• his lies •

᯽᯽᯽

᯽᯽᯽

Gule folded the prayer mat after making du'a and placed it near the floor cushions. Her eyes brightened as she looked outside the window. The sky was filled with white clouds, the sun peeking and shining from among them making the day seem beautiful.

It reminded her of a certain someone and a smile made it's way on her face. The bell ringing made her come out of her daydream. Radwa was coming over after her classes so Gule herself rushed to open the door, stopping Neelofer baaji who was on her way to do it.

Gule and Radwa had completely different interests in studies. Gule was more of an artistic person, while Radwa was more into medical. She'd always wanted to become a doctor.

Thus, after they completed the four years of undergraduate, Gule said she didn't want to pursue arts as a career or study any further. The four years were already enough suffering for her. As Radwa continued with her medical school, unable to understand the sudden change in her best friend who had always wanted to meet new people and socialize more.

Gule shared every little detail of her life with Radwa. She'd never mentioned that incident infront of her, and it always ate her up on the inside. Her short-tempered friend's anger was going to be a hundred times multiplied on her for hiding it.

They were both seated in her room, Gule plopped on her stomach on the bed, while Radwa was walking around her room ranting about her work and the upcoming project trip.

"....ab mein soch rahi hun kisi sy pooch lun phir ussky according decide karun jana chahiye ya nai."

"Han dekh lo kya halaat hein, kya chal raha hai." Gule shrugged, distracted by the view on her phone.

"Jo bhi chal raha hai mein nai chal rahi unky saath." Radwa let out a sigh, shaking her head. Noticing the girl still so focused on her phone, she made her way on the bed.

"How long are you gonna stare at a photo of his back?" She smacked Gule out of her trance. Gule had already narrated the whole day's incidents to her, cutting out Idrees' appearance and his sweet revenge.

"Forever?" She cheekily grinned.

"I still can't believe it is the same guy now showing up as your bodyguard like? That's weird, really." Radwa's brows stuck together in suspicion and negative ideas.

"I think he was made for this job." Gule clapped her hands together, ignoring the look on Radwa's face.

"Ussky haath jo lagta hai, wo ussko nanga kar deta hai, like chill yarr." She sat up, her heels pressed under her hips, flipping the hair fallen to the front on her back.

"Tou tum ankhein band kar liya karo." Radwa replied in all seriousness. Gule rolled her eyes, giving her a done look.

"Honestly, Gul. I find him sus. Jahan tum hoti ho, har jagah kesy pohanch jata hai? What if he's some creepy stalker-"

"Dekho, wo jo bhi hai, jesa bhi hai, bohut acha hai. I know, for a fact, he is not a bad person. He is so respectful and just damn." She mused and Radwa shook her head.

"You can't judge a person based on their looks. Your words."

"I'm not talking about his looks, only. They're just a bonus." Gule pointed out.

"Don't trust him too much." Radwa warned, still not getting good vibes out of the sudden appearance of the same man again and again.

"I have blind trust in him." Gule declared dramatically. "Aag mein koodny ko kahy ga, kood jaungi."

"Down bad, brown dad." Radwa crooned as Gule chortled.

She so wanted to show that video of Idrees to her, tell her what had happened that made her so obsessed with changing how she looked, what had made her realize the fact that getting home-schooled was the best for her, away from the judgemental society.

Gule chose to remain silent for now since Radwa was already stressed about her work. She'd tell her later. When the right time comes. Putting those thoughts aside, she returned to the present moment.

"I'm still so happy. I've been floating all day." Gule gave her a full-blown smile and her best friend put aside the negative doubts watching her happy.

"You are way too into this one." She sighed, praying internally for the happiness to stay intact and never get snatched away by pain or any misery.

It was night time and Gule was in the kitchen with Neelofer baaji, preparing tea for herself. Radwa had left by the evening, but Gule still couldn't stop thinking about sharing her secret with her, which she'd told him so easily.

She heard her father's strained voice calling her out from the TV lounge. She placed the saucepan from which she was pouring the tea aside, and rushed out.

"Jee, baba jaan?" She softly asked, noticing that he was sitting near the telephone. She couldn't have called him again. Gule clenched her teeth together.

"Beta aap ki mama jaan ny koi invitation bheja hai aap ko?" He questioned and her gut feeling was proven right.

"Mein nai jaun gi iss baar. Pehly tou kabhi nai bulaya tha unho ny?" Gule bit out, angry and hurt.

Her mother was an actress. She'd always been busy with her own social life and Gule had barely spent any time with her even as a kid. They were never a complete family way before the separation of her parents.

Ever since Gule had started working as a shoe model, since she lost weight, her mother had started inviting her to those events and parties as 'her dear daughter'. She'd went to two of them and they only made her realize what a fake woman her mother actually was.

"Jesi bhi hai, mama hein tumhari. Izzat kiya karo." Her father lectured. "Iss baar chali jao, please. Mery liye." He sweetly pleaded, as Gule settled on the sofa beside him, her insides softening. She was sure the woman had emotionally blackmailed him and thrown those ridiculous taunts at him so he'd convince her.

"Acha theek hai. Sirf aap ky liye." She lightly smiled, holding his wrinkled hand, her thumb caressed the old scar on his hand, reaching from his upper wrist to the thumb as she placed a kiss over it habitually.

"Meri pyari Gul. Mery dil ka sakoon, meri ankhon ka noor ho tum." She placed her head on his chest hugging him as he patted her head saying the words ever so lovingly. She blinked her eyes to sway away the sad emotions bubbling in her chest over thoughts of ever losing her father.

She was leaving when her father called out from behind. "Aur wo file mil gai thi beta?"

"Jee, baba jaan. Meiny dekh li thi, aap fikar mat karein." She stated as casually as possible, trying not to sound nervous at the sudden query. She let out a relieved sigh when he nodded and grabbing her cold cup of tea from the kitchen counter, climbed up the stairs back into her room.

