'I wonder if you look both ways when you cross my mind'
.
Shh...It's Okay
Surprisingly she felt awake after the all-nighter she pulled. No thanks to three mugs of coffee though, but the text that came as soon as she finished the last drop and put the mug with a thud on the desk, it was now 6 am in the morning, and she had spent the entire night obsessively thinking about him, as if he had came and sucked all the slumber from her, she knew after she came home after giving her exam she would have a crash.
While in her contemplative phase, after he gave he injected strange feelings in her and left like a phantom in the wind, the paradox that man was, or the onion layers he had, or what was happening to her? It all made her decide that one she was too young to deal with it, and what Maaz was doing, it may be too intense, she would do anything to get rid of her stalker. Number one blocking his number. The second best thing was, she had no reason to leave her house after today.
She felt content, she will ignore him out of her life, until he takes away his over controlling and insane personality somewhere else. The sun shined bright, all of the girl's had a bottle of juice in their hands to kill the heat. Their exam had went well. She hadn't seen Ali the entire day, not even after their exam as they strolled around the garden.
"Where's Ali?" Haya brought it up.
"It's strange, he usually pops up after the exam to discuss answers that nerd," Mirha replied. "Do you think he missed it?"
"The exam? I hardly think so, he'd better dig him a grave before he even commits such a crime, he is a dedicated boy," Haya spoke.
"Do you know where Ali is?" Mirha
"I don't know where Ali is," Ayat spoke while she physically abused the straw in her mouth, her teeth sinking in the plastic.
"Do you think it has something to do with Maaz Bhai?" Haya squealed when realization hit her, and looking at Ayat they realized that that's what she has been thinking as well.
Raw hurt clawed her insides, he had promised her that he wouldn't hurt her, and the way he had brushed her face and looked at her last night it looked like he meant it. What if he knew that she had blocked him, he must have tried to contact her after last night, trains and trains of thoughts crashed in her brain, until she could think no more, and unblocked his number dialing him.
It took him 5 seconds to receive her call, gratified he waited for her to speak.
"What did you do to Ali?"
"Nothing he didn't deserve," Maaz spoke vehemently.
"You promised me!" She spoke between gritted teeth. "You liar,"
Maaz's calm tone turned into a threatening kind. "That deal was up until you behaved like a good girl, you pulled a stupid move,"
"You lied to me, you bastard, where the hell is he?" She almost shouted, if she could she'd kill him on sight.
"I will send you the address, remember not to block me next time, or your friend will be in a ditch chopped up into pieces you won't be able to count," He finished, she was about to cut the call when he said. "Wait, I can't wait to meet you, little dove,"
"Go die," She muttered in the receiver hearing a chuckle in response.
She is adorable he thought.
"What the hell was that?" Mirha and Haya looked at her deranged and curious.
"I will fill you in on the way, we need to rescue Ali," Ayat spoke.
.
.
.
She looked desperately at the tall house in front of her, it's built was rustic and fine. Her mind felt like it had a swarm of bees, buzzing non stop, boggling her mind. Hindering her capability to think rationally. She knew the first thing she'd do after seeing him is gut him, she wanted to throw something at him a chair, a table, herself.
She felt a shuffling noise. She contemplated it to be trees due to wind. But then it sharpened. She withdrew her steps, Haya and Mirha matching her pace, they too didn't know what on earth were they about to do, but they had always done every adventure together, and this seemed to take the cake. The vast fields of grass, the flickering lights and the deafening silence. It seemed like a bad joke. A creepy one. She looked back, with her increasing heart rate.
There was no one.
"This place is officially giving me the creeps now," Mirha rubbed her arm, to let down the goose bumps.
"Couldn't you have got a golden retriever man to fall in love with you?" Haya groaned. "Then we'd probably be visiting his golden castle instead of this haunted house, where he must have our friend in ties or something,"
Although Haya was joking Ayat was quiet, blank expressions covered her face. "The worst thing is I don't even think this is love,"
No matter how many butterflies he spreads in her, or how much warmth his fiery eyes give her, the was afraid, that she was merely an obsession that would wear off, and even though she wanted to believe it could be something more, she knew somewhere that he will play with her his games and get his dose of joy and then leave her alone when he is done, that was why she wanted to ignore him, to make him go away, but apparently that wasn't even an option.
"What ever it is, this is freaking me out," Mirha spoke. Ayat hadn't told them about the gun he carried, suddenly she felt embarrassed to bring her friends into a place and situation she didn't even know herself, what kind of dangers was she putting them in.
They heard a noise. It felt more like an echo, coming somewhere in the thickness of the afternoon air. It seemed to be calling her name. The hair at the back of her neck stood up, sharp as needles. And then it appeared, a dark shadow. Huge. Eyes like burning ice. Cold and emotionless. She stood up immediately. The figure stopped right before her. Removing his hoodie. It wasn't Maaz. Terror gripped her soul yet again.
"Don't be scared," It said. He said. He was a man. Not one she had seen before, but the kind she could think hard for. Like she knew him from somewhere. Quitting all that trouble she decided to ask.
