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Chase whatever it is that fills your heart with music and make sure it is a beat you can dance to.

- Matt Baker

Monday - 2:13pm

The summer cloud hung heavily over his head as the lone companions of wind swayed the black hair gently, the afternoon heat making sweat slide down the brows of the man who had a frown decorating his forehead, courtesy to the sun, while making his way towards the entrance door. Pushing the door open with his side, Saad Lashari entered the house, his steps unhurried as he scrolled through the phone loosely held in the captivity of his hand.

The house hissed silence and the lines on his forehead only deepened as he walked further in, not being used to such silence ever since Mashal had opened her eyes in this house. That had been two years ago now and since then, commotion has been a constant but no, he wasn't complaining.

He was Saad, he liked chaos.

Eyes moving between the silent house and messages on the phone, Saad entered the lounge, his body already relaxing under the spell of cold that crawled through the house. After an exhausting day spent in the office in the sweltering heat of May, by Allah, he needed the chill his house offered. Summers in Islamabad weren't taxing but this year they were, probably due to the child of his brother who kept getting on his nerves.

He still wondered why Mashal didn't like him one bit.

Internally scoffing at the thought, his eyes roamed around the room, only to find the woman who bore Mashal in her arms sitting cross-legged on the couch, remote in her hands as she watched some series on the T.V, eyes fixed as if there was no tomorrow. Mashal lay by her side, fast asleep, and he finally understood why no voice rose in the house today.

"I wonder when the goddess of maturity will bless your soul." Saad taunted at Fariya's concentration as he walked deeper in, eyes narrowing in glint and mockery as the tie loosened its hold on his neck.

"The same day the goddess of seriousness will bless yours." Fariya replied without so much as a glance in his direction and Saad had now seated himself comfortably on the couch, leaning against it and placing his feet on the table in front after freeing themselves from the shoes.

"I know where you get your words from, sister-in-law." He shook his head, laughing at her words while running a hand across the length of his face.

"From you, brother-in-law, only from you." Fariya replied, this time casting him a sideways glance while a smirk lifted her lips and Saad didn't even control the small laughter that left him.

"Where's everyone?" He asked after a moment, head leaning back against the back of the sofa and eyes closing momentarily.

"They are upstairs." Fariya replied, eyes still fixed on the T.V.

"What are they doing, planning moves against us?" Saad's brows creased as he asked, head still leaning back, slowly laughing at the end at his own words.

"I'm sure they have all have a life." She replied with an eye roll before continuing, "They are discussing something and kicked me out of the room."

Fariya informed but regretted immediately but by then, Saad, who had been casually leaning against the couch, had heard her and instantly straightened in his place, a slow but a sure smirk coming to rest on his face as he regarded Fariya's face who refused to pay him any heed, knowing clearly well what will leave Saad's blunt mouth in a second or two.

"Even you? I thought when you get married, you are considered an adult and are not thrown out of family discussions." Saad smirked as he said and Fariya chose to ignore this unbearable man, knowing what he was hinting at.

A few days ago it was actually Fariya who had said the exact same words to him when he was thrown out of a discussion between the adults while Omer and Fariya were allowed to stay, and she swore on her own grave that it doesn't settle well with Saad Ahmed Lashari to forget words that are directed towards him - she knew he'll come back at her sometime.

He was Saad, he doesn't let a chance slip by.

Almost three years since she had known this man who had come to become his brother now but he hadn't changed an inch during this time - still the same Saad who was the first one to befriend her after she had entered this house, who made everyone laugh so effortlessly.

"What are they discussing by the way?" He asked after a moment, still laughing slightly and Fariya only shook her head.

He was Saad, he was always laughing.

"Maida's marriage." Fariya replied, smiling as she finally turned off the television and turned around to face him, and as for Saad, he forgot how to breathe.

His laugh suddenly froze as he looked at Fariya's face with stunned gaze, the heart of his missing its beats one after the other as the ground under his feet slowly shook. A shock slithered up the length of his spine as he straightened in his place, face turning ghastly pale for a moment, but only for a moment.