She unlocked her phone and opened her mother's messages. She had sent the invite but Gule didn't bother to go through it. Her text said she'll send clothes for her which she should wear to the party. Her insides twisted in pain, she was a selfish woman who only bothered to text her when she wanted to show her off as a trophy.

Gule disliked these high-class parties more than she could put into words, and now, for her father, she would have to accept the invite and try to get along with her mother.

Her father was the most patient man she'd ever seen. He was a man of rules and he always put his family first. While for her mother, career came first and she always made decisions on impulse. Their personality clash was known from the very start of their marriage, it slowly got worse and intolerable. They would've gotten divorced way before if divorce wasn't considered such a taboo in the society they lived in.

As a child, she'd only ever seen them fight. If it was a trivial matter of leaving the lights on, or a huge matter of her mother accusing her father of writing about another woman, she referred to as his mehbooba. They'd fight every night and it made Gule wonder if marriages were always this scary.

When her mother left, she didn't even try to take Gule's custody. Even though, legally she had the right to keep Gule with her as she was a daughter. She never bothered to take her along considering her a 'burden'.

Until the unlucky day, when she accidentally saw Gule at the epic shoot for clothes and shoes, which was taking place outdoor and she was new to her work as a shoe model. Her mother had been one of the models there too and everyone there saw the similarity in their features since they looked so alike.

After that, she invited Gule to the first party and her father had refused. She'd suddenly shown up and threatened her father she could take her away easily by going to the court, proving to them he hadn't let her keep her when young. She was a woman with fame and power, while her father was a man with nothing but her as the only family. Thus, her blackmailing worked well on his weak heart and Gule was left with no choice.

The doctors had already said too many medicines were not good for him and he should stay out of any stress or shocks. She didn't even remember her father's healthy and happy side anymore. She was so small when she'd been abandoned by her parents' love or pampering.

After her mother left, it was followed by small trials of her father's sickness and fervent prayers of his health often made her cry. She was getting home-schooled and secretly sneaked into his room at night, to sit by his side, read his books, his writings. Years went by just like that and his health condition deteriorated.

What if's are the absolute worst. She woke up everyday thinking what would her life be like if her mother wouldn't have left them? If her father wouldn't have fallen sick over the loss? If she'd not have stayed with him? If she'd not have gotten home-schooled?

But now, she had the answers to all those questions because she had accepted all the pain and all the lessons life had taught her throughout. Whatever had happened, was for the best. She wouldn't have been who she was as a person today if not for all those years.

//❄︎❄︎❄︎//

The day she had been dreading arrived very swiftly. She was standing by her almost empty wardrobe, her room a mess with all her scattered clothes. She angrily stared at the dress her mother had delivered for her. How could she even expect her to wear that thing?

Shaking her head, she threw the black shiny skirt out and her brows shot up at the sight of the hidden dress in the corner. This was it. She took it out and attached the dress to her front, examining it over herself in the mirror.

She just had to get it pressed quickly and Neelofer baaji was not a great option for the job. She was good at everything, but when it came to ironing clothes, God protect those innocent materials. She had burnt Gule's new dresses almost every month until she decided to take up on the duty of ironing clothes on herself.

She had an hour to get ready so she rushed down to iron the clothes, then ran back upstairs, already tired. Hurriedly getting ready, her mind continued it's job of thinking thoughts it couldn't put a full stop over.

Amidst thoughts of how much she hated the high-class parties like these, she wondered how on earth she would spend her time there and not go insane, or worse lose her patience and offend everyone with a scowl, whine or rude attitude. All the ladies would torture her endlessly by spinning her round and round in circles.

She curled her hair into waves. Though they were not done properly, since her arm gave up half-way through. Her favourite pair of jhumkay were matching with the dress, so she wore them to add some jewellery and complete her look. She was done getting ready right on time as the bell rang. It must be him.

Her heart hammered against her chest. Her father had told her to go with him, though she had thought he'd just be accompanying her for shoots, but it made her so happy, she almost started dancing right then and there.

Picking up her golden heels in her hand and grabbing the purse in the other, she twisted her body to the left then right infront of the full length mirror to check her outfit from front and back. Still nervous and giddy, she hurried out not wanting to make him wait.

Sitting down on the last stair, she started closing the straps of her heels after wearing them quickly.

( the dress on right is the one her mom sent 💀 )

Realizing she had forgotten her stole in the room, she carefully ran back upstairs, her heels clicking loudly.

She was breathing hard by the time she reached outside, to find him waiting by the car parked inside. Taking in a huge deep breath, she walked towards him.

Hearing the soft clicks of her heels, he turned his head in her direction, his amber eyes slightly widened. He eyeballed her head to toe, shamelessly and unapologetically. She was enticing. So radiant. Almost unreal. He'd never been awestruck by someone like this before.

Gule's entire being felt warm under his static gaze which beheld her wholly, she could feel burning heat oozing out of her ears as her face flushed in beet red shade. She wondered if she had over-done her look today that made him turn into an unblinking statue.

"Do I look okay? Or is it way too over? Or too catchy?" She nervously asked, peering at the dress while holding onto the strands of her hair falling over her face due to her craned neck.

Her voice made him snap out of his trance and he looked away in a flash. He was seriously checking her out. Since when had he become so brazen-faced. Ashamed of his blatant stare, he cleared his throat and turned towards the car, his back facing her now. Gule confusingly took a few steps closer.

"Tum sy pooch rahi hun? Batao na." She prompted, catching sight of his bright red ears. Was he embarrassed right now? She bit onto her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.

"You can judge yourself the best, Gule." He answered, turning towards her again. Gule's heart did a backward somersault, him calling her by her name like that made her breath hitch.

"If this is what you want to wear, than no one else's opinion matters." He affirmed and Gule grinned, putting all the useless thoughts aside. Yours does, she internally remarked.

