"If good touches you, it distresses them (Kuffar); But if harm strikes you, they (Kuffar) rejoice at it. And if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do."
[Surah Al Imran verse:120]
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Have you ever been in that phase of your life where you don't know what to do? You will yourself nervous, you can hear your own heart beat and you can feel yourself getting uncomfortable and all this because of one person? The person who knew you more then yourself. The person knew what hurts you the most yet was the one to do that? The person who once was the reason behind your smile, your happiness, your everything?
Rida couldn't help but gaze in those dark black eyes that once had the capacity to make her blush. Those eyes that held the power to make her loose herself. The eyes that once she would let herself drown.
She turned away from him and pretended concentrating on her phone but she was hardly near it because it was clear that she was affected by him. She could feel her legs shivering in nervousness. She could hear her heart hammering in her chest. She could feel her entire body numb just with his mere presence. She could feel the lump in her throat. She had seen him almost after a very long time. She didn't knew whether she felt satisfied seeing him perfectly alright, with just the way he was or she was feeling uncomfortable because she felt a thing for him which he hardly was aware of!
Rida tried looking at the phone but her vision was blurred and that was clear to her that those were her tears. She could hear his footsteps making way towards her. She knew he was walking inside, because she was almost standing on the doorway to the living area but there was a little hope in her that maybe he would walk to her and ask her about herself? But she knew that was highly impossible.
She took in a deep breath and tried acting cool. She looked back at the message again. A small smile did made it's way back to her face. She did not knew what she thought in that moment, so she did what she felt right in that moment.
She waited for the person to pick up the call. She still hadn't seen him walking inside but she had heard the footsteps fading, maybe had gone to the neighbour's place or somewhere else it did not bother her. The thing that bothered her the most right now was that the person she needed right now was not picking up her call. She had lost hopes and was about to end the call when she heard the voice that she needed to hear at the moment.
"Hello?" She sighed in relief. She slowly turned around to see him missing. She walked out of the house, a little far away so that no one can hear her but she didn't knew what she was to talk to him.
"Hello?" She heard his voice again and she couldn't help the tears that flowed through her eyes. She tried managing to talk but she couldn't. The lump in her throat made it difficult for her to talk.
"Rida are you alright?" Rehan asked from the other end, getting up from the bed while walking in the balcony.
The day had been hectic for him and that was the reason he had almost fallen asleep while driving, but had managed to make it home. The moment he had entered the house, he had first offered the Salah that he had missed the entire day and had directly drifted to sleep, but not before messaging Rida a good night. He hadn't kept his phone on silent because he knew he could get calls from his work place but when he had seen Rida calling him he was actually surprised because never had she ever called him. It was always he, who would call her or he would ask her to call him because of some issue. And now when she wasn't talking after calling him at an unusual time, it was making him scared. He was unable to pin point what was wrong. Had she called him and wasn't speaking or was it by mistake, he couldn't understand.
He was about to end the call thinking it was just a mere mistake and that Rida hadn't actually called him when he heard hiccups. He thought that it was just that he had misunderstood her breathing, but when he heard them again he got worried.
"Rida are you alright?" He asked her again and she did not reply back trying to control her tears but those were very fond of her to stop.
She tried calming herself down but she couldn't, instead a whole new fresh tears ran down her cheeks.
"I-I'm fi-fine." Rida managed to say in between her tears while Rehan shook his head even though he knew she couldn't see him, because he himself was getting scared hearing her cry.
"No Rida you are not fine, tell me what is wrong I'll try helping you." Rehan said his own heart racing rapidly while all he wanted to do right now was to be with her.
"Nothing is wrong Rehan, I'm fine." Rida said wiping her tears and not letting any tears to make their way, again.
"Okay." He said nodding his head understanding that she did not wanted to talk about it, but he had a fear in his heart. He had known that Rida was the sensitive one, and that things could easily make her cry, but today he had that feeling it was nothing minor, but something that was killing her inside. Something that was hurting her and he could not see her like that.
They did not speak up after that, silent lost in their own thoughts. While Rida was blankly staring at the place where he was standing a while ago, Rehan was ruffling his hair, his sleep long gone thinking about the girl who was hurting and was miles away from him. He didn't know what he would have done if he was with her, but he was sure he would have tried solving the problem and he wouldn't have let her cry. At any cost!
He started thinking what could be the reason that she was so hurt? He knew it could not be something related to family problem, because she wasn't at home and was at Aafia's place. Had something happened between them? Or was it something he didn't knew?
"Rida?" He called to her after a very long time of silence. She didn't knew what she should say. She cursed herself for calling him, but at that moment she did what she felt right. She hummed playing with her hijab.
"Are you gonna tell me?" He asked after a moment of silence when she did not say anything and she started thinking about it.
