Aeleya woke up refreshed. When she saw the three missed calls from her mom, she quickly called back. When she found out that Aarush had gone and left, and that she slept through it all, Aeleya couldn't help but become super angry.
"No! That was my chance to talk to him!" She felt like crying. Throwing her phone to the side, she got up and paced around. "Now what? When do I talk to him? I missed my chance!" She missed talking to him, even though it had barely been a day. Little did she know, her love for him had already turned into an obsession. Just like Aarush had for her. However, unlike Aarush who had good self control, Aeleya didn't have the same control. She didn't know how to hold her feelings back. She sat on the bed and picked up her phone. Seeing his name, she was tempted to hit call, but thinking for a few minutes, she didn't do it. "I can't bother him at work. If I keep bothering him, how will he get his work done? Plus, it would only burden him." She didn't think he would find it annoying since she knew that Aarush would love it too, but she knew that he told her to call less because he was truly getting busy and if she called him, he would only get more distracted.
She decided to fight her urge to talk to him and began to find something else to do. She went downstairs and quickly found Hazim. Aeleya had him take her out to hang out for a bit, in order to distract her. Just like that, she went out for most of the day, and then came back. And hung around Aarush's parents. She would listen to stories that Aarush's mother had to say about Aarush.
"Mom." Suddenly, as she was sitting comfortably on the ground, she turned her head and saw Aliya walking into the house. In her arms was a little kid while beside her was an incredibly good-looking man. He was tall, even more then Aarush, while his hair was a light brown color. His dark brown eyes looked very mysterious, while his muscular build was very manly.
"Aliya." Aeleya got up and greeted her. Of course, Aeleya could tell right away that the man was Aarush's Jeej, Aliya's husband. She had seen his pictures. "Jeej, nice to see you again." This was her second meeting with the man. The first time being at her wedding. She never got to talk to him too much since he was a busy man. From what she knew about him, his family was wealthy from the very beginning. They were super educated and also owned lots of land in various countries. Although Aarush was wealthy himself and was probably wealthier than each individual person in the family of his Jeej, but the combined wealth that came from Aarush's family was not something Aarush could even compare to.
"Aeleya, we never got to talk too much. Nice to meet you as well." He smiled brightly at Aeleya. "I'm happy that Aaru finally found someone, especially a pretty girl like you." He looked at her with brother like affection. He was much older than her and Aarush, so he treated her like a little sister.
Aeleya giggled a little. "Thank you." She spoke in a shy manner. She finally understood why Aarush always complimented his Jeej. He was truly an ordinary person. His style of speech was so mature and calming, while his words were very nice to hear. He really was a big brother type figure.
"Aeleya, have you talked to Aaru yet? That little shit…" She cursed under her breath.
Seeing her already showing anger which she was so known for, Aeleya smiled bitterly. "Aliya, why are you getting so angry already? Here, atleast let Noori go and play, you're not even letting my baby down." Jeej spoke in a helpless manner as he gently grabbed Noori from Aliya and placed her on the ground. "Give me a kiss before you go." Noori smiled brightly and kissed her dad before running off.
"Shut up. You know that Aaru is being a little stupid. He left Aeleya here all alone and ran off to America. There goes all of his big words of 'I'm never going to leave my wife's side' and 'screw work, my wife is more important.', pftt, all talk." She grumbled with her arms crossed. Jeej rubbed his eyebrows and sighed.
"Can't you relax? Aarush has his own problems and you know it. He doesn't get a choice in the matter either. It's either being here or losing his job and being cursed at by so many people for being such a bad doctor." Jeej was a lot more rational and knew the ins and outs of being a doctor. After all, there was no lack of doctors in his family. "Anyways, I'm tired let's go and sit down first. Please." He spoke in an almost begging manner.
Watching the two, Aeleya couldn't help but giggle. She found the whole situation very cute. The two made a very good couple, especially with one being the feisty one and the other calmer. 'Ah, if only Aarush was here. We could also have our cute moments.' When she thought about it, Aarush was very similar to Jeej, but much gentler and even slightly more affectionate. Maybe it was because they were newlywed, but Aarush was so much more focused on her when he was with her. Not letting her hand go, kissing her whenever he got the chance, and then trying to take other advantages in secret he would do it all. Aeleya blushed just thinking about it.
"Anyways, Aeleya let's go inside then. Aarush won't be here, so I'll be here to make sure you aren't bored. Haha." She spoke while laughing. Aeleya nodded her head and followed Aliya inside. "Babe, can you get me some water please? I'm really thirsty. Thanks." Jeej smiled helplessly while nodding his head.
Aliya wasn't ashamed of her way of acting, that was just how she and her husband were. "Aliya, go and get water yourself. Stop being so lazy!" Aliya's mom, who was watching from the side, glared at her daughter and spoke in an angry tone. "Hafiz beta, come and sit. Aliya will go and fetch you water." She looked at Jeej, or Hafiz, and smiled gently.
Hafiz sat down on a sofa and smirked at Aliya. His eyes showed playfulness as he stuck his tongue out at Aliya. "Yes, yes Aliya, get me some water. Make sure it's cold." Aliya got up angrily and stormed off.
"No way I'm getting water for you." Seeing her suddenly get so angry, Hafiz got up quickly and ran after her.
"I'm joking Aliya, c'mon." He chased behind her while laughing. Aliya's mom laughed while watching this. She looked at Aeleya and spoke while shaking her head.
"Aliya is so old now, but she still acts like a kid. Even Hafiz, he spoils her too much. He isn't any better. Luckily, Aaru is much more mature." She smiled and looked at Aeleya. "How are you faring so far? I know it must be hard to be far from Aarush when you guys just got married. Plus, you both barely even spent time together since he had to go to work right away. He may be mature, but he is really dumb." She shook her head. She suddenly got a bright idea. "Aeleya, since Aarush isn't here, why don't you spend more time with Noori? You should know by now that Aarush is basically obsessed with Noori, so playing with her more might help lighten your mood."
Thinking about it, Aeleya decided it was a good idea. Aarush really loved Noori and so maybe getting closer to her might make Aarush happy. Plus, Noori was a really cute kid, so why wouldn't she want to get close? Getting up, she went to find Noori. "Noori?" She yelled out while searching.
"Yes?" Noori suddenly appeared behind her with a confused look on her face. She was holding onto an apple slice. Her confused face was super cute, especially as she munched on the apple slice.
"Do you remember me?" Aeleya got on the ground and sat down, looking at the little girl with a smile.
Noori thought for a moment and nodded her head, "Aaru uncles wife."
"Yup. You know, you can call me Aeleya mami, or Aela, or anything, if you want." She looked at the girl and felt like kissing her face all over.
Noori nodded her head. "Aela." Aeleya smiled brightly and couldn't stop herself. She grabbed her cheeks and gave her a big kiss. "Ah." Noori couldn't help but feel a little surprised, but she laughed right after. Wiping the saliva that was on her cheek she looked at Aeleya with a shy smile.
"Alright, want to go and play something with me?" Aeleya didn't have many people to hang out with, so Noori was going to be the best person.
Nodding her head, Noori lifted her arms, gesturing to be picked up. Aeleya got up and picked up the little girl. Since she was four-ish, she wasn't too small. Her weight was a little much for Aeleya, but she was still able to barely pick her up.
"Let's go to my room. I have lots of games there." Noori smiled and wrapped her hands around Aeleya's neck. The two made their way upstairs. Of course, Aeleya informed the helpless Jeej about where she and Noori would be. They finally arrived in Aeleya's room and the latter quickly put Noori down. She was exhausted.
"Wow, what a big room." Noor looked around in amazement. She ran around for a bit with the apple slice still firmly held in her hand.
Aeleya smiled when she saw this. She quickly pulled out a few games they could play. Of course, none of the games had any small items which Aeleya could possibly choke on. She didn't want to take any risks.
"Noori, do you know how to play this game? It's super fun." Aeleya called her over and she began to set up a game. They played for hours, just until Noori fell asleep. Aeleya picked her up and walked into her bedroom. She placed the little girl on the bed and decided to lay next to her. Stroking her hair, Aeleya smiled. "To think such a little girl saved my love from so much pain." She kissed Noori's forehead and smiled gently. "Luckily you saved him, or else I would have never found him." Wrapping her hands around her, she also closed her eyes. She was sleeping a little earlier than normal, but there wasn't much else she could do. Most of the cleaning was done by a servant, while the cooking wasn't needed to be done. Aliya was busy with her husband, while everyone else had something to do. Even Hazim was busy with the tasks that Aarush left for him. There was only her and Noori. Noori was a little kid so anything could let her pass some time. Aeleya was truly the only bored and lonely one.
She closed her eyes and went to sleep. The next few days went about the same way. She would wake up, play with Noori for most of the day, while occasionally speaking with Aliya and Aliya's mom. Hazim got busy with his work, and since she had Noori and Aliya, she decided not to disturb him too much. She asked permission from Aliya if Noori could spend the nights with her, which Aliya didn't mind. Rather she didn't really care where Noori slept since Noori was comfortable with everyone. As long as Noori was happy, Aliya didn't concern herself with much else.
Four days of no communication with Aarush. The latter himself was super busy. He did visit Aeleya's parents a few times in between, somethings playing with Nabeel for an hour or so, and then heading back to work. Just like how Aeleya had bonded more with Noori, he had then the same with Nabeel.
"Dr. Yunus, it has been two days now since Kenrick has entered the vegetable state. His response is still zero, while his brain is deteriorating. What are we going to do?" James stood in Aarush's office with a deep frown on his face. Aarush also had a deep frown. Things weren't progressing as he planned. It had been a little more then a week now since he left Pakistan. For the four days after he first visited Aeleya's parents, the situation with Kenrick was becoming very bad. He was able to quickly come out of his coma, earlier than expected, but his brain was still damaged, and it was getting difficult to heal. He hadn't even spoken to Aeleya yet, plus he promised her he would only be in America for at most a week, yet it had already exceeded that time.
