Ayesha's POV

“Mai dekh raha—” Zeeshan appeared, opening the door, immediately falling silent at the sight of di, who stood stiff, tears streaming down her face. My eyes widened as I watched them, and it meant only one thing.
( I am checking-)

Moving behind jiju, I muttered, “I think I should go.” He replied with his infamous glare. It did not scare me, but it definitely shut me up.

Puffing, I moved back to where I was standing, and Zeeshan? Well, he looked like he would pass out any moment.

“Zeeshu,” di muttered, choking on her sob, trying to hold his hand, which he immediately pulled back.

“Kisse milna hai aapko?” he asked, his voice soft yet cold, dripping with pain and hurt he had felt with his sister. Di looked at him with a tearful gaze, trying to come up with words.
(Who do you want to meet?)

“Aisa-” di started.
(It's -)

But Zeeshan cut her off and said, “aapko kaise yaad aaya aapka ek bhai bhi hai? Jab aap chale gye the usse peche chodh kar tab yaad nahi aaya aapko?”
(How come you remember that you have a brother too? When you left him alone, did you not remember it that time?)

Di continuously shook her head, sobbing quietly. Jiju stood there, silent, because he knew these were not accusations but the complaints of a brother who was hurt beyond repair.

“Meri baat sunega?” di said, taking a step closer to him. He immediately took a step back.
( Will you listen to me, once?)

“Acha okay, I am not coming closer. Just listen to me once?” di asked softly, taking a step back. He shook his head continuously, his hand forming a fist, a habit of his when he was trying to control his emotions.

“She had her reasons. How about you listen to her first?” jiju asked, holding di’s hand.

“I don’t think I want to hear your,” Zeeshan started, his eyes turning red.

“Zeeshan, enough,” I said, intervening because this idiot needed to understand.

“Ayesha, what are you doing here?” he asked softly, visibly calming down as he walked towards me.

“I came with di and jiju. Now shut the fuck up and listen to what she is trying to explain,” I muttered slowly, not wanting di and jiju to hear me, because this was not something I should be saying to Zeeshan in front of others.

“But,” he started.

“No buts. Trust me. Give her just one chance,” I explained softly, caressing his hand in mine.

He sighed, nodded, and said, “Let’s go inside and talk,” then walked off, pulling me along with him.

“Mumma,” he shouted. Aunty, who was probably in the kitchen, came out, only to pause.

Sounds like an Ekta Kapoor serial’s 2000th episode, but come on, some things do exist, like this one.

“Viru,” aunty whispered, her voice almost inaudible. Zeeshan’s grip on my hand tightened slightly, not enough to hurt me but enough to wordlessly explain the storm in his heart.

Di immediately went and hugged aunty tightly and just cried bitterly, complaining about all the pain she had kept inside, a pain she had not wanted but had been a victim of.

Zeeshan’s hand trembled in mine. I wordlessly tightened my grip, gently caressing it, trying to provide him all the strength I could at that time.

After some much needed emotional exchange and their first meeting with our little one, I had a few small talks with aunty, who somehow convinced me to stay for lunch along with di’s persuasion. Zeeshan’s puppy eyes played a major role. Veer was thankfully at Vidit bhai’s place.

We settled around the table, with aunty sitting at the head chair, di and jiju in front of me, and Zeeshan beside me.

“Damm ghut rhaa tha mera uss ghar mei uss din,” di said, making Zeeshan’s hand pause mid serving for a second. Putting the spoon back, his hand found mine below the table, desperate for some strength, which I gladly let him hold.
I felt suffocated in that house that day.)

“Chauthi baar mai woh cheez nahi seh paati,” she whispered. Jiju held her trembling hand.
( I couldn't have handled it for the fourth time.)

“Zeeshu I know you would have done everything in your power to protect me lekin mai aur bojh nahi ban sakti thi tujh par, sab kuch akele handle kar raha tha tu, mujhe, mumma ko, ek aur musibat nahi bnna chahti mai tere liye,” di said softly, wiping her tears. Zeeshan’s hold on my hand tightened.
(Zeeshu, I know you would have done everything in your power to protect me, but I could not become another burden on you. You were already handling everything alone, me, mumma, everything. I did not want to become another problem in your life.)