After a painful second, he recovered, the parasympathetic system kicking in as his beats evened out and the next feeling that hit him square in the chest was surprise - why was he shocked if Maida was getting married? What does he even have to do with her?

"Really?" He released the voice caught in his throat with difficulty, eyeing Fariya who hadn't been observing his expressions too keenly, much to his gratitude and relief, or else she would have surely stopped in her tracks too.

"Yeah, a family came this morning." Fariya nodded, engaged in her own merriment and excitement and Saad managed a smile, although with difficulty.

What the hell was happening?

Why had his heart refused to beat properly after this news?

Why had his mind refused to function?

Maida was an ordinary cousin to him with whom he shared an extraordinary bond. She was someone who had the same mental calibre as him, who shared his sense of humour and impulsiveness. He hadn't laughed with anyone as much as he had laughed with that woman and she really was special to him, despite their constant banters and fights.

Then what the hell was happening now? Why did he suddenly feel ached and tired after hearing Fariya talk about Maida's marriage to someone else? As far as he knew, he had always teased Maida regarding her marriage, often saying that the luck of her future husband will be doomed from the moment he says I do, then now what?

"Whose?" He asked, talking in small words as suddenly, forming words became quite a task for him, something which had never been difficult for him, he thought with dread.

"Her class fellow..." Fariya hadn't yet completed her sentence when Urwa rushed inside the room, panting as she stopped in the doorway and looked in Fariya's direction.

"Abbu is calling you upstairs." Urwa said and a glowing smile erupted on Fariya's face as she looked at Saad's face meaningfully but he just wasn't looking anymore.

He was Saad and he was hurting.

|¤¤¤|

Saturday - 7:31pm

The evening had sprawled its wings over the city which was all shades of warmth and blue tonight, the short gusts of wind a clear indication that it was thickening with each tick of the clock. The moon was nowhere in sight this evening, the month of Ramadan only just beginning. With no one to accompany him at this time of the evening but his thoughts, he stood in the balcony of his room and gazed ahead at the vastness of the universe that folded before his eyes but tonight, he had his mind somewhere else and where there is mind, there are eyes.

It had been a week since he was informed about Maida's proposal and since that day, not a single night of good sleep had fallen upon him. How, he did not know, neither did he want to. His only concern was why and there seemed to be no answer. There never was any answer.

And for a man like Saad who had words on his tongue and impulsiveness in his mind, the notion was fearful and by Allah, he was scared to death right now.

Before that day a week ago, Maida was just his cousin whom he loved fighting with and who was his partner-in-rants, but ever since that day, he had not found the courage in himself to look in her direction. One time when he did, all sort of absurd thoughts had hit him and he could not find any refuge afterwards.

So he had minded his eyes after that for he knew wherever the eyes were, the heart followed.

"Saad, come downstairs for aftari." Omer's voice sounded from outside and Saad exhaled a deep breath before he ran a tired hand over his stubble that had grown over the course of past few days and exited the balcony, eyes falling on Omer who stood in the threshold.

"What's up with you?" Omer took in the sight of his younger brother, eyes narrowing with surprise at the spectacle.

"What's up with me?" Saad chuckled dryly as the two men exited the room, Saad leading and a surprised Omer following him.

"You look terrible." Omer remarked from behind as the brothers moved through the corridor and almost expected Saad to reiterate for he never compromised on his looks but when he stayed silent and continued moving, a different wave of worry hit Omer.

"Saad, are you all right?" Omer caught up with him and brought him to a halt by a hand around the elbow, the two of them now standing opposite each other, Omer an inch or two taller than his brother.

"Yeah, Bhai, I am." Saad said forcefully and Omer had a feeling he was telling that to himself rather than him.

"I've never seen you like this before. Is there any problem, any tension from the office?" Omer was in no mood of letting the topic go and well, he was right at that.

He had never seen him like this, not even when Dado had passed away a year ago. At that time, too, he had been devastated but seemed composed, merely for everyone else who needed him. Right now, at this moment, he was making no effort as such, his cheery self was gone and what took the position of his mischievous younger brother was a man who was all the shades of depressed and wretched.

