"He wanted to marry her, but he's my husband."
"She's beautiful, kind, caring, loving, but I wish she wasn't my wife."
*****
Tara Hamid was born and bred in an average family: loving, caring, with just the right amount of family drama. She dreams...
The chaos of the Anarkali bazaar faded away. The heat was no longer unbearable because my body was seemingly beyond any worldly temperatures. I even ignored the ladies occasionally shoving past me. I only focused on Talha sliding the beautiful churiyan on my wrists. The set was a beautiful mixture of gold, silver, pink and even shades of purple. The bangles were a perfect match with the colours of my shalwar kameez.
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It was a month after I'd fallen down the stairs, and Arzoo Aunty had invited us all to Lahore to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha with them. I'd been wanting to experience an Eid in Pakistan for years. We had celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr there once, and I'd had so much fun, dressing up and going around collecting Eidi (Eid pocket money).
*For those unfamiliar with the concept, Eid-ul-Fitr is the Muslim festival celebrated at the end of Ramadan, a reward after a month of fasting. Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated after the annual pilgrimage Hajj, and people back in Pakistan (and other Muslim countries), but various animals like goats and cows to sacrifice, and distribute out the meat. For those of you not familiar with the concept, the whole experience teaches you the meaning of sacrificing something beloved for Allah. In return, you are rewarded immensely for it.
I had been overexcited because I love visiting Pakistan, especially Lahore. I was looking forward to sightseeing with Talha.
While Tara remained home with Zain Bhai and my parents-in-law, I headed out to see Lahore with my husband the day after we arrived. Unlike me, Tara was not a fan of Lahore. She would rather just sit all day in the air conditioned home and eat delicious Lahori food.
"Beautiful." Talha said, softly, glancing down at my bangles. "And the churiyan look good as well." He looked up at me and winked.
This is how it's been between us recently: this constant flirty, yet almost shy, banter.
A fast riding motorcycle zoomed past behind me, forcing Talha to suddenly pull me closer, my body slamming against his. It was such a cliché moment, but my heart was beating harder not just from the mini-scare, but for my sudden proximity to him.
I'm a huge fan of Bollywood romance- not the new, rubbish kind (no offence), but the classic SRK and Kajol kind. This scene could be something out of one of their films.
*Sharukh Khan (SRK) and Kajol used to be considered a classic film couple, paired for a lot of films together. (Not together IRL though).
In fact, English, American, Pakistani or Indian, regardless of the origins of the film, I loved a good romance.