She had never told anyone anything. Not Aafia. Not Safa. Not even her mother. And now when she thought about Rehan, she knew she can trust him with her secrets but the question was, was she ready to disclose her past? Her feelings? Her pain?
There were no tears in her left that she could shed. She was now tired. She did not wanted to do anything except for sleep.
"Rehan can I talk to you later? I feel tired." She said and he did not wanted her to end the call just like that. He wanted to know what was bothering her, he wanted her to trust him enough to share her problems with him.
"Rida do you trust me?" He asked her the question he was dreading to ask from the moment she had stopped crying but did not know how to speak up.
"Yes." She said without giving it a thought. She did trust him and that was the reason he was the first person who had come to her mind to call. Even though she hadn't spoken to him about her problems, about anything she knew that she could almost rely on him. She never did believe the quote that said,
"Sometimes you meet a person and you just click-- you are comfortable with them, like you have known them your whole life and you don't have to pretend to be anyone or anything."
But today she couldn't help agree with the quote. Indeed she never believed that because she never felt close to someone in just a month or so, but with Rehan it was different. It was easy for her to open up. The kind of Rida that was not known to anyone was known to Rehan and she herself didn't knew how she had just gotten so close to him. She would fight with him, argue with him, yell at him and even order him things without the fear of getting judge and she couldn't help but compare Rehan with him.
She always used to follow the orders he would tell her. She had even stopped talking to males because he wanted her to be just his friend. She always hesitated to tell him something, thinking he would get angry and would yell at her but he always used to tell her that it was just his way of looking out for her. They were friends but it never felt like that.
But with Rehan it was different. He never did allow any restrictions on her. Even though it would be her mistake he would always ask for forgiveness and in the end they both would end up asking for forgiveness. He never did allow any ego to come in between their friendship, for which she was happy and that was the reason she trusted him.
But she feared trusting him because she had always known that attachment hurts because in the end, people, they do not stay when they find someone better and she had experienced it once and she still was hurting from that pain and she did not wanted more pain.
"Rida where did you vanish?" She heard Rehan's voice and she rolled her eyes at his question.
"The ground swallowed me up." She said while Rehan rolled his eyes at her comeback. He was now used to her witty comebacks but he did not liked when she talked such things.
"Do not talk such rubbish." He said and she smiled at his care for her. Rehan was still glaring at the walls not knowing that she was smiling.
"Okay fine I won't." She said and he nodded his head before lying down on the bed.
"You know, you disturbed me in my sleep." He said and giggled.
"Oh I'm sorry I won't do it again." She said and he smirked before replying.
"No you will only be forgiven after the revenge." He said and she raised her eyebrow and that is when she noticed Aafia walking towards her.
"Rida come have your food." Aafia said while Rida gestured her to wait and Aafia nodded her head before leaving her alone, but not before giving her a smile.
"You did not have your food?" Rehan asked her and she face palmed herself.
"I am going to have now." She said and she was thankful that he did not start with his lecture on food and her health.
"Okay, I'll talk to you later."
"So you are now leaving me hanging?" He asked her pretending to be hurt and Rida smiled at his acting skills.
"Of course I am." She said and he made a crying voice making Rida to laugh out loudly.
"You are hurting an innocent and handsome soul." He said and Rida raised her brows at his sentences.
"Innocent and handsome?" She asked and he raised his collar with a smirk playing on his lips.
"Yeah that's me ." He said and Rida shook his head at him.
"You are impossible." She said and before he could speak further she added,
"And ugly and annoying." She said and he gasped very loudly making Rida to roll her eyes at his tantrums.
"Done with your drama?" She asked and he chuckled nodding his head.
"Okay now you go and have your food and take care of yourself and feel free to call me anytime." He said and she smiled nodding his head at his care.
"I will and you too take care." She said playing with the stone that laid aimlessly near her foot.
"JazakAllahu Khairan khair for not pressurising me to tell you anything and Insha Allah I will tell you the day I am ready to tell you." She said hitting the stone far away with a small smile lingering on her face.
"Wa iyyaki and remember I am always there for you I promise." He said and a fear settled in the pit of her stomach.
He had said the same thing.
"Good night." He said and before he could end she wanted to tell him something.
"Listen." She said in a hurry to not let him end the call while he hummed in response.
"You are handsome and innocent too and I am very blessed to have you. Now good night." She said all this in a hurry hearing her heart hammering in her chest.
She kept the phone on her chest and smiled. She never was like this. She never did compliment any boys but she had complimented Rehan. She had done that because he deserved that. She knew he was handsome and that was the reason girls fell in love with him but she always called him ugly and annoying but today she wanted to make him happy. She felt that she needed to tell him that. With a smile on her face she looked up but her smile left her face when she noticed a pair of dark black eyes burning holes in her.