He had opened the backseat door for her yet again. The ride to the venue was silent as Gule was mentally preparing herself for any sort of upcoming drama.

They arrived sooner than she had expected, as she placed the stole on the seat of the car leaving it there. She knew what kind of gathering it was going to be. He opened the door for her almost surprising her at his speed as if he wanted her out quick.

She got out and started fixing her dress and hair. She needed to move and stay distracted for her overflowing thoughts to stay quiet and panicked nerves to calm down. He carefully closed the door, stepping away. She looked up at the decorations done in the garden since it was an outdoor event.

"Are you going to leave?" She speculated, looking at him with large hopeful eyes.

"Do you want me to stay?" He raised a brow at her.

He always did this. Answered a question with another question, to avoid it, bringing it back on her.

"Your choice." She shrugged her stiff shoulders in the most nonchalant way possible. She shouldn't stop him if he wants to leave. She took three steps forward, paused, turned back around.

"Suno." He was still standing in the same position as if already expecting her to call him out again. "I won't stay in for long. I mean, tum rukna chahty ho tou ruk jao." She was hit with instant regret at saying the words. God, she was such a witless desperate idiot.

"I'll wait." He agreed, just like that. Gule stilled before a foolish grin made it's way on her full lips.

The warm atmosphere of the party lowered a batch when she entered in with a salam. Judging eyes instantly falling on her from the surrounding. She smiled her best fake smile, awkwardly walking forward to look for the familiar woman.

She found her standing at a distance laughing among a few ladies, fresh and bright, as if she hadn't aged at all. Gule had her mother's features, that was all that woman had ever given her. Other than pain.

"Mama jaan." She spoke from three steps away, to let her know of her arrival. Her mother turned in surprise, then her face turned into a scowl, which she quickly hid from the ladies excusing herself.

"Kitni baar mana kiya hai tumhy mujhy yeh mat kaha karo gatherings mein. It makes me look like an oldie. Call me mom." She complained, pushing her carefully dyed locks from her shoulder.

"Aur yeh kya pehen kar aai ho?" Her eyebrows were glued together while examining her outfit disapprovingly. Gule clenched her teeth together to hold back an offensive retort.

A few ladies approached them, surrounding Gule in a small circle. Her mother began with her pleasantries as she forced herself to smile and not feel congested.

Soon they all got busy chit chatting about stuff Gule was least concerned about, so she stood there, gazing around. The girls her age, who were the daughters of the ladies, most of them working as models too, were busy clicking photos and videos of themselves while joking around.

Gule had seen a few of them on shoots before and some had been sweet to her on her face while some hadn't bothered to acknowledge her existence. One thing this work had taught her was nobody in this line of work was a genuine person. There was nobody who was sincere to the other or truly wished the best for the other. It was a fake world of fake people.

She opened her purse to glance at the time on her phone. It was time for asr prayer. She could go inside the venue and pray while everyone was busy enjoying. Not that anyone would notice her absence. She could miss and skip anything but, namaz. Never.

She had to get her scarf from the car so she walked towards the entrance, looking for her range rover among the cars outside. There was no sign of him or the car. Taking out her phone, she called on his number.

It was ringing, as Gule lifted her foot to relax it, then did the same with the other. Her impatience was growing further with each ring.

"Did you leave?" She interrogated as soon as he answered the call.

"Did you want me to stay?" He questioned back and she shut her eyes slightly annoyed. He had said he'll wait. She felt disappointed, but chose to stay cool.

"No, I already told you, it's your choice." She tried to sound calm, but her face had twisted up in frustration.

"Is that the face you make when you're giving your badduas?" He asked in a silvery voice and Gule's eyes widened in shock. She quickly turned to her left then right to look for him.

"To your left." She turned to that side. "Slightly to the right." She furrowed her brows, turning back. "Right infront of you." He was standing by her range rover on the opposite end of the bushes, away from the parking lot.

"You weren't here five minutes ago." She had already looked in that empty area before calling him.

"I went to pray in the mosque nearby." He answered and Gule felt the respect she had for him grow further.

"I'm waiting right here." Assuring her with a nod, he was about to end the call when she stopped him. "I need to get my scarf from the car."

He peeked at the backseat of the car to find the scarf lying there. Unlocking the car, he collected the material in his hand, "I'll bring it." He shut the call after saying the words, as Gule watched him walk in her direction. She could only see his face and shoulders from the opposite side of the bushes.

She walked ahead on the inside as they both finally approached one another at the same spot, the grass acting as a boundary between them both. Even though in heels, she had to stand on her toes to put her arm forward over the bushes as he handed it to her.

She smiled at him, forgetting about her surrounding. He was like the oasis in this torturous desert. He made her forget about all sorts of negative thoughts in an instant.

She was on her way inside when her mother ushered her aside, to introduce her to a woman. She was in no mood of socializing and this lady seemed to be analyzing her entire existence.

"Where did you get the dress from?" She asked in the most fake tone, inspecting the dress' quality. Gule had brought this dress an year ago from the mall when she went shopping with Radwa for a friend's bridal shower. It wasn't an up-to-date designer dress that every single person was wearing currently.

"She got it custom made. She is very specific about her dresses." Her mother easily lied, laughing it off.

"If you want to work as a model, you have to adjust in all sorts of clothes. I heard from your mother you're planning to get into runway modelling soon?"

Gule's eyes snapped in her mother's direction. Who gave her the right to spread such false information about her and expect her to follow her footsteps like a toy.

"I am, for a fact, not planning to do so." She emphasized with a tight smile in her mother's direction. The woman looked like she got the tea she had been boiling for, as her mother made a sound that only looked like a laugh.

"She's still growing. She'll learn with time." Her words were absurd to Gule as she excused herself and went inside.

One of the staff members guided her to a room, showing her the qibla's direction and the prayer mat. She took off her earrings and safely kept them inside her purse. Not caring one bit about her make-up, she splashed cold water on her face to perform ablution.