"James, the vegetative state is very peculiar. Based on my assumptions from before, he should completely recover from this state within six months, but now I think that it might take atleast a year. He will eventually recover from this state, that I can guarantee. Sadly, it won't be anytime soon. Although I told the parents that he will gradually lose his motor skills and so on, that was meant to be after the vegetative state. Right now, I have to refer him to a specialist. This hospital doesn't have that specialist who can help him recover quickly." Aarush sighed. He wasn't able to speed up the kid's recovery from the vegetative state mostly because it requires a long-term commitment and continuous monitoring. He would need to be with the kid atleast six hours a day, every day, and ensure he was getting the nutrients he needed and that he was in a certain type of environment which could speed his recovery. Sadly, he couldn't commit to one patient six hours a day. He had many more patients to care for, it just wasn't something he could. "Alright, come with me while I go and talk to the parents about this. Luckily, he is now able to be moved around, so the parent's can now take him away." He sighed. 'If the surgery never happened, Kenrick wouldn't have fallen into a coma, not would have entered this vegetative state. But everything is messed up now, it can; t be reversed.' He felt angry just thinking about it. One wrong move and everything was in shambles.
He quickly found the parents and sat them down. The father was anxious. His son's eyes were open, but he wasn't saying a word. "Dr, what's going on with my son? You said he would be back to normal after he woke up, why isn't he responding?!"
"Sir, I promise you this is perfectly normal." Aarush sighed and began to explain. "Your son was in a coma for about three days. After a person wakes up from a coma, they enter into a state called the vegetative state. We call it such, because they are like vegetables, unable to move nor react." He patiently gave them a run down of what was going on and why. He also tried to calm them down by informing them that it was all normal. Which wasn't a lie, since a vegetative state did follow after a coma. "You see, Kenrick is actually awake and can hear everything and see everything, but he just isn't able to respond, not yet atleast."
"What do you mean not yet?!" The father was getting angry again.
"Sir, in this state, most patients find it difficult to ever recover, but Kenrick will eventually recover, that I will guarantee. However, because of the high amount of damage done to his brain, he will be in this state for a period of time." Aarush said.
"How long exactly." The father asked while glaring.
Aarush sighed and spoke carefully. "I can't give you an exact number as these things cannot be put into numbers, but I can say this. It should take at most six months until his responses return. Of course, right after, he will begin to lose his motor skills permanently and so on."
"Six months!?" The father threw his chair to the side and growled. "You said a week and now six months?! What the fuck is this place?! I want you to save my son, but all of you are just screwing around! Forget it, I'm taking my son to a better place! This hospital has done enough! Dr. Yunus, you fucking scum of a doctor!" With that, the father commanded the nurses to take his son out of the room. The nurses looked at Aarush and the latter nodded.
"Make sure to keep him hooked to the I.V's and all the other equipment. Board him on an ambulance and let the father take him wherever." Technically, it was alright to move Kenrick now, as long as he was hooked to everything. Aarush looked at the father and sighed. "I apologize for our inadequate treatment, but if you wish to keep your son alive, please do not remove any of the devices from him. They are feeding him the nutrients he needs to stay alive. As long as they remain on him, he can survive." The father harrumphed and walked out of the room with his wife. Aarush was left alone with James.
"Alright, James, I will give me a piece of the case today and present everything I have. We may lose out on this case, but it wouldn't be too bad, but only in the financial department. Our reputation is about to take a big hit, which is bad for our future. From now on, no screw ups. Every time you do something, think a million times. Get a million confirmation. Get your confirmation confirmed. Right now, we will be entering a very sensitive time for the hospital. We will probably not get too many major cases for a while, so everything depends on the smaller scaled patients. Don't screw up." He then turned around and walked away. He waited a few hours in his office, getting everything ready for his court case. Although he was told by the chairman he wouldn't need to get involved, Aarush felt like it would help the hospital if he did get involved. After all, he was the one heading the kids recovery.
After waiting for a while, he finally got the call to come to court by the chairman. He quickly left. Arriving at the court, his appeal took him about an hour. He gave various evidence for them trying their best, while also trying to explain that the situation was unrepairable whether the kid came or not. Soon, he finished his piece and waited on the side. He was called a few more times, but it was much shorter than before. The case lasted for a few hours and after it was done, he was finally allowed to leave.
"Aarush, the next day for the case will be in two weeks. You have already given your statement and all the information related to this. I don't think you will be needed here anymore. I already asked the court for permission to let you leave. They consented." The chairman walked over with a smile. He was very carefree. Sure, the hospital was at risk, but the chairman believed that they would win the case. Especially since the evidence pointing towards the kid having a genetic problem which was unresolvable was very high. Of course, the hospital would most likely have to pay compensation in the millions because of speeding the deterioration, but that would be the limit. "You are free to go back to Pakistan and finally have a break. Again, you are allowed a month off, plus maybe a week extra if you want. We won't contact you again, if something pops up, I'll handle it or have one of the other doctors take care of it."
"Thanks." Aarush sighed in relief. He could finally return after a long time. Aarush quickly left the building and headed back to his house. On the way, he looked up the fastest and earliest flight heading to Karachi. There was a flight which would leave in a few hours. Luckily not all the seats were filled in business class, so he was able to quickly pay for it and book his seat. Sadly, the flight was a direct one, meaning he would be in air constantly. "Whatever, atleast I'll be there by early morning after tomorrow." He drove all the way to his house, but when he arrived there, he noticed another car parked by his house. He knew that it was parked for his house, because the space between each house was very large. It was a small community with lots of large houses. He parked his car outside of the garage and got out. "Who could it be?" The car was somewhat familiar. He walked over and saw that it was empty. He raised an eyebrow. He turned around and walked to the front door. He noticed that the house was unlocked, which made him a little worried. 'Did someone sneak into the house? But it was locked.' He was worried mostly since all the girls' jewelry was inside. Aeleya's golden jewellery, his mom's, his sisters, and even Aliya's. If it was robbed, that would be a very big blow which would be hard to come back from. He may be wealthy, but he didn't have infinite money. He couldn't easily buy all the jewelry back. A deep frown was on his face as he entered his house slowly. "Who's in here!" He yelled deeply, looking around carefully.
"Oh Aarush, it's me." He turned his head and saw a familiar face. When he saw her, there was first shock on his face, then a bit of relief, but he began to frown even more.
"Mona, what are you doing here? You can't just enter someone's house without asking." His frown was deep as he walked past her and entered the kitchen. Sure Aliya and Mona were very close, and he may have been close to her before, but that didn't mean she could enter an empty house without anyone knowing. That was not allowed.
Mona bit her pink lips and said with a bitter face. "I told Aliya I was coming here to drop a few things off."
"Aliya? I'm sorry, but next time tell me first since I'm the only one here right now. I thought that a thief entered the house. You could have texted me just in case, I wouldn't have said anything." His frown eased, but he felt a little irritated by her answer. Asking Aliya was not any better, since Aliya wasn't here at the moment. Since he was the only one here, he should have been the one informed just in case he would be surprised like he was currently. "Anyways, what did you come to drop off?" He sat on a chair and asked her after calming his nerves. He still felt his adrenaline pumping since he kept thinking that someone intruded into his house and that he would have to meet someone dangerous potentially. Not saying that Mona wasn't dangerous in her own right.
She sighed seeing him become angry. She was used to this, however. Aarush was always a very sensitive person who would flip about small things, but she loved that about him. He was a caring person and also someone who was very real, never acting like something he was not. "I was here to drop off Aliya's clothes and also grab some things from Aliya's room. Everything is already in my car; I was just leaving a key to my house so Aliya can come over whenever she wants."
Aarush nodded his head. "Alright. You go ahead and do what you want then. I have a flight in a few hours, so I need to get ready for that." He got up and went upstairs to his room. Sure, he felt a award around her, but he didn't feel awkward at the moment, mostly irritated.
As he walked up the stairs, ignoring her, Mona felt bitter. 'He is so indifferent to me now. I remember when he would smile at me all the time, even offering to do different things. Now, he just doesn't even see me.' She couldn't help but feel her heart hurt. It wasn't hard to get over someone who was supposed to be married to her at one point, atleast in her mind. For some reason, she felt her body move towards the stairs. It was climbing the stairs against her will. 'Wait, I can't go up there. What am I doing?' She felt her heart race and she eventually found herself standing in front of his room door.
"Dara, it's me. So, I have a flight to Karachi in a few hours, I should arrive there in the morning or the morning of the day after tomorrow. I don't want Aeleya knowing that I'm on my way, nor anyone else, keep it a secret for me, alright? I want to surprise Aeleya." His voice sounded excited, like a little kid's. "Yeah, things went whatever. Wasn't much I could do since the surgeon screwed everything up. Anyways, since you're already on the phone, I have something funny to tell you. Four days ago, I got into another fight. I had Haider and a few other guys come and help but beat this little shit up. Supposedly he tried to hurt my wife, that fucker. Well, I broke a few fingers and kind of scared him off, haha. Now I'd like to see who touches my lovely wife." He spoke with pride, while Mona stood outside with a pale face. "Don't worry, he only landed a few hits, nothing crazy. Do you really think I'm such a weak guy? I literally trained myself for so many years just to protect my girl, so this was fun. It finally paid off." Aarush spoke a little more and finally shut the phone off.
Listening to the way he spoke; Mona felt her heart hurt even more. 'I remember when he beat a few guys up for me too in the past, but he never showed this much pride nor this much happiness. He would always just get mad at me for being dumb and then he would walk away.' She sighed. Mona knew that she needed to move on, but it was difficult. Unlike Mackenzie who just had a small crush, and Tari who was obsessed because people told her that she would marry Aarush, Mona actually loved Aarush. She knew his tiny quirks and also understood him more than most. She went to the same school as him, she knew his siblings well, she spent time with him. She had seen him at his worst, and his most hideous. She had felt both his anger and even a bit of his love. Although he never touched her nor showed his love directly, she could always tell he liked her, but now that like was gone. He had no such thing for her, rather all that love was given to a woman she had never even met. 'I should leave now. There is no point trying to do anything anymore. He had a crush when he was younger, but he never said anything nor will he ever. Now he genuinely loves someone else, why am I here then?' She walked down the stairs in a sullen mood. Leaving the house with her back slightly hunched, she got into her car and left. Aarush didn't notice her leave until he walked out of his room with his bags.
