22nd June, 2021

"Don't look at me like that Sourheart, something something happens."

Iffaz said in a flirty tone as he scratched his nape observing the sour expression in Yazan's mom's face with which she welcomed him.

She passed him a murderous glare before turning to Sawda, his wife.

"You go and meet her."

"G Aani."

Sawda glared at Iffaz who held her hand tightly not wanting to be left alone.

He stared at her like a baby begging to stay by his side.

But when his gaze moved to Yazan's mom, who smirked at him, he immediately stepped back with a pout explaining his helplessness.

"She left me."

Iffaz cheekily smiled at Yazan's mom waiting for her to say something in words even though her expressions already are speaking to him.

"Look you can't blame me for what your son has done, okay?"

Iffaz shook his head as if he's ordering her to not do that. She gave him a 'oh really?' look before eyeing the broom to him that she held in her hand.

"Oh love, please continue your work, I'll disturb you later, tata!"

Iffaz winked as he tried to escape but before he could take any step, Yazan's mom caught him by his hand and started trashing him with the broom.

He was surprised as he screamed out 'ouch' like a girl and travelled around the hall with her running after him.

"Aaaaaaniiii! Noooo! Please!!!"

He at last landed on a couch as he gathered himself hugging his knees and hid his face with a pillow, so dramatically, as if she's attacking his dignity.

"Look At Me Iffaz!"

"First make yourself look-able."

He frowned hugging the pillow to his chest as she sat beside him and pulled him by his ear.

"Come on, what did I do?"

"Tell me everything, honestly, okay? HONESTLY."

His lips formed an O as he nodded his head obediently.

"So........."

"Hmm...."

She sat with a serious and attentive expression.

"So Aani........So....."

"Listen Iffaz, this time I'll beat you in front of your wife."

"Okay okay! But.......you know it all huh? He got married, simple!"

"Why did he?"

"Didn't I tell you that day?"

"Iffaz! Don't annoy me."

"Fine then go ask your son. Let me go."

"I F F A Z!"

Iffaz shut his eyes off taking a deep breathe as he brought seriousness to his expression.

"Aani..... I'm sorry but all of us know that if he had come unmarried now, you anyhow would force him to marry that niece of yours.

Now that you can't do that, I beg you........."

Iffaz took a pause and held her hands, staring hopefully at her as she had nothing to say.

"Accept what he has done, let him live without any sort of regret. He loves you...but he can't take himself for granted just because......."

"You guys always find me wrong. I just need him to be happy."

She moved her gaze away feeling disappointed.

"You need him to be happy with what you are happy and that's the problem."

"Fine, I'm not doing that anymore. I'm happy with what he is happy. Okay? And it's not like I haven't accepted his wife."

She huffed, definitely not satisfied with her son but at least not so arrogant to not admit that she was doing wrong to him all the while.

"That's like my girl!"

He was about to leave when his gaze fell on Yazan looking down at them from the second floor.

"Aani, did you welcome him with this too?"

He questioned with a sly smile.

"No, why don't you do that?"

She handed him the broom taking which he immediately ran to Yazan's direction.

Yazan chuckled seeing the broom in his hand as he asked,

"Is she making you clean the floor now?"

"Nahh!"

Iffaz proudly looked at the broom before he shot his attack on Yazan.

"AAAA UCHH FAZI!"

•••••

It already happened thrice that she thought herself to be released from the inferno but again and again she was sold back to them.

Why'd they do this to her only?

She no more, at all, ever wills to go back to that place. But these hopes also seem unrealistic to her now.

It's all dreamy, while she lives in nightmares.

"Can't they send me to..any trusted orphanage..?"

She asked in a hushed tone.

But it's not like she prefers to be sent there as it didn't secure her the previous time also.

Sawda warmly smiled noticing her fear rising up.

"You're safe here."

"Bu..t....till when?"

"They won't reach you, please calm down.

And I'd take you at my place but for some problems.......I can't."

"I hope...so...but these are my false hopes...

