YA' ABURNEE

Chapter 7

I don't know where we are driving to. Its been two hours since Umair hold my hand and practically dragged me in this damned car.

First of all its my second day of period and second of all there's no second-of-all to its bloody pain. First and second of all, I'm nowhere in a mood to go dilly dally right now.

Mentally throwing daggers, I looked to my right. There he sat, oh so happily. All of his focus is on the road. I think I should ask him where we are going, for the fifth goddamn time. But I don't feel like.

I feel like strangling him right now.

"Umair!" Irritation sipping from every syllable of mine. "Listen just drop me off somewhere, I'll take a rickshaw back home. And you can go where the hell ever you want." I cannot imagine going like this for anymore minutes.

My gut is churning every now and then. My upper thighs are in a wrecking pain. Making me feel as if I were going into a labour.

He smiled. His eyes never leaving the road. Why the hell is he smiling now?

He carefully reach for the backseat, all the while handling the wheel his right hand is controlling.

He took out a small pouch like thing, I don't care from where, and plugged it somewhere.

Two more minutes, my time bomb is ticking.

"Here." He hands me the pouch. "Careful. Its hot."

"What is it?" I took it from his hand. Oh, an electric hot water bag? My hands smooth over its feathery softness, feeling its intense warmth.

"Place it on your abdomen and slightly bend over, the pressure and the warmth will make you feel better."

"Wha-How did you know-" I halt for a moment.

Of course, period is not a taboo like most of our mothers has told us. Having no mother around in my teenage days, my father taught me everything I needed to know. Unlike my female friends, I was comfortable to discuss it even with any man by the end of my first period.

But there again, he is still a stranger to me. Despite living around each other for more than a few months, I knew nothing about him. Neither did he. 

And I was not prepared to discuss my period cramps with him. Not just now.

Shutting my mouth, I place it as he instructed. It is not my first time putting on a hot water bag. But the momentary peace I felt for the first time in many hours of pain, was heavenly. I shut my eyes, drowning in that peace of warmth.

Sudden commotion behind my back startled me. I looked to Umair who mouthed a small sorry and placed the pillow he was placing in the gap between the seat and the small of my back.

"Thank you." I said, bending a bit more to let him place the pillow. I thought it wasn't even audible.

But he heard and replied, "Anytime for you, love." He called me what? I was too mesmerized by the word to look him in the eyes.

From the corner of my eyes, I watched him carefully. No, he was not being sarcastic or flirty. His expression right now is anything but those.

"Thirty more minutes." He replied suddenly and I averted my gaze as fast as I could. He may get a wrong impression of me staring at him. "We are almost there."

I hummed quietly. Staring out the window to my left, I watched as the cars and buildings pass by.

Suddenly all of these is making sense.

Last week, he asked me what is romance to me.

I replied,"Whispering my favourite songs while hugging me and enjoying a sunrise is romance to me. Telling me to read a book while the listener stares at me as if I were someone precious is romance to me. Caring for me on my menstrual days is romance to me."

He is doing exactly what I said I expect romantically.

And to me, getting me out of my bed and making me forget about my pain today, is what means caring.

But for his insistence, I got out of my bed and may be not so willingly at first but have put as much effort in making myself feel better as brushing my hair. Otherwise if it were up to me, I'd rather had my hair tangled like a bird nest all day. And later face inferiority complex.

I looked to my right. Umair has all his attention to the road. Changing gears. Changing lanes. Rotating steering wheel. His forearm muscles flexing and relaxing all along.

I don't know what is this strange feeling, boiling my insides. Of course period cramps are a part of me now. But this emotion---the warmth that is swirling inside is so engulfing!

Sometimes you don't get to think. The biggest Magician up above does some beepity boopity boo and you are in love.

I can foresee the same happening with me. I cannot act as if I've unseen his efforts for ever.

A person's efforts show his interest in you. And I cannot let him down every time.

He could've let me be on my own. But he did not.

He put efforts into making me feel better although it was a natural cause.

May things change later on. May we turn into those typical quarrelsome couple. But I want to live in this moment.

This very moment where I can feel my feelings go bursting insane like fireworks, only for him.

The car halted. I didn't realise when Umair even parked it. He got out and came to my side, opening the door for me.

"Why are we here?" I question him taking in the view in front of me. Were we supposed to go shopping this week? I can't remember.

Jamuna Future Park is not an ideal place for romantic dates or whatsoever. But it is one heck of an useful place. You can find many things, all in one place.

"There you go." Umair said, closing the door for me. "You can roam around. Buy anything you want or need. We can enjoy some live music and good food. We can even go chill in the children's play area if you want."

I remember telling him once, how I couldn't go to any theme parks during my childhood because my father was always a busy person. Caring for a toddler was more than enough for him.

Umair's sensibility swirled emotions within me. And my eyes moisten at how hard he was trying to fulfil every wish I have uttered till this date.

I was never the cry type. It must be the menstrual hormones, right?

Rubbing my eyes, shyly I peck on his cheek even before he could blink.

"What was that for?" Flustered, his smile broadening at the realisation.

"A appreciative gesture." I tried to walk away to the front. Too bothered to face him.

"No, no. We're not finished." He grabs my forearm firmly. "What did you say?" He was cheekily smiling all the while.

"Nothing. Umair, we are in public!" I try to scold him and squirm out of his grip at the same time.

"Okay," Unexpectedly he lets go, "We'll finish this once we reach home."

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