"I was on a goddamn vacation in this God-forsaken place. I never meant to get engaged to you. I never meant any of this to happen. You. Me. Us. None of it!"
That was Saira Malik's life in summary. Once a happy-go-lucky girl fantasized about two thin...
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'He's had a bad hit on his head. Lost a lot of blood, as well. If he doesn't gain consciousness till morning, I'm afraid, your son is in a coma.'
'Is there no way. . .'
'We'll have to wait and see until morning. Nothing can be said as of now. Dua kijiyea.'
Faint voices resonated all around. Shufflings, rushed footsteps, and cries. Every cell in my body ached. I felt exhausted, disconnected more like. Not an ounce of energy left in me to even open my eyes. And suddenly everything turned quiet. Only the beeping sound chimed. Drowsiness flooded through me and just like that, I was slipping away just as quickly I felt aware of my surroundings.
I dream of holding Saira in my arms. We were standing at the departures floor of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. Her head nuzzled in my chest. Hands fisting my shirt tightly. Tears soaked it lightly as she shook in my embrace. I console her, trying my hardest to stay put all the while telling her everything's going to be fine. But she shakes her head stubbornly, only pressing harder into me.
'Jaana,' I murmur, cradling her wet cheek in my palm.
'Please, Fahad, please,' She cries. Leaning in, I kiss both her eyes softly.
'You have to do it, Jaana. For me.' I croak, finding it painful to swallow down my parched throat.
Saira tugs me closer. Both of us, fighting to move away and hold on at the same time. She hiccups as she gazes at me through her brimming bloodshot eyes. I flash her a painful smile, straining to stretch my lips. Endeavoring to put up a brave face while I was crumbling from inside.
I press my mouth to her forehead, drawing in her sweet scent before pulling away completely. My jaw clenches tight, palms ball into a fist in the pocket of my jeans. She regards me with a 'don't-do-this' look with her eyes. In return, I give her an encouraging nod.
With a dejected sigh, Saira moves back turning around, and begins to stagger away from me. She crosses the immigration officer who checks her passport and nods his head, motioning to proceed. At the next station, she is handed a boarding pass after passing the security check. Saira, standing at the rear end of the area, waves her hand for the last time before disappearing.
I release the breath I've been holding for too long and cough. My throat killing me. Fatigued muscles clenching and aching with every cough. My eyes flutter open, catching darkness around me. A faint light came from the overhead tube.
"Paani," A voice says, bringing a plastic glass of water to my lips. Hastily, I push and chug the water at one go feeling as though I've been without water all my life.
"Aaram se, Jaan." It says again, making me dart my gaze at the shadowy figure. My eyes straining to make out the globs of honey in the dim light, knowing without a doubt who it belongs to. I slow down, not looking away for even a millisecond.