“Mujh Mujhe smjh hi nahi aa raha tha mai kaise bolu tujhe, mumma ko. Uss time mujhe sabse dur, uss ghar se dur bhagna hi theek laga. I felt as if I was being choked in that house, and it was unbearable. So I ran away, and I don’t regret it because I ran away to protect myself, not just from him but from myself too. But I do regret not telling you or mumma. I just couldn’t.”
(I did not know how to tell you or mumma. At that time, running away far from everyone, far from that house, felt like the only right thing to do. I felt as if I was being choked in that house, and it was unbearable. So I ran away, and I do not regret it, because I ran away to protect myself, not just from him but from myself too. But I do regret not telling you or mumma. I just could not)

“I know he had been constantly trying to reach me, and I know you had your men behind me to protect me from him. Even when you denied talking to me, watching them follow me did not embarrass me. In fact, it made me realise that even if my Zeeshu is mad at me, he still cares for his didi. In fact, your niece knows too. Look at her,” di said.

Our eyes followed the little baby in the stroller next to di, who was constantly giving a lopsided grin to Zeeshan, making him chuckle softly with tears in his eyes.

“I know I let you down, but I swear, at that time running away from that nightmare felt like the only sane thing to do,” di whispered, tears falling continuously. He finally got up from his seat, walked straight to di, and sobbed uncontrollably in her lap.

At this point, my tears fell on their own. Jiju secretly wiped his tears, and aunty, on the other hand, was sobbing uncontrollably too.

I quietly got up and pulled aunty into a side hug. She gave me a tearful smile and nodded at me. Giving her a glass of water, I gestured for her to take a few sips, which she did, and later patted my head gently.

“You did not let me down, didi. I did. I let you down. Khud ko itna layak nahi bna paya mai ki aapke bina bole aapko sabse safe rakhu. I should be sorry, not you,” he said, holding di’s hand gently, constantly looking down.
(You did not let me down, didi. I did. I let you down. I was not capable enough to keep you safe without you having to say a word. I should be the one apologising, not you.)

“Ek chamaat maarungi tujhe dobara aisa socha bhi toh,” di said softly, smacking him lightly on his face. Zeeshan chuckled softly.
(I'll give you a tight slap if you ever think of  something like that.)

“Come on, get up and eat your food,” di added, wiping his remaining tears with her dupatta.

Zeeshan nodded. Dropping a quick, gentle kiss on the baby girl’s forehead, he returned to his place, and I too sat back down after making sure aunty was fine.

And after that, we had lunch filled with laughter, love, and a calmness that finally settled in our hearts.
“Zeeshan aapse important baat karni hai,” I said softly when the others were busy with the baby girl.
(Zeeshan I want to talk to you about something important.)

“I’m all yours. You want to talk about it now?” he replied, giving me his signature smile that makes my heart race every time.

“After lunch,” I replied. He nodded, taking a sip from my glass of water, making my eyes widen as I looked at the others, who thankfully had not noticed his action, and he chuckled quietly.

Post lunch, I helped aunty organise the table and also told her about how I met di and jiju. Not everything, obviously, but a brief description.

Zeeshan, on the other hand, spent some time with di and jiju while the baby was asleep, giving them time to bond again. Though he kept looking at me, winking again and again, making me worried about the other three noticing his actions, which they thankfully did not since he was sitting with his face in my direction.

“Let’s go, the house helps will handle it now,” aunty said, dragging me along with her.

What is with this family and their dragging habit?

Aunty sat next to jiju, and I sat next to Zeeshan, the only empty place remaining, apparently, while di went to aunty’s room to feed our baby girl.

“She’s finally back with her tummy full,” di said, coming back with a happy baby.

“Do you want to hold her?” di asked Zeeshan, who nodded and gently took her from di’s arms.

“Hiii, little one,” he whispered, softly smiling at her.

“Your mamu missed your birth, but I promise I’ll be the first person cheering for you in everything you do, even before your parents,” he said softly. The baby cooed at him, holding his pinky finger tightly in her tiny fist.

My eyes watered, watching him be so gentle with her, as if she were a glass doll and he would break her if his grip tightened even slightly. It made my heart burst with tears of happiness.

Di, jiju, and aunty engaged in conversation, filling aunty in on everything she had missed. Zeeshan, on the other hand, just talked, about everything and anything, to his niece. And I? I just watched them with a soft smile lingering on my face.

“Mami se miloge aap?” he whispered gently into the baby’s ear, loud enough for me to hear. The baby cackled loudly, making him chuckle as he looked at me with a gentle smile before saying, “Mami, won’t you meet your little niece?”
(Do you want to meet your aunty?) (Aunty, won't you meet your little niece?)

