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Carefully, gently, immaculately. We choose our own destruction

Six Years Ago

The weather was beautiful with blue and golden coloured sky. Wind hovered over his head and promised with great secrecy the fall of the rain. Birds chirped merrily as they flew above the city of Murree, some returning back to the houses they built with endless love and affection.

Omer walked with a raised head, his eyes scanning the path he was walking on. With dark blue jeans, white t-shirt and brown leather jacket fixated on his body, the strands of his hair were falling on his forehead and his hands were shoved in the jacket's pockets.

Omer made his way up towards the top of the hill, his breath become slightly uneven. He had climbed half of the hill when his mobile phone went off. Halting his steps, he fished the mobile from his pocket and answered the call.

"I've climbed half of the hill. I'm not coming down." Omer irritatingly said over the line.

"I'm done with the meeting, Omer. Come down and we can go somewhere to get lunch." Bilal said and Omer's brows furrowed.

"You can come up here. The view from up here is spectacular." Omer tried to convince him but Bilal only huffed in annoyance.

"I'm hungry and I'm sure the sight won't fill my appetite. Are you coming down or not?" Bilal asked, his voice final this time.

"I'm not. I didn't start climbing it just to return in mid way. You go have some lunch. I'll be back at the Hotel around 9pm." And without hearing anything else, he cut the call.

He had always been like this, losing the interest in the conversation as soon as his point was delivered, not giving a care if the other person understood or not. Shaking his head, he shoved the phone in his pocket and glanced upwards towards the top of the hill.

Taking a deep breath, he resumed the movement of his legs and started climbing the rest of the hill. It took another half an hour before the slope evened out and the land cleared right in front of his eyes. Smiling to himself, he sniffed the smell of the wet mud and closed his eyes only to open them again after a second.

Still smiling, he continued moving ahead, the land a little rocky beneath his shoes. He reached the end and his eyes shone with wonderment at the sight they took in. The sun was drowning far away, the red flecks of light spread over the horizon. The wind gushed around him and he smiled widely as he tilted his head a little and gazed ahead.

The scene of the setting sun and blowing wind had him completely mesmerised and he just stared, his background going back in the dark. The sun fall and moon were his weaknesses, his strengths. Still smiling, he tore his gaze away from the enchanting beauty and looked around him, his eyes scanning the land around him for a large rock.

Luckily, he found one right beside the place where he was standing. After sitting on the large rock, he again fixed his gaze on the view ahead, peacefulness rushing in his body like blood. He had always loved climbing but it was not the climbing he actually loved, it was the view afterwards which was always worth it.

He was still immersed in his soothing meditation when a voice yanked him out of the spell which was spread around him. Turning his head almost abruptly, he looked sideways and what caught his eyes was a woman, probably in her early twenties, standing a few metres away from him.

From where he was sitting, Omer couldn't clearly see her face, her hair shadowing the face which will turn his life upside down. Omer stared at her hair which were tied in a ponytail, the loose strands falling on the face which was hidden from his eyes.

However, it didn't take him long to realise what an idiotic act he was committing. He was constantly staring at some unknown lady for the past few minutes. Though he was not very religious, he certainly knew his boundaries and staring at some lady was way out of the boundaries he had set for himself.

He averted his eyes and fixed them on the view ahead. However, he was brought back from his wonderment when the voice of the lady vibrated his ear drums again. Closing his eyes in irritation, he tilted his head sideways and saw her turning around. She had her back to Omer now and was addressing her friends who were standing some metres back.

Omer took notice of them for the first time for his eyes had only seen the woman standing at the edge before. They were five of them, including the girl whose face he hadn't seen up till now and all of them were silent now-a thing he didn't didn't know girls can do.

However, he had no interest in them anyways. He had not climbed all the way up to the top of the hill to think about some girls who were not talking; he had many better things to think about. Giving them a final glance, he turned his head around and stared intently at the beautiful sight of the city of Murree.

A few seconds passed and he heard that particular voice again, this time more close than before. He turned his head around slowly, irritation marking his acts for he was being disturbed again and again.

"Hello?" The voice said slowly and Omer looked up at her and that is when his whole world came crashing down.

His heart dropped in his ribcage, his mouth went dry as he felt the demons carrying away his dead form with a smirk on their faces as he stared widely at her majestic eyes. Omer found himself staring at the most beautiful hazel eyes he had ever laid his eyes upon, the brown sparkle illuminating around the corner of the eyeballs. Her eyes were the most enchanting ones he had ever seen, most mesmerising ones he had ever looked into.

Omer didn't stare at anything other than her eyes, her eyes were enough to get all of his attention alone.