She covered up her arms as much as she could with the scarf since the net material slightly exposed her skin. She was done praying when she heard footsteps approaching the room, seconds before her mother dashed into the room.

"You look like a complete disaster. What is wrong with you?" She whisper-screamed at her in anger.

"Why didn't you wear the dress I specially sent for you?" Closing the door shut, she now scolded her in a loud and clear voice. "Did the old man tell you not to wear that?"

"I did not want to wear that dress. It's too revealing and looked uncomfortable." Gule replied back, holding back her emotions at the words she used for her father.

"Why not? Aaj kal aisy kapron ka fashion hai, sab pehenty hein." Her mother exasperated.

"Mein aisy kapry nai pehen sakti jin mein meri namaz hi na ho." Gule kept her tone monotonous, unlike how she was feeling on the inside.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. Religion, you have to put behind you if you want to live in the 21st century. And if you want to stick to your religion then I'd advice you to get a time machine, because in that case you don't belong here." Her mother carelessly criticized.

Gule opened her mouth and closed it again. She was so shocked she could barely speak.

"Sab sy alag ek ajooba lag rahi ho. It's not like you have something to hide or cover up under these. She's probably gossiping about you out there now." She nagged, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Alag hun, galat nai." Gule mumbled, her voice thick. "Agar aap ko itni problem ho rahi hai tou mujhy nai rehna aap ki aisi judgemental gathering mein. Mat bulaya karein mujhy."

"You never fail to disappoint me, Gule Shah." Her mother seethed giving her a look of disgust, as Gule's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. "At the end of the day, you'll remain your sick father's obedient daughter."

"At least he treats me like his daughter and has given me everything you never could." She bellowed at her. She had thought she had become stoic towards her mother and her brutal words, but she was proven wrong yet again.

"He has already brainwashed you. I shouldn't have left you to stay with him." She hissed back and it made Gule take an unconscious step back, blocking her next words at the back of her throat. They weren't mere words, but a threat.

"Eat something before leaving." She ordered with a hard glare. Gule nodded, suppressing tears of resentment and fear. She was seconds away from breaking down.

Somehow, she survived another wretched hour in that place, among those people, like a dead soul. She didn't belong there at all. She felt unwanted and unimportant. Her eyes watered everytime she looked in her mother's direction, all grinning and laughing, as if the words she had said to her in the room were nothing, as if the hatred on her face was never there.

When she couldn't take it anymore, she got up and sneaked out of the place in fast steps. She walked towards the car, feeling the breeze hit her face and hair. She was finally breathing again.

Shaheer was waiting in the car, not having anything to do, he opened Hunain's 89 messages since the man was really testing his patience now. Half of them were him nagging Shaheer about useless stuff. The others were, surprisingly, sensible statements.

Shaheer was supposed to get this job done within the first week. Their plan wasn't solid and he could get exposed any time. If Gule found out he wasn't the real guard sent for her by the team, or if Ruman grew aware of the missing Daniyal Khan, they'd have to hide away. He had to hurry the process, but she wasn't visiting the man's house unlike how he had thought.

He was on his phone when she knocked on the car's window to grab his attention. He unlocked the car and was about to get off when she opened the passenger seat's door. He halted as she muttered something under her breath, bent down to pick up her purse which had slipped out of her hand while opening the door, then settled beside him. Hesitating for a moment, he cleared his throat and started the car engine.

"Lake view jana hai mujhy, please." Her voice came out croaky and she immediately regretted not clearing her throat before speaking. He noticed her slightly reddened eyes and blue mood. Silently, he drove them to the same location.

She was again walking barefoot on the grass, her heels in her hand. The scarf was wrapped around her neck securely. It was windy and her dress was waving in the air, exposing her ankles.

This time, he was expecting another crazy outburst of her bolting towards the water and screaming something outrageous. Instead, she simpled sat down on the grass, hugging her legs close to her chest and placing her chin over her knees. He silently followed, sitting at a small distance, one leg folded and the other straightened out, leaning backwards on his palms.

"Suno?" She called out after a prolonged silence, which had been unexpectedly bothering him, when it shouldn't have been. He preferred silence and his own company. Why was her quietness and gloomy mood troubling him in any way?

"Sun raha hun." Came his usual response making her lips turn upwards.

"Tumhara favourite colour kya hai?" She threw the question at him randomly.

"Kya?" He was surprised.

"Ruko, mein guess karti hun. Black," snapping her fingers together, she pointed at him,"aur mera white hai." She pointed the finger back at herself.

"Black aur white ki jori tou achi hoti hai!" She casually added. Realization of what she had said hit her like a jolt, and she quickly corrected.

"Mera matlab hai, black and white ka colour combination, acha hota hai. They go well together." She brought both her index fingers together, "Matlab look great together. Blend well with each other." She folded them together and realized she had just further made this sound and look awkward with the visual representation. She was being extremely nonsensical.

Shaheer gave her a quizzical look. He grew more confused at her sudden silly behaviour. This girl had weird coping skills. Her face had turned pink and she grew quiet again. Uncomfortable silence followed for a few moments.

"Being a detached outsider can really make you feel unwanted." She sighed with a faraway look on her face, staring directly ahead at the clear view.

"You are your own person." He said and her lips curved into a bitter smile.

"Tum nahi jaante bheer mai tanha hona kesa hota hai." She breathed out trying to get rid of the emotions she had felt while sitting among a crowd, yet feel so lonely.

"Kisny kaha aap kabhi tanha hoti hein?" He queried in a hushed voice making Gule turn her neck in his direction to look at him. With his neck craned back, head held high, he glanced at the sky pointing a finger upwards.

"Wo hai na. Hamesha saath. Wo dil mein basta hai, Gule. Ussy mehsoos karo gi tou kabhi khud ko tanha nai kaho gi." He softly lectured, then his amber eyes fell on her caramel brown ones.

"Allah always listens, Allah is always near." Those words were a whisper. His mother always used to tell him that when he would cry or be sad.

