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Dedicated to i_over_think and amulyaputtapaka 💕

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"Jannat, Jannat," Zaid called Jannat without taking his head out from cupboard, he was searching for something there,

"Jann..." He finally took his head out and saw Jannat entering the room

"Meri blue shirt nahi mill rahi..." He told her, nodding her head, Jannat took steps forward and when saw Zaid didn't moved from his place, she looked at him, telling him to move through her eyes

(I can't find my blue shirt...)

Zaid stand aside and let Jannat stand on his place, he leaned his shoulder on the cupboard close door and stare at her

Soft peach kurti loosingly hugging her bloom, hair was in messy bun with some of its locks falling on her face, which she put behind her ear as she was searching for his shirt, her brows furrowed in irritation when couldn't find it

"Woh..." Jannat looked at his side to say something but when cought the intense eyes of his, it made her embarrassed as she bowed her head and again quickly turned to cupboard

(I think..)

This act of hers, made him smile. Uncrossing his arms, he went behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist to stomach as his cheek touched her head

Jannat jumped a little on her place as her breath hitched

Jannat tried to open her mouth to speak, but no sound came from her lips, only gasping

"Chorh... Chorhiye...." Her meek voice came

(Leave.. leave me..)

"Nahi!" His one word reply came, as he turned her to himself

(No!)

Jannat didn't dared to look at him, instead she was looking at the button of his shirt

"Kya hua? Kal se dekh raha Hoon, disturb lag rahi ho." His long finger brushed her cheek, as he slowly hold his chin and made her look at himself

(What happened? You look disturb?)

Her figure looked very small in front of his tall built body, she had to raised her head high to look into his eyes

"Woh... Kya main... Palwasha se Milne ja sakti Hoon?" Since she came, she wanted to meet Palwasha but couldn't, thinking what if Zaid get offend

(Actually... Can I... Can I go to meet Palwasha?)

Nor Palwasha came here to meet her, Jannat wasn't blaming her, she knows the state of Palwasha's heart,

"Jannat, tumhara jissey Mann Kare mil sakti ho, tumhe Meri permission ki zaroorat nahi Hain."

(You can meet whomever you want to. You don't have to take my permission.)

"Toh main ja sakti Hoon Palwasha se Milne?" She again asked to make sure that Zaid really doesn't have any problem. Right now, she was resembling a baby who wanted chocolate before going to bed

(So o can meet her?)

"Ja sakti ho." Zaid smiled and told her, this instantly brought happiness to her

(Yes, you can.)

"Thank you!" And in her happiness she hugged him, when realized what she did, she was about to pull but Zaid tighten the grip on her waist, so she can't leave

"Why you are so cute?" He mumbled,

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After Zaid left for office, Jannat got changed her clothes and also left the house for Palwasha's house

Today was Tuesday, which means Palwasha have no classes today and she must be at home

Standing on front of her house door, Jannat took a deep breath out and with clumsy hand, she ranged the doorbell

Her hands were shivering while sweat formed on her palm, she was nervous, after her marriage she had only one proper conversation with Palwasha that too was in their college,

"Palwasha, dekho darwaze pe Kon Hai? Palwasha!" Palwasha's mother called her from kitchen, but when didn't got any reply from her, she wiped her hands with kitchen towel and went to open the door

(Look who is at the door? Palwasha?)

"As... Assalamualaikum! Aunty." Jannat was expecting Palwasha but seeing her mother, made her more scared

"Walekum-Assalam!" Her tone comes rude, her hands were either side of the door,

"Woh.. aunty... Palwasha Hai?" Jannat slowly asked while trying to peek in

(Aunty, is Palwasha there?)

"Haan, hai, kyu?" She didn't let Jannat any chance to look in

(Yes, she is, why?)

"Aap... Aap ussey bula dengi?" Jannat stand still and asked

(Can you... Can you call her?)

"Kis liye?"

(For what?)

"Mujhe ussey milna Tha..." With every passing seconds, with every question, Jannat's anxiety was increasing

(I want to meet her...)

"Aur milke uski taqleef mein mazeed izafa kardo. Bohot mushkil se sambhli Hai woh sure tum phir agayi uske zakhmo pe namak chirakne..." She interrupted Jannat's sentence and rudely asked

(And increase her pain, she had got hold of her emotions very hardly,)

"Aunty,... Maine to bas ussey milna chahti Hoon.." she was never ride to Jannat, she used to say that Jannat is her second daughter, how can say these things then to her daughter? Her words were sharp enough to wound Jannat

(I just wanted to meet her..)

"Koi zaroorat nahi Hai ussey Milne ki."

(There is no need of you in her life.)

"Tum ja sakti ho, aur dubara mat ana, pata chale tumhare chehre mein apne tootay khwab ka aks dikhe."

(You can go now, and don't come back, your face reflects the broken piece of her dreams.)

