Chapter Fourteen

"Aaru bhai, c'mon. You have to go to my friend's dawat first." As Aeleya entered the house, she saw that all the adults were missing, only the cousins were left in the living room. In one corner, Maaz and Maya were fighting over Noori, in another Jeej and Aliya were sitting down and going through a single phone. And then there was the corner where Aarush was. He was surrounded by many of his cousins. They were pestering him, while Aeleya could see a small vein bulging on his forehead.

"Aarush, we're back." She smiled and walked over. In order to save him, she had to drag him away with a good excuse. "Can you come and help me with something?"

Seeing Aeleya finally arrive, Aarush sighed in relief. He quickly got up and walked towards her, but from Aeleya's perspective it looked like he was speed walking. "Aeleya." He walked over and planted a kiss on her cheek, ignoring all the eyes on him.

Tari was also a part of the cousins and she frowned a little when she saw this.

"Sorry guys. My wife needs help, I can't ignore her. You guys can go and play around elsewhere." He smiled widely and grabbed her hand, running away. As he passed by Noori, he didn't forget to plant a large kiss on her face.

"Noori, here these are for you." She quickly pulled out a few toys and candies, passing them over. Aliya who was sitting afar couldn't help but call out.

"Aeleya, you too? Both husband and wife are spoiling this little girl! She will be ruined!" Jeej smiled and stroked his wife's hair.

"Don't worry. Those are Noori's aunt and uncle, if they don't spoil her, who will? Just let it be. My little girl won't be ruined, I'm still here." Aliya grumbled at his words.

"What can you do? You're not any better. You spoil her as well." Jeej put on a bitter smile.

Aeleya smiled at the two before squeezing the little girl's nose and running off with Aarush. The latter led her to the kitchen in the courtyard. He leaned against the counter and sighed. "You don't know how annoying those cousins of mine are. They keep pestering me about whose dawat we should attend first." He sighed while rubbing his head. Aeleya took out a cup from the cabinet and poured some water out for him from a cold-water bottle. She passed it over with a gentle smile.

"Well, we will be attending them either way, so it doesn't matter who is first. Anyways, do we have to attend one today?" She watched as he drank some water while she herself grabbed a few grapes and began to eat them. At times, she would put a grape in his mouth.

"Not today. Mom said that I can rest for today. Really, although Ii slept a bunch on the plane ride, I still feel super tired. I might actually sleep early. All my energy is gone." He hunched his back and spoke. "Anyways, what did you and Hazim do while I was stuck here?"

"Eat." She spoke with a smile. "Brost, fries, burgers, nihari, and so much more." She talked about it with her eyes sparkling. Aarush smiled while shaking his head.

"You're such a foodie." He rubbed her stomach and spoke with a helpless sigh. "Yet you're so thin. Where does it all go? Here?" He pointed at her chest with a smirk.

She pushed his hand away and grumbled. "Well, I like food. I can't help myself."

Taking another grape into his mouth from her hands, he shook his head with a smile. "I don't mind. Honestly, I always wanted a wife who would be a foodie. Since I'm not much of a food lover, for some reason having a wife who loved to eat various foods was something I desired. I don't know why." He grabbed three grapes from her hand and shoved them into his mouth. "If anything, I find your foodie nature extremely hot. Weird, but I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders.

With an eyebrow raised, she nodded her head. "I agree, it is weird." She then smiled, putting two grapes into his mouth. "But I like your weirdness. If anything, I find your weirdness hot." She spoke boldly. Aarush smirked but didn't say anything more regarding the topic.

"What's our plan for the day? Before you say much, remember that I need to come and sleep early. My mind is exhausted." He spoke while rubbing his head. Aeleya walked forward and moved his hand. Using her own, she began to gently massage his head.

"There isn't really a plan. You came so suddenly that I was caught off guard." She answered with a look of happiness.

"Why don't we go and look at the plot of land for the house? You can try and get an idea of how much pace we have. Maybe it will help you decide on some things you want to add." He said while playing with her hair as she massaged his head.

"About that." Suddenly, her gentle fingers became akin to snake bites. She pinched his ear and spoke while grumbling. "Why are you so inactive when it comes to the house. Hazim kept saying you won't say anything about what to add and what to get rid of. You even had me choose the things myself? No way, you and I will sit together and plan this house together. It's our house, not just mine."

Covering her hand with his own, he spoke with scrunched eyes. "Relax. Got it, stop twisting my ear." His speech was hurried as the pain began to erode his whole mind.

She let go with a proud look on her face. She tapped his nose and continued to massage his head. "You're really aggressive, you know that? I thought you were one of those peaceful, non-violent, types. Really, you are no worse than Aliya."

Hearing him complain, she leaned forward and planted a light kiss on his ear. "Is that better?" Her face showed helplessness rather than embarrassment, which was rather uncommon.

"No, do it again. It still hurts." He said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes at him, but Aarush suddenly blushed deeply, catching her off guard.

"W-what is it?" She asked in confusion and worry. He rarely blushed, like very rarely.

"You need to stop making those expression's in public. It's too much for me to handle!" He said while his blush still showed.

"What expression?" She asked in confusion.

"When you roll your eyes, or when you scrunch your nose. Those things are crazy hot for me, so stop." He blushed deeply which made Aeleya smirk a little

She rolled her eyes again, this time looking at him with a sweet smile. "You don't like this?" She then scrunched her nose while getting close to him. "What about this?"

Aarush suddenly ran past her and got out of the kitchen. His face was bright red as he looked at her with a pitiful gaze. "Aeleya, I'm not joking. I don't know why, but when you do that, it really makes me super excited and embarrassed." Aeleya followed behind him and laughed.

"My husband can't even take a glance? Are you even the person from this morning?" She blushed a little mention the morning fact, but she fought the urge to hide her face and continued to smile at Aarush.

"That's different. I could do whatever, but right now, I'm restricted. My hands are tied." He said with an exasperated tone. His face continued to blush as she walked backwards, staying away from Aeleya.

"Stop moving away. Come here." She said while walking towards him step by step.

"No way. If you want me to get close to it, let's go to our room. I will be more at ease." Aeleya shook her head with a smile.

"Nope. Let's stay here. I like seeing you so red. It's really cute." She said while walking towards him slowly.

"Aaru uncle, open." Suddenly, Noori appeared and ran to Aarush with a plastic bag filled with candies. It was tied with a complicated knot which she couldn't unravel.

Aarush released a deep breath of relief. He quickly picked her up and smirked at Aeleya who was already near him. Aeleya saw this smirk and an idea appeared in her mind.

"Noori, come to Aela for a moment." Noori nodded her head and grabbed Aeleya's neck, moving her position. "Here, look at Aaru uncle and do this." Aeleya rolled her eyes at Noori. The latter nodded her head, oblivious to what was happening. She looked at Aarush and rolled her eyes. Although it was not as fluent as Aeleya's it still wasn't terrible.

"Nope, no way." Aarush blushed before running up the stairs. He wasn't weird enough to get excited by a little girl rolling her eyes. Rather, seeing both Aeleya and Noori roll their eyes at him at the same time, made him picture his own daughter in the arms of Aeleya. Just the thought made him so excited that he wanted to pin Aeleya down on the spot. Plus, Noori looked so cute doing it, he wanted to hug her with all his strength, but he knew that would be bad. "I'll be in my room." He quickly ran up higher and entered his room, shutting the door behind him.

"What happened to Aaru uncle?" Noori looked at Aeleya with a confused look.

Aeleya squeezed both of her cheeks and planted a big kiss on her face. "Nothing, Aaru uncle is just weird."

"Yeah. He is weird." Noori giggled in Aeleya's arm. "Open." She got onto the ground and picked up the bag of candies that Aarush dropped. Passing it over to Aeleya, she spoke with a cute face.

"Alright cutey." Aeleya took the bag of candies and untied it for her. She passed it over carefully. "Don't drop it, alright?"

Noori nodded her head and ran off. Aeleya watched her leave with a smile.

'Should I go up or not? If I go up, no way he will sit peacefully.' She thought for a moment. Then something struck her. 'If I leave him alone, who knows if he will… alone…' She blushed at the thought, but decided to run up there.

At a fast pace, she reached her room and entered. Just in case she locked the door. "Aarush?" She yelled his name out since she couldn't see him.

She walked forward, but suddenly, she felt someone grab her waist. "Right here." Aarush wrapped his arms tightly around her, while using his lips to suck on her earlobe.

