"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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I knew he was looking at me. I could feel his gaze fiercely burning me. But I couldn't look his way. Not when I don't know what to say to him.
"Saira, bete ghar jao aap. Rest karo aur sukoon se sojao aaj raat." Mummy says.
(Saira, go home dear. Take rest and sleep without any tension.)
"Thodi der aur baith kar yahan. . .phir chalungi ghar."
(I'll stay a little bit longer. . .then go home.)
"Mere bache, aap do din se yehi the. Aaj to Fahad ko hosh bhi aagya. Aap bhi jaake rest karo ghar. Kal subha aajao." Daddy insists. "Exertion hojata bubba, neend sahi nahi hui to."
(My child, you were here since the last two days. And today, even Fahad gained conciousness. You should go and visit tomorrow morning. Otherwise, you'll exert yourself if you don't have a good sleep.)
"Ji," I utter quietly.
"Zareena dinner ready kardiyea hunge. Aap jaake khalo and sleep befikar hoke." I nod as mummy cups my cheek, and pecks my forehead. After giving her a half smile, I walk over to the couch and begin gathering my stuff.
"Main Imran ko call karke aaya." Daddy excuses himself, making his way out of the room followed by mummy.
I took a peek at Fahad who was still watching me. He opened his mouth but I don't give him a chance and blurted.
"I had to do it! Uss time pe aur kuch samajh nahi aa raha tha. There was no option but to stay here and not go to New York. I couldn't just leave you like that." Carrying my laptop bag and sliding my phone into my jeans pocket, I stand straight holding his gaze.
"I did the right thing, jaan. I know I did the right thing." Stoking his cheek with the pad of my thumb, I murmur. "Zyada socho nahi, araam karo. And, don't call me in your sleep." I joke, leaning down to press my mouth to his bandaged forehead in a kiss.
"I love you."
Fahad doesn't say anything but continues to sit there wordlessly. I pull away, leaving him to himself, and step out of the room I'd spent the last two days in. When I get out of the elevator, Emad is waiting for me in the lobby of the brightly lit ground floor of the hospital.
We greet each other with a small smile, wounding our way out onto the parking lot.
"How is bhaiya?" He questions.
"Conscious and confused," I reply, slipping in the passenger seat with a sigh.
"Matlab?"
"He is confused about me staying back here."
"He said so?"
"Not verbally, but like, his silence said so." Emad snorts at my claim.
