..Till home finds its way back...

December mornings in Abbottabad is something Parizad surely missed a lot but more than anything she missed these familiar brown gates. Just two streets away from the Haweli, there resides this place, a place which had actually been her home.

Home is where the heart is. And undoubtedly Dr Parizad Amir had left some parts of hearts here, always been here.

Coming through those gates, her eyes roam around. This is the place she lived the most part of her life, her childhood memories, her teenage crush, her love and then her heartbreak too.

●●●●

"Listen I am not ready for this. You are not ready for this. For speaking out loud, we are hardly adults Pari.

And this is not the time to get married not now, never."

"But who is asking you to get married? They are just talking about the engagement and that too if you are okay with the idea. So please calm down Ruh"

"Calm down? Yeah right calm down as if I don't that you are jumping with happiness from inside. Listen and listen to me carefully, I am not getting into any forced relationship.

I will ... I will go to Islamabad. I got my admission there, my future is waiting for and this will only ruin it."

"You are running away Ruh."

"Yes, I am. Because it's my deal with problems, me and my problems, we both don't like each other so I don't face them.

And as you are saying yes I am running away because it's the easy way out."

"Better than being with me. Running away, leaving everything behind away from everyone who loves you is better for you and being with me.

Is that what you are saying.?"

"Yes happy yes I am...aah"

"Go run away. But remember I will wait only for a certain period, after that even if you want to come back, I won't take you back."

"Trust me Parizad it's better if you leave right now, because only if I lost it now.."

"The thing is Ruhaan Rizwan, only cowards chose to run away, and I'm not a coward unlike you.

I know how to face problems, and I will face them."

●●●●

The minute that past moment passed her mind, she is ready to take an about-turn and ran away as far as possible. But the thing is she will never do that. Parizad Amir may leave this place but never ran away from her problems.

◆●◆●◆

Today standing in front of the familiar doors, she simply doesn't know what will happen next. How will they react to seeing her here? Who is she to come here? This is Rizwan's mansion, and she is no more the best friend of their only son.

Even before knocking the door opens and there stands someone she loved always, someone who loves her even more, someone who had been a mother to her, there stands Sadia Rizwan as if waiting for her to come back, just like the day she left years ago.

Tears flowing without any pause from Sadia's eyes, cupping her face she looks at them for a good few moments then hugs her tight. And at that moment, in that hug, Parizad knows she is home, finally a home-like feeling.

"Finally my daughter is home, and now I am not letting you go again, Pari."

For a second she doesn't know how to address her, but now she knows.

Only because of one coward, she is not ruining her other relations

"Amma.."

She calls her and with that Sadia knows her child is still in pain, a kind of pain that should never be there.

"Aree Sadia she is my daughter too let me hug her now" Looking at the mother-daughter duo, Hamid Rizwan finally asked them.

Hugging his daughter years after today, he feels peace, a kind of peace he missed for a few years now.

"How are you tell me first? You look so pale. I know you don't have your meals on time there. Pari I am telling you.."

"Aree Sadia let her breath at least now. She came after so long."

"And whose fault is that Rizwan Shahab." And a lump formed in Parizad's throat.

Even the mention of the past haunts her.

"Amma let it be. Now tell me about yourself."

"Pari bacchey baat yeh hain, jab bacchey bade hojate hain na toh maa baap ko bhul jate hain. Par Maa toh bacchey ko nahi bhul sakti na."

And Pari honestly doesn't know whom she is talking about, is it her, is it him, perhaps both.

"I am sorry Amma"

"Why you are sorry Pari? You shouldn't be. You did nothing wrong. Someone else did wrong to you and I am sorry I can't change that."

"He is in the city Amma"

"We know that Pari."

"Abba, you guys shouldn't be so hard on him. It's been a decade now."

"We are not being hard on Pari. He left that was his choice. He wanted to live in Islamabad we agree to that too, we visit him once in a while too.

But about coming back to this house, well there's no place for him anymore."

"And I am sure he is much more comfortable in the apartment."

"Amma he is your son"

"You are my daughter too Pari."

"And he ran away Pari not to forget that." And Parizad knows there is no way to convince them.

She doesn't know she should be happy or sad. They literally asked their own son not to come back, and here they were always been waiting for her. It's wrong of them but she can never complain about this.

"I will make something for you."

"No Amma you wait I will make something today."

"Haa Pari makes the masala chai, I missed it so much."

"Jee Abba"

"And a black coffee for me too." And that sudden voice makes her steps come to a halt.

Years later he is here. And he heard it all.

Standing on the entrance there stood Ruhaan Rizwan, telling her to make his coffee, just like old days.

With a nod she left for the kitchen, she knows if she stays here a minute more in the scene, she will break down.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well it's my home too Abba"

Home even the word seemed foreign to him, but now it feels home. He is home, his heart is here, always been.

"Now he remembers his way back home."

"I never forget that Amma." Taking a next to his Amma, he knows she is naraaz with him but doesn't matter.

Sadia Rizwan loves her children way too much, so anytime soon all her anger will be drained out.

But that's not the same case with his father though, he had always been a bit biased with him. He always loved Pari a bit more than him and today is no different.

◆●◆●◆

Taking a sip of the coffee he knows nothing changed actually. Same taste, same aroma, same feeling and the same person made this.

This is what he was missing for a decade now. A perfect cup of coffee, perhaps that can be made by a certain someone, Parizad Amir, his Pari.

A heart he had broken, a heart she had ripped apart, a home he had lost, a friendship she had ended. And whose fault is this, only his or maybe their both.

"I will leave now Amma. I have to leave today only."

"But..."

"Amma please, I will call you later on."

Taking her to leave, she is in a hurry, she can't stay here anymore.

●◆●◆●

"Pari wait." And that's it. He is not leaving her now, she knows it.

"Don't call me that Ruhaan, you lost the right way back."

"I didn't. Trust me I didn't. Look around Pari and see, it's not only you who had suffered. Every one of us did. And now it's enough. I want to put an end to this. I'm done with this running Pari. Now is the time I want to come back home, to you Pari."

"You want to put an end to this. An end. Didn't you end everything way back Ruhaan? And about coming back, I did wait for you, I did it for five years long but you didn't. My love for you may didn't come with an expiry date but my waiting period did. And you are five years late. So sorry, I am not standing there for you anymore Ruh."

With that she left taking the last bit of his peace with her, perhaps he is really late.

"But it's better late than never. Ruhaan Rizwan can travel to hell if he needs to for something he wants, and you my love holds my heart for the longest of time now. Be prepare Pari, be prepared to make me a cup of coffee, every morning from now on."

And it's a promise, and he keeps his promises.

------------