Lut Gaye || لٹ گۓ

FIVE | An Overdue Explosion

  "dil ka soda hua chaandni raat mein."

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"FOR the umpteenth time, Sameera, it's not what it seems!"

"Really? If it weren't, your loverboy wouldn't be pointing a gun at me right now," Sameera chastised; her frame restricted on the couch by the weapon aimed at her by Zain who stood in front―her eyes shooting daggers to Iman stationed next to him.

A knackered sigh left past Iman's lips and her eyes shut in exasperation at her repeated failed attempts to convince her cousin that the inappropriate position she had witnessed them in was an accident; a torrent of misfortune that kept falling upon her tonight.

"That's because you wouldn't listen," Zain stated with a shrug. "You started screaming like a banshee ready to announce to the whole world what you saw. We had to resort to this."

"What do you mean by we?" Iman hissed. "You did it!"

Zain swerved his head to the side, meeting her gaze with a sharply arched brow. "Yeah, for us. Be grateful."

Iman held back a cynical scoff. He wanted her to be grateful for putting her through this hell? He was the one responsible for this ruckus.

Excluding the fall.

But if he hadn't barged in the room; threatened her with the weapon and pleaded to help him with those... weird eyes, it wouldn't have led up to that humiliating incident which would surely haunt her for life.

And now, there was another problem. A very severe one; her cousin.

A dull ache wrung in her temples as she struggled to control the crisis.

Zain turned to face the girl stiffly seated on the couch, giving him disgusted looks. Part of him was grateful for her intrusion because it had gotten him out of the agonizing internal battle fumed by the bride's proximity but now, he had to deal with another woman and he wasn't really pleased with that.

Zain took a step forward, lowering his hand but keeping the gun focused on her so she doesn't start wailing again. "And you, is that how you react when you see someone in a..." he trailed awkwardly before clearing his throat and continuing, "Kind of questionable position? Specially if that's your sister?"

Sameera's face twisted into a disdainful scowl. "Are you seriously schooling me on how to react when I see my cousin lying on top of a man when her baraat is only a few minutes away?!"

Iman flinched at the hostility of her tone while Zain bent forward with a vexed glare.

"Yeah, but I can see you're not really a bright student," he spat frostily.

"Just shut up!" Sameera bellowed and then moved her withering gaze to Iman. "I would've never imagined you'd stoop so low, Iman. Don't you have any shame?"

Iman let out a heavy puff of breath, shoulder sagging, and her frustration dangling on the edge. She opened her mouth again for the hundredth time with an intent to persuade her cousin but was halted by the dark-haired man's frightening voice.

"Do you want me to shoot her?" he asked nonchalantly, eliciting a terrified gasp from Sameera and making Iman's eyes spread in utter horror.

"No! Are you crazy, what are you saying?" Iman screeched, her body whirling back and shielding her cousin protectively.