...I know I'll be sent back, maybe in a week! This law doesn't either mind."

Her voice joked, filled with acute pain and complains.

Sawda immediately shook her head as

she shifted closer to her embracing her in a consoling hug wishing if she could anyhow take her out of this belief.

"This law minds, this law is there for you now, okay? You are no more in their control, it's their turn to have their deeds back in punishment."

She looked deep into her moist orbs feeling the slightest of her pain tormenting her too, wondering what level of suffering she has reached.

Suddenly Sawda jumped on her place having her ears echoed with the loud ringtone of her phone which she immediately grabbed and answered the call from her husband.

"Did you talk to Sayba about that?"

"About what?"

She questioned, her gaze fixed on Sayba.

"Being Zani's wife...umm...yeah?"

"Oh yeah obviously hubby! She agreed, she immediately agreed, she didn't even let me complete my words as she was so excited to be known as your friend's wife!"

She punched him with the words as her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

"Come on love! I just asked."

"Whatever! I'll talk about it now. And listen....."

"Yeah Mi Amor?"

"If she doesn't agree and misunderstands me.... I'll stay at my father's place for a month okay?"

Sawda warned.

"No worries Honey, I'll also accompany you there for that month."

"Shameless!"

She cut the call and passed a cheeky smile to Sayba hiding her nervousness.

They'd talked for about 2 hours and Sawda easily managed to create a good bond with her which she surely didn't want to break by letting her know of the mess caused by the best friends in an inappropriate way.

"Did.. anything happen?"

Sawda innocently nodded her head at the question.

"For..for me? Did I d..."

"No no no! Obviously no."

"Then?"

"How shall I even start! These useless doctors have trapped me in this game also."

She pouted unable to find any good way to explain it to Sayba.

"First of all...please don't misunderstand us. Everything was unintentional and......aahh I don't know!"

She took a deep breathe feeling horrified as she massaged her forehead and looked at Sayba with a helpless smile.

"Yazan's mother misunderstood you to be his wife."

Sayba felt firecrackers bursting in her mind as she gaped at her with wide eyes, waiting for the confirmation of the not so funny joke but the otherwise was confirmed as Sawda opened the whole matter to her.

"If she gets to know that you are really not his wife....mmm maybe tomorrow you'll be invited to his Nikah with that girl?"

Sayba had nothing to say, it felt like a comedy drama to her as she couldn't control chuckling at Sawda's words.

"And....for how long Doctor Yazan will keep lying?"

She asked, not at all able to take the matter for serious. It's funny and entertaining to her even though she knows that she's also involved in this sweet lie now.

"Mmm hmm, maybe he'll turn that to real through you! Who knows!"

Sawda regretted saying so but fortunately Sayba didn't get the meaning of her words as she naively gave her a 'I don't know' gaze.

"Isn't it wrong? His mother will be so disappointed when she knows the truth."

"Nah she won't, instead she'll be happy and get him married to her niece."

Sawda stated making Sayba rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"AND SAYBA!"

She jumped near Sayba and held her face closer to hers as she shivered at her sudden movement.

"Uhh sorry...but...why are you ignoring the main point of this drama? Did you even hear that...."

"That she thought me to be Doctor Yazan's wife."

"Yeah and where's your reaction?"

Sayba fake smiled and was hesitant to say that she's not agreeing to do this but before she could, the door opened welcoming Yazan's twin sisters.

They both first attacked Sawda with their bone crashing hug as Sayba watched them nervously, thinking what she should do now.

"Bride!!! Bhabi!!!"

"You Are So Beautiful! Ohh more than my brother!"

"I can't believe he really got married just like that! But it worths! Hayyeee Ma Sha Allah."

They both kept blabbering while her gaze glued to Sawda's eyes who's hopefully smiling at her with puppy eyes asking for her help.

"Did he forcefully marry you?"

One of them asked taking her attention as she simply smiled not knowing what to say.

"What's your name Bhabi?"