"No, Bhai." Saad said seriously, almost too seriously for Omer who was used to his laughs and chuckles.

"Is it because of some girl?" Omer made a wild guess and for a moment, Saad panicked at how right he was but he knew he could not tell this to him, he could not tell this to anyone.

Maida's marriage was almost confirmed and tomorrow, the man and his family were coming to officially put ring in her finger. From what he had learned from Urwa, this marriage was not happening because Maida liked the man, as opposed to what he had initially believed, but she gave her consent nevertheless.

Why she did that was beyond him but he had no intentions of spoiling this marriage just because he couldn't figure out his thoughts - if she wanted to marry that man, Saad would himself put Qu'ran over her head when she was departing from the house, despite his heart turning into ashes and dreams evaporating into thin air.

"What makes you say that?" Saad forced a chuckle, a laugh that didn't quite reach his eyes and only added burden to his soul.

"I've been through hell and beyond because of a woman so I might be able to relate to what you're going through if it really is because of the opposite gender." Omer said, observing Saad's expression keenly.

"What are you talking about? You and Fari have a perfect relationship." Saad scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, remembering all the times the two of them had warmed his heart and made him believe in love all over again.

"It wasn't always like this, Saad, and you know it." Omer shook his head as he said and Saad only exhaled heavily before Omer continued, "But nevertheless, we're talking about you and the woman who's upsetting you."

"There's no woman upsetting me, Bhai. In fact, I'm not upset at all. I'm perfectly fine." Saad said, the voice of his drowning under the oceans of uncertainties and ache.

"I've been looking at you for a week now and no, Saad, you're not fine at all. There definitely is a problem." Omer said fiercely, the black irises of his blazing with worry and concern but the opposite party was a little too gone right now, "You don't laugh these days, you hardly talk to anyone, you're always hiding in your room. What has gotten into you?"

"Probably Ramadan." Saad forced a smile on his face as he attempted at cracking a joke, aiming at getting his brother off from his back who, by the looks of it, had no intention of leaving him so easily.

But the expression that came to rest on Omer's face told him that he wouldn't buy it. However, fate looked down upon him and luck nudged too as the call for evening prayer filled their ears and before Omer could utter a word more, Saad turned around and walked swiftly down the staircase towards the dining room, leaving behind only a single sentence.

"I'm famished, Bhai."

Omer followed his brother, with concern however.

|¤¤¤|

Saturday - 11:11pm

The following night, he lay in his room, just being returned after offering night prayers and to say he was tired would be an understatement, he was beyond fatigued, both physically and mentally. But it had been like this for a week now and right now he felt exhausted.

Exhausted because he hadn't been his usual self for a week now and it definitely had taken a toll; exhausted because he was drowning in misery for a woman who viewed him nothing above a cousin; exhausted because he was tired of living like this. It wasn't in his nature to stress over anything, small or humongous, but this time, not only had he let the pain and confusions get the best of him, he had also allowed them to penetrate in his heart such that nothing was left in there except terrible ache.

Saad was a cheerful man, always had been. He was loved for that; he was hated for that but that was him, all of him. And then walked a woman in his life whom he had thought of as best of friends and turned his life upside down without even knowing. He knew for a fact what Maida must be doing in her bedroom right now - enjoying a good night sleep oblivious of the fact that a man had not been blessed with that for a week now.

And he was so done.

He didn't want to throw his life away for her, no matter how much she meant of him. After all, there was no chance of their ever being together in life anyway. The man was coming to put a ring in her finger tomorrow evening, for lord's sake. He was Saad, she was Maida and maybe the only future they could have together was her children calling him uncle.

A knock on the door flew his eyes open and he cast a tired glance in the direction of the door, thinking for a moment to ignore the sound but he knew from whose fingers the soft knock had come and he pushed himself off the bed and walked towards the door, gait slow.

"Ammi." Saad said as he opened the door and warmth flooded him when his mother smiled up at him.

