"You're going to be my present and my future. You're going to hold all my babies because I'm going to be the lucky man to marry you. You're going to love me again, Maryam Khan. Slowly and then all together. And I will watch you as you do."
Imran and...
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A smile makes its way to my mouth when I see a glass of milk sliding in front of me. Grabbing it off the tray, I say, "Main jung lardne nahi jaari. Sirf exam hai mera, baba-" I abruptly halt my speech, sensing what I'd just blurted.
"You still need strength to write your exams, baby." His voice, laced with sleep reached my ears. I gulp the building lump in my throat and nod, taking a sip of the warm milk.
It was well past Fajr time. Though the lights of the room were turned on, the orange of the early sun was beginning to seep in through the curtains where I was revising for my final exams. Around me on the bed were textbooks, notebooks, printed notes, my phone and my laptop. While Imran had settled himself on the very uncomfortable desk chair across the room and was having a really hard time keeping his eyes open.
"Imran, come to bed," I tell him. "You don't need to stay awake for no reason."
"Exam hai tumhara." He mumbled, stifling a yawn.
"Mera hai, tumhara thodi."
"Don't waste your time, Shona. Focus on revising. And finish that milk. I'm right here if you need anything." Shaking my head at his stubbornness, I get back to reading through the words on the paper while sipping from the glass. Time passed by in a wink and I was done with brushing up.
Getting off the bed, I stretch a little and walk over to where my husband sat, folding his body so he could fit in the chair. His head was tilted to the side, chin tucked into his chest, eyes shut and lips parted slightly as he dozed off with arms crossed over his torso.
'I'm not sleeping.' He'd say and blink his eyes rapidly.
My hand cup the side of his face and caresses the stubble on his cheek. I lean in and peck his forehead but he doesn't even stir because he was a heavy sleeper.
"Imran," I whisper, but do not find any point in waking him up. Instead, I uncross his arms and settle on his lap, draping his arms around me like a seatbelt and leaning his head in the crook of my neck. My fingers lose themselves in his hair and caress his nape. I smile a giddy smile when he sighs against my skin, tightening his hold on me.
"You done?" He husks in his deep morning voice.
"Mmm," We spend a couple of minutes like that, holding each other in an embrace and tuning out the world as we do. He pulls away to glance my way, flashing me a sleepy smile with half eyes closed.
"We're getting late, babu." I tell him, but couldn't hold myself from kissing him either.
I sigh into the kiss, as his hands run up and down my back. My mouth moves against his in the memorized way, knowing what he likes and making him groan with a tug on his hair. I pour my love, my gratitude, and my passion for this man into the kiss. Had it not been for him, I have no clue how I'd live these last couple of weeks of my life. They've been hell for me, but this man did everything he could to not make it feel that way.
