𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐬
warning: angst, hurt.
Part II
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You're growing tired of me You love me so hard and I still can't sleep You're growing tired of me And all the things I don't talk about
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧: Is it you or Is it her? Only time will tell.
Chand-e-Ulfat; that’s what she was. Beloved moon. Skin pale as the first snow of winter, hair long and dark rich brown, a smile that would pierce right through hearts. She carried herself with a certain grace, her walk swan-like. God took his time creating her, and it showed. Ulfat first met Rehman when he visited her father’s house for a dinner to discuss territory matters. She was graceful, elegant, perfect, and he was hooked. He didn’t want to admit it, he had no business feeling this way, he was too adamant to allow himself to feel. But obviously, there was a difference, a difference only his best friend, would come to notice with time.
The first time you noticed something was one evening, You and Rehman sat in your bedroom, you sat comfortably on your bed, one leg folded up, while he sat on the floor, back pressed to the bed, almost as if he was beneath your feet. "Toh main keh rahi thi, abbu se kehke main 4 din ke liye khala ke ghar jaungi rehne-" (So I was saying, I’ll talk to abbu and go stay at khala’s place for four days-) you turned your head to him, he wasn’t listening.
“Reh? Rehman” no response. Smack “Rehman!” “hA HA- haa bolo kya?” (hA HA- what did you say? say it again?) You quirked an eyebrow, something was up. “Tum sun bhi rahe the ke nahi?” (Were you even listening or not?) He sighed “bilkul sun raha tha, tumhari khala yaha 4 din rehne aarahi hai” (I was listening perfectly, your khala is coming here to stay for four days.) You gave him a deadpan expression.
“Kuch toh baat hai” (There’s something going on.) you narrowed your eyes at him, he dismissed you— “Bewakoof baatein karna band kardo Y/N, umar se toh hogayi ho par ab akal se bhi badi hojao.” (Stop saying foolish things, Y/N. You’ve grown up in age—now grow up in sense too.) abruptly getting up and leaving your room. “Arey!?” (Hey!?) Leaving you dumbfounded.
The second time, you sat in your living room with a book, a very boring one at that, so you decided what better way to get rid of your boredom than to mess with your bestfriend. You giddily made your way to your father’s warehouse, where you knew rehman would be. You skipped and hopped till you reached the entrance, and just as you were about to yell out to him, you saw it.
Way across the room, a woman, talking to him, her back towards you, luscious long locks, she was dressed in a lilac kurta, and he? he was smiling, smiling in a way you had never really seen before, which made your smile drop. A deep pit began forming in your stomach, something didn’t feel right, but you maintained your distance, continuing to watch them interact from afar, who was she? why was he acting all fidgety while he’s talking to her?
He said something, she laughed, he watched her laugh, she sneezed, thrice in a row, and pointed at the rose in his front chest pocket, he looked at the rose, and without thinking twice, discarded it from his pocket and threw it to the ground.
Your heart dropped to your stomach, why, why would he do that? She turned around to walk away, he was right on her tail, when they both spotted you. She approached you, her usual genuine smile on her perfect face. “Ulfat ji, inse miliye, ye Y/N, aamir sahab ki beti” (Ulfat ji, meet her, this is Y/N, Aamir Sahab’s daughter.) he stood behind her, introducing you to her. “Y/N ye Rizvi sahab ki beti, Ulfat ji” (Y/N, this is Rizvi Sahab’s daughter, Ulfat ji.)
“Assalam wailakum” She spoke, smiling at you with her voice softer than anything you’ve ever heard. “Walaikum assalam” you greeted back, your demeanour guarded. Before you could speak to her any further, Rehman interrupted you. “Y/N agar aamir sahab puchein ke main kaha hu, toh kehdena unse ke main Ulfat Ji ko ghar chhod kar jald hi wapis aaunga” (Y/N, if Aamir Sahab asks where I am, then tell him that I’ve gone to drop Ulfat ji home and will be back soon.)
Again, you opened your mouth to speak but this time you were interrupted by her. “Uski koi zarurat nahi ha Rehman Ji, main khud chali jaungi ghar aap kyu takleef-" (There’s no need for that, Rehman ji, I’ll go home myself—why should you trouble-) “isme kaisi takleef?” (What trouble is there in this?) He smirked, she blushed, and the pair walked right past you, her shoulder bumping into yours in the process. You were left blank.