"Mona?" He called her name a few times but seeing her not replying he shook his head. He looked outside and saw that her car was gone. "Well, it's for the better than." He grabbed his keys and quickly left the house, making sure it locked it behind him. Putting the suitcase and single bag into the car, he quickly left for the airport.
Dara arrived at Aarush's house in Karachi many days ago. He would stay there for a while and then go do what he needed. He mostly came to check up on Aeleya since that's what Aarush wanted him to do. Adi and Haris would also occasionally come. The one thing all noticed was that Aeleya and Noori were always together. They were a little surprised, but they felt happy. Noori and Aeleya were basically like glue now. They would sleep together and eat together, while also playing various games together. Aliya noticed that Aeleya was unusually attached to Noori but also felt happy about this.
"So, any news from Aarush? I haven't spoken to him for five days already. He hasn't even sent me a text." Aeleya asked Dara with a bitter look. Although she was able to spend her time with Noori in the past five days, it was still very hard not talking to Aarush. It had been five days since she last heard his voice. 'He said he would only be very busy for a few days, but he hasn't even tried to call me for five days.'
Seeing her bitter look, Dara sighed. "Actually, I spoke to him yesterday. He said that the kid's medical case was taken to court and that they were currently fighting it. He said things were looking bad and that the hospital would be losing many millions since there was a lot of evidence that they just couldn't fight against. Plus, he was the head doctor for this case, so his presence was important.' Dara spoke a complete lie. Aarush had already finished his part of the case yesterday and he was on the plane. Aarush was halfway to Pakistan. He had to lie in order to help pacify Aeleya even a little.
Shaking his head, Dara explained carefully. "Aarush never got the chance. He told me that during his four five days, he only got about two or three hours of sleep in total." Dara gritted his teeth as he wasn't lying about this. "The hospital is seriously overworking him. This should be illegal. This wasn't even his fault to begin with, but they pulled him back." Dara showed anger on his face since he was truly concerned about his friend. He knew that out of all the friends, Aarush was the most hardworking and also the one who alway got the shorthand of the stick.
"Is he alright?" Aeleya didn't know this bit and suddenly felt even more concerned. Two to three hours of sleep in four or five days was very unhealthy and also difficult to manage. She suddenly felt guilty about her anger towards him.
Dara nodded his slowly. "He is getting by. He has to take pills to calm his headaches and even keep himself up." He shook his head and sighed. "Really, this is not good for his body. Aeleya, when he comes back, you really can't let him go back to the hospital for a while. He seriously needs a break. His body could really break down and his health could become extremely bad because of this." Aeleya nodded her head.
'See if I let him leave my side this time! I will make sure he is by me at all times.' She vowed to keep him beside her at all times. She wanted to look after him a little more.
Holding Noori on her lap, Aeleya began to hug her tightly while listening to the rest converse. After an hour or so, everyone finally left and Noori was left alone with Aeleya. "Aela? I'm hungry." Aeleya nodded her head and walked to the kitchen with Noori. They both grabbed a snack and began to eat.
"Noori, when Aarush comes, let's make sure he sleeps a lot, alright?" Aeleya was eating an apple while she spoke.
"Yeah. I wanna sleep with Aaru uncle." Noori smiled and side. "I missed Aaru uncle, where is he?"
Rubbing her cheek, Aeleya smiled gently. "I miss him too. He will be here soon, alright?" She said this about sighed. 'I just don't know when this soon is. I really should have gone back to him.' They ate their snack and walked around the house talking about different things right after. It was turning night soon and both of them decided to sleep. They slept unusually early, specifically Aeleya. She thought that sleeping early would help waste time and maybe bring the day closer to when Aarush would arrive.
She watched Noori quickly fall into a deep sleep. For some reason, she couldn't sleep this time. Thinking about how Aarush might not be sleeping, she felt anxious. She [picked up her phone and decided to call her mom. She heard that Aarush did visit two more times after the first lunch.
"Mom." Aeleya spoke with tears welling in her eyes.
"Aeleya? What's wrong?" Although she was trying to sleep, when her mom saw Aeleya crying, she couldn't help but wake up. "Why are you crying?"
"How is Aarush doing? I heard he hasn't slept much. He came a few times right; did he look alright?" Aeleya felt her tears falling as she spoke.
Hearing her question, Aeleya's mom sighed. "He is doing fine, but whenever he comes, his eyes are super red. I don't think he slept much either." She didn't hide the truth either. She was also very concerned. "He is also thinner than the first lunch we had. I packed him food, but I don't think he had time to eat any of it. When he arrives there, whenever that is, make sure he sleeps and eats, alright? I'm worried about him." Aeleya felt her heart hurt even more.
After talking to her mom, she decided enough was enough. 'I'm calling him now. I don't care if he's busy.' She looked for his number and dialled. It didn't go through the first time. She tried a few more times, but it still didn't go through. 'Why isn't he picking up?' She felt sullen and worried. She tried many more times, but he never picked up. Seeing that he isn't answering she laid flat on the bed, not knowing what to do. To calm her mind, she stroked Noori's hair. Soon enough she fell asleep with tear stains on her cheek.
"Aarush, you really are something else. Don't you think that being gone for long and not even caring for yourself is a good thing? Like dude, Aeleya has been worried sick. I could see her sadness." Dara sat in a car with Aarush. It was early morning and Aarush had just arrived. Just as planned, Dara went to pick up Aarush. He made sure not to tell anyone about it, not until they got home.
"Do you think I wanted to do all of this? The chairman called me, and I couldn't not go. That kid's life is really pitiful. He is in a vegetative state and probably won't be out of it for another half a year, maybe even a year. That would waste so much of his life, since he would be alive for at most five more years after that. Really, the situation was bad." Aarush sighed. He didn't have much to say. He was a doctor; it was his job to care for patients. "Anyways, no one knows I'm coming right? You kept it a secret?"
"Other than me, Haris, and Adi, no one else knows. Well, Hazim knows, but we made sure to tell him not to say a word." Dara said while driving carefully on the road. "Still man, make sure to spend more time with your wife, she is worried sick. Especially since she found out you haven't slept much. Well, you did sleep during the plane ride, but before that, you didn't. "
"Why would you tell her that? Are you stupid!" Aarush suddenly flipped and glared at his friend.
"Hey, she's your wife, if she doesn't know about your issues, then who should?" Dara was unconcerned with Aarush's anger. He wasn't scared.
Aarush grumbled but didn't say anything more. Both of them silently arrived at his house. Aarush noticed that his mom was waiting by the door with Hazim and Aliya. "I thought they didn't know." Aarush glared at Dara, but the latter shrugged his shoulders with confusion.
"They shouldn't have known." Dara didn't know what to say since he never told anyone else.
Aarush got out of the car and walked over to his sister and mom with a wry smile. "Umm, hey…" He spoke a little carefully, seeing his mom and sister glaring at him.
"You finally came, huh?" His mom glared at him and suddenly smacked his head. His sister also did the same. "Do you know how worried we were? Let me get a look at you, come here." His mom began to inspect him and frowned. "You're skinnier than before. It's only been a week, what happened?"
Waving his hand causally, he spoke with a bitter smile. "Don't worry about it. Nothing special. Anyways, only you two know, right? Hazim, does anyone else know?" He looked at his mom and then at Hazim.
Both of them shook their heads. "No one else knows." Aliya spoke up. "I put Noori in my room a while ago, so you can go and see Aeleya. She is sleeping right now, but I'm sure she will wake up if you go. She doesn't know you're here. She has been worried sick. Go and see her." Aliya frowned while also showing relief and pain in her eyes. This was her brother., Seeing him come back skinnier than before, made her heart hurt.
Aarush smiled at them and nodded. "Thanks." He told Dara to bring his bags inside as he rushed to his room. He ran up the stairs with a bit of excitement. He stood in front of the room door and took a deep breath. 'I'm here Aeleya, finally.' He thought this as he slowly opened the door. Entering the room quietly, he locked the door behind him and tiptoed towards the bedroom. When he entered, he saw Aeleya sleeping soundly. 'So cute.' He smiled while looking at her. He creeped over to the bed and climbed on. He was very careful, trying to reduce as many movements as possible. Gently, he laid beside and just watched her.
"Hmm." Aeleya suddenly lifted her hand and placed it on his face. As if feeling something different, she grabbed his neck gently and used her other arm to pull herself into him. She did this all while sleeping. As she was sleeping with Noori, she would cuddle with little girl like she cuddled with Aarush.
"Aeleya…" Aarush couldn't help but call her name out gently. Their faces were very close, and he really wanted to wake her up. He hadn't seen her in so long, so he was impatient.
"Hmm?" Aeleya groaned lightly. Aarush couldn't help but feel even more excited.
"Aeleya…" He called her name once again.
Aeleya's eyes fluttered open. "Noori?" She said the little girl's name while yawning. Her eyes slowly opened and when her vision cleared she saw that the person in front of her wasn't Noori, rather Aarush. She suddenly got up and looked at him in shock. Aarush just smiled back at her.
She rubbed her eyes a few times, narrowing them, trying to see if everything was real. "Hey Aeleya." He smiled at her sweetly.
She reached her hand out and touched his face and saw that it was real, tears suddenly welled in her eyes. She couldn't help but leap in his arms. "Aarush!" She yellowed quietly as she began to hug him tightly.
"Haha." He laughed happily as he hugged her. "I'm back my little wife." He stroked her hair as she hugged him tightly, as if her life depended on it. "Aeleya? C'mon, I'm back, stop crying." He could hear her sniffles.
Aeleya shook her head while in his arms. She just tightly grabbed on his neck and hugged him. "Why did you take so long? I heard you looked weaker. I heard you hadn't slept. Why didn't you call me? I was worried sick! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?!" She spoke out all her concerns and questions while tightly holding onto him.
Aarush sighed. "I'm sorry, my love. Things got super busy; I didn't have the time to call you. As for why I didn't tell you I was coming, I wanted to keep it a surprise. And look at us now, didn't it work out." Aarush explained while rubbing her hair . "I promise, this is the last time I'll leave you alone for so long, alright? Even if they call me back, I'll say no and million times, but I won't leave you. I promise." He kissed her hair while speaking.