"And who are you?"
Seeing that he hadn't felt the trouble to even come and receive her, her blood boiled to some other degree.
"I am a friend of Maaz, Shahzain," He answered shortly. A sense of relief washed over her, but a flash of fear enveloped her soon after, for the first time she wished it had been Maaz, at least she knew him, in all his insanity, she still felt like she knew him better than whoever this man was.
Shahzain's eyes shifted to the two girls beside Ayat. "And who are these your body guards?" He laughed.
"Shut your mouth and tell us where Maaz is?" Haya spat angrily. Shahzain's ego took a bruise when he saw the girl showing him his place without contemplating who she was talking to, he caught her arm.
"I don't know if you are brave or stupid, Haya," spoke Shahzain.
"So you knew my name, aren't you all liars, just get your filthy hands off of me," Haya struggled. Ayat felt like she would burst out in flames or maybe end up crying. What were these people even.
"Please," Mirha begged, she had seen the gun in his back pocket, and she was freaking out, what if he shoots Haya? Their parents didn't even know where they were. Haya had done her typical gotten into an impossible situation, and Mirha was freaking out, Ayat had to kick in since she was the one cause they were all in this situation, and she had a knack for playing it cool while she was shitting her pants instead.
"Didn't Maaz tell you how bad I kick people in the nuts?" Ayat smiled like a villain. Shahzain couldn't help but laugh, and then his stretch of a smile turned into a scowl, he took out his gun and put it under Ayat's chin.
"I am not Maaz, I will not leave you with a happy smile," Shahzain spoke. Maaz wanted to hit his head in the wall when he came out of the house, he thought he'd send the idiot of his friend to escort the girls inside, instead he had one in his grip and the other one at the mercy of his gun.
"Put the fucking gun away from her, and leave the other girl," Maaz barked, losing his shit, how dare he point a gun at her. He knew how Ayat was acting all brave and cunning while she was a softball inside, and he could see her shaking from here, he felt his stomach clench, he didn't like her being threatened one bit.
Although Shahzain was reluctant he put the gun away.
"So you do have a fragment of decency in you?" Ayat spoke, the color falling back into her face.
"Don't push your luck, little dove,"
But Ayat was done with him, she charged forward and pushed him. He grinned like an idiot as her tiny palms did little to no damage to him, he let her do it, push him as many times as she liked as the other girls looked at the scene wide eyed. "We can do romance in private, love, look how everyone's watching us,"
"You are impossible," She smacked him one last time before giving up, he didn't care if the whole world was watching him tilt her chin to angle with his face, and anchor his eyes to hers.
"And you're beautiful,"
It felt like she'd get lost somewhere in those eyes, but she forbade it. One day his obsession will wear off, and he will forget all about her existence. Yes, he carried a gun, yes, he stalked her, climbed her window, imposed his obsession on her, but none of these things irritated her, what did was that it was just fleeting obsession, that when wears off all the warmth he was spreading inside of her would be left cold, and lonely.
"Where's Ali?" Ayat inquired, although her tone held all the authority in the world, her eyes felt like two oceans of clouds drowning in them, forbidden thoughts crossed his eager mind, as he contemplated answering till he enjoyed them some more.
"I don't have him," Maaz spoke.
"What?" It was Mirha. "What are you saying? Where is he then?"
"I never kidnapped him, I had a tight schedule today," Maaz grinned like a maniac. Ayat's face reddened with realization, hot and burning, he lied, again!.
"I want to scratch your face, you lied to me again," Ayat spoke.
"At least I didn't break my promise," Maaz replied, putting his hands in his pockets, her eyes travelled to his torso, he had trimmed waist, and a lean body, and thick thighs.
"Why did you lie to me," She focused her attention back to his face, which was aware where her eyes had been, a smile etched his lips.
"Because I wanted to see you,"
.
"Shahzain take the other ladies to the living room and offer them refreshments, you, my love are coming with me," He grabbed her arm, she shoved him away, as if fire had scorched her where he had touched.
"I am going no where with you," She said. She was so done with him, playing her like pieces of chess on board. "You don't have Ali, I am leaving,"
Maaz pulled her forward, until his lips were inches away from her ears, and his eyes held no form of adoration, only pure wild insanity. "If you leave, I will have him here within two minutes and you will see when I torture him endless, until he isn't able to walk for days, until he won't be able to see, until he won't be able to hear,"
She had withheld her breath, when he let her go, she breathed again, her face turning pale, he delighted, he loved it when she felt a tinge of fear, only he had the right to make her feel, anything, from love to fear.
"But obviously you wouldn't want poor Ali to suffer because you couldn't spare two minutes for me," The insanity faded, now turning into simmering chaos, as he looked at her in triumph. She didn't say a word while he dragged her inside the house to a room, which looked like it could belong to him, magnificent and luxurious, like him. As soon as they were inside the room, he put his gun on the side table, and lit a cigarette, while easing onto the couch, while she stood there like a child washing away in rain.