The only thing you kept staring at was the rose he threw on the floor, torn, crumpled to death when she walked right all over it. You walked towards it, bending down and gently picking it up; this was not sitting right with you at all. Your mouth fell into a frown, lips quivering as a single tear drop escaped your eye. You put the crumpled rose into your pocket and stood up, wiping your cheeks.
“Y/N??” Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to you, you turned around, only to see Uzair standing across the room, smiling. “Uzair?! Tum kab aaye?” (Uzair?! When did you come?) You jogged to him, he stood there with open arms waiting for you, and you hugged him. Chuckling, he replied, “Bass aaj subah hi aaya tha, socha ab, Rehman Bhai ke kaam mein maine bhi haath badhana shuru kar dena chahiye.” (I just came this morning, thought that now, I should also start helping Rehman Bhai with his work.)
He slowly let go from the hug, his hands still holding your forearms. “Accha hua tum aagaye, ab tumhari zyada yaad bhi nahi aayegi” (Good that you came, now I won’t miss you as much.) You joked, a playful expression on your face as you did. “Accha? Tumhein meri yaad bhi aati thi? Mujhe toh laga tum din bhar Rehman bhai ke sath rehti ho; mujhe yaad karne ke liye waqt hi kaha milta hoga” (Really? You used to miss me too? I thought you spent all day with Rehman Bhai; when would you even get time to remember me?)
He smirked, being able to banter right back with you, but his face slipped slightly when he saw you didn’t retaliate with your usual witty words.
“Kya hua? Koi dikkat hui hai?” (What happened? Is there some problem?) He asked, you quickly composed yourself and fixed your face with a smile, nodding no. “Kuch nahi kuch nahi, woh sab rehne do ab tum chalo, ghar chalo main ammi se kehkar tumhare liye mutton biryani banwati hu.” (Nothing, nothing, let all that be. Now you go, let’s go home—I’ll ask ammi to make mutton biryani for you.)
You avoided his concern by linking your arm in his and pulling him away with you. “Unhe kyu pareshan karna? Tum hi banado” (Why trouble her? You make it yourself.) a smug smile played on his face as he followed along with your shenanigans.
At home, you beelined to the kitchen, began making your dish, it was obviously going to take a few hours, which went fleeting by with Uzair’s delightful company. He was always like this, sweet, caring, gentle. Sure you were best friends with his older brother, but there was a stark difference with how you felt when you were with each of them individually. With Rehman, things were, exciting, there was a certain understanding between the two of you, an electric air that connected the two of you;
But with Uzair, you were more relaxed, you felt younger than you were because of him, you let your playful manner outpour more often. He made sure he helped you in the kitchen while you prepared the biryani, you insisted that he was a guest and he should just relax on the sofa instead, but he argued, saying how being in the kitchen with you would be better use of his time than moseying around.
Giggles and laughter echoed in the house as you finished up with making the biryani, it was almost 7pm when your father and Rehman came back to the house. “Arey wahh ye mehek toh humare Y/N ke haath ke khaane ki hai, aaj humein shaayad biryani khane ka mauka mila hai” (Wow, this aroma is from our Y/N’s cooking, maybe today I finally get the chance to eat biryani.) Your father roared from the living room, you smiled knowingly, and rushed out of the kitchen to greet him.
“Abbuuu” engulfing him in a hug. He chuckled and hugged you back, it was almost a routine for you, this is how you greeted him. Breaking away you noticed Rehman standing behind him, expressionless. “Aap dono haath mu dholo, main khana parosne aa hi rai hu.” (You both go wash your hands, I’m coming to serve the food.) You spoke, eyes flickering between your father and him. Your father walked away, leaving Rehman following you into the kitchen. You were still slightly upset with him about today afternoon so you decided to be a bit cold towards him.
“Maine kaha haath mu dholo. Mere peeche aane ki kya zarurat?” (I said wash your hands. Why follow me?) You snarked at him, your back towards him as you continued to walk away. “Kyu? Ab main meri Y/N ke peeche nahi aasakta?” (Why? Now I can’t follow my Y/N?) your heart skipped a beat. your coldness faltering a bit. You whipped your body around, stopping dead in your tracks. “Nahi. Mujhe toh laga tum bass unn Ulfat Ji ke peeche jaate ho?” (No. I thought you only go after that Ulfat Ji?)
