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*
Zain
Her hair in a straight bob-cut, with golden streaks, and wearing a black sweater dress with black tights and high heel ankle boots, Sana Faisal had a glow of happiness radiating from her.
She looked around the restaurant and suddenly, our gazes met.
F**k.
I was out with Amir, Hamza and Faiz, along with other friends, celebrating the birth of my daughter, Zara.
Amir noticed the direction of my gaze and followed it. "Oh boy. Zain, ignore and look away."
But even if I had done as Amir had asked, Sana didn't. She made her way over to me and stood beside our table, causing everyone to shut up and look at her, bewildered. "Hey, Zain."
"Sana." I dropped my gaze. A long time ago, I would have found it extremely difficult to tear my eyes away from her, because I had considered her the love of my life, and therefore it seemed almost as if it was my right to look at her. I now knew how wrong I was.
I would never want a non-mehram to behave with Zara in the future the way I had with Sana in my past. But even before that, I'd realised how wrong I was when I had married Tara and had started to appreciate the importance of a halal relationship.
"Zain, can I just talk to you for a few minutes?" Sana asked.
"Sana, I don't think it's a good idea." I shook my head.
"Just a few minutes." She insisted.
I looked at Amir, who shook his head, before turning back to Sana. "Inside the restaurant, within sight of my friends."
"Sure." She shrugged.
We got up and walked towards the other side of the restaurant, and she turned to face me. "You're still the same as ever." She gave me a small smile.
"What do you want, Sana?" I crossed my arms over my chest, impatiently.
"Dad passed away in August last year." She said.
"Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un." I said. "I'm sorry to hear that."
*As a reminder, this is said when hearing about someone's death.
"I sold the gambling business after that and used the money to start up my own boutiques. You know how I've always loved fashion designing, so that's what I'm doing." She told me. "I'm not religious, but I definitely understand why you were so against gambling now. My own father lost millions while gambling himself, and even though he could afford to do so, I don't think he appreciated hard work as much as I am starting to appreciate it."
"Good for you. Congratulations." I genuinely meant it.
"So, how are things with you?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the left, as she waited to hear my reply.
"Well, I'm happily married to Tara, Alhumdulillah. And we have a daughter now."
"Oh, wow! Congratulations!" Her smile and words were absolutely genuine. "I'm glad that you're happy, Zain."
"And I'm glad that you're doing something that you have loved for a long time. I know how passionate you were about fashion designing."
"Well, it was good to catch up with you. I'll let you get back to your friends." Her eyes briefly wandered over to the table where my friends were sat, before returning back to me. "I wish you nothing but the best, Zain."
"I wish the same for you, Sana."
She walked away, towards her friends. Once upon a time, I would have checked her out as she'd walked, but not anymore. I headed back to my friends' table, where Amir was not looking happy with me.
"And that, my friends, was me closing the chapter of my past permanently." I grabbed my glass of water and took a sip.
"Yeah, I know the satisfaction of that." Hamza nodded.
"Our boy has finally grown up!" Amir slapped me on the back, grinning.
"What, you think I was going to get back to her?" I scoffed. "There's not a chance of that, bro. Not with Tara and Zara in my life."
"You know, it's funny." Amir said. "The name Zara came into my mind as well, for your daughter. It makes sense. Zain plus Tara equals Zara."
I leaned back in the seat and smiled as I thought about the little cute ball of pinkness in my arms earlier. My little baby, my daughter, my Zara.
And suddenly I knew exactly where I was going after dinner.
****
Tara
"Zara, why are you crying?" I was almost on the verge of tears myself as I tried to calm my baby down. "Mama!"
It was eleven thirty at night, and my parents had just gone to bed, while Meesh probably had her headphones on and didn't hear Zara crying.
A few moments later, there was a knock on the door, and to my relief, Mama rushed in, wearing her floor length robe. "What's happening?"
"She won't stop crying! I don't understand! I fed her, and her nappy has been changed, so why is she crying? Is she sick? Does her stomach hurt? Mama!"
"Relax, Tara." She carefully took Zara from me and began to rock her. "Shh, it's okay, Nano ki gudiya. Kya hua meri shehzadi ko? Kyun ro rahin hain aap?"