"Aarush, relax." She struggled out of his embrace and looked at him with a blushed face. "Not right now. Let's go and look at the plot for the house and then when we come back, then we can… you know."

He quickly calmed himself and smiled bitterly. "It's your fault."

"How is it my fault? You're the one who is so…" She didn't finish her sentence since some words were too embarrassing to say.

"Pfft. You kept making such seducing expressions, how can an average man like me handle it?" He spoke with a laugh. "You need to make sure not to make those expressions unless we are alone. I seriously find it hard to control myself." He took deep breaths and walked over to her. "Anyways, let's go then. I want to quickly go and look at the plot and then come back. I'm seriously feeling tired." He rubbed his eyes as he wobbled a little.

"Why don't you just sleep now then? We can go look at the plot tomorrow? Here, just go to sleep for now. Although it's still midday, you should try and sleep until tomorrow morning. It will help you catch up on the sleep you missed." She pulled him to the bedroom and sat him down.

"Are you sure?" He felt guilty. Even now, he barely spent time with Aeleya.

"Of course. Actually, before you sleep, eat a little bit. You have gotten thinner since last time. I'll quickly warm some food for you." She got up and went into the small kitchen. In the refrigerator, there were a few dishes. Taking out a light yet filling dish, she warmed it up and brought it over to him. She placed the plate on the bed and the roti on the side. Breaking a piece from the roti, she dipped it into the dish and slowly moved it towards Aarush's mouth. Seeing him just look at her blankly, she frowned. "Open your mouth Aarush."

"Aeleya, I'm not that hungry. You eat it. I just want to sleep." He was about to scuttle back, but Aeleya grabbed his arm and looked at him with her pretty eyes.

"For me, just eat a little bit." She spoke with puppy-like eyes, looking extremely pitiful yet cute. Her pout was even more adorable.

Aarush smiled gently and nodded his head. He let her put the food into his mouth. "For you, I would even eat poison." Aeleya giggled when she heard this, she made him a few more bites and fed him happily. After Aarush ate atleast half of the food, Aeleya wrapped up the leftovers and put them back into the refrigerator.

"Aarush, change into something light. I'm just going to go tell Hazim that you're going to rest. I'll come back up in a bit, so don't sleep right away." Aeleya smiled and walked out of the room. She quickly found Hazim and told him. She made sure to tell him to inform the aunts and uncles that Aarush was very tired and that no one should disturb him. Hazim took the information and made sure to pass it on later.

As she made her way up to her bedroom, she saw an annoying person appear. Of course, it was Tari. Deciding that talking to such a person was beneath her, Aeleya walked past her.

"What kind of wife are you?" Tari spoke slowly as Aeleya walked past her.

Turning her head and glaring at Tari, Aeleya became mad at words. What were they based on and why was she saying them? "What now Tari? Why do you always come here to make yourself look so desperate? Just get on with your life and find yourself a man who isn't Aarush. Like seriously, he is your cousin, not lover."

With a cocky look on her face, Tari ignored Aeleya's words. "I can do what I want. I just came to say that you're not such a great wife. Leaving your husband here all alone while you went to have fun with Hazim somewhere else. Great, reall--"

"Tari!" Suddenly, a loud yell appeared from up the stairs. It was so loud that even the cousins inside heard it. Everyone walked out to the courtyard and looked up, wanting to see what was happening. Aliya heard it as well, and her face paled.

'Shit, Tari pissed Aarush off. Did she try and do something stupid?' Aliya wasn't oblivious to Tari having deep feelings towards her brother. She visited a lot, and knew that Tari considered herself as Aarush's bride. This made Aliya upset of course, since Aliya knew that Aarush was fighting against the whole marriage with her and even got into terrible arguments with his parents because of it. 'I got to make him calm down, or he might actually flip. He hates when people bring up his forced engagement with Tari.' One of the things that Aarush hated the most was his relationship with Tari. It ruined his mind when he was younger, and he flipped at the mention of it.

Aliya ran out into the courtyard and rushed up the steps. "Aarush, calm down." She yelled a little.

Aarush had veins popping from his forehead as he glared at Tari. Aeleya was beside him trying to calm him down as well, but Aarush wasn't having it.

"Tari, what kind of bullshit are spouting? Who the hell are you to tell my wife whether she is being a good wife or not? Are you my mother? Her mother? Are you my sister?" Aarush spoke furiously. He was walking out of the bedroom to just wait for Aeleya when he heard Tari's words. He was offended by it and also furious that she was speaking as if she knew what it meant to be his wife.

"A-Aaru, I didn't mean--" Tari spoke up with a ghastly pale face, trying to explain herself.

"Shut up!" Aarush growled. "Now listen to me carefully. Since my parents decided on the bullshit marriage between us, I have been fighting constantly to stop it. Everyday I would be stressed, burdened, and just outright pissed by it. So many years, I fought back and forth, almost leaving my house, just to stop it from happening. I never did, nor will I ever, want to marry you."

"Aaru, calm down. Hey, listen, relax." Aliya walked up and began to gently speak to him, trying to calm him down. Normally they fought like siblings, but when Aarush was mad, he would lose it. Aliya knew her brother was very hard to anger, but when he got mad, not even her parents could calm him down. All she could do was try and gently calm him down. Only when he was extremely pissed or upset would she speak like this to him. "Aaru, listen to me and calm down, alright? Just go inside for now with Aeleya."

"What do you mean calm down? For so many fucking years I fought mom and dad to stop the marriage. Mom went into fucking depression and dad literally threatened suicide. Does she not understand the bullshit I went through?" He spoke while trembling.

"I know Aaru, I know. Just go inside and calm down, alright? Just let me handle it." She spoke gently, trying to calm her brother down. She was aware of it all since she was there. Aarush was able to fight for her marriage rights, but Aarush had to fight alone for his. She could never support him the way he supported her. She wanted to, but never could. All the time, she watched her brother go into depression and have panic attacks because of the stress. Although she loved her parents to death, she hated their treatment towards Aarush.

"No! Not this time. She need's to understand that I have a fucking wife now and no one, I mean no one can speak to her like that. Let alone her, I won't even let mom speak to Aeleya like that." Aarush's eyes were red as his body showed extreme agitation.

Aliya felt overwhelmed by his anger and just couldn't seem to calm him down. "Aaru honey, just go inside. Let your sister handle it." There was a five-year gap between the two, so sometimes out of affection, she would call him honey or other words. Aliya looked at Aeleya who was also trying to calm Aarush down. "Aeleya, just pull him into the room. He won't calm down unless he is forced away."

Aeleya nodded her head and pulled Aarush's arm. "Aarush, come. Listen to me and come." She spoke in a helpless manner. The only other time she had seen Aarush so mad was when chacha almost got a heart attack, but even then, Aarush never acted too crazily. He was more collected. Right now, his emotions were all over the place.

Aarush turned his head and looked at Aeleya. "Aeleya, how many times did Tari speak to you like this? I can tell this isn't the first time."

"None. She never speaks like this, and you heard wrong. She was just helping me; she wasn't trying to be mean. Trust me Aarush, Tari was just trying to help me. Come inside for now, please." Aeleya spoke in an almost begging tone.

"What the fuck! Who is she to help you?! You're my wife, not some random person! She is my cousin, nothing more! Who the hell is she to even offer advice?!" Aarush became even more pissed.

Slap

Suddenly, Aeleya raised her hand and slapped Aarush on the cheek. The latter's eyes widened, and he looked at Aeleya in shock. "W-wh--"

"Come inside with me right now." Aeleya spoke in an almost growling voice, but Aarush noticed the tears welling up in her eyes. He nodded his head and followed Aeleya in.

Aliya sighed in relief seeing Aarush finally enter his room. She then began to frown as she looked towards Tari. "Tari, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to ruin my brother's life? Are you trying to mess with his life?"

"N-no, I was just talking to Aeleya…" Tari spoke with tears in her eyes. Her face was paled to the extreme. She never thought Aarush would flip the way he did.

"Why were you trying to involve yourself into something that doesn't concern you? Are you super close to Aeleya? If I try to explain something to Aeleya, then that's different. I'm Aarush's sister, I have the right to do so. If my mom or Aeleya's mom tell Aeleya something, they can because they are mothers, they have the right. But, other than us three, no one can say a single word to Aeleya, no one! What kind of advice were you even trying to give?" Aliya had a furious look as she glared at her cousin. People could mess with her, but when it came to messing with her brother, she was very sensitive. She knew better then most the suffering he went through.

