Hassan's car was found damaged near a cliff and it was assumed that he was dead. Police searched for him for weeks but still there was no sign.

weeks turned to two months but there was no news about him. It was like he vanished into thin air without any trace, without any evidence.

The lively cheerful Ahwaan Villa was gloomy now. Everything stopped with Hassan's disappearance. Everyone was mourning his loss. It was like they lost faith to find him. Only Aamina was the one who didn't gave up, she was so sure that her twin brother, her other half was alive. She was not ready to believe that he left.

But his presence, his voice was missed by her. Her health was deteriorating missing her brother, her soul. Hassan was her mentor, her guide, her support. She loved him more than anyone else in the whole world.

He came first for her, not even their parents. Afterall, he was the one to support her after her husband died. He was the one who provided her his shoulder to cry, when the love of her life died. He got her out of depression.

He was the one with her when she cried remembering her husband on the gloomy nights. She never believed that she would be able to come out of her depression but Hassan brought her back.

He was the only one who knew his sister was strong enough to come out of the pain she went through. He believed in her. He believed her strong will to fight through tough times and damn he was right. His sister was a fighter and she did overcome the loss of her husband with his help.

Hassan was her strength and now it was her turn to be his. It was now her turn to believe that he was alive, that her brother was there somewhere in the world alive and breathing. He never gave up upon his sister and now it was her turn to be with him, even he was not physically present there. She knew he was alive and hell would freeze before she will believe that her brother died.

She knew, even if she didn't had any evidence of his existence but she knew he was alive. Her heart was beating, her soul was at peace and that was enough evidence for her to know that he was alive. It was their thing. Whenever something happened to one of them the other would feel pain, they were are to understand each other's emotions well because of their twin bond. So she was sure he was alive.

"Maria can you please call everyone for dinner ? I am setting the table with Osama."

Wiping her tears Aamina politely asked Maria to call everyone. She was fed up of her family. They were believing the stupid local police instead of their own daughter. She had enough of everyone believing lies Police was feeding them.

"Do you also believe he died ? Do you too believe the local police instead of me ?"

She asked Maria who was on her way to get everyone for dinner. Stopping in her tracks she turned towards Aamina who followed her to the stairs leaving Osama in the kitchen and was now looking at her with eyes filled with hope for someone to believe her.

"I don't know. But my heart tells me to believe you and I do pray with all my heart that this time everyone is wrong . If you say he is alive than I believe you ."

She smiled weakly giving her courage, providing her with the warmth to go on.

"I too miss him. I miss him very much. I wish he comes back home soon."

She held Aamina, hugging her, her painful sobs echoing, finally letting go of all the pain she was feeling from past few weeks. Finally, someone believed her. She held Maria with all her might getting courage, getting strength that someone was with her and she was not alone.

"Thank you so much for believing me."

Tears streamed down both of their cheeks. Aamina was smiling with tears in her eyes thankful to her for believing her.

"Now stop crying and set the table I'll go and call everyone. As from now we have to be everyone's strength till Hassan comes back."

Wiping Aamina's tears she patted her cheeks and left to call everyone. At first she knocked the door of her Taya Abba's room and entered it.

"Taya Abba... Tayi Ammi..."

She softly called both of them getting their attention. Her tayi ammi was crying holding Hassan's picture and Taya abba was lost in his own thoughts. He looked old. The news of his son devastated him, breaking him.

Seeing their condition her tears welled up again feeling their pain but she wiped them hastily to appear strong in front of them.

"Taya Abba.... Tayi Ammi..."

She again called them breaking them out of their thoughts.

"Chaliye neeche chalke khaana kha lein..."

"We are not hungry bachay, you go."

Aaqib Ahwaan polity smiled at her telling her to go away and his wife nodded agreeing with him.

"No, I won't go without you two. You know Hassan won't be happy seeing you two like this. Do you want him to be in pain. You both are neglecting your health and I won't let that happen. Please, Taya Abba and Ammi you are our strength. Please, get up and have your food. Please, for me."

She cried holding the hand of her Taya Abba, keeping her head on her tayi Ammi's lap and holding her waist tightly with her other hand, crying like a child.

"Shhhh... don't cry bachay. We are coming."

Wiping both of their cheeks she held their hands squeezing them slightly.

"I am with you both. Always and forever."

•

She checked dado's room when her helper informed her that she slept after taking her medicines, so she decided not to disturb her and proceeded towards Mustafa's room.

Unlike Aamina and Osama, Mustafa didn't cried or expressed his pain. He got quiet and locked himself inside his room. His whole time was spent inside the hospital and even if he was home he never got out of his room. He became a robot who did nothing except eat, work and sleep.

She knew he was hurt and needed to cry to let out his pain. She kept quiet seeing him neglecting his health thinking he needed time but now it was enough. She won't let him hurt himself anymore.

She knocked his door but didn't got any reply. But she knew he was there. He was there at home and now she won't leave him alone. Talking a deep breath she entered inside his room.

It was dark. Moonlight being only source of light emmiting his room. And there he was standing inside the big balcony of his room silently. His back was turned towards her so wasn't able to see his face.

Taking slow steps she went towards him without making any noise and stood beside him. There he was standing, his hair flowing with the wind, eyes red with pain, one hand holding the railing of the balcony while other was busy bringing the lit cigarette to his mouth, unaware of the presence beside him.

