SIYAHI(سیاہی)

Siyahi ke Qhuab Vakeel Sahiba Ke Naam

Some time before Chapter 15 @ 1 pm

Baloch Haveli, Lyari, Pakistan

Siyahi hummed absentmindedly beneath his breath as he wandered through the long corridors of the Baloch Haveli with absolutely no destination in mind. It was one of those afternoons that seemed to exist solely to make a person grateful for being alive. 

A soft breeze drifted lazily through the open arches of the haveli, carrying with it the smell of wet earth from the gardens outside and the faint sweetness of blooming jasmine. Golden sunlight spilled through the carved windows in long slanted strips, warming the marble beneath his feet as the entire haveli settled into the comfortable silence that always followed lunch. 

Lunch had been... difficult. Not because of the food. The food was excellent. The problem had been the woman sitting beside him. 

Vakeel Sahiba, Rehanna Randhawa, had spent the entire meal wearing the simplest sky blue linen salwar suit imaginable. There had been no heavy jewellery today, no dramatic makeup, no expensive saree that made everyone stare. Just soft blue fabric, little silver earrings, her hair tied back loosely, and the pair of reading glasses she kept pushing further up her nose every few minutes while reading through a file between bites. 

She had barely spoken to him. That somehow made it worse. Every time she quietly asked him to pass the salad bowl. Or a simple "Siyahi... namak dena zara." Every polite thank you. Every tiny accidental brush of her arm against his while reaching across the table. Each one settled somewhere deep inside his chest where his poor unfortunate heart had absolutely no business storing them. Because Siyahi was in love. Hopelessly. Pathetically. Embarrassingly.

He was hopelessly in love with his boss's lawyer. Everyone knew it. The boys knew it. The maids knew it. The dogs probably knew it. The only person who somehow continued living peacefully unaware of the entire disaster was Vakeel Sahiba herself. Or perhaps she did know and simply chose to pretend she didn't, treating him with the same easy warmth she treated everyone else in the haveli. Siyahi honestly preferred believing the first option. The second one hurt too much. 

He continued strolling through the corridor pretending to inspect paintings on the walls every now and then so that if anyone asked what he was doing, he could confidently claim he had important work. But unfortunately for him, Uzair appeared around the corner before he could disappear somewhere useful. "Siyahi." Siyahi almost jumped. "Ji Uzair bhai?" 

Uzair adjusted the collar of his pathani kurta "Ek naya shipment aya hai. Chal zara check karte hain." Siyahi's soul briefly left his body, he wasn't in the mood to do any work today. His eyes darted around the hallway desperately searching for divine intervention. 

Instead he found a lie. "Mai chala jaata..." he began awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Lekin Vakeel Sahiba ne apne office me bulaya hai." Uzair narrowed his eyes immediately. "Accha?" Siyahi nodded "Haan." 

"Toh ja phir." Uzair folded his arms. "Mai bhi dekhun kya kaam diya hai unhone." Siyahi smiled weakly. "...Ji." Well, now he actually had to go. He silently apologized to every deity he knew as he walked toward Rehanna's office wondering how exactly one explained appearing in someone's office for absolutely no reason whatsoever. He reached the heavy wooden door and knocked twice. Inside, papers rustled. Then came her voice. "Kaun hai?" 

Siyahi swallowed. "Vakeel Sahiba... mai hun." There was only a second of silence before her voice brightened immediately. "Oh! Ajao Siyahi!" Behind him Uzair watched another moment before rolling his eyes. "Hmm." Apparently the idiot had actually been called. With that Uzair turned and disappeared down another hallway. Siyahi released a quiet breath of relief before pushing open the office door.

The familiar scent of sandalwood, old books and her perfume greeted him first. Then he saw her. His feet almost stopped moving. She sat curled comfortably into the large leather chair behind her desk, one leg folded beneath her while the other rested carelessly atop the desk itself. 

A thick legal file lay open across her lap. Her reading glasses had slipped low onto her nose and she absentmindedly nudged them higher again without looking away from the page. Afternoon sunlight poured through the tall windows behind her catching in her dark hair until individual strands looked dipped in gold. 

She looked... hmmm. Angel wasn't quite the right word. She was too human for that. Too real. Beautiful in the quiet way that only seemed to happen when she forgot anyone might be looking. Siyahi stood there a second too long. He committed the moment to memory. The sunlight. The perfume. The tiny crease between her eyebrows while she concentrated. The soft blue of her clothes.

