Umeed sat up straight in bed, stretching her arms wide. She had just woken up from the best sleep she had had in days. The smile on her face from the events of last night refused to leave. She felt genuinely happy, and it affected every part of her being. She was feeling a new energy in herself today. She looked next to her to see Farjaad was already up and gone, his half of the bed perfectly made already - a habit that he had.
Umeed pulled the covers off of her and was about to step out of the room to find Farjaad, when a soft breeze blowing from outside distracted her. The window panes were opened, and the cool air coming from the sea had filled the room. Umeed made her way to the balcony, grabbing Farjaad's blazer from last night that was thrown on the chair on her way out, draping it over her shoulders.
The balcony oversaw a deserted part of the seashore, it was too early for there to be public there anyway. Umeed couldn't stop thinking about the last night. It still felt like a dream, yet it was so vivid, she could still feel the effects of it. She could still feel the passion and the way Farjaad's arms were wrapped around her. She was sure she could never erase the memory of this day from her mind. Not that she would ever want to. She subconsciously pulled the blazer closer to her, hugging it tight.
She heard slow footsteps behind her, and then a pair of strong arms wrapped around her figure, pulling her closer to the body behind her. Farjaad placed his chin on her shoulder, his cheek brushing Umeed's, the stubble making her feel ticklish.
"Subah bakhair"
He whispered into her ear, his warm breath falling on her neck opposed to the cool air made Umeed feel a certain way, resulting in her snuggling deeper into his arms.
"Raat kesi guzri aap ki?"
She could feel the smirk on his face as he muttered these words. Her face growing red and her stomach doing all kinds of aerobics. 'He's your husband Umeed, please' she kept repeating in her mind. She couldn't reply to his suggestive question in words, all she could do was slightly nudge him in the stomach, making him chuckle.
"Aap kab se jaag rahay hein? Itna jaldi uth gaye? Kaam kar rahay thay?"
She decided to change the topic as quickly as she could. She wasn't having this conversation so early in the morning.
"Haan, kaam to tha kuch."
"Yahan bhi kaam le aaye hein? At least aaj to - "
She quickly turned around to burst out at him. He was already biting his cheek, trying to hide the smile, knowing fully well that this is how she would react.
"Hass kyun rahay hein mujh pe?"
"Ye dekh raha hoon ke kal itna sara waqt guzarnay ke baad bhi tum itna ghussa kar rahi ho. Buhat hi possessive biwi ho bhai"
Umeed narrowed her eyes at him. Oh, he wants a fight? He'll get a fight.
"Aik raat apni biwi ke saath guzaar ke koi ehsaan nahi kiya hai aap ne. Har normal shohar karta hai. Haan, aap ne itna sab kuch plan kiya, us ke liye thank you mein aap ko bol chuki hoon. Ehsaan na jitayein ab aap mujh pe."
"Mene kab jitaya hai ehsaan? Mein to bas ye keh raha hoon ke insaan ko apna waqt divide karna hota hai na"
"Kya divide? Koi doosri biwi hai kya wo office aap ki? Jab dekhein office office"
"Agar wo meri doosri biwi hoti, to tab tum bardasht kar leti"
Farjaad loved pushing her buttons to the point where she went into her fight mode. He could sense it was coming very soon.
Umeed clutched the collar of his shirt tightly, bringing his face to her level, fire in her eyes as she stared dead into his.
"Aag laga deti"
He chewed out her words. Farjaad's eyes went wide with amusement, lips turning into a smile, and then a full blown laugh.
"Aap hass rahay hein mujh pe? Aap ko lag raha hai mein mazaaq kar rahi hoon?"
Umeed crossed her arms over her chest, and narrowed her eyes on his audacity.
"Nahi, mujhe pata hai aap ye qaabliyat bilkul rakhti hein. Balkay is se buhat aur zyada ki bhi capacity hai aap mein."
"Phir hass kyun rahay hein?"
"Kyun ke tum itni cute ho, mein kya karoon?"
Farjaad jokingly pinched her cheeks, making Umeed swat his arm away. Farjaad finally controlled his laughter, and stretched his arm in front of her.
"Acha chalo aao"
"Kahan?"