His soft eyes and his words immediately turned my cheeks red. They felt as if they were on fire. And to make it more prominent, he decided to scoot closer to me with the baby in his arms.

“Hi mami,” he whispered, bringing her closer to me.
(Hi, aunty.)

“Hi,” for the first time, I did not say anything further. I did not deny it because now, now I wanted to give us another chance.

Gently holding her in my arms, I placed the softest kiss on her forehead before saying, “Hi jaan, I missed you.”

The baby cooed at me with a huge smile, yawning softly.

“My baby is sleepy, huh?” I said, laying her head on my shoulder and giving her soft pats so she could sleep.

All the while, I could feel Zeeshan’s eyes on me, which made my face turn crimson every time.

When I was sure she was asleep, I gently laid her down in her stroller next to di and returned to my place.

“Mumma, you guys continue. I need to discuss something important about a case with Ayesha. I’ll do that in my study,” he said, standing up suddenly. Aunty looked at him for a second before nodding, and di looked as if he had just announced that she had won the lottery.

He glanced at me before walking away. I nodded at the others and followed him to his room, where his study was.

“Come in,” he said, opening the door wide for me and stepping aside. I nodded and followed him inside.

“Sit,” he said, pulling out his chair.

“I’ll sit here,” I said, sitting on the chair in front of him.

Only to gasp when he immediately picked me up in his arms and made me sit on his chair before saying, “apki jagh idhar hai udhar nahi.”
(Your place is here, not there.)

He himself sat on the chair I had been sitting on earlier.

“Now tell me,” he said, pulling me closer using the handle of my chair as if it weighed nothing.

“So, I have a doubt,” I said, unsure whether what I was thinking was true or just a coincidence.

“Okay,” he said, waiting for me to continue.

“The man you are looking for and the man I am looking for is the same,” I said. He nodded, calm and composed.

“You are right,” he replied, showing no signs of shock.

“You knew about it?” I asked, glaring at him.

“I did,” he replied, chuckling softly.

“Since when?” I asked.

“Since the day you sent your men for my family’s and my protection,” he said, leaning towards me slightly, making me lean back.

These idiots.

“Dhangse chup bhi ni skte ye kaamchor aadmi ,” I muttered under my breath, which he definitely heard because he laughed.
(They can't even hide properly, stupid men.)

“We should talk about it in detail with your team and my team,” I said, pushing him slightly.

“Jo hukum aapka, btaiye kab?” he said, leaning back in his chair.
(Your order is my command, tell me when?)

“Tomorrow? After work?” I asked.

“Okay,” he replied, nodding in confirmation.

“Let’s go now,” I said, getting up. He nodded and stood up too.

But before I could walk out, he held my hand, pulling me closer, and whispered, “Can I hug you, Aayat?”

His eyes finally showed the vulnerability he had been hiding since his reconciliation with di.

“Yes,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. In response, he buried his face in my neck, seeking comfort in my arms.

“Thank you,” he murmured softly, tightening his hold. In response, I gently ran my fingers through his hair.

“Let’s go?” I asked once he pulled back after what felt like forever. He nodded, and together we walked out to where the family was seated.

“I’ll take my leave, aunty. Thank you for having me,” I said, walking towards her. She gave me a gentle hug.

“Take care and keep visiting, okay?” she said. I nodded with a smile.

Giving jiju and di a gentle hug, I placed a lingering kiss on my princess’s forehead.

“Let’s go, we will walk you out,” di said. Aunty nodded and followed, while jiju went to fetch some milk for the baby girl.

“Yes, let’s go,” Zeeshan said, pulling me closer to him and secretly holding my hand in his jacket pocket.

My eyes widened as I gestured for him to let go before aunty or di noticed, but he simply winked at me in response and kept walking.

Once we reached the entrance and turned around, aunty said, “Leave her hand, Zeeshan. She’s getting late,” her face full of mischief and teasing, mirroring di’s.

“I-mumma,” he muttered, fumbling on his steps and almost falling if I had not steadied him.

My eyes widened at his comical reaction. Stifling my laughter, I asked, “Are you okay?”

He nodded slightly, rubbing the back of his neck, which had turned completely red along with his ears.

Seeing him, aunty and di burst into laughter along with me, and he only turned redder.

Clearing his throat, he pulled me closer with the hand he had been holding earlier and placed a quick kiss on my forehead before walking away, leaving me flustered with embarrassment and the teasing smiles of di and aunty.

“I-I’ll go,” I muttered quickly, walking towards my car and driving off without looking back.