"Haan Siyahi?" she asked, finally looking up with an easy smile. "Kya hua?" His heart performed something medically concerning. "I... uh..." Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. He had successfully entered her office with no plan whatsoever. He cleared his throat. "Mai bas aapse poochne aya tha..." he said leaning lightly against the edge of her desk. "...ki kuch chahiye toh nahi?" 

For a moment she simply blinked. Then her entire face softened. "Aww Siyahi..." She smiled so brightly it almost qualified as a workplace hazard. "Kitna dhyan rakhte ho tum mera." She shook her head warmly. "Nahi nahi mujhe kuch nahi chahiye." A tiny laugh escaped her. "Thank you so much." Siyahi nodded far too quickly before turning to leave while mentally congratulating himself for surviving the interaction. 

That was when something caught his eye. A neatly rolled blunt rested beside an open file on her desk. He frowned. Pointed at it. "Vakeel Sahiba... ye kya hai?" She followed his finger. "Hmm?" "Oh." She picked it up casually between two fingers. "Yeh ek ganje ka blunt hai." She shrugged like she had just identified a pen. "Mera hai lekin ab mera mood nahi hai peene ka." 

Siyahi stared. His brain quietly added smokes weed to the rapidly growing list titled: Things Vakeel Sahiba Somehow Does That Still Make Her Perfect. "Oh..." Was all he managed. She noticed him looking. "Tumhe chahiye kya?"

—------------

That was how Siyahi found himself walking through the haveli five minutes later carrying a blunt like it was some sacred artifact entrusted to him personally by destiny. He turned it over between his fingers every few steps. 

Should he smoke it? Because she had given it to him, it should be classified as an artifact. Shouldn't he? It was a gift and he would like to taste something she smokes. Would one blunt really make much difference? He was still debating the question when a familiar voice called out across the corridor.

 "Siyahi." He looked up. Rehman stood halfway down the hallway taking a slow drag from his cigarette. In one hand he carried a large decorative box tied with ribbon. In the other rested a crate filled with chilled beer bottles that clinked softly together every time he shifted his grip. "Siyahi idhar aa." Siyahi instinctively hid the blunt behind his back. "Ji bhai abhi aya." He hurried over. 

Without another word Rehman thrust both the beer crate and the bakhlawa box into his arms. "Yeh le." Siyahi almost dropped everything. "Bakhlawa aur thandi beer." Rehman adjusted the collar of his black kurta with a grin that simply refused to leave his face. "Sab apne aap me baant lena." Another satisfied drag from his cigarette. "Abhi abhi ek bohot achhi deal hui hai." He nodded once. "Jao. Aaj tum sab ki ek din ki chutti." 

Siyahi's eyes nearly doubled in size. "Ji bhai?" Rehman only chuckled. The kind of chuckle that escaped a man who was immensely pleased with both the world and himself. He glanced once toward the corridor leading to Rehanna's office before flicking ash onto the marble. "Mai zara aata hun." His grin somehow widened. "Vakeel Sahiba ke sath kuch aham baatein karni hain." 

Important matters. Very important matters. Matters so important that Rehman had unconsciously straightened his sleeves, smoothed back his hair with one hand and checked his reflection in the nearest window while pretending not to. He had even spritzed more of her favorite cologne on him just a few moments ago. Siyahi, unfortunately, noticed absolutely none of this. 

"Ji bhai bilkul." He nodded earnestly. "Woh apne office me hain." He ended by pointing with his chin due to his full hands. "Accha." Rehman didn't even bother hiding the bounce in his step anymore. He crushed his cigarette beneath his mojari and disappeared toward Rehanna's office looking suspiciously like a man whose biggest concern at the moment was not business, but how many excuses he could invent to spend the afternoon alone with the woman waiting inside. 

Siyahi watched him disappear. He frowned thoughtfully. Strange. If Bhai was already so happy because of the deal... ...toh phir Vakeel Sahiba ke sath aur kaam kyun karna tha? Business people were very confusing. He missed his Rehman bhai who just used to be a gangster.

He looked down at his own arms. One box of bakhlawa. Six cold beers. One blunt. Rehman had, technically speaking, instructed him to share everything with the rest of the boys. Siyahi looked left. Then right. The corridor was empty. A slow grin spread across his face. "...mai kya pagal hun ki ye batunga mai?" 

He turned on his heel and walked toward the gardens, entirely convinced that fortune itself had personally arranged the greatest afternoon of his life.

