Losing Echoes [Complete]

3. Hope

Flashbacks are in bold

Harram shifted in her seat feeling the weight of all the gazes in the room on her. She fisted her shirt in her hand and didn't look up.

"Harram, we do not want to pressurize you into anything, dear. We just want to you make a decision which you want. This is your house so is your father's. But in this condition and with your Iddah upon you, We do not want you to juggle places and stay where you are comfortable all these months."

Yahya Duraid leaned forward after putting his thoughts in front of her. She looked up but there was nothing in her eyes he could give a name to. Hollow orbs were staring at him.

"I'll stay here, Dada."

The words had left her mouth. Both Zara and Obaid shook their heads as if accepting it rather uneasily while Mrs. Aneesa was the most satisfied person. Khadija wasn't in the room.

"Very well, you should take rest now."

Yahya had the finality it his tone which meant Harram should be left alone. They all had walked out of the room when she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. There was nothing in this house she could hold onto like an anchor; still she had no heart of leaving this place. May be it was the feeling that Zaviyar had spent a whole chunk of his life here or because this was where she had met him for the first time, whatever it was, she didn't want to leave.

As she hit the pillow switching off the lights, her hand reached out to hold something. She knew there was nothing, but still she did.

No one held her hand. She wasn't expecting anyone to. It was just her way of reminiscing something. A habit formed over time. A habit which was going to take its own time wearing off.

Zindagi meri thi lekin ab to

Tere kehne mein raha karti hai

(It was my life but now

It goes as you ask it to) 

(Parveen Shakir)

As the dark curtain adjusted with her wide open eyes, she could remember just one face and with that a door.

A door she had no idea why wasn't leaving her mind.

______________________________

Zara poured the juice into glass and placed it in front of her who didn't even spare a glance its way.

"Harram, drink it."

Harram didn't budge. She had no desire to eat anything. Even looking at the breakfast in front of her was making her nauseous.

"Amma, please."

"What please? You haven't eaten one proper meal for two days now. This can't go on like this."

Harram shook her head vigorously. Suddenly she was feeling confined within her own mind. Like she was suffocating.

"Amma, I..."

She tried saying something but her sobs didn't let her. The pain was coming back in full force and she didn't have it in her to deal with it anymore.