*"Nano ki gudiya: Maternal grandmother's doll.
What happened to my princess? Why are you crying?
"Is she in pain?" Tears were running down on my face as I saw my daughter cry.
"Tara, stop freaking out. It happens, don't worry." Mama remained calm. Being a mother of three, this was nothing new for her. She rocked Zara in her arms until the baby calmed down. "Nayi duniya main akay, humari choti si jaan darr gayi hai. Abhi ise sirf Mama ke undar honay ki aadat hai, laikin ho jaye gi theek."
*"After coming into a new world, our little sweetheart got scared. She's just used to being insider her Mama, but she'll get better."
Mama carefully handed Zara back to me. "If you want, beta, you can sleep. I'll watch over her so that you can get at least a few hours' rest."
"That's okay, Mama. I want to just sit and hold her for a while." I smiled. "Thank you. You go and sleep. You've been helping me with her constantly."
"Isn't that the purpose of you being here? So that I can help you and look after you?" Mama kissed the side of my head. "Let me know if you need me, anytime, okay? And get Misha to help you if necessary! Being Khalla is more than just pampering, you know. She should help you out as well."
"Don't worry, Mama. You know me. If I need her, I'll make her help me."
As Mama left, my phone started ringing. Zara jumped a little in my arms, startled.
"Aww, I'm sorry, duckling." I grabbed the phone and answered it, while holding Zara protectively in my other arm. I glanced at the ID before answering. "Assalam Alaikum, Zain."
"Walaikum Assalam. I'm outside. You wouldn't happen to have a key hidden outside somewhere, would you?"
"You're here?!" A pleased smile appeared on my face. "Don't worry. I'll get Misha to open the door for you. I'm ending the call to call her. Give me a couple of minutes." I immediately Misha's number after that.
"What?" She asked.
"Rude." I frowned. "What if I needed help with Zara?"
"Is she okay?" Suddenly, her tone softened.
I rolled her eyes. "Too late to ask, but this isn't about her. Zain's downstairs. Would you mind going and letting him in, please?"
"Fine. Do you want me to wake up Mama and Papa?"
"No, just let him in, please."
"Sure." She ended the call, and a couple of moments later, I heard her door open, followed by the sound of her footsteps as she ran downstairs.
"Papa's here, my little baby star." I whispered, looking down at my daughter. "Unse nahin raha gaya apni Zara ke baghair."
*"He couldn't stay away from his Zara."
I swear, how many nicknames was this poor baby going to get: baby/little Trouble, duckling and now baby star? Her parents were crazy.
There was a light knock on the door.
"Come on in."
The door opened and Zain entered, looking a little out of place in his black outfit, in Zoha's girly former room. Wearing black jeans, a navy blue shirt and a black leather jacket, he looked incredibly manly and s*xy. He had taken his shoes off downstairs, but I'm sure, he must have been wearing black ones.
"Oh my God, look who's here, Zara!" I spoke to my daughter as if she understood. "Assalam Alaikum, Zara's Papa."
"Walaikum Assalam." He took off his jacket and hung it behind the door. "Let me just wash my hands, and then I'll come and hold her."
Common sense aside, Zara's doctor had repeatedly reminded us of washing and sanitising our hands when holding the baby. It was especially extremely important while she was a newborn.
Zain returned from the bathroom and closed the door. My heart was pounding hard against my chest as I watched him. He sat down beside me and leaned forward to peck my lips. "You okay, Trouble?"
I returned the kiss, deepening it for a few moments, before pulling away. "Alhumdulillah. This madam, on the other hand, wouldn't stop crying. Mama had to come and calm her down."
Zain's gaze dropped down to Zara, and he held out his arms. I gently handed her over to him, and he kissed her cute cheeks.
"Badi shararti hain aap." He told her, lovingly. "Mama pe gayi hain na aap?"
*"You are very cheeky."
"You have gone after your mother, haven't you?"
"Hilarious." I lightly punched his bicep, making sure not to startle Zara.