—-------------

Same day @ 1:15 pm

Roof of the Baloch Haveli, Lyari, Pakistan

The rooftop of the Baloch Haveli was perhaps the quietest place in the entire building during the afternoon. The boys were scattered across Lyari handling whatever work Rehman had assigned them before he disappeared into Rehanna’s office. 

Somewhere below, utensils clinked faintly from the kitchen where the staff were cleaning up after lunch. Beyond the haveli walls, the distant sounds of children playing cricket drifted lazily through the neighborhood, interrupted every now and then by the honk of a passing rickshaw or the barking of one of Lyari's countless stray dogs. 

In one shaded corner of the roof sat an old charpay tucked beneath the sprawling bougainvillea vines that climbed over the parapet wall. Bright pink flowers spilled over the brickwork in lazy clusters, swaying gently whenever the breeze wandered through. Siyahi smiled to himself as he looked at them. "Vakeel Sahiba bhi na..." he muttered under his breath. Even flowers had started appearing wherever she went. First the gardens downstairs. Then the herbs near the kitchen. 

Now these bougainvilleas that had somehow transformed an otherwise boring rooftop into somewhere a person actually wanted to waste an afternoon. He dropped onto the charpay with a satisfied groan, stretched his legs out before him and reached for one of the chilled beer bottles. The cap came off with a practiced crack between his teeth. He spat it neatly toward a nearby flowerpot before taking an enormous swallow. Cold. Ice cold. The beer slid down his throat like liquid relief, making every muscle in his body loosen at once. "Aah..." he sighed happily. "Mazedar" 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blunt. For a moment he simply stared at it. Vakeel Sahiba ka blunt. A tiny grin spread across his face before he quickly shook his head at himself. He struck the lighter. 

The brown paper crackled softly. The tip glowed orange. Siyahi took one long drag before leaning back against the woven ropes of the charpay. He held the smoke inside for a moment. Then slowly let it escape. His eyebrows lifted. "...Oye." He looked down at the blunt. 

At the steadily glowing tip. "...Ye toh..." Another drag. Longer this time. "Badhiya hai." This was not the cheap garbage some of the boys occasionally smoked behind warehouses. This was smooth. Strong. Almost sweet. It barely scratched his throat before warmth began spreading lazily through his chest. 

"Hmm..." he nodded thoughtfully. "Vakeel Sahiba ko sach me har cheez ki samajh hai." It seemed that Rehanna had knowledge in everything: law, politics, books, gardening, perfume. Apparently ganja too. Perfect. She was the perfect woman. 

He reached for the decorative box resting beside him and lifted the lid. Rows upon rows of golden bakhlawa stared back. His eyes lit up. "Bhai bhi kamaal hain...Mithai aur ek din ki chutti?" One piece disappeared. Then another. 

Sweet syrup clung to his fingertips. Flaky pastry shattered across his maroon kurta as he happily licked the honey from his thumb. "Allah..." He closed his eyes. "Ganja aur meetha..." He laughed to himself. "Jannat." 

Time became pleasantly difficult to measure after that. One beer somehow became one and a half. One drag became several. One piece of bakhlawa mysteriously turned into nine. The afternoon sun settled warmly across his legs while the bougainvillea leaves rustled overhead. A lazy breeze drifted across the rooftop every few minutes, cooling the heat gathering beneath the winter sunshine until the entire world felt exactly the right temperature. Not hot. Not cold. Just... comfortable. 

His eyelids grew heavier. His thoughts slowed. Somewhere inside the haze that had settled comfortably over his mind, one face returned exactly as it always did. Sky blue linen. Reading glasses slipping down her nose. "Aww Siyahi..." That smile. Always that smile. He smiled back at nothing. Then, without realizing when it happened, sleep quietly stole him away. 

—----------------------

“... Siyahi?" He frowned slightly. Someone was calling him. "Siyahi..." He opened his eyes. The rooftop was gone. Instead he found himself standing in the haveli courtyard beneath the old neem tree. Rehanna stood only a few feet away. She looked strangely nervous. This was incredibly unlike her. His eyes darted around her looking for injury or signs of danger.

Her fingers twisted together anxiously on the edge of her dupatta. She kept biting her lower lip before glancing at him and then immediately looking away again. "Siyahi..." she said quietly. "Mai tumse kuch kehna chahti hun." 

He blinked. "Haan?" he asked gently, taking a careful step toward her. "Kya hua? Bataiye." She looked down. Then up. Then down again. "I..." she whispered. "I..." Words seemed to refuse to come out. 