"Sit down," He ordered, patting the space beside him on the couch. Ayat sat on the bed instead, taking in the foreign room, her brother's would lose their shit if they found out where she was. What was she doing?
He kept staring like he did back at her house, without feeling the need to talk to her.
"Did you bring me here to look at me?" She was irritated and deranged. "Maaz, I am asking something? Maaz?"
He smiled, puffing out the air. She rolled her eyes, as if he wasn't insane enough, he had to put poison in his body as well.
"Precisely," He said, his legs spread, he looked like he owned the country with the way he possessed the couch. She got up the couch, he was truly mad.
"I don't have time to be your puppet,"
"Move one more step and you won't like how I will make you stay," He threatened, with his voice heavy in promise, when he turned into this unbreakable wall, it scared her. Her steps halted, frozen as she looked at him.
"It is so unfair," She spoke. He was curious, what she wanted to say, it felt like her head was in a million thoughts.
"What is?" He stood up, approaching her, until he stood steps away, he had thrashed the cigarette in the ash tray. She wanted to tell him to move away, so that for once she could feel anything other than boiling rage and forbidden feelings, something logical.
"You knowing everything about me, and I know nothing of you, how is this supposed to work?" She said, putting her worry in front of him, just her opening up to him opened something so far back in him, he felt terrified of the feeling.
"What would you like to know?" He spoke, his fingers caressing her cheek, she pushed his hand aside, looking for an answer in his eyes.
"Everything," She spoke. "Tell me everything,"
"My mother died when I was born, my dad went abroad leaving me with maids, despite my uncle being here, no one took me in, my father came back when I was 18, I wasn't the child who craved his father anymore, his presence didn't mean anything, he was a well accomplished business man, I was only 20 when I got to know about my father's illegal side deals,"
"Illegal deals?" Ayat itched to find out more. He chuckled seeing her eyes widen, she really didn't have any idea kind of world Maaz was part of.
"You don't need to worry about that,"
"Do you do all of those things?" She asked.
"Are you brave enough to find out?" He whispered, the air of information lost to the damnation this devil was pulling her in. Her breath hitched. "yes," She replied.
"All you need to know is I am not a prince charming, nor am I gentle and kind, I live in a world apart from yours, I live in darkness, and you, you, you are my only salvation, my haven, my sanctuary, one look at you pools my life with light," He whispered, somehow his words touched her somewhere in the walls of her heart.
"Do you drink?"
"Do you care little dove? I will stop if you do? I would do anything, you only have to say," He spoke.
"I don't care," She said, the stubborn eyes returning. "Nor will I ever,"
"What was your mother like?" She changed the topic when he didn't say anything in reply, he wouldn't let her leave, it was better she make good use of the time.
"I don't know her, I only have a picture of her, my dad burned all the albums, others are a blur. I wonder if it was hate for my mother or too much grief. He wiped her out of my life as well, we don't talk about her,"
"I am so sorry," She spoke, she could tell with the difficulty he spoke that it pained him. He smiled.
"You don't need to feel sorry for me, little dove, I am alright," He assured her, and somehow when he said he was alright, an unnatural calm spread across her, quelling the agitation she had walked in with.
"Do you miss them?" She asked.
"I don't miss my father, he is mostly around, but if you are asking about my mother, I wonder what life would have been like if she hadn't died, or my father had cared enough to have raised me after her death,"
Ayat had no idea what kind of darkness he was talking about. The kinds of things he did when he was not running in the field, what he did with that revolver strapped around his waist all the time, the kind of things he was capable of, the man who's eyes fired when he looked at her, as if she was his only salvation in the world, who lips curved in a smile when he looked at her, the unnatural reverie overpowered any kind of doubts in her mind.
She wanted to think logically, and she knew even if she didn't the details, she knew being this close to him wouldn't bring anything nice, but she couldn't move away, she was trapped.
"Is that enough?" He asked.
"Not nearly," She spoke the reason flushing back, her eyes turned to cold steel as she looked at him again. He waited for her to say something, he would clear any doubts she had. "This is too fast, and I fear..."
"Tell me,"
"Are you toying with me? Playing with my feelings? trying to get something out of me, until one day you get bored and leave me behind like a used tissue, I know that I am nothing more than an obsession,"
She had said, but she wanted to believe otherwise. He shushed her, his finger pressed on her lips, he grabbed her hand and pressed it on his chest, where his heart was.
"I fear you little dove, you have made me a different person, I am incapable of toying with you, you have such power over me, if you tell me to kneel before you I would," He spoke.
He feared her? This 6 ft. man, with the thickest beard, and the most stealth feared her, it roiled something in her stomach, he'd kneel before her.
"What is this then?" She asked.
"Deadlier than obsession, Ayat, deadlier," He spoke it like a prayer.
"You are forcing me to be yours," She said.
"I can physically force you, but whatever this is," He referred to the cloaked storm in her eyes, the slurry of emotion, and her inclination. "It's all you, little dove,"
...
Greetings Fellas!
So here is a new chapter. I know I am late but at least I updated.
And you know what to do.
Vote
Share
Comment
Keep reading and keep smiling.