Disclaimer

The main theme of this story is 'how to have a healthy relationship' and not 'how a pious muslim is like'.

The best stories are those which are a mix of fiction and reality, and as such this story has some hints of fiction, mixed with the real story.

Therefore, I have no intention to promote adultery or zina through my characters.

They are just fictional characters whose identities aren't solely based on their belief system or religion. Instead, they are just like every other common person, where their personality and mentality plays a big role. Also, they aren't representing their religion.

You will get see them talking about their Islamic beliefs because they resonated with them and it made sense to them. Hence they express their thoughts gradually about it.

However, their actions will be contradictory to the real Islamic beliefs and system but that will reflect them as a person and not Islam as a religion. So the things characters are saying are accurate to Islamic beliefs to the best of my knowledge and experience, but their actions are not.

Thus, main focus of the story is to teach youngsters how to maintain boundaries, personal space, and understanding between them.
This is not an idealistic story with perfectionism, but a realistic story with real challenges.

Thankyou

Hope you'll like this chapter!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hayat's POV

I was already having doubts about us, but the moment he asked me for a meetup, the doubts increased at the next level.

And the moment he asked me, "what do you think about meeting in a room?," my doubts sky rocketed.

.
.
.

It was the 6th of December 2021, one of the cold winter evenings, when I was roaming around the terrace, talking to him on call.

"I have a question," he said.

"Yeah go ahead."

"Will you be fine if I hold your hand or something?"

"Something as in?"

"Like waist, or back. You know any physical touch?"

My cheeks warm up as the image formed in my mind about his arm around my waist. "Umm okay." I mumbled.

"And if, by any chance, a moment arises, can we kiss?"

I have always daydreamed about it, but didn't expected to happen. Especially after everything.

"Umm alright."

"And if we went beyond the kiss?"

"That depends on the flow of the situation." I chuckled.

"Okay," he spoke with a low chuckle, "and if the flow didn't stopped?

"We'll see when it happens."
He must be asking in general about these stuffs, I thought.

"Okay."

"But if I'll say to stop, you have to respect my decision."

"Okay. Agreed."

"Hmm"

We talked about here and there and some more hypothetical situations when he asked me, "So, what do think about meeting in a room?"

"As in hotel room?"

"Yeah."

Wait.
WHAT?

"Umm, I can't say anything right now." I spoke with a barely audible voice.

"Okay. No rush. But I want to say something..... If you have trust on me, only then say yes. Otherwise don't." He said in a low and calm voice, with sweetness dripping from every word.

"Okay," I murmured.

"And, you can....trust me on this," he pressed every word, as if to engrave them on my heart.

"Okay," I was getting flustered by his intimate questions.

"So for how long can you come?" His question caught me off guard.

"Wait. You're asking to meet in room on 9th Dec?" I sat up straight.

"Yes?"

My words freezed in my throat.
Zoe was right.

"But I said cafe!" my voice increased with panic.

"Listen to me. Listen. To. Me." He shushed me down in his soft voice.
"Can we kiss in cafe?" he said every word with so much delicacy as if he'll ruin the moment with one wrong word.

I have never witnessed this ultra-honey-dipped side of him.

"No" I answered quietly.

In south asian countries, people usually prefer to keep intimacy as private as possible. Exceptions are there, but you'll rarely find a couple making out in public. And if you did by any chance, society will see them as shameless.

So, some avoid intimacy because of the society, while some are just,
shy,
like me.

"Then?" he asked softly.

"So you want to jump on kiss straight away in first meeting?"

I'm a girl who have been reading romantic novels half of her life. So I have few etiquette I want to follow for a proper intimate procedure. And this guy is trying to break all the rules I have believed in half of my life.

"Listen na," he chuckles, "Now if I'll come after traveling such a long distance, 3-4 hours approx by train, can't you even give a kiss in return?"

"Achha" (I see)

"Just answer me this," he was still smiling I can tell by his voice. "If you'll say no, it's okay I will still come over. Don't think I'll cancel it."

It was too much.
Too much to digest.
First of all I have stopped daydreaming about Murat.
Well, I try to.....
And now he is making me do it and even wants to do in real!

