The house was abnormally silent as he stepped inside. There was no usual sound of humming, no sound of pots and pans puttering. The lights were switched off too. Darkness veiled him from all corners of the house. His shadow crept up on the wall and the echoes of his footsteps assaulted the still air inside.

The stillness and lack of noise alarmed him. Usually, he would find his mother cooking in the kitchen, whipping up something new and flavorsome but today the silence draped around like a cloak around the house. Switching on the lights, his stormy gaze took time to adjust with the hasty glow.

The house seemed squeaky clean as always, not even a speck of dirt lingered anywhere. The heavy, tapestry curtains were tied up to one end. The rich, mahogany table sat in the center, cushioned by the Turkish mat placed under it. Slinging the keys on the key holder, he walked further inside the gloomy space.

With a furrowed brow and a troubled frown, he hastily strode up the winding staircase. The outline of his muscles tightened around the white dress shirt he donned. Easing the tie, he rolled up his sleeves till they reached his forearms. His polished shoes squeaked against the pure marble underneath him.

The moment he had arrived towards his mother's bedroom, his frown deepened further as the hushed sound of someone weeping reached him. Not waiting for another second, he pushed open the door to see the sight of his mother sitting on her bed, whimpering and dabbing her tears with feeble strength.

"Mom?"

His mother looked up at him with wide eyes, her face blotched with tears. His eyes widened as he briskly walked towards her hunched figure and sat down in front of her. Holding her frail hands in his, he asked her, "what's wrong, Mom?" His mother looked up at him with tears swimming in her eyes.

"Zohran." She was only able to say his name when her voice wavered.

Holding tightly onto her hands, he waited with bated breath for her to answer him amidst her hiccups and tears.

"They're gone. I've lost them forever."

The shaky words were a garbled mess. Her hands were constantly shivering and her entire body jostled in her place. Nothing made sense to him, as he tried to understand the words that kept spilling from his mother's mouth. She seemed absolutely disheveled and woeful as her grief spilled in the form of her tears.

"Who are you talking about, Mom? I don't understand." Fine lines marred his forehead as his mother looked up at him with her red-rimmed eyes, " Sierra and Sulayman! They're gone! The servants just called me to tell me about the funeral tomorrow." As if the words were a trigger for her, she helplessly started wailing, her shoulders shaking.

His hands slumped from his mother's as the world came to standstill within him. The words hit him like an arrow, piercing his heart as he gawked at his mother in complete shock. Sulayman Shah and Sierra Shah were like his second parents. They've supported him and his mother when his own father cheated on his mother and threw them out of his perfect life a long time back. When they had nowhere to turn to, they had been their saving grace.

Sierra Shah was his mother's best friend, they had been friends since their college days and had stuck to their friendship till now. He couldn't ever forget the respect and love they had given to them, embracing them into their perfect lives like their own. They never distinguished between him and their own children. They loved him like their own.

This news had shaken him up from inside, his heart clenched as he thought about the smiling faces of Sierra and Sulayman Shah. The last of their smiles, he'd ever see in this lifetime. He gulped the ball lodged in his throat, "I-I am so sorry, Mom. I just don't know what to say." And it was true. He had no words to say to his mother. How could he console her when he himself was at a war with his emotions. Yet, he held onto his reigns with every remaining strength in him.

Gently, he wiped the tears from her face and held her in his arms. Rocking back and forth, they reminisced the beautiful and happy memories they had shared with the couple. His mother sagged against him, her eyes wet and droopy with crying. Her lips kept trembling as she voiced out the memories she treasured fondly.

"We need to go there tomorrow. I don't even know-how Amaya and Eira must be coping with the news. Poor girls!"

Her voice was deep and quiet as she talked to him in the semi-darkness of the room. For the second time in the day, he froze up in his place. Eira. His heart thudded against his chest but this time it was not with shock, it thumped for a whole new reason. He remembered that freckled face, those charming pair of cerulean orbs that glittered with such profound emotions, one could try to wade in them but would never succeed in reaching the shore.

His cerulean eyed beauty.

❄❄❄

The Shah Villa stood proud and tall on its haunches. The night had enveloped the sky and the darkness veiled the luminosity of the burning moon. Half hidden, between the fluffy clouds, the moon peeked from its place; shying away as the stars twinkled and flirted with it. They girded around him in huge numbers, teasing and sparkling, whispering the tales of the unknown.

