14. 'The rude one'

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"I look quite handsome, nahi?"

Daiyan's playful words did nothing to ease the hard glare that Marwan was sending his way. He had woken up early the next morning, wincing every now and then due to the bruises that lay carelessly around his form but nothing he couldn't handle.

A scoff was all Daiyan received along with a silent treatment. Marwan had gone ballistic when Daiyan had finally gained consciousness, hyperventilating over every little movement that he made and when Daiyan had angrily snapped at him for treating him like a child, Marwan decided to remain mute and let him do all his work by himself.

"Marwan, main theek hu-"

"Say that again and you'll have more drawings across your face."

Marwan's sharp words gave no hint of sarcasm or joke and Daiyan gulped knowing well that his best friend wasn't joking.

"Acha theek hai. It's hurting, okay? Ab bas kar yeh dramebaazi. I'm alive."

"You mean partially alive. Wanna take a look in the mirror?"

"Marwan!"

Ziah reprimanded him softly. The one called out to just gave her a look before rolling his eyes, not understanding why he was spending time with the nuisance of a friend that he had.

Madiha shook her head at her son's behaviour. She knew very well what was going through his head and found it tough to deal with it all.

"Marwan, cut the guy some slack. Abhi toh utha hai."

"Toh sone ko bola kisne tha."

Laiha gave him a blank look that clearly said how poor of a joke he had said. Ignoring the looks he was receiving from his family, Marwan ran a hand through his tousled hair and the look of seriousness that replaced the sarcastic amusement from his eyes gave Daiyan a hint of what was about to come.

"Kya hua tha?"

The simple question was met with an eerie silence. The light in the room dimmed metaphorically as Daiyan felt the anger and desperation from a day back resurfacing in his mind with full force. The image of the car being turned upside down in the middle of the highway, the terrified scream of Parizad, the screeching and thuds of the metal surface coming in contact with the hard ground, the sound of the glasses being shattered and the constant thudding of his blood made him close his eyes and try to control his breaths.

Everyone in the room was aware that this incident would leave a mark in the memories of Parizad and Daiyan- a memory that brought back nothing but pain and horror.

"We were driving to the airport. The road wasn't all that crowded seeing as I took a shortcut, opting for the less crowded one that happened to be highway no.6. Raat bahot thi kuch sahi se dikha nahi but what I am sure about is that when we were moving through the road, the truck that had accidentally hit was not in view until a few minutes before the crash."

Marwan could clearly see the anger that was coursing through his friend's body. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists. A clear notion that the thoughts that ran wild in his head wanted to cause damage to no one but the person responsible for all this.

What caught Marwan's interest was the verdict in his friend's tone. Something he was sure that everyone had noted down.

"You mean to say it wasn't-"

"It wasn't an accident."

Strangled gasps that wanted to be concealed were heard easily in the midst of the icy silence. Marwan closed his eyes, the inkling of the horrifying truth had prodded his mind a few times but realizing that his assumptions were true still pricked the anger that was being stored in big jars since a day before in his mind.

The thick silence in the room was disturbed by the sound of the shrill ringtone of Madiha's phone. Glancing at the caller id, her age-old eyes turned wide but trying her best to hide the panic, she excused herself from the others and walked out of the room to attend the call of her husband, Waheed.

Marwan rubbed a hand over his tired face. Ziah and Laiha stood still, not knowing what to say or do. Things looked more dirty than they thought of them to be and now when everything was laid across, what was left to find was the purpose and the person.

"I saw him. The driver."

A humorless chuckle escaped Daiyan's lips. A sound so cold and faraway that Ziah visibly flinched beside Marwan, scooting a little closer to him to suppress her growing nerves.

"You should've seen his face, Marwan. The look of victory, the vicious smirk, the pride feeling that he had done what he was asked to. Ah, what I wouldn't give to have my hands wrapped tightly around his neck."

Marwan tilted his head to the side. His eyes observed the silent rage that his friend was oozing in waves and something told him it wasn't just because of the accident that he wanted to give a peace of mind to that driver but something more, something that had shook his friend to the core.

"You remember his face, yes? We can use that to track him down."

"Is Aliya still here or has the lady already skipped for her honeymoon?"