His eyes had anger. His eyes were making her scared. She knew he was angry but what had she done? They did not even talk to each other. They were not even friends now, so he did not had the rights to be angry on her. She could feel him walking towards her and she felt herself tensed. Gaining her compose she opened the WhatsApp number and started messaging Rehan, walking past him. She did not turn back nor did she know where he was at the moment, and she directly headed up where all the girls were sitting, having their food.
"Rida where were you?" Khadija asked Rida and since she did not wanted to lie she did tell that she was talking to a friend.
She sighed when they did not ask her anymore question, instead continued teasing the bride to be who was having her food, or could say was being fed by her mom. She smiled at the scene in front of her. She served herself a little food, earning lots of glares and taunts about her food but that was her food and she could not help it. She engrossed herself in a talk with Bushra, talking about her exams and college that she hated the most.
"I wish to be out of it as soon as possible." She said and Bushra looked at the girl in surprised because she had always seen people loving college for the freedom that they get but here this girl was different.
"But why?" She asked eating a piece of chicken making Rida to grin at her sheepishly.
"Because college is not my type." She said taking her food in her mouth and Bushra nodded at the girl. She knew college life was all about fun and enjoyment and for a girl like Rida it would be difficult for whom it was hard to make friends and on top of that all the co curricular that you needed to participate.
"By the way I forgot to ask where are all the kids?" Rida asked everyone looked at her surprised that she had noticed that now.
"The one who always used to ask about kids first don't know." Aahana said making everyone giggle and Rida to be embarrassed. She was so lost in her own thoughts to notice anything.
"All the kids are the responsibility of their father for a day, Insha Allah they all will be here by tomorrow morning." Asma said and she nodded her head and got up to keep her empty plate in the sink.
"So now what is today's plan?" Bushra asked and all the girls shrugged their shoulder while Rida glanced at her mobile when she saw a notification.
She smiled at the message and looked around to see everyone engrossed in their own talks. She opened the message to only roll her eyes.
You took away my sleep. -Rehan
Though the message was a normal one she couldn't help but blush. It reminded her that it was one of that cheesy line that the couples used. She sent him an emoji of rolling eyes and looked up to see Aafia smirking at her. She asked her what was the matter but Aafia shook her head and continued talking making Rida confused. She did participate in the talk but she replied to Rehan too because it was of her that he was now awake.
"All the girls are being called down by the boys." Hassan, Aahana's brother came to the girls and informed while all the girls nodded their head and walked down, while the niqaabi's wearing their niqaab's while the hijabi's adjusting their hijabs. Rida excused herself and walked in the room she was staying. She laid down and continued chatting with Rehan because facing him again was the last thing in her mind.
"Rida what are you doing here?" Aafia asked coming in the room while Rida locked her phone and sat straight.
"I was just chatting, but why did you come here? Aren't you all girls joining the boys?" Rida asked and Aafia nodded her head but informed her that she had just come to use the washroom and Rida nodded her head and continued using her phone until Aafia came out again.
"Why are you not joining us?" Aafia asked looking at Rida and she shrugged her shoulder not wanting to lie.
"I was chatting so thought of coming to the room ." She said the half truth.
"Oh I get it." Aafia said with a sly smile and Rida raised her eyebrows at her.
"Why are you giving me that look?" Rida asked and Aafia pretended to be innocent.
"What look?" She asked Rida glared at her and shook her head because she did not wanted to listen to her.
"Never mind, I just felt like I would intrude in your cousin things so I came up but now I think it's better to be down. Come let's go down." Rida said showing herself as strong. She did not wanted to run from him. She wanted to face him. Show him that she was happy and living a life without him.
They got down and saw that almost everyone were busy with their cell phone. The modern problem. No one did have time for each other and even if they wanted to talk there were social platform where did the talking even if they would stay in the same house. Rida was glad that everyone were busy with their phones and she saw that there was a message from Rehan so she herself started chatting. Rehan was busy telling her about his day, how all the co-workers were cooperative and would even fun around to not let him feel alone and miss home. She was reading his messages with a smile on her face when she felt a gaze on herself but she did not look up, but she could clearly see who it was because Rida was from that person who had her eyes all around. She ignored the heated gaze on herself and typed her messages telling him about her day, that went just boring.
"Why did you boys call us here when all you all wanted to do was use your phones?" Asma asked glaring at everyone in the room and all of them, slipped their phones in their pockets, while the girls kept it on the floor.
"So what should we do?" Hamza, Aahana's brother asked turning to everyone while all the girls shrugged their shoulders and the boys pretended to think.
"Should we play a game?" Omar, Sakina's brother asked and everyone made a face.
