Veil upon veil, thought upon thought Let go of them all, For they only hide the truth.

~ Rumi
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My hushed whispers echoed in the soundles room filled with the  warmth of a blazing heater as I whispered talked to dani making sure Daud won't get disturbed.

"Okay fine give me two minutes" I murmured turning around to fetch my shawl,,I nearly screamed seeing two big eyes blinking with curiosity as I tried to tame my wild heart.

"Where are you going?"he sat abruptly

"Uh Daud sleep I will be back soon baby".I smiled

"But where are you going ?"his small frame now stood in front as he eyed  me with peculiar gaze.

"Uh I have some work Daud" I assured
"Can I come with you to dani bhai's collage to" he pleaded as I stood shocked at his revelation

Smart kid.

Or a dumb me ?

"Daud I don't think:

"Apii please pleasereeeeeeeeee" he pouted making my heart melt.

"Okay change quick" I instructed  ,earning a loud cheer

"Shhh Daud, you have to be quiet i placed my hand on his mouth" as he bobbed his small head,running towards his room.

we shivered in the embrace of chill air ozing from the white snow which was blanketed  all around inviting, as well as warning of its true self.

"Is the little turtle coming to" Dani pulled Dauds cap making him scowl.

"Yup" I cheered taking his small gloved hand in mine

"Hey sana and Annie" I  waved who were  huddled together due to cold.

"You two look cute!" I giggled taking in there apperance.I couldn't blame them
It's was the demand of the current weather .

"I can't wait to show you all the stalls at the fare" Annie grinned.

"Wow it's a fare at collage ?"I asked surprised.

"Yes that's why everyone is allowed" Dani gave me a meaningful glance.

So he hasn't told them the main reason

"Hurry now !just pass this gate and we are safe" Dani ushered.

"But We have asked our parents"

"Yeah but they don't know we will leave this early!we have no choice its loaded with snow and it will take time to reach there. Besides granny doesn't know "He smiled sheepishly

"Finger on your lips" he ordered as we started walking towards the main gate

It seemed like we were doing something illegal

"Thump!"  a loud voice screeched making us jump.

"it was only the swing of the door" sana assured gesturing us to continue

Glancing at all the sides dani slowly opened the door only to halt the next minute

"No!"he grumbled under his breath

"What happened?" we asked confused  when gradually  the door flew open revealing Hina api and Umar

Great.

"What are you doing here?" Dani questioned confident.

"I could ask you all the same" Umar said  scrutinizing us all.

"I think I asked you all something?"He asked graveLy

"We uh we came outside to play snowball fight" Annie covered demonstrating the act on Dani as he scolded.

Why are they scared?.

"So well dressed you all came to play in snow ?this early?,sounds amazing!"he said sarcastically .

"Areesha you to ?" he stepped ahead.

"So what Umar !I also want to play hina api stalked the ball at Asad bhai.making us laugh seeing his reaction.

"You are not going to get away easily Mrs Asad" he said shoving a whole chunck making her squeal.

I pressed my lips  to stop my erupting giggle as Daud threw a small ball at Umar.

"Apiiiii" he screeched hiding behind as Umar stalked towards us .

"Your api can't save you little minx" he chortle picking him up and  swinging him in the air

"Ya Allah Umar he is a small kid not a balI" I exclaimed

"Just a small kid" he scoffed doing it again.making Daud scream  with delight

"Umar please" I pleaded

"Fine" he said shoving him down as daud wobbled and bumped in to me

"Nice to see you so early" Umar whispered with a strong demeanor as I lowered my gaze with blazing cheeks catching hina api's smirk

"Come inside now its cold" Umar advised.his gaze fixed on me

"Yes let's move inside" dani winked.

"Dont try to go out now,you will get sick. I have work will catch you all shortly" Umar hurried towards his room attending a call clearly hinting a hidden warning

"I will bring the car at the back sneak from there" dani whispered

"Are you sure dani" I asked contemplated.

"Yes! I am" he nodded running away

I still had a little doubt. seeing mummy I ran towards her.