Hazel.

He never knew that a simple colour could hide so many secrets beneath it, didn't know that it could stop his breath for a whole minute.

"Sir?"

Her voice broke the chain of his thoughts and he felt his whole body shake as he woke up from the slumber. And as he shook his head and stood up from the large rock, he knew he was not the same Omer he was some moments ago.

"Yes?" He breathed out.

Although difficult to speak, it was necessary to speak. He was still staring in those hazel orbs when he noticed the lady's discomfort. Quickly averting his eyes, he inhaled a deep breath and looked back at her again, his eyes not daring to look into those hazel-brown orbs which had shook his entire being.

"Are you sad?" The question he was asked was the one he had never expected.

"What?" He asked, utterly shocked.

"You look sad." She said gloomily and Omer saw as sadness filled her eyes.

"I'm not sad, Ma'am. I'm thinking." Omer said while controlling his palpitating heart.

"Don't lie to me. I can tell it from your face that you're upset about something." She said, a bit excited this time.

"You're clearly mistaken. I'm happy and content." Omer shook his head as he ran a hand over his face.

"If you say so." The lady shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"I'm Rameen by the way. Rameen Haider." She extended her hand towards him and Omer too smiled, preventing himself from looking into her eyes.

"Omer Lashari." Omer caught her hand and shook it.

"It was nice meeting you, Omer." Rameen said and Omer's heart did a back flip.

"Same here." Omer said, still not looking in her eyes.

"Can I sit with you? If you're not bothered, of course." She pulled her hand away and looked at Omer expectantly. Omer looked towards her before staring right behind her shoulders.

"Where did your friends go?" Her four friends were no where in sight and Omer was forced to put his curiosity into word.

"So you did notice them. I thought you were too immersed in your thoughts that you didn't even acknowledge our presence here." She was all smiles and Omer finally looked into her eyes again. Her eyes masked humour and joy and Omer felt the same emotions swelling up his heart.

"I was not." Omer said as he tried to glare at her but Rameen burst out laughing.

"Stop. It doesn't suit you." She said in between the laughs while referring to his glare. Omer too finally smiled as he looked at her.

"Anyways, my friends have gone back down. I wanted to stay a bit longer so here I am." Rameen shrugged her shoulders and Omer nodded.

"Come, sit. I won't mind a company." Omer gave her a heartwarming smile and motioned her to sit beside him on the rock.

"The view is beautiful, isn't it?" He heard her voice after a moment, a bit dreamy, a bit innocent.

"Yes." Omer said while looking at her.

"Do you live here?" Rameen asked after a moment of complete silence, only flowing winds hurling their beings and making peaceful sounds.

"No. I came here for a meeting. I live in Islamabad." Omer said and Rameen raised her eyebrows in appreciation.

"And you?" Omer asked.

"Neither do I. I live in Karachi." Rameen said and this time it wad Omer who raised an eyebrow.

"A long way from here!" Omer said and saw Rameen exhale a deep breath.

"Very long!" A peaceful silent again encircled around them and it was Omer who broke it this time.

"Do you study?" Omer wanted to know.

"Yes, in Karachi University. I'm doing Masters in International Relations." Rameen gave a detailed answer and Omer nodded his head although he didn't expect this answer; she looked young.

"What about you?" She wanted to know too.

"I did my MBA from Harvard." Omer smiled as Rameen widened her eyes slighlty.

"Intelligent people!" She exclaimed mockingly and Omer chuckled slightly.

"Not even close." Omer grinned.

"What brings you up here?" Omer changed the subject after a second of thought.

"View." Her one word answer and Omer felt himself falling for her hard.

"The view from up here is so enchanting and beautiful. I don't ever want to go back." She seemed to be in a trance, her eyes fixed on the sun which was all set to descend.

"So you are a nature person?" Omer asked lowly.

"Not really. I'm more of a drowning sun and midnight moon person." Omer felt his heart skip a beat as words flowed from her mouth.

"We have many things in common then." Omer slightly said and saw as a smile lifted her lips.

"Indeed." She softly replied.

"You're a good person, Omer. I knew it the moment my eyes laid upon you." Rameen said after a while.

"You too, lady. You too." Omer said it from the heart and the woman smiled.

"I'll go now. It's getting late." Rameen said as she stood up and Omer's smile vanished almost instantly.

"This early?" Omer couldn't stop himself on time. He was enjoying Rameen's company more than he should and now he was feeling agitated.

"Yes, Mr. Lashari. I have to meet my friends in a restaurant." She chuckled and Omer nodded his head slightly, his heart falling back to the its place.