Another snarky remark, though this one you didn’t mean to slip out. He quirked a brow at that, his lips slightly upturning at the corner as he began walking towards you, pushing forward without even touching you, till your back hit the wall. “Oh? Toh yeh dikkat hai…meri Y/N gussa hai?” (Oh? So this is the problem… is my Y/N angry?) A few inches space between the two of you. Your face furious, annoyed with him, how his stupid face looked stupidly cute when he was stupidly smiling with that stupid fucking ulfat- Wait what? Stupidly cute? What were you even thinking.
“Arey Rehman bhai, aap bhi aagaye!?” (Hey Rehman Bhai, you came too!?) You were interrupted by a very enthusiastic Uzair who stepped out of the kitchen. You shoved Rehman “Hatto” (Get lost) out of the way with a grunt, pushing him harshly and stomping back into the kitchen. Both brothers flabbergasted as they watched you marching away. At the dinner table, you decided you were going to sit beside Uzair, your mother and father at opposite ends at the head of the table, meanwhile Rehman sat across.
You began serving up plates, making sure you approached Rehman last, continuing with your cold act. But when you finally did approach him, he denied. “Nahi main-“ (No, I’m—) “Kya? Tumhein toh mere haath ka khana pasand hai na?” (What? You like the food I make, don’t you?) You furrowed your brows, confused as to why in the world would Rehman of all people deny your food. “Main woh, Ulfat ji ke sath bahar khaana khaa kar aaya hu..” (I… I went out and ate with Ulfat ji..) he said, voice plain and final. “Oh..” your heart dropped again, he ate out with her? they were together for that long? what did they even eat? does she know he can’t eat anything too spicy?
“Rehman bas chakh ke toh dekho? Maine mehnat se banayi hai..” (Rehman, just taste it, won’t you? I made it with effort..) you tried, god did you try. “Y/N maine kaha na, mujhe nahi chahiye.” (Y/N, I told you, I don’t want it.) His voice a bit more stern this time around, making you a step back, hurt quickly flashing across your face which he did notice, thought maybe he misspoke, but was too stubborn to say anything else.
“Theek.” (Fine) You sat in your chair. Everyone dived right into the food, complimenting your biryani, Uzair joking how it tasted better this time around because he lent a helping hand. But honestly none of those compliments seemed like they mattered in the moment, when the one who you really wanted to hear from, just sat across from you, casually sipping water. You just kept your head down, shifting rice grains here and there in the plate with your spoon.
You didn’t eat properly that night, his behaviour towards you made everything indigestible.
After dinner was wrapped up, you decided to not speak to him at all, you needed space, desperately. So you dragged Uzair with you, again, to the open rooftop of your house, deciding you wanted to clear your head while you looked at the twinkling stars in the night sky. You and Uzair laid on the spread out mattress on the floor while you gazed up.
“Tum mujhse kuch chhupa rahi ho, itna toh mujhe pata hai Y/N; par main tum par zabardasti nahi karunga, bass…” (You’re hiding something from me, I know that much, Y/N; but I won’t force you, just…) a beat “bass ye jaano Y/N, main tumhare liye yaha hu, tumhari har baat sunne ke liye taiyyar, tumhein ghanto tak baat karni hogi…tab bhi.” (just know this, Y/N, I’m here for you, ready to listen to everything you have to say—even if you want to talk for hours… still.) he slowly turned his head to the side, facing you, you were already looking at him in awe. You both smiled, and turned your head back to gaze up at the stars.
“Tum, uss Ulfat ko jaante ho?” (Do you know that Ulfat?) You asked him. “Ulfat? Ulfat Rizvi?” You hummed in agreement. “Haa, matlab, aise acchi mulaaqat nahi hui humari kabhi, par woh kaun hai ye jaanta toh hu.” (Yes, I mean, we never really had a proper meeting, but I do know who she is.) He replied. “Kyu? Tum kyu Ulfat ke baare mein puch rahi ho?” (Why? Why are you asking about Ulfat?)