Siyahi's expression softened. Without thinking he reached forward and gently took both her hands into his own. "Aaram se," he smiled. "Meri taraf dekhiye." She slowly raised her eyes to meet him. The moment their gazes locked, she inhaled sharply. "I love you." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Mai tumse mohabbat karti hun." Everything inside Siyahi stopped. 

For one suspended heartbeat the world simply... froze. Then the biggest grin of his entire life spread across his face. "Aur mai..." he breathed almost laughing. "Mai aapse tabse mohabbat karta hun jabse maine aapko pehli baar dekha tha." A gasp escaped her. 

Happy tears gathered in her eyes. Before either of them thought another word, Siyahi pulled her gently into his arms. His hand against her cheek. Her breath stuttered slightly as her lashes fluttered shut. Her hands fisted in the collar of his maroon kurta. Siyahi leaned in forward and Rehanna’s lips parted naturally. 

She leaned in, meeting him halfway. Her soft lips brushed against his and then he kissed her properly. Lips moving against each other tentatively as they poured their passion between them. Heaven. Siyahi had reached heaven. Especially when she made a soft sound of pleasure against his lips when he pulled her closer by her waist. 

He loved feeling the warm weight of her in his palms. She felt so soft even over her cotton kurta. Siyahi’s head tilted forward as she gave him access to kiss her deeper. The both of them sighed into the kiss as they felt their oxygen run out. 

Eventually they parted flushed and panting. Her eyes wide and doe like a soft “Siyahi” left her lips. “Ji boliye? Meri jaan?” he stumbled out rapidly. She smiled at his nervousness, her hand cradled his face now “Tum mujhe bohot zyada cute lagte ho aise…sharmate hue” she kissed his cheek gently as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She had always belonged there. He rested his cheek against her hair, laughing softly in disbelief while she hid her face against his chest. 

Neither of them spoke for a long time. They simply stood beneath the neem tree holding each other as though the entire world had finally settled exactly where it was supposed to. This had to be the best day of his life, second only to the day he saw her for the first time in his life. 

—---------------------------

Soon the streets of Lyari had become theirs. Sometimes they wandered without any destination whatsoever, fingers comfortably intertwined as they walked past the little chai stalls and vegetable vendors who greeted them like they had known them forever. Shopkeepers smiled when they saw them coming. 

Old aunties sitting outside their houses whispered to each other with knowing smiles before loudly blessing them anyway. Rehanna laughed more than she ever had before. Every few minutes she squeezed his hand for absolutely no reason other than because she could. 

Siyahi, meanwhile, walked around with the permanently dazed expression of a man who still wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't all some elaborate prank being played on him by Allah Himself.

One evening they stopped beside an old pani poori cart tucked into a crowded corner of the bazaar. The vendor proudly announced that his pani was the spiciest in all of Karachi, which naturally made Rehanna insist she wanted to try it. 

Siyahi had opened his mouth to warn her “Rehanna, Meri jaan, ye sach me bohot masale dar hai-”  She didn't listen, she confidently popped the entire pani poori into her mouth. She chewed twice before her eyes widened dramatically. A second later she began coughing, fanning her mouth furiously. "Hai Bhagwan!" she squeaked, tears springing instantly to her eyes. "Yeh log zeher khilate hain kya?" 

Siyahi doubled over laughing before hurriedly grabbing a bottle of cold water from the vendor. "Arre dheere!" he chuckled, holding the bottle to her lips. "Aaram se." She drank greedily between tiny gasps while glaring accusingly at the innocent pani poori seller, who looked deeply offended by the criticism. “Bibi ji maine toh aapko pehle se ittilah kiya tha! Aapse hi khaya nahi gaya aur ilzaam humpe?” he reasoned  

“Chupe be!” Even after the burning finally faded she refused to admit defeat. "Theek tha..." she muttered stubbornly, wiping the corners of her eyes. "Bas ZEHER THA….taste toh theek tha lekin" Siyahi laughed so hard he had to hold onto the cart to stay standing. 

—------------

Within weeks the relationship had evolved into something more real. It seemed as if the nights belonged only to them. That time after lyari began to quiet down and until it began to start up again. That time was theirs. Hidden from everyone else. Under the silver glow of the moon they found themselves lingering together for just a few stolen moments. Wrapped in each other's arms beneath the cool night sky, they spoke about everything and absolutely nothing.  

Sometimes they spoke of childhood stories. Sometimes they simply stood together in comfortable silence, smiling and blushing every time their eyes met, the kind of silence that somehow said far more than words ever could. 

Sometimes when the heat between them grew too much, their lips would find each others. Tongues dancing passionately as they gasped and sighed in each others embrace. Hands moving over clothes respectfully and always stopping before the fire burned them alive. 