Gule stared at him in awe. While sitting there, she'd been so lost in the exhausting negative thoughts, that she had forgotten about her Creator who was listening to everything and watching over her. His words moved her beyond anything anyone had ever said.

"Kya million dollar baat kar di hai tumny." She beamed loudly and he was taken aback yet again. Her moods switched within seconds. Unconsciously, his lips twisted upwards, smile lines appearing across the sides. It was just an action, which did not really reach his eyes or make him feel anything.

Gule caught sight of the movement, her heart started beating unsteadily all over again. It was wild under her chest. He was much more charming when he smiled.

Jaan leni thi saaf keh dety, kya zaroorat thi muskuraany ki. She gaped at him, her jaw ajar in wonder.

They both sat there in peaceful silence for some time, before Shaheer's phone vibrated for the third time and he rejected the call. Gule noticed his behaviour and decided to get up.

She walked ahead of him with fast steps to get her place in the passenger seat as soon as he unlocks the car, before he can proceed to perform his chivalrous act of opening the backseat door for her.

Shaheer clicked his tongue on the inside of his cheek, pressing the unlock button and amusingly watched her open the front door. Gule dropped her purse while getting seated in a hurry. She got off the car to aggressively grab it before sitting back in.

They were on their way back with her stealing side glances his way every minute. Maybe sitting at the back was a better option, she could stare at the back of his head shamelessly the whole time. Of course, at his bewitching amber eyes through the rear-view mirror as well.

"Tumhy bolna nai pasand?" She asked turning towards him, "matlab baatein hi nai karty, na hasty ho. Apny friends aur behen bhaiyon ky saath tou karty ho gy. Ya unsy bhi bass larty rehty ho?" She added jokingly, but his posture became stiff. She bit her lip realizing she might've sounded like she was judging his personality when she did not even know anything about him or his life.

"Mein tumhary baary mein koi judgement nai pass kar rahi, but I'm just curious, you know?" She quickly cleared out. There was no response and she felt worse for not keeping her mouth shut.

"I am an orphan with no siblings." He drawled in a dead voice. Gule reflexively gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. She felt her heart constrict in sadness.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. She was such a featherbrained jahil who forgot her boundaries in frankness. Why didn't she keep her mouth zipped and had to say all that.

The rest of the way went by silently. Gule's mind and heart weren't in solace though. She didn't know what had happened to his family or how had his life been, but she could see he had grown up to be an amazing person.

If his mother were alive today, she'd be proud of her son. It reminded her of her own life. Although her mother was alive, but she'd never had a mother. In a way, she was an orphan too.

She wondered what was more painful? Losing her mother forever to another world, or looking at her turn into a stranger after abandoning her?

The answer was with Allah, who is the best of planners. Whatever happens in this life is always for the best. If she'd have lived with her mother, she might've become into a worldly person who she expected her to be. Losing her mother was how she found her Allah.

"Death is a part of life. Or maybe death is what life is. We don't know when we or someone we hold dear to us leaves forever. Everyone eventually has to leave." She spoke in a low voice, blinking her eyes rapidly to dry out the tears.

Shaheer clenched his jaw, feeling a whirlpool of agonizing emotions rising up in his chest. Your mother could've been saved. She could've been alive right now if...The words replaying in his mind.

They arrived at her house as he stopped the car almost roughly by pressing his foot on the brake.

"Har cheez mein khair hoti hai, bass uss time humy andaza nai hota." Gule looked at him, passing a heavy-hearted smile.

All it took was acceptance. She had accepted the way her life had turned out to be, she accepted the fact that her mother had abandoned her, she accepted the fact that her father's disorder was interminable, that every hardship life threw at her was going to make her stronger and remind her that this world was not going to last forever. There was an end to it.

He had not accepted this reality yet. He had been holding onto those gut-wrenching past incidents, looking for revenge. Searching for peace in the world after exposing the truth. But what about after that? The idea of revenge was distracting him currently, but will that bring his mother back to him, or change the outcome of the way his life had become? No, it wouldn't.

Her words were waking these feelings of guilt and slapping his gut with a reality check. He didn't like it.

Bidding a soft goodbye to him after he parked the car and handed the car keys to her, they both separated their ways with aching hearts.

Gule was done changing into her comfortable pyjamas and loose shirt, as she grabbed the purse to empty it out and place it back.

Her face turned into a frown. She took out her phone, and shook the purse in the air. She clearly remembered putting the earrings right above her phone on top, where had they disappeared to?

She tip-toed her way downstairs in the dark, grabbed the keys and rummaged through the car's seat and center control area. No sign of her earrings.

She got flashbacks of dropping her purse twice. Once when getting into the car from the party, and second time when getting into the car from the lake view. Oh god, when did she lose them?

After ten minutes of panicking, she decided to act upon her impulse and call the first number in her recent call log. After five bells, the phone was answered.

"Hello? I know you are off-duty and this may be kind of silly, but it's important." She sped through her words without wasting a second.

"Hey, pause. What's going on?" He asked and she could hear some noise from the background. He was outside somewhere.

"I lost my jhumkas." She told in a whiny voice.

Shaheer was on his way back home with Hunain on his motorbike, since the latter's old ride had stopped working midway. The mechanic said it was going to take a day to fix it, thus Hunain had begged Shaheer to come pick him up.

Currently, he had stopped the bike on the side of the road to answer her call thinking it might be something important and she was telling him about her earrings?

He shook his head. "What's so special about them?" Hunain had gotten off the bike and tried to eavesdrop curiously as Shaheer pushed him away.

"My father gifted them to me on my 19th birthday." She responded. They had a special place in her heart.

"Where do you think you lost them?" That's all it took for Gule to start ranting to him, telling him the details of how her purse had fallen twice, so they're probably somewhere there. He sighed, scratching his forehead.

