Damsel In Distress (COMPLETED✓)

CHAPTER: 62 | THE ART OF LETTING GO (PART-8)

The clock read 10:47.

It began to drizzle, dotting the windowpane with pearly beads of rain. The clouds thundered in the distance and lightening struck down the mountains and in far away lands like flash lights, illuminating the roads for a second and leaving them in darkness the next.

Aariz slowed down to a corner and pulled over in the middle of the highway. Minutes later, a familiar looking car, stopped just before theirs. Laiba squinted her eyes in the darkness. It was Aariz's Lamborghini. Shah stepped out of the car, followed by Faheem Othman.

They were switching cars.

Laiba felt like she should say something to Aariz's mother before getting out but she just...couldn't.

Out in the open, it was too chilly and windy. Moreover, it was raining. She wrapped her arms, dug her head and slipped behind Aariz who stopped to whisper something in his father's ears. Faheem Othman glanced back at the car where Zainab Faheem Othman was seated. He sighed, patted his back and spoke in a soft voice. She couldn't make out his words against the noise of the highway.

Aariz and Faheem Othman's discreet conversation were cut short when rest of the family members joined them.

The father and son took the cue and parted ways.

Shah got himself behind the wheel and Faheem Othman took the passenger's seat with Zainab Faheem Othman sulking at the back. Whereas Aariz and Laiba got back in their Lamborghini.

All five cars started off together, Faheem Othman's car taking the lead, followed by Yusuf Othman's, Urooba's, Veronica's, Zeeshan's and at last, Aariz's.

By the time they reached the palace, it had stopped raining.

The iron gates were pushed open and the cars began to roll in, lining up the driveway one after the other. Rehaan, himself and his parents, along with some close friends and family were waiting to receive the Othmans. Young girls and boys came forward and open their car doors for them. They were greeted and hugged, welcomed with bouquets and showered with flowers. Fireworks exploded in the background, decorating the sky with pretty colours.

And then they were attacked by a number of camera men, bombarding them with incessant clicking and flashlights. Even, the guests present there, had taken their cellphones out and began clicking their pictures and recording videos without their consent.

The elders were rescued and taken inside but they, cousins, were stuck.

"This is too much"

Habeeba dragged Maha away from all the eyes and cameras and brought her to a corner where workers were setting up some stalls.

"Look at her." She pointed out to Meher who was obviously the centre of attention.

"They are literally aggrandizing her. Half of them doesn't even know what she does."

"They just want to flex it in their socials that they met a celebrity." She whispered.

"Downside of having celebraties for family members. You get dragged into the limelight for no reason."

They both sighed in unison.

Just then, Aariz maneuvered the car into the driveway, grabbing everyone's attention.

The cameras, which were earlier on Meher, were turned away from her and were focused on them instead.

When Aariz and Laiba got off the car, they found themselves surrounded by a mob of desperate people trying to click their pictures. And for what reason? They didn't know.

Laiba was aghast to say the least. She hadn't been on the receiving end of so many pairs of eyes and cameras in her entire life. She couldn't tell if it was the crowd or the blinding flashlights but all that hullabaloo was making her kind of, dizzy. And if Aariz hadn't slipped that hand of his around her waist, she might have fainted right there.

Aariz turned her body away from the crowd and held her close to him, "You okay?" He whispered-asked her.

They were practically hugging at his point.

In. Front. Of. Everybody.

Laiba's face was on fire. Even in that state of daze, she was too aware of the proximity between them. Her face pressed against his chest. Her hands on his torso while one of his was wrapped around her waist and the other was placed at the back of her head, protectively. She was literally bathing in his warmth and breathing in his scent.

And all of that was happening out in public.

"MOVE!!!"

"PLEASE MOVE!!"

Just then, Shah emerged from the crowd, along with some guards. The latter immediately came into action, requesting the guests to get back to palace and sending away the camera men. When people slowly began dispersing, Shah helped Aariz and Laiba out of there, who were still in each others arms.

Beyond the ruckus, Aariz's cousins were waiting for them, grinning ear to ear, waggling their brows and making some weird, insinuating noises.

Except for Zeeshan and Meher.

Cautiously, Aariz and Laiba retrieved their hands and stepped away from each other, avoiding each other's gaze. Him, fixing his hair and she, pushing invisible strands of hair from her face.

Anyone who had witnessed them tonight, now knew they were together. It was too obvious and apparent to not acknowledge their relationship. Even for Meher, who, until then, had been doing a good job at pretending to be ignorant of whatever was brewing between her ex-husband and the mysterious girl who happened to be living with them.

It was all out in open. Their relationship, for those who didn't know, open for interpretation.

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