Elysian

The One Where He Asks

There was no sound except of their breathing and the sound of the car running. Jannat sat stiff, yet she was sinking in the large front seat of Azlaan's car.

Wearing the same whute embroidered Shalwar Kameez, she sat with her hair now open and sheilding her face. Some strands tickled her lips, while others rested at the nape of her neck. Her ivory skin was glowing, the moon in her large eyes shining bright. Her lips were a little more rouge than before, tinted with the colour of blood, the colour of love.

Her french tipped finger brushed a strand of hair from her nose, her feet encased in embellished sandals tapping against the mat in the car as she shyly gazed at him.

Azlaan sat beside Jannat, his concentration straight ahead as he drove with one hand, the other leisurely sitting on his thigh. Now wearing black T shirt that stretched across his broad frame and its thin material molded around the muscles on his back.

"So... What happened with Ibraheem?", Azlaan pronounced, his sudden words heavy.

Jannat stilled. For a second she thought.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Just thought he- Nevermind." Azlaan thought it was better to ask Ibraheem about it as he didn't know if Jannat knew about what happened last time or not.

"Ibraheem bhai is just a little tense. He'll come around. Don't worry." Jannat assured him. He sure will come around.

"I wasn't worrying-" he laughed a hollow laugh, "but thankyou."

Soon the exchange evaporated in the air and they reached their destination.

The car stopped and Azlaan ran to the other side, being the most chivalrous as he opened the door of Jannat. His hand extended and Jannat blushed. Her tiny ivory hand, with long fingers perfectly carved and fingernails sporting a fresh manicure rested on his hand.

She stepped out and followed him to the ice cream bar.

After ordering their ice cream, they sat on a table secluded by a pillar.

Jannat failed to notice due to her nervousness, but across from her sat a young couple. The boy's back to her and the girl wearing an abaya. The niqaab covered her face and the boy sported a horrible wig. They both giggled after an interval.

Jannat bit into her strawberry ice cheesecake cream which she took in a cup as she never liked the waffle cones. So did Azlaan but his ice cream was Vanilla.

Azlaan leaned towards Jannat as he sat on the red chair of the ice cream bar, his muscles clenching.

"Do you like it? "

"Yes. Do you?", Jannat let the ice cream freeze her tongue.

"Mhmm. But your looks better"
His arm extended and his tiny spoon dipped into her ice cream. Then he licked it off his spoon as Jannat blushed a colour more red than the real strawberry chunks in her ice cream.

"Hmm. It's good."

She stayed quiet even though she knew she should've offered it to him.

"Uh... Jannat? Are you okay with this? His hands gestured between both of them as he hinted at their relationship.

"Eating ice cream? " ,Jannat smiled, her lips parting like clouds.

Azlaan's brows furrowed and his upper teeth bit into his lower lip.

"No. With us. Are you okay with our engagement?"

Jannat's eyes left his and were quick to lower themselves, her hand clasping her dupatta.

His head leaned a little more forward, arms resting on the table, ice cream forgotten.

His ears catched a low 'I don't know' whispered by her lips.

Leaning a bit more forward, he whispered against her ear,
" But I need an answer. That, too, right now."

She shook her head in no again.

"Is that a no? " , his eyes watched her from above, her hair covering her face.

She shook her head again.
"Is that a yes, then?" His voice so low and deep, it vibrated her ear drum, but not the cords of her heart which had already vibrated for someone else once.

She remained still. Her hands clasping the pearl on her dupatta.

"I'll take that as a yes."

He leaned back, a smug smile playing across his lips as he checked his phone.

And muffled laughter echoed on the table behind them as the boy and the girl left.

//////////

The car stood on the roadside, it's bonnet up and Azlaan behind it.
Jannat sat in the car as Alzaan talked on the phone to Ibraheem who told them to wait as he was coming to pick them up.

The blasted car had died down, Azlaan couldn't make the engine work and didn't know any mechanic in the foreign city.
He had apologised profusely even though it was not his fault at all.

The road was more or less empty. Jannat jerked in fear as someone tapped her window.

It was Azlaan who gestured her to lower the window. He crouched down, his head inside the car and arms folded in the bottom of the car window. He rested his head on his arms.

His face was so close to her and Jannat could see every line, every freckle on his face. His stubble scratched his arms, the golden band on his finger glinting.

"Hey."

He smiled such a boyish smile. Jannat's heart fluttered. His grey eyes were stormy but tired. Just how the storm slows down after devastating a whole city.

Before she could reply, a loud honking made him jerk his head back, hitting against the top of the car as Jannat tried to control her laughter.

Ibrahim walked swiftly towards them, stopping a feet away. Still in his black suit but without the jacket, his black vest hugging his muscular torso encased in a matte black button down shirt. His black slacks fitted his long legs as he stood before them. He didn't even look at Jannat but talked to Azlaan and phoned the driver to pick Azlaan's car up and get it fixed.

Azlaan moved towards Ibraheem's car and Jannat stepped out. She tried to walk past him swiftly but his black eyes held hers as a spiders web entangles the fly that dares to come near it.

His eyes accused her of things she didn't even commit. His soul accused her's of the actions she never even thought of doing.

His dark eyes, in which many had burned and died, assessed her from top to bottom.

"Dupatta."

He ordered. His voice firm and the iron in it striking against the nail on her heart.

Her hands jolted up and draped the dupatta over head, eyes lowered as she stepped passed him and into his car.

////////