Ishq | (complete)

44 | afreen

❝Raah Aasan Ho Gayi Hogi

Jaan Pehchan Ho Gayi HogiPhir Palat Ker Nigaah Naheen AayiTum Pay Qurbaan Ho Gayi Hogi❞

The adhan melodiously weaved a peaceful atmosphere around him, waking him up gradually. He blinked at the ceiling. The penguin sparkled on the wall, dusting the room with a dim glow. He furrowed his eyes, his right hand buzzed with numbness. Turning his head, he found it laced with hers. Palm against the palm, his fingers were intertwined with hers, and she was holding on to it for her dear life. His eyes traced up the arm, she was sleeping peacefully.

A laugh bubbled in his throat. Right arm curled under the pillow, she had moved closer to him. Head on the edge of the pillow, hair fell on her face, covering it almost. She was sleeping on her stomach like a baby. He fully turned on his side, staring at her with awe. Overnight, she had moved closer, almost curling into him, merely a few inches left between them.

"What the fuck did I do in my life to deserve you?" He whispered as she soundlessly slept away. With a feathery touch, he pushed those fiery strands away, tucking them behind her ear. "How long will this last before you realize you deserve better than a shallow man?" That thought terrified him to his bones, making him shiver, but it was an inevitable truth.

Asmara had ever so recklessly fallen in love with him, then just as recklessly she had fallen out. Asmara and he deserved each other. People with destructive souls and reckless fate. Laila. Ahh hell now. Even if he was put on the earth as a saint, he still wouldn't deserve her, and she'll realize that someday. "You will never know how much I love you." Cupping the side of her jaw, with the pad of his thumb, he traced those three beauty marks under her eyes. Her eyes fluttered, getting used to the mix of darkness and light.

Sleep disappeared from her eyes as her body came to an eerie stillness, her eyes drifting back and forth between their interlaced hands, the mere inches, and the fact that he had stayed in his place. She was the one who had inched closer to him overnight. The seconds slowed between them as their eyes met. Laila swallowed the lump in her throat at the proximity. Wide eyes still laced with traces of sleep and nervousness suffused her skin, raising the hair on the back of her neck.

Laila lightly tugged her hand, but he tightened his hand around hers, pulling it into the warmth of his space, placing it against his heart. Her breath got stuck at the base of her throat. The feelings she turned cold side to hooked themselves in her heart. His warmth touched the pads of her fingers and traced through her veins reaching her heart. Oh, that warmth terrified her, seeping into the vulnerable corners of her heart, shaking it.

"Laila."

Laila could hardly concentrate on his words. His thumb caressed the back of her hand with the softest of touch. The intensity mixed with anxiety almost became palpable between them, falling over them like a blanket, wrapping them in warmth.

"You are fucking breathtaking, woman." His free hand traced the beauty marks, touching them like they were the sparkling stars on the night sky. As if he could finally get ahold of the stars he was chasing for so long. Amongst the fading freckles, the three were like the brightest stars in a constellation. His guiding stars.

The metal door clicked somewhere in the house, echoing through the courtyard, into their room. The fading verses of Adhan bounced off various mosques announcing the arrival of dawn.

"Namaz parhni hai." The words merely came out as a heavy whisper. Stricken at her own tone, Laila stared into his eyes. He was reluctant to let her go.

"I missed you."

Her breath came in sharp layers. Why didn't you call? Why didn't you stop me? Why didn't you come to see me? So many darn emotions bubbled up in her throat, but she tugged her hand free. He let go this time. As always. Laila turned her back towards him, pulling the blanket to her chin. Breathe. She closed her eyes, struggling to calm her pounding heart. Shutting her eyes tight, she steeled her resistance.