So this was supposed to be a one shot, but I ended up writing too much and now it's a two shot.
This is my first attempt at writing a TS so idk if it came out well! *Bites fingernails nervously*
Comment below and let me know what you think.
Thanks! :)
Consequences
(Italics are flashbacks or thoughts, and plus the POV's keep changing. It's written in Zain's POV most of the time. And yes, it's based on the current track, but it's a little different.)
Prologue:
Familiarity was slipping away, slowly evaporating into nothingness. I needed my fog; the same fog which kept my emotions wrapped up in its smoky arms and acted as my armor. Shaky, but efficient. But soon that fog would fade away, leaving me to face the tornado whisking away my comfort, my home. A home blown to bits with the storms of unrest and angst.
**********
"Mom was right; marrying you was the biggest mistake I've ever made."
"You took advantage of me by taking my trust for granted. You used me! Thanks to you, my family is broken!"
"You are the reason my life is ruined! My dad would still be alive if it weren't for you!"
That was it.
That was the last straw.
She sat there in a daze, his harsh words constantly ringing in her ears. For the umpteenth time, she wished that this was all a horrible nightmare and that she would wake up in Zain's arms with her Mamu still alive. Months of enduring the same excruciating words and the same unbearable treatment had finally taken its toll on her. She had hidden her own suffering for too long, hiding the ache that she never got the chance to see him for the last time.
This was her reality now. Her love and her marriage were unsalvageable, no matter how hard she fought for it. Never again would she see the Zain Abdullah she fell in love with. Never again would he be concerned about her pain. Never again would she be called Mamu Ki Bha...she squeezed her eyes shut. The realization crushed what little hope she kept alive. As the months passed by, the light she had painstakingly kept lit had fizzled out now.
Mentally, she apologized for letting her Mamu down.
For Aaliya Zain Abdullah had finally reached her breaking point.
**********
Zain's POV:
"Where's my breakfast?" I demanded walking into the kitchen. I couldn't help but notice how her shoulders instinctively hunched up in defense whenever I spoke to her now, but cast aside my feelings as usual. It had become a habit for me. With time, my animosity towards her diminished somewhat, but not completely. I had to keep it to myself though; after all, this was the same girl who was responsible for my time in jail.
The same girl who went behind my back with Unani medicines.
The same Unani medicines that took my Dad's life.
I didn't love her, and I couldn't let her inside again because I knew I would just be betrayed again...
Or so I kept telling myself.
She straightened up from the counter and pointed at the table. A tray was set out with my breakfast on it. A sudden thought struck me and I regarded her suspiciously.
"Chand Bibi, you've surpassed yourself this time. Those were the best parathas I've had in a long time!" Fahad Bhai exclaimed just as I entered the dining room, inhaling the aromatic scent.
Chand Bibi chuckled. "This praise should go to Aaliya, not to me. She's the one who cooked today."
I froze immediately, dropping the piece back on my plate. "She made it?" I asked disdainfully. Her distressed expression didn't escape my notice, but I brushed it off. Without waiting for a reply, I dumped the contents back in the container and pushed my chair back. "Suddenly, I just lost my appetite. Chand Bibi, let me know when you're the one cooking, I don't have a taste for Bhopali food."
I smirked at her spitefully before stepping out of the house, ignoring the minuscule twinge of regret I felt.
She must've been remembering the same thing, because she said in a toneless voice, "Don't worry, Chand Bibi made it. I had nothing to do with it." She then made to walk past me.
I was about to hold her wrist to stop her when I saw something peeking out of her sleeve.
Praying that they weren't what I thought they were, I told her to wait. She looked at me, her eyebrows scrunched up in slight confusion. Finally, something other than that impassive face! Pushing aside my thoughts, I indicated her wrist and asked, "Why are there bandages on your wrist?" She glanced down and gazed up at me again. Hurt flashed in her lifeless eyes so quickly I almost missed it. But it was enough to answer my question. When did I do this to her? I racked my brains.
I was standing in front of the mirror, struggling to tie my tie as usual. I had developed the habit of visiting Dad's grave before throwing myself into work. It was a good distraction from the hollowness of my life.
"Darn it." I mumbled, irritated. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to set this thing. Before I knew it, two hands spun me around, catching me off guard. My jaw clenched as I saw her holding the ends of my tie. I stopped her before she could do anything and asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
She raised her eyes to me and said coolly, "Tying your tie for you since you can't do it yourself."
"I don't need any help, especially not from you". I yanked my tie out of her hands and faced the mirror again. She huffed and turned me around again, a stubborn glint in her eyes. This reminded me of my first day of work, where she had done the exact same thing. It stirred a sense of longing in me, and that angered me. I wrapped my fingers around her wrist and tugged her closer, glaring at her.
"Let go, mujhe dard ho raha hai!"She protested, struggling to free herself.
"Dard?" I laughed humorlessly. "You don't know the meaning of that word. Forcing myself to live with the same girl who was responsible for my dad's..." I looked away briefly, unable to say it.