"Mummy I can go to the fare with them right ?"

"Yes beta go ,you will love it but make sure to come early  before your granny finds out "she grinned making me confident.

"Okay ALLAH hafiz."I waved

I wonder if she knows who all are going and who doesn't even know yet!!

****

The entrance of the ground looked wonderful decorated with many colourful stalls.which portrayed the culture and tradition of many areas.as we entered into the welcoming fare

We busied ourself enjoying  all the small events taking place around

From a  stall of  hand made accessories to  delicious delicacies all  were   gathered one after the other showcasing  their skills of  different arts and talents

We passed through all of them worked up to endeavor all

"You see that welcome board it was designed by our group" dani boasted

"It looks uh unique" I tried to smile seeing the colourful board decorated with all the cans and toys.

"Daniyal" a lady waved making her way towards us.

"Could this day get any worse" he huffed.

"You came with family" she analyzed  scaring us by her strong gaze.

"Uh yeah " he scratched his head.

"Nice to meet you all" she smiled

"I wanted to meet you personally sana! Your brother is a pain in the neck" she huffed.as we suppressed our laughter seeing his face.

"Is he now" sana glared.

"Yes and he has invented a new way off:

"Uh mam we will discuss this later ,what did you made today we would love to try it "he changed the topic.

"You are only being let off because of your good result ,next time I am visiting your home" she warned.

"You think I will give the right address" dani said under his breath

"Come on now taste my recepie of home made sandwiches" she ushered

"She is a torture I tell you" dani grumbled when out if sight.

"Respect dani" we corrected as he rolled his eyes.

"Where is she?"I whispered.

"She isn't here yet" he whispered back making me nod.

"Let me show you around ladies" he chirped
As we followed his lead.

I could see he had a good company of friends,after dani's once explanation they stayed far away  giving us enough comfort

It was my first time in a fare and I was loving it ,most of the candidates wore their traditional clothes introducing exquisite delicacies of different kinds.

A small group of children danced around with colourful embroidered frocks ,simple rides for kids were displayed which daud enjoyed a lot.

Even the artist painted their canvas depicting there own  culture.

We visited almost all the stalls praising and buying different stuffs and most of all we were the profitable customers of tamarind stalls.,we eat it in every round enjoying it's sourness melting in our taste buds ..

Dani tried almost all the costumes for us at the international dress code stall attracting people around,he would go in a small tent and walk out like a model doing different stunts and poses  making us laugh but the most hilarious one being the long girly frock which we made sure to take a picture of.

Giggling and laughing we made it through the  stall which captioned a certain mam of dani from whom  he either hid or ran before us.

The last visit to tamarind stall made it unstoppable to laugh as the person gave us a scared impression before handing us the last packets

"You guys are jinns of tamarind" dani made a face.

"And you are the princess of balochistan" Annie giggled reminding of of his model show.

"Shut up" he grumbled turning red.

From sourest to sweetest we tried everything possible .

"May Allah bless your throats" Dani wished

Seeing different shows and teasing each other we totally forgot about the time as it started to turn darker.

" she is here with her parents "he huffed making me chuckle

"Can't we meet than ?"

"Not in front of parents I want to make a good impression" he groaned

"Everything happens for the best I consoled ,at least show me who is she".

"She went in the opposite direction if she comes here I will" he smiled

"And Areesha thanks" he said awkwardly

"For what enjoying ,I had a great time so  thank you "

"What is happening here" Annie asked curious

"Nothing.It's 4 pm and the ride home is long let's go now" dani stated

"We already missed 2 calls from granny" he added

"Just that iced slushy"we whined as dani huffed giving in.

"We promise we will go home after it" sana assured .

"Three slushy 's please "

"which flavours" the person asked

"Um all" I answered.

"Make it four"  came a voice halting
us.

No no no it can't be ,he didn't knew

"Umar bhai what a pleasant surprise" dani chuckled nervous as we three didn't dared  to look back our hearts thundering with each beat.

"Areesha is there time to run" Annie whispered nervous

"I don't think so" .

"Which flavours sir" the man asked.Umar.