Getting off him with a blush, she looked at him angrily. "You promise?" She asked while holding his hands.
Kissing her hands, he smiled and nodded. "Of course, I promise. Don't I keep my promises?"
Aeleya couldn't help but giggle a little. "You and promises? I don't think so. You have already broken so many of them." She laughed while thinking about all the 'promises' he made her and how he broke them so quickly. Suddenly she felt herself fall onto the bed. Aarush grabbed her arms and pinned her gently to the bed.
"I only keep certain promises. And don't tell me you didn't like it when I broke those promises." He looked at her from above while smirking wickedly. He leaned in and kissed her lips lightly. "Now then, how much did you really miss me? I heard you have been worried sick for me?"
With a blush covering her face, she nodded her head. "Of course, I missed you." She didn't hide her feelings. "I felt so alone without you." Her tears began to appear again, and Aarush sighed.
Leaning in and planting a dozen kisses all over her face, Aarush smiled gently. "Don't cry anymore. I'm here, so you won't be alone. Alright?" Aeleya nodded her head and smiled happily. "Alright, I remember you promising me something before I left."
Aeleya's face turned a deep crimson as butterflies began to fly in her stomach. "U-umm, I did, but I just woke up. L-let me first clean myself. I need to shower and…" Before she could finish, Aarush got off from her. He didn't stop there though. He lifted her up like a princess and walked out of the room.
"Since you need to shower, I can help you with that. Haha." he walked all the way into the washroom and locked the door.
"Wait, Aarush. Wait." Aeleya began to panic as the butterflies in her stomach became overbearing.
Aarush shook her head. After locking the washroom door, he put her down and pinned her to the wall. "Not this time Aeleya. I want to see everything now. From now onwards, all of you are mine." With that he began to kiss her all over the place. Her clothes became loose and her hair messy. She felt her beat rapidly, but didn't stop Aarush. Soon, all of her clothes were gone. Aarush was shirtless as well. He still kissed her constantly, while Aeleya took in the pleasure with embarrassment. Soon, Aarush and Aeleya fell into their world of pleasure.
Aarush's mom had told everyone that Aarush was back. Most of the family were coming to see him as he did leave and come so suddenly. "Aliya, go and call them down soon. It's been two hours."
Aliya shook her head. "No way, let them be. He just got back so let him spend some time with his wife. Tell everyone else to come back later." She felt a little irritated that her mom called everyone even though Aarush just got back. It was unfair for him.
"Aliya, everyone wants to see him too." Her mother spoke with a smile.
"I don't care. Unless Aaru comes down himself, I'd like to see who goes up there and disturbs him and Aeleya. Hmph." She got up and left angrily. Seeing her leave like that, her mother sighed.
Aarush and Aeleya had come out of the shower a while ago and laid on the bed comfortably. Aeleya had a look of bliss on her face while Aarush continued to tightly hug and kiss her. "Aarush, enough already. How much more do you want." She laughed while feeling his tickling kisses.
"If I could, I would lock our doors forever and just stay here with you." He spoke while touching her everywhere. He then covered her mouth with his, giving her a deep kiss. "You're so hot Aeleya. Who know you were so…" He looked at her body with a smirk, which caused Aeleya to blush even more. She couldn't help but lightly punch his chest.
"Stop Aarush. It's so embarrassing when you keep mentioning it." She dug her face into her hands. Aarush smirked and began to kiss her hands.
"I'm always going to mention it. Just get used to it now." he began to lick her earlobe, causing her to tremble a little. Aeleya suddenly got up and tried to leave the room, but Aarush grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap. "Where are you going?"
"We should head down now." She poke in a mouse like voice, while comfortably sitting on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "This is enough for now. We'll have more fun at night, but c'mon let's go out for now. People will probably come and see you." She kissed him on the lips and got up from his lap. She began to button up her shirt, but before she could Aarush grabbed her hands and smiled. He kissed her on the chest and buttoned it up for her.
"Fine. But tonight, don't forget." He helped her put on her clothes and then she helped him. Soon, they walked out of the room. Aeleya still had a crimson face, while Aarush seemed casual. They were holding hands as they walked downstairs.
"Aaru uncle!" When he reached the last step, he saw Noori running towards him with a chocolate bar in her hand.
"Noori!" Aarush smiled brightly when he saw the little girl. He ran forward and picked her up, planting dozens of kissed on her face. "My little girl, why are you eating such a small candy? Here, let's go get you a bigger one." He quickly ran outside with her in his arms. Aeleya watched this with a smile, while shaking her head.
Aarush ignored everyone in the living room and quickly took Noori to the closest candy shop. When Aeleya walked into the living room, Aliya and Jeej looked at her with confusion. "He went to get her a bigger candy bar, since he thinks the one she has is too small." She explained helplessly.
Aliya and Jeej laughed. "Well, atleast she's happy." Aeleya sat down with a refreshed look. Aliya looked at her smiled knowingly.
"So Aeleya, seems like you and Aarush took your time? Two hours, wow." She smirked, causing Aeleya too blush deeply. Aliya wasn't ashamed of her words; this was her brother. "Two hours… you're quite lucky there."
"Hey leave her alone. Plus, that's kind of disgusting. Your brother is the other person, aren't you even a little ashamed?" Jeej looked at his wife with a weird look. "I didn't know you could talk about such weird things."
"Shut up. We're girls, of course we talk about everything." She smirked and rubbed his head. "Don't worry, you're not too bad either." She smiled slyly. Aeleya listened with a beet red face. Her ears were burning, and her neck was hot.
"I-I'm going to go look for Aarush." She quickly got up and ran towards the exit.
"See what you did." Jeej looked at Aliya and spoke with a sigh. Aliya ignored his words and just placed her head on his chest and smiled with her eyes closed.
"Don't worry. Anyways, Noori is probably going to feel lonely without anyone her age around. Who knows when Aaru and Aeleya will have their own kid? So why don't we…" She spoke with a red face while looking at her husband.
Hearing her words, Jeej couldn't help but smile wildly. "A kid? Let's go then." He picked her up and went to their room on the second floor of the house.
Aeleya looked around and saw Aarush holding Noori beside a french fries stand. "Noori, what size do you want?" He had a plastic bag in one hand, holding various candies.
"Biggest." She spoke in her cute voice. Aarush planted a kiss on her cheek and quickly ordered three large fries. Aeleya walked over, her face still red, and looked at Aarush getting three.
"Why three?" She asked.
"One for Noori, one for me, and one for you. Do you think I wouldn't get you one?" He spoke with a smile. The fries were quickly made, and he passed two to Aeleya. "Here, feed me. My hands are full." His smile was radiant.
Aeleya took the two fries and nodded her head. The three found a spot to sit down and they began to eat. Noori ate her own fries while Aeleya ate some as well as fed Aarush. Of course, Aarush wasn't going to let this opportunity got to tease Aeleya a little. Whenever she put a frie in his mouth, he would accidently lick her fingers.
"Hey stop that." She said in an annoyed manner, but her blush forced Aarush to become even more bold. He continued with his antics, ignoring the fact that Noori was right beside him. "Hey, Noori is right here, behave a little." She spoke in a helpless manner.
"Noori, feed Aaru uncle." Noori took a frie and placed it in Aarush's mouth, but Aarush smiled and kissed her little fingers.
"Hehe." She giggled.
"I do it to her too. She doesn't mind." He said with a smile.
"You know it's different." She grumbled a little. She put the fries down and extended her arms towards Noori. "Noori, sit with Aela." Noori got off Aarush and sat on Aeleya's lap instead. She looked at Aarush with a smile, while still blushing. "Now you feed me."
Aarush raised an eyebrow, but his smile became evil. He picked up a frie and placed it into her mouth. Aeleya accidently licked his finger as well. He couldn't help but widen his eyes with his face brightening up. "My little wife, if you want to taste me so bad, we have time right now. Let's go back inside…"
"Noori look." She interrupted him quickly. Her face blushed as she glared at him. "Control yourself Aarush." She spoke with a bit of grumbling. 'Noori is right here, yet he's so shameless.'
"I can't. Especially after you and I had our fun. No way I can ever control myself again." He smiled and got up. He took Noori from Aeleya and smiled. "Anyways let's go inside. I need to talk with Hazim for a bit."
Aeleya nodded her head and followed him back into the house. Aarush put Noori down and let her go do whatever she wanted. He then walked towards Hazim's room. He entered after knocking.
"Aaru bhai?" Hazim got up and walked over with a bit of confusion.
"Hazim I need to talk to you about something." He pulled Hazim to the bed and sat him down. Hazim had a confused expression and looked at Aeleya for an answer, but the latter shook her head not knowing what was going on.
"Did something happen?" He asked with a bit of worry.
"Nothing happened, but I want to discuss something important with you. This is related to your future." Aarush spoke seriously. Aeleya looked at her husband with a bit of confusion. She didn't hear anything about Aarush wanting to talk with Hazim and or anything alike.
"Say whatever you want Aaru bhai." Hazim smiled and spoke with a casual expression. Seeing that it was related to his future, Hazim sighed in relief,. He trusted Aarush so whatever Aarush wanted to say, he would listen.
Nodding his head, Aarush began. "I want you to move away from Pakistan and start living independently. It can be in America or anywhere else, just not here anymore. Of course, I'm hoping you choose North America." When Aarush said this, Hazim looked at him with shock and confusion, but before he could say anything, Aarush stopped him. "If you're worried about chacha, don't be. My dad told me that he is planning on living here from now on with my mom. They want to stay closer to family, so your dad will have my parent's to accompany him. I think that staying in Pakistan and just focusing on the plots will not help your growth as a person. Sure, you went to school on your own, but that was only a few years, and you were supported by me and my dad, but this time I think it's time for you to learn how to be independent." Aarush's words came like a thunder strike that crashed on his mind.
"Aaru bhai, did I do something wrong? If so, I can fix it, but…" Before he could finish Aarush shook his head with a smile.