"Dude, the chances of finding those earrings are 0.00001%. I suggest we return back to our rihaish, sakoon sy." Hunain yawned, leaning on the bike, bored.

They had searched for those little objects outside the party venue for an hour first. Now, they were at the lake view and Shaheer was the only one scanning the areas of the ground they had passed by in the afternoon with focused expressions, his phone's flashlight on.

Shaheer glared at him and that's all it took for Hunain to straighten up, pass him a salute with two fingers, as he started pretending to hunt the earrings. He didn't even know what those things looked like!

Another hour passed by to no avail and Shaheer made his way back to the bike. He was sure he had parked it around the same area he had parked the car in the day. Somebody had probably stolen them by now.

"To hell with her stupid earrings and her stupid smile." He muttered under his breath, frustrated by the fact that he couldn't find them.

He inserted his bike key in the ignition, the thought of her saddened face made him pause. There was a small rock near his foot, as he kicked it, watching it bounce off to the front.

Something shined from the corner, reflecting in his eyes for a microsecond. He walked in the direction as if pulled by a magnetic force. There it was, by the footpath, covered in dust. He picked it up, shaking off the dust, coughing as the particles flew in the air.

The second piece would be somewhere near too. He crouched slightly, scanning the footpath's corners closely. He found the second one only a few inches away. He took out his handkerchief, cleaning them off carefully. He felt accomplished, it was a satisfying feeling. She should probably wash them and keep them as antiques now.

He made his way back to the bike, looking around for Hunain. This guy was of no use. Shaheer was sure he'd be dozing off near the lake on a bench. He was, indeed, right.

Hunain was shaken out of his dreamland by the vibration of his phone and he ended up falling off the bench alarmed. Stretching out his arms, he got up, making his way back to find an agitated Shaheer.

"Where did they go?" Shaheer fished around in the pockets of his jacket and pants. "God." He was growing hysterical.

"What bro?" Hunain inquired with sleepy eyes, sitting on the edge of the bike, wanting to go back home and sleep on his comfortable bed.

"I've lost the bike keys." He grumbled and Hunain's jaw dropped. He silently stared at Shaheer who was running a hand over his hair, ruffling them up.

"Phir yeh kya jhumka lagaya hua hai?" He pointed at the key in the ignition and Shaheer's eyes snapped there. He had, most definitely, lost his screws because of that girl.

Gule had been pacing around on the balcony restlessly peeking at the gate every round. Her hope of getting the earrings back was diminishing by each passing minute. The way he had assured her on the call that he was going to look for them made her heart flutter.

Her back hurt, and legs grew tired. She had lost them now. He probably wasn't able to find them. If he hadn't found them, he should've told her by dropping a text at least, a voice inside her complained.

Just when she was about to turn the light off and go inside, she heard a bike's engine roar. Her insides exploded with undefined happiness as she almost teleported down the stairs and rushed outside.

"Sherry bro." Hunain got off the bike, whining groggily, but the sudden screech of the gate opening behind him jerked him fully awake.

Gule's hair were still wavy, falling over both of her shoulders. She didn't care about the casual outfit she was in at the moment. She looked at Shaheer with wide eyes standing by the gate.

He blinked at her messy state, then avoided meeting her eyes, shutting the bike off. Meanwhile, Hunain waved his hand cutting her view off.

"Myself Hunain. Wesy tou yeh humari teesri mulaqaat hai, lekin aap ky hisaab sy doosri hai." He introduced himself, grinning.

"Teesri?" Gule recognized the guy from that day. The first time she had met him, in the rain. This was the man Radwa had an argument with.

"Wo chewing gum prank? I saw you from afar that day." He reminded and Gule's brows shot up. "Mery jabry mein abhi tak itni chewing gums chaba kar dard ho raha hai."

"Arrey, aur I was wondering how did he manage to do all that all alone." Gule remarked putting her hand on her waist, backwards.

"Yeh sarra credit khud kha gaya?" Hunain complained, giving Shaheer a fake offended look.

"Nai, yeh kuch batata thori hai. Being extremely secretive and mysterious is his personality trait." Gule whispered, as if sharing a secret with him.

"Barri jaldi pehchaan liya. Wah." Hunain commented, pulling his lips downwards to pass an impressed look her way.

Shaheer moved forward, entering through the gate as Gule instinctively took a few steps backwards to give him enough space. He closed the gate and Hunain was left there standing with an open mouth, blinking at the disrespect thrown his way. He raised a brow, his finger moving to scratch his beard in a thoughtful manner.

"Oh my god!" Gule cried out as he pulled her earrings out, handing them to her. "Thank you so much." She was so happy, she could cry. "You're the best. Kahan sy mily tumhy?" She was elated, smiling so wide, her cheeks squishy, eyes shining bright.

He'd wasted two hours searching for these. Looking through the bushes, acting like a freak that he forgot about his bike keys while thinking about this look of contentment on her face. "That doesn't matter." anymore.

She'd gotten what she wanted, and he had seen what he wanted to.

"Daniyal?" Gule reluctantly called out, as he had turned around to leave. He closed his eyes.

He didn't like her calling him by that name. Suno sounded like a much better option now. He was almost accustomed to it.

"Why did your friend call you sherry?" She questioned. His eyes snapped open, she had heard.

That dumb piece of egg shell. "He has a habit of giving dumb nicknames." He turned back towards her, staring straight into her eyes. He wasn't lying. Jojo was the dumbest nickname one could ever come up with.

Gule thoughtfully pressed her lips together. "Han wesy, nicknames tou jesy marzi ho sakty hein. Mein bhi tou tumhy PUMA-" Her mouth stilled midway as she exposed her own brainless existence. She should just tape her mouth forever.

"PUMA?" He raised a brow at her. Gule cleared her throat, scratching her neck, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "As in the brand?" He squinted his eyes.

"Nai!" Gule instantly rejected the idea. God, this was so embarrassing. What would he think of her if he knew she'd named him after a brand he was wearing the first time they met?