To Siyahi, every moment beside her felt impossibly precious, as though happiness itself had finally decided to make a home inside his chest. 

—---------

Eventually secrets stopped being secrets. Donga figured it out first, naturally. He had taken one look at the way Siyahi smiled whenever Rehanna entered a room and loudly declared, "Bas! Ab toh pakka kuch chal raha hai!" And then within twenty four hours the entire haveli knew. 

Hamza's reaction was exactly what everyone expected. He folded his arms, stared at Siyahi for what felt like an entire century and muttered, "Meri didi ke aas paas zyada hero mat ban’na." Siyahi nearly fainted on the spot.

But my god Hamza was taking it better than expected! Siyahi expected to die promptly but Hamza just glared. And those glares did nothing to Siyahi who found solace in the way Rehanna existed next to him. Rehanna only laughed at Hamza before slipping her hand into his again. 

A week later Hamza had quietly accepted defeat after watching the way Siyahi looked after her, grumbling under his breath that perhaps the idiot wasn't completely useless after all. Uzair congratulated him with a grin and clapped him hard enough on the back to nearly knock him over. Donga insisted on announcing to every single person who entered the haveli that Siyahi had finally become "Ashiq number one." 

But much to everyone’s surprise, the biggest surprise came from Rehman. 

—------------

One afternoon. A few months after Rehanna and Siyahi had become official. Rehman called Siyahi into his office. Siyahi entered nervously expecting some assignment involving weapons or politics. 

Instead Rehman casually tossed a thick envelope onto the desk. Siyahi caught it clumsily and looked inside. His eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Bhai..." he whispered. "Ye...?" It was 3 lakh rupees in cash. 

Rehman leaned back in his chair, smiling with the quiet satisfaction of an older brother who had already made up his mind. "Bonus hai." Siyahi blinked repeatedly. "Bonus?" 

Rehman nodded once. "Ja." He waved him toward the door. "Angoothi khareed." His grin widened. "Aur meri Vakeel Sahiba ko zyada intezar mat  karwa aur jaldi nikaah karle…warna koi aur lejaega." 

—---------------------

Siyahi had never run so fast in his entire life. He was about to get a ring for the love of his life. A few hours later he finally stood before Rehanna with trembling hands and an engagement ring. He had spent three hours choosing the ring because none of them felt beautiful enough for her. Now that he stood before her every carefully rehearsed speech abandoned him completely. 

“Siyahi kya hua jaan?” she asked him gently as she pulled her ahri over one shoulder. Her fingers tucking one strand behind her ear. Siyahi stared at her for several long seconds before managing only one broken sentence. "Rehanna…meri jaan… aap kya..." he laughed nervously. "Mujhse Nikah karengi?” then as if remembering that her being hindu she would probably like a shadi instead of a nikaah “Ya agar aap chahein toh phr shadi bhi karsakte hain no problem"  he mumbled quickly. For a heartbeat she simply looked at him. She looked at the ring. 

A simple 1 carat diamond ring, it was beautiful in its simplicity. An oval diamond on a platinum band. Then her hands flew to her mouth. "Sach?" she gasped. Before he could even answer she threw herself into his arms with a delighted laugh that echoed through the entire haveli. "Haan!" she cried, almost bouncing with excitement. "Haan Siyahi! Bilkul karungi! Shadi aur nikah dono karungi" 

She held up her hand before he had even found enough coordination to pull the ring in front of the box. Laughing so hard tears gathered in her eyes, she practically helped him slide the ring onto her finger herself before wrapping him in another crushing embrace, while somewhere behind them the entire haveli erupted into cheers. 

“OYE HOYEEEE SHADI HONE WALI HAI!!” cheered Donga. Rehman clapped happily before he pulled Siyahi into an embrace “Maashallah Siyahi bohot badhiya. Vakeel sahiba jaisi tumhe kahi nahi milegi. Farishte jaisi hai”. Uzair held Hamza back just in case he got into a homicidal mood. “Hamza shant reh woh teri behen se pyar karta hai! ashiq nahi hai” Hamza twitched violently in Uzairs grip “UZAIR chhod mujhe aaj katal hone waala hai. Shaadi? SHAADI KAREGA SAALA?” Hamza hadn’t expected things to go this far. 