"Don't be silly Hazim. The reason I want this for you is because I know you have lots of potential to grow. A person will only grow and learn once they start to live alone. You have handled everything here very well, which is why you need to move onto bigger things. Make your dad proud. After all, you are his only son, so you have the responsibility to carry on his name." Aarush rubbed his head. "Anyways, you can make the final decision, but think hard about it. With me still around, everyone will be fine, so you don't have to worry about a thing. When you go out, you will enter the practical world. Maybe you'll find someone and eventually get married. You will have kids, and so much more. As a man, you need to learn independence. Also, if something does go wrong and you need help, don't you have me?" Aarush got up and walked towards the exit of the room. "Think hard Hazim, this is an important decision for your future." Aarush pulled Aeleya's hand and dragged her out of the room.
They walked to the courtyard and sat on the takat. "Aarush, what was that about? Are you serious about sending Hazim to live on his own? Like he's doing well here, so why do that?"
Aarush shook his head and sighed. "You have to look at things closely. Hazim is only close with a few people here, other than everyone ignores him, hates him, or just downright insults him. Plus, he isn't necessarily making any of his own income, everything he gets is from the plots. I don't mind that, but it isn't a good thing for him. That would make him dependent. What if one day, the plots stopped making money? What will he do then?" Aarush explained his own thoughts. "Hazim's future will be ruined if he stays here. He has such great degrees and his experience is very vast. Going out of the country and establishing himself will be a great leap for him. Trust me, once he goes out and finds his own place, he will feel genuinely accomplished and happy. Even if there is a bit of struggle on the way, isn't that life?"
Feeling Aarush stroking her hair, she sighed. "But, shouldn't you atleast let him come live with us then? It will be out of the country and he could try and develop himself slowly." She was concerned about Hazim as she truly took him as her own brother.
"I can't do that. It will be much better if he starts to live on his own and start from scratch. At most, I'll help pay a down payment for his first house, no matter the size, but other than that, I will only help him if he really needs him." Seeing Aeleya was still unconvinced, Aarush sighed. He grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace as he laid on the takat. One of his arms was under his head, while the other stroked her arm gently. "When I was younger, I had the protection of my dad growing up, but as you know, I was forced to grow up and mature very early on because of so many problems in my life. We moved from house to house, sometimes because we couldn't afford to stay and other times because the landowners would kick us out for no apparent reason. I would help my dad move furniture and so much more. It was just the two of us doing this. But I knew that my dad was struggling since I was young. For my ego, he would pretend like I was helping him carry heavy items, but the truth was, my dad was holding everything on his own. As I grew older, I became more apparent of these things, so I started to let my dad be the person who thought he was the one holding the heavy items, while in reality I held most of the weight. My dad of course knew this, but he never said a thing. When I started to work, my dad was very against it. He felt guilty that he could never give me a life that was worry free, and seeing me work hard made him even more guilty. I knew this, but I couldn't not work since it was a necessity. My dad started to work two jobs just to keep the burden on me low, but it never helped, since the world was really too terrible. Payments here, payments there. Things were hectic. Our life was not stable, yet when I released my first book and got paid, my dad smiled extremely excitedly. Sure, in the beginning he was completely against me writing and wasting my time, he would scold me, and even mock me a little, but when that first paycheck came in, he was proud and happy. Although things still went bad, my dad was a lot happier. I kept writing and getting paid, making him happier. When I got into medical school he became even more proud. And now I'm a doctor. He can finally live a carefree life." Aarush continued to stroke her arms. "The reason I'm telling you this is to show what kind of affect a child's hard work has on a parent. If Hazim goes out and makes a name for himself on his own, how proud will chacha be? Plus, don't you think that people here will look at him differently, even a little. Hazim will struggle, but he will learn. He will go through pain, but he will get up. He will mature more, and he will be able to figure out what is important to him. He will make his dad and himself very proud. Long term, this is good for his future." He pulled her closer to him and smiled while kissing her hair. "And trust me, I won't abandon him. He's my little brother. If he struggles, I will secretly help him. Plus, every month or so, I'll go and check on him in person. If you want, you can go and stay with him for a few days every so often. But Aeleya, this is important for him. I want him to be a strong person who can stand on his own two feet. If people make fun of him or mock him, I want him to shut them up with his accomplishments, even if that person is me."
Aeleya listened and sighed. "If you think it is good for his future, then it must be. He is a very capable person." She then hesitated a little. "But what about his feelings for Sara? I can tell he really likes her. Sure, he did something stupid in the past, but I was with him the whole time. He is trying to make amends; he is truly in love with Sara." Aeleya wanted Hazim to get what he wanted. He was a kind and caring person, plus he was more sensitive than others knew. He was hurting because everyone was talking so much trash to him, yet he barely spoke back.
Aarush raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment. "I was planning on directly talking to Lammy about this, but I don't think I will anymore. This time, Hazim will need to figure this out for himself. We can help him subtly, but he will need to do this himself. Maybe going out of the country will be a good thing. If Sara doesn't ever like him back, then he will find someone else. It doesn't matter who he marries, as long as he's happy, that's all that really matters." After completing their talk, he just laid there while Aeleya also silently rested on his chest. She completely forgot that they weren't in their room.
"Hey Aarush, since you're here, doesn't that mean we will have to attend dawats?" She looked at him and asked.
"Oh yea. I completely forgot about that." Aarush groaned and sighed. "Whatever. What needs to be done shall be done." He sighed. "Aeleya, do you want a boy or girl first?" Suddenly, Aarush asked a question out of nowhere. Aeleya looked at him with a small blush.
"Why?" She didn't know what he asked so suddenly.
"Well, since you and I are free to do whatever, I'm assuming that we will hopefully have a baby soon. I want to get you pregnant as quickly as possible." He smirked at her while licking his lips.
Lightly pinching his cheek, she smiled. "Stop with that already. It's embarrassing." Aarush laughed but waited for an answer. "I honestly don't care if it's a girl or a boy. If we have a boy, then I can hopefully give him a life free of responsibilities, unlike yours. If we have a girl, then I want her to grow up with freedom of choice." She spoke from her heart.
"Wow, what a motherly heart. You know, when you talk like that, I really want to make a kid right now. Why don't we go up there and see if I can get you pregnant? Maybe tonight I can make your stomach swell in an instant?" Aarush smiled as he grabbed her hand and began to play with it.
She ignored his words and in turn asked him the same question. "What about you?"
"Me?" Aarush smiled. "If I could, I want a single boy, at most two, and then a million girls. If the first kid we get a boy, that would be best. I want to train him into someone who will be capable of protecting his sisters. Both physically and financially, I want him to make sure his sisters would live an amazing and lavish life. I will be super strict with him and make sure he succeeds in the future.,." Aarush spoke seriously, explaining his desires. "As for girls, they can do whatever they want. I will spoil them like crazy. If they want a mansion, they will get a mansion. If they want the world, they will get it. I will play tea parties with them, take them shopping, go and get our hair done together, and so much more." He smiled and fantasized. "My girls will be queens, while my boy will be their protector."
"Really? You will make my son live such a bad life? I'd like to see you try…" She scoffed with a bit of anger in her eyes. "Fine, I will make sure to give my son so much love that even you will feel jealous." Her eyes showed teasing.
"Oh really?" He suddenly grabbed her nose and gently squeezed it. "My little wife, you're all mine. Nothing in this world will take you away from me. Not even my son. I will beat him silly if you even try. You are mine, and only mine. Everything about you is mine to claim, even those two stuffed panda and penguin animals in your room. I'll take them as well."
"W-what? How did…" She grabbed his hand which was still squeezing her nose. Her eyes widened and her face became red from embarrassment.
"I've seen all your toys. Who knew you were still such a little kid at heart?" He smiled and laughed as he stroked her fingers.
"You know what, other than the two big ones, I don't even use the others, they're from when I was little. As for the big ones, I used them to sleep with, but why would I need them when I have you?" She smiled at him.
Aarush laughed when he heard this. His heart felt warm. They made great progress since they first met. She was now comfortable making jokes that he would make to pester her.
They laid on the takat in their own world. Suddenly, they heard someone tap the takat. Aarush looked over and saw that Lammy was looking at him with a helpless smile.
"Lammy?" He got up slowly. Aeleya felt her face turn red as she finally noticed where she was. She quickly stood up and looked down, not even having the guts to look into Lammy's eyes.
"Aaru, you really need to control yourself. You just got back and you're out here lying in the open? C'mon, have some decency." She shook her head.
Aarush rubbed his head with a wry smile. "Lammy, actually can I talk to you about something?"
Lammy raised her eyebrows. "What is it?"
"Where is Zaid? If he's here, call him over. It concerns him." Aarush looked at Aeleya and spoke with a casual tone. "Aeleya, can you go call Zaid if he's here?" The latter nodded her head and went to go look for Zaid. Aarush gestured Lammy to sit beside him. "Aeleya, call Sara as well if she is here. It's better if they both hear this." Aeleya nodded her head from afar.
"What's wrong Aaru?" Lammy looked at him with worry.
"Nothing is wrong, rather I just want to talk to you guys about something." He smiled and waited for Aeleya to bring the two over. They arrived after a few seconds. "Zaid sit here, alright." Zaid nodded his head in confusion.
"What's up Aaru bhai?" He sat down beside Lammy and looked at him with confusion. Sara sat on Aarush's other side and also looked at him in confusion. Aeleya was confused too.
'Is he going to talk about Hazim? Or is it something else? If it was Hazim's case, he shouldn't need to call Zaid nor Sara.' She was just as confused at the group. Aarush stood up and turned around, looking at the three with a smile.
"Zaid, let me ask you. How far are you with your studies?" Zaid thought for a moment and answered without much hesitation.
"I'm done with my degree in engineering. Chemical." Aarush nodded his head when he heard this.
"Have you gotten any experience in the field?" Zaid nodded his head a little.
"I worked at a company for a few years, but that company shut down so…" He sighed when he mentioned this. He made pretty good money from that company. Back then, he would rarely take money from Aarush since he himself made something decent.
Hearing his answer Aarush smiled. He then looked at Lammy. "Lammy, I want you to answer me seriously. No need to hide anything, alright?"
