**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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Kay dhoop chaaon ka aalam raha Judai na thi. کے دھوپ چھاؤں کا عالم رہا، جودائ نہ تھی
I entered the red-bricked palatial residence of my childhood house. The huge, ornate hallways that once echoed with my cheerful laughter were painfully silent today. A soft breeze meandered past, rustling the limp curtains hanging over the windows. The rich smell of earthy greens curled up my nose, familiar yet oddly uneasy. I kept walking, taking in the majestic views outside. Sunlight from the glass windows tinge everything with an enviable glow, the marbles glisten, the wood shines. I stilled by the window, appreciating the shaft of sunlight streaming in. And then I reached out, trying to catch the magical whorl of dust dancing in the light.
I knew I couldn't catch it, yet I knew I wanted to try.
My hand drifted towards the light, trying once again to catch the pixie dust steaming in through the window. My eyes sparkled, lightening up with determination. So what if I knew I couldn't trap air, I still wanted to try, there had to be a way. I frowned in disapproval, my eyes and brain still focussed upon the ray of light streaming in. For unending seconds, the hallway was silent as a tomb, granting me the luxury to think in silence.
There had to be a way.
In my silly new mission, I'd nearly forgotten why I'd come here, when the soft thud of footsteps bought me back to reality. I looked up and saw my mother hurriedly walking towards me. The greys of her eyes found mine and her lips curled into a sweet smile.
"You're here." Her arms wound themselves around my neck and she hugged me tightly. A smile squeezed itself on my face seeing my mother's excitement. She had never been very expressive of her emotions or affection, but deep down I knew she cared for all us. When she pulled back, I smiled at her. Despite her age, her face was still slender and sharply structured, no signs of age visible on the contours of her face. "I had been waiting for you all morning. I thought you'd be here earlier."
"Blame your son in law." I said with a shake of my head. My smile disappeared but a blush bloomed up my neck at the mention of him. "He sometimes behaves like a spoilt baby who needs constant attention." I said as we both began to walk towards the hall. My mother merely smiled, but her eyes shifted with satisfaction and something that almost felt like relief. Had she been worried for me? For us?
Despite the curiosity burning within me, I chose to remain quiet, silently walking besides her. The past few years had been rather tremulous, my relationship with my family had strained tremendously, the geographical distance between us only adding to the misery. My family probably saw me as the troublesome middle child whose blood roared with rebellion. But I couldn't help but notice how things had changed over the past few months. My parents had stood besides me like solid pillars of rock. In their silent apprehension, their concern and worry was unmissable. I knew they loved me, yet somewhere in our differences I had gravely misunderstood them.