—------------------

Siyahi was ecstatic. This was the happiest day of his life. He hadn’t slept all night but he was still as fresh as a daisy. Today was his wedding day. Today he would be getting married to the love of his life. His jaan, his Rehanna. The wedding was at noon but Siyahi was fully dressed by 6AM. He could not wait, he absolutely could not wait. Siyahi was vibrating in excitement pacing his room. 

His sherwani was a deep emerald green studded with silver embroidered constellations. His salwar was a deep black. The shawl draped around him was a deep midnight black to match. Siyahi looked like a king. 

The marriage hall in Karachi was decorated beautifully with white and green and many more complimenting colors. All chosen by his brilliant wife to be. Siyahi was positively giddy counting down the seconds. The boys teased him mercilessly. “Phen toh hara raha hai lekin bada lal ho raha hai?” laughed Uzair.

“Saale waise rishte me toh mai tera saala ban’ne wala hun lekin bolne ke majal na karlena!” warned an irritable Hamza. Yalina laughed beside him, “Hamza please bechare ko darao mat…rishte me ye humare Jija hone wale hain.”

The Qazi began calling the bride and groom to the stage. Siyahi practically ran to his seat across the flower curtain partition. The entire hall burst into laughter. Rehanna took her seat elegantly. Siahi could see through the flower partitions. She was wearing an emerald green saree to match him. Siyahi’s heartbeat began pounding at a medically concerning rate. 

The Qazi said those magical words to Siyahi “Kya aap, Siyahi, ko Rehanna Randhawa, nikaah me qabool ha-” Siyahi didn't wait for the Qazi to finish “Qabool hai, Qabool hai, Qabool hai!” he cried making the entire hall break into whistles and laughter at his excitement. 

Even Rehanna laughed behind the partition. The same question was asked to her. The Qazi began to speak “ Kya aap, Rehanna Randhawa, ko Siyahi, nikaah me qabool hai?” Rehanna took a moment. She spoke with the elegance of a queen. “Qabool hai” Siyahi’s breathing shallowed. “Qabool hai” his heart beat increased. When she took a moment longer to say the final confirmation, Siyahi felt like he was about to die “Qabool hai!” 

Siyahi launched out of his seat in a cheer making Rehanna laugh. Siyahi’s heart fluttered at the way she laughed “YE PHOOLON KI CHADAR HATAO MUJHE APNI BEGUM DEKHNI HAI!” he proclaimed. Uzair and Hamza had to grab him by the shoulders and make him sit down again. The Qazi stuttered at his impatience “J-Janab shanti rakhiye. Aapki hi begum hai koi uthake leke nahi jaa raha” 

—------------

“Aa ji sunte ho?” Called a melodious voice pulling Siyahi out of his slumber. Rehanna walked into the room with a towel wrapped around her damp hair. One chubby child balanced on her hip and the other running around her feet. Siyahi’s daughter in her arms and his son running a ruckus around her.

“Siyahi, please Haasan ko school chhod ayiye?” she sighed exhaustedly bouncing the fussing baby girl on her hip. The tornado that was his son Hassan had her curls and cheekyness, a handsome boy no doubt. The 6 year old jumped on the bed and tackled his father “CHALO ABBU CHALOO Faizal bhaiya aur Zayan bhaiya wait kar rahe honge!” 

Siyahi chuckled as he threw the boy over his shoulder standing up from the bed. Within seconds he crossed the bedroom to his wife Rehanna. 6 years of marriage had suited her so well. She looked even more beautiful by the day. Every second Siyahi fell in love with her again. He kissed her forehead as he took their daughter from their arms. The little girl babbled excitedly, reaching her hands into Siyahi's beard. 

Siyahi smiled and kissed his daughter's palm “Ahha abbu ki shehzadi uth gayi? Meri Haniya uth gayi?” The little girl clapped her hands delightedly. Rehanna frowned “Dono uthgaye aur subha se aatank macha rakha hai siyahi!” Hassan thrashed wildly over his fathers shoulder, enough to make Siyahi pull the boy into his arms properly. 

“Tum dono ne apni ammi ko parehsan kiya? Nahi ye bilkul bhi allowed nahi hai.” said Siyahi to both children in his arms. Then he looked towards Rehanna “Dekho kitni pyari. Kitni sundar. Kini hoshiyar….. Kitni sabkuch hai tumhari Ammi” he leaned closer with each word, his tone dipping slightly. 

Rehanna blushed furiously. Her lip in between her teeth as she chewed on it. Her eyes flicked to the ground shyly. Siyahi leaned in and kissed her lips softly, Rehanna stelled closer to wrap her hands around his neck. 2 year old Haniya in one of Siyahi’s arms and 6 year old Hassan in his other arm. 

