Tied to you

chapter 2 :a promise to keep

so the second chapter is up. i don't know how this story will turn out to be but i sincerely hope you guys find it good. please vote and comment.

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aabid's pov

blank. though there are colors all around me, all i see is absolutely nothing. these past 3 years i have been living like a working dead. i didn't even bother to cover up my emotions like some of the people do. people say there is a lot of amount of pain hidden behind a smile. i made it easy for the people to figure me out, i am emotionally broken and the society knows that. the only people who saw my warm side were uncle mustafa, my best friend zohaib and my sister, ilham. she is the only color in my life. i would have died long ago if it hadn't been for her. uncle mustafa helped me and my company a lot financially and i'll be forever under his debt and then there is zohaib who knows everything about me, from what i am feeling today to all my painful memories and nightmares.

"sir, mr. elamin is here to see you" my assistant's voice blared through the intercom bringing me out of my thoughts as i dropped the pen i was twirling.

"please bring him in, john." a few minutes later my assistant john walked in with the fatherly figure who was smiling warmly at me wearing his white thawb. i guess he returned from the masjid. i stood up and hugged him tightly before pulling out my chair for him to sit. whenever he was around i always offered my seat to him as i see it as a sign of respect, and then i sat near his feet. i remember doing the same thing to my dad when he was alive, give my seat to him and sit near his feet listening to stories about prophet mohammed(pbuh).

"assalamualaikum beta, how are you?"

"walaikumassalam, allahmudullilah i am good, how are you doing uncle?"

"by allah's grace i am still alive, you know i may die anytime now-

"please don't say that, you are the only father figure i have, if you leave me too then i don't think i'll be able to handle myself" i can't bear the idea of losing him too, i know everyone has to die, one or the other day but i don't want him to leave so soon.

"but beta that's the truth, i am growing old and i have diabetes too, my doctor says my diabetes in a pretty bad condition, i think you can make that out by seeing my face." he says coughing and indeed his face was relatively pale compared to his usually fair radiant skin. his wrinkles seemed to have grown and his green eyes that once sparked with fire looked worn out.

"you see i am not scared of dying or anything, to allah we belong and to him we shall return, nor am i worried about my company as i am assured you will take good care of them" i looked up at him shocked.

"yes i would like to merge my company with yours, i hope its not a huge responsibility because i have seen you work hard......just like your father and brother, and you are capable enough to handle this task as well, and you needn't worry, my daughter jannat will take in my position after i retire and she graduates, hope you can co operate with her" he says coughing. i looked away. that one one word doesn't really sync in with her but i don't want to tell something bad about her in front of uncle as this will hurt him. on the contrary, what's so bad about her, till today i am clueless as to what is the reason for the bad blood between us.

"the thing i am worried about is jannat" he says coughing again as i hand him a glass of water. he drinks a few sips and then continues.

"she is a sensitive child, totally different from her sister, she hasn't even gotten over the death of her mother" he says with tears glistening in his eyes. i continue listening to him.

"if i die, she will lose it, sure her sister will be there to support her but she will lose her sanity if i leave too, and i just want her safety" with that he looks at me. after a few minutes he clears his throat.

"what have you thought about your future?" he asked.

"nothing much, just aiming to make the company grow even more, from millions to billions"

"a good aim indeed, and?"

"and....i don't know, haven't really thought much" i said lamely as i see him frown.

"what about ilham?"

"um she goes to play school and there is amina ammi who takes care of her besides there are many nannies to look after her." i say shrugging. e shook his head as frowned at me.

"she needs a mother's love" he says startling me.

"huh?"

"ilham is still small, one day she will grow up and ask about her parents, what will you answer her then, doesn't she already ask for them, jihan is like a mother figure to her i admit but she has a family to look after and what ilham needs is someone to permanently love and take care of her" i stared at him frowning, i really haven't thought about that.

"uh so what am i suppose to do?"

"do you love somebody?" i choked on plain air as my ears turned red. this is something very unexpected. 

"uh um this is awkward but allahmudullilah no. i may be not completely practicing, but i do believe in halal and haram." i say, he smiles at me proudly.

"good, so thought about marriage?"

"m-marriage, uh i guess i am not ready to commit so soon." i said stuttering. he gave me a disapproving look.

"i know its a lot for you to handle right now but i think you'll be able to handle this responsibility too. its not only for you but for your sister too. marriage makes you complete half of your deen, you know that right?" i nodded my head.

"you are emotionally broken and you need someone to help you heal, you need someone to take care of you" he said and looked at me.

"do you have any potential woman who can fit in the role of your wife and care for your sister like a mother does?" he asked me. i shook my head, all my life i have been surrounded with many women but gave importance to only one, my mother.

"no"

"then would you like me to choose? if so will you keep a promise ?" he asked with twinkling eyes. i nodded my head smiling.

"i'll keep your promise"

"you didn't even hear the promise i want you to keep"

"i have readily accepted whatever my father said to me without having second thoughts, whether it was bad or good for me but allahmudullilah it never turned out to be bad, i trust you enough to know that you only wish for my well being and i know whatever you do will be good for me and my little ilham" he smiled and patted my head.

"so the promise i want you to keep is, my second daughter jannat. i want to see her in safe hands before i die, and i know no one else but you will be able to take her responsibility and keep her safe and loved, you will right? you will marry her for me, won't you?" he looked at me with hopeful eyes. i didn't know what to say. how can one spend their life with the one they can't have a proper conversation with, even if we toss a few words at each other, they are usually angry words which ultimately lands up in a big argument. i know jannat since childhood but all of the argument started when i had spilled coke on her new pink dress when i was 7 and she was 5. she was a rebel during her teens but as of now i have heard many people say that she has turned into a mature woman and many of my friends were even planning to ask for her hand. i looked at mustafa uncle, the man i respect as much as my father and the man who has helped me throughout my whole life, from teaching me to ride a bike to ice skating. how can i refuse to what he has to say, how can i not agree with him. i'll keep his promise even if its going to be bad for me.

"i will" i finally say as he thanks allah(swt) i smile when i see him laughing of joy. little does even he know that the journey his daughter and i will face won't be all rainbows and candies, rather i predict it to be rain and thunder.