'Your grace holds me now'
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Kicks and Pricks
Beats of trance music pulsed through the background of the open field of football. The players ran through the field with one target, the football, the scoreboard had been constant for the last half an hour, the match was critical and everyone was on the edge of their seats as the red jersey's coursed through the field towards the goal, the goal keeper jumped up as the ball went in the air and into his hands, the crowd roared except for her, Ayat had never been more bored her entire life.
But she had to sit through it all for the sake of her older brother Arsalan, who was a die hard football enthusiast, she figured he did it to quell his broodiness. She would have preferred an awesome game of cricket instead of football anytime. Their parents who could not let go of them had called at least twice since they came just to check up on them. Anaya was completely fine now that she was with her brother, Ahsan, although Ahsan had never missed a game he didn't think twice before ditching on this one for Anaya. She wondered what it felt like to be swept off your feet, to be in love. Her two friends beside her were much indulged in the game and were actually having fun.
"Goal!" Haya shrieked, almost tripping over the benches when she stood up, she cautiously gathered herself and sat back down. Ayat had physically jolted beside Haya.
"You wish me to die don't you," She spoke her hand on her chest, trying to get back the air in her lungs. "Rest it,"
"Watch the match Ayat, and if you don't like it why do you pretend that you love it," Haya asked. Ayat stirred in her seat trying to look for a response, why do you do things?
"I don't want to hurt him I guess," Ayat spoke, "And if you think my brother doesn't know that I am pretending, you are mistaken, he is a freaking mind reader, he can tell,"
"Oh I know," Haya sighed dreamily looking at him, Arsalan, who was sweating profusely in the field, who had wiped his sweat with his blue jersey. Although right now her brother wiping sweat was not the most welcome sight, but she could tell why girls swooned on him, he was a handsome man.
"Haya, why do I think your intentions for my brother are questionable?" mischief glinted Ayat's black eyes, she had nudged Haya who had scowled while rubbing her arm.
"I am not the one to hide," Haya had matched her tone, she wasn't the kind of girl who would hide her crushes, she'd broadcast it in the entire campus, and still won't rest until everyone in the city knew the one boy she liked, who hadn't been constant for so long, they were known to be variable.
"I know, I know," Ayat had laughed, her friends were her pride and joy, obviously they were, she had known no other than Haya and Mirha who had quietly sat inspecting the ground, content covered her Bengali features. Ayat always thought her full lips and olive skin tone were to die for, but she was more conserved than her other friends, and hadn't much indulged in any kind of proposal from any guy that came her side.
"Do you all see that guy? The one with the man bun?" Mirha had spoken at last.
"You have got quiet the eye don't you, and we all thought you were counting the grass on field," Ayat joked. Mirha raised a brow.
"I am still a girl, I look, and I like what I am looking at," Mirha smirked. Ayat gasped.
"Look who is getting bold all of a sudden," Ayat said.
"This is going to your brothers and parents," Haya's laugh was evil, she had made a snap of her friend's conversation.
"Really?" Ayat smiled. "So you will tell Arsalan Bhai?"
"It isn't necessarily him, could be Ahsan bhai as well," Haya guarded her self, if her friends think that she had a slightest of crush on Arsalan, they weren't going to leave it for months.
"You know we will delete it soon," Mirha replied, feigning no attention to Haya's empty threats, no matter what they said, they were like an unbreakable pact, they wouldn't leak anything on each other, even if they were on gun point, theoretically of course, no one knew what would happen if they actually were.
"Haya, dear, I think its time we tell bhai..." Haya almost jumped over Ayat and covered her mouth, she did get some very judgmental side eyes from the group of girls sitting beside them, Haya smiled politely at them and removed her hand from Ayat's face, now wiping her lipstick from her hand.
"Sometimes I feel like you are devil's pawn," Haya whisper yelled. Mirha was laughing her guts out.
"Don't you like when men know you like them?" Ayat asked.
"Yes, the fools in college, I like to see their chest raised in pride thinking Haya of all people likes them, not your brother, not your brother you idiot," Haya spoke, her cheeks were red in anger, or perhaps embarrassment. "I mean I do like him, but he doesn't stir up a storm in me, do you understand?"
"You and your analogies," Ayat had laughed it off, when people referred to love as something otherworldly, she would laugh, but that laugh was only exterior, inwardly she was in turmoil, she had experienced her crushes, they were fleeting, never any that stuck, not one that stirred up a storm in her, she wondered what it felt like.
"Laugh for all I care, then don't come back crying," Haya shrugged.
"Will not," Ayat mirrored her shrug and excused herself to calm her neurotic parents, who had much difficulty leaving her with her brothers, which was understandable since their brothers had lost her in an amusement park when she was a lot more younger than she was now, her parent's were PTSD'd.
