Chapter 2

"Yes I like you and don't wanna lose you" she finally confessed after gathering all her courage. "Now answer my question. Do you like me?"

"Yes"

And she was taken aback. Well yeah her friends used to tell her 'he is into you' but she doesn't wanna believe it, and hearing it from him was the last thing she expected.

"Okay... I expected a No"

"Why?"

"Because I'm not so lucky in these types of situations."

"Neither am I"

"So what's next?"

"What do you want?" Murat asked her.

"Does it matter?"

"Then it also doesn't matter what I want"

"I mean are we just friends or something else now?!"

"And what's that?"

'Hah! Loves to play dumb. Argggghhh he is so annoying', she mentally screamed.

"I'm talking about relationship."

"I want to say something"

"Sure"

"I'm not ready for a relationship," he admitted.

Okay

"No problem. Tell me whenever you are ready."

"Yeah."

And they shared their terms and conditions.

¤Can't talk all the time.

¤Don't wanna be controlled.

¤Just trust and be loyal as long as we are together.

¤No babu shona or cringy stuff.

¤No promises we can't fulfill.

.

.

.

.

.

***********

Every day after work, he used to talk with her on-call till he reached his home.

Sometimes for less than an hour and sometimes more.

"It's been an hour, already?" she mumbled while checking the time.

"Umm, yeah, so should I hang up the call?"

"No, no. I did not mean that."

"But you said 'It's been an hour, already?' as if you are tired of talking." he imitates her words.

"No, I meant to ask 'It's been an hour, already on the call?', you don't usually talk till this late, that's why."

"Arey aapke sath to hum puri raat bhi baat krlen" (If it's you, I can keep talking for the whole night.)

"Yeah, as if you'll stay awake the whole time. You'll drift off to sleep halfway on the call." she shooed away the butterflies she was feeling in her stomach.

"Only call, not text." He chuckled.

"And then I'll realize that I was the one who kept speaking continuously as if I'm a maniac"

"I mean, just think about it, if I'll drift off to sleep while listening to your voice, I'll get such a good sleep." but all her efforts were going in vain because his flirting wasn't helping.

"Oh, really? Have you thought of me as some radio or what? I'll keep talking and you'll sleep peacefully, huh?"

"Anyway, it isn't possible."

"Yeah, exactly. My parents would wonder, who am I talking to, at this hour."

"Alright, I've reached home. Let's talk later."

"Oh, okay. Allah Hafiz."

"Allah Hafiz."

11:02 PM.

Never in her life, had she talked with someone this late.

.

.

.

.

.

.

*******

Once they were playing 'this or that', which lead to an outcome she had never imagined.

"Black or white?" He asked

"Umm black," she replied.

"Android or IOS?"

"Android"

"Beach or hills"

"Beach"

"Day or night?"

"Night" she answered with a big grin.

"Mummy or papa?"

"I can't choose in this."

"Nah you have to"

"Arey, how can I?"

"Choose"

"Um, papa" after lots of thinking she finally answered.

"Ohh, why?"

"Because mostly he understands me when mum doesn't. And we have a great bonding"

"I see."

"What kind of fun you're having in this game?"

"These little things can tell us some of the smallest to biggest things about humans."

"Oh, then what did you get to know?"

"Like if I'll have to give you something, and I have a choice, then I'll choose black, thinking that 'she will like the black more' "

"No, if it's a thing then white, otherwise black."

"Oh white. Then I'll choose white, thinking that you might not like the thing but you may like it because of the colour."

"And?"

"And if I'll get a chance to take you somewhere, then I'd not take you to a hill station, instead I'd take you to the beach because you like the sea. Similarly, if I get a chance to take you on a long drive, then I'd take you at night because you like the night."

"Ohh"

"Yes. Now would you ask me something or am I going to be the only one asking?"

"Android or IOS?"

"IOS"

"Oh, you like apple. It works fine?"

"Yes, it is good."

"It is very confusing for me. Hmmm anddd...Day or Night?"

"Day"

"Why not night?"

"Because the night is for sleeping"

"There are other works to do at night too."

He chuckled. "Ohh. They can be done during the day too"

"But the moon appears at night."

He misheard moon as mood and you know how fast the imagination runs.

"Arey that can be made whenever you want. Now if we meet, then we would have to make the mood during the daytime."

"Arey but the moon and stars appear at night"

"Oh Oh Ohh. I got the wrong meaning"

She laughed.

"You're really clever huh."

"I was checking what will you say"

"Very well"

"You always trick me, this time I did it". She was grinning ear to ear.

"Yes, I won't spare you next time.

Okay, tell me honestly. Were you really saying what I was thinking?" he said huskily.

"Both." she bit her lip.

"I see. So that's why you like the night" He laughed.

"No no no. I said the moon too." she sat up straight, defending herself.

"Yeah yeah I got it." He continued to tease her.

"Arey!" she was so done with him.

"Okay tell me one thing. Do you get these types of thoughts?"

"Why not? Am I not a human? Don't I have needs?"

"Ohkay. So what do you think? Whose face do you imagine?"

'Yours' her heart said.

But she tried to change the topic. "Ye kya baatein ho rhi h" (what kind of things are we talking about?

"Acha ye baate karne ki nhi hoti?" he grins.