"All" he answered standing beside me completely aware of our terrified state.

"Why you all three seem like you have seen a ghost" he tilted his head making me step back .

The man look confused but resumed his work after a second.

"You all do know that you are in deep trouble" he threatened

"We were just going to leave" sana spoke.

"Yeah it was the last stop" dani added.

"I will talk to you all at home" he pointed glancing at them

"Reach home before 30 minutes" he ordered

"As for you come with me" Umar pointed making me pale.

"But I want:

"Areesha this second "

"He will.not say anything if you go" Annie assured.

I hope so

"Come Daud "I stuck my hand

"You bought him to" he scolded making daud flinch.

"Yes and please you are scaring him" I answered

"30 minutes" he warned  as he roughly grabbed dauds hand hoisting him up

"Let me go to Apiii" he whimpered seeing his scary glare.

"Shut up"

"Come here Daud" I confidently stood infront of a scowling Umar awfully terrified from inside

He jumped out snuggling close to me

"Isn't Daud a strong baby "I cooed inside his ear as.He.shook his head.

I didn't knew how much further i would be able to carry him ,our legs were sore from continuous walking already as I became breathless in just few steps.

"I won't eat you Daud come here" Umar.suddenly  took him from.me dismissing his  protest as he patted his back to calm him down.

If only you wouldn't have scared the kid.

Soundlessly quiet winds ,hummed along the streets along  roaring cars.
As  a  beautiful night awoke bringing with it a novel glint .
Claded in the cold clouds snuggled stars therein. hard to locate the twinkling beings as the moon shone with new adversity.

For some the hidden stars could hold totally different meaning but for me they depicted to be frightened because of the heavy clouds

Scared was I of his reactions but was terrified of his sudden quietness

Seeing him anyone could guess he wasn't pleased at all yet he choosed to stay silent granting me the feelings of uneasiness

On the other thought I should be relaxed but I wasn't his calm yet rigid stance spoke volume in the dark night of the cold sky.

Moments passed to  Seconds,while seconds turned in to minutes no one  spoke even poor Daud slept probably scared of his wrath.

"You said you will accept my choices if I speak to you politely and I don't remember shouting at you or ordering you not to go !"his voice ignited through the silence as he questioned monotonous

"Are you mad?"I spoke breaking the thundering feeling

"Yes I am mad that's what you think isn't it ?"he side glanced.his eyes cold perhaps more than the weather

"No I meant are you angry!"I corrected.with a polite stance

"Should I be happy !"he raised his eyebrow .my words not affecting even a bit

Maybe I forgot who I was talking to

"Answer me ?"he demanded after a pace of shivered second

"Umar I asked my mother before coming and I think that was enough" I responded  confident yet  scared due to his strong personality which  even the car didn't failed to  depict at the moment

"I am talking about me right now,?not your mother !"he stated without a hint of warmness in the said words

"A mother knows best for her child."I reasoned

"And I know what's bad for you" he retorted.

"But we really had fun."I pointed

"I saw that" he gritted clutching the steering wheel deliberately making me shift in the seat ,
he had the tendency of making me sweat despite of the weather just because I was afraid of the stunt he could pull.

"You will not tell to granny is it?"I bit my lip.this was the main reason of being scared

"Areesha you have two choices either comply with  all my demands or  step ahead in our relationship so I don't have to listen to the excuse that I am no one to order" he said making me gulp

"Umar going to the fun fair isn't a big deal as you are making it ! Can't I go anywhere I like !"I asked agitated

"Did you see the time Areesha!it's not dubai

It's only 4pm

"Directly after maghrib it turns dark and even  more sinister  due to clouds.not to forget  the slippery snow do you think it's safe for all of you to stay there till this time!"he flared
"Many car slips on the way and there is a huge difficulty in driving,both due to snow and darkness "

"There are so many random people at the fare ,and you were three girls with only dani and a kid " he glared

"Have you seen the crowd you could have got lost easily"

"You are a young girl not grown up to make your own decision because they are stupid In the name of fun he growled."as I lowered my gaze not knowing what to say

He was right in a way my heart reasoned while my mind said otherwise

"I thought you were enough wise to make a right decision" he accused

"I am sorry" I accepted not wanting to say anything.