“CHEEE ABBU AMMI BLEGHHHHHH” gagged Hassan seeing his parents kiss. He writhed in his fathers arms to get away from the disgusting act of love. Then the boy got offended at the fact his father was getting so close to his mother “Abbu piche hato. Ye sab nahi chalega!” And apparently his sister agreed with him “Ammi no!” Haniya whined trying to push her mother away from her father. 

Rehanna laughed against his lips as she stepped away from Siyahi “Achha baba, piche hat gayi mai khush?” Siyahi’s face flattened as he looked at his son “Oh chote! Teri ammi hogi woh lekin phele meri begum hai!” Rehanna laughed as Siyahi walked away with both children arguing with them about the right to kiss his wife. Siyahi loved this little life. 

—---------

Same day @ 6:15 pm

Roof of the Baloch Haveli, Lyari, Pakistan

Siyahi smiled in his sleep as he clutched the bottle of beer as a pillow. He turned on the charpay slightly as he got comfortable again “Rehannamerijaanekkisstohdedobacchesohrahehain” he mumbled in his sleep with a giggle. As he nuzzled into the beer bottle. 

Above him, unbeknownst to him, loomed Hamza, Uzair, and Donga. They stared at the sleeping man on the charpay who was surrounded by the evidence of his crimes. A half eaten box of Bakhlawa, two empty beer bottles and a third half empty one in his hands. “Ye sala keh kya raha hai?” muttered Uzair, narrowing his eyes at Siyahi. 

Donga shrugged. Hamza glared. “Woh chhod, utha saale ko!” Donga raised the bucket in his hands higher. But then he paused “E-ek second bhai! Ye bacha bua bakhlawa side me raklo warna kharab hojaega” Uzair nodded as he grabbed the box “Point toh hai bhai” Uzair shut the box and set it away Hamza rolled his eyes. “Hogaya?” Donga nodded “Haan bhai, woh bakhlawa bachana zaroori tha!”

Then without a word donga raised the bucket higher and dumped the entirely of the contents onto the sleeping man below. Ice cold water and even chunks of ice fell on the man. Siyahi gasped as ge got water boarded. He twitched on the charpay in shock. He screams in surprise “OYE!”

Hamza leans forward and grabs Siyahi by his wet collar. The shocked man’s eyes bulged out of his head. He was just about to be kissed by Rehanna and now he woke up seeing Hamza's scary face. A hard slap lands across Siyahi's face. “Bhai ne bola tha ki beer aur bakhlawa sab ke liye hai aur to akele thus gaya bhand hoke?” Hamza yelled as he shook him by the collar.

Uzair shoved Hamza to the side as he grabbed Siyahi’s face to tilt it towards him. "Aur baar baar 'meri biwi' kis ko bol raha tha?" Siyahi looked like a deer in the headlights. So his dream was just a dream? Rehanna wasn't his wife? The sadness hit Siyahi square in the chest.

Donga had been strangely quiet. Then the large man gasps as he realizes what Siyahi was mumbling in his sleep. Donga turns to Hamza with wide shocked eyes. “Bhai ye vakeel sahiba ke bare me soch raha tha!” Siyahi’s eyes widened and he yelled out too fast “KYA! NAHI TOH?!?!?!”

Hamza goes scarily quiet. “Meri behen?” he asks quietly. Siyahi better not have been dreaming of his sister. Donga makes it worse “Yaad hai jab ye bol raha tha ‘rehannamerijaanekkisstohdedobachhesorahehain’? Ye chutiya keh raha tha REHANNA MERI JAAN MUJHE EK KISS TOH DEDO BACHHE SO RAHE HAIN!”

Uzair is in shock and he slaps a hand to his mouth. “Oh bhenchod….tu toh gaya saale” he laughs. Hamza…Hamza’s face is homicidal. Siyahi gulps “Hamza bhai..meri baat suno..” he starts backing away “SIYAHI! MERI BHEHEN??” Exclaims Hamza.

“BH-BH-BHAI MERI BAAT SUNO” he is stuttering and stumbling backwards. Siyahi falls off the charpay and scrambles to his feet. “SUNA BAAT SUNA TU SIYAHI! MERI BEHEN KE SATH BACHE KARNA CHAHATA HAI?” says Hamza as he gets closer to the scared man. Siyahi breaks into a sprint and three men run behind the man. One with the intent to murder. One with the intent to stop a murder. And the third with the intent to laugh his ass off.

