Days began passing in a routine again.
Zavian had returned to his old routine quiet, distant, reserved.
He didn't say much, he didn't share much.
All he did now was review Mahi's new chapters whenever she posted, quietly admiring her words from afar.
Just like before, Mahi stayed busy writing, managing group chats & maybe... still talking to that boy.
Zavian didn't ask.
And Mahi didn't tell.
Zavian was in his office, reviewing some files, when suddenly his phone buzzed.
It was Mahi
"Bhai, bhai, bhai..."
The notification didn't stop. She had sent at least 21 messages, all starting with "bhai"
Zavian's heart skipped a beat. He panicked
He quickly replied:
"What happened, Mahi?"
Her message came in instantly:
"Bhai woh bht bura tha" (Bhai, he was really bad.)
Zavian's heart stopped for a moment.
He replied quickly:
"Who Mahi??"
And then came the words that made his hands shake:
"Bhai woh larka woh, koi ek larki k sath esy kesy kr skta hai" (Bhai, that guy... how can someone do this to a girl?)
Zavian was getting into the worst thoughts now.
His mind went blank, fear & rage mixed in his chest.
He typed again, this time with shivering hands:
"Mahi, please tell me... kya hua hai? Kis ne kya kiya hai? Tum theek ho??"
(What happened? Who did what? Are you okay??)
Mahi replied, almost like a child:
"Bhai, I ordered a book & its cover is destroyed from a corner... The delivery boy was such a bad boy, Bhai my book"
She sounded genuinely upset.
Zavian stared at the screen in disbelief. His heartbeat, which was racing seconds ago, now skipped for a whole different reason.
"Mahi... seriously???" he typed back, completely stunned.
She innocently replied:
"Han na bhai " (Yes, bhai.), with a sad emoji
Zavian took a long, deep breath & replied:
"Mahi, tumhein pata b hai mai kitna dar gaya tha? Kesy kesy khayal aa rhy thy mere zehan mei, Mahi..."
(Mahi, do you even realize how scared I got? What kind of horrible thoughts were running through my mind...)
Mahi laughed playfully & replied like a child,
"Sorry bhai"
Her laughter echoed through the chat pure, innocent.
Zavian was still trying to process everything. His heart was just starting to calm down.
"Mahi, come on yaar... mai bht dar gaya tha. Tumhein andaza b hai meri kya halat ho gai thi?"
(Mahi, come on... I was really scared. Do you even realize what I was going through?)
Mahi laughed again & said softly,
"Sorry bhai, please na sorry"
Then she sent him a picture of the book the damaged corner, held in her hand like it was a wounded bird.
Zavian sighed, shaking his head with a soft smile.
He scolded her gently,
"Pagal ho tum... esi baatein na kiya kro" (You're crazy... don't say things like that.)
She just giggled again, like a little child being lovingly scolded & for a moment, his whole world felt lighter.
The chat ended, but Zavian sat there in his office chair, still smiling a kind of smile that stayed even after the phone was put down.
He leaned back slightly, eyes soft, lost in thoughts of her.
That laugh... that childish apology... the way she held her book like it was her heart.
He shook his head gently, whispered to himself with a smile,
"Drama queen..."
And then, almost without realizing, a softer word escaped his lips
"Cute"
He smiled & the room, once filled with stress & silence, now held warmth. All because of her...
Zavian came back home after a long day.
He stepped into his room quietly, washed his face & freshened up. The weight of the day started to fade as he changed into a black kurta shalwar, the fabric soft, the color deep & calm like the night outside.
His hair was a little wet & freshly washed, curling slightly at the ends. Some wavy strands touched the back of his neck, giving him a naturally soft & careless look. He didn't bother drying his hair fully, just ran his fingers through it & let them fall however they wanted.
He lay down on his bed, legs tangled loosely, one hand behind his head & the other holding his phone. The room was dimly lit, peaceful.
There was something about him in that moment calm, unguarded & distant.
Just a boy with tired eyes & a heart still waiting in silence.
His phone buzzed, it was a notification from their group chat, "Patar Patar", the one he, Mahi, Eman & three others had made together.
He opened it & smiled a little.
Mahi was sharing pictures of her paintings, one after another. The chat was filled with heart emojis & compliments. Everyone was praising her work, calling her an artist, a genius.
Even Zavian, who rarely typed much in groups, wrote:
"You're so talented, Mahi"
She replied with a heart emoji & a little "thank you bhai" , while others continued admiring her skills.
For a while, everything felt normal.
Eman was there too, active in the group chat, sending casual texts as if nothing had ever happened between them. The laughter & colorful messages praising Mahi's art, her message popped up:
"Zavian, how are you?"
He saw it... but didn't respond.
A few more seconds passed & again, she wrote:
"Zavo, how are you?"
This time, maybe out of politeness or maybe just to avoid drawing attention he replied with a short, dry:
"Alhamdulillah"
Right then, before he could even put his phone down, another notification appeared.