"You weren't sleeping, right?" She asked gently as she walked deeper in and took a place at the edge of the bed.

"No, but I was going to." Saad said he sat on the bed beside her but after a moment of contemplating, turned around and lay back down, resting his head in her lap and when the soft fingers of his mother began to move through his hair, relief seeped through his veins and his heart finally returned to normal after a week of abnormality.

Silence stretched between the mother and son, with the mother forming words in her mind and son beginning to fall into a sleep as the former's fingers continued to unravel the tangles of the latter's hair before a few words rang in the stillness of the room, and with that, Saad's whole being was caught in a whirlwind of emotions.

"Maida, it is not?"

Saad fluttered his eyes open, the colour leaving his face in shades as he gazed up at the woman who bore him in her hands and suddenly, a rush of emotions swept through him, making his heart almost burst at the intensity of it.

Who was this woman?

How did she know him so well?

"Yes." Saad whispered, the word a sigh, before he straightened in his place and sat beside her, eyes downcast as he stared at his hands that were entwined, with heart that was out of control.

"You love her?" Ammi asked again, smiling in his direction and Saad turned his head around to look at her before a troubled sigh left his place.

"I don't know because I've always loved her - as a cousin, as a friend but this feeling is new to me, I don't know what to name it." Saad admitted with despair and Ammi laughed slightly before hitting him on the arm.

"You're always talking, even when you're not supposed to, and now that you should, words fail you?" Ammi had a small smile plastered on her face as she looked at her younger son who looked all the shadows of broken and tired.

Saad, not knowing what to respond, stayed silent and resumed his previous task of glaring at his hand and Ammi on hearing his silence, smiled wholeheartedly and slapped him on the shoulder again, making him turn his head towards him.

"I talked to your father." Ammi said and Saad whose face had shadows of dejectedness masking it now had shades of sheer surprise and he instantly straightened in his place, eyes widening.

"What?" A croaked voice left his throat as he looked at his mother, who was laughing now at his reaction, unable to grasp the prevalent situation, his mind wrapped up in the delicate layers of confusions and uncertainties.

"Yes, I talked to your father and Amna, they both agree." Ammi informed him with a smile brightening her face and the erratic beats of his heart seemed to even out a bit.

"You talked to them? How the hell did you even know that I want this?" Saad asked, surprised and delighted at the same time, a small, genuine smile finally coming to rest on his face after a whole week.

"Mothers always know, Saad." She smiled warmly and the same warmth enveloped Saad and his heart sighed for its wishes were granted.

"But...how...I mean... tomorrow's her engagement." The thought finally hit him, making him restless for a second but Ammi's warm smile eased him in a matter of a few second.

"Amna said that she would have you as a son-in-law than a guy she doesn't even know any time of the day." She told him and Saad closed his eyes as waves of relief hit him one after the other.

And then suddenly, a thought hit him and effectively knocked the very breath out of him, making him turn towards his mother with wide eyes.

"Maida, does she agree?" He asked, suddenly panicked and at this, Ammi pressed her lips in a thin line for a second before continuing.

"She doesn't know yet that the engagement is off because of you, you have to convince her." Ammi said with an optimistic smile that wished him good luck and Saad sighed as he leaned forward slightly, eyes closing.

Maida was supposed to become the fiancée of another man tomorrow and today she was told that the engagement was off, without even her being asked. What would she be feeling right now with her feelings being played like this?

Allah, she'd hate him.

"Don't worry about Maida, Saad. Amna told me that she only agreed because the man's family was insisting so much, not because she liked him. It won't be difficult to convince her, don't lost heart." Ammi placed a hand on Saad's shoulder and he nodded, his head already forming ways to convince the lady who would be hating him in a matter of few minutes.

"Ammi, thank you." After a moment, Saad turned towards his mother who was looking at him with a warm smile and said earnestly.