"I just told her she was being insensitive by leaving Aarush alone…" Although Tari was feeling extremely humiliated and upset, she still spoke the truth about what she said.

Hearing her words, Aliya understood why Aarush flipped. Even she felt anger boiling inside of her. "Tari, let me say this once. To Aarush and my family, you are only a cousin, nothing more. Especially to Aaru, you are only a cousin, and not even a close one. How dare you say something like that to Aeleya? What do you even know about him? Aeleya knows things about my brother that maybe even I don't know. So, if I can't tell her what not to do and what to do for my brother, what the hell are you? From now on Tari, stay away from both my brother and my sister in law. I don't give a damn if you complain to your parents or even mine. It doesn't matter who you complain to, if you even try to come near my brother, I swear there will be no one worse than me." Aliya looked around and found Zaid standing within the group with a shocked expression. "Zaid, take Tari home. Until Aarush calms down, she isn't allowed back here." After giving her command, Aliya walked down the steps angrily. She picked up Noori and headed to her room.

Tari stood still on spot for a bit before walking down the steps in humiliation. Zaid followed behind her with a wry smile. He felt awkward being the person who had to drop her home.

Hazim stood on the side and smirked. "Serves her right. Last time I warned her to keep her mouth shut, but there she goes, pissing off Aaru bhai. Now not even Ayun uncle nor Amina aunty can resolve this issue." Hazim spoke quietly.

Sara, who wasn't too far from him, heard his words and sneaked a glance at him. Hazim noticed this but instead of looking at her for a bit, he turned his head and walked away instantly.

"Aeleya…" Aarush followed Aeleya into the room. His body was still shaking since he hadn't gotten over the adrenaline coursing through his body.

Aeleya turned her head and glared at him, her eyes still filled with tears. "Why are you getting so worked up over such a small issue?" She walked closer to him and said in a loud voice. The tears finally fell from her eyes. "It was such a small matter, yet you got so angry!"

"Of course, I would get angry. Who the hell is she to tell you what you should or shouldn't do?" Aarush became a little worked up as well.

"Why does it matter if she tells me these things? Just ignore it! What's the issue!" Her nose became red as she looked at him angrily.

Aarush grabbed her shoulders and said in a frustrated voice. "You can ignore it, but I can't. If there wasn't you and Aliya stopping me, I swear to God I would have snapped her fucking neck. Speaking to you like that, what the fuck?! Who the hell does she think she is?"

"Aarush." Aeleya lightly punched his chest. "Please, just stop thinking about it. Your whole body is shaking, and your face is so, it is so frightening. Your eyes are, are so red,. You're barely standing straight…" She began to list a bunch of things wrong with him, while patting her hands over him. She seemed agitated, worse then even him.

Seeing her getting worked up as well, Aarush suddenly felt frightened that she might get a panic attack. He quickly began to calm her down, while controlling his own temper. "Alright Aeleya, I won't get work up, just quiet down and take a deep breath." He had been through a few panic attacks, so he had better control, to a certain extent, and also knew how harmful it was. It could make a person go crazy and it might even leave some trauma. The last thing he wanted to see was Aeleya getting hurt.

"But your, your body is still…" Seeing that she was still falling apart, Aarush pulled her into an embrace and calmed her agitation by restraining her movements. He continued to whisper into her ear, trying to calm her down.

"Alright love, just calm down, alright? Everything is alright. I'm alright. You're alright. Just quiet down." She began to cradle her slowly, swaying a little while holding onto her tightly.

"Don't get so angry again, I don't like it. I hate it so much. I feel like you would do something crazy and…" Aeleya continued to talk, but she was a lot steadier.

"I know my love. I know. I won't get angry again. Just stay quiet and close your eyes for now." He kissed her head and continued to sway while calming Aeleya down. It was weird. Aliya was trying to calm Aarush down since he was having a panic attack, but now Aarush began to calm Aeleya down when he saw that she was about to have her own panic attack.

Aeleya quieted down and slowly closed her eyes. She tightly held onto Aarush's arms, tear stains covering her face. She sniffled every so often. With the peaceful movements of Aarush, she began to feel more relaxed.

"Are you calm now? Aeleya?" Aarush asked in a whisper.

"Mhm." She replied with just a confirming sound.

Aarush sighed in relief. He kissed her cheek gently and picked her up as if holding a baby. She wasn't a small child, so it looked a little weird, but Aarush had no issue holding her. He began to walk to the bedroom slowly.

Feeling herself being lifted, Aeleya felt a calm shower her mind. She wrapped her arms around Aarush's neck, while wrapped her legs around his waist. She dug her face into his neck and just calmly felt Aarush walk.

Getting into his bedroom, he gently placed Aeleya on the bed. Seeing that she wasn't willing to let go of him, Aarush sighed and decided to just lay down as well. He carefully began to lay on the bed with Aeleya still tightly stuck to him. Using his free hand, he lifted the blanket and put it on top or him and Aeleya.

"Love, you need to move your arms, or they will start to hurt later. Just turn your body." He spoke softly.

"No." She spoke with clear refusal. Her eyes were still closed. Aarush sighed and moved the arm under him away from that position. If Aeleya's arm stayed there, then her blood could become slower or strained, causing her discomfort and pain. He couldn't let that happen. After moving her arm, and seeing that she was about to complain, he quickly wrapped his own arms around her waist. From the back, he lifted her shirt and began to slowly stroke her bare back.

"Just got to sleep, alright?" He wasn't stroking her bare back for his own pleasure, since in such a situation that would be utterly insensitive and dumb. Rather, by stroking her back, it would help calm her down and also add a bit of relief to her body. It was a light massage. In the past, when Aarush was extremely tired or overwhelmed, he would lay shirtless and have Maaz lightly massage his back. It was comforting and very calming.

A smile finally formed on Aeleya's mouth. She tightened the distance between her and Aarush. Slightly opening her mouth, she placed her lips on Aarush's and just kept them there.

Seeing her act like this, Aarush smiled internally. He didn't do anything other than lightly kiss her lips while she kept hers on his. He didn't make any major movements, just small ones, enough to give her comfort. "I love you so much Aarush." Aeleya suddenly spoke while he lightly sucked on her lips.

"I love you too." He replied. Soon after, he closed his eyes as well. Her mouth remained on his, but he didn't continue with his kisses, rather both of them just took each others warm breaths in. As they tightly held onto each other, they both soon fell asleep. Aarush's head was pounding crazily, so every so often he would wake up with a bit of pain, yet when he opened his eyes and saw Aeleya sleeping so comfortably, he didn't have the heart to wake her up.

Night arrived rather quickly, atleast for Aeleya and the rest. For Aarush however, it felt like a million years. His headache was just killing him. He felt as if someone was piercing his brain with a knife and just cutting him out from the inside.

Aeleya woke up right then. Her eyelids opened up slowly. She saw that Aarush's face was right in front of hers and that she was tightly holding onto him, however what she focused on was his pained face. "Aarush? What's wrong?" She quickly got up and looked at him with worry.

Finally, able to move a little, Aarush got up as well and grabbed his head. "My head is just killing me." He quickly got off of the bed and went to find his bag. Aeleya followed him quickly, staying close. When Aarush found his bag, he pulled out a small bottle containing some pills. He grabbed a couple and placed them into his mouth.

"Aarush, let me get you water. Don't swallow it dry." She ran into the kitchen and found some water for him. Bringing it over, she began to feed him the water, seeing that he was rejecting it. "Aarush, just drink a little bit, alright?"

After going through that, Aarush finally sighed a little in relief. Although the pain was there, the pills were taking affect quickly, or maybe it was just his body thinking the pills were taking affect, either way, the pain began to recede slowly.

He lifted his hand and gently massaged his forehead, and then sometimes pressed the placed above his ear.

"What happened? Why did your head start hurting so much." She sat behind him and began to knead his head, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.

"I'm not sure. It just became really bad while I slept." He leaned against her leg and just enjoyed her massage. "Anyways, how are you feeling my love? Are you alright now?" He got up from the ground and pulled her into his embrace, asking with gentle eyes.

Aeleya nodded her head. "I'm fine, but you are the one who is in pain right now, so let me care for now. Alright?" Aarush nodded his head and gave her a light peck on the lips. He walked towards the bedroom and laid on the bed. His shirt was off and Aeleya climbed onto his back and sat down comfortably. She reached out and began to lightly massage his head and shoulders. Aarush closed his eyes in comfort. He finally felt a lot more relieved. When he felt that he could finally sleep peacefully, he told Aeleya to lay beside him. She climbed off of him and smiled while laying down next to him.