"Good bye!" Rameen said and after shaking his hand, went away leaving behind a man was was staring at her back while biting the corner of his lips.

◇◇◇◇

"Bilal, where are you?" Omer asked over the line. "I've been sitting here like an idiot for the past thirty minutes." Omer's voice was laced with anger and he was having a hard time controlling his tone.

"I'm stuck in the traffic due to rain. What can I do?" Bilal said helplessly through the phone and Omer inhaled a deep breath.

"Man, you won't be able to reach here. Go back." Omer said as he gathered his wallet and car keys from the table and stood up.

"I'm thinking the same thing. I should probably go back." Bilal said thoughtfully and Omer nodded his head.

"Yes, turn around and go back. I'll talk to you later." Omer said and disconnected the call, his feet moving towards the exit door.

"Omer?" He heard a feminine voice from behind and his steps halted.

It took Omer less than a few seconds to recognise the voice and a smile erupted on his face. He quickly turned around and saw Rameen standing some feet away from him.

"Rameen!" Omer exclaimed jovially as he moved towards her and extended his hand.

"I thought you forgot me." Rameen said as they shook hands.

"How can I forget you?" Omer smiled as he looked at her, more precisely, her eyes. They were casting the same magic on him as they did some days ago. The hazel orbs, the artistically shaped edges, the long lashes-everything was same and yet it was more captivating than ever.

"You were going?" Rameen asked and he nodded his head.

"My friend couldn't make it." He replied and Rameen blessed him with a huge grin.

"My sister couldn't make it too. We're in the same boat." She chuckled slightly and Omer nodded his head.

"Undoubtedly." He smilingly replied.

"You shouldn't go without eating. Come on, we'll have dinner together." Rameen said and without caring to hear his reply, dragged him along with her to a vacant table.

"I hope you're not busy though." She said once they were seated but Omer shook his head.

"I'm not." Omer said as he looked at the menu card.

"So, how's life been?" Rameen said after giving their respective orders.

"Same as before." Omer lied.

His life had been anything but like before. That talk with the lady sitting in front of him on the top of the hill before the drowning sun had shook his entire being. His thoughts went back to the particular moment after every second and he was left with no choice but to think about it.

"That's boring. You should enjoy life, young man." Rameen carelessly suggested and Omer smiled wholeheartedly.

Omer couldn't help but think Rameen as a stone that shook and hurled the silent waters of his life and created some motion, a motion he wanted so much.

"I do enjoy life, young woman." Omer smirked at her and Rameen burst out laughing.

"Where did you learn to laugh like this? So wholeheartedly and openly? Like there's no problem in your life?" Omer was compelled to ask and saw as the smile cracked on her face but she quickly recovered herself.

"Omer, I laugh my problems away. There's no use holding onto the pain and suffering, one better let it go. And I do the same thing." Rameen replied in a serious tone and Omer fell for her in a different way this time.

"But how do you gather the courage to laugh when your life is falling right before your eyes?" Omer asked, bewildered.

"Omer, life is a short journey. It is not a place to live, it is a place to rest. There is no use crying over split milk. And me crying about my problems will do me no good. However,  when I laugh at the face of my problems, they vanish for a second and when they return, they are not as haunting as before. Do you understand?" Her voice was soft and Omer nodded his head automatically.

Oh, what this lady was doing to him.

"I knew you were sad that day!" Rameen exclaimed after a moment, the cheerful tone of her voice returned.

"I was not." Omer tried to make an impression but Rameen waved it off.

"Don't tell me. I won't insist." Rameen laughed and Omer only glared at her.

"When are you going back?" Omer asked and Rameen looked up from her food.

"Two days from now." She said nonchalantly.

"I'll miss this place and I'll miss you." She innocently said and Omer's heart skipped a beat. He only managed a smile as he too looked up from his food.

"And what about your return?" Rameen asked.

"After three days." Omer said and Rameen made a sad face.

"I hope we can stay in contact. You're a good company." Rameen said as sad sadness filled her eyes.

"We will definitely stay in contact. I promise." He didn't know if he was making a promise to her or to himself but he knew that he would complete this promise over his life.

"How?" Rameen asked and Omer almost rolled his eyes.

"There's a thing in this world called mobile phone. I hope you have one." Omer said and Rameen pouted.

"Don't make fun of me, Mr. Lashari." She said rather angrily and Omer burst out laughing.

"Can I dare?" He raised an eyebrow.

They had exchanged their phone numbers and now Omer was standing with her in front of Rameen's car.

"I'll miss you, Miss. Haider." Good byes were the things he had always dreaded, hated.

"Me too, Mr. Lashari." She smiled sadly.