She sat, hunched against the cool, marble stone of the water fountain near the entrance of the Villa. The wind chimed in its humming tune, its whisper caressing her face every second or now. That wavy, caramel-colored hair flailed with the breeze as her gaze remained lost. Eira sat with her feet propped up and her head resting on her knees, her vision was blurred with the onslaught of tears, once again.

She didn't even know whether she had any energy left to cry anymore but the silent weeping somehow continued. Time was of no essence to her as the clock kept ticking and she was still sitting in her place, not moving an inch from her space. When she closed her eyes, she saw them. When she roamed those corridors, she heard their laughter. When she slumped against this water fountain, she remembered their love.

They were everywhere.

The onslaught of memories and images burned at the far recesses of her fragmented mind but she was hopeless against the cruelty she bestowed on her own self. This was the worst form of torture one could put themselves through yet she had no choice. Wherever she went, their shadows chased her. The more she tried to run away from them, the more they dug their talons to hold her in her place.

The funeral had taken place and now the empty stillness feasted inside of her. She wondered if this feeling of loneliness would ever leave her? Would she have to live with this empty feeling for the rest of her life? There were so many questions but no answers to them. Only her aunt along with her son had stayed back after the funeral. Eira felt sick as she had laid eyes on the number of people that were gathered to pay their final respects to her parents.

It made it all the more vivid to her that her parents were dead.

Everything appeared to be bleak and mundane now. Her vision blurred when she recalled those precious last moments she had spent with them. Blood doesn't make us a family, love does. His words rippled through her mind and the world became dark once again for her. Her father had truly believed that love was what created their bond. They both had plenty of love to give to everyone around them. Their love cocooned everyone in its warm embrace.

They loved it until the end of the time.

❄❄❄

Her shoulders were slouched as she stood on the rooftop. The spectacular shade of auburn and tangerine sunk down on the stretch of the horizon, the colors creating a shade of fiery red and bleeding crimson. The sky looked like a kaleidoscope of shading hues of purple and opal as the sun descended. The sky burned with the receding sunlight as the king of the night rose up in its full glory.

The stinging pain inside of her surged with a gushing speed. Amaya closed her eyes tightly as she silently wept for her loss. Life and its unexpected twists and curves. She knew that just like her, Eira was too suffering in her own way. She had never been the one to vocalize her discomfort or pain and often secluded herself from others to recuperate.

On the other hand, Amaya had always preferred to talk out her problems and woes. She chose to speak and vent to let go but this time, the ones she always went to vent were no more alive. Their absence and lack of warmth left her alone to battle the demons. She was hastily rubbing her eyes when she heard the sound of someone coming from behind her. She turned around to peer at the intruder and was surprised to see him here.

Kabir.

Some people wore the smile on their faces but Kabir had that smile. His face was symmetrical and angular, that tanned skin glistened under the moonlight as he sauntered towards her slowly. His steps were slow and unhurried as if he had all the time in the world, his massive shoulders were relaxed as he came and stood in front of her.

She could see the white shirt that was stretched across his chest, the corded muscles of his neck and forearms bulged through as he lazily stuffed his hands inside his jeans pocket. His hair was completely windswept as if he had run his fingers through them. Kabir had the darkest shade of ebony-colored eyes. They scintillated like pure jewels, they shined vibrantly every time one would stare into them. The light graze of the stumble gave him a much mature look and that slight dent in his cheek when he smiled played with the heartstrings, directly.

A lethal combination.

Amaya's back was against the frigid railing, the cold seeped in, and she felt the heat dissolving. "Someone once said that it is not healthy to mourn alone. You should always have someone beside you so that you can have a crying shoulder." His husky voice carried the essence of his kind nature along with it. He came and stood beside her, now completely watching her under the spell of the moon.

Amaya rolled her eyes at his remark. Kabir and kindness didn't go hand in hand for her. He was her aunt's only son and her grandmother's ladla. Everyone in the house worshipped him as if he was some sort of deity or royalty. Or maybe it was her own jealousy speaking as she was used to being the most pampered one. Since childhood, he had stolen her thunder, wrapping everyone around his fingers.

His arrogant nature, that upturned nose, and those striking details of his face made her disgruntled and irate. She couldn't even stay on good terms with Kabir, even if she wanted to. So him coming up to her and saying those words didn't melt her rather they infuriated her. Amaya was sure that he was a hypocrite, he was saying this with some ulterior motives. Her cynical thoughts surprised her too sometimes.