Lammy nodded her head.
"Alright, what do you think of Hazim? Do you trust him? Like, think hard." He asked with a smile. Aeleya looked at him with a bit of shock, so did Sara.
'Is he going to really bring up me and Hazim?' Sara looked at Aarush. She still felt fear towards Hazim, so if Aarush brought it up, she would reject it completely.
Lammy thought for a moment and nodded his head. "I've seen Hazim grow up, I know he is a good kid. Sure, he had done bad, but he is trustworthy." Unlike most aunts and uncles, she knew the truth about Hazim. Aarush had Dara tell her since Lammy was Sara's mom and since Aarush was close to Lammy. He wanted her to know.
A smile formed on Aarush's face. "Alright. The reason I'm asking about this is because I want Zaid to go out of the country with Hazim. I want the two to go and live independently and try to understand how to make a living. They won't live in the same house since I want them both to understand how to pay rent, buy a house, pay bills, and so much more, but they will live in the same city so they can help one another." When Aarush said this, Zaid, Sara, and Lammy looked at him in shock. "I know that this may be a hard decision since your husband is out of the city as well, but I sent him a message before I arrived, telling him to come back to Pakistan. He has been working too much, so it's time for Zaid to take his place. Plus, this will be good for Zaid, since he will be able to learn independence and even grow in his field." Aarush said the same thing to Lammy that he said to Hazim. Unlike with Hazim, Zaid's situation wasn't difficult. He had both a mother and father and a sister. Even if he left for a while, his parents had each other to depend on, which was why he could bring up the topic in front of Lammy. Hazim only had a father. If he told chacha about wanting to send Hazim out when the latter was still unsure, there was a high chance chacha would convince him to stay since that was all chacha had.
"Aaru? Why all of a sudden?" Lammy was happy to hear that her husband would be coming back. He would visit many times a year, but he had to live abroad for work. It was a painful situation for a wife and kids, but that's what he had to do to make a living. Sure, there was Aarush's plots, but Lammy's husband never wanted to depend on someone else. He just couldn't when he himself could work.
Aarush shook his head. "It's not sudden, rather I think I should have done this before. If Zaid and Hazim stay here, they will never be able to grow properly. They will only be under someone's shelter, which is not good in the long term. Again, I don't mind if they do this, as a guy, Zaid needs to go out and learn about living and earning."
"I'll do it," Before Lammy could say anything, Zaid stood up and said with a smile. He then looked at his mother and laughed. "Mom, isn't this a good thing? I have been sitting at home for too long. I've searched for a job here, but I haven't found one yet. Aaru bhai is right, I can depend on the plots to live, but that won't do me any good. I'm a guy, I have to stand on my own two feet. Plus, dad is out there and working so hard, I need to give him a hand and let him rest now." He explained with a smile. He was a little excited as well. He wanted to earn himself and be able to help others. He wanted to be like Aarush and let people depend on him as well.
Lammy sighed and nodded her head. "Alright then. I don't mind if you want to go out then. Just make sure to talk more with your dad when he comes back. You need his permission first, alright?" Zaid nodded his head. "Where will you be sending them?" She asked with a bit of concern.
"I'm not sure yet. Once I'm sure Hazim want's to go, I will find a city in America or Canada and have the two go there." Lammy nodded her head when Aarush replied.
"Zaid, when you're free, make sure to discuss with Hazim more about this, alright? You may have had a real job, but between the two of you, Hazim knows how to handle money best. He also is more responsible than you, so make sure you learn a few things. Unlike the lazy you, he has been handling all the plots himself for a few years now, plus taking care of his father." Lammy spoke with a serious tone. She wasn't mocking her son, rather she knew the real situation. Zaid smiled bitterly. He was a little bit upset that his mother was calling Hazim more responsible than him, but he knew that it was true, no matter how much he wanted to decline.
Nodding his head, Aarush looked at Zaid seriously. "Zaid, make sure to get along with Hazim. I don't care what kind of fights you guys have had, but this time, the two of you will be living in a new place with only each other. I will also visit randomly and if I see both of you fighting then I will beat both of you!" He growled, while Zaid nodded his head with a bit of fear. Like Hazim, he was scared of Aarush when the latter got angry. Sure, there was only a few years difference between the two, but Aarush was more responsible and mature than him. Plus, he wasn't allowed to touch Aarush. It was a matter of respect. "Alright, the three of you can discuss more about this matter." Aarush turned around and grabbed Aeleya's hand, pulling her away. He walked up to their room and closed the door.
"So even Zaid was in the plan? I thought you were only thinking of Hazim." She was a little baffled by his actions.
"I think of Zaid as well. He is my cousin as well. Plus, Zaid is a good guy and very mature. With him and Hazim working together, then they will be fine even without me." He smiled. He walked to the little kitchen and started to set up some tea for himself and Aeleya. "Anyways, Zaid needs to go out himself. He is an engineer. His career is in demand. Honestly speaking, I would send my female cousins as well, but I know that none of my aunts will agree to this. They're all old fashioned. So instead, I'm planning on letting a few selected cousins who are old enough back to my house in America. They will stay with Maaz and Maya and us. Since my parents won't be coming back any more, there is room for them. Is that alright with you?" Aarush didn't ask Aeleya about this since these thoughts came to him suddenly.
Aeleya smiled and shook her head. "Why would I mind?" She stood beside him and pinched his cheek and then kissed him. "You can bring anyone, and I wouldn't mind. Rather I find it great that you're even thinking about your female cousins. Normally, they would be forced to stick here and not get the same chances as their male cousins. I'm happy that you're so open minded."
"Oh?" He smiled back at her. "Well, tell me then. What else do you like about me?" He picked her up and placed her on the table. He placed his hands next to her legs and leaned in. He looked at her with his face only a few inches away.
Aeleya raised an eyebrow. "I like everything about you. Your smile, your weird habits, your smell, your breath, everything." She also leaned in close, placing her forehead on his. "But there is one thing I hate."
"What is that?" Aarush asked in a gentle voice.
"I hate when you leave me alone. I hate that you're always busy. We barely spend time together." She spoke in a quiet voice, her warm breath hitting his face.
"Don't worry about that anymore. I promised before, no more work. After we're done here, we will go and spend one month alone. Just you and me, anywhere in the world." He then grabbed her chin and smiled while leaning back. "Plus, isn't there a saying 'distance grows love'? It's true in our case. If I wasn't constantly going and coming, who knew when you would let me eat you out."
Aeleya giggled while blushing. "Maybe you would have eaten me sooner with your promises." She kissed the tip of his nose and smiled.
Lovingly tapping her nose, Aarush focused on the tea, while casually talking to her. "Oh yea. I forgot to mention this, but while I was back in America, I beat up this guy named Izam for you."
Aeleya suddenly got off the counter and pulled him to look at her. "You did what?"
Smiling at her. "Izam. He is a guy who bothered and threatened you in the past, right? I broke a few of his fingers and gave him a beating he would remember for life." Aarush laughed proudly.
"Why would you do that? What was the point!" She felt a little scared thinking about the situation. "Plus, how did you even find out about Izam?"
"I saw a picture of him in your room." He leaned forward and asked with a sad expression. "You still keep a picture of him? Is he that much better than me?" Aeleya hugged his wait and shook her head.
"Of course, he isn't great at all. Other than you, I've never liked another guy, nor have I ever let a guy touch me. Compared to you, everyone else is just not worth mentioning." She hugged him tightly. "I only have the pictures because they were a part of the various pictures from that day. I never went through them, so which is why I still have them."
"Alright, I'm just joking." He kissed her head. "I know that." He suddenly grabbed her right shoulder and tore the shirt from there.
"Ah, Aarush!" She felt surprised by his actions and looked at him in shock. "What are you doing?" She used her hand to cover her open shoulder.
Aarush moved her hand and began to kiss the shoulder. She could feel his tongue and butterflies filled her stomach. "I remember seeing a picture of him touching this shoulder." He continued to kiss deeply, sucking on her shoulder, then her neck.
"So? Why did you tear my shirt?" She spoke slowly while feeling him continuing with his kisses. 'Really, he is so obsessive.'
"Well, I have to claim any areas that were touched by others. This shoulder was tainted by that bastard, so if I don't claim it then it will be his forever!" Aarush spoke deeply while licking her gently.
Aeleya squeezed his arm. "Enough already. You've already kissed me everywhere before this, what else is there to claim?" She spoke in an exasperated tone.
Grabbing her waist, Aarush pulled her in close. "Hehe, you're so pretty. I can't help myself." He couldn't help but begin to rub her bare back, slowly sliding his hands lower and lower. "Aeleya, you want to know what I like about you?"
Feeling his hand stroking her behind, her eyes became intoxicated, but she nodded her head. "What do you like about me?"
Aarush smiled and leaned in closely. "I love your eyes which make me feel drunk. I love your hair which smells like the most fragrant flowers. I love your voice, which is so seductive that even if you tell me to pull a knife to stab myself, I'll do it happily." He got closer and closer. "I love your breath, which is like a puff of life filling my body. I love the way you talk, so shy around others, but with me, you're so open. I love the way you eat, sleep, and walk. I love how from now onwards; you will be the person I will grow old with. I love how you will be the mother of our children." He leaned in closer to her ear and soft spoke. "Anything that has to do with you, I love."
Aeleya smiled happily as she suddenly bit his earlobe gently. "I love everything about you as well. Your obsession, your quirks, your protectiveness, everything. I see that a lot of girls like you, but only I have a claim on you." She suddenly began to suck on his neck. After letting go, a red mark appeared on it. "There, that is my print. Now, no one can touch you." She stood on her tiptoes and licked his lips. "This is claimed as well. It's mine."
Watching her mimic his weirdness, Aarush felt excited. He squeezed her behind and placed his hand into her shirt. "So, you're also an obsessive person?" He leaned in and sucked on her neck intensely. A deep red mark appeared there as well. "Hehe, now this is mine."
She felt his hands play with her, but she didn't struggle. This was her husband, no need to struggle. It may be embarrassing, but only he could make her this embarrassed.