—----------------

What a lovely peaceful day. A brilliant deal of many many lakhs had just gone through. The boys had been told to fuck off. THe haveli was quiet. Faizal was at a friend's house. And the cherry on top was that Rehman had had Rehanna to himself. In fact that was better than the deal for Rehman. 

Now both of them stood in Rehanna’s bedroom balcony overlooking the Haveli gardens as the sun set over Lyari. Rehanna against the railing dressed only in Rehman's black kurta. And Rehman held her up steadily from behind. His bare chest against her back. A great afternoon. Her entire body weight held against him as she was too exhausted to hold herself up. Rehman placed his chin on her shoulder as they watched the fountains burble.  

All of a sudden there is a scream and a crash nearby. It makes Rehanna flinch at how sudden it was. Rehman's arms tighten around her to make sure she feels safe and protected. Along with the scream and crash bubbled through howling laughter. 

Siyahi ran through the gardens below the balcony at full speed. Hamza followed by Uzair, followed by a panting Donga who hated running. Siyahi begged as he turned backwards while running forwards “MERI MARRI HUI AMMI KASAM PHIR NAHI SOCHUNGA UNKE BARE ME AISE HAMZA BHAI MAAF KARDO” 

Hamza yells as he speeds up “SAALE! RUK TU! MAI BHE TEREKO TERI MARRI HUI AMMI KE PAAS BHEJTA HUN!” Uzair speeds up behind Hamza “HAMZA ISKO MAAF KARDE!” Donga panted, huffed, and puffed “AUR TUM SAB BHAGNA BAND KARO BHENCHOD!”

Rehanna blinks in confusion at the comedy in front of her. Even Rehman is speechless for a moment. Rehanna stutters out “ Y-ye log kar kya rahe hain?” She tilts her head. Rehman sighs, shaking his head. He knows his men. They are grade A idiots. He begins to speak in his gravely exhausted voice “Meri jaan un bewakoofon ko chhodo mujhpe tawajjo do.” 

His lips found her exposed shoulder, his kurta on her was oversized and it slipped off her frame. He kisses along the back of her neck, his lips tracing the hickeys he left not even half an hour ago.

Rehanna laughs and tilts her head against his shoulder, her hand snaking in his hair. Her nails scratched slightly along the nape of his neck. He sighed into her skin. “Rehman maine abhi aapko itne kareeb se aur nazuki se tawajjo di hai!” Rehman sighs into her skin “Kabhi kaafi nahi hai”  

Rehanna rolls her eyes at him even though Rehman can't see it. But he can certainly feel it. His hands tighten around her waist. His kurta bunching in his hands as he makes his grip firm. Then within moments he lifts her clean off her feet. His bare muscled torso firm against her back. “REHMAN!” she yelped with a giggle. “Chalo mere sath. Meri jaan. Meri rooh. Aapke sath har pal rehna hai mujhe.” he mumbled into her skin as he carried her back into her bedroom and tossed her lightly onto her bed making her laugh. 

—--------------------

Siyahi huffs and puffs as he runs through the gardens, weaving in and out of the house. Hamza and the boys stay hot on his tail. He makes it to the front veranda and he realizes he has been caught. So Siyahi huffs and puffs. As he stands and waits for the inevitable. 

So it was a dream? Rehanna telling him that she loves him was a dream? Their wedding was a dream? Their kids were non-existent? Siyahi sighs wistfully.

Hamza catches up to Siyahi. His hands wrap around his torso and he tackles him to the ground. They fall on the ground. An oof pulls through Siyahi's body as he lands on the bricked driveway. Yet there is a smile on his face. Hamza lands on top of him. 

Hamza begins pummelling Siyahi who covers his head with his arms. Hamza is yelling about something ot the other but Siyahi cant hear it. Uzair is trying to pull Hamza off of Siyahi, trying to reason with the incensed man. But Siyahi can't understand a single word. Donga is laughing his ass off, but to Siyahi even that is muffled.

Rehanna’s smile. How she was so nervous to tell him she loves him. How she was so happy when he proposed. She looked like the most beautiful woman in the whole world the day they got married. She looked so beautiful with him and their children. The perfect family. Siyahi’s Beautiful daughter Haniya and his handsome Hassan. Both of them the spitting image of their mother. Just how Siyahi hoped. 

But it was all a dream. A weed dream. But Siyahi wasn't angry. Siyahi wasn't sad. He wasn't even upset. Even if it wasn't real, he just kept thinking one thing: Wow maze hi agaye….worth every puff.

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Fun and cutu! Crumbs of our beloved DSKVS universe!