"Call me when you get to the hotel. I'll wait." Omer said rather worryingly and Rameen smiled.

"I will. Goo bye." Rameen sat in the car after shaking hands with Omer.

"Good bye." Omer smiled and took a step back.

The car went away and Omer saw as his world turned into the same dust the car blew as it crossed its path. Inhaling a deep and saddened breath, he turned around and started walking ahead, the rain drops falling on his head but did he care?

◇◇◇◇

The only source of illumination in the room was that of the lamp placed on the nightstand. The owner of the room sat on the armchair placed across the other side of the room. With his mobile phone placed on his lap, he rocked back and forth, the peaceful atmosphere helping his tensed muscles.

The lids of his eyes were dropped while his breaths were even-slow and soothing. And very much unlike the outer surroundings, his mind was a rest house for all sort of wild thoughts. However, one thought dominated not only his mind, but his heart too.

Rameen.

The woman had affected him so badly that now all he could think of, all he was capable of thinking, was her. Her sweet smiles. Her careless laughs. Her understanding words. And most importantly, her eyes-her sparkling, hazel eyes.

It had been 3 months since he last met her and now he was aching for her, for her presence. He had gone to Karachi three months after he came back from Murree to pay her a visit, a visit which had some how soothed his heart. They spent plenty of time together, inhaling in each other's scent for they knew that geography will take its toll on them.

And from the moment he returned back to his peaceful and elegant city, he felt incomplete. The woman had a deep imprint on her soul and had complemented him in her own unique ways. Rameen Haider had shamelessly knocked on the door of his heart and Omer Ahmed Lashari was all set to open the doors, only a small thought and agitating question preventing him to do so- what would she say?

They had turned into good friends since the moment they decided to have dinner together but a thought worried Omer. What did she feel about him? Did she feel the same way for him as she did for her? But unfortunately, he was short for answers. Although he knew that she considered him a good friend, he didn't know if there was a slight speck of love in her heart for him.

Clock ticked by, every passing second implanting worry in his blood. It had been 7 minutes past 10 and yet there was no sign of her call. It had become an unsaid tradition between the two of them, calling the other person at exact 10 ' o'clock no matter how busy you were.

However, Rameen asked him some weeks ago not to call him. Instead, she would be the one to call everytime and Omer agreed without a second word. And now that her call was not coming, his agitation was increasing along with his concern for the lady.

A minute passed and that's when someone breathed a new spirit into him-the ring tone vibrated against the walls of the room. He hurriedly picked up the call on the first bell.

"Are you okay? Is everything fine?" Omer's voice was impatient, more like a man who was told that your beloved is being snatched away from you. What welcomed him from the other side was silence-complete, dead silence.

"Rameen? Are you there?" Omer asked, his voice a little low this time.

"Yes." Rameen breathed out from the other side of the call.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a dangerously low tone.

"Yeah."  A one word answer came and he became even more worried.

"No, you're not. Tell me what's wrong." Omer asked in a firm yet gentle tone.

"Omer!" She started crying on the other side of the line and Omer felt his heart erupting with pain.

"Rameen.. Rameen.. what happened?" He asked in a very soft tone as he straightened up on the chair, his elbows placed on his knees while lines decorated his forehead. Omer calling out her name did something to her and she started crying even harder, her sobs vibrating in his ears.

"Shush.. stop crying." Omer tried to say but all he could hear was her sobs and hiccups.

He went silent for a while, trying to give her some time to pull herself together. His face was filled with concern for he clearly knew that Rameen was anything but a cry person. She had hardly ever cried in his life, a bright smile had always been plastered on her face and now that she was crying, he felt strange and unexplainable emotions rising in him. After five minutes, the sobs ceased and the line went silent.

"Rameen?" Softly, he called her name.

"Omer." She breathed out his name and Omer's heart leapt up to his throat.

"What happened?" He wanted to ease her burdens.

"Omer, a proposal came for me." Rameen informed him and the heart which was coming to the throat, dropped in the ribcage. The sound that resonated as it shattered deafened him and his eyes slighlty widened.

"What?" A voice vibrated which didn't sound like his.

"A proposal came for me." Rameen repeated and Omer could feel himself falling away in darkness.

"Then? What did your mother say?" He mouthed his worst fear.

"Of course she said no. I don't want to get married now." Rameen said in a matter-of-factly tone and Omer let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Then why were you crying?" Omer said, feeling a lot more better.

"That... that is because..."

Shyness? He felt his eyes widening as he heard her uneven words from across the line. This was so not the Rameen he knew.

