HUMDUM- Laiba & Fahad

Bonus Chapter - 02

"I'm so sorry"  I continue hugging her and kiss her forehead. We stay there for a while as I comfort her.

She breaks the silence after a pause.

"Fahaad.."

I respond with a "hmm?"

"Mujhe bhook lagi hai"

I look at her giving me a cute pout. Sometimes she is just like a child. I caress her hair and ask her, "batao, kya khaogi?"

[KITCHEN]
I stir the karahi kept on the stove and reach to the bowl kept aside.

"Isme anda bhi daaldo" Ammi instructs me. Right now i'm making shami kabab. Ammi helped me with making the rest of the dishes. Im not a pro at cooking but I guess I did a pretty good job.

"Maa aap idhar aaye, aaj woh khud sab karenge"  Laiba says walking into the kitchen.

Ammi gives her a glass of juice and smiles playfully. Laiba sits on the countertop.

"Waise mujhe lag raha hai hume khaana order kar lena chahiye" Ammi says to Laiba.

"Iske cooking ka koi bharosa nahi hai"

"Ammi yaar!" I groan. "Aap kiski side hai?"

"Main toh hamesha se hi Laiba ki side hu " She says hugging Laiba.

I couldn't help but smile as I look at the two most important woman in my life having a talk while I cook for them. You know these are the kind of moments that truly matter.

A pang of longing tugged my heart. I miss Jiya. She moved to London a few months back for her studies.

"Beta tumhe bhook lagi hai toh main fruits kaat ke du?"

"Nahi maa, aap araam kare, iski zarurat nahi hai" Laiba replies.

"Accha theek hai, Fahad agar kuch chahiye ho toh mujhe bula lena"

I nod in response as she leaves and my attention shifts towards Laiba. She is sitting on the kitchen counter wearing a loose salwar, her hair tied up in a messy bun. There's this difference in her appearance ever since she's pregnant. She's glowing, like there's a radiant aura around her making her more beautiful than before.

"Jaldi jaldi banaye iftari ka time ho raha hai" she orders playfully placing the glass of juice on the counter. I give her a look.

"Chef Fahad ke special shami kebab" I say extending my hand with the plate. She chuckles and opens her mouth, allowing me to feed her a small bite.

"Hmm"  I wait for her judgement.
"acchi bani hai"

"Aakhir banayi kisne?" I reply feeling a sense of pride.

She wraps her arms around me pulling me closer, smiling. I look at her remembering the earlier incident in the room and how upset she was.

"Abhi bhi naraz ho?" I ask.

"Yahin toh masla hai" she replies. "Aapse zyada der naraz nahi reh sakti"