(Aren't these things something to talk about?)

"Ye koi baat hoti h karne ki?"

(are these even things to talk about?)

"Acha ye seedha karne ki cheez hoti h phir, haina?" he chuckled

(So they are not something to talk about, but to be taken action upon directly, right?)

"I'm so done with you" she closed her eyes pinching her nose.

"Acha btao ye baate krne ki hoti h ya bas krne ki hoti h?"

(Okay tell me, are these things meant to be talked about, or should people be direct and just do it?)

"Hum ye baaten kyu kar rhe hain?"

(Why are we even talking about it?)

She was blushing hard at this moment.

"Achha chalo nahi krte hain. Aainda nahi krunga esi baat."

(Okay then let's not talk about it. I won't talk about these things from now on)

He closed the topic sensing her uneasiness.

"Anyways, black or white?" she continued the game.

"Black"

"Mummy, papa?"

"Both"

"Choose one, you made me choose too"

"They are not separate from each other, they are one. If you remove one, the other won't be there too ."

"This is wrong, you made me choose but you aren't telling me your choice!"

They both were lost in their little bubble, not caring about anything. And that's what being in love means. You don't think logically even if it's for a few moments. Your heart starts to imagine a world with them and wishes it to come true someday. But it was the first and the last time that he lost control. After that night, he always avoided making her have dreams that he would be impossible to make true. It was the last time his heart betrayed him, when he least expected it.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

**********

The game continued till the next day.

'Single or mingle?' she texted him

'Single without you

Mingle with you.'

"Did he just? PROPOSED ME?" she thought

'wait?' she texted him

'Ji?' (Yes?)

'If this is a proposal

then my answer is yes'

'It's a yes from my side too'

And the next thing he said completely turned her world upside down.

'I love you' he texted. With a BIG throbbing heart.

She was completely frozen and didn't know what to say.

Does he really love me? Should I confess too? Is it really 'love' or just 'like'?

'Are you good?' he texted again when received no reply for 2 minutes.

'Yes

Wait a minute.

Tumhe mujhse mohabbat kab hui?'

(When did you fall in love with me?)

"Bas hogayi"

(Just happened)

She was silent because she didn't know whether she loved him or not. It's been only two months with him.

'Is it love?' She thought

'Say something' he was getting restless with every second passing because of her silence.

'Give me 5 minutes.'

'Ok'

After mentally debating everything, she finally texted him.

'After lots of thinking, I have finally concluded. Ha mujhe bhi tumse mohabbat hai.' (Yes, I love you too) she took all her courage to say the words.

'That means you didn't say it from the heart, right?'

'No, I mean it'

'If you had meant it then you wouldn't have had to think about it. You would have just said it instantly, just like I did'

'Arey, I already know that I love you, but I was thinking should I confess or not.' She tried to explain herself.

'No, you're just saying it because I said it', he was enjoying teasing her.

'Arey, I said I meant it. I'm so done with you'

'Arey I was joking, I know'

********

The conversation continued on call at night because he got busy with work. She joked about proposing to her properly, but when he talked about not getting into a relationship, she was hella confused.

"Hath pakad ke chhoda kese jaata hai?"

(How do you leave someone's hand after holding it?)

"To chhodoge hi kyu?"

( Why would you leave it in the first place?)

"Why not? You never know what might happen tomorrow. The only reason for a breakup doesn't need to be the families' disagreement about the relationship. Sometimes other reasons can also be there. So why get yourself into something that will break your heart eventually?"

"It's not like one day you will get up and say 'oh let's breakup' without any reason."

"If we attach ourselves to the other person with a string, and for some reason, the string has to break, that would hurt both of them."

"Right now, just tell me one thing"

"Ji" (Yes)

"What are you to me? I'm really confused right now. Are you my friend, boyfriend, husband, what??"

"We aren't in nikah (married) so I'm not your husband. Friend, yes we are friends."

"What if someone asks you, who's Hayat? What will you say?"

"I will say she is a very nice girl"

"Abey gender nahi pucha ( I am not talking about the gender). What is she to you?"

"Vo meri bohot achhi dost hai, jisko main pasand krta hu"

(She is a very nice friend of mine, whom I like)

"So then?"

"Then what?"

"Uffo!" she huffed.

"To biwi bana lu tumhe?"

(So shall I make you my wife?)

"Bana sakte ho?"

(Can you make me?)

"Chalo aaj se biwi tum meri, Khush?"

(Okay from now on you are my wife, Happy?)

"Duh!"

She couldn't understand his point of view. He was so confusing.

But step by step, he explained everything. She finally understood what are the reasons behind his back off and not getting into a serious relationship.

•He was afraid of getting attached and heartbroken again.

•He didn't want to make promises he can't fulfill, which can break her heart.

•His family doesn't allow inter-caste marriages. He is 'Ahmad' and she is 'Khan'.

•His cousins used to ship him with his other cousin whom he never liked, but is ready to accept her for the sake of his parents.

Overall, he didn't want to give false hope and break her heart. He made all things clear in the starting. Because he knows, how it feels when your heart gets broken. He doesn't want her to feel the same.

But that doesn't mean he didn't think about her all day long. That doesn't mean he didn't dream about holding her in his arms.

That doesn't mean he didn't love her.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

*******