Suddenly, the tea behind him boiled over. "Shit." Aarush quickly let her go and picked up the pot of tea, moving it away from the stove. He looked at the spilled tea with a sigh. "There goes the tea." He sighed and placed the pot into the sink. He turned around and saw the Aeleya's who looked disheveled. He smiled seeing the mark on her neck. "For now, just change. My family will be coming, so it's better if you don't show up like that. Plus, your shirt is torn."
She glared at him teasingly. "Weren't you the one who did this?" She turned around and went to her closet to grab new clothes. Aarush shook his head and went to his bedroom. Pulling out his laptop, he began to look through various things. Aeleya walked in with a new shirt. Seeing him on his laptop, she felt a little upset. Walking over, she crawled on his lap and sat cross legged. Aarush smiled and placed his head on her shoulder. "Why are you working again?"
He smiled bitterly. "I'm not working. I'm looking at my bank account. I need to see if they cut the fees for the house." Aeleya nodded her head and looked at the laptop as well. Other than the main chequing account, she saw many other accounts connected to the main one. Some were saving accounts, while others were also chequing.
"What are all these accounts for?" Still sitting on his lap cross legged, she pointed at the few accounts.
"This is a savings account for our future kids education. This one is for our kids' marriages. This one is for their extra use. And this one's for our retirement. As for these chequing accounts, this one is yours, while this one is Maaz's, this one is Maya's, this one is Aliya's. Also, this last savings is for Noori." He casually pointed at the many accounts. You want to see how much I have in the ones for our kids and us?" Aeleya smiled and nodded her head. Opening up each account, he showed her the figures one by one. Aeleya was shocked whenever she saw the amount.
"So much? Wait, how do I have so much in my chequing? How long have you started saving for this one?" She saw that although the ones Aarush saved for their future kids was a large amount, the one that was for her was much more. It seemed like it was being saved for a very long time. It was even more than the main account that Aarush had.
"I started saving for you when I first started working. I would put in about five percent of what I earned into it. When I got aid by my book, I would put in ten percent of that. Currently, my salary as a professor and my book money are distributed evenly throughout everyone's account, while the amount I make from my main salary, I put twenty percent of it into your account. Ten percent goes into our retirement savings. So really, thirty percent is always cut off from what I make." He smiled and explained.
Aeleya looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "You started doing so much for a wife you never had? Learning to cook, saving money, and so much more. Seems like you were very excited to get married."
Aarush smiled embarrassingly. "If you were in my shoes, the stress would make you want someone badly as well. I didn't want my wife going through the same stresses as me, which is why I made this account." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Now you know that all of this is for you, so use it however you want. If you want more, just take my card. I want to spoil you like crazy." She laughed gently and felt warmth in her heart. She couldn't help but feel blissful to marry such a man. He thought so much of her and really wanted to make her feel like a princess.
"I won't hesitate anymore. Anything you give me, I will take. I will also spoil you anyway I can. I will make sure all the stress you have becomes nonexistent." She smiled. Aarush nodded his head and pulled up some other things. Aeleya just silently sat on his, letting him show her various things. They even began to figure out where they would be spending their one month. Time went by and as they were lost in their own world, people began to gather downstairs.
"Where is Aaru?" The one who asked with Anu mamu. He looked at Aarush's mom and asked. Just like the rest, he was happy that Aarush was finally able to come back. He was surprised that Aarush left so suddenly.
"He's up stairs with Aeleya. Here, let me call him. Hazim… can you go and call Aaru down?" Hazim nodded his head. He began to run up the stairs. As he was walking up, he saw Sara sitting alone on the staircase.
Hazim looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Sara?" He walked towards her carefully, but kept a distance from her. "What's wrong?"
Sara looked up and shook her head. "Nothing." She got up and walked down the stairs, walking past him. Hazim sighed and didn't say anything more. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he knew that she wouldn't tell him and that she might even get annoyed by him.
He quickly ran up and walked over to Aarush's door. He gave a few knocks and waited. He wasn't dumb enough to walk in.
"Yeah?" It was Aeleya's voice. The door opened up quickly. "Hazim?"
"Amina aunty is calling you guys down." He said before smiling a little.
Aeleya nodded her head. "Aarush, let's go then."
"Alright." He yelled from afar. After a few seconds, Aarush appeared behind Aeleya. "Let's go."
Hazim waited for them to come out, but he didn't follow them down.
"Hazim, aren't you coming?" Aeleya turned around and asked. Aarush also looked at Hazim with a raised eyebrow. Seeing him shake his head, Aeleya frowned. "Aarush, I think Hazim is worried that others would exclude him or even just look at him with disgust. You have to do something about this." She said in a complaining manner. Aarush nodded his head with a deep frown on his face.
"Enough is enough. I think I need to settle this manner now once and for all. Everyone is too retarded to look at the truth." He turned around and was about to storm down the stairs, but Hazim quickly grabbed his shoulder.
"Aaru bhai, that isn't the issue." He felt warm that Aarush was mad for him, but he wasn't going downstairs because of that. "The reason I'm not coming down is because I need to think about what you told me. I'm still not sure what to do. Even if aunty and uncle stay with my dad, I know he will feel alone. Mom is not here, so…" He sighed and spoke out his thoughts more. "You should know my dad. Without me, he will feel alone."
Hearing his words, Aarush finally calmed down. He sighed as well. "Alright then. You go ahead and think." Aarush turned around and walked down the stairs with Aeleya. Hazim smiled bitterly and walked up to the roof.
"Aarush, why don't you just send chacha with him? Wouldn't that just resolve that issue?" Aarush sighed and shook his head.
"I can't do that. If chacha goes with him, Hazim will be forced to care for him as well, while he will definitely not have the freedom I want him to have. If Hazim had another sister or if chachi didn't pass away, then none of this would be a problem." Aarush sighed as he walked down the stairs with Aeleya.
Aeleya understood that, but she couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Both of them reached the bottom of the stairs and saw that Sara was sitting on the takat. Aarush walked over with a confused expression. "Sara, what's up?"
Sara looked up and smiled bitterly. "Nothing, I'm just thinking about Zaid bhai. He might leave soon, you know."
"Alright. Don't worry about a thing though Sara. With Hazim and Zaid working together, and me supporting them at times, there will be no problems. You can visit Zaid whenever you want as well. Alright?" He rubbed her head as if consoling a child. After that, he made his way into the house. Aeleya didn't follow, but instead sat beside Sara.
"You know Sara, Zaid will be fine. You may visit him at times. As for your parents, he doesn't need to worry about them and could go on and live alone stress free. Hazim on the other hand is not so lucky. He only has his dad who he will constantly worry about, since his dad only has Hazim as well. Plus, no one will visit Hazim other than me and Aarush. Really, Hazim is the one who is struggling, Zaid is fine. Just calm your mind and think about the future. Once Zaid and Hazim are out there, they will finally be like free birds." She smiled and left with these words. Of course, she wanted Sara to try and think of Hazim too, which was why she spoke about Hazim more. Sure, it was selfish, but Hazim truly had no one to think for him except for his dad. Plus, chacha wasn't able to travel too much because of his heart issues. In reality, Hazim didn't have anyone to visit him. Cousins would go and visit Zaid because he was well received by most, but no one liked Hazim.
As Aeleya walked away, Sara couldn't help but look towards the stairs. 'Why does Aeleya bhabi keep mentioning Hazim? I know that he likes me, but why doesn't anyone think about what I went through? He touched me so forcefully back then.' She felt a little upset. Hazim harassed her in the past, yet Aeleya was still trying to get them together. That made no sense to her.
Although it was true Hazim did do such a deed, and Aeleya knew this, but Aeleya also knew that it was something Hazim felt super guilty about. It was to the point, he cut himself off from his cousins out of guilt. In Aeleya's mind, since he never actually went too far into taking away her chastity or anything similar, Hazim had made his amends already. He never stripped her, nor kissed her. He tried to kiss her and stuff, but in the end it never happened.
Hazim silently laid on a mattress was placed on the roof. His arms were placed under his head as he gazed at the orange clouds floating in the sea of pale blue.
'What should I do? I know it is important to go, but dad will feel so alone without me. Mom isn't here so even with Ayun uncle and Amina aunty; he will feel left out.' He was lost. He couldn't leave his father, his heart wouldn't let him, but he knew that if he did go out and make a name for himself, his dad would be extremely happy and proud of him. It would give his father the energy to live even more, yet he just couldn't bear to part from his father. 'Why can't I just take dad with me? He could travel once and just live with me there.' Of course, he understood Aarush's thoughts. He knew that he wouldn't get the freedom Aarush wanted him to have if his dad went with him, but he didn't mind. His father meant more to him than such freedom. 'It's decided. I will convince Aaru bhai to let me take dad with me. If that isn't possible then I won't go. I'll just continue to work here. Even if I become a disappointment, as long as I have my dad, it doesn't matter to me.' He smiled a little more when he finally came to a decision.
"Hazim." Suddenly, a voice came from behind him. He got up slowly and turned his head. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.
"Sara?" He looked around and saw that no one was around. Although he was surprised, he was a little worried. For some unknown reason, he took a few steps back. "What are you doing here?"
Weirdly enough, Sara was holding onto a thick stick in her hand. She kept it close to her body. Hazim didn't notice it until she pointed it towards him. When he saw the stick, he felt a little hurt.
'Forget it. Just forget about it Hazim. She is scared and distrusting towards you. You just have to pay attention to your own life and your dads. Maybe you will find someone who understands you in the future.' His heart fell and his face showed less happiness. With dull eyes, he looked at her once before moving back to the mattress. Ignoring her presence, he laid back down and fell deep into his thoughts, just thinking about his future and his father's future. 'Where should I go and live? Ideally it would be a small place, isolated from the rest. I only want Aaru bhai and Aeleya bhabhi visiting me and my dad. Only they treat me well. I don't care about anyone else.' Thinking about a future like that, he couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement. He and his dad would live in a new place. He would get a house and get a job. Luckily, over the years he had a decent savings account. With it, it could last him a while. He could get himself a small house directly, or pay a decent amount of down payment for a large house. He was good with money for a reason.