"I'm sorry." Jannat apologize with wet eyes, her glassy eyes could melt anyone but not the woman in front of her, who thought Jannat is the reason behind her daughter's misery

"Kon Tha, mummy?" Palwasha who has just come out from bathroom with a towel in her hand, drying her wet hair, asked her mother when saw her closing the main door

(Who was on the door?)

"Koi nahi." She replied and again went to kitchen, Palwasha pushed the curtains away from window and looked outside, there she found Jannat's petite figure going back to her home

(No one.)

Closing the curtains again, she went back to her room

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Loosing his tie, Zaid threw his body on sofa and relaxed there for bit while closing his eyes and massaging his temple,

The soft sound of tickling cought his attention and something was placed on table

Without opening his eyes, he knew it was Jannat, who has just placed glass of water on table for him

Before she could leave, Zaid held her wrist and pulled her on himself

Although he opened his eyes smilingly, because after a long tiring day he would see the face of his wife and it would remove all the tiredness from him, but when he saw her swollen eyes, his smile wiped out

"Tum ro rahi thi?" Putting his hand on her left cheek, he worriedly asked

(You were crying?)

Jannat quickly shook her head negatively. "Nahi toh.. woh main kitchen mein thi..."

(No,... I was in kitchen na..)

"Jannat!" He made his voice hard on her excuses

"Kisine kuch kaha?" When he saw her looking down and fidgeting with her ownself, Zaid made his voice gentle. He know he can't handle her with harshness but still due to his habit, time to time he made his voice stern which always scares her

(Did someone said anything to you?)

"Woh.. aunty ne mujhe Palwasha se Milne se mana Kar diya." Playing with the button of his shirt, she told him

(Aunty stopped me from meeting Palwasha.)

"Kyu?"

(Why?)

"Kyuki..." Jannat raised her head to told him everything but then hold herself

(Because...)

"Pata nahi..." She mumbled

(I don't know..)

"Jab jhoot bolna nahi ata toh mat bola karo. Batao Kya kaha aunty ne tumhe." But what can he do, she is the one who forced him to act stern,

(Don't lie when you can't, what did aunty said to you?)

Feeling his tightened eyes on her, Jannat told him everything

After listening to everything, Zaid closed his eyes tightly to calm himself, otherwise he would burst his anger on her, and that's the last thing he wanted to do right now

Feeling his quickened breath, Jannat got scared that he is angry at her

Zaid shockingly opened his eyes when he felt her whimpering in his arms

"Jannat!" Wiping her tears, he called her

"Stop crying, kitna roti ho?"

(How much do you cry?)

"Aap mujhse gussa Hain?" Some tears were still on her cheek, which she wiped by the back of her hand and asked him

(Are angry at me?)

"Main tumse Kabhi gussa nahi ho sakta." Zaid honestly told her, as he hugged her close to him,

(I can never be angry at you.)

"Aur tum aunty ki baaton pe dhyaan mat do, unhe haqeeqat nahi maloom, isliye kuch bhi keh diya." Crassing her hair, he softly said

(And don't focus on Aunty's words, she doesn't know the truth that's hey she said all those things.)

"Kya Palwasha mujhse nafrat karti Hai?" Jannat asked in small voice, Palwasha was her only friend, she didn't wanted to lose her

(Does Palwasha hates me?)

"Koi tumse nafrat nahi Kar sakta, Jannat." How can anyone hate the innocent soul like Jannat

(No one can hate you.)

Jannat who only knows how to keep everyone happy but never cares about her ownself,

Jannat who tried to be strong but is ball of cotton, she could melt easily if anyone talks sweet words to her, that's why from childhood he was over possessive about her

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"Jannat bohot nazuk Hain isliye woh Bahar ka kuch nahi khati thi, aur uski wajah se main bhi nahi khati thi." Palwasha finished her story to Mohib,

(Jannat is very fragile, that's why she doesn't ate fast food and Because of her I also didn't.)

"You miss her?" Mohib suddenly asked while looking at her beaming face

Palwasha looked at him then shrugged her shoulder

"Maybe I do..." Looking down at her feet, Palwasha said, her hands were either side of her as she was swinging her feet in air by sitting on the bench, Mohib was just beside her with few distance between them

"Go and talk to her."

"Zaid bhi honge waha." How weird it was, she couldn't say all these things to anyone but here she is telling Mohib about it

(Zaid must be there with her.)

The guy whom she knows only from some weeks, but it felt like she knows him all her life, maybe because both were same in some sense

"Jab Tak ussey face nahi karogi tab tak move on kaise karogi?"

(How you'll move on if you won't face him?)

"Shayad main move on karna hi nahi chahti. Kabhi Kabhi agey badhne se behtar hota Hai ki hum wahi ruk ke ek pal ki sukoon ki saans lele." With wetness in her eyes, but the ghost smile of past on her lips, Palwasha said

(Maybe I don't wanna move on. Sometimes before taking steps forward, it's better if we stopped and took some breath out.)

"And sometimes holding on hurts more than letting it go." Mohib add

This made her look at him

He once again, made her speechless

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