He was burning in the sorrow of his brother and smoking seemed to be the best option and it seemed to cool him down. Yes, cigarette was burning his lungs but it was also acting as a medicine to his aching heart.

His painful trance was broken when she snatched the cigarette out his hold, crushing it under her feet.

"What are you doing ?"

She glared at him for smoking. She was not at all happy at his ways to lessen his pain. He needed to talk, to let it out but he was keeping all his pain within himself, hurting himself more.

"Smoking."

He replied without looking at her. His reply was cold just like he was treating her from past days. Talking out another cigarette from his pocket he lit it and started smoking again.

"Stop hurting yourself. Please."

Keeping her soft hands on his, she again took the cigarette from his hand and threw it away. Again.

"Leave me."

But he wasn't ready to listen to her. The pain was too much and he needed something to hold on to. Something to keep his mind off everything.

"I..."

"GET THE FU*K OUT OF HERE. I DON'T WANT ANYONE, ESPECIALLY YOU."

He shouted, his eyes blazing red with fury that it scared the hell out of her. She heard him cursing for the first time in her life and she knew he was not able to deal with pain. It pained her to see him in that condition.

" I won't. I won't leave you alone. You heard me, I won't leave you."

She shouted with same ferocity, making him see red. He was angry, so angry that he pushed her away with force. His push was so strong that she lost her balance, landing hard on the steel rod of the balcony, hissing loudly in pain.

Her eyes welled up due to pain on her lower back but she stood up with staggering steps and hugged him tightly.

"Do anything you want to but I won't leave you alone when you need me the most. I know you are in pain, everyone is, but don't let it reside inside you. Don't let it make home inside your heart."

He was trying to make her leave him but she was holding him tightly. She wasn't ready to leave him until he let it go. Let of of every emotion which he was keeping inside him.

"You know sometimes letting go is the best option because if we hold on to things it will do nothing but give you endless pain. Cry as much as you want to, shout and even wail on your pain. I am here with you, and I am not going anywhere until you let go of everything."

Her words made him loose everything. One by one tears sprang out of his eyes and his whole body shook with loud sobs, tears making their way out his eyes. The pain which he kept inside him for so long and now was the time to let it go. He forgot everything at that time. Forgot that he was angry at her, that he was supposed to ignore her.

"He left... He left without saying anything. I always treated him like my own child, not my brother. He didn't even said goodbye and left. You know the worst kind of separation is not when someone dies but when someone dear to you vanishes into thin air. You don't know whether to hold on, to have faith on their return or to loose your faith and let them go."

He crushed her in his arms feeling better with her beside him. She was feeling pain on her back due to his strong hold, but didn't complained and held him strongly in her arms. Maybe it was the last time he was being normal with her. The last time when he'll let his emotions rule over him, forgetting everything. Forgetting she was in love with him and he was supposed to prove her feelings wrong, instead of finding solace and comfort inside her.

She held him tightly, rubbing his back to calm him down, to which he placed his head on the crook of her neck unknowingly, feeling himself relaxing with her sweet scent.

"I am not strong. I am not strong at all."

He whispered softly, his face still buried inside the crook of her neck, arising feelings which she tried buried inside her. Feelings which he taunted and mocked her for.

" You are strong but sometimes even the strongest of the persons cry. It is not necessary to act strong, always . Crying doesn't mean you are weak but it signifies your strength. It takes courage for a person to cry, to express his emotions in front of the whole world. Your tears tell that you have been strong for so long, taking every atrocity life has thrown upon you, facing it courageously. It's okay to cry but at the end of the day pull yourself up together and be the strong person you always were."

He broke down in her arms shedding tears for losing a son like brother. For loosing his best friend, a man who was always there for him. He cried till none of his tears were left. He cried letting go of everything that was buried deep inside him, all the while having her beside him as his support.

After caressing his hair for a while she detached herself from him, remembering he didn't had his food.

Standing up she told him.

"I am coming with your food."

He groaned for losing contact with her. The thought of smoking rising inside the back his mind again, but he decided against it and held her hand instead, bringing her closer towards him not knowing what he was doing.

"Stay. Will you ?"

He whispered, holding her hand more tightly when she tried losening his hold on her's.

Stay, because I won't be same tomorrow. Stay because tommorow the man you'll encounter will be a total stranger, not your hero you have always known. Stay, as today I'll be your strength you need have to face the bitter tommorow or maybe the rest of your life.

Stay...

Because I need you more than you'll ever know.

"I will. Till you want me to."

She whispered looking back at him with her eyes filled with love. Purest form of love. So much love that it suffocated him to look inside her eyes.

Still holding her hand, he unconsciously started tracing small circles over it with the rough pad of his thumb looking at it without blinking.

"Can I sleep here ?"

He asked pointing towards her lap. She nodded seeing how tired he was. Her heart wasn't able to say no to him, he really needed it and she was ready to fulfill his wish, knowing he'll be back to his cold self tommorow.

"You can go after I am asleep."

He said keeping his head on her lap, sleep finding it's way, when she started caressing his hair.

"Maria...."

"Hmm."

"Today doesn't change anything."

He whispered before falling into a deep slumber. His words created painful hole inside her heart which she herself was responsible for.

What she would have done for she was helpless due to her heart who had fallen helplessly, limitlessly and irrevocably in love with him.

He was one of the best thing happened in her life and falling in love with him another, but sometimes the best things in life are the ones that cause the most pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Salam everyone,

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Till next time,

Allah Hafiz ❤️