"Well keep your sorry with you "He dismissed pressing the gas pedal a little more than required

"Umar."I called reluctant

"Areesha be quiet" he ordered making me sigh.

"Don't speed "I scolded as he raced through the traffic.

"Umar I am scared stop this "my heart raced while he didn't even payed a heed to my demands

"Umar "I shrieked closing my eyes when I was certain we are going to hit the truck.

I sighed opening  My eyes when a clear view came ahead.But my heart never seized to beat with its full force

"Umar we have Daud with us he is our responsibility stop this foolishness."I frowned having enough of his stubbornness

"Who told you to bring him with you?"he fired.

"Why are you still angry I admitted my mistake what more do you want ?"

"I want your acceptance "

hain?

"For what?"

"Have you accepted me ?"he asked sharply

"Of course "

"It doesn't looks like it ,tell me Areesha could anyone predict our relation just by seeing us ,even some of  the family members are in  doubt" .He gritted slowing the car.

"What do you mean?"

"Fiancè is a far away thing do you even act as a cousin around me"

"The moment I stand next to you ,seems like you saw a ghost "

"That's not true" I defended

"I am not lying" he glared.

"I have accepted you Umar and I would've been the same with any other."

"Don't talk about other besides would it have killed you if you had just informed me about your trip."

"But"

"Living in the same house being your soon to be husband I think I have the right" he cut me off.

"But than you wouldn't have allowed "I murmured

"Did you even asked me to know the answer" he grunted.

"Let's please forget this and it wasn't their fault would you save them from granny" I asked preplexed.

" For you I shall ,now Compose yourself before we get home," he stopped the car parking at a hill

"I am fine."

"You look like you have just stepped out of horror house" he said trying to stop the smile.

Well whose fault is it

"I do not" I defended

"Come out" he opened the door making me shiver due to the sudden coldness.

"But they will reach before us than and granny!"I reasoned stepping out making sure Daud is asleep.

"I have messaged then to have dinner in the hotel we will meet them there " he answered as his hair flew in all directions fogging his frame due to sudden wind.

"Then they must be waiting"

"Let them" he stated gesturing me to walk.

"Are you still angry ?"I asked walking beside

He just gazed at me without a word.

"Don't look at me like that" I spoke after a minute.

"Why are you afraid I will cast an evil eye on you" he smirked.

"Nope" I shook my head with a light chuckle 

"Shouldn't we head back:"

"After spending hours with them dare say a word to be here" he narrowed his eyes making me shut.

"This is beautiful" I said abruptly changing the topic

"Let me show you something more  beautiful" he instructed pointing a little further.

"You didn't had to apologize Areesha just don't leave without informing I don't like you.being without me"he said calmly

"You wouldn't stop than" I.asked hesitant.

"I will take you myself" he answered

"See ahead" he pointed while  I was in deep turmoil of my thoughts

"Areesha" he clicked his fingers

"Uh yes "

"Someone is lost in my thoughts" he mused

"I I was um I .I  rambled

"See that" he chuckled shaking his head

I stood perplexed seeing the beauty o ahead .

A vast land  covered with heavy clouds as the  city lights peeked through them while  they motioned relaxed being  in their own  trance
It looked like we were above the sky and clouds beneath us just like a magical moment taking us in the  trance of Allah's magnificent nature.

A sudden aghast of winds blew as thick clouds surrounded making me amaze with their smoky softness around my skin.

"These are clouds" I whispered excited touching the foogy beauty.

"They are" came umar's voice as he stood just a little far .

I had never experienced such adventure to see the clouds not just beneath but around me in a stray night with a frosted wind admist the city lights.

"It's amazing Umar SubhanAllah" I orated still grasping to the sudden moment.

"Like you yes" he nodded coming closer.

His eyes held a glint of sparkle created by the iced wind with a mixture, of new emotion which he tend to experience in her tender presence.