Planning about doing something with someone is different.
That yeah, we may do it someday.
That is distant.

But planning about doing it now is different.
Doing it now means feeling all those weird sensations right now.
Feeling that person close to you now.
And just by imagining it my knees are going weak.

"I said, first meeting in cafe, then at second time whenever we'll meet, I'll go wherever you want," I cleared out my point.

You just agreed to go at hotel room hayat.

What the fuck are you doing?

"Hmmmm," he just hummed in response, then spoke after a minute. "Then, I'm coming tomorrow."

"What?"
This guy is making my brain run at thousands of speed today.

"Let's finish the first meeting."

"What the hell!" I laughed.

"Then we'll again meet on 9th but in room."

"Now you'll come running, huh?" I said in between my laughter.

I kept laughing at his new ideas.
Guys get so creative when it comes to convincing their girl.

Wait did i said their girl?
Im not 'his girl'
Yet

"Now tell me what should I do? You aren't saying yes," he chuckled. "I'm trying to convince you but you're hell bent on your wishes."

"So you want to do it forcefully?"

"No. I'm just trying to convince you."

"First meeting seems like a burden for you right now. Just get over it as fast as possible. I want second meeting. " I said chuckling in between.

"No I don't want second meeting. I just want your kiss," he said in a low but deep voice, which was doing so many things to my stomach.

He definitely knows how to use his weapons.

"But I can't come on 9th then if you'll come tomorrow."

Perks of having strict parents.
You can't go out twice a week.

"Ugh," he groaned.

"Because-"

"Listen, listen. Just like you can't come frequently, my situation is also pretty much same. So when both of us can't come frequently, then you should understand and cooperate right?" his voice was still soft.

"Oh? As far as I remember your words were 'If you can meet me for two to three hours I'll be there without a second thought' ?"

"Listen. When I'm free of work, I can come anytime you want. But when I get busy in work, then I'm not able to take out time even for weeks. And on 9th Dec I have no mood to join the wedding because of my work. But I'll make an exception just for you."

I close my eyes feeling the tingling sensations down there.

"What are you afraid of?" he spoke after a minute.

"I'm not afraid of anything"

"I think you are."

"What will I be afraid of?"

"Like, murat won't talk to me again, he will vanish again?" he said.

"Nope. I'm not afraid of anything." I repeated my words.

You've gone once,
You can go again.
I don't care.
And even if I did started caring, it certainly wont hurt as it did the first time.

"Then?"

"I just want to get comfortable first." I finally confessed my worries.

"Okay. You can take your time. But we'll meet in room. You can take all the time you want."

"You're sucha.....," I pinched my nose, "I mean.....can't you just.....hangout normally like a normal person?"

"I can"

"Then?"

"Listen na. Weekly hangouts are possible for those who live nearby."

"Who's asking you to come weekly?"

"I will come every month. Happy? But just hanging out doesn't works in long distance things."

"Acha"

"And I get lazy when its about traveling."

"Okay then. Cancel it." I got irritated at his logic.

"Meeting?"

"Yep"

"Okay. We will meet in cafe as per your wish. Happy?"

"Yea," I smiled at how easily he gave in.

But I was wrong
His brain was still busy in inventing new ideas.

A minute passed by when he spoke again.

"As we have total 1.5 hours together, how bout we spend our time at cafe for half an hour. And if, you'll feel comfortable enough, then we'll go to the hotel."

I shake my head.
Murat and his ideas.

"Traveling takes time too. We don't have full day," I said but he didn't listened to me.

"Is half an hour enough for you to get comfortable?"

"I don't know, I've never met a boy before."

I swear I haven't.
I used to ditch whenever some guy used to ask me out, including my past relationships. I always used to blame it on parents that they won't allow me out. I know it was an excuse because if I want it, I get it.

But the main thing is I just didn't had the urge to meet or hangout with them.

My first love was my best friend who was also a distant cousin. So we met only through family gatherings. Nothing else.
Which was enough for me lol.

But second one was just an online thing.
And I had no special cravings for him.

No one made me feel enough crazy to run and hug him, or meet him no matter what lies I have to tell my parents.