Zara looked absolutely adorable in his muscular arms. Her cute little feet (covered by her onesie) peeked out from under her blanket, and I reached out to cover them properly. The room was slightly cool, despite the central heating being on.
"It's funny how I used to moan when Mama used to repeatedly tuck the blanket around us." I smiled. "And now, the tables have turned."
The way he was looking at her, with so much love for her, made me melt with happiness. "I know, Trouble. Parents are always right when they say that we wouldn't understand their feelings until we are parents ourselves." He kissed her cheek again. He leaned back against the headboard, with Zara curled up on his chest. His arm was around her, with his hand cradling the back of her small head.
"So, what brought you here, huh?" I teasingly smiled at my husband.
"Ask this adorable little duckling."
"Baby duck is here, so you've forgotten your Trouble." I pouted slightly.
"Tara, I've told you before, it's absolutely impossible to forget you." And then he leaned forward and kissed me, our daughter still pressed against his chest.
I missed kissing him and I eagerly returned his kiss, keeping it soft and slow, while both of us were making sure that Zara wasn't getting crushed between us.
"Is it okay if I stay the night?" He asked.
"Zain, are you mad?" I asked. "You don't need permission to stay here. You are the beloved Damad of this house, and now the father of the nawasi of the family."
*Nawasi: daughter's daughter.
"And how did I become both of these?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Because our fathers randomly met..." I teased, knowing exactly what he meant.
"Trouble..."
"Fine. You're the husband of Tara Zain, formerly known as Tara Hamid. You have every right to stay here without permission. Even my parents would say that."
He grinned. "You know, Talha Bhai keeps teasing me that he will get more respect because he's the eldest Damad."
"He's not wrong." I nodded. "And, he deserves it too."
"I deserve it too." He said, defensively.
"Babe, you have your daughter in your arms. Stop being jealous of your big brother like you're a toddler." I giggled.
"I'm not. He's absolutely the best, but I'm not jealous of him, because jealous puts him at a risk of an evil eye, and I would never, ever want him or his family to be affected by it." He said, softly.
"May Allah protect them. Ameen." I said, quietly. "They both deserve pure happiness."
"Definitely."
I stared at him thoughtfully for a while, before speaking. "Bohat pyar karte hain na aap Bhai se?"
*"You love Bhai a lot, don't you?"
It might be a bit of a silly question, but I have hardly seen anyone be as respectful towards their siblings (older or younger), the way Zain was towards Bhai. And Bhai cared about Zain just as much. Their sibling bond was beautiful, Ma Sha Allah, and it made me even more happy that Zoha and I had married the Iftikhar brothers.
"How do I reply to that without losing my manliness?" He joked. "But, seriously, I think I understand how you feel about Zoha Bhabi. Like you're the elder sibling and that you must protect her. I feel similarly about Bhai, even though he is perfectly capable of looking after himself. I guess it's because he's too damn nice, like Bhabi is." He looked at Zara. "Your Taya Jaan and Tayi Jaan love you so much. If you ever think that your parents are too crazy for you to handle, you can go to them."
I laughed. "Taya-Khallu and Khalla-Tayi, you mean. You know, considering that Bhai is her Taya first, and Zoha is her Khalla first."
"Why do you have to make everything weird? Friend-husband, and now Taya-Khallu and Khalla-Tayi?"
"Because I rather not keep things easy and boring."
Zara opened her eyes and looked up at Zain.
"Did Mama and Papa wake you up?" He asked her, in an incredibly gentle tone. "We're so sorry, my little princess. Go to sleep. You're safe with Papa. I know Mama's scary, but I'm here to protect you from her!"
"Zain!" I hissed at him, making him chuckle. "I'm her Mama. She's the safest around me, not you."
"Well, I'm her father. I think she's safer around me."
"What, you're keeping her safe from me?"
"Well, obviously." He kissed Zara's forehead. "This precious little life must be protected from the craziness of Tara at all cost."
"Go home! I don't want you here!" I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Okay, but let me check with Aunty if she's okay with that?" He winked at me, knowing fully well that Mama wouldn't let him leave.
"You clever...cow." I blurted out the first word that came into my mind.