"For the last time, I wasn't responsible!" She cried. "Blaming me for Mamu's..."
I interrupted her like I didn't even hear her talking, "The only reason you're even here is because of my dad. Otherwise I want nothing to do with a low class Bhopali girl. So stop pushing yourself into my life because you'll never be a part of it anymore!" Throwing her wrist away from me, I sent her a disgusted look and left the room.
Wordlessly, I picked up her wrist, noting how her body stiffened and detesting myself more for it. Unraveling her bandage, I inhaled sharply at the angry red welts there. Some of them were bright red, like it happened recently and most of them were faded...like they had been there for a while. Why didn't she ever say anything about it?
Even though she didn't say it out loud, I knew that those wounds were my doing.
**********
Aaliya's POV:
I stared at the floor and gulped down the painful lump in my throat, trying to keep my tears at bay. It had been so long since he touched me this tenderly...almost forever. I registered him pulling me along with him and I looked up, startled. What was he doing? Apparently he sensed my apprehension because he gave me a fleeting look and said, "Your wrist needs ointment." A tiny ray of hope flickered faintly in me, but I suppressed it. There was no point any longer, I told myself firmly. Instead, I kept my face as blank as possible and nodded shortly.
**********
Zain's POV:
I learned to ignore the pangs of guilt I would feel when I hurt her...or so I thought.
Seeing these marks on her, my marks left me reeling in self abhorrence. I admitted shame facedly to myself that I wanted to hurt her, but never physically. Grabbing the first aid kit, I sat her down on the bed. During all this, she hadn't uttered a single word of complaint. It was such a stark contrast to how she was just an hour ago. Usually, she would be objecting and assuring me that it was nothing. But, nothing's normal anymore, is it?
I pushed up her sleeve carefully and spread the ointment over her wounds, wincing internally. I observed her closely through the corner of my eye. She still didn't say anything, but sat there quietly, motionlessly, with her eyes averted. When I was finished, she merely rolled her sleeve down and walked out of the room. I stared at her retreating back, dread and remorse filling me. How did things ever turn out this bad?
**********
Third Person POV:
The tears she had successfully managed to cage inside her since her life spiraled downwards threatened to trickle from her eyes. If she let even one teardrop spill, she knew they would never stop flowing. Determinedly, she strengthened her fragile hold on her emotions and withdrew further into herself. Aaliya had given up, and she couldn't even hate herself for admitting that. A steely glint appeared in her eyes as she came to a halt.
Maybe it was time for her to...do what was needed.
After contemplating for a minute, she squared her shoulders as she made a decision.
**********
He was getting really worried now. This was not the first time they fought, but she had never stayed quiet for this long. Her silence was killing him. Nowadays, the most she did was nod or shake her head and pray, or sit on the windowsill with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was getting quieter and quieter with every passing day, and it was scaring him.
It was like her will to live had been sucked out of her.
He ached to hear her voice again, to hear her say his name again, even if it meant her screaming at him. Zain remembered the day he returned from the graveyard after...his funeral.
He stumbled into his room, too overcome with grief to think straight. The only thing that was running through his mind like a cursed mantra was that his dad was no more. He was gone for good. All those rozas and duas were wasted...were unheard. Zain swore to himself to never make the mistake of believing in Allah ever again. He fisted his hair, tormented beyond belief.
So lost was he in his whirlwind of agony that it took him some time to register a soft voice saying his name, and the hesitant hand placed on his shoulder.
Rage coursed through him fiercely like a tidal wave.
He spun around and pushed her roughly against the wall, disregarding her pained gasp, his eyes spitting flames.
"Don't you dare say my name!" he spat furiously. "You've lost all rights to say my name!"
Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears, but he could give a damn. He was beyond caring.
"From now on, I've lost any feelings of love I had for you. You killed them the minute you filed those papers against me. There is nothing but hatred in my heart for you. Do you understand? I hate you, Aaliya Ghulam Haider!" She opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off, "Nothing you say will make a difference anymore. Even if you shout it at the top of your lungs, I'm done listening to you. Like I said, I'm only going to believe my mom and no one else."
He pushed away from her and clenched his fists, hatred radiating from him. "If I could, I would divorce you right here, right now."
"Then why don't you?" She challenged, though disbelief was etched across her features.
"Because my Dad would want me to stay with you. You might have no regard for people's wishes, but I do."
Saying this, he proceeded to tear apart the very room they set up together, leaving her clutching the wall shakily for support.
While pulling the lights down, he tossed over his shoulder, "And don't even think about sleeping on the bed. I don't do charity."
Ever since that day, he refrained from using her name, even in his thoughts. He had set up an invisible, impenetrable wall around himself, and vowed to never forgive her. He couldn't give her the power to break him again.
Little did he know that his resolve would crumble to bits very soon.
Part 2: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/4122442?pn=12
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