Such a 'khatro ki khiladi'* I'm becoming when it comes to Murat Ahmad.

"Okay. Take your time. No rush. We'll first go to cafe as per your wish. And if you'll feel comfortable, we'll go to room."

"Okay. Fair enough."

Then he asked about the place, timing, and my company of course.

Company=doremon=Zoe

"What will Zoe do alone if she is coming with you? Because we would be going at some private place," he asked.

Private place
I don't know if I should laugh or blush at that.

I haven't told Zoe yet. I wonder what her reaction would be.

"We will discuss it tonight, her friend may come too."

"Okay okay. Another thing. Bring your ID, doesn't matter if it will come in use or not," he told me.

"Okay. I'll have to see if I have it with me or not," I mumbled in deep thought.

"It would be there."

"Because pops took it for some paperwork, I don't remember if he returned or not."

"Ask him back if that's the case."

"Yeah, I'll see," I said nonchalantly.

"You....you are making alot of excuses." He chuckled.

"I'm not," I laughed, "I swear."

"Hmm."

We became silent again.

"I'm thinking.....," he muttered, "After meeting you....how will I.....start a conversation with you?", he spoke with long gaps in between, as if struggling to say out the words.

He is so cute.

"Umm. First greet," I chuckled.

"Hmm then,"

"Then we'll see which cafe to go,"

"Then,"

"We'll eat something if we felt hungry or-"

"Then," he cut me off as if to fast forward this formality and jump at the main stuff.

His low and deep voice twisted my stomach and I blurted out the most random thing that came in my mind, "I want to see your phone."

"What?" my question caught him off guard.

"I just want to see," I shrugged.

"Oh you want to see my phone. No problem."

"Yeah."

"So?"

"Then conversation will go with the flow," I completed my point.

"Hmmm. Okay...." he paused for a second then said with a shy laugh, "Mujhe sharam aa rahi hai."
(I'm feeling shy)

"Now you're feeling shy?" I smiled.

"Just by thinking about it."

Is he the same Murat I know?
Where is that cold as ice man I knew?
Who's this soft, fluffy, and cute boy?

"Then don't think about it. Just do it."

"My heartbeat would be out of control," he mumbled.

I kept quiet, figuring out what to say. Because I would be nervous as well.

"I believe, if you're doing something then extract as much as you can, otherwise don't do anything. Hit the biggest aim, or don't aim at all," he spoke again.

"Achha. For that you need to have patience with me," I muttered.

"Yeah I'm being patient with you. But, I'm saying, I don't know how to have a conversation. But if you'll say 'yeah murat, you've my permission', then... I.... won't......spare you."

Spare me?
Oh god.

I had this sudden urge to find out his wildest dreams, but slapped myself to stop as my imagination started turning wild.

I closed my eyes releasing a chuckle, "that means....you don't want to talk... You just want to do stuff, huh?"

"Noo. You aren't getting me. I suck at communication, what should I do?"

"It would be a normal conversation like we have normally. What's a big deal about it? You aren't coming for a special interview or something."

"Hmmm.... Okay"

"You haven't met a girl before?", curiosity peeked over me.

I remember vividly about his two meetups previously, but I wanna know if some more got add up in these past months.

"I've told you before. I have met a female friend of mine, but didn't uttered a single word whole time. You can ask her."

"Anyone else?"

"My last girlfriend, that too only once. We usually talked on social media."

Ohkay.
No one got add up.
Noice

"You were getting flustered at that time too?"

"That's what I'm saying! Red cheeks, red ears, voice stuck in throat. I literally forget how to function," he chuckled in the end, making me laugh at his description too. "I get shy and awkward in first time."

"That's what I'm saying, first you need to get comfortable with the person."

"Yeah I know, half an hour is enough to get comfortable," he spoke, as if his personality took a switch.

Few minutes ago he was telling me how he gets shy and awkward with girls, and now he is all confident when it comes to kissing me.

I don't understand how his body functions.

"Let's see what happens.
Or baaki, main himmat lekar aaunga, ki tumhe mana lu." he spoke at last.
(And rest, I'll come with a determination, to convince you)

.
.
.

************

(Khatro ke khiladi : players of danger)