Keep Your Enemies Closer

~ troubled past, haunting future ~

Spring has a wonderful feeling to itself, which engulfs everything around once the season settles in. It's the season of happiness and colours and blooming of new flowers and greenery. This spring season had hit Jhalpur to the fullest, and it was almost as if everyone could feel the effects of it. The havelis had long been the centrepoint of the entire village - whatever mood was set in the havelis would then be adopted by all the residents. This year, for the first time in decades, the haveli was blooming with new found love, and everyone was bathing in the colours of love - almost everyone.

Mornings became lighter for Zaviyar and Zaira. More often than not, they would wake up a little too close to each other, accidently of course. What seemed like unbreakable walls that they had both built up, were very easily breaking down, and neither of them had any interest in preventing them from collapsing. Yet, they were not in any hurry and were taking their sweet time to live through all phases of love at the right pace - endearments, attraction, giddiness and then become habitual of one another's presence.

Zaira felt the days getting longer - and it wasn't just the changing weather. It was as if the time from which Zaviyar left home to when he returned was getting unbearably long. She would sit down and write, spend time with Nooreh and Ruqqaiya, talk to Malaika and even participate with Ruqqiya in solving the problems of the village women, yet despite all of this, Zaviyar just wouldn't return. She would constantly be making trips to the windows to see if his car was there. And every evening, she would be found in the lawn at least half an hour before Zaviyar returned. It was unbelievable for both of them how easily she had complied to his request of her waiting for him in the garden every evening.

It wasn't easy for Zaviyar either to stay away from her. He had never been a fan of handling the village affairs anyway, he would rather not do it. However, these days, he hated it with a passion. More often than not, he would find himself zoning out into the thoughts of jet black hair contrasting fair, soft skin. He would be counting minutes before he could call it a day and spend some more hours in Zaira's presence. It wasn;t as if they were doing much when they were together, but the mere silent company with occasional jokes and flirting was too amusing for both of them.

So to make up for the dreadfully long day, they began stealing moments in the morning before he had to leave - getting up earlier than they used to, taking a good look at the other getting ready, intentionally teasing with sly touches and eye contacts and more. Every day, after breakfast, they would spend the next many moments in their room where they would just talk - about anything and everything.

Zaira had grown a new habit which she was getting too fond of: arranging his bag every morning and choosing a blazer for him. Zaviyar had initially asked her not to trouble herself, but over time, he started adoring the way she would put two blazers in front of him and try to decide which contrasted his shalwar suit better. He adored how her nose would be scrunched up as she took her sweet time to choose.

Currently, she had two different shades of greys in her hands, which she was trying to match to his navy blue suit, constantly shifting from one to the other.

"Acha okay, ye wala!"

She finally handed him the light grey one. Zaviyar bit his lip in amusement.

"Pakki baat hai? Pehan loon?"

He raised his eyebrow, and Zaira gave him a deadpan look.

"Aik to mein har subah mehnat karti hoon taakay tum achay lago, upar se tum attitude dekha rahay ho. Jao, jo marzi pehan ke chalay jao, mujhe kya!"

She crossed her arms and faced away from her as he slipped the blazer on and turned her back to make her face him.

"Phir, ab mein acha lag raha hoon?"