"Thank you Aeleya, it felt great." He spoke with a drowsy voice. With her back facing him, he pulled her in tight and smiled.

Grabbing his hand, she kissed it lightly. Soon after, Aarush fell asleep. For majority of the time he held onto her, but when he finally let go, Aeleya got off the bed. She wanted to let him rest more, so she decided to walk out of the room and just roam around a little.

Deciding to go to the roof for a bit of fresh air, she walked up and sat on the mattress. Sometimes she would sit, other times just stroll the top. 'What's that?' Aeleya noticed something standing underneath a tree near the house. She looked at it closely and couldn't help but feel a cold sweat run down her back. It was a person. 'Who is that? Why are they standing-- wait, he's looking at… me?' She felt frightened and she quickly ran down the steps and back into her room. She locked the door behind her and rushed into the bedroom. She lowered the curtain and quickly got onto the bed. 'I don't know who that was, but they were definitely looking at me. Were they watching the house? But why?' Feeling really scared, she went under the covers and wrapped herself onto Aarush. The latter didn't know what was going on as he slept, so subconsciously, he wrapped his own arms around Aeleya and just pulled her into his body. The latter felt protected in this state and her head felt a lot lighter as well. 'I need to tell Aarush about this when he wakes up. If someone is really watching the house, then he needs to tell the soldiers or the police.' She gritted her teeth a little and closed her eyes while digging her face into his chest. His bare body was warm and gave a very secure feeling to her. She didn't know why, but she could feel him being a person who could always look after her. No matter the situation. It was the feeling Aarush gave her, and she loved it.

Her eyes shut as well and soon she fell into the world or dreams, or rather… nightmares.

"Stop… go away…" Aarush woke up to a noise. His eyes opened and he suddenly saw Aeleya trembling his arms. Her face showed signs of panic and fear. She was sweating and her hair was in a mess.

"Aeleya?" His drowsy state completely disappeared, and he began to shake Aeleya. He tried to wake her up, and after a few seconds of calling out, Aeleya woke up. Aarush watched as she quickly sat up and began to look around in a panic. "Aeleya, what's wrong?" He placed his hand on her cheek and asked with deep concern written on his face.

As if his voice woke her up, she snapped out of her state and stared at Aarush. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she suddenly fell into his arms. "Aarush, there was someone. Someone watching me, us, our house. He was just standing there, looking at me." She explained through her choking sobs. Aarush just took this as a nightmare, so he tried his best to calm her down.

"Love, it was just a bad dream. There is no one other than me here. Don't worry, I'm here, no will do a thing." He spoke softly, trying to comfort. It was still night, but Aarush looked at the time and saw that morning would come in a few hours.

Aeleya suddenly jerked out of his embrace and looked at him in panic. "No Aarush, I'm not talking about the dream." She spoke in a frightened tone. "I didn't tell you before since you were finally able to sleep, but when you fell asleep a while ago, I went out for a little stroll on the roof. When I was up there, I saw some guy watching the house. When he saw me, he didn't run away or anything. He was too far, and it was too dark for me to make out who he was, but I'm sure it was a guy. His face seemed to be covered by a black cloth and he wore a full grey suit." She explained slowly Aarush listened carefully and frowned.

"Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare?" He asked again for confirmation.

She nodded her head in a panic. "It happened. I ran into the room right after, not daring to go outside." She hugged him tightly. "I don't know why someone would be watching our house, but I'm worried something bad might happen."

Aarush got up from the bed after giving Aeleya a smile. "Let me go and check outside really quickly. If he's still outside, then I can atleast beat an answer out of him, if he isn't then I will make sure to find out who is watching us and why." His eye's became furious. He trusted Aeleya, especially when he looked around the room and noticed the curtains completely shut and other evidence pointing towards Aeleya really being panicked.

"No, you can't go out alone. What if something happens? What if he wants you to come out and then he gets in? You can't just leave me here alone, I'm so scared." She trembled as she spoke. Aarush stroked her head and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving you alone. Stay with Jeej and Aliya in their room for a while. I'll go check, alright?" Aarush picked up his phone and quickly gave a call to Aliya's phone. "Aliya, wake Jeej up for me, something happened."

Getting up from the bed, he quickly wore a shirt. He helped Aeleya clean herself a little and then both of them walked out of the room. Aarush led Aeleya to his sister's room. When he entered, he saw Jeej and Aliya were both up while Noori slept soundly on the bed.

"What happened Aaru?" Jeej stood up and asked with a bit of concern.

"Aeleya says that when she was on the roof a while ago, there was a guy watching the house. I don't know why there would be someone watching the house, but I'm going to go outside and take a look, I'm a little worried that if there is a person watching us without us knowing, then that person could also probably sneak into the house. Jeej, I'm going to wake up Hazim and go check it out, can you stay here and just look after her?" Jeej nodded his head with a deep frown.

"To think something like this was happening?" He was baffled as well as Aarush. Who would watch them and why?

Leaving the room, Aarush went to find Hazim and woke him up. He quickly explained the situation, scaring Hazim silly. "Hazim, go and grab a bat. If there is a person, I'll break his legs." Hazim nodded his head and quickly brought Aarush a cricket bat. Both of them then walked out of the house and Aarush began to cautiously look around. Hazim didn't stray too far from Aarush while the latter looked around without much fear. He had been in fights, so another fight never worried him.

Aarush looked through the various trees, but he didn't find anything. He looked a while, but never found a thing. "The bastard probably ran off. If he's watching us, then he would easily be able to escape." Aarush spat on the ground and walked back towards the house. "Hazim, who do you think it could be? I don't remember there being anyone who can stalk us like this. Sure, Tari might be upset, but there is no reason for her to do this. Any ideas?" Hazim thought for a moment, but suddenly his eyes narrowed. Aarush noticed this and he also narrowed his eyes. "Who? Even if it is just a suspicion, tell me the name and I'll find out."

"Ali." Hazim spoke while gritting his teeth. "It's not a suspicion, I'm sure it's him. When you were gone…" He began to explain what happened; Aarush suddenly smashed the cricket bat on the tree beside him.

"That bastard! I met him once and thought he was a good guy, but to think he would try and take advantage of my wife? I'm going to fuck him up!" Aarush's eyes sharpened as he walked towards his bike. "Where does he live? Whether he is stalking us or not, just his actions warrant a beat down." Hazim nodded his head and gave Aarush the address. He quickly ran in and grabbed bike keys and handed them to Aarush. "Alright, go tell Jeej and rest that I'll be right back." With a snort, Aarush drove away.

When the loud bike noise appeared, Hazim turned around and saw Aeleya and the rest appear. "Where is Aarush?" Aeleya asked with concern.

"He went to go take care of Ali." Hazim spoke with ease.

"Ali?" Aeleya was confused until she remembered that disgusting fellow who gave her a very uncomfortable feeling. "Do you think he is the one watching the house?"

Hazim nodded his head in confidence. "I'm sure. Aaru bhai may not know, but I know people like him. He will go to any extent to get what he wants, and I'm sure he wants…" Hazim didn't finish but Aeleya knew he meant her. She shivered just thinking about Ali.

"Who is Ali? Fill me in." Aliya asked rather quickly. Jeej also listened on from the side. Hazim quickly told them what happened at the bank and Aliya frowned. "You shouldn't have told Aarush." She suddenly turned to her husband and looked at him seriously. "You need to go and find Aaru before he does anything stupid. You know what he can when he goes crazy, he has no self control. You know what happened last time." Jeej nodded his head.

"Hazim, give me this Ali's address." Hazim nodded and also passed the address to Jeej. The latter got onto his own bike and drove off.

"Why are you so worried about Aliya? Aarush can handle this." Aeleya had full confidence in Aarush. Of course, she was worried as well, but Aeleya could tell that Aliya's worry stemmed from something else.

"Aeleya listen. You have seen how Aarush is when he gets mad, but only a little bit. Aarush is truly a psycho; he will do anything once he is pissed. Like anything." She took a deep breath. "I'm not worried about him; I'm worried he would kill Ali. He went crazy when a guy barely touched me, but this time some guy was trying to hit on you knowing full well who you were. I know Aarush, he will do something even worse if it's related to you. He's an extremist."

"Will Jeej make it in time?" She asked in worry. She remembered how mad Aarush got before, and that wasn't the extent?

"Even if he makes it in time, whether Aarush will listen to him is questionable. Aarush doesn't listen to anyone when he is pissed other than you." Aliya frowned. "But sending you there is also a little unsafe if it really turns out that Ali is the stalker."