"Bhabi..."

She uttered making them laugh.

"Uhh...my name..Sayba.."

She answered their questions being lost in the cloud of her thoughts that raised thousands of questions to herself.

She's scared! She wants to anyhow be freed of this life.

What if they send her back to the nightmare?

And what if she agrees to act to be his wife until her culprits get caught?

What if this gets her rescued forever?

And if not forever, at least for a couple of days she won't need to suffer.

"Are you happy with my son?"

Yazan's mother questioned.

"Ye..yes.."

•••••

"But why would she agree just like that?"

Yazan asked, worried.

"Maybe....she's scared? Maybe she thinks that it can save her from them. Here she doesn't even believe that the police is really going to get them paid for their deeds."

Iffaz passed him the cup of coffee before taking a sip as he shifted closer to Yazan and rested his head in his shoulder, sleepy but not so much that he'll leave the beautiful view of the moon as they are in the terrace.

"What else did Sawda talk about her?"

"I've already transferred all her words to you. Can you now kindly let me make love to the moon?"

They both continued their late night chit chat for once having them called as memories.

The morning arrived turning a fresh page of their story as the sun rose with the rays of hope, every passing moment making Yazan realize of his feelings for the girl he just met, for whom his heart has caused so much chaos of love!

He peeked around standing at the washroom door to see if she's present here or not.

Having her not, exhaling out, he stepped out and locked the door of the room as he's only in his trousers.

Instead of choosing any from his closet, he went back to the washroom and grabbed the t-shirt that he had given to Sayba the last night as she had no comfortable clothe to sleep in.

With a bashful smile as he shut his eyes off, he brought it near his lips and took it's scent.

Nay, he couldn't compare it to any perfume! It smells better, at least that's what he believed.

He hugged it to his face as his heart raced in warm fuzzies.

Smelling it for more few minutes, he slipped it down his head and walked out of the room, yet not over the intoxicating scent.

But as soon as he stepped out of the room, Iffaz grabbed him by his nape as they looked at each other with annoyance.

"Hell with your shirts I never find ease in them, give my t-shirt back!"

He grasped the t-shirt in his fist to which Yazan kicked his thigh and stepped back.

"Sayba wore it! Believe that you lost this now."

He bit his lip looking away, little embarassed as he realized himself behaving like a lovesick teenager.

"Woah?"

Iffaz dramatically stomped on his feet as he rolled his eyes at his best friend.

"My wife gifted it to me!"

"And I gifted her you! Shut up and get lost."

•••••

"Can you cook?"

Yazan's Mom questioned, her expression demanding a yes from Sayba.

She wanted to answer in the negative but she has already imagined a toxic reply if she does so as she nodded her head, totally unnerved.

"Alhamdulillah! Make anything you wish for lunch."

Sayba's eyes widened in surprise. She took a glance of the humans sitting in the lawn as her inner voice cried out.

She regretted her answer!

"For...for the guests?"

"Yes but not them, Iffaz's parents are coming and my brother's family will also come for lunch."

"Ooo...."

She fake smiled, unknowingly trapped in another problem.

"Sawda will help you."

She patted her back and left.

"Allah no no no no! I've never even boiled water!"

"What did your mother in law say hmm?"

She looked at Sawda with a helpless smile as she dragged her inside the kitchen.

"She asked me to cook."

"Owh! Mm...can you cook?"

"Not at all!"

They both kept staring at each other curiously waiting for one of them to find any solution.

"Huh I also can't cook......umm...what to do now?"

Sayba pouted rubbing her chest trying to calm down as she breathed heavily.

"I don't like that woman. Why couldn't I reply that I can't?"

Sawda laughed at her cuteness as she took out her phone and thought to call Iffaz.

"Umm...will you order something?"

"Nah, our husbands will cook."

Sawda proudly replied as she pressed the phone to her ear.

"Not...my husb.."

"Okay your fake husband! That's also a type of husband!"

•••••

How's it going?

What do you think will happen next?