"Aap ne kaha tha agar main aapse milne aayi to aap smoking quit kar denge, ab to smoke nhi karenge na aap?" The question was raised by Fayra and the man sitting beside her in the dark hall held her hand with interlocked fingers.

(You said that if I come to meet you, you will quit smoking, now you will not smoke, right?)

"Aapke liye to duniya quit kar denge, smoking kya cheez hai?" And his lips pressed against the back of her palm. Fayra shivered with fear. It wasn't a pleasure for her at all. She tried to pull her hand away from his grip but couldn't.

(Only smoking? I would quit the whole world for you.)

"Arsh..." Ignoring the ongoing movie they were busy with each other. "Bohot deyr ho gyi hai, ghar par sab preshan ho rhe honge... Please mujhe jaane dijiye ab."

(It's too late, everyone at home must be worried... please let me go now.)

"Watch the movie Fayra." He looked at the big screen without leaving the hand of this girl.

"Arsh please..." She demanded while pulling her hand away from his grip and he ignored it. She took her mobile out of the bag which was showing no network.

"Excuse me..." She stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Umm... Restroom." And the walked out of the hall.

She reboot her mobile in the hope of getting signals when an arm wrapped around her waist from behind, before she could scream out loudly another hand pressed her mouth and in no time she was pinned against the wall. The mobile phone fell on the floor. The lobby outside the cinema hall was empty because who would like to leave a movie in the middle? And none of the staff members were present outside the restroom area.

"Why are you doing this Arsh?"

"Because I love you." He was just a few inches away from her face. Till a few hours ago she also claimed to love this man but now she was only afraid of him. His handsome face was not making her heart crazy, nor his well built frame leaving an expression of pride in her mind. At this moment he was a MAN trying to force himself on a GIRL who was not ready for this.

A tear drop rolled out of her eye, Arsh cleaned it and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Umm... Let me go."

"You're behaving as if I've kidnapped you. Am I doing something wrong with you Fayra?" He asked, his voice full of anger but veiled in the hush tone.

"Arsh... It's... It is not right either..." She managed to mutter.

"We are engaged, we will get married soon, can't you trust me?" His one arm was still snaking around her waist and the other hand was pinning her against the wall.

"I came to meet you, isn't it enough to prove my love?"

"Fayra... Look here." There was sincerity in his voice as well as eyes. The twenty year old girl who never came in contact to the outer world witnessed a man leaning towards her. Her eyes weren't blinking, the heartbeat was running faster than usual and mind was fogged.

"Take it easy, darling." He whispered and the next moment she felt his lips against her cheek.

"Arsh." She tried to move back but there was no space behind her.

"Yes darling...?"

"It's wrong."

"What? What's wrong?"

"All these things..."

"We're going to get married soon... Aren't we?"

"But we are not married yet, not even engaged. Please, all these things after marriage." She muttered and Arsh sighed.

"Fine... Your wish, my command." And he took a step away giving new life to Fayra.

"Bye..." He smiled and tucked her curly hair lock behind her ear. She blinked blankly.

"Pardon."

"I said, Bye..." He smiled again

"What do you mean?"

"It means I'm going."

"And you're supposed to drop me near my home... Right?"

"Umm... All these things after marriage... Right?"  Arsh repeated her words and Fayra looked at him.

"Arsh..." She muttered

"Don't travel with strangers... Bye Darling. Take care. Ring me after you reach home safely." He walked towards the exit leaving Fayra alone. Picking up her mobile she ran after him.

"Arsh please... Don't leave me alone here." He heard her but ignored. Hopping in his sparkling SUV he drove off. Fayra cleaned her tears and looked here there. The parking lot was full of cars unfortunately she didn't know anyone who could drop her to her home and she didn't even know the way back home."

Glancing at her mobile phone she found its screen broken. But Dialling Danish's number she waited for some moments and heard a "Ab kya hai Fayra? Main busy hu."

(What's wrong Fayra? I'm busy.)

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"Tujhe kya hua hai?" Adnaan asked when witnessed Sara standing near the window, the clock hands were showing midnight, everyone in the Rizwi Mansion was sleeping, maybe, but she was unable to sleep peacefully tonight.

(What's the matter with you?)

"Tum soo jao... Mujhe neend nhi aa rhi." Adnaan didn't think more, just changed his side and closed his eyes but Sara was unable to ignore what she noticed today. While going for college Fayra was as simple as possible. But when she returned home with Danish she had a good amount of makeup on. Though it was natural yet, there was makeup present on her face and a strong fragrance on her clothes.

(You go to sleep... I can't sleep.)

Didn't she know which fragrance was that?

Of course she knew... It was Sandalwood Attar.

