Hana’s POV

I was sitting on the bench outside the college, waiting for Maan for about an hour now. But he still hadn’t shown up.

“Hana, come on… I’ll drop you. It’s been an hour already,” Kulsum, my best friend, said.

She was here with me because she didn’t want me sitting alone. I tend to get scared of boys easily, so she’s always by my side. Ever since Maan left for America, she became my closest friend. She means a lot to me. That’s why I told her everything. I know Mama told us not to tell anyone about our marriage, but then again...

Best friends aren’t just “anyone,” right?

“yo… you go. I’ll wait for him,” I replied stubbornly.

“Hana, don’t be stupid. If he was going to come, he would’ve by now. Now get up,” she ordered.

Yes. Sometimes she behaves exactly like Marzi Aapi. Always bossing me around. She thinks I’m stupid.

Now you tell me. Am I?

“Kulsum, please… you can go. I told you, I’ll wait for him. I know he’ll come,” I said, crossing my arms and rolling my eyes at her. Though, in truth, I didn’t want her to leave me alone here.

“You know I won’t leave you alone,” she said and sat beside me, crossing her arms. I smiled and turned to her.

“That’s why I love you,” I said proudly and gave her a tight side hug.

“Oh please… don’t butter me up now,” she said, rolling her eyes, and I giggled.

...................

Author’s POV

Rumaan was sitting with his friends, Alex and Jake, at a restaurant. They had invited him for lunch, so he was there enjoying some time with them.

“Did you hear? Ellen is coming for your birthday,” Alex said.

Rumaan’s eyes widened.

“What!?” he nearly shouted.

“Oh man, Alex! It was supposed to be a surprise. You totally ruined it,” Jake said, narrowing his eyes at Alex.

“What the hell are you talking about? If she just showed up, it wouldn’t be a surprise—it would be a shock,” Rumaan said, clearly annoyed.

“Hey! What’s going on, man? You look upset,” Alex asked.

“No, man… It’s just that… you guys know I’m living with my family now. And I don’t want them finding out that I’ve been involved with any girls,” he said, sounding worried.

Especially after what happened a few days ago, he didn’t want any more trouble. If his family found out about his involvement with another girl, they’d be furious all over again—something he definitely wanted to avoid. He wanted his family back on his side, and for that, he needed Hana with him. She loved him so much that if she ever found out, she’d break...

Woah, woah, woah! That’s exactly what I need. Man! Why didn’t I think of this before? Ellen could help me get rid of her. But before that, I have to make sure Hana trusts me blindly. So when she finds out I’m cheating, she won’t even think twice before divorcing me. And no one will be able to change her mind then... he smirked at his own thoughts.

“Hey man! Come back to earth!” Jake shouted, shaking Rumaan’s shoulders.

“Huh?” he looked at his friends, who were now eyeing him suspiciously.

“What are you hiding?” Jake asked suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Rumaan shrugged.

“Oh, don’t you dare lie to us. We know you better. When you first came back, you had a huge fight with your family and didn’t tell us why. We let it go then, but now we want answers,” Alex said firmly.

“Uh… actually…” Rumaan was about to respond, but his phone started ringing. He checked the caller ID and saw Marzi Aapi’s name. He answered the call immediately.

“Yes, Aapi? Do you need something?” he asked. Marziya often called him to bring things for her. She loved Rumaan as a cousin, but not exactly as her sister’s husband.

“No, I don’t need anything… Actually, I called to ask when you both are coming?” Marziya asked, slightly worried for her sister, who she thought was with him.

“Both?” he asked in confusion.

“Hana and you,” Marziya clarified.

Rumaan was puzzled for a moment, then it hit him. He was supposed to pick Hana up at 2 o'clock. It was now 3:30.

“Oh! Aapi, we’re on our way,” he replied quickly and ended the call.

“I have to go, guys. Bye,” he said, and without waiting for a response, he rushed out of the restaurant.

What the hell! How could I forget this!? This is my first step to win my family back. If they find out I forgot to pick Hana from college, they’ll be mad at me again. And I can’t let that happen. I need to convince Hana to lie for me…

He told himself, then sped off toward Hana’s college.

________

Hana was still sitting there, waiting for Rumaan, but he hadn't come yet.

"Hana, that's enough now. Please, let's go," Kulsum said gently. Hana looked at her with teary eyes.

"He will come, yaar… just ten more minutes, please," Hana pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion. It hurt that Rumaan hadn't come, but she still held onto hope that he would.

"Hana, but—" Kulsum was cut off by Hana’s sudden shout.

"He’s here!" Hana exclaimed joyfully as she saw Rumaan’s car approaching.

"I told you he would come! See, he’s here. I know my Maan—he must’ve been busy," she said happily, her eyes lighting up as Rumaan stepped out of the car and looked around for her. When their eyes met, Hana turned to Kulsum to say goodbye.

"Thank you for not leaving me alone… I love you. Take care. Bye!" she said and ran toward Rumaan.

"Hey," Hana greeted him with a wide smile.

"Hi… uh… Hana, wo… actually, I was…" He began to explain, but Hana interrupted him.

"No, Maan… it's okay. I don’t need any explanations. I know you must’ve been busy," she said with a reassuring smile. Rumaan took her hands in his.

"Yeah… actually, I was with Alex. He’s going through some family issues, so I had to be with him. But Hana, please don’t think I forgot to pick you up. You trust me, right?" he asked, his face tense with concern.

