dhuaan chhanta khula gagan mera
nayi dagar naya safar mera
jo ban sake tu hamsafar mera
nazar mila zara
-roobaroo
Things escalated and suddenly life landed on our footsteps leaving ugly claw-marks. We were waiting at the airport lobby, right opposite to each other. We had just been married two days ago. MARRIED! While I still couldn't fathom that, we exchanged a few awkward glances that definitely said yes i don't like you but i'm supposed to have sex with you along the timeline.
"Are you hungry? I'm going to order some nuggets." Saad nodded to my question.
I looked down at the slight blue tinge to the airport carpets weaved on bright yellow hues. Life was definitely like that, on our way to chicken nuggets, a little blue etched with the fear and panic while the yellow threads with the hope but hey, we eventually get to the chicken nuggets.
Mum had packed a few tangerines that I peeled as soon as we boarded the plane. Saad adjusted the handbags and blinked at me as I forwarded two segments of the tangerine. "What?"
"Didn't you just eat?" He asked nonetheless accepting them.
"Just eat, man. You complain a lot." He stared back at me with an awkward glare.
"As if you know a lot about me."
"Yes, I do. I definitely stalked the life out of the person I was to marry so unless you're an underlying serial killer, I do know a lot about you."
"I should have stalked you too." Dang, that stung. I shouldn't have come to the conclusion that he was obsessed with me even though nothing showed that.
The flight attendants asked everyone to fasten their seatbelts as the plane was about to take off. Holy shit! Amidst all of this, I forgot that I never boarded a plane before and I had no idea how turbulence was going to affect me.
With a straight face, I looked down at the city floating away from us, ammi shouting my name so that I don't go to school with an empty stomach, baba with the chocolates he brought from his trip, brother with the gossip he heard from the neighbor, friends with the endless shenanigans. I was fading into a new life, spawning out from my own.
As deep as I was immersed into my thoughts, the turbulence did not bother me.
However, Saad's teeth were clattering and he was holding my hand with all the hopes in the world. As soon as it was over, he gradually pulled his hands back, embarrassed.
"Didn't you tell me you travel all the time?"
"So? We can all live in a toxic household and still hate it, right?"
"Wow, nice comparison."
14 hours had already passed when I realized I had been sleeping for the half of the journey, not just sleeping, sleeping on THE Saad's shoulder. I only lifted my eyes and stayed dead-still to not wake him up. He remained asleep on my head for a good whole 30 minutes until we reached Dubai for the transit when he drowsily lifted his head to see what he had done.
My eyes stayed cemented on him as a florid color painted his cheeks flushed. He quickly collected our belongings.
"Let me carry my backpack at least?"
"It's okay, chivalry is not dead, Sehra."
They were on time to put us back on the plane and in a blink we were at the doorstep of a new, unknown life with one partner in hand.