She also knew who poured a good amount of this fragrance on himself, daily.

Danish! No one else but Danish Anzala Rizwi.

The fragrance couldn't be transferred by travelling together on the bike... it was their daily routine to travel together but it never happened yet. What was different today? She was unable to conclude.

All she was witnessing right now was Danish standing in the middle of the lawn of Rizwi Mansion. For a moment she wanted to approach Fayra or Danish to know the truth but she also knew none of them were going to tell anything. Before her doubts could be increased another scene disturbed her too much.

Danish withdrew a cigarette packet from his pocket, holding one in between his lips he lit it up. In no time he was making rings of smoke rising in the air. Sara's eyes widen. She never knew Danish smokes. She tried to gather some courage to go downstairs and scold him but she was late as the work was done by someone else. Fayra came towards him running, pulled out the cigarette from the grip of his lips and crushed it under her slipper.

Their conversation wasn't audible but it was clear that she was scolding Danish but after a few moments the scene was changed, now Danish was scolding Fayra, and the scene again changed when Danish cupped her face and cleaned her tears Fayra didn't stop crying and the very next moment she hugged Danish while crying. For a few moments He was standing like a dummy, with open arms and a shocked face, but then he wrapped his arms around her ribcage. She was crying on his chest and he removed one hand from her back while the other kept caressing his head.

Now Sara knew how the fragrance was transferred from one to another. Her anger rose, before she was walk downstairs Danish looked up, his tear filled eyes met with the person standing on the window of her bedroom. Sara could see his blood drying up. Placing his both hands on Fayra's shoulder he tried to pull her away from himself but her grip was tighter than expected. Sara huffed and rushed downstairs without knowing that someone else was also witnessing the same scene and was faster than her to approach downstairs.

Sara went to the lawn and was surprised to witness Anzala.

"Fayra..." Sara's call was no less than a command. Fayra looked towards Danish and walked towards her mother who held her hand and dragged her back upstairs. But Anzala was silently watching his son.

Danish stepped on the cigarette to hide it from his father but he didn't know his father was smarter than him. "Champ... You're already grown up!" Anzala muttered after coming forth.

"Dad... I... I was..."

"It's okay..." Putting his arm around his son's shoulder Anzala led him towards the other corner of the lawn, "Give me one... And don't tell your mumma." Danish was surprised on that demand, but his father gave a friendly look. Danish gulped fearfully but drew out the packet from his pocket and opened it in front of Anzala. He picked one, Danish picked one. The son lit the father's cigarette and was hesitant to lit the one present in between his lips.

"Don't be afraid, you're not little enough to get a slap from your father." Danish remember the slap he got in his teenage when Anzala caught him red handed smoking with his friends. He put the cigarette back in the packet and Anzala puffed on the cigarette for the first time in his life... He coughed a little and looked at his son.

"Just wanted to see what's good about this thing. Is this worthy to burn your breathes and life to ashes, that too willingly?" Looking at the cigarette in his hand Anzala asked and Danish had no answer.

"I'm sorry dad..."

"When did you started smoking again? Or you never left it?" Putting his hand on the shoulder Anzala started walking in the lawn, Danish followed his father's steps silently.

"I'm asking something."

"Only today I craved for a cigarette, otherwise I didn't smoke from the day you caught me..." He stated the truth and Anzala hummed without stopping to walk ahead.

"You know what Danish, an addict craves for cigarettes or drugs... It's natural but you're not an addict." Anzala stopped walking.

"We often crave for something unnamed and when we can't get it we force ourselves to satisfy the crave by going towards these poisons. once we're addicted to these poisons there is no coming back to a healthy life." Anzala crushed the cigarette with the tip of his chappal, Danish felt lucky that it didn't crush his face, however it was also true that Anzala never showed his anger to his children, he had been a cool dad ever since.

"I'm sorry dad..." Destroying a tiny portion of the grass with the help of the slipper tip Danish muttered. Nervous and ashamed. He didn't look at Anzala who was willing to talk to him only.

"Well... I know you're not sorry..." Danish looked up suddenly, "you're worried, but my champ is grown up so he is not going to share anything with me. Right?"

"No dad... Nothing like that."

"I know you're hating me for not letting you go to fulfill your dreams but..." Anzala took a pause. Danish watched him keenly... "I am afraid beta, there was a time when I was of your age, I also believed that parents should not be restrictive, they should leave their children like a free bird but... They weren't wrong." Anzala remembered the time when he was the one to support Adnaan when he wanted to go to another state. After getting the required freedom Adnaan almost destroyed his life. Anzala was afraid for his son. Many times he saw Adnaan's hint in Danish. After all he was Maizah's brother, it was obvious for Danish to resemble his Mamu (maternal uncle).