It was Eman again but this time, it was a private message.
"Zavo, need to talk"
He stared at the screen for a moment, then sighed deeply.
He was tired emotionally, mentally tired. The day had been long, his thoughts even longer.
With a heavy breath & his fingers hesitating on the keyboard, he finally typed back:
"About what, Eman?"
A part of him didn't want to know.
Eman replied,
"About us"
Zavian stared at the screen. Another sigh left his lips, deeper this time, one of those sighs that carry exhaustion you can't quite put into words.
He typed slowly, honestly:
"What us, Eman? There's no us anymore"
And just like that, she started replying in a rush. Her messages came one after another, as if she was trying to fill all the empty spaces she had left behind with hurried words.
"Zavian, things happen... but we should sort them out. You know I have anger issues, I say things when I'm mad. I try to hurt others on purpose when I'm triggered but you know me, right? You know how I am..."
She was trying to hide & ignore all the months of coldness, pain, disrespect.
Her words felt empty, emotionless now. Like she was trying to explain away things with weak excuses, as if nothing had truly happened. As if saying you know me could undo all that had been broken.
Zavian replied:
"Yes Eman, I do know you that's exactly why I'm saying I don't want to be with you. Eman, for a strong relationship, love alone isn't enough. Respect matters a lot too. Until yesterday, we were in a relationship, then there was a breakup, then patch up, block, unblock...
This isn't how real marriages work, Eman. In real commitments, people go for khula & talaaq, not this drama & from everything I've seen, I know I can't spend my entire life with you"
Zavian said it calmly,
"Eman, we were really good friends too & as a friend, I'm trying to help you understand. Even after marriage, if things continued like this, it would've never worked between us Eman. So please, just make it clear in your heart that I don't want to be with you.
I like Mahi... & I want to marry her"
He said it all with a calm heart thinking, hoping that maybe this time, Eman would finally understand.
But something happened.
Instead of calming down, Eman snapped.
After hearing Zavian's calm words, Eman completely lost control. She didn't take the rejection well at all. She immediately started saying hateful words, attacking Mahi & accusing her of things she had no right to say. The more Zavian tried to explain, the worse her behavior became. She called him all sorts of names, questioning his integrity, his character & even going so far as to mock his feelings for Mahi.
But the moment she crossed the line & mentioned Mahi in a disrespectful way, something snapped in Zavian. He didn't care about anything anymore, the insults she threw at him he could handle all of that. But one word against Mahi & he was done being calm. His tone shifted sharply, filled with a cold anger. He told Eman clearly & strongly "You can say whatever you want about me, call me anything, I won't respond but if you speak one more word against Mahi, I won't stay silent. I won't tolerate it not now, not ever" That was his limit. He made her shut up, put an end to the conversation right there & left her with nothing else to say.
As Zavian sat on the edge of the bed, trying to calm himself down, his phone suddenly buzzed.
He looked at the screen, it was Mahi. His Mahi
In that moment, all the anger inside him melted away. A soft smile slowly spread across his face. Her name alone brought him peace.
She had messaged him, asking sweetly:
"Bhai, Can you send me some pictures of plants for my assignment? I have some pics but they are not enough for my assignment."
Zavian picked up the phone gently this time, his heart lighter.
He replied gently, his fingers moving slowly over the screen as if every word to her mattered.
"Yes, Mahi. Sure I'll send them now"
Making sure the pictures were clear & pretty not because the assignment needed it, but because Mahi asked.
A few minutes later, he sent the photos to her.
Soon, her reply came. Simple, but full of calm warmth:
"Thank you"
There was no emoji, no extra word, just that but Zavian didn't need more. That one message, that one moment of peace between them, was enough to settle his heart.
The conversation ended there, quietly & gently, leaving behind a silence that no longer felt heavy just soft & comforting.
Zavian gently placed his phone down on the bed, wanting to hold onto that peace, he stepped out of his room & walked to the kitchen where his mother was.
"Ammi, chai bna dein na" (Mom, can you please make some tea?), he said softly.
She gave a small smile & nodded.
He returned to his room, quiet & sat on the edge of the bed, letting the silence settle around him. A little while later, the knock came. His chai had arrived.
Zavian took the cup in his hands, feeling the warmth rise through his fingers. He walked out to the balcony, the air cool & the sky painted in shades of orange & soft pink. The sun was slowly sinking into the horizon & with each small sip of the warm chai, his thoughts gently drifted back to her, to Mahi. He thought about her voice, her calm message, the way she could ease him without even knowing it.
Somewhere far from him, on the other side of the border, Mahi was sitting on the floor of her room, her hair tied up messily, surrounded by papers, pencils, sticky notes & splashes of color. Her chai was next to her, steam rising slowly. She was focused, carefully choosing the right picture, checking the notes, flipping through her books.
Now & then, she took small, thoughtful sips from her cup, letting the warmth keep her grounded as she worked.
