The sun rose brightly in the deep blue sky. The shaft of the sun pierced through the windows of the Khawaja’s mansion. The early morning dew was still vivid on the flowers in the compound. In the gold and white sparkling living room, Mr Asad was rushing downstairs when his wife came up his way.
“Good morning, dear,” she greeted.“Good morning, dear, how was your night?” Mr Asad responded, checking his wristwatch.“It was fine. Breakfast is ready,” she announced.“I will have breakfast in the office,” he declared, heading toward the door.“I also want to talk with you,” she said, following him up. He turned abruptly to her.“I am in a hurry, dear, we will talk when I return,” Mr Asad said and hurried out. Mr Hamdaan was already waiting for him. Mr Asad entered the car and Mr Hamdaan drove off.Back in the living room, Rayan met his mother. “Good morning, Mom,” Rayan greeted.“Good morning, son,” the mother responded, heading to the dining room.The following morning, Liyana was woken up by a call from Ayaan. She yawned sleepy as she sat up on the bed to answer the call.“Hello?” she said, still yawning.“Are you still on the bed?” Ayaan asked from the other end of the phone.“You just disturbed my sleep, Ayaan. Why are you calling so early?” she queried, wiping her face with the back of her hand.“So early?” he chuckled. “This is 09:07 AM and it’s still so early?” he said and Liyana checked her wall clock, it turned out to be true.“Oh, God! I slept too tight today. The so-called alarm didn’t wake me up,” she lamented. “But the good news is that I have prayed,” she smiled, feeling proud of herself.“Hmm! When did you pray?” Ayaan asked.“Well, I was awake earlier, just a makeup sleep that lasted this while.”“Okay…so, what was your father’s good news all about?” Ayaan queried.“Um, well, it’s nothing serious. How is Naaniji? Hope she’s taking
Two days later, Rayan and his armed men stormed into Ayaan’s home. The grandma was in the living room, ending her Zhur namaz. She folded her prayer mat and placed it on a side table alongside her Qur’an. She sighed and sat down.“How may I help you, my sons?” the grandma asked nonchalantly, not even a slight fear of their firearms.“We want you to deliver a simple message to your grandson. Tell him to stay clear of Liyana if he still loves his breath,” Dave, Rayan’s right-hand man spoke out. Then Rayan stepped forward. “I hate mercies, old woman. Tell him his days will be numbered if I ever see him with Liyana again,” Rayan groaned in a husky, yet calm tone.“Why are you all disturbing yourselves? Let those bonded in love be. I know Allah will provide you all with your heart desires at the appropriate time,” the grandma stated, her look neither changing nor her soft tone. “My grandchild has nothing to do with that. Moreover, no one can take another’s life without the permission of Al
At Shah’s house, Mrs Shah was in the living room going through her latest fashion magazine when a knock came up on the door. She stood up to go get the door. The visitor was no one else, but Rayan’s mother. Mrs Shah was surprised as she let the woman in.“Y…you’re welcome, Madam Uma, please, have a seat,” Mrs Shah offered happily.“Thank you,” Mrs Khawaja smiled and sat down on one of the couches.“What should I offer you?” Mrs Shah asked.“Don’t bother, Jasveen, come sit with me. I want us to talk,” Mrs Khawaja said, patting the space beside her. Mrs Shah, with a full grin, sat down beside her.“What are we talking about, Madam Uma?” “Don’t call me Madam Uma, Jasveen, just call me Uma, I will love that. Besides, we are one big family now, there should be some informality, don’t you think so?”“Ah, you are right, Uma. Welcome once again.”“Thank you. I came to see how you are faring and also to know about the plans for the marriage of my son and your daughter. Since we are the two mo
