33|| Relishing the memories

I wrote like 3/4 of this chapter about 2 months ago so it's "kind of" cringy... but that's how the story is anyways🤷🏻‍♀️

ONE DAY, I'll finish all my previous stories and be able to edit them and make them less cringy In Sha Allah

Please ignore grammatical or any other stupid errors or point them put if it REALLY bothers you, it's unedited

I looked at the table beside me. It had a new phone. The iphone 13.

It would be something I would be dying to buy. But right now, it was as though the materialistic happiness didn't matter one bit to me.

I changed. I didn't laugh the same way anymore. I didn't talk the same way anymore. I didn't live the same way anymore. I was just tired. Tired of everything.

I wasn't even worthy of wishing for my death.

{ ALIZEH'S POV }

"Beta, I have got you some mangoes", ammi said as she brought a packet of mangoes while I came back to reality.

Mangoes, were my favourite, but I really didn't feel like eating them now.

"Thankyou ammi", I said as she handed over the packet to me.

She started feeding me while I tried to stop her, "Arre eat na! (Ugh eat it!)", she said while I gulped the third slice of mango.

"What's the hurry? Let me eat it slowly", I said as I was unable to eat so much all together.

"Alizeh?", she said as she put the packet of mangoes on the desk.

"Yeah?", I replied trying to seem enthusiastic. Pretending to be okay.

"Alizeh, since you have recovered Alhamdulillah", she paused seeming nervous about continuing her sentence , "We will be going back to Dubai. Where you belong. You can start afresh again"

Dubai?!

I belong to Lucknow. This is where my heart is. How can I go back?

I would never be able to start afresh.

Ignoring all my thoughts I nodded.

"So that's a yes?", she asked with a smile.

"Yes", I whispered.

I only agreed because there was no point, absolutely no point of anything anymore. It didn't matter who I was, where I was, if I was alive, anymore. The only thing that mattered was Amir.

"Okay, we are leaving in an hour", she said and left.

I got up from bed and wore a scarf on my head. I went outside the room as I saw ammi and baba standing; talking.

"Baba", I said as he walked towards me.

"You can finally go back, go back to where you belong. You can finally be free", he said.

His words struck me as odd.

Free?

That's what I wanted right?

A lone tear escaped my cheek as I immediately wiped it away.

It was my fault. All because of me.

If I hadn't been so selfish, so goddamn selfish. None of this would have happened.

Why did I alway, always listen to my dumb mind and not my heart?

"Lets go", baba said as I came back to the world I was physically in.

We sat on a car and headed to the airport.

And suddenly, I saw the same bazaar. The same bazaar outside Amir's mansion.

Drops of tears fell from my eyes, as I traced his huge mansion with my fingers on the car window. And all of those memories came back to me.

It was as though, the car was moving yet the view was all still. All I could see was the huge white mansion with palm trees.

Remember this mansion?

Flashback

I didn't know what to do. I hugged him. It felt wrong, part of me didn't want to hug him. But, I did it.

Until, I realized he put his jacket on me. His shaky hands reached my arms. He was hesitating to hug me back, with his gaze lowered.

I couldn't see his eyes nor his face, but I could see the anger he had for those men.

He took his hands off me as I got out of the hug.

I had completely lost my balance.

Until, I saw a hand. A hand that was there when I was in trouble. A hand that helped me regain my balance.

The hand held my hand and pulled me up from the floor.

I wish I could go back to this moment and hold the hand tightly, the same hand I once ignored, I once hated to hold.

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

As I almost gave up. Knowing there was no hope, no light, no bright side in this dark haunted night. I heard a scream.

"ALIZEEEHH"

It was Amir. He was here. He was here to save me.

"You son of a bitch!!! How dare you!", he said as he started fighting with all four men.

Amir got hit on his forhead, mouth and back with sticks. It was one against four. The four gangster men seemed to be commited to beat Amir to death tonight.

They beat him, beat him so much he was unable to move. Blood came out from his nose and mouth.

He fell on the floor.

Yet, seconds later he got up. He got up, seeming much stronger. As if he wanted to kill all four of them. His eyes red, filled with anger, guilt and grief.

Despite, being so hurt he still got up and fought.

Tonight, Amir was to fight, fight till his last breath.

It was destiny, that made one man win against four. It was good versus evil. Good always triumphs over the evil.

He did it.

And with his gaze lowered he wrapped the dupatta around my shoulders. And then lifted me up.

I wish, I wish I could go back, back to those days and slap myself for running away.

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

We kept looking at each other without even blinking, as if there was some hidden meaning in our eyes.

I realized that we were both getting closer and closer. His cologne hit my nostrils. I could even smell his breath.

I didn't even realize when my arms ended up on his shoulders, and held it tightly. And his hands reached my waist, pulling me closer. And closer.

His touch on my waist felt like as if he was purifying the impure touches I got from those gangsters.

Our noses were touching now, and soon was our lips gonna touch.

I could feel the atmosphere around us thicken.

I wish, I just wish I would finish our incomplete kiss. Things would be different right now.

Like they say, sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

End of flashback

And suddenly I felt someone touching my shoulder.

"Huh?"

"We have arrived to the airport", ammi said as I realized the view changed. It wasn't the same huge mansion, it was the airport. My mind was so numb, that the still view of the mansion was all I could see while the car kept moving.

And in the next five hours, I was in Dubai. In the same room, the journey of Amir and Alizeh had started. The same room, I was kidnapped from.

Everything in the room remained the same. The room was so colourful with a white bed, different colored pillows, a teal blue blanket, a lemon yellow and white combinatorial carpet. And a yellow and white matching lamp. The room was all organized, neat and clean.

It reflected the previous personality, well the original Alizeh Malik. All bright, vibrant and colorful.

The Alizeh of now, was the exact opposite of colorful; black and white. Never had she ever thought her life would revolve 360 degrees and bring her here. To this Maqaam (position).

And suddenly, the stack of books and newspapers caught my attention. I remembered how I was such a bookworm. I hadn't read anything for over seven years now.

I looked at the stack of books, that would probably be the only way, literally the only way to divert my mind.

I started reading an old favourite book of mine called Apparition by Gail Gallant. I used to loved the mystery, horror and little romance in the books. I never finished the whole book as I had five chapters left, that I was to finish after my 20th birthday.

And that's when I realized I was 27. All of that happened seven years ago, yet it felt like yesterday.

And suddenly a newspaper article title caught my attention.

The heading had me shocked with my mouth opened into an O.

How was that possible?

1450 words 😉🤗 This was so loooong. Well some are flashbacks that I rephrased. But reading over it felt like forever 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hope you like it ☺️

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