"Bhook lag rahi hai buhat sakht"
As she held his hand, she took a good look at him for the first time all day. His nose was all red and his hands warmer than usual. Just as she was about to ask him, she saw the breakfast spread out in front of her. A small dining table was set up in the patio, looking towards the sea. It was topped with omelettes, sausages, and toasted bread, along with french toast and fresh juice.
Umeed raised an eyebrow as she looked at him but got only a nonchalant shurg in response as he pulled back the chair for her. Umeed kept noting him intently throughout breakfast, his nose was runny and he kept occasionally coughing and sneezing.
As they were standing in the balcony with their cups of chai and coffee after breakfast, Umeed finally asked him.
"Farjaad, aap ki tabiyat to theek hai."
"Haan, meri tabyat ko kya hona hai? Bilkul theek hoon mein."
Umeed didn't buy any of it. He looked sicker than he did a while back. She brought her hand to his forehead, and that confirmed it - he was burning. Umeed quickly placed her mug on the table and checked other parts of his body.
"Aap ko to itna taez bukhaar hai, aur aap keh rahay hein ke aap theek hein? Aur ye subah se aap kharay naashta bana rahay hein? Ya Allah, andar chalein aap, baahir pehle hi thand hai."
She dragged him back into the room, closing the balcony door behind her tightly. She then practically pushed him on the bed and tucked him in the blanket. Farjaad kept silently observing this, partially because her concern was too endearing to him, and partially because it was all happening so quickly, he couldn't register her actions.
"Mein aap ke liye dawai laoon? Nahiii, yahan to dawaiyan pata nahi hon gi ke nahi. Soup bana deti hoon? Nahi, abhi to nashta kiya hai. Mein aisay karti hoon, joshanda bana laati hoon. Haan joshanda theek rahay ga - "
As she turned around to leave, Farjaad held her by the wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
"Umeed, theek hoon mein. Tum yahan betho, mere saamnay, aur kuch nahi chahiye."
Umeed bit her lip, unsure about it. She kept thinking of what to do to make him feel better.
"Umeed, betho!"
He practically pulled her, forcing her to sit in front of him. He held her hand tightly in his own.
"Pehli baat to ye ke mein theek hoon, bas halka sa bukhaar aur flu hai, theek ho jaye ga. Aur doosra ye ke kisi dawa ya soup se zyada mujhe tumhara saath theek kar sakta hai. Tum yaheen bethi raho, mein khudi theek ho jaaon ga."
A few moments passed in silence before Umeed spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Ye meri wajah se hua hai na?"
"Hein? Kya?"
"Aap meri wajah se bemaar hue hein na. Kal mene aap ko zabardasti baarish mein bhegaya tha apnay saath. Aap ko aadat nahi hai na. Mujhe nahi karna chahiye tha aisa. Pasha sahab theek kehtay hein, mein hoon hi bewaqoof. Har waqt kaam kharab hi karti rehti hoon - "
"Umeed, Umeed, Umeed"
He stopped her rambling by sitting up straight and placing his hand under her chin ever so softly.
"Pehli baat to ye ke mein tumhari wajah se bemaar nahi hua. Seasonal flu hai, is mein tumhari kya ghalti. Aur doosri baat ye hai, ke muhtarma aap ko koi haqq nahi puhanchta ke aap MERI BIWI ko yunn bewaqoof kahein. Meri begum sahiba jaldbaaz, impulsive aur jazbaati zaroor ho sakti hein, par wo bewaqoof kat'an nahi hein. Ainda meri biwi ke baray mein tameez se baat kijiye ga. Hmm?"
Umeed couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. This man and his ways.
"Jee sir, aur koi hukam?"
"Nahi, aur to kuch nahi hai, haan agar aap thora sir daba dein to bari meharbaani ho jaye gi aap ki."
Umeed quickly got up and made her way to the other side of the bed. Sitting down, she gestured for Farjaad to put his head on her lap, which he did without any delay. Umeed brought her hands to his forehead and began pressing it with all the force she could muster. Farjaad closed his eyes and allowed his body to be at complete ease.
His entire body was aching beyond description. It was hard for him to even stand straight. He was also convinced that it happened because of the rain; his cold tolerance wasn't the strongest. Yet, he would never tell all of this to Umeed. She would stress herself out too much over it, and he didn't want that. This weekend was supposed to be a stress reliever, and he was sad that it didn't go entirely as planned, but the last thing he wanted was for Umeed to feel guilty.