Amaya gave him a fixed glare, "and who said that? The great Kabir Bakhtiyar?" Sarcasm dripped from her tone and his brows furrowed as he tried to understand her jab at him. Kabir knew that she was apprehensive about his intentions but he wasn't here with any ulterior motives. He just wanted to give her a helping hand at this time. The news of his Aunt and Uncle's death came as a big tremor for everyone. He still wasn't able to wrap his mind around that they were actually gone from this temporary world to their final resting place.

"If you want to believe that, you can. Anything to make you understand what I'm trying to say." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

The breeze whistled and he combed his fingers through his tousled hair. Amaya's eyes wavered towards him but she controlled herself at the last moment. She was not going to fawn over this arrogant, pompous, and rude man. Her eyes betrayed her and rolled down towards his well-defined torso. The outline of muscles could be seen from the white t-shirt he wore. She cursed herself internally for getting distracted.

"I find it quite hard to believe that the same Kabir who constantly had enmity with me is now consoling me. Are enemies turning into friends, now? How cliche is that! Better try something new, next time." Scoffing, she turned back around to peer at the dark sky.

"Cliche is always the best or so I heard." The reply was meant to make its mark.

"You're hearing a lot of things these days. Better get those ears checked. You're becoming the mohallay wali aunty who has ears everywhere." The rebuttal was anything but meek.

A deep, throaty laugh escaped from his mouth as he grinned at her from his side. Amaya didn't want to stare at him, she forbade herself but something about that laugh made her look at him. What she saw, made her breathless and it left her in complete awe.

His entire face glinted in the luminous light of the moon, each crevice elucidated making him like some sort of ethereal being. His eyes crinkled from the sides, those lips were stretched into a toothy smile. She couldn't look away from that deep dimple that rested on those scruffy cheeks and suddenly she found herself blushing for some absurd reason. And that enigmatic gaze refused to hinder away from hers and somehow it made her so much flustered.

This was ridiculous she thought and just then her phone's ringtone came like a reality check on her face. She stared at the caller's name on her cellphone. Her body locked in one place as Huzaifa's name illuminated on the screen. Hastily, she cut the call and she looked up to see him gawking at her. Amaya knew that he had seen the name and somehow, she wanted him to forget what he saw.

Kabir's smile was wiped away as his jaw locked in its place, "you might want to pick up that call. It's blaring like crazy."

Amaya cut the call once again, "it's no one important so let it r-ring." The stuttering was a clear indication of her lie and looking at him she knew he didn't believe her one bit.

"Yeah sure, I believe you." He clenched his fists at his side. This bubbling wrath was like a tidal wave that swept everything in its wake. And the tides of his anger were rising steadily.

Amaya held his arm and forced him to look at her, "what is that supposed to mean. Care to clarify?"

Kabir ignored the heat from where she had touched him, "you don't need any clarifications because you know it yourself. And since when did you care about my opinions?" He knew that this was quickly turning ugly but he couldn't stop himself.

"You're right, I don't need your approval for anything and neither do I care about what you have to say." If the words were meant to hurt, they had done their job flawlessly. For they pierced him in a place, he didn't think he would ever get hurt by Amaya Shah.

"You know what, I came here to see you because whether you believe it or not I do care about you. But I forgot that the great Amaya Shah doesn't really care about anyone other than herself!"

They were face to face now.

"How heroic of you! Do you want me to give you some sort of award for it now?"

"Your hatred is misplaced and unjust. You are spewing your grief with the help of your anger and it isn't going to end up nice for you."

Amaya laughed derisively, "look who's giving me advice! You out of all the people shouldn't be giving unsolicited advice on anger!"

His nostrils flared, "at least I don't spill it on my own family." He spat the spat words out.

"I told you before and I'm telling you once again, I don't need your help and keep that counseling advice to your own bloody self!" Amaya jabbed him in the chest with her pointer finger. She saw him moving back from her, those dark eyes never moving from her face. Something had shifted in his persona, something she refused to see beyond her anger and hurt. Looking at her one last time, he walked away not turning to look at her.

"I don't need you nor anyone else in my life."

Kabir stopped at the entrance, his legs refusing to go further. Her words were carried with the chiming wind and the cold weather added onto the chilling sensation around them. His head turned a bit to one side, but he never fully looked at her heaving figure, bracing herself against the harsh weather. His fading footsteps left the stillness behind him.

