Chapter 12: Another Proposal

Haya's POV

"Who the hell was he?" I was shocked. Armaan had never used this kind of tone before. Atleast not with me. "I asked you something." He yelled when I failed to answer. He was really furious.

"I-I don't know who are ta-talking about."

"How many guys do you see that you have to ask who I am talking about." That was enough to infuriate me.

"You are insulting me now." I said through gritted teeth.

"Oh am I? Or are you insulting me by seeing other guys behind my back?"

"Seeing other guys?" I shouted but regretted it soon when someone mumbled something. I forgot there were other people there. I got up and quickly went out of the room.

"Yeah what else was it?"

"Oh wait wait wait did I ask you what you were doing meeting up with Ayesha or Esha or whoever?"

"So you do care who I hang out with?" He was mocking me.

"No I don't." I chewed out every word. "I am just saying that I do not ask you what you do you do not get to ask me either."

"You are my freaking wife. I will ask you whatever I want." Who does he think he is?

"You can ask whatever questions you want, I am not going to answer."

"Fine, don't. You are leaving that place and coming with me." This guy has serious issues.

"No I am not. I would never go with you anywhere." I shouted as quietly as I could.

"Then I will drag you with me. And do not forget, I own you and I can do whatever I want with you." Armaan spoke like it was no big deal.

"How dare you? You would do no such thing."

"So help me Haya." He spoke as if he was talking to a child. "Tell me what you were doing with him."

"What do you think huh? I was cleaning up your mess. He was going to tell Baba he saw you with me. What was I supposed to do? Let Faseeh do that?"

"Do not speak his name."

"Excuse me?"

"I said do not speak his name. I don't like it."

I was baffled for a moment. "Wait you can speak some random person's name, you can do whatever you want but I can not do the same?"

"Tell me to stop doing something and I will. You can ask me what I was doing and I will tell you and if you feel uncomfortable with that I will stop doing it." He said it like it was the easiest thing on the planet.

Well okay then. "Fine what were you doing with that girl you had lunch with?"

"Simple, I was having lunch with her."

"And why were you having lunch with her?"

"It was a business meeting, there were atleast a dozen other people in the room." Well there can be a million other, it's not like I care.

"I do not want you to meet her ever again."

"Fine, I won't. I will ask my manager to handle everything."

"I do not want you to have any kind of business with her." Take that.

"Okay if that would make you feel good, fine I will cancel all business with her." He was kidding right? "But-"

"But what?"

"But same goes for that guy, you will never be alone with him again or any other guy for that matter, except me of course."

"We were out in the open. You speak like we were locked up in a room."

"Whatever but that is not happening again."

"You are a control freak." I spat.

"Think whatever you want. And by the way don't be jealous, I know you love me too much but baby you should know I am all yours. Goodnight." He hung up before I could come up with any smart comeback.

I tried to burn my cell phone with my eyes but no luck there. Finally I returned back to my room. After tossing his present in the cupboard, I went to sleep. I was not going to spend my time thinking about that jerk.

I mean who does he think he is?

Your husband.

I glared at myself internally. He can not just go ahead and order me around. Jerk.

The next day, my mood was way worse. I even yelled at some kids for laughing. I seriously needed to stop letting Armaan get on my nerves. Just because he was being a complete idiot does not mean I had to take it out on someone else.

I tried to calm down. That day was the last day of Api Zainab's wedding and as much as I would like to say it was amazing. It was not. It was too hectic and just too eventful.

Not that I did not have any fun, but after the fun, I had to deal with some very non-funny things. And I was going to miss my sister so much. I know she would be just in the house next door but it's just not the same.

For Zainab Api it must be pretty good. I always thought I would get married without having to move a long way from home but Armaan had to ruin everything.

"You will never be alone with him." Looking in the mirror I imitated his voice. "You are my slave now. You will not do anything unless I say you will. You-"

"Who is your slave?" I turned around to see Dua, dressed up and ready to leave.

"Eh, no one just planning how I will console you tonight, now that Api Zainab is not here." Perfect save. I internally patted myself.

"You are going to make me your slave?" She asked without a single hint of fear or surprise.

"Yeah sweety now that Api Zainab is not here anymore, I can do whatever I want with you." I was trying to make my hair again. "Hey what's up with my hair these days? Why won't they quit being so stubborn?" Dua walked to me and took the brush from my hand.

"The problem is not your hair, it's you." She said as she finished with my hair.

"Umm excuse me?"

"You have not been you for a long time now. You have changed so much."

"No I have not." I tried to deny but she dropped the bomb.