"Just be happy, all right? And keep her happy. Neither of you look good without each other." Ammi patted his shoulders and Saad gazed at her, thinking for the thousandth time in this conversation what a sheer blessing mothers are before she continued,

"And, by Allah, this house of ours has missed your laugh, child."

|¤¤¤|

Tuesday - 12:01am

"Saad, it's midnight. Why have you called me here?" Maida's exasperated voice rang in the porch as she closed the main door behind her and stepped outside in the night that promised a spell of rain.

The gusts of wind fluttered with their hair as they stood opposite to each other, man and woman, with the man leaning against the car with arms wrapped across his chest and woman only glaring at him with an intensity nobody would want to be at the receiving end of, but he was Saad and he could handle this woman for a lifetime.

"And for once, stop smirking." Maida narrowed her eyes dangerously as she pulled off an intense gaze but the party in front hardly batted an eye, only widened his smile.

"You come rushing at my one message. Please, for once, let me say I'm deeply moved." Saad said with an air of mockery and Maida only rolled, not only her eyes, but her head too.

"I believe your mood is back in place, you bipolar man." Maida's ears became a witness to his laugh and words and her eyes to his smile and she knew Saad was back.

"You know nothing." He smiled, this time a genuine one with no hint of mockery or mischievousness and, by Allah, he was a sight to behold.

"Come, we're going." Saad finally declared as he straightened in its place and opened the door for Maida who was rooted on her spot, fixing him under a hard gaze.

"Where, may I ask?" She said, crossing her arms over her chest as she refused to enter the car.

Saad was an insane man, she'd always known that and there had been numerous times when he had taken her and Urwa outside for long drives in the middle of the night, but this time, something was different. For one, he was smiling and not blessing her with the famous smirk of his she had come to hate now.

"No, you may not. Get inside." Saad caught her by the elbow and pushed her inside gently and Maida only rolled her eyes heavenward before she got in, glaring him throughout.

"Saad, where are we going?" Maida asked once the car was on the deserted roads of Islamabad and Saad was busy humming to a song he knew she hated.

"Ice cream parlour." He replied indifferently, looking ahead and driving carefully for once.

Everyone knew how badly he drove, especially on deserted roads. There, he could not be trusted but Maida knew all too well that this man could not be trusted in any situation.

"Why?" She asked, looking in his direction in surprise.

"Didn't you ask me to take you there?" Saad cast a glance in her direction, eyes narrowed in confusion and Maida's widened slightly.

"That was a week ago, Saad." She said, exasperated and saw as a flush covered his ears and Maida's eyes widened just as he stopped the car in front of the shop.

What the hell was this world coming to?

"Strawberry, I presume?" Saad asked, smiling so beautifully that it made alarms start ringing inside her, and she nodded her head in a daze.

After the man had come back with their ice creams, Saad had drove to a particularly busy road where shops were still open at this time of the night and cars sped past eagerly. Stopping at the far end from where they could view the lights but were still a little hidden from the crowd, he got out of the car without saying a word and walked forward, only to sit on the bonnet.

And Maida was left only to stare at his back through the window pane with absolute shock and confusion.

"What is wrong with you?" Maida said as she furiously exited the car and went forward to stand in front of him, one hand placed on the waist in rage and the other holding a melting ice cream.

"What is right with me?" Saad said and at the end, chuckled at his own joke, making Maida shake her head before she occupied a place beside him on the bonnet.

The city lights folded before their eyes and the street lamps threw gleams in their direction, the people of Islamabad still awake just a few hours before sehri time. The wind had taken a different turn by then, coming to a standstill that vowed a long spell of rain afterwards and the man and the woman both longed for it.

"Nothing, I'm sure." Maida remarked after quite a few seconds, making Saad turn his head towards her, a sarcastic smile dancing on his face.

"Quite a quick person, aren't you?" He said and Maida knew he was a hopeless case, answering him was of no avail.

Silence stretched between them for a few more minutes, the only noise that of the crowd far ahead and the lightning that shook the skies every now and then. However, the silence was not threatening, it was the kind Saad and Maida had always cherished after a long day of fights and battles.

This silence was welcomed.

"You never asked what happened to me." Saad stated after a few minutes, his voice serious now, making her beat miss in surprise.

