“ishq jaga ke, gal nal laga ke,

Yun na nazar churavi...”

°°°

She was walking in the hallroom full of students. Her legs were moving but her heart was shattering into pieces. Her eyes were devoid of tears but her heart is bleeding, taking the burden of unshedded tears. Her lips were silent but her heart is screaming the screams of death. Her body is perfectly fine, but her soul was died down and now she was just a hollow human without any emotion.

"Dawood."

Dawood was standing in the classroom, where they had first met and now all could she feel was how eight months had passed so easily. How this man has changed her. How this man has evoked the emotions in her she never knew about. How this man completes her without even touching her.

He was looking at her with a face he wasn't able to read. Dawood Qureshi was a man who can read a person just by their face and now the man wasn't able to read the face of the girl, that was his future or soon to be his past.

"Zahiah."

Dawood walked towards her, he was looking different today. Zahiah was feeling uneasy. She was feeling as if she'll loose her control and she doesn't wanted to do that. She had already chosen her side and now she wasn't going to back down even if it costs her everything.

"Hey. How're you? Its been a very hectic month you know."

Zahiah asked him casually playing with a strand of her hair. Dawood who was happy and calmly enthusiastic, seeing her this casual after a month of ignoring wasn't settling well with him. He holds her wrist in his hands and pulled her towards him. Her head collided with his broad chest. She would've cried in that moment but she hold back her tears and feel his heartbeat one last time. One last time she was feeling his arms around her tiny waist. One last time she was feeling his breathing in her fiery reddish ginger hair, that always felt at calm when they feel his breathe. One last time she was sniffing his cologne. One last time she was feeling everything for him.

"What is it? You're avoiding me for a month. Didn't picking up my calls and avoiding me in university? Did something happened?"

Dawood was still holding her in his arms like she was the most prized possession. She couldn't take this anymore. She had thought that she'll delay this meeting till the end of eternity, but everything happens on their destined time.

"Dawood I'm getting married. Actually for the past month i was with Jonah...you know we were having some fun before our marriage. And take this, i want you to come. You're the chief guest after all you're my bestfriend and you're going...."

Zahiah was holding her wedding invitation card. When Dawood taking that card from her hands threw it on the floor. He's eyes were bloodshot red and all he could think about was to murder Zahiah and then himself. But he controlled himself.

"Is this some kind of joke Zahiah? Am i joke to you?"

Zahiah was expecting this. She was prepared for this outrage and now she couldn't say a single thing.

"Its not a joke. I'm getting married and as a good friend you should be happy for me."

Dawood looked at her with mocking expressions.

"Ohh so I'm your best friend and Good friend. Don't play games with me Zahiah we both know what we are!"

His voice was dangerously calm and Zahiah was feeling like somebody throw a bucket of cold water on her.

"I'm going. You're behaving like a maniac."

She was walking out of the classroom but Dawood held her hand tightly and twisted it. She hitched in pain and tears Started flowing from her eyes.

"Dawood its hurting. You're hurting me."

Dawood looked at her with a painful smile. His dimple was appearing but the scenarios have changed now.

"Jitna dard tumhe apna haath mud jaane par ho raha hai usse kahin zyada dard mujhe ho raha hai....tum kuch bhi kar lo Zahiah Joseph. Kahin bhi chali jau. Kisi ko bhi apna lo. Magar ik baat humesha yaad rakhna, Dawood Qureshi ne apni zindagi mai pehli baar kisi ko chaha hai woh sirf tum ho. Allah tumhe abad rakhe."

(The pain you're feeling just by a twist of your wrist, I'm in much more pain than that....you do whatever you want Zahiah Joseph. Go wherever you want. But remember one thing, Dawood Qureshi had loved only one woman in his life that was you, only you. May Allab blesses you.)

Dawood's hold loosened on her hand and he left her their. Not looking back and Zahiah was just standing their like a statue. A smile crossed her lips atleast she saw his dimpled smile even though the shine was gone for forever now.

He was on the threshold of the classroom, when he saw Aisha standing their. Her eyes were filled with tears. She had seen their rise and now she was seeing their dawn.

"Dawood. Don't let her go like this. You've always fought for right and now you're leaving all of this...."

Dawood didn't said anything instead he kept on walking, when her voice hit his ears.

"Daryab didn't sacrificed himself for you, so that you can ruin your life. He wanted to you to LIVE your life in the best possible ways and now you're letting this all go away?"

Dawood couldn't walk away now. Aisha had remind him of his biggest regrets of his life. And now he's adding another regret in that list.

"Aisha. Go Home." Dawood passed her a smile and this time he walked away blocking his every senses.

Aisha was standing their thinking how could she help them. She didn't wanted to let Dawood fall apart again. She walked inside the classroom and saw Zahiah standing like a statue.

"Zahiah, are you okay?"

Zahiah looked at Aisha and for the first time she felt jealous of her. She was jealous of her calm exterior and her kindred spirit.

"How could you be this smiling and happy all the time?"

Aisha thought she will say something about Dawood but she was asking her a very difficult question.

"Because I don't worry over the things i can't control and don't cry over things that aren't in my Destiny. I leave everything upto Allah SWT and just go with the flow. Because at the end of the day are Destiny was written ages ago. Just believe in Allah and he won't let you down."

Aisha smiled and Zahiah felt a sense of calmness in her soul. That was the same feeling she felt whenever she saw her papa recites prayer in an foreign yet not so foreign language. She held Aisha's hand and walked out of the classroom.

"So you're getting married?"

Aisha asked her and she nodded with a plain face.

"I hope you'll live in peace wherever you go. And yeah this is my contact number. Give me a call whenever you're free."

Aisha left from their and Zahiah was just looking at the visiting card she was holding.

***

She was wearing a beautiful white colour mermaid dress adorned with pearls. Her veil was hiding her beautiful face today was the big day of her life. She was getting married. But she wasn't happy.

"Zee smile a little bit its your big day. My child."

Zahiah who was walking down the aisle with shivering body and a tensed face looked at her mother. Her eyes was helding alot of pain but she was trying her best not to show them. Because her mother's smile was more important to her than her own pain. Sometimes our own family gives us so much pain yet behaves like they're doing us a favour by breaking our hearts into a million pieces.

"Mama I'm happy because you're happy."

She looked at her mother who was wearing a lavender color gown and looking elegant as always. Both mother and daughter smiled looking at eachother. Mother is happy for making a good decision for her daughter and daughter is happy for making a bad decision for her mother.

She was standing face to face with him. Jonah Fernandez, ten years her senior and a very intimidating man, who's now going to be her husband.

"Zahiah Joseph will you take, Jonah Fernandez as your lawfully wedded husband."

The priest asked, she was looking at Jonah but in his face all she could see was the Face of Dawood Qureshi.

"I do."

She finally sealed her fate with two words.

"Till death do us apart."

Jonah whispered this words in her ears calmly but she hadn't miss the look of torment on his face.

She knew in that moment she had been trapped in Satan's web of lies.

••••••••••••••