**A Wattpad featured story**
Bekhudi || بیخودی
❝ He gently dragged his hand around the delicate skin of my neck, slowly caressing it under his stifling touch. I felt his breath curling against me, as a wave of sultriness rod...
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Adhoori mulaqat hi tou phir se milne ka vaada hota hai.
ادھوری ملاقات ہی تو پھر سے ملنے کا وعدہ ہوتا ہے
Seconds collided into minutes, hours, days. I felt like eternity moved through me, as I stood watching my reflection from underneath my veil. The muffled sounds of jewels and the soft thud of a door closing shut bought me back from my trance.
I watched one makeup artist dust my bare shoulders with a golden highlighter that caught the light from the setting sun. My hair had been pulled back into a neatly packed bun and the bruises on my neck well concealed with a gold polki and kundan chokar necklace, festooned with gems of untold variety. Despite the veil covering my face, my obsidian eyes glowed with the copper and gold shadows on my eyelids, my eyes edged with the strokes of a deep black khol.
My mother sat besides me and revealed a set of bangles from inside the box. I watched in silence while my mother threaded the golden bangles though my wrists. "These belonged to your dadi." She said cuffing the kangan around my wrist. "She gave them to me when you were born." Her eyes warmed with her memory and a sad smile played on her lips. "I wish she was here with us."
I pursed my lips, feeling the cool metal of the kangan settle against my skin. "I wish too. But I know she is happy for me." Mom nodded and then turned around to uncover a few rings from another box. A gasp escaped my lips seeing them, "I'm not wearing another pieces of jewellery mom. I can barely move."
"These are just rings, Shany." She argued, slipping them on my fingers. "Have you taken pain medication for your bruises?"
I nodded my head, suddenly feeling conscious of the blue bruised patches on my midriff and side. "The swelling and discolouration is still there. It's so ugly, I don't want anyone to see it."
A final fragrant of sunshine spilled across my room before Huda drew the curtains of the window shut. Silence brewed in the room. My mother's apprehensive eyes caught mine, her greys reading the worries floating in my perturbed orbs. A numb furor sucked the excitement that was dancing in my eyes, but my mother caught my hand in a soothing embrace.
"Don't let that eclipse your shine. Today is your day."
She ran a hand over my dress, her slender fingers appreciating the fine craftsmanship of the outfit. "Thank god Layla was able to arrange for this." I chuckled softly. I was dressed in a dull gold embroidered shirt that shimmered under the light and a voluminous burnt red silk lehnga skirt, almost the same colour as the roses adorning my bun.
"You look beautiful." She said just when the door creaked open. Zaroon Bhai and Layla walked in. My mother smiled down at them, before she left to get dressed herself.