"I'll go. As long as Aarush is alright, it doesn't matter how dangerous the place is." Aeleya poke without a hint of hesitation.

"We can't go there since Jeej and Aaru bhai took the only bikes we have. Zaid bhai took the car before so we have nothing here." Hazim suddenly interrupted.

"Then call Zaid and tell him to bring the car! I'll go wake up mom and dad." Aliya quickly ran inside. Hazim pulled out his phone and called Zaid's phone. After a few rings, Zaid never picked up.

"Why isn't he picking up?" Hazim growled.

"Try their home phone!" Aeleya said while panic filled her heart.

Azim nodded his head and tried to call their house.

"Hello?" Someone finally picked up.

"Hello, it's Hazim. Where is Zaid?!" He didn't have time to ask who it was, he needed Zaid to bring the car right away.

"Hazim? Why are you calling so late?" After listening carefully, Hazim could tell it was Sara right away.

"Sara, I don't have time. Wake Zaid up and tell him to bring the car right away. Just tell him Aaru bhai found out about Ali, he will know." With that Hazim cut the phone.

Sara put the phone down and quickly went into Zaid's room. "Zaid bhai! Zaid bhai!" She took the blanket off her brother and kicked him on the back.

"Arg!" Zaid woke up and looked around in a daze. He saw Sara in his room and glared at her. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You have to take the car back to Aaru bhai's place. Hazim called and said that Aaru bhai found out about this Ali guy." When she said that, Zaid was blank for a moment before his face paled.

"Shit!" He quickly got up and looked for the car keys. "How the hell did Aaru bhai find out?! Shit!"

"Zaid bhai, who is this Ali?" Sara asked with a curious expression.

"I don't have time to answer right now. I'm leaving." He rushed to the door, while Sara followed behind him.

"I'm coming too." She quickly put on her slippers and chased him out the door.

"I don't care, just hurry up." He quickly sat in the car and started it up. Sara also got in.

As he drove off, Sara was still very curious. "Tell me, what's happening? Both you and Hazim seem very panicked."

"Ali is this bastard who was trying to hit on Aeleya even when Hazim told him that Aeleya was Aaru bhai's wife. You know how Aaru bhai is. Supposedly he just found out about it, so I'm assuming he went off to take care of Ali." Zaid explained quickly.

Sara's face paled. Everyone knew the type person Aarush was. Although most had never seen him get into fights, they heard lots from Maaz and Maya. Plus, he was considered worse than his dad, and Aarush's dad had a reputation when he was younger.

Aliya rushed into her parents room without knocking. "Mom, dad, wake up!"

With such a sudden yell, both people jumped up in fright. They saw that it was Aliya and glared at her. "Aliya, what are you doing?!"

"It's Aaru, he went to beat some guy up!" She said in a panic.

"What!" Aarush's parents quickly jumped out of bed. "When did it happen? Why is he going crazy?"

"Supposedly, some guy was trying to hit on Aeleya, and Aarush just found out about it. Hafiz went after him. Right now, Zaid is coming with the car so we can take Aeleya to him. You guys know how he gets when he's pissed. I think Aeleya may be able to control him." The two parents nodded and agreed. They knew that Aarush was a very unstable person when he was overly emotional. No one could really calm down; it would usually be a waiting game.

Her father sighed. "He's really such a headache when he gets like this." He shook his head.

"Isn't it your fault? He gets it from you." Aarush's mother glared at her husband. The latter laughed bitterly. "Anyways, Aliya call up his friends and tell them to go and meet Aarush there. More people are better." Aliya nodded her head and quickly called Dara and the rest.

Aeleya stood outside waiting with the anxiety eating her out. 'Aarush, don't do anything dumb, please.'

After fifteen minutes of tortuous waiting, the car finally arrived. Zaid got out and let Hazim sit in the driving seat. Aliya and Aeleya got in the back with Zaid. Without waiting for anyone else, he drove off quickly.

"Hazim, how did he find out?" Zaid, who sat in the back asked.

"Supposedly someone was lurking around the house, watching it at night. When he woke me to go inspect the area, I told him that it might be Ali. I don't think it's a might, I'm sure this is Ali." Hazim gritted his teeth. The bandage on his face was gone and the bruise made his handsome face look frightening when he showed anger.

"Shit! He even came all the way to the house? Aaru bhai better mess him up!" Zaid said with gritted teeth.

"Shut Up Zaid." Aliya snapped at him. "If he does something good, he could seriously get in major trouble. He may be a little favored, but he isn't immune to the law!" Zaid sunk into his seat when Aliya yelled at him.

Hazim drove like a maniac. "Hey drive more carefully." Sara couldn't help but say when he accidently got on a ledge for a moment.

He ignored her words and continued to drive like an idiot. Sara frowned at him but didn't say anything more. After twenty or so minutes, they finally arrived at the place.

"Aarush!" Aeleya saw Aarush being grabbed by Jeej, while his face was warped into an intense anger. She jumped out of the car and rushed to him.

"Wait Aeleya!" Aliya quickly held her back. "We need to first take away that bat from him. He might accidently hit you. Zaid, Hazim, go and grab him!" Hazim and Zaid nodded and rushed forward. The bat was broken in half with dents appearing here and there.

"Aaru bhai, calm down!" Hazim grabbed the bat, but Aarush wasn't letting go. Jeej's face was exhausted and pale. He had been holding him back for too long.

"Fuck that! I'm going to fucking kill him! He has fucking pictures! He has been stalking her! He has pictures!" Aarush was going crazy as he struggled from the three. "Let go of me or I'll kill you guys too!"

He didn't care who was around him. He struggled out of three's grasp suddenly and rushed towards a man leaning weakly against the house. It was none other than Ali. His face was filled with blood and his arms looked extremely weak. Fear was written on his face.

"How fucking dare, you stalk her!" Swinging the bat, he smashed Ali's face, knocking him unconscious. He lifted the bat again, about to hit him again, but Jeej and rest grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.

"Aarush, calm down! You'll seriously kill him!" As they spoke, Aarush's friends finally arrived. Haris and Dara saw Aarush freaking and going crazy, so they quickly rushed over and helped to pin him down. Jeej got up and sighed in relief when he saw them come over. He had been trying to control himself for too long. He was dead exhausted.

"Adi! Call the fucking soldiers or something and get this bastard into a torture room! I want him fucking living a dogs life!" When Aarush saw Adi walking over, he screamed out in anger. Out of all his friends, Adi had the closest relationship to the higher ups. Adi himself could be considered a higher up. He really did have the power to send someone to a torture room, given he had a good reason.

Seeing Aarush freaking out, Adi quickly grabbed his phone. "Get a few members of police here. Pay them whatever, but I have a person who I want confined!" Adi didn't hesitate. Aarush was his best friend, basically brother. He was just as mad when he found out someone might be stalking his brother's wife. "Aarush, you can calm down now. I called a few people; they will handle the rest. You just need to calm down now." Adi spoke calmly.

"Alright Aeleya, go and try to calm him down now." Seeing that there were lots of people to hold Aarush down, Aliya decided that it was safe to send her over.

Aeleya nodded her head and ran towards Aarush. "Aarush, hey I'm here."

Seeing her, Aarush couldn't help but feel his eyes turn red with tears. "A-Aeleya, h-he had pictures. He had your pictures." He fell apart when he saw her.

"You guys let go of him. Let me talk to him." Aeleya looked at the people and had them let him go. They nodded their heads and moved further back. Jeej walked back to Aliya, while Hazim moved to the car. Zaid also moved further back. Haris and Dara moved towards Ali with Adi. They surrounded the unconscious man. Dara began to inspect him to see what the situation was. After all, Dara was also a doctor. "Alright Aarush. Let go of the bat now. Everything is fine now. Everything is fine."

"Aeleya, he was stalking you for so many days. He has pictures of you. I couldn't... " Aarush cried out as he spoke. He dropped the bat as he wiped his tears. His eyes sharpened dangerously. "I have to fucking kill this bastard. He was stalking you, taking pictures, and who knows what he was doing with those pictures." He suddenly got up and started to walk towards the unconscious Ali. His three friends looked at Aarush with caution.

"Aarush, come with me. Let's go inside and show me those pictures. We'll get rid of them together." Aeleya grabbed Aarush's hand and stopped him from moving.

"But…" He had a ferocious look, but Aeleya felt pained seeing the pain in his eyes.