"I realised something today." Rameen reluctantly said and Omer raised an eyebrow in question, though he clearly knew that she couldn't see him.

"And what is that?" Omer was curious.

"Omer.. can I say something to you?" She asked and Omer frowned.

"Of course you can." He replied, not understanding where the conversation was going.

"Promise me you won't mind." Rameen said.

"I promise." Omer replied in an uninsuring tone.

"Omer... I think I'm in love with you." She shyly said the words and Omer's world came crashing down, only to rise back from the ashes-afresh and anew. The mere words took away his ability to pronounce, his heart stopped beating for a moment while a new spirit was breathed into his soul.

"Wh..what?" He released the words which were caught in his throat.

"Omer.. please don't mind. I just said what I thought was right and you know I'm like that. Omer?" Rameen continuously spoke on the phone, right after snatching the power in him to even pronounce a single word.

This was how dreams came true? This was how your prayers were answered and your wishes were granted? Omer Ahmed Lashari was on cloud nine right now, ecstatic.

"Omer, please say something." Rameen begged through the line and he coughed slightly, trying to pronounce the words which were necessary to speak.

"Rameen... I love you too." Omer said and the audible gasp that he heard from the other side made him smile slightly.

"You.. you love me as a friend, right?" She was still hanging somewhere between belief and doubt.

"I love you as a man loves a woman." Omer smiled as she went completely silent. However, the silence didn't last long.

"Oh, Omer. You have no idea how happy I am." She cheerfully said and Omer chuckled.

"Neither do you, woman." Omer smiled.

"I actually hate myself for confessing my love like this but it was the only way I think." Omer said and he heard Rameen taking a deep breath.

"Geography is killing our love." She sighed audible and Omer nodded.

"Yeah." Omer pronounced.

"Omer, when did you fall in love with me?" Rameen asked from over the phone.

"Since the moment I saw your eyes. Do you have any idea how utterly stunning they are?" Omer breathed out and could clearly imagine Rameen blushing right now.

"So you fell in love with my eyes?" Rameen smiled.

"Yes." He replied.

"Strange, I'm getting jealous from my own eyes." She laughed wholeheartedly from the other side of the line, filling Omer's life with colours and music.

"Why did you cry though?" Omer suddenly remembered.

"Oh, that. Actually, I didn't how to say that to you. I didn't know how you will respond. I was anxious, stressful. Everything was making me cry." She answered dejectedly and Omer smiled.

"It's okay. I understand." Omer softly replied.

"Rameen?" Omer called out her name.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I'm coming to Karachi in two days." He gently informed her.

◇◇◇◇

The wind ruffled through his hair while the sun reflected on his handsome face. The breeze was anything but gentle, and the sun was nothing but tender. Omer was walking on the sea shore barefooted, a lady walking with him, their fingers entwined. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore was music to his ears, the sight his eyes were seeing was a miracle. The blue sky met the ocean far away, the golden colour spread over the horizon as Sun continued to descend. The birds chirped merrily above them, flying back to their houses.

"We witnessed a sunset when we first met." The lady broke the silence.

"I can never forget that moment." Omer said as he tightened his hold on her hand and Rameen, resultantly, smiled.

"Why?" She asked a question, the answer of which she perfectly knew.

"I met you, Rameen. I don't think anything more precious can happen to me in my life now." He smiled as he turned his head around and looked at her, more precisely, her eyes. They were shining with some unique sparkle, the sun drowning in them, the waves crashing on them, his heart falling for them.

"What do you have with my eyes?" Rameen noticed his intense gaze on her eyes and chuckled slightly.

"They are my lifeline." Omer whispered and Rameen burst out laughing.

"Omer, it was cheesy." She said in between the laughs and Omer glared at her.

"I don't believe you. You want me to compliment you but then you think it's cheesy. Sort out your priorities, woman." Omer said, his tone laced with fake anger.

"You complimenting me completes me, Omer." She whispered after a minute of complete silence, only the rushing winds whispering the secrets of the unknown.

"I know." Omer smiled as he bent towards her slightly.

"You know what, Rameen?" Omer asked after a moment.

"What?" Rameen asked carelessly, her eyes fixed far away on the horizon.

"I won't ever be able to love someone after you." He lowly said and saw through the corner of his eyes as Rameen turned her head towards him.

"That's good, then. I don't want you to love anyone after me." She came to a halt, bringing Omer to a stop too. Turning towards him, she crossed her arms on her chest and looked at him right in the eye.

"Omer, you are enough for me and I want me to be enough for you too..." Rameen began to say something when Omer cut her in mid-sentence.

"You are more than enough for me." He gently spoke.

