jabse tum behosh thi, isne sirf tumhara khayal kiya, apne zakhm bhool ker." She was speaking in a flow which wouldn't sit right with me.

I could see him ignoring the whole situation but it was giving me anxeity. Simply because I didn't want to be grateful to him but as she was describing, it looked like I had to; at least a little even if it was all fake.

"We have to leave." He said after a few minutes.

"Leave? But how-?" She asked him, concerned.

While I was more concerned about him saying 'We' and not 'I'.

"I will manage." He said.

"Acha beta. Jese tumari marzi..." She looked rather sad.

He got up as I was just trying to figure things out, speechless. Then he extended an envolope towards the lady.

"Na na khudaya! Meri naiki ko zaya kerna chahta hai tum?" She backed off.

"Any help of any sort?" He asked her.

"Nai. Tum meri koi madad kese kare ga iss halat mei? Tum apna hi madad kerlo..." She said.

"Mai ker sakta hoon, just say anything."

She smiled, probably thinking that he's such a kind soul to offer this to her when he, himself wasn't on easy terms. If only she knew what this jaali vadera could do in a matter of seconds.

"Kuch bhi? Acha to mujh ko silayi ka saaman aur kapra chahye." She had randomly uttered something she needed.

"It will be here by evening." He said, leaving her astounded but she didn't react.

Then he signaled me to get up and walk.

"Why?" I asked out loud in a dry voice.

"I said, let's go." He stared at me, silently telling me to stop talking.

I got up but I had no intentions to leave with him.

"Ye tumara shohar hi hai baano, itna darti kyu ho?" She was biding me while asking.

I was hit and shocked. So he lied to her that we were married? Now I understood what was happening.

"NO, THAT'S-" I was about to say when he suddenly grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I was subtly pulled along with him outside the door. He just didn't let me speak.

"Khuda Hafiz." She said from behind.

They walked until stopping when Zaina released her hand from his between the way.

"HOW. DARE. YOU?" She yelled.

Thankfully, there were no people around.

"I will tell you exactly how I dared. But for now, keep your mouth shut and walk." He said with a changed tone.

"You said you would let me go!!!!"

"I did and practically bore the outcome."

"Was it my fault that the stupid bomb had to be there? Huh? Or did I ask for your costly help?"

"Are you done with this nonsense?"

"MAMAA!!!!!" Just then a monkey hopped from above her and behind from a tree. She stepped ahead in fright.

"It's just a monkey for God's sake!" He said.

"Of course! You might even know him personally." She replied.

Before he could say something, the monkey pulled on her dubatta from the corner down.

She tugged it back but he didn't seem to stop.