“Aaj woh aayi thi, abbu ke godown mein…shayad kuch kaam se? Abbu uske waalid ko jaante hai, toh kaam ki hi baat hogi” (She came today, to abbu’s godown… maybe for some work? Abbu knows her father, so it must be about work.) you shrugged. “Haa par, tumhari dikkat uss baat se toh nahi, ye kuch aur maamla hai.” (Yes, but your problem isn’t with that, this is some other matter.)
He knew what you were onto, poking a bit more at the topic. You let out a sigh and replied, “Kuch nahi bass, badi khoobsurat dikhti hai woh, haina?” (Nothing, just… she looks really beautiful, doesn’t she?) “Woh toh hai- mashallah kya banaya hai khuda ne, jaise chaand hi zameen par utar aaya ho. Itni gori hai woh, mohalle ke ladke usse gori mem ke naam se jaante hai.” (She is—Mashallah, what has God made, as if the moon itself has descended on Earth. She’s so fair that the boys in the neighborhood know her by the name gori mem.)
You let out another sigh, annoyed now, and rolled your eyes; he noticed. “Kya?” (What?) “Nahi bass, Rehman aaj din bhar usi ke saath tha” (No, it’s just… Rehman was with her all day today.) the realisation struck him like a truck. “Achhaaa, toh bhai woh Ulfat ki baat kar rahe the jab unhone kaha ke woh baahar se khaakar aaye hai” (Ohh, so bhai was talking about that Ulfat when he said that he came after eating outside.)
you wordlessly nodded. “Achhi baat hai, Rehman bhai kaam ke alawa bhi aur cheezein karte hai, ghumne jaate hai woh bhi kisi ladki ke sath” (That’s good, Rehman Bhai does other things besides work, he even goes out with a girl.) he laughed towards the end, meanwhile you grew annoyed “Rehman mere sath bhi ghumta hai!? Main bhi toh ladki hi hu na??” (Rehman goes out with me too!? I’m a girl too, aren’t I??)
To that, Uzair let out the most incredulous laugh, like he thought you were kidding. You sat upright and smacked his biceps, while he continued to laugh and clutching at his stomach. “Tum? Ladki??!” (You? A girl??!) He burst into laughter again, making you even more annoyed. “Chup karo Uzair main bata rahi hu khuda kasam zinda nahi chhodungi main tumhe.” (Shut up, Uzair, I’m telling you—by God, I won’t let you live.)
He slowly curbed his laughter, and sat upright. “Maaf karna Y/N lekin, tum kabhi uss qism ki ladki thi hi nahi, sajne sawarne waali, Yeh kehna asaan nahi, magar tum kabhi woh ladki nahi rahi jiske saamne hum ghabra jaate. Tum hamesha humare beech rahi ho, humari tarah.” (Forgive me, Y/N, but you were never that kind of girl—the kind who dresses up and adorns herself. This isn’t easy to say, but you were never the girl we felt nervous around. You were always just among us, like one of us.)
You took his words in, and slowly nodded in understanding. You laid back down, and let yourself wonder; if this is how everyone thought about you, did nobody ever take you seriously? Your mind wandering back to the memories of afternoon, she did look beautiful, feminine; and he fit perfectly besides her, rough, masculine. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also just nice, nice to you, you really shouldnt've felt this way towards her, but you did.
They did look good together, that was a fact, doesn’t mean it didn’t burn any less. Meanwhile, in the backyard, Rehman took a drag of his cigarette while he walked amongst the flowers that you planted. Fingertips slowly grazing the roses, in the moment he should have thought about you, the roses should have reminded him of you; but they didn’t. Instead he thought of her, and how she sneezed when she accidentally got too close to the flower in his pocket, later telling him how she was allergic to roses, which made him throw the rose to the ground.
He made a mental note to himself; maybe he should stop wearing a rose all the time if he was going to see her more often from now.
A/N: Helloooo lovely readers!!! I hope you guys are doing well and hopefully you liked reading this chapter. I know this one was a bit more Uzair focused one, but trust me there's a reason for it ;) sorry if there's any typos pls just ignore them. Let me know if you have any criticism for me and let me know what you thought of the chapter in the comments!!! New chapters will be out every Tuesday. Love u miss u guys kisses for u alllll!!!!!!!
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