The Business Trip (HayMur FF)

You have voicemail

Life sure had its way of mocking her, Hayat thought. Her husband was sleeping peacefully beside her having ruined her sleep. She couldn't decide if she was mad at her husband. It wasn't like he lied to her. And she was the one who stopped him from talking about it further, telling him she wanted to celebrate whereas in all honesty the more he would talk about it, the more real it would feel. So yeah. Fine. Maybe she was in denial. But this was way too soon. 6 months. 6 whole months of coming home to an empty bed at night. No date nights. No-one to always be there to catch her when her clumsy nature inevitably takes over. And what if...? She pushed that thought to the back of her mind for now. As if this wasn't hard enough on her as is. She turned to look at her husband sleeping soundly. Those eyelashes. How could I forget those eyelashes? 6 months without those too? *sighs* What am I going to do without you? She asked herself. She had somehow managed to tire herself out with all those incessant questions and sleep finally found her.

Hayat woke up to find the bed empty, much to her disappointment. "Get used to it, Hayat", she reminded herself. But wait..what was that smell? It smells divine! As if he could read his wife's mind, Murat walks in to their room. "Good morning, my love. Breakfast is ready. Hash browns. Beans on toast. Eggs sunny side up. With a side of grilled tomato. Just the way you like it." Hayat was ecstatic. There were very few things in life that a good English breakfast couldn't cure. "Murat, the last time you cooked this was when you wanted to apologise for kicking me off the winter collection designing team at Sarté. Let me know what I need to prepare for this time.", Hayat jokes. His wife knew him a little too well for his liking, he thought. "God forbid a man just wants to do something nice for a change, huh? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.", he responded. "Y'know, if you're not too happy with brunch, I have other ways I could make you happy. Tried and tested ways. Guaranteed success.", he winks. "Don't even think about it! I haven't even brushed yet!", Hayat remarked before rushing in to the shower. "Meet me downstairs for breakfast in 10", he said just before she shut the door.

Murat's logic was simple. If you're going to be the bearer of bad news, never do it on an empty stomach. Especially not if your wife is Hayat who frequently suffered from the state of hangriness. Once Hayat was done with her meal, he was ready to get serious. To tell his wife about the details she claimed she didn't want to hear. "Hayat. About my trip..", he proceeded. "I don't want you to go", Hayat proclaimed. She continues, her voice threatening to give way "But that doesn't mean you won't. Even if it means that all I have left with you is a few more nights." This was harder on her than she thought. "Wait..how did you know?", Murat questioned. "Your phone went off in the middle of the night. I didn't want to wake you.", she said.

He noticed her silence. Murat would be lying if he said he wasn't excited by this opportunity but they had just about begun spending quality time with one another post the first few tumultuous months of their marriage..and now this was about to tear them apart again, albeit temporarily. "Tamam. Let's make a deal, ok? I know you absolutely hate video calling for whatever reason but when I'm out there, we'll FaceTime every day. Lest I forget what you look like.", he joked. "Do we have ourselves a deal?", Murat asked. "Hmm, we'll see. If i'm not fast asleep with the 7 hour difference, then maybe you'll get a glimpse of me", she teased. "I guess i'll just have to have my fill of you now then. I'm not letting you out of my sight from now till the moment I leave", he stated. "I suppose your bags will pack themselves then?", she responded before Murat shut her up the only way he knew how. He buried his face in her neck, nibbling a path to her lips, as she tugs on his shirt, Murat demanding control the whole time as they both reach heights of ecstasy.

Hayat had made Murat make a list of all the things he had to get before his trip. A new electric toothbrush. Travel tags so his bags wouldn't get mixed up. Because apparently New York was devoid of shops. Nutella filled pancakes also made the list. Because madam would not stop going on about them. Truth be told, as much as she craved his presence, she'd rather not let him see what an emotional mess she was right now lest he changes his mind about this trip. Shoot. She just remembered she forgot to ask him to buy her a tub of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough. She grabbed her phone to call him, only to hear his phone go off. She walks in to the living room to pick up his phone. He calls me Ms. Forgetful and he's left his phone here, she sighs.

One voicemail. Did she accidentally leave a message? She plays the message on speaker, ready to delete it while she looks around to clear the mess they created earlier that day. Murat opens the door and lets himself in, making his way to find Hayat as he hears another familiar voice.

"Hey Murat. I've managed to contact the airline and they've got me a seat next to you. The hotel also called to say the've put us in adjacent rooms. So that's one thing sorted for now! Let me know if you need me to arrange anything else for New York. Take care. Speak soon."