Rameen smiled and stared in his eyes, both of them losing their self in each other's eyes, drowning in the oceans that promise shore.

"May I have this dance, Ma'am?" He spoke out of the blue and Rameen gasped.

"I don't know how to dance." She said after a moment of deep thought.

"Neither do I." Omer chuckled slightly as he lowered his head towards her. 

"Then? How will we dance?" Rameen raised her eyebrow in question and Omer proudly straightened up his posture.

"We will just move. I don't think there's anyone around to judge anyways" Omer said and looked at her expectantly.

"But Omer..." Rameen had not yet completed her sentence when Omer circled his arms around her and pulled her closer, placing her hands around his neck.

"Omer..." Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Rameen, shush." Omer said as he swivelled her body around, Rameen squealing as her hair fluttered, as his heart fluttered.

"There's no music." Rameen pouted and Omer tightened his hold on her.

"Your voice, the waves, the wind. Darling, there is music." Omer whispered in her ear and Rameen turned the slightest shade of scarlet.

As both of them moved around the shore, the water beneath their feet, the melodies in their hearts, they knew in that moment that they had imprinted their names on each other's souls. The sun, which had almost reached its end, sprayed gentle rays on them, the winds hovered over their heads and brought them the message of love, from far away lands where lives were precious and hearts were made of gold.

"You're not that bad of a dancer." Rameen remarked and a chuckle vibrated from his chest.

"It's my first time." He said, pride in his voice.

"And that is because of me." Rameen said, equally proud.

"Of course." Omer agreed just like his heart had agreed with her mere presence.

◇◇◇◇

The winter had descended upon the city of Karachi in all its glory. The weather was frosty, the thoughts were numb, the feelings were chilled. From where he stood, his eyes could clearly see the lights that illuminated the city. After all, they didn't call it the City of Lights for nothing.

As he stood up at the top most story of the tower, his eyes were fixed on the lights ahead. However, his mind was anywhere but at the present times. Omer was reliving the moments he shared with the love of his life, refreshing his mind with the old memories that were more powerful than all of his future.

However, thinking about the past was only a mere remedy, a distraction from the thoughts which were agitating him. It was New Year Night and he had special plans for the night, plans more beautiful than the stars that shone above in the sky.

Though great, the plans were making him nervous and he was sweating from head to too, the precipitation oblivious of the fact that the winters were cascading on them majestically. He glanced at his wristwatch which indicated twenty minutes from twelve, his heart beat increasing with every second that went by.

"Where are you, Rameen?" He whispered to himself as he looked back from over his shoulders towards the spiral staircase which was deserted.

Knocking his foot on the hard floor slighlty, he prayed under his breath for her presence. Only a moment passed by and he heard some movements from the stairs, the voice of a lady calling out his name.

"Rameen!" He excitedly said as he turned around and moved towards the staircase, his feet taking him downstairs.

"Rameen!" He called out and suddenly heard the sound of his name stopping only to be resumed back again after a second.

"Omer!" She said loudly and Omer heard her voice nearby. One full turn around the spiral staircase and he was met with the sight of a panting Rameen.

"Here you are!" Omer said, coiling his hand around her wrist and pulling her towards him. Rameen, who was catching her breath now, glared at her.

"Why have you called me here? Do you have any idea how suspicious Mama had become?" Rameen said as both of them moved upward towards the top.

"And why here of all places?" Rameen was continuously talking in a loud voice while Omer only listened to her, smiling.

"Couldn't you stand downstairs and wait for me to come? I panicked when I didn't see you there." Rameen continued but it was the last thing she said before the stairs ended and they stepped on the round, hard floor.

"Why are you silent?" Rameen, for the first time, observed him and Omer smiled a bit more.

"I'm just gathering up my courage." Omer said and Rameen's brows furrowed.

"Courage? For what?" She asked confusingly and Omer shook his head slightly.

"You'll know in a short while." Omer said and Rameen's frown deepened. However, she didn't push him for more.

"Why here of all places?" Rameen asked.

"Because it has a beautiful view." Omer looked at her gently as he pronounced his words.

"That it has. My city looks so beautiful from up here." She said, mesmerised.

"Undoubtedly." Omer whispered back. The man gazed at his watch again and sighed inaudibly after seeing the time it indicated. 11:55.

"Rameen?" Omer called out her name.

"Do you trust me?" He asked and Rameen completely turned towards him.

"What's wrong with you, Omer? Is everything okay?" She asked, concerned. Omer only shook his head as he repeated his question.

"Of course, I do. I trust you with my life." Rameen said confusingly.

"And do you love me?" Omer changed the question.

"Omer..." Rameen was confused, worried.