"No, I'm not hating you dad. I can't hate you." Anzala saw the little Danish who used to hug him to fulfil his demands but today this grown up boy didn't even demand.

"Good night, it's already too late." Danish walked ahead but "Wait... I'm not done yet."

"Yeah dad?"

"What are you craving for?"

"What?" Danish asked, shocked.

"Answer me. What's the crave you're trying to suppress by smoking?"

"Nothing dad."

"Fine." Anzala sighed. Danish again stepped ahead without meeting his eyes with his father but…

"Aur ye Fayra ka kya masla hai?"

(And what's the matter with Fayra?)

"Umm... Kya masla hai?"  Danish questioned back.

(Umm... What's the matter?)

"Wo roo rhi thi na..."

(She was crying, right?)

"Usme konsi nayi baat hai? Wo to rooti hi rehti hai." Danish tried his best to shrug the topic and walk ahead but Anzala was his father.

(So what's new in this? She is such a cry baby.)

"Haa, wo roti rehti hai lekin tum to uske sath nhi roote na, lekin aaj roo rhe the." Danish's breath was hitched for a moment. He didn't cry, just his eyes filled with tears but his father witnessed that too.

(Yeah, she is a cry baby but you're not... However you were also crying with her.)

"Dad, leave it na..."

"No... Tell me and I'll leave this topic."

"Okay! When we went shopping I and Fayra had an argument. A serious one. Now she was here to apologise because she didn't listen to me and I felt like crying because I scolded her too hard. I made her cry." Anzala kept watching his son and did not get a hint of a lie in this story.

"Okay..."

"May I go now?" Danish asked and Anzala nodded but spread his palm in front of his son. He silently put the packet of cigarettes and lighter.

"And one more thing..." Closing his fist Anzala sighed.

"You want to go to the UAE, right?"

"Yeah Dad..."

"Go, but only for two years." Danish was in disbelief but then a smile crawled to his lips.

"Really dad?"

"Hmm... Go and never come before Fayra's wedding."

"What?"

"I didn't want the words on the street regarding you two..."

"Dad... What are you saying? There is nothing like that..."

"Good for now. There will also be nothing like that. Now go and sleep."

Danish nodded but he knew that Anzala would inquire about the reason behind those tears so it was better for him to set everything right now only.

Walking towards Fayra's room he found the door already open. The girl with curly hair was sitting on the bed with dangly legs, face hidden in her palms. Maybe she was crying.

"Fayra, listen, Dad was asking about what happened today," Fayra looked up suddenly, and Danish didn't take a pause. "I told him that we had an argument. A major argument that's why you were crying, now, in the lawn we were apologising to each other. Got it what I'm saying?" Danish finished the statement in a single breath and noticed Fayra's colourless face. She was looking behind Danish as if she saw a ghost.

"Kya hua? Aese kyu dekh rhi ho? Main isliye bata rha hu taki agar humse koi alag alag puche to hamari stories alag alag na ho."

(What happened? Why are you seeing me like this? I'm telling you this so that our stories won't clash if we will be asked separately

"Stories to clash ho chuki hain, ab sach kya hai ye bhi bata do." Danish's breath stopped for a moment. He followed Fayra's gaze which was still seeing something behind him and he closed his eyes.

(The stories have already clashed, now tell me what the truth is.)

Why didn't he check the beanbag present on the left side of the entrance?

Danish looked at the already crying Fayra. "Jo Fayra ne kaha hai wo hi sach hai." He succumbed and Sara looked at both of them.

(What Fayra said is the truth.)

"Okay so you tell me the truth told by Fayra." Now Danish was clueless. Sara glared at Fayra and Fayra was glaring at Danish because she made Sara believe in her story by so much effort. She told Sara that she made a friend in college, today was her birthday party so she was at her friend's place.

"Tum dono koi tamasha na kar dena, jo bhi baat hai mujhe clearly bata do, main sab kuch handle kar lungi. Lekin sach to batao." Sara came forward and Fayra looked at Danish.

(You both don't create any drama, whatever the matter is tell me clearly, I will handle everything. But tell me the truth.)

"Handed over to you." And he left the room. Fayra looked at Sara who held her hand.

"Fayra, I'm unable to understand what happened today. Just tell me where you went with Danish?"

"Mummy..." She had nothing to say.

"Tomorrow is your engagement with Arsh. We fixed this match with your own will and happiness. Tell me if you like someone else or if there is any problem..."

"Nothing like that mummy... I don't like anyone."

"Good..." Sara turned to go but stopped for a moment. "Aaj ke baad Danish ke aas paas bhi nazar na aa jana," and she was gone.

(And I don't want to see you near Danish.)

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