Dil Se Kab Nikaltay Hain Waqt Jinke Saath Guzra Ho,

Bhool Jaana Bhula Dena, Faqat Ek

Wehem Hota Hai.

Her eyes widened, her smile faded losing its charm seeing him. He was standing in front of her in all his glory. The moment she dreaded to face finally came and she didn't knew how to react.

He looked changed. There were dark circles below his eyes and the shine his eyes carried was lost. He had grown beard making him look more mature.

Huh..Mature my foot.

He looked lost. He looked broken. She was able to trace a broken man in him, as he had the same broken look in his eyes which she carried four years ago.

He was the man she fell in love with. The same man she gave her heart to unknowingly. The man who crushed her heart mercilessly knowingly. The same man who vowed to protect her, to be with her, but failed to keep his promises.

He was the man she dreamt to be with. The man who made her realize that everything you wish, you pray for, cannot be fulfilled. He was her unfulfilled wish, her first heartbreak.

She gulped looking at him feeling her throat parched. The man she was running from all these years was standing a few metres away from her, taking in her presence, not able to believe that she was actually there, standing in front of him.

Seeing his shocked face she decided to go back to her room, taking this as the perfect opportunity to walk away.

Walk away without having any confrontation with him.

Talking quick steps she broke eye contact with him and tried slipping past him but he held her wrist, stopping her from leaving.

"Don't...Please don't go."

He whispered. Three words. He uttered those three words which she died to hear four years ago. Those words would have stopped her from leaving back then. Yes, she would have stopped if he asked her to. She would have convinced her heart to die everyday seeing him with another women if he asked her not to leave.

Only if he did.

But he didn't, and now his words didn't mattered to her anymore.

"Leave my hand."

Gathering every ounce of her courage she spat, trying to get her hand out of his strong hold. But his grip got more strong and he pulled her towards him decreasing their distance, their eyes now clashing against each other. Light brown against dark brown orbs. Soft against cold ones. Broken ones against hopeful ones.

"You are here. Tell me that you are, and I am not dreaming."

He whispered embracing her small frame in his arms, not able to believe that she was there. He was feeling content seeing her. Her presence was like a fresh breeze in his dead world making him feel alive again.

It was the time where everything stopped for them. It was the time when their hearts felt serenity being close with each other.

Having her in his arms made him realize that she came back. That her presence was not the fragment of his his daily imagination, but reality.

He was feeling like she never left, like she was always there with him. It was true though as she always was there on his mind, her memories imprinted in his heart. She left, but he was unable to forget her, to get her out of his system.

Her eyes haunted him all these eyes. The fearless look when she confessed her love and the hollowness her eyes carried on the day of his marriage. He remembered every single thing.

Her being in his arms brought tears in his eyes.Tears of joy. Tears of seeing her after so long.

"I missed you little birdie. I really did."

He said embracing her more tightly covering all the space which was there between them. He didn't even wanted air to be there between them. All he wanted was her in his arms, forever. His nose was nuzzling her hair taking in her sweet strawberry scent, making him feel more calm and relaxed than those stupid cigarettes did all these years.

On the other hand his words broke her out of the trance in which she was stuck. Gaining senses she pushed him with all her might feeling stupid for letting her emotions control her.

"Don't....stop telling lies. Stop pretending everything is fine. Stop hurting me again and again with your blatant lies."

Her eyes were shining with tears and she felt stupid for crying in front of him. She felt angry over herself for showing her vulnerable side to the man who doesn't deserve it.

"I-i am sorry. Forgive me please."

He whimpered with tears in his eyes and tried holding her but she jerked his hands off, taking two steps back, creating distance between them.

"Forgive you for what ? For showing me the mirror that you never cared or the lies that you fed me with."

She spat bitterly, her eyes blazing unfathomable fury towards him.

"Birdie I..."

"No...you can't trap me again in the web of lies you are spinning again."

Giving him a cold smile she took few step backwards, ready to leave.

"Please."

He pleaded, holding her hand, making her halt on her steps. Turning towards him she wiped his tears not able to control herself. His tears were paining her. She was not able to see him in tears but she would damned before telling him that his tears were disturbing her.

If you love someone you can't see them in tears and she was no different. Her heart was beating inside her, but it still belonged to him.

"Don't cry.... Stop wasting your precious tears on a girl like me... I don't deserve them."

Mocking him with a hollow smile she patted his cheeks, indicating the girl standing in front of him was not weak.

"Why ? Why are you stopping me from crying ? Why are you wiping the tears of the man who broke you ? Why ?"

Because I still love you and it pains me to see your tears.

"Because I am not you. I am not Mir Mustafa Ahwaan. I can't see you crying even after the things you did."

"That means you still love me, because there would be no other reason you are stopping me from crying."

A ray of hope flickered inside his heart which she was quick to extinguish with her words.

"I don't care if you cry for me or not. I just don't want to witness any drama of yours during my visit. Aur waise bhi Aansoo bahaane se koi apna nahi ho jaata, Mustafa. Our love is reflected in our actions and I witnessed everything a long time ago."

She whispered catching him off guard. Her words held pain and the way she spoke his name for the first time with so much coldness sent shivers down his body.

"There is no love left in me for you Mustafa, so don't delude yourself to believe that I still love you. Everything's over."

She replied him coldly, the art which she mastered in all those previous years she was away from home.