Seeing the change in expression and his sudden dullness, then him completely ignoring her, Sara was a little shocked. "Hazim!" She called out his name again, gritting her teeth.
Hazim spoke from his mattress. "Sara, I have already apologized a million times for what I did. I know I was wrong so please; can you not keep mentioning it? My life here is already ruined because of that, what more do you want from me?" His voice was low, but he didn't once look at her. He felt some clarity after finally speaking up. 'I've done whatever I could. I've ruined my life here, everyone hates me… what else can I do to make amends?' He felt relieved when he came to this conclusion.
Seeing him not even look at her when he spoke, and his voice showing even a little bit of annoyance, Sara felt frustrated. "What do you mean what more can you do? Do you not even remember what you did? Where you touched me?" She felt her mind blank as she spoke with rage. "Because of you I could never hang out with any of my male cousins, thinking they would attack me next. Because of you, Zaid bhai came home with a few injuries that one time. Do you not understand what you did?"
Hazim felt irritated so he got up and glared at her. "Enough Sara." He growled. "I know what I did, and I have felt guilty ever since. Of course, I understand what I did was wrong. Why do you think I avoid hanging out with my family? Everyone is disgusted by me, they call me a sexual harasser, a fucking rapist!" He didn't hesitate to let his feelings out. "Even Aaru bhai couldn't trust me with Aeleya bhabi because of all this! Do you understand what it feels to be doubted by the person you trust the most? Do you? Of course, you don't because no one ever doubts you. Everyone is just looking at me as if I killed a person, as if I raped a million girls." He sat on his bed and grabbed his hair and spoke with heavy breathing. "I didn't do anything bad to anyone! I swear! I tried to kiss you in the past, I touched you a little, but you should know I didn't mean it." He looked at her with red eyes. "Sara, just leave. Bringing a stick, her won't make things better. Once I leave with my dad, you can finally stop thinking about what happened. Find a fucking husband and screw off, just leave me in peace. Please." He grabbed his forehead and began to massage it as it ached intensely, yet a relief washed over him. He could finally let everything he felt out. All the pain, the irritation, the guilt, everything.
Hearing his words which were filled with pain, guilt, and loneliness, Sara tongue-tied. 'W-what…' She never thought that Hazim was going through so much. At all times, she avoided him, not even trying to talk to him. Only when Aeleya started trying to bring them together did she speak to him a little more, but even then, it was maybe a sentence at a time, nothing more. "Haz--"
"Sara, leave me alone for fucking sake." He suddenly got up and walked towards her. Sara saw him approaching and felt fear build up in her heart. As he got closer, she suddenly raised the stick and hit him.
"Arg!" He groaned a little, yet gritted his teeth in order to not yell.
Quickly, Sara looked up and covered her mouth with a pale face. A long brown mark was on Hazim's face, right under his left eye. It was an instant bruise, with even a bit of blood leaking from it.
"Did that make you feel better?" Hazim glared at her before pushing her aside and walking down the stairs.
She watched him walk away, yet Sara was frozen. The stick in her hand dropped to the ground. 'I didn't mean to hit him so hard…' She could vividly remember the mark on his face.
While she was lost in her thoughts, Hazim had already sneaked into his room. He went into his washroom and began to wash the blood on his face. Although it wasn't a deep cut, there was still a cut. A frown constantly stayed on his face.
After washing the wound, he pulled out a medicine box and used alcohol swabs to wipe the area. Since what hit him was a stick, he didn't know what kind of bacteria was on it. He just wanted to be safe. Soon, he put on a bandage and just stared into his window. "Well, this is shit." He sighed and went and laid on his bed. He looked at his ceiling and sighed over and over again. He would be lying if he said the incident didn't hurt him. He did like Sara more than just a small crush. It wasn't easy for him to say the things he did.
"Hazim, are in there?" He heard Aeleya's voice from outside. Hazim suddenly began to panic.
'Shit, I can't let her see this mark. If she tells Aaru bhai, the situation will spiral out of control.' She had to think of something. He couldn't hide the mark or anything. He quickly looked around and decided to chip the corner of his bed. After chipping a part of it, he walked over to the door. Opening it up, he gave Aeleya a bitter smile. "Hey."
"Hazim, what happened to your face?!" Aeleya saw the bandage on his face and quickly walked forward.
He sighed and walked to his bed, pointing at it. "I was trying to grab something and fell and hit my face." He showed a bitter smile. "Luckily I only grazed myself." Aeleya sighed and shook her head.
"You need to be more careful. Here, did you already take care of it?" She forced him to sit down. Taking the bandage off, she saw that other than the bruise and a small cut, it wasn't a bad wound. "Good, it's a little bad, but it should heal. You really need to pay attention, alright?" She put the bandage back on and sat beside him with a smile.
Hazim sighed in relief knowing his plan worked. "My bad. I was just a little distracted. Anyways, what's up?"
"Well, Aarush is out there talking to everyone and stuff. I decided to come check on you." She smiled. "Hey, have you thought about what you want to do?"
Hazim nodded his head. "I've decided."
"Oh, what did you decide?" She was curious. Aeleya understood his decision was much harder than Zaid's.
"Well, I will leave and go start anew, but only if my dad comes with me. I won't leave without him. If he isn't coming, then I will stay here. Even if Aaru bhai forces me to leave, I won't leave without my dad." Aeleya wasn't too surprised by this. She assumed that Hazim would decide like this. Unlike Aarush, she had a better understanding of Hazim, after all, she hung out with him so much over the week.
"As long as you're happy, it doesn't matter what you decide. Leave Aarush to me. I'll convince him for you,. Plus, I doubt he will say much. He just wants the best for you." She smiled and explained.
"Umm, one thing. I heard that Aarush wants Zaid to come with me?" Aeleya nodded her head, but Hazim sighed. "Can you convince him otherwise? I don't want to be near anyone. I'll have my dad which is enough, plus I know you and Aaru bhai will visit, so that is enough for me. I would prefer to stay away from my cousins." He said with a bitter look. "I don't plan on coming back to Pakistan anyways." He said with a smile. For now, he didn't have any plans of living a lavish life. He would get a place big enough for him and his dad. If he got married in the future, he would get a bigger house, but if not, then he would just live comfortably with his dad. He was done with being the target of everyone.
She sighed when she heard. Standing up, she gave him a hug. "Hazim, as long as you're happy, I'll make sure Aarush does whatever you say. I know that you were probably very lonely and hurt these few years. Talk to me whenever you feel like it, alright? As your sister, I'm here for you, alright?" As if handling a child, she stroked his head.
Hazim felt his nose become a little stuffy, but he held it in. He couldn't break down; he didn't want to. Even if he hurt, for his dad, he had to act like nothing ever happens to him. "I'm alright Aeleya bhabi. Thank you." He smiled and stood up. "Anyways, I think I will tell my dad about this myself. I'll convince him myself. I don't think he will mind."
Aeleya nodded her head and smiled. "Alright." She walked towards the door exit and gestured him over. "Come, let's go and get something to eat. Aarush is still talking to everyone and no one is letting him go right now, so you and I can go get some food or drinks." She smiled and dragged him to the living room. "Go and get the bike out, I'm just going to tell Aarush." Hazim nodded his head and went to get the bike. Aeleya walked over to Aarush and told him she was going out with Hazim for a bit.
"Go ahead. Don't go too far though." He smiled. "Stay safe." She smiled back sweetly and quickly left the house.
Hazim pulled the bike out and sat there, waiting for Aeleya. When she came out and sat behind him, they quickly drove away.
Sara stood on the roof and watched him leave. She could see the bandage on his face and couldn't help but sigh and feel guilty for her actions.
Hazim and Aeleya went off to a market. There was more food there to be found. Aeleya was a real foody. She loved eating.
"Let's get some brost." She said with a smile. Hazim nodded his head with a helpless smile. He drove to the nearest meat seller and quickly both two pieces of brost. It was a crispy chicken, grilled with a slightly burned top. They added a few spices to the top. Aeleya quickly took a plate and added ketchup on the side. Tearing a piece off, she began to eat happily. Hazim smiled and dug into his own food.
"You really love eating, Aeleya bhabi.." He wasn't making fun of her, but he laughed when she said this.
Aeleya smiled widely. "Of course, I love eating. Who doesn't?" Hazim shook his head. "Anyways, have you decided where you want to go and settle down?"
"Not yet, but I'm going to look into a somewhat small city, somewhere far from everyone. I just want peace and quiet now. Of course, I want it to be near you guys so that my dad won't be completely isolated from others." He smiled and said.
Aeleya nodded her head. "Well, if you think that's best, then I won't say much." She suddenly teased him with a smile. "What about Sara? Are you going to try and start something up and try to marry her before leaving, or what?"
"I don't think so. I will see if I can find myself a wife in the city. Sara is just not into me, nor do I want to make her hate me even more by pursuing her. I'm just going to let things go with the flow. If I find a wife, great, if not, then no biggie." He spoke with a casual smile. Aeleya however noticed that his eyes weren't as casual. He seemed slightly sad and bitter. She didn't comment on this. What more could she say?
They continued to eat. She got herself fries and a drink. She also got Pakistani food, it was unusual seeing such a girl, who looked a little small, eat so much. It was fascinating to say the least. After they ate, she went around the market to buy a few small things. Of course, she got lots of toys for Noori. Just like Aarush, she wanted to spoil Noori more.
After doing their little bit of shopping, Hazim rode off and took Aeleya home. Little did they know that from a small shop, a middle-aged man watched leave with a smirk on his face.
- Home
- Genre
- Fantasy
- Romance
- Romantic
- Modern Romance
- CEO
- Urban
- Action
- Billionaire
- Modern Life
- Historical Romance
- Game
- Xianxia
- Sci-fi
- Adult
- Historical
- Drama
- Urban Life
- Fantasy Romance
- Comedy
- Harem
- Farming
- Adventure
- Military
- Son-In-Law
- Wuxia
- Games
- Josei
- Ecchi
- School Life
- Mystery
- Completed
- Top
- Power Ranking
- Trending Ranking
- New novel
- Latest Release
- History
- All Novel