"It's alright. We'll go inside together." Aeleya pulled him into the house. Aarush followed her in. The first thing Aeleya saw was a large collection of pictures… all of them were her. There were pictures of her face in different poses, of her eating, her walking, her setting and so much more. Some more disgusting pictures showed close ups on her chest, back, and shoulders. There were some pictures of her in her pajamas. Fortunately, Ali could never get a picture of her nude, but the closeups were already disgusting enough. She felt her back become rinsed with cold sweat. 'How long has he been following me? I've never noticed him.'

Aarush walked over to the pictures and began to tear them from the wall. Of course, the ones he plucked first were the ones with closeups of her private areas. Aarush had extreme agitation on his face.

Suddenly, Adi walked in. "Aarush, leave a few of the pictures. To make sure he gets punished properly, we need evidence." Adi explained with a helpless look.

Seeing that Aarush was about to flip out, Aeleya quickly stopped him. "We'll just leave the ones that aren't too terrible, alright? This way, he can be punished properly." Aeleya looked at Aarush gently. She could see he was incredibly shaken, more than she ever seen before. She lifted his hand to calm him, but when she touched it, she felt it was wet. Looking down, she saw that it was bleeding profusely. "A-Aarush, what happened to your hand?!" She quickly lifted it up and saw that his knuckles were extremely damaged with even the bone showing. His palm also had a major cut.

"Nothing." Aarush shook his head.

"What do you mean? Look at your hand, we have to get you to the hospital!" She suddenly began to panic. She lifted his other hand and saw that his knuckles were in the same condition. She then began to inspect his body, seeing if there were any other injuries. Adi had already left with the few pictures which weren't terrible. Right now, only the two were in the house. "Let me take your shirt off, I have to see if there are any other wounds. Quickly." Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, she quickly stripped him, but when he was bare, her heart clenched, and her face went pale. "Aarush, how did this happen?" On his right shoulder, there was a long laceration, it was bleeding profusely. The shirt he was wearing was a long-sleeved black shirt, so she never noticed it. Other than a wound on his shoulder, he has another cut right under his left nipple. It was long, but luckily not deep.

"Nothing. The bastard had a knife and was able to get me a few times." Aarush snorted. Right the pain was bearable since his body had yet to react to it properly.

"We have to stop the bleeding first." She panicked. "Dara! Dara!" She called out to the only person who she thought could help.

Aarush didn't stop her. He wasn't dumb, he knew these were very bad wounds.

"What happened?" Dara rushed into the house when he heard Aeleya's voice. When he entered, his face went pale. "A-Aarush, you…"

"Dara, you have to help him. He's bleeding so much. He… he's hurt so bad." Aeleya burst into tears. Dara nodded his head heavily. He grabbed the shirt which was on the ground and began to inspect Aarush's wounds. He found the most dangerous one and stopped it's bleeding first by tying the shirt over it. He then tried to find a cloth in the house and then began to cover the rest of the wounds, atleast with whatever he had on him.

"We need to rush you to the hospital. These wounds aren't dangerous yet, but if you over bleed or these get infected, then things could get bad." luckily, most of the wounds were just flesh wounds, other then the one on his hand. The shoulder one was deep, but not dangerous. Unless it got infected of course. "Come, get into the car and let's get you to the hospital quickly." Dara helped Aarush outside and sat him into the only car. He looked at the rest. "I'm taking Aarush to the hospital first. He is seriously injured." Aarush sat in the back with Aeleya, while Dara sat in the front seat with Haris. "Adi stay here and handle the situation." Adi nodded his head deeply.

With that, the four left. The only people left were Zaid, Hazim, Adi, Jeej, Aliya, and Sara. There were four bikes left. "Aliya, go with Hafiz and tell your parents about the situation. Take them to the hospital to meet Dara there. Zaid, you are larger than Hazim, so you need to stay here with me just in case this bastard wakes up." Adi spoke with a commanding tone. He may be younger than Hafiz, but he was the most responsible and knowledgeable person there.

Everyone quickly went ahead and did what was needed. Zaid looked at Hazim and spoke seriously. "Take Sara home and bring Ayun mama to the hospital." Hazim nodded his head. He got on the bike and waited for Sara to get on. "Sara go with him. Don't worry, if Aaru bhai says that he is trustworthy, I will trust him this once."

After hesitating for a moment, she got on the bike. Hazim snorted and drove off.

Sara held onto him from behind. She loosened her grip, trying to keep a bit of distance, but she couldn't help but hold him tightly as she would fall off otherwise. The ride was very quiet. It was tense. She stared at his face silently, looking at the bruise she inflicted. "S-sorry about the mark on your face."

"It doesn't matter," Hazim replied with little emotion.

"I didn't mean to hit you, I swear. It just happened…" She tried to defend herself.

"A lot of things just happen when we don't mean it." He said with a deep voice. "Forget it, I know you didn't mean it, so it doesn't matter."

When she heard his words, she fell silent again. 'Is he referring to when he tried to force himself on me? But that was different.' She couldn't help but speak up. "Hazim, I want to know why you did it. Why did you try to force yourself on me back then? We were good friends, but then.."

"I was wrong. End of story." He didn't want to discuss this issue again.

"No, you have to tell me. I want to know." Sara persisted. Suddenly, Hazim stopped the bike on the side of the road and got off. He walked away and then squatted on the ground in frustration.

"Why are you so persistent on it? You already know why one does that! So why are you asking?!" It was obvious why one would try to force themselves on a girl. The answer was in the problem.

"I'm not stupid. I want to know what your reason was. We were fine for so long, yet so suddenly." She stopped there and waited for an answer. She felt guilty for what she did to him, yet at the same time she felt a little relieved. As if letting a bunch of anger through that hit, she felt calmer.

Hazim stood up and walked forward. He neared her and stood a distance only a single step away. "You want to know why? Well, it's because I loved you. I loved you so much that when I saw you dressed so beautifully that day, I just couldn't control myself. I lost myself in my urge to touch you. Why do you think I sent you a proposal? It wasn't because my dad did it on a whim, I did it because I truly wanted to marry you. As for those things with the others, I never did anything. All I wanted was for them to talk to you, for them to tell you I was sorry for what I did. You wouldn't talk to me, so I had to find others to do it. But because Everyone knew what I did to you, they all I thought I was trying to hit harass them as well." He spoke out the truth and laid bare before her. However, Sara noticed that he spoke past tense. "Is that enough for you? Are you happy now? You now know the reason. If you're done, let's go. I still have to take Anu mamu to the hospital." He got on the bike and waited for her to get on. Sara just stood on the side. She was dazed for a moment. "Sara, we need to go." Hazim called out with a bit of irritation.

She snapped out of her daze and quickly got on the bike. 'If he loved me, why does he speak with so much irritation? Does he now hate me?' She questioned herself as she looked at him. "So… what are your plans when going out of the country?" It was a silent and awkward ride, so she asked to break the tension.

"Doesn't matter." He answered coldly.

"Do you plan to stay with Zaid bhai?" She asked.

"Doesn't matter." He continued with his cold tone.

"Atleast say something…" She said with a bitter tone.

Hazim took a deep breath, but his voice remained cold. "I'm not living with your brother nor anywhere near him. I will be somewhere else with my dad, away from all of you here." He spoke without hesitation.

"Why?" She asked with surprise.

"Why not? All of you will be much happier and safer with the rapist gone." He answered in a cold tone.

Hearing his words, she was tongue tied. "Then what about your future…"

"I'm fine with what I have. I will live a happy, simple life with my dad. If I find a girl I like, I will marry. Then continue living a simple life with her and my kids. Anyways, why is this your concern? Remember, I loved you, now you are nothing more than a cousin to me." He spoke with an icy expression.

Sara sighed and didn't say anything more. 'Marriage? Will you really be able to?' She thought to herself. She didn't know why she was thinking this, but she was.

Soon, they arrived at her house. She got off the bike. "Thanks." She smiled plainly at. Hazim only gave her a nod before driving off. Seeing him become so cold, she sighed. She entered her house and went to her bedroom, but before she could enter the mom stopped her. "Mom?"

"Where did you go? Where is Zaid?" Lammy had a look of anger on her face.

"Nothing, Aaru bhai had an incident, so we just went to go and see. Hazim dropped me off since Zaid has to stay back for some things." Lammy raised an eyebrow.

"Aaru? What happened?" Sara went ahead and explained what happened. There was no reason to hide it. "Something like that happened and you guys didn't wake me up? Hurry, call Hazim back, I need to go and see Aaru at the hospital."