“Why don’t we report to the police?” Sofia queried as she was seated with Liyana and Faizan on a street bench.“What can they do? They will simply tell you they will try their best but do nothing to help. I hate the cops so much,” Faizan stated.“Why do you say that?” Sofia asked.“I once lost my sister. We didn’t know how it happened but she got missing from school. We reported it to the police. They did nothing. For over a year, we couldn’t find her. Then we concluded she was dead and we tried to forget her,” he explained.“What are you insinuating, Faizan?” Liyana interjected with a heavy heart. “You are saying I won’t ever find or see Ayaan again? Is that what you’re saying?”“Don’t misunderstand me, Liyana. I was just trying to explain the reason we can’t involve the police,” Faizan cleared. Liyana closed her eyes, sighed, and opened them with a drop of tears.“I can’t believe I had to witness such an accident. Oh, my God! I was shivering. Oh, poor guy,” one girl was telling her
In the morning, Liyana hurried out of bed, rushing to the bathroom to freshen up. She returned to her room, dressed up, and rushed out. Reaching the living room, she bumped into her father.“Good morning, Father,” Liyana greeted, stopping and breathing heavily.“Where are you going in such a hurry?” the father asked.“I’m going to Sofia’s place. See you when I get back,” she bade and hurried out. “Where is she going?” Liyana’s mother queried, walking to the father.“She’s going to see Sofia,” the father replied and sat down on the couch.“In such a hurry?” the mother asked and sat down beside the father.“Let her be, Jasveen. Let her enjoy her freedom while it lasts.”“What do you mean by that?”“When she gets married, she wouldn’t have time to rush out anymore, she will learn to take care of her family first before deciding to go out,” the father stated and the mother laughed.“The same way I’m stuck in this house, right?”“Are you stuck in this house?” the father asked.“Just jokin
Liyana and the rest were soon inside. Liyana sat beside Ayaan, clutching her hand in his. She rested her head on his shoulder while constantly sighing.“So, what’s going to happen now, doctor?” Sofia asked. “Is there no treatment for him to regain his memory soonest?”“If there was, I would have given it to him. His condition is temporary, he will regain his memory eventually, possibly in a few days,” the doctor replied. Sofia sighed and relaxed her head against the couch.“Doctor? Can we go with him?” Liyana asked sadly.“I’m afraid no. He is on medication, I can’t just allow you to take him like that,” the doctor declared. Liyana jerked her head from Ayaan’s shoulder.“Why is that? Can’t he take the medication at home?” Liyana queried calmly but in a pissed tone.“He is still my patient, Liyana. I can’t let him go with you unguarded.”“You think we are lying about ourselves?” Liyana snapped.“It’s okay, Liyana
In the morning, Liyana was sleeping beautifully on Ayaan’s bed when he came along. He stood at the door, looking at her. He moved closer and sat down on a chair close to the bed. He leaned closer, having a clearer view of her face. She looked innocent. He lifted his hand and pulled back her hair from her face.“How could I have forgotten you, Liyana? How can an accident make me forget you?” Ayaan thought to himself. “Even in my present condition, you have stolen my heart. Now it doesn’t matter if I remember my past or not, I still love you. Thanks for coming for me,” Ayaan expressed in his thought. He kissed her forehead. Liyana opened her eyes and Ayaan sat up, looking guilty.“Ayaan?” Liyana called and sat up on the bed. “What are you doing?” she asked and yawned.“I’m sorry, I got carried away,” he apologized.“What did you do?” she asked.“I…I didn’t mean to do it. I just… I…” Ayaan stuttered.“Come on, Ayaan, are you scared
At Ayaan’s place, he was seated in the living room, going through a book when Liyana came along. She sat down with him.“Let’s go out, Ayaan,” Liyana said.“Where are we going?” Ayaan asked, turning to face her.“To the garden, the place we vowed not to be separated forever,” she commented.“Do you think it will help me remember?” he queried. She rolled her eyes and sighed.“I’m not sure. Do you know I once claimed to hate you?” she asked and he raised his brow at her. She entwined her hand in his. “It wasn’t real but I wanted to force it. I never knew I was in love with you, that was why I was scared of the feelings that arise when I come across you. Like seriously, I couldn’t control it then I have to claim I hate you to shrink that feeling,” she confessed and chuckled. “Then when you helped me in the market, I realized I shouldn’t fight the feelings anymore, I exposed my heart and allowed the feelings to flow. From that moment, I promised myself to stick with you no matter what bec