Hikayat ✔

chap. 29

"Itni stupid ho tum Vania... Itney saal akele sara burden uthaya hua thaa. Kyun yaarr??"

Harris conversed softly as he stared at Vania, sleeping soundly on a hospital bed in a separate room. She had fallen unconscious due to stress and had to get sedated so as to relax.

He sighed, she couldn't hear him which was good because he didn't think he had the courage to say anything to her face.

His eyes traced the outline of her beautiful tear stricken face, the dark circles under her eyes, the tense lines on her forehead, the sight of which broke his heart. Harris wished he could have come to her sooner. Wished he could have been there for her, for all of them, when they needed support those previous three years.

His heart burned furiously and waves of possessive anger passed over him. An inexplicable emotion he reserved only for this stupid girl.

"Ek baar... Sirf ek baar mujhe bulati toh sahi, Vani! Main apney zakhmi dil ke sath bhi tumharey samney khara hota. Lekin tum mujhe kabhi samjhi nhi na?" He choked on his words and his vision blurred slightly. Harris took a deep breath, his lungs hurting.

"Meri dosti...Mera pyaar... Kuch bhi samjh nhi aya tumko?"

"Maine bohat koshish ki thi Vania tum se nafrat kar ne ki!" He stopped, took a shuddering breath in and began again, his voice raspy, and pained, "Magr main chah ker bhi tumheyn dil se nhi nikaal paya, yaar. Main nhi ker paya...." He gave a humorless chuckle, shaking his head, "Main haar gaya, Vani... Main tum ko bhula dene main.. tumse nafrat karney main haar gaya... Or mohabat main toh bohat pehley hi haar chuka thaa." He couldn't possibly stop talking, his mind was too full of words of complaint, the speech of his shattered heart.

He stroked her hair gently, the strands feeling soft under his hands, then righted her scarf, "Tum chahti ho tumheyn kabhi maaf na karun? Or main chahta hun keh tumhari yaad mujhe maaf kar de... Ankheyn band karun toh tumhara chehra naa aye meri ankhon ke pichey.."

Clearing the tears from under her eyes, he felt the skin of her cheeks, warm under his callous finger pads, "Magar phir sochta hun keh jiyon ga kaisay? Tumharay baghair jeena hi nhi sikha maine..."
She stirred in her sleep and he pulled up the sheet to cover her properly.

Then picking up her hand he dropped a tender kiss on her knuckles, sniffed and blinked away his tears.

"Harris Bhai?" The door creaked open and Zeeshan called him in a low voice. Zainab following behind him.

"Ji?" Stepping back, Harris cleared his throat and swiped at his eyes before they could notice.

"Mama uth gayin hain." Zeeshan informed and Harris nodded. It was almost 2:00 am and they had been in the hospital for about 5 hours.

Maniha khala was out of danger and the doctors informed Harris he could shift her to a private room an hour and a half ago. Zainab and Zeshan were with her, waiting for her to wake up, while Harris was with Vania.

They came into Vania's room now that Harris went to meet Maniha. Zainab climbed up beside Vania and Zeeshan took the corner sofa seat, both the siblings dying to close their eyes and relax.

***

His blood pounded in his body, and his hands felt sweaty as he took small steps towards her room.

How would she react? How should he react?

Harris had no idea how to face Maniha anymore specially after getting to their horrible reality.

Taking a deep breath he twisted the door handle and stepped into the ward.

Maniha looked up from her pillow expecting Vania and her eyes opened wide seeing Harris instead, "Harris?!!"