"Answer me. Do you love me or not?" Omer said, his voice firm yet gentle.

"I.. I do.. of course." She stuttered and so did Omer's heart.

Taking a deep breath, Omer looked down at his watch which indicated 11:58. After looking up at her for a second, he closed his lids before opening them again and going on his knees.

"Rameen Haider, you complete me in a way that nobody else does." He said, while sitting on his knee in front of her, his hand holding her right hand with all the love he had.

"You are my lifeline, my reason to breathe and smile. You are the most important person in my life. I love you with every fibre of my being." Omer continued in a soft tone.

"Rameen Haider," the whole world went silent around him as he looked up at her right in the eye.

"Will you make me the luckiest man ever by marrying me?" His question was followed by a second of silence before the fireworks erupted in the sky above them, the people cheering from far away as a new year has been given to them.

However, his new year was standing right in front of him, his eyes savouring the shades that were coming across her face.

"Rameen, will you marry me?" He repeated, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

Omer stared at Rameen who was utterly silent, her expressions now blank as she looked down at him. Slowly, she pulled her hand out of his hold and took a step back, her eyes still fixed on his face. Omer's heart dropped in his ribcage as he looked up at her emotionless face.

"Rameen?" He whispered and saw as Rameen pressed her lips together in a straight line, an impassive expression masking her face.

"Stand up, Omer." She whispered, her voice emotionless and firm.

"Rameen?" It proved difficult for him to utter her name as he stood up reluctantly.

"I didn't know you would surrender this early. I still can't believe that all it took was few months to break you, to make you mine." She said, her voice fusing with the thunders of fireworks, setting his heart on fire.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, confused.

"Omer Ahmed Lashari, I do not love you. I've never loved you." Rameen said, her voice louder than all the voices he had ever heard, her tone harsher than all the brutality of the world.

"Wh..what?" He stuttered, his hearts dying a thousand deaths inside.

"What are you saying, Rameen? Are you even in your senses?" Omer asked in a loud voice this time, his mind rejecting the mere thought.

"There's no use in raising your voice now. It won't change the fact that you mean nothing to me." She clenched her teeth and Omer stared at her, dumbstruck.

"Rameen.." Her name was a mere whisper on his tongue but the flaring lady caught sight of it. She rolled her eyes irritatingly, completely oblivious of the heart she was tearing apart.

"You said you love me!" He bellowed after a second of complete silence between them, his voice vibrating in the dense, cold air that surrounded them.

"Lies. They were all lies." She said, her tone rude and bitter.

"I don't believe it... how..." Omer was at loss of words for the words he was hearing were enough for both of them.

"Do you remember Alia Khursheed?" She asked heatedly and Omer's eyes narrowed. He shook his head slightly as he looked at her now angry face.

"Well, she knew a lot about you."

He didn't know if there was more sarcasm in her voice or bitterness but one thing was there for sure-hatred. Omer gasped as he heard the words coming out of her mouth; not because of the words she pronounced but becuase of the way she uttered them.

"Rameen, I don't understand." The shock on his face was now replaced with confusion.

"She was my best friend, my soul mate. And you know what happened to her? She committed suicide, just becuase of you." Rameen said in a dangerously low tone, her voice dripping with loathe.

"What?" His eyes widened. "That's not possible. I don't even know her." Omer incredulously said and Rameen chuckled sarcastically.

"Have you forgotten the girl you made fun of in front of the entire college with your friends just because she liked you? The girl you humiliated?" Reality dawned on him and his eyes widened more than ever.

"Rameen... it's not..." Words were not in his favour at the moment as Rameen cut him in mid-sentence.

"No, no, no. No explanations, no forgiveness. Your time is over, it's my time now. It's Alia's time." She crossly said and Omer gulped down the emotions that threatened to explode.

"I didn't do anything..." He was again cut short.

"Omer, do you think of me as a fool? I know what happened on that evening, I remember everything. I remember how Alia cried after she came back home, how she kept repeating your name and cursing herself for ever loving you, how I found her the next morning, her face pale, her hands cold, her body lifeless." Rameen's voice cracked at the end but she composed herself on time.

"Her college friends told me what happened, how you and your friends humiliated her in front of everyone. I can never forget that moment in my life because it was that moment when I decided to avenge her, to make you pay for everything you did to her." A lone tear escaped from her eyes but she wiped it away hastily with the back of her hands.

"Rameen, it was my friends who humiliated her. It was not me..." Omer tried to say earnestly but Rameen only chuckled lifelessly, a sound which was unknown to his ears.

"Yeah right, Omer Ahmed Lashari."