"Why would I name you after a brand?" She nervously giggled and Shaheer saw right through her lie. "It's an abbreviation. YES!" She exclaimed and he raised both his brows, waiting for her to continue.

"Passionate," she folded her index finger. "Under," second finger. "Major," three down, what was left again. A? "Abs-" Utter embarrassment flashed through her being as she instantly stuttered, "-Action! Action! Yes."

Shabash, Gul. Could the ground split open and swallow her whole in right then and there?! She flushed red.

He bit the insides of his cheeks to keep a poker face at her blunt slip. "I see." He looked down, rubbing his forehead, hiding his face from her view. "I should get going."

He swiftly took a step towards the gate, but Gule stopped him once again.

"Puma, ab mujhy bhi do." She stepped froward to maintain the same distance.

"Kya?"

"Nickname aur kya." She replied back easily. "Matlab meiny diya hai tou tum bhi dy lo." She put her embarrassment aside for a while, waiting for his response. Shaheer simply stood there, blank.

She began rambling about her nicknames, "aur dekho, gul tou mujhy sab bulaty hein, tou tum kuch ala-"

"Gulunu." He said in a low husky voice. It took a moment for Gule to catch the word. She was so thrilled, she almost shrieked aloud. This was the best nickname someone had ever called her by. The butterflies in her tummy danced around in bliss as her heart went on a spree of somersaulting.

Watching her stand there unmoving, mouth agape, eyes wide, he confusingly opened the gate, leaving her standing there physically, but mentally she was already on top of the world.

He started the bike as Hunain sat behind him, sulking. He couldn't keep his mouth shut for long though.

"She's such a sweet girl. Uss ghattiya aadmi ki rishtedaar lagti tou nai hai. Genuine." He commented. "Iss sy pehly ky wo tumhara jhoot pakar le, get your job done." He slapped Shaheer on the shoulder, knowing he's riding the bike so he won't be able to attack back.

They reached back to their plot and Hunain had no plans of shutting up since he was already wide awake now.

"She's so in love with you." He casually stated, wriggling his brows.

"Apni bakwas apny paas rakha karo." Shaheer threw the helmet over his chest, walking to unlock the main door.

"Aisy ussky pyaar ko bakwas keh kar tou mat thukrao. Meiny apni inn taiz ankhon sy dekha hai. I'm never wrong with my love predictions." Hunain hugged the helmet, following behind him as he bragged.

Paying no attention to him, Shaheer entered the house and switched on the lights.

"Tumhara number bhi ussny pehly din hi ly liya ho ga, ab tum thori personal number exchange karty ho?" He asserted and Shaheer stopped in his tracks. He was right about the last part, but it wasn't her who had asked for his number. He had no idea what made him put forward that offer to her.

"Meiny khud diya tha." He murmured walking towards his own room. Hunain's eyeballs bulged out of their sockets, he exited the kitchen and attacked Shaheer from the back.

"Ek second? KYA? Sherry? Idher meri taraf dekho! Meri ankhon mein dekh kar batao yeh sach nai hai." He moved closer towards an annoyed Shaheer's face, trying to check if he had heard right. Shaheer pushed him away, sitting on the bed.

"Fourteen years of friendship. Chauda saal khawar hua hun mein tumhary saath. You never even bother to answer my calls or spare me a glance, aur usski ek call par bhaagy chaly aaty ho?" He accused dramatically.

"Shut up, you egg-head." Shaheer rolled his eyes, taking off his boots.

"No, no, this shit is serious. You called me first the other day to eat chewing gums for a dumb prank, I still don't know the reason behind other than the fact that it was for that girl. Now, you drag me out in the middle of the night to look for her flipping earrings for two fucking hours. What is this?" He exasperated, moving his shoulders and hands upwards in question.

"I'm warning you to fix your language, and it's all your non-sense. I'm just doing my job." Shaheer hissed.

"That is not your fishing job. Mujhy lagta hai," A serious expression covered his face, "tum bemaar ho. Araam ki zaroorat hai tumhy."

"Just go play your video games and leave me alone." Shaheer sighed.

"Han, ab tou tum aur yeh bemaari hi hogi, mein beech ka wo kabab ka hadda hun." With a fallen face, he slowly dragged himself towards the door.

"Wesy jis speed sy tum jaa rahy ho na," He paused and turned around to receive a flying pillow hitting him straight on the face. "Nice shot." He got out of the room to hide his body, peeked into the room again to complete his sentence.

"Looks like she'll violate you and you won't complain about it." A playful smirk covered his face.

"Right now it looks like I'll physically violate you and you will cry about it." Shaheer got up from the bed, walking towards the door with heavy strides as Hunain speedily closed it, running away.

//❄︎❄︎❄︎//

Two days went by in a blur. Shaheer had decided to sneak into Ruman's house at night by himself. It was a huge risk, but he had to take it. He couldn't delay this anymore.

He couldn't spend more time with that girl who was slowly starting to pull him towards herself. He needed to maintain distance and forget her. She was just going to be a source for him to enter the house, that was all he was using her for.

Two days had gone by at a snail's pace for Gule. She missed him. All she did was think about him. Gulunu. It made her smile so hard, her face was hurting. But she had no reason to call him or meet him. She didn't want to bother him.

Until she received the schedule update for the new launch's shoot.

For the first time in her life, the idea of having a shoot in the morning had made her so excited. She was finally going to meet him. She had slept at night waiting for the sun to rise quickly, so she could call him in the morning.

It was only 10 AM, but she had waited enough. She called his number and put the phone on her ear, biting onto her lower lip. It went to voicemail. Slightly disheartened, she tried calling again. He answered it after exact five rings.

"He-ll-ow!" She greeted in a loud voice. Shaheer who was half-asleep, lying on his stomach on the bed, pulled the phone back, head rising upwards.

"Jee?" He groaned in a hoarse voice. Gule punched the air, scrunching her nose realizing he had been sleeping.