"I heard you on the phone last night."

"What?" I took her hand and sat on the bed with her. "You did not tell anyone anything. Right?"

"I have not, but I am not sure if I should keep it to myself." She looked worried.

"I know all you heard was a little suspicious but what you think might not be true."

"Might not be?"

"Because I don't know what you are thinking."

"Okay then tell me who were you talking to."

"Fareeha?" It sounded like a question even to me.

"Fareeha?" Dua asked with disbelief.

"Yeah."

"You were asking Fareeha to stay away from a girl?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds weird but best friends get jealous sometimes." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Now you have started lying to me?" I stared at me incredulously. "What business does Fareeha have with a girl?"

"The girl is not a good person." I tried to explain.

"Haya I know Fareeha left early that night, there is no way she would come back but then you appeared with Faseeh. I know you were talking to Faseeh last night out alone-"

"We were out in the open." I gritted my teeth.

"Whatever and last night you were talking with someone and now Faseeh wants to talk to you."

"What? Faseeh? Where is he?"

"Yes, he asked me to tell you he is down in the living room."

"I gotta go."

"Haya wait." Dua called after me but I was not listening. Faseeh was sitting on a couch. There were just some other kids playing nearby.

"Finally you came." Faseeh said standing up. "Come on."

"Where?"

"Outside. Someone might hear something here."

"Yeah about that, can we talk on the phone?" I have no idea why I said that.

"Is there a problem?"

"No," I tried to shrug it off. "It's just that I do not want anyone to have any... umm... any wrong ideas."

"Oh yeah okay." He nodded. "Yeah you are right. I should have been more... umm... more-"

"Careful?"

"Yeah careful. Alright I will talk to you after the wedding."

"Yeah sure." I said and walked back.

I did the right thing and I did not do it because Armaan asked me to. No. I did it because I had some morals left and also there were a lot of people around and once one of them gets any dirt on you, you are screwed for life.

I was chatting with my cousins when Armaan called again. I frowned at his name and then put the phone down. It stopped ringing then after a minute it beeped to indicate a message.

I opened it to see a picture of myself sitting where I was sitting. I looked around but he was not anywhere. My phone rang again. Excusing myself I got up to answer.

"How did you get my picture?" I tried to keep my voice low.

"I have my ways." He seemed so at ease.

"Is it that girl again? Dammit who is she and why the hell she follows me everywhere? I swear if I see her one more time, I am killing her."

"She does not follow you anywhere."

"Yeah I believe you." I said sarcastically.

"Good." He replied in the same tone.

"Why did you call?" I snapped.

"You are still mad at me for yesterday?"

"Why did you call?" I repeated.

"Because I miss you and I wanted to tell you that you look lovely and that hair pin is looking amazing in your hair."

Wait what? "What hair pin?"

"The one I gave you."

"What?" I yelled drawing attention to myself so I turned down my volume. "I am not wearing it."

"Yes you are."

"Damn you Dua."

"Why are you cursing your sister?" He asked.

"Because she is the one who did it, not me so do not think that I wanted to wear it."

"I never said you did." I could hear his smile. "I just said it looks amazing."

"Whatever."

"Honey, you are still mad at me?"

"Do not call me honey, call your other women that." I was surprised I still remembered he called Areeba that.

"So you are admitting you are my woman?" Gosh he was so irritating.

"I gotta go."

"Okay I wanted to say sorry for last night, I don't know what got over me so I am sorry."

"Hmm. Bye." I hung up. How can someone be so annoying. I went back to my cousins but I was constantly on the lookout for that girl but I saw her nowhere. Ammi and Dua cried when Zainab Api was officially gone. I had tears in my eyes but refrained from spilling them. Thus ends the time of me having two roommates.

"Hey." I was sitting on the floor of my room when Dua walked in with two mugs of coffee.

"You really do not want to sleep?" I asked her. "It has been three days since any of us got proper sleep."

"Yeah, I am sure and young lady you have got some explaining to do." She said sitting down next to me.

"Oh I was hoping you would forget about that."

"Is it Faseeh?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean do you like Faseeh?"

"Hell no. Wy would you think that?"

"Because you have been seeing him a lot lately and I know something is fishy so I assumed..."

"You assumed wrong." I said putting aside my coffee. "He is just helping me with something and I most certainly was not with him that night."

"Then who?" I gave her a look. "Oh come on, I am your sister."

"Fine I will tell you." I agreed. "But, first you have to promise me that this would stay between us and only between us. You will not tell Ammi or Baba not even Api Zainab."