Neither of them realised when Farjaad dozed off. Umeed only figured it out when he didn't move for quite some time and she then noticed his slower breathing. Staring lovingly at his sleeping figure, Umeed couldn't help bring her other hand to trace his jawline lightly, admiring how handsome he was.
Farjaad shifted in his sleep, turning to his side, and hugging Umeed's arm that was running over his face. She didn't feel like taking it out of his grip, so she let him. Resting her head against the headrest, she began running her spare hand in his hair, lightly tugging the messy curls, her eyes not leaving his face and figure ever.
~
She had managed to escape very discreetly, making sure not to wake Farjaad up in the process. She was now standing in the small kitchen area of the beach resort, trying to make some kind of soup for Farjaad. The pantry was stacked with almost all the essential items - breads, vegetables, meat, spices - but Umeed could not, for the life of her, figure out what to do. They had both decided to leave their phones locked away in the car for the entire weekend, so she couldn't get any help from the internet either.
Currently, she was stirring a very liquid mixture, scrunching her nose up at the look of it. She had dumped in some chicken and vegetables in water, allowing them to simmer, and adding some spices. It tasted fine, but everything seemed to be floating in water. She went on to open random cupboards in order to find something she may add in to improve the consistency. At last, she threw in a handful of flour, and although it did make the soup less liquid, it added a weird taste to it.
"Bas mujh se nahi ho raha aur, yehi pila rahi hoon mein to"
Putting it in a bowl, she carefully made her way upstairs. Farjaad was already shifting in his sleep when she entered. She placed the bowl on the side table, and placed some pillows next to the headrest so Farjaad could position himself. She then bent herself over his curled figure and placed her hand on his forehead. The temperature had gone down significantly. The process, however, woke Farjaad up, as he held her hand on his forehead in his own.
"Acha hua aap uth gaye. Chalein uth ke bethein, ye soup - soup numa cheez banayi hai aap ke liye."
Farjaad glanced over to the side table where the bowl of pipping hot mixture was placed, then back at Umeed.
"Tum ne banaya hai? Khud?"
"Nahi, jinnon ne banaya hai mere saath. Zaahir hai, mene hi banaya hai."
"Phir to waqaye try karna paray ga bhai, begum sahiba ne banaya hai aakhir"
He suddenly sat up, sending a sharp pain across his body causing him to groan, making Umeed flinch.
"Dehaan se, kya kar rahay hein!"
She stepped forward, helping him get up and positioned him next to the pillows she had arranged. Her face was inches away from his. Farjaad had a smile etched to his lips seeing her concern for him. Umeed's eyes momentarily shifted to his parted lips, but she was quick to shake the thoughts out of her mind.
"Dekhein, mene apni taraf se puri koshish ki thi, magar taste ki guarantee mein nahi le sakti"
"Aap ka banaya to mein zehar bhi pi loon, ye to phir soup hai"
Farjaad smirked at her worried yet annoyed state. Umeed sat herself down on the bed next to him, the tray placed on her lap. She took out a spoonful, softly blowing on it, and bringing it to Farjaad's mouth, who was staring only at her, not even looking at the content of the spoon her was taking in.
As Umeed was about to bring the second spoon to his mouth, he made a face and said,
"Mhmm, Umeed ye dekho is mein namak shayad zyada hai"
"Zyada? Nahi, mene taste kiya to tha, namak to theek tha bilkul"
Umeed hurriedly placed the spoon in her mouth to taste, burning her tongue in the process.
"Theek to hai -"
She looked at him to see the cheeky grin on his cheeks. He was messing with her. He loved seeing her all riled up. Umeed narrowed her eyes at his cheekiness.
"Mein nahi pilaaon gi ab, khud piyein"
She was about to get up and leave when he held her hand.
"Aray, mene to suna tha aik bartan se khaanay se muhabbat barhti hai, yahan to ulta hi silsila chal raha hai. Ab tum ne pi liya hai, ab dekhna mein kesay foran se theek hota hoon."
Umeed rolled her eyes at his cheesiness and sat back down, pouring another spoonful.
"Lagta hai bemaari dimaagh pe charh gayi hai aap ke"
"Dimaagh to hamara permanent mareez ban chuka hai janaab. Mareez-e-ishq"
Umeed let out an exasperated sigh.