"So you approached me just to take her revenge? You didn't love me?" He asked, tears arriving at the brim of his eyes, his heart exploding with a new, powerful pain.

"Not for a second." She replied in disgust. Omer felt a tear that fell from his eyes as he saw her mask getting off.

"How can you do this to me? I loved you, Rameen. I loved you with everything I had." Omer shouted as he looked at her with swollen eyes.

"And I hate you. I hate you with every fibre of my being." She bellowed in an equally loud voice.

"I don't know anything of what you're accusing me of. I didn't do that to her." He cried out in pain, pain more deep than the love he had for her.

"Stop with this bullshit, Omer. You did everything of what I'm accusing you of. You're nothing but a lier!" She shouted at the top of her lungs and Omer almost stumbled.

"I love you." He whispered, tears now threatening to fall.

"And I hate you." She clenched her teeth before she pronounced the words and Omer placed his hands on the side wall for support.

"I did all of that just to make you understand how it feels to be broken by the love of your life. My best friend, my sister went through that so you deserve the pain too." She said, her voice low but filled with venom.

"Good bye, Mr. Lashari." She spared him with a final glance before she turned around and started to descend the stairs, leaving behind a completely broken and aching Omer.

Rameen Haider had gone from his life for good.

◇◇◇◇

It was dreadful situation inside of him, it was horrific scenes that welcomed him on the outside. The night was dark but lesser dark than the mess his heart was in. The wind was rushing through his body but it was his mind which had become numb.

The pain, ache, it was everywhere. Everywhere he looked, everywhere he gazed. His heart was tearing apart for its woman had crushed it under her feet. His mind was going blank for the woman who had always occupied it had attacked it with words more brutal than than all of the cruelty in the world combined.

As he sat on the wet land on the shore, his clothes drenched with water, his soul imprinted with a stain, he cried. For the first time in his life, he cried. He cried as he had never cried before, he cried his heart out. Tears were cascading in a never ending flow and he knew no way to stop them but nonetheless, he didn't want them to stop. He wanted to cry all his pain out, let out all his misery through the tears.

She was the most beautiful part of her life, a part he loved more than he had ever loved himself, more than he had ever loved anyone else. She was the only woman who had reached the deepest part of his heart, who had him wrapped around her finger.

He thought that he loved her but when he understood love, he was proven wrong. He didn't love her, he worshipped her. Her words were final for him, her eyes were enough for him, her face was everything for him, her presence was soothing for him.

"Rameen." He whimpered, his body too frail and weak to even cry properly.

A man has a right to cry as much as any woman. A woman's tears shake the man who love her but a man's tears can tilt the entire foundation of existence, his tears too rare and too precious.

The night was darkening and he knew one thing for sure-there was no morning after this night, no sun would give him hope for the woman not only took his strength away from him, she took his hope too.

And now Omer was a hopeless man, standing beneath the open sky with a heart which was constantly dying. She had broken his heart into two, one died at the moment and the other she had taken away, mercilessly.

"How? Why?" He laid back on the wet sand, his eyes staring at the stars while the words escaped from his mouth. The stars were shining, but for the first time, he was not looking at the stars. He was gazing at the area between the stars-the dark, black area which masked nothingness.

And Omer thought how much the black area resembled his life. The celebrations of the New Year were still in the air, the chattering of the people could be heard even when he was half under the water.

Just like the dark space between the stars, he was a dark, hopeless man in between the shining people who were laughing their hearts out.

Rameen Haider was not only his love, she was his life too, his reason to breathe the air, to wake up every single day. And now that she was gone, Omer didn't know what thought would wake him up everyday.

Maybe the thought of her revenge and betrayal, he chuckled lifelessly.

And as he laid on the shore, his clothes drenched with water, he became aware of the fact that it was not only his love which went away, it was his belief in love too. It was his faith which he saw was turning into ash, turning into nothing.

Omer was a man who had a strong believe in love and now a mere woman had turned his life upside down, reversing all the rules he had set for himself.

As she stood there, accusing him of the things he didn't do, a part of him shook. And when she heatedly pronounced the words of hatred, his entire existence crumbled right before his eyes like a house of cards.

☆☆☆☆

Omer's past has been finally revealed! It took me long to write this just becuase of the complexity of the chapter. For that, I'm sorry.

Anyways, how did you find the chapter? What do you think of Rameen and most importantly, about Omer now? And what will be Fariya's reaction?

The next chapter will be late too because my exams are starting from Monday and I'll be busy the whole week. I hope you people understand!

Thanks a million times for 1K votes. I'm overwhelmed.

VOTE and COMMENT.

Till next time,
Salam!