The question came out with a hint of curiosity and an underlying plan. Marwan chuckled as he shook his head, informing Daiyan well enough that it had been just 2 days to her marriage and she was still around even though the brooding commando patient was aware of the information.

"Very well then. Summon her and Kabir. We'd need their help."

"As you wish, my Lord."

Marwan bowed slightly, his words of sarcasm made Daiyan's tense posture relax but only by a little. Marwan Qureshi very well knew how to turn the dense of atmospheres into lighthearted chatter and for that, Daiyan Mirza would forever be grateful, even though he wouldn't voice the words out loud.

He had a reputation of being 'the rude one' to uphold!

Ziah and Laiha eased their postures upon hearing their light tones. The tense atmosphere parted to give way to their jovial talks- one that all preferred more than the former.

Marwan quickly dialed Aliya's number, the call kept on speaker as they waited for the woman to pick the call that had already started ringing.

"MARWAN! BY GOD, BOLA THA WHEN HE WAKES UP CALL ME. AB JA KAR TUMHE FURSAT MILI HAI?!"

Each one of them winced at the sharp and loud scream of Aliya that sounded from the other side. Marwan glared at the phone, the bright idea of throwing the device at the nearest wall roamed like a seducing thought in his mind but he knew he couldn't do that, just yet.

"Calm down woman. Chillane ki zarurat nahi hai. And I've been awake only for a little while."

Daiyan's voice made the other side go silent for a few minutes. The two commandos shared a look, embracing their hearing skills to withstand another painful shriek but surprisingly all they were met with was a small sniff that would have been inaudible if not for the silence around.

"Awe, bachi ko rona aa raha hai?"

Marwan's teasing coo would have been met with a sharp glare if Aliya were in front of him but since it wasn't possible, Marwan could feel the reaction from the other side that oozed from his friend through the phone.

"M-Marwan, bas ek baar mere haath lag ja."

"I highly doubt that Kabir would find your words pleasing."

He whined when out of nowhere Daiyan smacked the back of his head before snatching the phone from his hands. Frowning at his friend's rudeness, he looked at Ziah in hopes of finding a tad bit of sympathy for himself in her expressions but was instead left betrayed when he found her coughing lightly to hide her laughs that were still prominent.

"Aise mat dekho use. Joker ko dekh kar log haste hi hai. There's no place for sympathy."

He gave a glare to Laiha who raised her eyebrow at him. A challenging glint in her eyes that dared him to say anything further and knowing well what was of his best interest, Marwan decided to spare her blatant disrespect- that's what he said- and focused on Aliya and Daiyan's conversation.

"Acha sun, I want your help- more like Kabir's help. Would it be-"

"Accident ne brain damage toh nahi kar diya na tumhara? How come you're behaving in such a formal and respectful manner?"

Before Daiyan could retort, Marwan successfully gave his unasked input.

"Izzat raas nahi aati na tujhe?"

"Jo tere paas nahi hai woh tu mujhe kaise dega?"

"Burn *cough* Burn."

Laiha tried to control her bubbling laughter at the flushed face of Marwan who glared at the phone screen and then at her.

Ziah finally let her happy sounds escape her lips on seeing the hues of red spreading across Marwan's face and the tip of his ears. Her melodic harmony pulled the strings of Marwan's hearts just like that of the angels playing the harp. His annoyed eyes glistened with a soft look as he let the small smile that seemed natural make its way on his lips.

"You're making it too obvious."

The hushed whisper next to his ears broke his trance. A look of alarm reflected in his eyes but was calmed down instantly when he realized that the words were spoken by Daiyan.

His friend raised an eyebrow at the sudden defensive features of being clueless that took over Marwan's face. The latter shrugged, acting with a deceiving innocence as if he didn't know what Daiyan was referring to. Marwan cleared his throat and looked at his phone that no longer was connected through a call with Aliya.

When had he finished the conversation?

Maybe when you were busy staring at a certain someone.

The question asked by his mind was met with a retort by his heart. Marwan almost got a whiplash at the civil war of sarcasm that took place within him from time to time but anyhow remained calm on the outer surface.

"What did the annoying woman say?"

"Are you by any chance confused about your gender?"

"Laiha!"