"I love your smile more than your frown" Umar grinned as I lowered my eyes with a small smile.which I made sure to cover with all my power

"So tell me your adventures I would love to hear them "

"Um everything was fun" I answered reluctant

"Be free Areesha for once I want you to orate everything without a reluctance please" he emphasized with an encouraging nod.

"Well,there was ......

Umar gazed at her with a constant smile admist the clouds,her fragile form stood in  a graceful way she looked no less than a princess belonging to his kingdom.
The way her hands emphasized her excitement,her lips orating every word with a soft whisper and a twinkle in her eyes which grew brighter with passing second.as her musings without him made him a little jealous which flew away with her soft giggle which he was able to witness in such an incredible artistry of nature.

He wished  next time he could actually hold those soft hands  ,with her same twinkle and smile but for him at the same place at the same time being solely his.

He was sure his anger wouldn't subsidies for a day or two but now there was no trace of it to begin with

What is she doing to me? he thought trying to take a peak at her shy eyes which mostly never lifted to look as he wished to but it attracted him more making him quizzical

"Let's go" was her last words before they headed home.

****

Gathered in my room we all were sharing our fruity memories made back at the fare as Hina and  Kiran api.seemed to  enjoyed our adventure.

Thankfully we all were saved , they were .curious but  no one questioned us on being late satisfied that we were with Umar .making me quizzical though,how can they be so sure for us to be safe of with him .

But nonetheless it was our mistake of being this late

"What did you do to Umar he wasn't in a good mood when he left ?"Hina api smirked.

"Oh yeah he was literally fuming  when he met us .but after being with her there was a 370° change "Annie explained dramatically.

"Tell us Areesha how did you cool his anger.?"Kiran api winked

"Apiiii" I chided

"Oh no she must have said .my life please forgive me for staying away from you how can I explain how much I missed you in these few hours" .Hina api giggled as I stuffed my face in the near by pillow groaning at her remarks

"Or you tried the emotional trick bringing tears to your eyes,and a  quiver to lips  which made him melt as a puddle" Kiran api mocked.

"Nah I am sure she didn't because seeing someone cry just makes Umar more frustrated" Hina api chuckled .p
"But she could have said those three magic words to make him this happy" she wiggled her eyebrows

"You people are wrong her smile is enough for him" dani came with a parcel in hand.

"Danii" I glared.my cheeks on flame

"Correct it me if I am wrong than" he wiggled his eyebrow

"Ever heard to knocking" Annie frowned

"Ever learnt to close the door" he retorted making us laugh.

"This is for you !it's ice slushy a thanks giving for saving us" he grinned

"You didn't have to dani we were all in it together,"

"But how did you bought it ?"

"I am a super man after all" he boasted

"Where was this super man when Umar bhai showed up" Annie scoffed

"I wasn't scared I was just practicing silent treatment" he defended.

"Where is sana Dani?"I changed the topic.

"She is with mom I guess

"And Get ready for a certain someone tomorrow"he added

"Who "we asked

"You will see"he winked

,"so ladies I will be retiring for the night and whoever gets a sour throat tomorrow do not and I mean it do not bang my door" he grinned running away.

"Next time take us too you disloyal chipmunk" Asad bhai voiced

"I am not a chipmunk "came his loud voice making us laugh as the night finally called us towards its peacefulness taking us in a deep embrace of a dream filled slumber.

What held in future was still uncovered ,being in the present and enjoying it's offerings seemed more preferable.as the past lay hidden sometimes to collide with the present to have its share in future.

Nonetheless no one could deny the deep seed planted today in the cold arena with a shower of affection and rays of care ,it only depended on the pace of its  growth,the outcome could  be a beautiful flower with just fragrance of its natural being....Or a wild tree standing strong on a winter night.

Assalam o alikum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuhu

So who do you think is going to come.

How was the chapter ,I am excited to know your views.

Dedicated to💖💖💖💖bintejunaid,ainu_kawal,jia492,@aqsamohsin.hajrah99
💖💖💞💞💖💖💖💖💖💖

Keep smiling,and take care.