Farmeed Oneshots

3. Morning Walks

I was thrilled. For a change, Farjaad decided to take me with him to Islamabad. In all honesty, I had gotten bored of Karachi. Even before our marriage, my family and I would have occasional trips to other cities to visit some distant relatives. Or in my case, I would beg Sameer and Haya to come along with me for our sneaking shenanigans. The last trip we had was when Farjaad took us to the beach.

But ever since I moved in with him, I hadn't gotten a chance to go anywhere. And I make sure I never bring this up to him, because I know he is not in control of his work. If anything, I have learned to understand why he works so hard, and I make sure I support him rather than continuously poke him about it. After all, he works so hard to provide for me, for his family, for us to have the life that we have. It would be unfair to belittle him for it.

Still, he had made me a promise that once his current project is over, we'll be off to travel across Europe for a whole month - I am so excited for that as I've never traveled out of the country. In fact the only time I have been on a plane was when I went to the gameshow, how times have changed. But for now, we had to find temporary solutions to cure boredom.

It was Mimi who brought up that he should take me along, otherwise even I hadn't thought about it. I had managed a maximum of three days without him during his previous trip, and they were my loneliest. His current schedule required him to be gone for five whole days, which was too much time without him. I couldn't handle that. So he immediately booked a ticket for me. And now here we are, somewhere in the green hills of Islamabad at seven in the morning, hours before his conference.

"Yahan par humein sabse ache views milein ge city ke. Aik dafa aaya hun mein pehle. Trust me, it is worth it." He blabbered enthusiastically whilst walking, both his hands raised in front of him as he focused on the path leading us. He wore a black jacket with grey sweatpants and had his sunglasses and cap on, looking proper posh. He knows how to dress for an occasion.

"Mujhe ye bataein" I tried catching up to him, my breath heavy. "Ke is track mein khaas baat kiya hai? Doosre pe kiyun nahi gaye? Saare log to wahan ja rahe thay." I didn't question us driving past the mass, but I did notice how we entered though a completely different area, with no one in sight. I liked the fact it was peaceful and silent, with the only sound being ours and the chirping birds. But I still wondered where everyone else had gone.

"Kiyunke ye exclusive hai. VIP. Yahan public nahi aa sakti." I had to roll my eyes, because of course! Why didn't I think of that? How could Farjaad Ali Khan walk on the same path as commoners. Of course he had an exclusive path for him to walk on.

"Humein tax lagna tha unke saat walk karte hue?" I felt like I had lost my breath at this point, which may be the reason I was being cranky about this - I needed something to be cranky about. I think Farjaad forgets at times how he has long legs, and how mine barely come off the ground. For a man who is all about calculations and precision, he still hadn't figured out to walk slowly around me.

"Nahi Umeed." He softly spoke and turned around, looking at my state as I exhaled like a donkey. "Yahan city ka sabse acha view aata hai, poora Islamabad nazar aaye ga. Aur tumhe kiya shauk hai logon se dhakhe khane ka. Enjoy karo ye space.' He widened his wingspan, smiling like an absolute fool while he tried to get me to understand.

"Farjaad mein thak gayi hun. Mujhe thora time do.' I breathed heavily and watched him tilt his head, a perky smile appearing on his face. What was amusing about my suffering state? I placed both hands on my knees to catch my breath, narrowing my mouth and trying to balance my breathing. He casually walked up to me and turned around, his back facing me. I was awfully confused at his movements.

"Aao." He instructed, both his hands open and curved. If he was welcoming me to jump on his back, there was no way I was doing that. Who knows how long is left?

"Kesi baatein kar rahe hain! Aap mujhe itna door utha kar le ke jaaein ge?" I felt sheepish, because I didn't expect that from him. In a way, his willingness to carry me made butterflies fly in my stomach.

"Oho Umeed, bas koi chaar minute rehte hain. Ab chup chaap aao." He remained in that position, waiting for me to jump on his back. I felt diffident, but warily listened to him. He had to squat down a little, but I swiftly wrapped my legs around his torso and my arms around his neck, clutching on to him whilst he stood up straight and began walking.

"Aap theek to hain na?" I tried to glance at his face, avoiding as much movement as possible so he doesn't lose balance.

"Meri jaan mein aise kaam karne ke liye hi to gym jaata hun." He commented, no sarcasm in his voice. In fact, he sounded quite genuine. I couldn't help but giggle at the thought of him doing all sorts of training just for me. To lift me and carry me - to do all things of my convenience. It was a comforting thought. The thought made me wonder what else he could do if I asked him to, and a funny list of ideas began appearing my head.

We walked for a few more minutes as he had mentioned, my legs fastened to the side of his torso, and his hands grasping on the back of my thighs. I enjoyed the heat that was created as our bodies were pressed against one another, because the weather was breezy. However, this warmth was more than just body heat, it was a reassuring warmth. It was the warmth I feel when I realise I am married to a prince. Someone who has made the promise to spend the rest of his life by my side, someone who is willing to carry me if I don't feel like walking. What a blessing he is to have, and I can't imagine living my life any other way.

I thought he was would get tired by now, but his speed was consistent and his breathing was normal. I needed to know where he got so much energy this early in the morning.

As the landscape began exposing itself, I could tell we had reached our final destination, because his steps slowed down and I was beginning to get the view of the city. It was enthralling.

I hopped off of Farjaad's back, enchanted by the view, and walked a few steps close to the edge, stopping at a decent distance. I could see the whole city, the landscape was riveting as the clouds floated on top of it. Everything looked meagre, and I felt like a giant. I could see the small buildings and the dotted lights - being vehicles - moving in lines. I was so captivated by the view. Living in Karachi means living by the water, so there wasn't any altitude nor were their any highlands that you can go to and view the city. The highest I have gone anywhere was when I snuck out on top of the Kidney Hill with Haya. This was a different experience for me, and levels above that. I didn't want to leave the place. It was indeed worth it. The chirping of birds added to the atmosphere. The wind was causing the trees to dance in unison, an array of leaves flying everywhere. Even the weather was different to Karachi. The air felt fresh and crisp, the breeze felt raw, it felt like the winds were coming directly from within the mountains surrounding the city. Everything was hypnotising.

"Kesa laga?" Farjaad came up and stood besides me, his arms crossed. I glanced at him then back to the city, allured by what was in front of me.

"Bohot khubsoorat" I slurred out, my eyes focused on the view. I realized how cozy and intimate this moment was. There was no one around us, just trees and greenery. And in front of us was the view of the city. This was the perfect moment.

Calmly, I raised my arm and reached out to Farjaad's. He didn't question it and loosened his arms, hanging them to the side. I wrapped mine around his - closing the distance between us. I placed my head on his shoulder, resting it comfortably. I wanted to take in everything, be grateful for what I had. Seeing nature was the best way to ease any tensions of the world. Being able to do it with the love of my life was a grand bonus.

I felt Farjaad's head lightly rest on top of mine, and I suddenly felt complete. It was just the two of us, on top of some hill in a big new city, staring down at it while we were above. It was symbolic to me, because what it implied was that it was just the two of us, and everything else was on the other side. We stayed still while the rest of the city moved. It was all about us.

"Farjaad" I softly called his name out. He only hummed in response, clearly as captivated and in the moment as me. "I love you" I muttered, feeling the need to remind him once again how much he means to me.

"I love you too" I heard his quiet voice reply and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and opening them once again to be immersed by the view. This was perfect.