"Hazim already went to go pick up Anu mamu." She said while shrugging her shoulders. She couldn't do much.

"Then call him back. I want to go as well." She demanded.

"I-I can't call him." She said with a bitter look. "He won't pick up…"

"Then keep trying. I'm going to go and get changed. Make you tell him to pick me up or else I'm taking a rickshaw there." Sara smiled bitter and picked up her phone. She dialled Hazim's number. 'He won't pick my phone, no way he will…'

"Hello? Sara?" When she heard his voice, she was shocked that he picked up right away.

'Isn't he driving?' She thought to herself

"I'm outside your house. I saw that the lights were on, so Lammy is likely awake now, right? Call her out, I'll take her to the hospital." When she heard his reply, she became a little more surprised. She didn't remember seeing any lights on. Her mom only turned the lights on when she entered the house. Hazim should have driven off by then.

'Was he watching me?' She couldn't help but come to this conclusion,. There no other way that he would know her mom was awake. "Alright, we're coming." She quickly hung up the phone. For some reason, her heart palpated a little. "Mom, Hazim is waiting outside, hurry up." She didn't wait for mom, rather she headed out first. She saw Hazim leaning against his bike, with his arms crossed over his chest. She walked over with a bit of a skip.

"Where is Lammy?" He asked in his cold tone. Although he tried to be cold, Sara could see that it was all an act. His eyes didn't show the same iciness his voice did.

"How did you know my mom was awake?" She asked out of curiosity, with a smile playing on her face.

"I told you, when I dropped you off I saw the lights were on. Other then your mom, who else would turn them on?" He said in monotone.

"Really?" She smirked a little. "I don't remember the lights being on. Even when I entered the house, it was dark. My mom only turned them on after you left." She stood afar, but leaned in slightly, looking up at him. "So… how did you see these lights?"

Hazim's face turned slightly red, but he maintained his calm, albeit barely. "It doesn't matter." He replied.

Sara couldn't help but giggle a little. "Alright, whatever you say." In her mind she didn't know why she was acting like this. It was only a few days ago that she felt disgusted by him. Yesterday she was angry and guilty because of him, yet today, none of that was being felt. Rather, a weird feeling dwelled in her.

Seeing her act like this, he felt a little surprised, but he still snorted and maintained himself. 'I'm not into her anymore. She has only made my years terrible; I've already repaid her for my issue. I have nothing to do with her anymore. I'll find someone else who will accept me.' With this in his mind, he calmed down and smiled a little. He was a little excited for his future. Finding someone who will finally love him the way he loved.

As he smiled, Sara looked at him weirdly. 'Why is he smiling?' She was curious. "Why are you smiling?"

"Doesn't matter." He snapped out of his daydream and looked at her coldly.

She became a little upset with his constant replies being the the exact same to so emotionless. "I just want to know why you smiled, why are you getting so upset?"

'Maybe I need to let her know that my old interest is gone so that she could feel safer? It isn't a lie, well… not a complete lie.' He thought to himself. "I'm thinking about my future. Who I will marry, how I will live. Where I will send my kids to school. It makes me happy that I can finally get a chance to start anew. I won't be the one everyone is afraid of or worried to be alone with. If everything goes well, I want to give my dad grandkids as early s possible. Hopefully, this year I can get married." He spoke what he felt. The more he thought about starting anew, the more excited he got.

"Marriage? Kids?" She looked at him weirdly. "Who will marry you?" She said with a condescending tone. 'Wait, why am I saying that? I don't want to be a mean person.'

Hazim looked at her with a gaze. "Whoever it will be, I hope they come soon. Plus, I don't think that I'm any worse than a normal guy. I have a good degree, I can get a good job, I have a decent personality, I don't see why I can't get married." He said in confidence. Thinking about his new future, he felt a lot more confident in himself. "Plus, I don't think I will treat my wife any worse than Aaru bhai and Jeej."

"Really? I don't think you're all that great. Two masters? Aaru bhai's friends have that as well. Personality? I don't think yours is desirable." She spoke this out loud, but she was screaming on the inside. 'Sara what the hell are you saying? He isn't even that bad! He has great degrees, don't mock that! His personality is much better than the average guy! Don't make fun of it.'

"Well, I'm not trying to impress you, so it doesn't matter what you think. As long as my wife likes me, I don't care about what others think." He said with an expression of no concern.

When she heard his words, for some reason an anger burst inside of her. "Whatever then." She turned around and stormed into her house.

"Sara, aren't you coming?" Lammy saw her enter the house and go into her room, so she asked with a raised eyebrow. "You can't stay home alone. Hurry up." She dragged Sara out of the room. When she saw her looking so angry, she raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" She snorted, but still followed her out. Hazim saw the two come out and then helped Lammy onto the bike. He sat in the front while Sara sat right behind him.

"Hazim, drive slowly." Lammy said with a concerned tone. Hazim nodded his head and drove off. Sara was tightly squeezing up to him, but Hazim ignored it all. He was very casual, like a free bird. He arrived at the hospital and dropped the two off.

"I'm going to go pick up everyone else." Lammy nodded and rushed into the hospital. Sara stood on spot and watched Hazim leave. She was about to turn around a walk away, but right before she did, she saw Hazim stop the boke and turn his head. When she saw him looking at her, he quickly drove away.

'Why did he turn around?' She thought, but she felt a strange happiness, nonetheless. She didn't know why.

Within the next few hours, Hazim went back and forth and brought a bunch of aunts and uncles, everyone wanted to see Aarush. Even Tari arrived.

Weirdly enough, whenever he dropped someone off, he noticed that Sara would d be by the entrance. He raised an eyebrow to this.

"Hazim, are you coming?" The last person he brought was his dad. Getting off the bike, his dad looked at him and asked with a smile.

"I'll meet Aaru bhai later, when everyone leaves." He sighed and started the bike before parking it nearby. He got off and leaned against the bike. Chacha saw this and sighed a little.

"My son's life is so bad because of these stupid rumors." He walked into hospital with a bitter look. Sara still stood outside and watched Hazim stand afar. She raised an eyebrow, not knowing why he wasn't coming in. She hesitated but still walked over.

"Hazim, why aren't you coming inside?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter." He answered without even looking at her. His eyes were closed as he leaned against the bike.

A rush of anger boiled inside Sara and she suddenly raised her foot and kicked his shin.

"Arg!" He quickly bent down in pain and began to massage his leg. He looked up and glared at Sara. "What the hell was that for?"

"Why are you talking with so much irritation? I'm just asking a question; I'm not trying to be a bad person." She said with her face red with anger.

"Do I need to be happy?" Hazim got up after the pain receded. "Why would I need to talk so nicely to you? What is the reason? I've been nice for too long, but now I'm done with it. As long as you aren't a person who treated me like human, then don't expect any kindness from me." With his last words, he walked away and headed to a small stall near the hospital. They had small snacks and alike. He bought a bag of chips and sat on the benches, eating it quietly.

Seeing him being so indifferent, she felt anger and sadness, for some unknown reason. Stomping her foot, she walked to him and stood beside him, glaring at him.

"What do you want now? Can't you leave me alone? You use to avoid me so much, why can't you just avoid me again." He said while chomping on his chips.

"What do you mean by that? I had a reason to avoid you before, but now there isn't one." She said. "Plus, this isn't your dad's shop, so I can go anywhere I want" She puffed her cheeks and sat down across from him.

"Do what you want then. Hazim got up and walked to a nearby tea stall. He bought himself a cup and began to drink quietly. Pulling out his phone, he began to surf the web. 'What would be the best city? Let's see what my options are. I want a stable job so it can't be an unknown place.' He was happily searching through the web with a smile on his face. The more cities he looked through the more excited he got. 'Wow, these are such nice places. Hmm, what are the houses like?' He began to look at houses next.

Sara sat on the table and felt irritated by his smile. 'What's he so happy about?'

"Oh, what a pretty girl." All of a sudden, a couple guys who sat across from her, began to look at her with lustful eyes. "Hey koori, why don't you come join us instead? That boy doesn't seem interested, but us men are." The largest of them called out with a lascivious smile.

Sara turned her head and saw who said and her face suddenly paled. She got up and began to walk towards Hazim.

"Where are you going? Come back, we will give you a good time for sure. If I'm not enough, all of us will take a turn, one by one. It should be enough, right?" They called out again their laughs disgusting. Sara felt tears well up in her eyes when she heard their words.

"What the fuck!" Hazim who stood afar felt himself become extremely irritated by their words.

