Forever Yours

Chapter 47

47| Nawal

Soon, as Ramadan approached, Ahad and I decided to temporarily move in with my in-laws for the month. It was only the two of us back home and I wasn't allowed to fast due to my pregnancy so it was ideal if we lived with a family. Other than that, the vibe of Ramadan just can't be captured in small homes and between two people.

Mom was more than happy to have us over as she often missed her kids around the house and dad welcomed us with open arms too. Not once did I feel the absence of my parents and brother as it was my first Ramadan away from them. It would be a lie if I didn't try and avoid visiting them as much as I possibly could. Rumaisa bhabhi's words had hurt me and still lingered in my mind everytime I thought of visiting them and I didn't want to feel unwanted or a burden to any of the members of that house, even if it was my father's house. I didn't mention what she said to anyone, not even Ahad, as I didn't want him to think bad of his sister. I truly understood where she was coming from but it was painful nonetheless.

In the evenings, mom and I prepared Iftar together, creating a strong bond as a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law. Our respective husbands returned before maghrib to have iftar with us. I didn't fast but I was respectful enough to not eat openly as everyone else in the family was fasting, even my parents-in-law. It was good to see them not using their old age as an excuse to not fast, as most old people did even if they were perfectly healthy and capable of fasting.

My previous clothes still fit, luckily as I had no visible baby bump but it was still there and could be felt when touched.

Quickly, I set up the table as the last five minutes before iftar were left. Everyone joined the table as I sat opposite to mom and next to my husband as we all made our duas before the sound of the siren echoed in the streets and house, telling us to start eating. The table was quiet as everyone ate after a long fast and I respected that so I stayed silent as well.

"Beta, eid ki shopping karli? Ahad le jana Nawal ko. Pehli eid hai tumhare saath, ache se shopping kardena, there hai?" Mom said, making me smile and Ahad nod, obediently.

*Dear, are you done with the eid shopping? Ahad, take Nawal. It's her first eid with you, shop well, okay?

"I will, have some faith in your son." After the normal snacks, we started dinner and I served some to every member of the house. No one asked me to do such a thing, but out of love for my family, I did it.

"Since we've mentioned eid already, ammi invited us to Islamabad for eid. She wants to meet her grandson's wife as well." I hadn't met anyone from Ahad's relatives except his Asiya phupho and his cousin, Yashma. I internally rolled my eyes at the thought of her. But as far as I knew, dad had an older brother and sister and a younger sister, all who lived in Islamabad. They all had children but I couldn't keep track of all his cousins and their children too since most of them were married. Ahad said he didn't have a good relation with most of them so I had nothing to worry about. As for mom, she only had a younger sister, she too lived abroad.

I started collecting the plates and Ahad assisted. We didn't get time alone with each other except when we were in our room. He had work to do and we couldn't openly romance each other either though my hormones definitely disagreed.

"I'd love for you to meet my dadi jaan. She is very sweet, don't know what happened to her children though." He shrugged and I lightly elbowed him in the stomach, narrowing my eyes at him. "You shouldn't talk about your family like that!" I told him off and smiled and kissed my head.