Ali lets out a sigh and replies." I'm not sure... we'll start new."
" You don't have a plan?" Usman looks at him surprised and confused Ali wasn't someone who acts recklessly, he always had a plan.
"No..." Ali says and looks away.
" And what about Aliyah..?" Usman asks.
..... Ali doesn't replies.
" She's waiting to marry you...you know, right?" He reminds him.
Ali looks at Usman. "So..? I didn't ask her to wait... I told her that I'm a horrible person...." He says trying to seem ruthless but there were cracks in his armour and Usman could see them easily.
Usman gets a little frustrated. " Ali, you are changing your profession now.. you can marry her." He tries to convince him. He couldn't understand why doesn't he wants to marry the love of his life. Ali never admitted that but..well said, "Love can't be found where it doesn't exist, nor can it be hidden where it truly does...."
Ali looks away. " Usman, I never gave her any hopes! And I told her one hundred times that I can't be with her!" He loudens his voice but it doesn't seem to affect Usman.
Usman just nods and puts his hand on Ali's shoulder.
"By the way Ali, I think you should at least ask her if she wants to stay here or not..." Usman says thoughtfully. "You're just assuming everything yourself... it'll hurt if everything didn't go your way..." He adds, trying to convince him.
.....
A few days later.....
Ali finds Noor crying at night. Ali's heart breaks at her tears. He walks over to her bed and sits near her. Noor didn't notice him, and continued sobbing silently.
"Noor....." Ali tries to get her attention.
She gets startled and looks up. "Uncle....." She starts wiping her tears. "You were awake....?"
Ali nods and wipes her remaining tears. "Crying isn't a bad thing...but hiding your tears is." Ali makes her sit. " Now tell me.. why were you crying?" He tries to sound as gentle as possible.
She doesn't respond and looks down.
"Do you miss your Dad?" Ali starts guessing.
"A little bit....." She says in a low voice.
Ali could feel her pain, he tries to smile. "I know you miss your parents a lot....." He says and pats her head.
Noor looks up. "Is that a ..bad thing?" She asks innocently.
"Who said that's a bad thing? My angel, I know it hurts..." He places his finger on her heart. "And it's okay to cry...and miss them. You know what it means when you miss them? It means that you tem very much." He takes her in his arms.
" Don't they miss me ..? You said they'll come in my dreams. But they didn't. Dad said that too. That mom will come to my dreams ..but see...they didn't." She says and she was about to cry again.
" Who says they didn't miss you?" Ali says.
" They didn't. That's why they don't come in my dreams." She says and her voice cracks.
"Noor, your parents loved you a lot and they miss you too. But they want you to learn to live without them. They'll come once you learn it." He says trying to cheer her up. "And till then I'll be here. I'll take care of you.... I'll be your Dad..." He says and ruffles her hair.
" You'll be... my Dad...?" She asks and looks up, tears forming in her dark brown eyes, she was hopeful and scared at the same time.
"Yes..why not? I'll be your Dad if you want me to...." He says with an encouraging smile.
She nods and tears escapes her eyes, she was scared but God knows why she felt like she could trust him. Ali wipes her tears and hugs her tightly. he was so happy that he wanted to scream and tell everyone. He picks her in his arms and twirls around.
Noor giggles forgetting her fears.
AFTER 8 YEARS.....
"Noor, hurry up and finish your break fast....." Ali says while washing dishes in the kitchen. Ali was 33 years old now. He was just like before but a little more handsome. His eyes held a storm and his presence commanding respect, he was cold to everyone except Noor. His playfulness was nowhere to be found anymore. And the most important thing he didn't marry anyone.
.....
8 years passed in a blink of an eye. Everything changed , wounds both healed and deepened. Noor learned to smile again... just not with her eyes. These years were difficult for her.
------
Years slipped by like pages in an old diary—quiet, worn, and filled with unspoken pain.
Ali looked at her and wondered how a girl so fragile could carry so much fire.
Noor grew up into a hauntingly beautiful girl. She was slim and her dark brown hair danced around her shoulders, never staying still, like her soul. Her eyes were deep, dark brown. They were soft at first glance, but if you looked closer, they held a storm she never spoke of, memories she could never forget. They were the eyes of someone who had lived a hundred lives in just sixteen years.
She had long and curled lashes and a face so innocent it could fool the world—but not him. He could see past every cover she put on.
To the world, Noor looked breakable.
To him, she was the strongest thing he'd ever seen.
Ali was engrossed in his thoughts, but Noor's voice snapped him out of it.
"I'm leaving, Dad....." She says as she stood up from the table.
"Wait... You didn't finish your breakfast." Ali stops her and walk towards her.
" I'm done. Who told you to make seven pancakes for me alone?" She says, trying to reason with him.
" Fine. But where are you going?" He gives in and asks.
" Don't worry... I'll be with Daniaal..." She says and walks out of the house without waiting for his answer. Ali shakes his head and removes his apron.