"What is boy? Do you want to join in as well? The large man smiled at Hazim threateningly.

Hearing their words, he felt rage in his heart. He turned his head and saw a machete inside of a fruit, so he pulled it out and walked towards them. Standing in front of the man, he suddenly placed it on the man's throat. "H-hey, calm down. We were just messing around." The man became deathly pale when he felt the machete slowly push into his throat. He felt a prickling pain and new his skin was picked. "H-hey, we will leave, just put it down."

"Keep in mind, don't ever say such disgusting things to her. If you do, I will personally take your head. If you want to find me later, do so anytime, I'm not scared of punks like you!" With that said, he threw the machete to the side and walked back tot he tea stand. He bought another cup and began to casualty drink. The group of men got up and left after that. They were just low time perverts, they may look intimidating, but they were nothing more then all bark and no bite.

Seeing the guys finally leave, Sara heaved a sigh of relief. She wiped her tears and walked towards Hazim. "Thanks…"

"It doesn't matter." He spoke casually while looking through his phone, ignoring her completely.

Seeing him still act so indifferently, rather then getting mad, tears began to well up in her eyes. She began to sniffle and stood there as tears fell from her eyes.

Hazim heard this and looked up curiously. When he saw her crying, he became shocked. "Hey, what happened? Why are you crying? Those guys are gone, so stop crying." He put his tea away and spoke anxiously, yet he didn't dare to touch her. He was still very sensitive to the incident regarding Sara.

She didn't answer and continued to cry. Seeing this, he became even more anxious. He quickly ran to the shop where he bought the chips and bought a few bags of various types. Bringing them over and began to shake them in front of her.

"Hey, you can eat any of these. Take any, take all. Just stop crying. He turned around and bought another cup of tea. "Do you want this instead?" He showed her the tea, trying to calm her down. "Oh, c'mon Sara, why are you crying. Atleast tell me."

While sniffling, she spoke through the tears. "Why are you speaking so mean to me again? I know you don't hate me, so why are you acting like you do? Do you really not like me anymore?" She spoke while crying like a child.

Hazim sighed and shook his head. "I don't hate you, when did I say that?"

"Then why are speaking like that? Always 'doesn't matter', like why doesn't it matter? It maters to me!" She spoke from her choked sobs.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. I won't talk like that, again, I promise. C'mon, stop crying already. Here I'll buy you whatever you want. There is a market nearby, let's go. I'll buy you anything. Is that fine?" He sighed. He felt like he was handling a child. The reason he used these words specifically was because he had heard Aarush use them many times with Noori. It always stopped her tears.

Sniffling lightly, Sara nodded her head. Grabbing a napkin from the tea shop, she wiped her tears. "Alright, but you can't be mean to me again! You have to speak properly"

Nodding his head helplessly., he spoke with a bitter look. "I know I know. I will speak nicely." He then led her tot he bike. He sat in the front while she climbed on the back. She grabbed onto his waist, while Hazim raised an eyebrow. "You can hold onto my shoulder if you feel uncomfortable. It's a short ride, and I will drive slowly, so you don't have to worry about falling."

She shook her head. "No, this is fine."

Still confused by her actions he just drove off.

Soon, they arrived at the small market. He parked the bike on the side and walked to various stalls. He kept his distance, yet she kept coming closer. "Hey, get me that. Oh… also that. Wow, what is that?" She pointed at various things. From food, to toys, to jewellery. Hazim bought it all without much thought. After they were done, they slowly walked back tot he shop. Hazim felt exhausted and completely looted. Sara looked at Hazim and smiled sweetly. "Thanks."

"It doesn't matter." He waved his hand and spoke without much thought. Sara stopped in her track and looked at him with tears welling up again. 'Shit!' When he heard her sniffling again, he turned around and cursed his mouth. "Hey I'm joking. I was joking."

She calmed down after seeing his anxious face. She looked at all of the things she had and then asked Hazim a question. "If your wife were to cry, how would you console her?" She asked while wiping her eyes. "Would you get her stuff as well?"

Hazim was a little taken aback by her question. He was about to say a rude remark, but held his tongue back. Seeing her curiously looking at him, he began to think. 'What if my wife, who truly loves me and I love her, were to cry? How will I console her?' He thought for a moment. "I wouldn't buy her a thing. She's my wife, not a kid, so buying her stuff wouldn't help. Instead, I would probably hug her tightly, gently caress her hair, telling her I was sorry. I will cradle her body in my embrace as I would apologize and gently tell her I lover her over and over again. Maybe I would kiss her on the cheek and nose, but I avoid the lips, since I'm trying to apologize to her." he explained while thinking. A smile formed on his face as he talked about it. Envisioning the scene perfectly in his mind. "I would pick her up and place her on my lap as I try to make her laugh or even continued to hug and kiss her. I wouldn't stop until she stopped crying. After that, I would take her for a long walk, holding her hand and cheering her up with stories and jokes. I would buy her something sweet and watch as she ate it, while waiting for her to smile back at me. Only when she smiled would I know she was alright." He explained his heartfelt apology that he would give to his wife.

Hearing his words, Sara looked at him with a bit of surprise. 'Who knew he had such romantic thoughts?' She said while looking at his blissful smile. Looking down, she looked at all the things he bought her, and she suddenly felt a little lost. 'Is this what I would have gotten if he still loved me?' When this thought came to her mind, she suddenly felt herself blush a little, yet the feeling of loss still remained. She placed the things in her hand on the side and walked to Hazim. Snapping out of his daze he looked at her weirdly, while moving a few steps back. He wanted to maintain a proper distance in case things got bad like before.

"What are you doing Sara?" He kept moving back, while this question came out of his mouth.

"Stop moving for now. Just stay still for a second." She said while looking at him with a deep blush.

Hazim stopped moving and just stared at her weirdly. Soon enough, she was right in front of him, only a few centimetres away from him. "Sara?" He looked at her cautiously, yet his heart was beating crazily.

"Hazim, you said you would do all of that to stop your wife from crying, right?" Hazim nodded his head subconsciously. "I want to know; do you not love me anymore?" He didn't answer this question, just looking at her face becoming more and more red. "What I mean is…. Umm." She became a little fidgety, which made Hazim even more confused. "Why don't you console me that way… too?"

"That...way?" He asked with confusion still filling his head. He wasn't a dense person, but how could he interpret the girl who hated him for so long, was asking for something he never even dreamed of.

Feeling a little irritated by his confusion, she grumbled a little. "Yes, that way. You know… make me stop crying like you would… your wife…" She spoke more and more quietly. She didn't know when, but she became more and more interested in Hazim. When she found out about his pain on the roof top, all the hatred she had was gone in an instant and all that remained was guilt. Yet, when he started to become indifferent towards her, she felt lost. She didn't like it one bit. Especially when she found out that he loved her in the past, and not just a little bit.

"W-what do you mean…" He understood what she meant, but he couldn't believe nor accept it. He would be lying if he said he hated or didn't love Sara. Was love so easy to throw away? Of course, he still loved her, and he did so very dearly. The only reason he was being cold was so he could mentally prepare himself for when he left. All the talks of having a wife, kids, and so on, the girl that always popped up no matter what, was Sara. He just couldn't say it aloud.

Grabbing his hand, she shyly placed it on her hip, while she placed his other hand on her head. "Treat me like you would your wife. Try and make me not cry like you would your wife. Do whatever you would do to stop your wife from crying, on me." Her face was crimson as she spoke. Her heart moved like a storm. 'This is what I want. I want Hazim to love me like he did. I like this feeling of being around him. His mean words hurt more than anything, but his smile… why does it feel so warm? I don't want him to go off alone in a place and marry a random girl, I don't want that. I want to be the person who he dreams about making a future with.' Although it was sudden, but she had come to terms with her feelings. Maybe for a long time she was scared of him, but did she truly avoid him our of fear? Or was it that she was upset about him hitting on other girls, even though she now knew it was a lie. She could never know, cause in her heart, she knew that there was never an ounce of disgust for him, even after he forced himself on her. She only felt fear, nothing more.

Hazim looked at her in deep shock. His hand was forcefully placed on her hip, he really wanted to go further, but he sighed and retracted his hand. 'I can't.'

Seeing him move a step back, she suddenly felt like she was losing something. She felt her heart begin to tear with his gaze slowly moving away. 'No, I caused him to push me away, so I have to be the one who brings him back.' Before he could completely turn away, she quickly moved forward a step and got on her tippy toes. A soft kiss was planted on the edge of his lip.