After a while, when her assignment was done & her room looked like a calm little mess of creativity, she stood up, stretched & walked up to the terrace.
There, under the open sky, she held her half-full cup of chai & watched the same sunset but a little end of sunset because of time difference of half an hour. She breathed in the quiet, took another slow sip & let herself relax.
In that quiet moment, neither of them knew but they were both thinking of each other, both sipping chai, both looking at the same sky slowly turning gold...
Zavian woke up the next morning, his mind surprisingly calm. He took a shower, letting the warm water wash over the weight he carried. After drying off, he dressed in his beige pants & crisp white shirt. His long, wavy hair neatly set & falling just to the back of his neck covering it, added to the composed look he always carried without even trying.
He made his way to the office, slipping back into routine. Focused, quiet, unreadable, just how he had trained himself to be.
On the other side of the border, Mahi was lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Something had been bothering her all morning. Thoughts circled in her mind, none of them clear, but all pointing in one direction.
She picked up her phone with hesitation & opened Instagram. Her fingers hovered for a moment before tapping on Zavian's chat.
Without thinking too much, she typed:
"Bhai, are you free?"
And hit send.
Zavian was in the middle of a conversation with someone in his office when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen Mahi
Without wasting a second, he turned to the manager & said calmly:
"Let's pause this here. We'll continue later"
The manager nodded & left, leaving Zavian alone as he picked up his phone with a softened expression.
He replied:
"Yes Mahi? How are you?"
On the other side, Mahi smiled faintly. No matter what, he always replied to her. Always.
She typed:
"Bhai... it's about that boy"
Zavian's heart tightened. A small crack but still, holding himself together, he replied calmly:
"Yes Mahi? What happened?"
Mahi texted:
"Bhai, I don't like him... he's so annoying. He keep asking me to stay friends with him, but I don't want to. Bhai, please just talk to him. If you're free, I'll make a group chat with the three of us"
Zavian's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, the image of that torn passport, the shredded documents, the approved visa everything flashed in front of his eyes.
He took a deep breath, a sigh heavy with things left unsaid. Too late now, he thought.
He typed back calmly:
"Okay, Mahi. Make the group"
Five minutes later, Mahi created the group chat & sent a separate message to Zavian on WhatsApp:
"Bhai, the group chat is ready. Please come"
Zavian replied:
"I'm coming, Mahi but you have to stay silent there until I say, okay?"
She quickly responded:
"Okay, bhai"
Zavian entered the group chat & saw only two names his & Mahi's, along with the boy's.
He greeted politely:
"Assalamualaikum"
The boy responded casually.
But Zavian didn't waste time. He went straight to the point:
"Do you like Mahi?"
Before the boy could say anything, Mahi jumped in:
"Bhai, I don't like him, he is too flirty"
Zavian paused for a second, surprised. He hadn't expected her to speak first, especially not like that.
Zavian looked at Mahi's message, then replied in a tone like scolding a child, but gently:
"Mahi, I told you not to speak"
She replied playfully:
"Sorry bhai"
Then the boy jumped in, confidently:
"Bhai, she likes me. She won't say it, but I know she does"
Zavian kept his eyes on the screen and calmly typed:
"I didn't ask what you think she feels. I asked you do you like her or not?"
The boy replied boldly:
"I love her"
For a moment, Zavian's jaw tightened. He wanted to bury that boy right there with his words. But he stayed calm for Mahi.
Then he replied him clearly:
"Yash, Mahi doesn't like you. She doesn't want to stay in contact with you. So I'm telling you politely, but clearly stay away from her"
His tone was polite but straight to the point.
Yash paused for a moment and then replied:
"Okay bhai..."
Zavian didn't stop there.
"Not even as friends. Okay?"
Yash stubbornly replied:
"Bhai, she can't stay without me"
Zavian clenched his jaw, his hands curling slightly into fists but he didn't let the anger win. Instead, he typed with a sharp calm:
"She likes someone else. I hope you care enough about her to respect her happiness"
He added a slight smirk at the end of his message, like a silent warning.
On the other side, Mahi's eyes widened at that line. Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly texted him privately:
"Bhai whattt ?????"
Zavian simply replied:
"Mahi, let me handle this"
She blushed and replied:
"Okay bhai"
But Yash wasn't done. He texted again in the group:
"This can't be true. She likes me"
Zavian didn't hesitate now. His words were bold & final:
"She loves me & soon we're going to get married. So you better stay away from my soon to be wife, Yash that's my last & final warning"
Mahi froze. Her eyes widened. She didn't know if he meant it... but the way he said it something inside her fluttered.
Zavian turned to her in the group chat and typed:
"You, Mahek. Don't text him again. Am I clear?"
Mahi smiled, a shy smile & typed:
"G bhai..." (Yes bhai)
Zavian replied:
"Good"
And Mahi, lying on her bed, actually giggled like a child eyes glowing, cheeks red.
The group chat fell silent after that but something had definitely changed.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for the next part...📚🤍
Write a comment ...