"Wo meiny yeh batany ky liye call ki thi ky I have a shoot tomorrow." She spoke slowly this time, "Subah, at 10."

"Okay. I'll be there on time." He responded gravelly. If he'd have managed to escape out of her uncle's place alive.

"It's quite a big shoot for the new launch, so it's going to take a few hours. Plus everyone's going to be there. Ruman uncle," she paused before adding, "and his sons."

Shaheer opened his eyes, wide awake. He shifted his body to sit upright, the gears of his mind shifting to form a new plan.

"You're going to drop me off and go back to the security team department, right?" Gule asked. Shaheer's brows fell together, was this question just out of curiosity? Now that she had said it, he could join them as a member in the uniform easily.

"Right." He pondered over the new plan forming in his head.

"Yeah. He brings half of his team with himself and leaves the other half to guard his house, jesy pata nai konsa aladin ka khazana chupaya hua hai." Gule explained and he further grew sceptical at that. He shook off the idea at her usual casual tone, plus her nature of over-sharing stuff had become known to him by now.

Gule had been on multiple shoots so she had seen the security team members surrounding Ruman everytime he was there. Once he had been on one of her shoots, when someone had raided his house which resulted in chaos among the set. She had heard him shout something like what were the half of you doing during the time.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"A-" beep. Her mouth closed, lips sealed in a straight line as she stared at the phone screen. He had ended the call just like that. "So raha tha bechara." She reasoned, nodding her head.

Time was crawling so lazily and she was bored as hell. Radwa had gone on the study trip and she didn't want to disturb her. Her father had fallen asleep after taking his medicines. Neelofer baaji had gone to visit the neighbours. In the end, all her thoughts came back to the tall man with amber eyes and mysterious actions.

"Wo jo dil mein qayaam karty hein, wo sirf jeena haram karty hein." She let out a dramatic sigh, trying to shake those amber eyes off her head.

She walked towards the balcony and witnessed the most surreal sunset ever. The amber sky looked so beautiful and her mind yet again drifted to the owner of those memorable eyes. She stood there daydreaming while staring at the view with a smile on her face until it turned dark.

Biting onto her lower lip, she clicked on dial and clenched her fist tightly in nervousness. She had contemplated for about one hour, fifteen minutes and forty five seconds, before she had gained enough courage and confidence to pull this stunt. She knew she'd keep thinking about it if she did not act upon it.

He picked up and her mouth instantly opened to speak. "Suno?" He hadn't even replied as she rambled. "Wo mujhy bohut zoor sy ek baat aai thi."

"Sun raha hun." His smoky voice further caused her heart to shudder.

He had just arrived home and was still on his bike. He almost declined her call but then he wondered why had she called him at this time of the night again and the thought was going to annoy him. So he ended up answering her call.

"Pretty skies remind me of you." She quietly whispered into the screen, shyly smiling and kicking her feet on the mattress. There was silence on the other end for a long while.

Shaheer took a moment to grasp her words, his eyes dilated and weird warmth surrounded his insides. He pursed his lips together, utterly surprised. He was, indeed, blushing at the statement.

Gule thought he had ended the call so she checked her screen to confirm that it was still in line. "Are you busy?" She asked reluctantly. Shaheer was standing by the main door, unlocking it with the keys, as Gule heard the dangling. "You returned back home, right?" She took a guess.

"I just returned from, uh," he pondered for a second before blurting out, "shaadi." What a ridiculous lie. No sane person would buy that coming from him.

"Acha? Did you eat rajj ky?" She asked excitedly, her voice ringing through his ear. There was no sign of suspicion or humour. She really was curious about the food he had at a shaadi he had never been to.

He had entered the front door and her question made him let out a laugh involuntarily. His lips twisted upwards unwillingly, his eyes squinted, as he felt a raw and real emotion of happiness engulf him.

Hunain was sitting by the counter straight infront of the main door, slurping on noodles, as the sight he witnessed made him drop his fork with a loud clank, the noodles half drooping and dangling down his face. He was sure it was a ghost who had entered the house instead of Shaheer. This genuinely couldn't be the man he had known for the past fourteen years.

/upcoming/

Gule was so tired, she couldn't feel her limbs anymore. Wearing heels after heels of different sizes and some out of her comfort level had made her feet sore and they ached for rest. Who said being a shoe model was an easy job?

"Ma'am, coffee." One of the workers brought a cup of coffee for her among all the chaos and people. Gule felt grateful for it, she was feeling dehydrated after finishing her water bottle which was not refilled yet.

"Thank you so much." She breathed out, smiling at the kind gesture. Unaware of the evil intentions plotted against her, as the man watched her sip onto the coffee until the cup was empty with a satisfied smirk on his face.

//❄︎❄︎❄︎//

/Author's Note\

girl got my guy blushing & chuckling 😚

Shaheer searching for his bike keys which his dumb-ass left on the bike while picking gule's earrings is the most adorable thing ever im. hes so soft & fluffy GOD imma wrap him up in a blanket & hide him away from the world );

*cutoo*

also their phone call sksks i love straight-forward Gule 💅♥️

next chapter is gonna be the CLIMAX , danger alert , so EEEEEEEEE 😌

genuine qs guys; i was wondering if i should publish this story as a separate book bcz the plot has A LOT in store & the way the storyline is proceeding & the way i get carried away while writing a chap makes it so so so so long that it could make a whole long book but i have to fit it in max 6 chapters in here, so each chap takes ages to get completed, but if i break it in separate chaps in a separate book it'll be easier for me , cuz this is a short story book and i don't want one story to get so long so i'll fit it in long ass chaps here ykwim ?

so until i complete the next chap which would make 4-5 separate chaps in their own book , i advise you to forget them for a while or add their book in your rl since i'll update each part there first right after i'm done w it and then update it here fully in a single chap☝️☺️

be patient lol & stay safe <3

»-------☠-------«