"I knew you'd tell me yourself. Can Saad Lashari live without telling his problems to Maida Sikandar?" Maida had intended it as a joke but the way Saad had turned his head towards her, the way a grave shadow had come to rest on his face told her that it was not perceived as such.

"You're right." He had said after a long moment, looking dazed and a frown came to cover Maida's forehead, "I really can't survive without telling you all my problems."

"Quite a catcher, aren't you?" Maida laughed, aiming at ironing the creases of seriousness that suddenly came to rest between them.

"But I think you can. You never came and talked to me about your marriage." Saad said and he knew the time was coming and he felt all his rehearsed words going down the drain.

What the hell was she doing to his head?

"It wasn't marriage; it was just Ammi emotionally blackmailing me into this. What was there to talk about? And besides, she's given up on that idea. It isn't happening." Maida said shrugging her shoulders but Saad knew her and he clearly saw how the topic of her marriage had made her uncomfortable.

"Did you even wonder why this marriage isn't happening or were you just too excited at the thought of it cancelling?" Saad had asked, looking in her direction with head bowed a little.

"The latter, of course." Maida had said without a shame and this time, Saad had rolled his eyes as he straightened his head meanwhile.

Looking ahead, he took a deep breath and gained the courage from anywhere he could get for he needed it a little too much right now. He had no idea what Maida would do to him after he had finished - maybe murder, maybe accept but he wasn't taking chances.

"It was because of me." Saad blurted, face turning slightly pale as he anticipated her reaction while looking closely at her but the only expression on her face was that of confusion.

"You?" Maida asked, now in shock, "Why?"

Maida was looking at Saad intensely now, confusion and shock lacing her irises as her eyes narrowed around the edges. The street lights reflected from the curves of her face, making her warm skin shine and he knew he'd never seen a more delightful sight but no, this was not the time for that.

There would be a lifetime for that afterwards.

"I'm thinking of settling down in life." Saad began quickly, with awful words at that and he realized it too for he cursed himself just as the words left his mouth.

All the days and hours of rehearsing and this was what he got?

"What does your settling have to do with...wait, wait, wait...I know what you're doing here." Maida said, her face shining with revelation that had hit her out of nowhere and Saad could only hope it was right.

Allah, how do people even do this? He had not yet even started saying anything and could already feel his heart fluttering and mind scattering.

"You do?" He had asked, an unsure, terrified smile resting on his face.

"Yes!" Maida had begun excitedly, "You're trying to get married before I do so you can turn everyone against me by saying that I refuse every proposal and am not serious about my life. This is what you're doing, is it not? You once told me you'd do that."

After Maida had finished, Saad had stared at her for a complete minute before his rolling his eyes slowly and asking heavens for patience for he'd need plenty of that in the future. Shaking his head, he tried to bring his erratic beats under control before replying.

"Of course, Maida." Saad had replied sarcastically and Maida had sensed his tone for she suddenly grew silent and began thinking other possible reasons in her mind.

"Why would you do that, then?" She gave up after a few minutes of deep thinking, frown covering her face.

And Saad sighed for he knew that the moment had finally arrived, moment he had been looking forward to for days but still was not ready for, moment that would change his life forever, moment after which he would never be the same man again.

"Maybe because I want to marry you."

The dead silence that filled the air between them was too loud for him to bear; the words spoken in this silence could be used to fill novels and yet never be finished. Maida's face lost its colour and Saad's heart its beats and together, they both dived in the ocean of surprises and uncertainties.

"What did you just say?" She found her voice after a long time and still it was croaked, making fear rise in Saad's heart.

"Exactly what you heard." Saad smiled a bright smile that was sprawled with fear and hesitations, which only aimed at lessening the tension between them.

"Saad, are you even in your goddamn senses?" Maida suddenly got off from the bonnet, her face turning scarlet - in anger or shyness, he did not know.

"Yes, Maida, I think I'm falling for you." Saad did not get off from the bonnet; instead he remained seated in his place and turned towards her, such that now they were on the same level.