Amaya Shah's words were going to come back with a vengeance, she herself never knew.

❄❄❄

The garden was always a shade brighter in the inky blackness of the twilight. It was as if the gift of the skies wasn't light but magical sparkle rinsing the world to show what was there all along, nature in her in humble brilliance. The buttercups became gold, the grass the shade of every dreamer meadow, roots moistened, soil revived. And after the patter of the sleet came bursts of lightning, their hearts proclaiming the occasion of the glimmering light of the stars.

The weather was rapidly changing, the warm summer downpour changing to the breezy winter wrath. The sky was a mass of blackness with the stamp of stars on it as he leisurely walked along the cobblestone pathway towards the back garden of Shah Villa. The atmosphere inside was absolutely gloomy and melancholic. The silence that had cocooned them spoke louder than anything else.

Zohran had driven first thing in the night, he had come to know about the sudden demise of Sierra and Sulayman Shah. His mother was inconsolable, her eyes were heavy with tears and the bags under her eyes spoke of the restless time she had spent since then. Shah Villa had its own charm and beauty but tonight, it looked like a structure without its roots. They had gone, leaving this place in a state of comprehensive grief and gloom.

He kept walking briskly towards the garden area, occasionally looking upwards at the sky. Inside, his mother and their Aunt Safina sat together, giving each other the strength they knew they needed. It suffocated him from inside, the despair that girded around them. Zohran was lost in his own musings when his eyes settled on the fairy sitting amongst the rosy shrubs and lavender.

Her sentiments were not easily disguised on her innocuous face. Her anguish was noticeable in the furrow of her lovely brow and the down-curve of her full lips. But her eyes, her eyes exhibited her soul. They were a deep pool of restless azure, an ocean of grim grief. As he peeked into her eyes he knew, all the elegance of the universe could not even strive to contend with this simple thing: passion. Passion turned her eyes into orbs of the radiant fire, and in them, he skims clearly that she would fight to the very last tear for her life. She would not let the world crack her. Sure she could cry, but she would never let them take her true self from her. She clung to it with passion. The passion that made her beautiful in his eyes.

Surrounded by nature, she looked like an ice queen ruling her realm. The cold air that nipped at her but she remained steadfast, the powder blue dress that clung to her petite frame, and those beautiful pairs of eyes that she was so insecure about. Zohran knew her well and tonight she had unleashed herself from all the feelings she concealed inside.

For the first time, she let it go.

Zohran stood with his back against the large willow tree, obscured by the shadows and huge leaves. She was sitting barefoot, her crimson soles were wet with the slight sleet that had started. Even in the cold, she looked unfazed by everything. Yet, the man with a clashing pair of stormy gaze knew her inside and out. He saw the slight tremors that raked her body, the subtle quiver of hers.

It had been a few years since he last saw her, yet she looked just as beautiful as he remembered, if not more. Zohran wanted to go to her talk but he didn't want to disturb the tranquillity she had captured for herself. He knew that this wasn't his moment, it was hers alone.

Eira Shah had always been the dignified one. The one with a steely spine and frigid emotions. It was hard for her to portray what she felt and it caged her from inside. She often felt trapped inside her own body, finding nowhere the solace she so craved. The acceptance she craved from some people in her life. She felt more aloof from others as her introverted nature was a hindrance too.

Tonight it seemed, she had let go of her every inhibition for she seemed to be in her own world. Her world of fantasy and magic.

Zohran saw her clutching her forearms to shield herself from the harsh wind that blew her way but he also knew that she was too stubborn to ask for help from anyone. The night chipped away, and the stars kept flirting with the moon, and the clock ticked away from seconds to hours.

Slowly but steadily, her eyes drooped low, the exhaustion crept up on her. Putting her head on the wooden bench behind her, she closed her eyes. The world for her was slowly shifting and blurring back to the far recesses of her mind. The half-open book beside her laid unattended. It's pages fluttering a lullaby to help her sleep.

Time passed and the hushed silence now stretched around them. Eira slowly went into her own realm and Zohran came out of his spot and quietly paced onwards. Up close, her diamond-shaped nose and those smattering of freckles on her face brought a small smile on his face. Before it could get weirder than it already was, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her front. Giving one last glance to her, Zohran walked back to the way he came from.

The abandoned book on the ground was the spectator, it's pages fluttering like a heart on fire.