"I am alright mom, everything is under control, how's your dinner date going?" She spoke in a chain, quelling her mother's worry with each reply. She had moved towards the back end of the stadium for a little quiet, everything had been dead silent, it was like some noise cancelling walls had been built, the cold air enveloped her frame, she rubbed her arm for a little friction to soothe them with her one free hand. Her mother's voice even came in interrupted parts, she could only half understand her mother's tale about her father bringing her, her favourite red roses and the menu of the dinner.
"Ayat, Ayat," Her mother spoke trying to reach her through the phone.
"Yes mom I am here, I think the connections are poor, I will text you then," Ayat had said.
"Alright, honey bunch, be careful out there, and stay in the sights of your brother," Her mother's instructions had been clear, her voice simply breaking and the call disconnecting on her farewell. Ayat sighed putting her phone back into her pocket.
She figured she could take a moment of peace in the quietness around her, there had been so much noise in the field, it was a prestigious club match after all, the benches were all filled with the high and elite society of Lahore, or the most die hard fans. Her head had started to throb.
A indication of someone behind her swooped her head behind, a man in similar jerseys as Arsalan's team stood straight, his hands in his pockets, no sign of emotion, or any indication to why he was literally scanning her. His hair were slightly honey-colored maybe a little darker, he was a tall guy with broad shoulders, and something so unsettling in his brown, chocolate brown she thought, his eyes from which she couldn't tear away, he was unnaturally attractive.
He had the kind of face that stops you in your tracks. He must get used to that, the sudden pause in a person's natural expressions when they looked his way followed by an overcompensating nonchalant gaze and a weak smile, of course, the red-tinted cheeks of the passer by's accompanying were a dead give away. His prominent cheekbones and a well-defined chin and nose screamed perfe...
Focus. Ayat, Focus, don't you dare act like a girl who hasn't seen a handsome man, be Ayat, not a fool. Not...
The series of thoughts had died, when she had noticed that he had covered the distance among them in the little time she had spent inspecting his face. She slowly backed away, trying to vanish, go back as she came, no need for trouble. A little smile covered his face, the little hint of decency had finally taken the back exit and all she could see was a man in a good jersey with ill intentions. There wasn't much to find out, he was just another jerk, another man who had no respect for women, who's eyes were no more dazzling, but shameless, but the realization had came after he had charmed her once and he knew that well enough.
His minty breath fanned her face leaving her dazed, her breath had hitched and no words or even a scream came out of her mouth, all life drained out of her frail body but the mind functioning was at the next level. He poured his glassy brown eyes deep into her poor soul, he inhumanly didn't blink even once when he looked at her. Maybe she was too stunned to speak, he had bewitched her, that wizard.
"You again," He whispered aggravated by her undying stupidity. His hand had captured her hand and swept her from the wall she was so eager to dissolve into just to escape the likes of him.
As soon as she was away from the wall, she scratched his face in utter glee. Well, that beautiful face and kicked him in where the sun didn't shine. He dropped to his knees and discarded on the floor, growling like a hurt lion. There goes the beautiful face, and 6 feet height in the floor. She too smiled in triumph.
Let's be realistic, if her legs had not supported her this once, that man would have strangled her right there, at least it looked like it, from the amount of brood he showed, it felt like it would safely surpass her own brother, who she thought was the king of brood.
"Stupid women," he seethed from within gritted teeth. "You will pay for it one day,"
After the rush of adrenaline had passed, she realized that she shouldn't wait for the grenade to blast and run, and run she did, she was almost breathless, and her throat dry when she came back to the bleachers.
"Don't tell me you saw a ghost," Haya spoke, silently inspecting her disoriented state, and her skin pale as a sheet.
"I think it was something worse," She spoke without any hesitation.
"Whatever do you mean by that, you know I suck at riddles, are Uncle and Aunty alright?" Haya asked all the amusement fading from her.
"Yeah mum and dad are alright, there was this guy back there, and he was coming near me and so I kicked him in the balls, and he seemed like he would kill me the next time he sees me, and he had the same jersey as bhai,"
"And that's the paleness of women empowerment?" Mirha asked hesitantly. "Don't tell me a literal jerk scared Ayat Mirza Hassan,"
"He didn't scare me, I am happy that I kicked him," Ayat had lied head on, if it were any other guy she wouldn't have paid heed and had felt like a happy goose for the rest of her life for her quick wit but that man, there was something so deeply unsettling about his entire persona, that later that night when she sat in the silence of her room and comfort of her bed, she could tell, he didn't want to touch her, it was something else and she had clearly misread it all in the heat of the moment, she was too dazed and well dazzled by him, the only thing she hadn't misunderstood was the look of murder in his eyes, oh that was real, and it had haunted her whenever she closed her eyes. Those murderous vengeful chestnut orbs, she wished she'd never see the likes of him again.
...
Greetings Fellas!
Here come the First Chapter from Insane Lane.
Please ignore any typos, and don't forget to like, share and comment!