"And I think you're going to earn a slap from me." Maida stated, shaking slightly and Saad's arms itched to hold her, to steady her but he knew that right now, she had given him no such right.

"Maida, look, I really love you and I want to spend a life with you, a life of joy and laughter where we fight all day." He stopped for a minute when Maida's shoulders sagged, making him thank God that was at least listening, "I swear to God I'll love you forever, I'll even take you to that restaurant you've been nagging me about."

At the end, Saad's voice turned desperate and had he not been looking at her too closely, he would have missed the small smile that came to rest on her face for a second before it was gone just as quickly but he didn't and that smile on her face glowing under the lights was enough; it was enough for a lifetime.

"Really, what else would you do?" Maida asked, attempting and failing to sound serious and warmth flooded his insides in gushes.

"I'll teach you how to drive; I'll even take you to watch a movie anytime you want." Saad said, this time a smile touching his eyes instead of desperation and he saw with absolute delight as Maida shook her head in exasperation as a small smile played with her lips.

"How much would you lie, Saad, just how much?" She asked with a smile, eyes glowing.

And he forgot the art of speaking for a moment - a man who was prized for his control over words found himself speechless and he could never be any more happy. He was out of words for all the right reasons and he was glad about that, he'd always be.

"Maida..." His heart was out of control right now, pupils dilating and he knew he'd never been happier in life.

"I thought you'd take forever." She said, laughing at her own words and he swore it was water that he saw at the edges of her eyes.

And there, his heart was gone again as revelations struck him square in the chest, taking his breath away from him, yanking the ground from under his feet.

"What?" Now, he was shocked for different reasons and reasonably justified they all were.

"Is that why you were like this the whole week?" Instead of replying, she asked with a smile and a small smile blessed Saad's face too.

She wouldn't say, he knew. A lifetime with her and she still wouldn't confess anything. The little words that she had said a few moments ago were probably the only thing close to a confession that he would ever hear but he wasn't complaining.

He just could not.

Her smile was enough to tell all the things her mouth had refused to; her glowing face bore all the answers that he needed and her radiant eyes were enough to convey the messages of her heart and Saad knew he had found his shore, his safe haven, his home.

"Maybe." He had replied in the similar fashion and Maida shook her head, laughing slightly.

If she would not, neither would he but their smiles were talking and with them, the whole sky was dancing in sheer euphoria for they had finally found their way to each other.

"But I have a few conditions." Maida stated after a few minutes, the smile not wiping from her face despite the desperate tries.

"And what might they be?" Saad said as he crossed his chest and stared at her with a warm smile.

"First, I will not change..." She had not yet completed her sentence when Saad cut her off with a laugh she had grown used to by now.

"Your bedroom because you love it a lot so I have to live in your bedroom?" He finished for her and Maida nodded her head fervently.

"And secondly, I will not..." Again she was cut in mid-sentence by the man who regarded her with a smirk that she did not find the courage in her to hate at the moment.

"Cook for me?" Saad finished once again and Maida regarded her for a moment before she nodded her head, regarding him with confused glare.

"How the hell do you even know that?" Maida asked with curious and surprised gaze and the same lopsided grin blessed Saad's face that se loathed so much.

"I'm Saad." He shrugged his shoulders with an air of indifference and Maida laughed as she shook her head, knowing in her heart that this man will never change.

"So, do you agree?" Maida asked, indicating at the conditions as she looked at Saad questioningly.

"Of course not. Get off from your high horse, young lady, because none of that is happening." Saad said with sheer mockery and Maida, who was slowly getting used to his kind words and gentle behaviour only rolled her eyes in sheer exasperation.

And only one thing was certain at this moment, life with Saad would never be boring.

|¤¤¤|

Oh, did I miss them all!

I wrote this chapter a long time ago for a friend of mine as a birthday gift. So, Abeeha, this one is for you. Thank you for putting up with me and my narcissism on a daily basis!

The cover above is made by @marwasar who is such a sweetheart. Thank you so much, I really love it!

For those of you who don't know, I've started a new novel here on wattpad. Do check it out too!

Till next time,
Salam!