"Y-you called my name."

He stuttered, shocked witnessing her changed self.

"Yes, I did. For me now you are just a mere stranger whom I have to bear till the wedding ends. Nothing more."

"And yes.... please call me with my name Mustafa. I don't allow strangers to address me with nicknames."

She replied walking away, leaving him alone and shocked.

•

Everyone was sitting on the breakfast table when osama and Maria entered the dinning table after jogging. They greeted everyone and sat on their place.

Maria sat beside Osama to which Mustafa frowned, seeing her sitting on a different seat. Osama who also noticed his brother's frown immediately understood the reason behind it and asked her

"Party badal li hai kya tumne ?"

She was unable to understand his question and gave him a confused look.

"Kya ?"

"I mean to say, why are you not sitting at your usual seat."

He pointed his index finger towards the seat beside Mustafa to which she rolled her eyes, turned fully towards him, all the while feeling a pair of intense dark brown eyes towards them.

"It's not my seat. It belongs to Asmara, not me."

She replied remembering how asmara took her seat few years ago and she was unable to do anything. How hurt she was when Asmara took her seat without her permission, so that she could sit beside her would be husband.

"This seat is yours not her's. No one touched it since you left."

It was Mustafa who answered her politely, giving her a small smile which she ignored completely not ready to entertain his nonsense anymore.

Where were your words when she said that my seat belonged to her? You were there sitting there when she sat on my place infact you were the one who said I could sit anywhere else.

"Well I can sit anywhere I want. Our dinning table is big enough for me to sit anywhere I wish. And don't you think your wife would be angry with me for taking her seat ?"

She mocked him with the same words he used years ago defending Asmara for sitting beside him and gave him a tight lipped smile, emphasising on the word 'wife'. She didn't wanted to see his face and sitting beside him was total NO for her.

"Asmara is no more."

"What!!!"

She looked towards everyone who were giving her a sad smile. She was shocked, unable to grasp the truth.

"Wh-when ?"

"Immediately after Noor's birth."

She was so lost grasping the information she didn't realized who answered her but she was shocked to the core. Aamina never told her about her, well she never asked about both of them.

"I am so sorry for your loss."

She said feeling sad for his loss. He lost his wife and the mother of his child which was very painful. No one deserved to loose their beloved ones. She was well aware of the pain one goes through loosing their beloved ones, afterall she too lost her parents. She was feeling so sympathetic towards Noor that her eyes got misty, feeling her pain.

"It's okay."

He smiled lightly at her.

"So how's your life in Mumbai ?"

Feeling the need to change the gloomy atmosphere Osama questioned her changing the topic.

"Good. I am very happy there."

She smiled remembering the people who loved her back home. Her friends and specially Murat who doesn't leave a chance to make her happy.

"Oh!! so that's the reason why you never contacted us."

Osama teased but there was a glint of sadness in his eyes. He really missed her.

"Osama!!! How many times do I have to say that I missed you all ? I am happy with my life in Mumbai but that doesn't mean I forgot you all."

She defended herself back fearing he would ask her the reason to leave and her fear came true with Osama's next question.

"Why did you left without informing anyone and most importantly what happened at that time that made you leave ?"

She gulped meeting his eyes, knowing everyone's eyes were trained upon her only. She was dreading this question since her arrival and didn't knew how to answer.

"I...."

"Leave it Osama. She'll tell us when she is ready but for now we should be happy she is back."

It was Aaqib Ahwaan who shut Osama up seeing her hesitant. He didn't wanted to force his daughter to tell anything she wasn't comfortable sharing.

"But I'll go back immediately after appi's wedding."

She informed them of her short arrival which everyone seemed to be aware of, making her sigh in relief. She was relieved that no one would force her to stay.

"Haan tumhara dil jo lag gaya hai ab Mumbai mein."

Osama glared at her but his expressions immediately changed to that of suspicion when he again questioned her.

"Kahi pyaar vyaar to nahi ho gaya tumhe waha ? Yes, that's why you are too eager to go back."

His words immediately turned Mustafa's attention towards her and she saw him clenching his jaw while eagerly waiting for her reply.

"Are you mad Osama ? Do you know what are you saying ?"

She glared at Osama for making her the centre of attraction due to his stupid questions.

"Why ? You are a human and falling in love is human nature. Now answer my question."

Osama was eagerly waiting for her reply, her love life sparked the mischievous light inside his eyes.

"Will you please shut up Osama ?"

She groaned looking towards him who was determined and wasn't ready to back out without getting his answer.

"No! I won't, till you give me an answer."

"Abba...."

She turned towards her Abba for help. Before he could scold Osama for annoying her, he himself raised his hands in surrender gulping in fear.

"Okay! Okay! I am sorry. I won't question you. Enjoy your breakfast."

She breathed a sigh of relief leaving a very restless Mustafa behind as he really wanted her to decline Osama's allegations of being in love with someone back in Mumbai.

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

Salam everyone,

I am being too generous with you guys with the quick updates but let me tell you all that these were the chapters I already wrote so now the next update will be a little late.

I know I am being cruel but I too have life. But I promise you guys that I'll try my best to push myself to write more.

Don't forget to encourage me with votes and comments.

LOVE YOU ALL FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE....❤️❤️

PS. The chapter is not edited at all. So feel free to point out my mistakes.

Till next time,

Allah Hafiz