"Ya Allah. Mene to apnay khyaal mein achay khaasay maqool aadmi se shadi ki thi, lekin nahi, ghalat khyaal tha mera."
"Aadmi maqool hi hua karta tha, bas ye kuch maheenay se aisa dimaagh phira hai, thikanay hi nahi lagta."
"Achaaa, to ab is ka ilzaam bhi aap mere sir daal dein."
"Haan to aur kya, ye ilzaam to sar-a-sar aap ke sir jaata hai. Aap ne hi meri seedhi saadhi zindagi mein aa ke toofan barpa kiya tha."
"Jee jee, saari ghaltiyan meri hi hein, aap ne to kuch kiya hi nahi tha na jesay."
Farjaad bit his cheek, fighting the urge to laugh. Umeed fell silent after that, feeding Farjaad one spoon after another while refusing to look him in the eyes.
Once she was done and was about to leave, Farjaad knew he had to do something to make her stay for longer. He didn't want her to leave even for a little while.
"Suno"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry"
Umeed furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Kis baat ka sorry?"
He motioned towards himself in the bed.
"Ye, yunn bemaar ho ke par janay ke liye. Mera ye plan bilkul nahi tha. Mene socha tha buhat romantic sa getaway weekend ho ga. Saahil pe walks karein gay, bonfire karein gay. Aur buhat kuch, aur mujhe dekho"
Umeed smiled genuinely as he placed her tiny hand over his, giving it a tight press.
"Farjaad, aap ke saath guzara hua har lamha hi mere liye byhat qeemti hota hai. Matter ye nahi karta ke hum kya lar rahay hein, matter ye karta hai ke hum saath hon. Bas. Aur dekhein, kal se hum ne aik lamha aik doosray se door nahi guzara. Mere liye is se khoobsurat aur kuch ho bhi nahi sakta."
"Haan lekin phir bhi, kya kya plan kiya tha mene."
"Issi liye mein aap ko har waqt samjhati rehti hoon ke har cheez plan nahi ki ja sakti. Kabhi kabhar cheezon ko aisay hi ho lenay dena chahiye. Har cheez control nahi kar saktay hum. Aur jo aap ke baaqi ke plans thay, wo hum phir kabhi kar lein gay, abhi to zindagi pari hai."
Farjaad's smile quickly turned into a smirk, and he shifted forward, bringing his face closer to hers.
"Wese kuch plans hein jo abhi bhi puray ho saktay hein, us ke liye yahan bedroom se nikalnay ki zarorat bhi nahi hai."
He said suggestively, making Umeed gasped as her cheeks turned pink. She lightly nudged him on the shoulder, pushing him back to the pillows.
"Mein yahan khuamkha pareshan ho rahi hoon ke aap bemaar hein, lekin nahi, aao to bilkul theek hein, Ma Sha Allah se"
Farjaad let out a loud laugh.
"Haan dekho, mein to bilkul theek hoon. Apni statement pe puri tarah amal karnay ke qaabil hoon. Koi rukawat nahi hai"
"Taubah hai. So jayein aap."
Umeed got up from the bed, but Farjaad was just not going to let any opportunity go to annoy her. He again pulled her by her wrist, and this time, made her sit ever closer to himself. Her face barely inches away from his. Their noses brushing against each other's.
Farjaad brought out his hand and tucked a loose strand behind her ear, and placed his lips on her jaw, right below her earlobe, dropping a small kiss that sent current down Umeed's entire body.
The tray that was still in her hand was now placed on the side table, as she allowed her body to loosen up a little against his. She brought her hand to the back of his neck, playing with the messy ends of his hair - her favourite thing to do, while Farjaad kept dropping small kisses along her jawline, stopping once he reached her chin.
The temperature was getting hotter, and Umeed was about to give into his request, when suddenly, Farjaad sneezed loudly. And then began a series of sneezes. Umeed jumped off the bed and passed him the tissue paper box.
She stood next to the bed, with her arms crossed over her chest, raising an eyebrow at him as he looked up sheepishly.
"Jee jee, bilkul theek hein na aap to. Koi bemaar to hui hi nahi."
They both laughed out. A few moments later, Umeed brought pipping hot cups of tea for both of them, as they snuggled into the duvet cover and drank it, while chatting away.
The weekend may not have gone as Farjaad had planned, but it was enough to make them both genuinely happy for the days to come.