"Did you do something bad?" Dua asked in a disturbed voice. "Of course you did. You were out all night."

"No I did not. Okay. It was morally and ethically fine. Though it may have been bad. I do not know okay? Just promise me you would not tell anyone."

She thought about it for a minute then finally agreed.

"I was with Armaan that night."

"WHAT?" Her eyes were as wide as saucers. "You were with who?"

"Calm down. Someone will hear you."

"Calm down? You know how much Baba despises that man and still you hang out with him and you freaking spent a night with him? What is wrong with you?"

"It was not my fault okay." I tried to defend myself.

"Not your fault? Did he drag you with him? And how is it morally or ethically fine?"

"As a matter of fact he did drag me, literally and figuratively. And it is morally and ethically fine because I am married to him."

"WHAT?!" She shrieked.

"Hey bring your volume down a notch."

"You are married to him?" She spoke each word as if I was handicapped. "How?" Once again I told her the whole story excluding only the murder and definitely giving her more details than I gave Faseeh.

"Okay." Dua held up her hands after I told her everything. "I know it is a little bit creepy but I think he is kind of sweet."

"Sweet? Yeah right."

"I mean come on atleast your life is more interesting than mine would ever be in the coming seven to eight years and by all that you said he has always treated you nicely and you even slept with him." She said in a teasing tone.

"Do not make it sound like something it is not. And just a while ago, you were all like Baba despises him and now what happened?"

"Eh," she grinned. "That was when I thought he was using you for revenge against Baba but now I know he is hopelessly in love with my sister so I totally approve." She was nodding like an idiot.

"And that reminds me, why did you put that pin in my hair?" I silently yelled at her.

"It looked beautiful, I did not know he gave it to you." She still had that stupid grin. "Ya Allah I am so happy thank you for giving me two brothers at once. Oh I am so lucky."

"Stop it now. Just stop it. If you were in my shoes then you would understand." I was irritated now.

"Okay so how was the kiss?" She seemed like a child on Christmas.

"Ew just stop it now. Understand where the line is."

"Oh come on. I am your sister." She whined.

"I do not remember. Just drop it."

"Fine." She pouted.

"I am not going to tell you no matter what."

"Ugh fine. I do not know what Armaan Bhai saw in you. You are so boring."

My phone rang. Armaan! Why can't he just leave me alone?

"Is it him? Is it him?" Dua was literally jumping up and down. "Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up."

"Shhh calm down. Jeez." I picked up his call. "Hello?"

"Hi. How are you?" He was definitely happy about something.

"Is there a specific reason you called?"

"Yeah I-"

"Hey lemme talk to him. Please Haya please." Dua was begging in a not so quite whisper.

"Who is that?" Armaan asked.

"No one. You were saying?"

"Haya come on please." Dua was tugging on the phone now.

"Calm down will you?" I was getting irritated now.

"Haya who is it?"

"I said no one."

"Haya please?" Dua asked with her best sad expression.

"Fine." I said through my teeth. "Here."

"Hello? I am Dua... No only me... I am fine. How about you?... Haya has been talking non-stop about you... But I did not even attend it... Okay I would love that... Sure that would be great. Here Dua." She handed me back the cell phone.

"I will send you the pictures." Armaan said.

"What pictures?"

"Our wedding pictures. Dua wants to see them.

"You are so annoying." I told Dua then turned back to the phone. "You called because?"

"Yeah I wanted to ask you are you free this Tuesday?"

"No."

"Can you go out for lunch with me?"

"No."

"Sweet, I will see you on Tuesday. Love you. Bye." I put the phone down.

"Why would you ask him for the pictures?" I glared at Dua.

"Because I was not at the wedding, the least I can do is watch the pictures."

"You are so annoying." I told her again.

"I know. And he is also sending me chocolates. Ahmed Bhai already said he would bring some for me tomorrow. Oh I am so lucky."

My phone rang again. "He called again." Dua squealed as she ran to my cell phone. "Oh it's just Faseeh."

"Hello?" I said picking up the call.

"Hi. Haya are you free?"

"Yes."

"Okay I wanted to talk about Armaan Malik. Did you think about what you are going to do?" Faseeh asked.

"Umm no not yet."

"I have been thinking about it and I also did some research on Armaan. Haya he is not a good person. I do not think you should live with him for any period of time. I think you should ask for divorce."

"But then everyone would know about it." That is what I was worried about.

"No one needs to know about it. I have a plan. No one not even your parents would know anything."

"That is not possible." I disagreed.

"That is. No one would know but-"

"But what?"

"But you would have to marry me."