"Did you just call me, your husband, a cow?" He laughed silently, so as to not disturb our baby.
"I had a brain freeze." I shrugged, blushing.
"Oh, so just something normal for you." He continued teasing me.
"If you weren't holding Zara..."
"You'd what?" He looked amused as he glanced back down at our precious little Zara. "My beautiful little angel, see? She is threatening me, but I will stay strong, for your sake."
"Zara is the one protecting you right now, darling and beloved husband."
"That's because Zara is Papa's Girl."
"That's because she has no choice right now. She can't get away."
And long into the night, we teased each other while tending to our baby girl. After couple of hours, Zara had to be fed, followed by a nappy change. It seemed to be a cycle, it seemed, but as tiring as it was, we both were very, very happy as well. Zara had suddenly become our whole world, and our lives now completely revolved around her.
I loved our little family, Alhumdulillah.
****
Zoha
I was feeling very restless. I couldn't sleep, and after tossing and turning for a long time, I gave up. Talha was fast asleep, unaware of my issues.
I put on my robe and headed downstairs. We turn off the central heating at night as it's not needed, so the house was freezing.
I went into the kitchen, made myself some hot chocolate (the doctor had said it was okay for me to drink it), and headed into the living room. I grabbed the throw and covered myself with it as I sat down on the sofa and turned the TV on. The hot chocolate made me feel better.
Did the baby just crave hot chocolate? He or She is truly Tara's nephew/niece.
"Zoha, beta?" Mum's surprised voice made me look up. "What's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" She stood in the doorway, holding a bottle of water.
"Yes, Mum. I'm just not sleepy." I gave her a reassuring smile.
"Can I make you something to eat?"
"No, thanks. I'm not really in the mood to eat."
"Okay, well, let me know if you need anything, okay?" She walked over to me and ran a hand over my head. "I pray for a safe delivery for you, like Tara's. I pray for my grandchildren to happily play together, the way I've seen Zain and Talha always play together in childhood. Ameen. You and Tara have given us all an incredible amount of happiness, Zoha. I'm lucky to have Bahus like you two."
"We're lucky to have a mother-in-law like you as well, Mum." I paused.
She gave me a warm smile, before heading out.
I lay on the sofa, pulling the throw over to cover myself and I felt tears in my eyes. A strange feeling began to bother me.
Ya Allah, please keep my baby safe. That's all that matters to me.
****
I woke up when I felt myself move. I opened my eyes and saw that Talha was carrying me up the stairs. "Allah! Talha, you'll do your back in!"
"You're not that heavy, relax." He gave me a smile.
"I'm five months pregnant!"
"And you're still not that heavy, sweetheart." He reassured me.
"Your strength is so attractive, Ma Sha Allah."
He set me down onto our bed and pulled the duvet over me. "Is there a particular reason you were downstairs?"
"I couldn't sleep." I said as he got into bed beside me and turned the lamps off.
"You should have woken me up."
"Would you have sang a lullaby for me?" I giggled.
"If that helped you sleep, why not?"
I cuddled up close against him. "Talha?"
"Hmm?"
"If you had a choice, would you save me or the baby?" I had no idea why I asked that, but I was feeling scared for some reason.
"Zoha, why are you asking me that?" He asked almost harshly, as his arm simultaneously tightened around me.
"Because I'm scared, and life is not guaranteed."
"My life isn't guaranteed either, nobody's is. But you can't say things like that!" He paused. "Did your doctor say something to you?"
"No, it's not like that, I promise."
"Then don't think about this ever again." He kissed my forehead. "May Allah give you and our baby a very long and healthy life. Ameen."
Although I was too sleepy to talk then, I wished for his long and healthy life in my head as well.
May this only be a fear, Allah. I just found my true happiness, and I want to continue it. I want to live a long happy life with my husband and kid(s).
Tara had told me that she'd felt a fear like this well, but Alhumdulillah, she was fine.
I hope things are okay with me as well.
****
Aww, I love Tara's family scenes! They really are a crazy couple!
Would Zoha's fear be justified?
Thoughts and comments?
Thank you for reading, and don't forget to vote!