(4)

They all reached home in the evening, parking the car in the garage, he glanced at her who was sleeping soundly.

Removing the dark ray bans from his eyes, he stared at her with tenderness. Gulping a thick lump, he moved his hand to softly remove a stubborn strand away from her innocent face.

"Zara, wake up, we are home!" Gently patting her shoulder, he tried to wake her up.

Squinting her eyes, she sat upright and got out of the car without glancing at him.

Taking slow steps, she entered her house, dismissing everyone, she reached towards her room.

Closing the door behind her, she scanned her whole room with dry eyes, there were no more tears that tried to escape from her eyes.

A heaviness settled in her heart, breathing roughly she clenched and unclenched her fists.

Licking her dry lips, she took refuge at the edge of her bed.

Flashes of that incident passed from her eyes. His filthy hands covering her mouth, her protests, the silent tears which escaped her eyes, him looking at her with an evil grin, that had hidden message behind. A shudder passed down her spine about thinking what would have happened if he had succeeded in his mission.

What would have happened if she reacted late? What would have happened if Affan didn't come on time?

Would that vile man be going to marry her? She knew he would do that because that vicious man was capable of it. He was blinded by her wealth, the lust of gaining some paper notes is so much intense that the man forgets about anything that comes in between. He becomes a heinous creature just to have the peace that comes with wealth.

Till to this date, nobody attained that serenity in the heart that comes with good fortune, we can have a delicate bed but we cannot have a serene sleep, we cannot stop our mind and heart to become restless.

Money can make us glamorous from the outside but it also sucks all the conformity making man's heart and mind hallow from inside.

And then that wealthy man's struggle starts to have inner peace, he will realize that it's cannot be granted by some paper notes. He has to suffer the consequences, he has to suffer the aftermaths of all the unjust he did, he has to suffer loneliness. On that day he will recognize that this world is just a facade, it's just a deception, and nothing lasts forever.

The peace only resides in a true believer's heart.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head knowing that Hamid was deep into it.

****

He was perched on a brown leather seat in front of his father in his study room.

His elbows rested on the armrest of the chair.

Exhaling, his father looked at his younger son with deep emotion that Affan couldn't pinpoint.

Affan's eyes landed beside him where his elder brother stood with his arms crossed.

"I think it's time to fulfill my promise."

The old man with salt and pepper hair looked at his elder son who in response noded slightly.

"What promise?" A whisper left Affan's mouth.

He glanced straight at his father with confused eyes.

"You have to listen to me carefully first, then you can speak whatever you want."

Affan mumbled, "you are scaring me, Dad."

The tense atmosphere in the room and the rigid faces of his brother and father were making him anxious with each passing second.

"Salman demanded something from me when he was breathing his last breathes."

"What?" His heart skipped a beat after hearing the name of his deceased uncle.

"A promise."

"What promise?" He was becoming apprehensive each passing second.

"To marry you with Zara." For a whole minute, he was stilled blinking, he looked at his father to confirm that what he said was a joke or not.

His brother's large hand on his shoulder confirmed that their father's statement was genuine.

"Dad, I-I, we are too young for marriage right now." Gulping a lump, he fisted his hand in a tight ball.

"I know you two are young, I also wanted to wait but the incident that happened today forced me to take this decision." His father uttered without a crack in his voice.

"Dad, you are not understanding, I was with her yet he tried to harm her, how can you think that this marriage will stop them." Running a hand to his messy hair, he spoke with uneasiness in his voice.

"You were there to protect her Affan and you did it."

"Dad I-"

"Affan, is it someone else do you like? is there somebody, that is why you are refusing?

If that's the case then tell me right now, I will have to find a suitable fit for Zar-"

"No! I-I mean I don't like anybody." His sudden loud voice made his father's sentence stop midway.

"Then do you agree to marry Zara?" His father's eyes held the warmth, maybe he comprehended what his son's answer was going to be.

"Yes."

Zarrar patted his younger brother's shoulder, a proud glint sparked in his eyes.

"It's going to be just Nikkah right?"

"No, she lives next to your room Affan, there is no need to prolong the Rukhsati."

Collecting his phone and wallet his father stood up and after squeezing his shoulder and giving him an impressive look, he left the room with his elder brother.

Parched throat, thumping heart, the sheen of sweat on his forehead, and his messy hair. Affan Sikander's nervousness could be seen from miles away.

*******

Her Bari Ammi was enough to convince Zara. She had never imagined marriage and that too with Affan.

The thought which made her sign those Nikkah papers was that she doesn't have to go anywhere, everybody will be the same,  nothing's going to change except her and Affan's relationship.

For a whole week they both avoided each other, she went and came to the university with a driver and he prevented their encounters in university.

Not before and after the Nikkah they took a glimpse at each other. Now, as she stood in his room as his wife she dreaded their encounter which was going to happen in mere minutes.

With a clammy hand, she straightened her gold and white lehenga, her hands were henna-clad, and delicate wrists were adorned with shiny bangles. The little makeup didn't hide her natural beauty and she looked like her age.

She was a bride, Affan's bride.

She wanted to gag at that.

After a minute, Affan came into the room after seeing her permission. He averted his eyes and cleared his throat.

There was so much awkwardness in the room and both of them had no idea how to abate it.

His lean posture was clad in a white Shalwar Kameez that made him look a little older than he was, a silver wristwatch was clasped on his wrist as he moved his hand to rub his neck.

They had a good amount of distance between them and both of them didn't come any closer to lessen it.

Zara played with her fingers with lowered eyes.

"Zara, I-I think I should change."

A frown etched on her face.

"Why are you telling me this? go and get changed."

Wiping the beads of sweat, he mumbled.

"You are not helping Zara."

"What do you mean?"

"Try to make this less awkward or I swear I going to run from here."  His eyes were narrowed, filled with uncertainty.

"You are making it more awkward than it already is." Wetting her dry lips, she gulped.

He rubbed his already red face and coughed lightly.

"Just forget that I'm your wife and you are my husband an-"

"Affan are you drunk or something? I'm your wife and you are my husband, you reversed our genders dummy."

Upon realizing his mistake, his ear and face become redder with shame.

What's has wrong with him? it's just Zara, his cousin, his friend.

He scolded himself in his head.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous."

A light chuckle escaped from her mouth, probably the first laugh after a whole week.

"You are behaving terribly than me, for the first time I have seen a blushing groom." A light chuckle transformed into a full-blown laugh.

Something in him relaxed, it was just Zara. There was nothing to get stress about.

Coming forward, he embraced her in a tight hug. "Thank God, you always have been sane in arduous situations, I swear I was going to faint because of anxiety."

Zara was nonplused, her arms dangled beside her, he clutched her tightly against his chest, and his woody cologne tingled her nose.

It took him a minute to realize what had he done, very slowly, he pulled her away and averted his eyes.

Taking a step back, he coughed again.

"I'll just go and change, you can do it after me."

After some time both of them changed into their comfy night wears and stood side by side in front of the bed.

"You sleep on the sofa, I will sleep here." Without glancing at him, she went to lay in his bed.

Annoyed, Affan took his pillows and perched on the uncomfortable sofa.

"It's just for today, hopefully, I won't be a scaredy-cat tomorrow or any other day."

Whispering to himself, he lay down with his arm on his eyes.

Snickering, Zara also closed her eyes.