"Oh, Maan… I trust you. And InshaAllah, I’ll pray for Alex. He’ll be fine. Don’t stress yourself," Hana said softly, worry in her eyes.

They sat in the car, and Rumaan started the engine.

"But Hana… I’m going to say something. Marzi Aapi… I mean, she called me and I lied to her. I told her you were with me," he said with an apologetic look.

"Oh… um…" Before Hana could say anything, he continued.

"Can you please tell them that we went for lunch?" he asked with pleading eyes. Hana, being naïve and trusting, nodded quickly.

"Okay… I’ll tell them we went for lunch," she assured him with a small smile.

Rumaan sighed in relief.

***********

They arrived home with smiling faces—Hana was genuinely happy, while Rumaan wore his charming, fake smile. Everyone was pleased to see them happy together.

Hana told them they had gone for lunch. Shabana was delighted to see her son giving Hana a chance, while Marziya remained suspicious but said nothing, seeing her sister’s happiness.

Hana went to her room. She was feeling hungry—she hadn’t even eaten breakfast properly because of what had happened that morning.

But she had no choice. They believed she’d had lunch, so if she went to the kitchen for food, it would raise suspicion. She shrugged off the thought and went to take a shower.

After her shower, she came out of the bathroom and was startled to find Rumaan sitting on the couch.

"Umm… what are you doing here?" she asked, feeling a little nervous.

Rumaan was staring at her—she looked so tempting with wet hair and without her dupatta. When Hana realized she was standing in front of him without her dupatta, she hurried toward the couch where it was lying—right next to Rumaan. But before she could grab it, Rumaan snatched it up.

"Uh… Maan, please give me my dupatta," she pleaded, eyes cast down.

"No," he replied with a smirk. He loved this shy, nervous version of Hana—he couldn’t resist her. As he walked toward her, she grew alert and stepped back. Just as she was about to dash back to the bathroom, Rumaan grabbed her wrist.

"Maan, please…" she whispered, unable to meet his gaze. Her heart pounded in her chest.

He moved closer until her back touched his chest. She felt his breath warm against her exposed neck, and her breath caught in her throat.

"This morning, you said it’s not wrong for me to touch you… right?" he whispered near her ear. She nodded slightly.

"Then why do you need a dupatta in front of me?" he asked, kissing her ear. A shiver ran down her spine. He didn’t stop—he kissed her neck, and a soft gasp escaped her lips. Her eyes closed instinctively. Breathing in her scent, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck again. Feeling her shiver, he smirked, knowing his effect on her.

"Hana… why do you smell so good?" his husky voice whispered. She squirmed slightly.

"Please… Maan… leave me," she whispered, though her voice trembled. Her whole body tingled as Rumaan kissed her neck again and again. She tilted her head unintentionally, giving him more access. Her mind went blank—this was a new, foreign feeling. She didn’t know what to do. Her body no longer felt like her own. Her knees weakened, and she gripped Rumaan’s hands that were wrapped around her stomach.

"Ma.. Maan…" she breathed his name as he continued kissing the side of her neck, unwilling to let her go. He was lost in the moment too, the same strange sensation pulling him in.

Then—a knock at the door.

Hana’s eyes flew open as reality struck. Someone was at the door. She turned quickly, and Rumaan stepped back, his hands slipping away. Her face was flushed.

"Uh… I… I think… someone… Maan, what if they saw us?!" she stammered, panic rising in her voice. Rumaan smiled at her panic-stricken expression.

"The door is locked, Hana… they won’t come in unless you open it. Don’t panic. I’ll hide in your washroom. You open the door and send them away. I don’t want them to know I’m here," he said gently. She nodded, took her dupatta, and rushed to open the door.

"What were you doing?" Marziya asked as soon as Hana opened the door.

"Uh… umm… Aapi, I was… in the washroom," Hana stammered. Marziya noticed her flushed face.

"Why is your face so red? Are you blushing?" Marziya asked, suspicious

"What? No… no, Aapi," Hana laughed nervously and quickly rubbed her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I’m just not feeling well… maybe that’s why my face is red," she said, still clearly uneasy.

"What happened to you? Are you okay?" Marziya asked with concern, reaching out to touch Hana’s forehead.

"Aapi, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I just need some rest," she replied. Marziya still didn’t look convinced.

"Okay, take some rest," she said and walked away, shaking off her suspicions.

Hana sighed in relief and closed the door again.

She walked toward the bathroom and called out, "Maan… you can come out," then moved to sit on the couch.

Rumaan came out and saw Hana standing with her back toward him. He knew she was too shy now to face him. He was about to leave when he remembered the reason he had come.

"Hana, wo… actually, I brought you something," he said and picked up a plastic bag he had placed on the table near the couch. Hana turned to him, confused.

"Um… you lied for me, said we went for lunch… but you and I both know you didn’t eat anything. You must be hungry. So… I brought pizza for you," he said with a soft smile, handing her the bag.

Hana looked at him lovingly.

"Thank you, Maan," she said, her smile bright and heartfelt. She felt truly happy—he cared.

He leaned close to her, and her eyes widened slightly, unsure what he would do next. But he only whispered in her ear.

"Please try not to come in front of me after a shower… it drives me crazy. And if you do, don’t blame me if I lose control," he said and kissed her cheek before leaving the room.

Hana’s heart skipped a beat. As the door closed behind him, she dropped herself onto the couch and covered her face with her hands, blushing furiously.

"I love you, Maan," she whispered, feeling cherished and adored.

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