Fates Intertwined (Tere Bin AU)

9. Travel

I can't believe they are making us wait another week for the last episode. That's why I decided to update today.
I know that you all wanted some Meerasim moments so here you go. Happy Reading.

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As they sat back in the car, Meerab muttered angrily, "Ayenda aesa mazak nahi karna."
"Kesa mazak?"
"Jo tum keh rahe thay ke Maa Begum ki bari farmabardari ki hai tum ne."
Murtasim chuckled. "Dekh raha tha ke tumhe faraq parta hai iss se ya nahi."
"Bohat faraq parta hai Murtasim. Tumhe tou andaza bhi nahi hai."
"Oh really?" Murtasim raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yes." Meerab glared at him and he chuckled again. "Wese thi kon jis ka Maa Begum keh rahi thi."
"Haya!"
Meerab was well aware that Haya tried to be close to Murtasim whenever she had the chance in family get togethers and weddings. It was no secret that the girl was obsessed with Murtasim. Her Murtasim, she reminded herself as her eyes landed on the ring on her fourth finger.
"Agar uss ne ab ke baad tumhare sath free hone ki koshish ki tou mei.." She started angrily but Murtasim cut her off.
"Calm down Meerab. Kuch nahi hoga. Wese bhi I'm all yours now." Murtasim smirked making Meerab blush. He was slightly amused by her possessiveness.

Once they reached Murtasim's room at the hotel, he ordered 2 cups of tea from room service immediately.
"Chaye kis liye?"
"I'm surprised that you are asking me that."
It was such a long time ago when they used to have tea and talk together at night. It was a part of their routine whenever Murtasim worked late. They both were tea addicts. She was surprised that Murtasim still remembered. It seemed as if he had never forgotten her.

Meerab looked around the room. It had a king sized bed and a small couch enough for two people. How were they supposed to sleep? Was he going to get another room for her?
"For security reasons I can't accommodate you in another room and they don't have a twin room available. Also, I'm staying here under a false name because the owner is an acquaintance of mine so we can't switch hotels either." He had assumed she knew about the deal with the Maliks so she wouldn't question him and she didn't.
Did he read her mind? Yes of course he did it like always, this was her best friend Murtasim. The one who always knew what she wanted.
They both took a seat on the couch when there was a knock. The tea had arrived.

They slowly started sipping their tea, enjoying each other's company just like they used to years ago. Then Murtasim spoke up, "What happened after you arrived here?"

"After I came here, I took admission in a law college. I used to miss you all but slowly the pain numbed as I got myself busy with studies. Baba rarely talked to me so I used to be on my own pretty much. I had a couple of good friends so it was not too hard to bear Baba's silent treatment. I graduated yesterday with the highest grades in my year and surprisingly Baba attended. He seemed really proud. Then he gifted me my Mom's jewellery set that she'd told him to give me. I found a letter inside it. " Meerab broke down into sobs as she told him about the contents of the letter. How her mother's death had been natural because of cancer. Murtasim was shocked.
" Didn't she tell her husband when she was diagnosed? "
Meerab shook her head. "She didn't want him to be pained by her health conditions. She wanted him to spend the little time that they had together happily."
"Ohh!" It was all Murtasim could manage as he was still trying to digest this piece of news.
"Today morning I confronted Baba with the information in the letter." Then she told him about her Baba's reaction and how he had spoken of his deal to her.

"He had felt guilty but I left. I couldn't bear to stay with him. I sold my earrings to get a place to live till I secured a job."

"He wasn't guilty in the least. He told you the truth in the heat of the moment but regretted it later because he knew Maliks would kill him if he didn't keep his part of the deal. You know when I saw him he said that you'd run away with a guy. So that I would stop searching for you and Maliks would get to you."
Meerab gasped in shock.
"I knew in my heart that you couldn't be characterless. So I kept looking for you."
"You knew about the deal?"
Murtasim nodded. "Not the whole thing just a part of it."
Meerab closed her eyes trying to digest the reality of her life. What had she done to deserve so much hate. A tear escaped her left eye and trailed down her cheek.
Murtasim's hand shot up to wipe it away.
"Try to get some sleep Meerab. Tum bed pe so jao, the couch is good enough for me."
She was about to open her mouth to protest but he put his hand on her lips. "Sshh! Iss bat pe koi behas nahi hogi. You've already had a long day Meerab." With that he planted a kiss on her forehead and got up to get ready for bed.
Meerab first brought her hand to her lips where he had touched them. Then she gently touched her forehead where the effect of his lips still lingered.
Meerab also changed and got ready for bed but she couldn't help thinking about the feeling of Murtasim's lips against her skin. So her heart did feel something. She hadn't gone numb as she had feared.
"Our flight is tomorrow evening." Murtasim told her as he checked messages on his phone. "We'll be checking out in the morning and head for the airport directly. Only Bakhtu will be coming with us. My other men will arrive later as I've asked them to guard Anwar Khan." He could no longer address him as his uncle.
"Par jo unhone kiya... "
"Panchayat faisla karegi Meerab. You needn't worry."