Lut Gaye || لٹ گۓ

NINTEEN | When The Stars Align (Part II)

"qissay mohabbat kay hain jo kitaabon mein."

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"YOU are getting married to the man of your choice and you're still sitting with a dead face, like seriously Iman, what's your problem?"

Shrilling voice of Sameera ricocheted off the walls of Iman's room and throbbed in her ears like that persistent ringing sound of a call one didn't want to pick―making her grimace and veer to her cousin with an incensed expression clouding her face.

"What's yours?" Iman gritted out. "Why do you almost look excited about it?"

The pale golden light sprinkling from the open window merged with the same-coloured interior of her room and illuminated the faces of the two females who were perched on the bed at the late hour of noon.

Sameera had―out of the blue―barged into her room a little while ago and hadn't shut up since then. Her cousin's buoyancy over her nikkah was also hard to stomach for Iman.

"Listen," Sameera said pointedly, narrowing her ebony eyes. "I don't know many guys who'd break into someone's house in the middle of the night with bruises all over their face just to meet their lover. I think it's pretty romantic."

Iman almost choked on air.

"Y-You saw him that night?" she gaped at her cousin in bafflement before sheepishly clarifying, "And please, I'm not his lover."

"This is why I don't like you, Iman," Sameera groaned, rolling her eyes. "Quit acting innocent all the time."

"I'm not." Iman leaned forward and hissed, "Everyone in the family now knows what actually happened that night."

"Well, everyone in the fam didn't see you lying on top of him in the room that night, did they?" Sameera quirked an impugned brow at her.

Upon the reminder of that specific moment, Iman's cheeks heated up and her frame flinched back as she averted her gaze and stuttered, "It w-was an ac-cident-"

"I don't need any justification, it's alright." Sameera waved a hand of indifference. "I haven't even told anyone about it."

Iman puffed out a frustrated breath as her head tilted back and she sewed her eyes shut, giving up on convincing her cousin because she knew Sameera only believed what she saw and unfortunately, she had seen them in that compromising position-

Iman shook her head to shake off the image that was so eager to flash in her mind.

"Wesay, I could've never imagined that guy would turn out to be a police officer... and have Haider arrested." Sameera's bitter voice made Iman peal her eyes open and her gaze descended on her scowling face.

Iman gazed at her with a blank expression but mentally rolled her eyes at how Sameera had easily accepted Zain being a cop but refused to believe he was not her lover.

"But I can forgive him for that because Haider easily got released in just a day," Sameera stated with an impressed smirk.

"How benign of you, Sameera." Iman gave her a sardonic smile.

"Whatever," Sameera mouthed. "Now at least go and fix your appearance. Do you want to look like a corpse bride in front of your groom?"

Iman narrowed her eyes but kept her lips sealed―but Sameera didn't stop there and opened her big mouth again.

"I mean, yeah that cop is kinda handsome but obviously he doesn't hold a candle to Haider's good looks," Sameera stated coolly.

At that, Iman's jaw clenched and her gaze morphed into a glare as she abruptly scrambled to her feet.