"No I don't think, we'll do something else." Khalid, Ifza's brother said and all of them looked at him, telling him to think of something else that he wants to do.
"How about some stories?" Hamza said and everyone looked a him, asking him to elaborate what he meant.
"Like as in we tell one incident from our life that you can never forget, that you regret, any incident that changed your life, like anything but it shouldn't just be a statement or a sentence. You should tell each and every detail about it as if we are the one who is experiencing it." Hamza said and all of them looked at each other before nodding their head.
"Okay so as you suggested the game you will be the first one to start." Bushra said and he rolled his eyes at his cousin before doing as she said.
"20 September 2014, that was the day that changed me completely." He said with a smile on his face and everyone paid attention to him. Those who knew about that incident gave him smile while those who were unaware sat curious to know.
"I still remember how I changed, I would stay out late at night. I would flirt with any random girl and even worst I had even tried smoking but all thanks to her, the one who changed my life for the betterment. She was like that person who I needed. That day I was riding on my bike, angry because I had fought with mom because she had come to know that I tried smoking. She felt ashamed of me and she tried making me understand that our family was a well known family and my habits could make my father embarrassed in front of everyone but I was teen then and I felt that mom just wanted to take my freedom away from me, but that day I saw her. She was with her friends and was laughing. She was so carefree and full of life. And that day I came back and told Aahana Appi that I think I was in love so she asked me why would I think that way and I myself was shocked with my own decision because after looking at her all I could think was of marrying her and that I can do anything for her. I even followed her on every social media. She was the modern muslimah so I messaged her. She replied to me back after a week, we started chatting and I almost came to know everything about her. And one day I asked her out but she refused. A part of me was sad but a huge part of me was happy because I knew that she could fit in our family. I completed my studies and started with work, the day I started work, that is 23 April 2018, the first thing I did was send my proposal to her house and Alhamdulillah since I belonged to a well known family they said yes for the proposal, and Insha Allah we will be married by the end of the next year." Hamza said and everyone looked at him a smile on their face.
Rida was listening very attentively to the life changing event of Hamza's life. She had always heard and read in stories about falling in love at first sight and she knew that at some point it could be true, but she did not believe it but now when she saw Hamza smiling and telling his story and now when they were about to get married and all this because he just saw her laughing with her friends? She couldn't help but agree. The heart falls in love when it wants, it does not wait for the perfect time instead it makes the time perfect!
"Masha Allah, Hamza May Allah always keep you happy and you marry the person you love." Ifza said with a dreamy look in her eyes making the girls giggle while the boys murmured an 'Ameen'.
"Now who's turn?" Aafia said and everyone, one by one spoke up.
While the married ladies told how marrying their current husbands and then having kids in their life were the best moments, Sakina told how she once was embarrassed in front of the entire class because she was giggling loudly. Ifza spoke about how things changed from the time she entered high school while Maha spoke how her life is changing after her studies because her mom is bringing many proposals making everyone in the room to have a laugh while she groaned. Aafia spoke how staying abroad for studies changed her life for betterment and Rida couldn't help but remember the time when she had left making everyone in the house to shed tears.
"Now who will speak?" Aafia asked giving Rida a look and she glared at her shaking her head at Aafia.
"I" Zainab said excited making Rida to sigh in relief.
Everyone nodded their head and concentrated listening to her, while Rida informed Bushra that she was going to the kitchen to drink water and she nodded her head. Rida got up and walked away while no one did ask her much, but only Aafia gave her a questioning look and she messaged her which Aafia read and nodded her head. Rida looked at the messages from Rehan. She hadn't messaged him back from the moment they were listening to the stories, but she was glad that he had informed her that he would try to sleep because he had an early morning work. She messaged him back telling him sorry because she was busy and a good night. She kept her phone inside her trouser pocket and drank water. She wanted to waste her time because she wanted the game to end before it could even reach her. She almost waited for 15 minutes and then headed out of the kitchen. She was walking back to the living room where everyone were present. She was about to remove her phone from her pocket when she felt a hand around her arm pulling her in the store room that was on the way to the living room.
The entire room was dark. She couldn't see anyone and she blinked her eyes several times to adjust to the darkness. She could still feel the hand on her arm and suddenly gaining her compose she pushed the hand away and tried looking at the person. Suddenly the person shuffled something in the pocket and she felt a light on her face. She closed her eyes at the sudden intensity of the light but opened after a few seconds. Her face paled when her scared dark brown eyes met a cold, rigid and dark black eyes. For almost a second, she gazed in his eyes but was quick enough to avert her eyes. She suddenly got conscious about her surrounding. She was alone with him in a dark room and he had touched.
She didn't knew what came to her but with a straight face she said,
"How dare you touch me, Fahad?"