A horrified gasp along with her name was all Marwan could say as he narrowed his once wide eyes into slits at the lady that stood wearing a neutral look on her face, blinking her eyes a few times as though genuinely confused but the mirth swirling in her eyes made him want to throw her out of the room and attain his once lost peace.

And izzat.

"Shut up kids."

Daiyan's stern tone that tried to hold back the amusement failed miserably as Marwan kept glaring at Laiha who rather seemed to be enjoying herself by bursting his egoistic bubble one by one.

"Are they always this foolish?"

Ziah's not so silent whisper met her with two pairs of eyes that glared at her for her question. Gulping at the sudden limelight- more like glarelight that was directed her way, she nervously chuckled before giving a pleading look to Daiyan for help.

"Enough. Chup karo dono. And you, ek baar ke liye apne karele jaise jokes side mein nahi rakh sakta."

"Oye! They are sacred words that shouldn't be compared with something as horrifying as a bitter gourd. That's a sin!"

"Ignoring Marwan's attempts to sound logical, we come back to the topic. Aliya and Kabir will be here in a few hours. Marwan, can you arrange for a sketch artist?"

Huffing at the former words of Daiyan, Marwan sat up straight and gave him a curt nod for his question.

"Give me a few minutes."

The playfulness in the air was replaced by sheer seriousness as Marwan dialed a few numbers. It was all silent apart from the conversations between Marwan and the person on the other side.

Ziah fumbled on her feet, feeling completely out of place within seconds. She couldn't do anything to help-

"Ziah?"

Her eyes shot up to Daiyan who now wore an anxious look on his face. A sudden look of nervousness along with a slight amount of panic made Ziah suddenly concerned as she took a few steps towards him.

"What's wrong?"

Her voice low as to not disturb Marwan's ongoing words. Daiyan adjusted his position on the bed, sitting more upright with more tense shoulders than before. Laiha too gave him a look of concern, having a slight inkling of what might be bothering him.

"W-woh, have you checked on Parizad? I- maine doctor se pucha tha when I first woke up but he just said not to worry. She's fine, i-isn't she? Please ek baar use check-"

"Daiyan, just calm down. She still hasn't gained consciousness but the doctors have given a clean chit. Itni fikr mat karo aap. You haven't healed fully yet. It wouldn't be good for you."

"I agree. Daiyan, Parizad is stronger than what you might give her the credit for. Just lean back and relax yourself. The moment she wakes up, the doctors will inform us but your assurance, main aur Ziah use ek baar check kar lenge. Okay?"

Daiyan's tense form eased a little on hearing the words from the two females. His heart raced with thoughts of utter terror. The images of what Parizad's form looked like when the accident had taken place and he had the least bit of energy to keep his eyes open to stare at her, he never knew dread as such.

"Daiyan?"

Marwan's worry-filled tone brought him back from the frightening thoughts created by his mind. Shaking his head to ease the ache in his heart, he looked at Marwan whose eyes hadn't wavered from his form even once.

"Sab theek?"

"Hmm, tu bata, did you get anyone?"

Marwan gave him a look but didn't question further. Running a hand through his hair, he gave a nod to Daiyan who hummed in acknowledgement.

"Yeah, I told him to come at 5. By then Kabir aur Aliya bhi aa jayenge. It'll be more fluent that way."

"And-"

Daiyan's words were cut off when the door of the hospital room was opened and walked in an apprehensive looking Madiha. Her eyes were coated with distress as she looked at everyone in the room with an unsure expression before stopping her gaze at her son who was already walking towards her with urgent steps.

"M-Marwan, your abbu has asked you to meet him as soon as possible. A-and he didn't seem quite happy about whatever it was that he wanted to discuss."

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Happy laughs before heavy tears...

Anyways anyways, Ramadan ka chand dikh gaya!! Ahhh! somebody just help me in calming down my weird nervousness filled excitement!

Advance Ramadan kareem to the ones who have it a day later! May this blessed month help us in enriching our soul with the wisdom of our deen and help us in doing consistent good deeds.

And to all my readers, the drama is about to begin. A roller coaster of constant ups and downs along with the entry of a certain someone (definitely the bad man)...*shrugs innocently*

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