Previously on Borders...
She didn't know she had already made me misinterpret about Zain's character. But yet, I had to forgive her. She was just like my younger sister, Jasleen... and I knew I would've forgiven her too..
"It's alright, Waliyha... It's really okay... I already knew it was you.." I said as she unexpectedly hugged me.
Though I was taken aback by her affection, I hugged her back, "How did you know?' She asked.
"Oh, I just went by my instincts.."
.........
(Khala- aunt ; Bhai- brother)
"I hope everything is alright between you and Zain bhai.. " Waliyha said while wiping her tears, with the back of her hand.
"Don't worry, Waliyha... everything's fine between us..." I lied on her face.
I didn't want her to know everything wasn't right between me and Zain from the first day of marriage.
"You didn't speak about this to Zain bhai, did you?" She smiled, lifting a corner of her lip while doing so, strangely reminding me of Zain.
"Do you really think that I must have conveyed this to Zain?" I giggled.
"Well, I trust you, so.. I think you must have kept it yourself.." She said, cooling the tensed situation.
"Well I must say, you do write love- letters pretty well... anything you want to say to me?" I looked at her, while she coyly looked down, smiling, trying to avoid my gaze.
"Well, the thing is..." She tried to let the words out.
"Why don't I take you on a tour of my room?" She cleverly changed the topic. I nodded, agreeing to her request.
........
"Who's this?" I asked, pointing to a petite boy in a photograph, standing next to another boy in front of a house, as Waliyha showed me pictures of all of Zain's family members.
"That's Zain bhai..." Waliyha smiled, "And that?" I asked, looking at the boy next to Zain.
"That's Javed bhai..the boy you'd mistaken to be Zain.." She reminded me with a mischievous giggle.
"Oh yes, him..." I said, smiling, recollecting the recent memory.
"They were the closest cousins! They weren't cousins even, they were more like brothers..." She said, and I sensed something wrong had happened between them. I didn't want to sound inquisitive and take disadvantage of the freedom that Zain's family gave me, but yet I asked, "What happened between them, then?"
"Promise me that you won't tell anyone..." She held my hands, and I felt my stomach flip.
"I won't..." My voice reduced to a whisper.
"Zain bhai and Javed bhai were really close cousins... all of us really envied their friendship... But ever since Zain bhai'd left Lahore for Karachi, he had totally changed... he didn't speak much to the family.. we all know he cares about us, but there's that essence of joy he has lost after joining the army.. after all it is the British army we're talking about.." She sighed.
So it wasn't just me who had to experience Zain's temperament.
"I reckon they must've had a fight even, you know, but when I tried to ask the both of them, they just kept mum..." She ended her story with a sigh.
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Borders || Zayn Malik AU #MissionDesi
Fanfiction1940. A year when the Indian soil was tensed and was a point of violence. Swords were drawn, guns were fired and knives were stabbed, in the name of the creation of two countries, with quite different ideologies. British Raj's policies, created a la...
