"Tum sach mein ja rahi ho?"
"Uff Farjaad, haan! Pandharween dafa bata rahi hoon, haan haan haan! Raat ko final ho to gaya tha!"
"Acha lekin puray haftay ke liye janay ki kya zarorat hai? Event se do teen din pehle chali jana."
Umeed practically facepalmed herself as she placed the hairbrush back on the dresser, turning around to give Farjaad a glare. He was sat on the bed, with his puppy dog eyes pleading, and his bottom lip plunged out.
Umeed almost fell for it before she had to remind herself to snap out of it.
"Farjaad, mere bhai aur meri behan se barh ke cousin ki shaadi hai! Sau kaam hotay hein. Mene hi karnay hein na, aur kon karay ga?"
"Acha to tum din ke time chali jaya karna, aur shaam mein mere saath wapis aa jana na."
This time Umeed couldn't stop herself as she lightly banged her head on the dresser out of exasperation. This man will make her commit a murder.
"Farjaaaaad!"
"Umeeeeed"
HIs voice imitated a crying toddler and hers resembled that of an annoyed mother. Umeed looked dead into his eyes, clutching her fists.
"Kyun tang kar rahay hein. Aap aisay bachon ki tarah act karein gay to mein kesay jaaon gi?"
Farjaad got up from the bed, taking quick strides towards her and held her hands in his.
"Haan to na jaao na. Yehi to keh raha hoon mein."
Umeed took one of her hands out of his hold and smacked him on the arm.
"Oww, ye kis liye?"
"Ye jo dramaybaazi aap kar rahay hein is ke liye!"
"Tumhein meri muhabbat dramaybaazi lagti hai?"
"Is waqt to waqaye lag rahi hai! Aur kitnay baray jhootay hein aap. Pehle kitna kehtay thay, meri taraf se tum pe koi rokk tokk nahi ho gi, tum jab chaho ghar chali jana, aur ab dekhein. Sahi kehtay hein log, mard shaadi ke baad badal jatay hein."
"Rokk tokk to nahi kar raha...."
"Acha? To aur kya kar rahay hein aap?"
"Pyaar se darkhuast kar raha hoon mein to."
Umeed rolled her eyes at him, and turned towards the mirror, picking her studs up and putting them on. She then picked up her lightweight silver chain, and was about to put it on, when Farjaad gently took it from her hands.
Positioning himself behind her, he tossed her hair over her left shoulder, making sure to run his fingers across her neck as he did, sending electric waves down Umeed's entire body, as she went still. Carefully placing the necklace on her neck, he lowered his face, bringing it to Umeed's ear level, letting his warm breath run over her skin. Clasping the necklace shut, he let his fingers stay on her skin a little longer, and whispered into her ear, his voice husky,
"Tum khud hi socho na, tum nahi ho gi to ye kamra kitna khali ho ga. Meri subah kis ko dekh ke ho gi?"
Removing his hands from the backside of her neck, he brought one of it to her waist, turning her around to face him in one swift motion. Umeed was shell-shocked, unable to react to anything that he was doing. Farjaad took her parted lips and heavy breathing as enough signal to continue. His hold on her waist tightened, as he pulled her closer, smashing her into himself. His other hand went over to her left shoulder, where he began playing with the ends of her hair with his fingers, lightly tugging on the ends.
Umeed kept blankly staring at him, gulping lightly to stop herself from doing something she did not want to at the moment - like get on her tip toes and kiss him. Him biting his lower lip wasn't helping her either. She was on the verge of collapse, as she silently thanked God for Farjaad's hand on her waist.
Farjaad, though, as if on a mission to test her limits, continued with his antics. Slowly brushing her hair back from her shoulder, he allowed his finger to run over her collarbone. Umeed could feel heat radiating from every inch that he touched, as she closed her eyes, breathing in the strong scent of his cologne.
"Chalein begum sahiba, jana nahi hai? Dair ho rahi hai humein."
Umeed snapped out of her zone, looking at Farjaad who has very casually started walking away, turning back to give her a smirk, as he picked up his laptop bag and blazer. He walked out of the room with the same nonchalance as if the moment they were having didn't occur in the first place. It took Umeed a few moments to get back into her senses before she began cursing him and herself for being so weak for his touch, and followed him.
~
Umeed had a meeting with an interior designer for her cafe, after which she directly came over to Pasha house. Once Haya had briefed her over all the latest shenanigans of the Pashas, the two came downstairs, to sit with the rest of the family. Umeed, Haya and Sameer all zoned out as Zeenat went on and on about the list of things she still had to do, and how no on in the house helps her.
"Farjaad bhai kesay rahein gay tumharay bghair? Un ko to saans hi nahi aati jab tak tum saath na ho"
Haya silently whispered into Umeed's ear, making her roll her eyes. She was still mad at him for what he did in the morning, and made a mental note to take her revenge.
"Naam na lo us ka mere saamnay is waqt. Shadeed ghussa hai mujhe."
"Hein bhai, kyun? Aisa kya ho gaya?"
Umeed opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't get any words out. What was she supposed to tell her? She was mad at her husband because he knows the affect he has on her, and loves to tease her with it? Or the fact that she was infuriated by how he left an intimate moment in the middle? She couldn't tell her any of that.
It's weird how life functions, isn't it? You have your closest friends who you can talk to about anything - right down to the deepest secrets. Haya and Umeed had no barriers between them. From their emotions and traumas to gossiping about their own parents, there was nothing that was hidden. But suddenly, there were these new aspects of both of their lives which were too intimate to share even with each other. The marital relationship was really a beautiful and special thing, when done right.
"Umeed, tum shadi tak idhar hi raho gi ab?"
Pasha sahab asked her. Crisp and direct - just like he used to talk to her always.
"Jee Pa - baba"
Umeed muttered. She was trying to make a conscious effort to shift from 'Pasha sahab' to 'baba'. It was partially due to Farjaad's support, as he helped her overcome the strains in her relationship. The more Umeed opened up to him about why she had began calling him that, the more she felt herself heal. With that, she was trying to cover the gaps in the relationship. Though she knew she could never unlearn all the years of fear and dissociation, she was trying to overcome the pain it caused her, and hold whatever relationship there existed between them, close to her. Not living in the same house, and meeting only occasionally helped too.
"Farjaad se pooch ke, ijazat le ke aayi thi na?"
Umeed let out a humorless chuckle at his question.
"Mein un ko bata ke aayi thi baba. Pabandiyan laganay aur rok tokk karnay ke qaail nahi hein Farjaad. Unhon ne aaj tak mujhe kisi cheez se nahi roka."
Umeed's shoulders lifted up with pride as she described Farjaad. It was true though. Umeed's biggest issue with Pasha sahab had always been his lack of trust in her, and the excessive prohibitions he placed on her, leading her towards rebellion. Farjaad was a refreshing change for Umeed. He trusted her blindly, and never questioned anything she did. Yes, he advised her on matters, but he never tried stopping her from anything or imposing his will upon her.
With Farjaad, Umeed felt like she could breathe - a liberty she never got under Pasha sahab.
The entire room went silent. Although Umeed had not made any direct comparison between her life in this house and her new home, everyone understood the silent reference.
The silence was interrupted by the doorbell. A few moments later, Sameer returned with Farjaad walking beside him, making Umeed choke on her chai. Farjaad kept stealing glances at her, even as he met everyone else in the house.
"Aao Farjaad beta, betho. Is waqt, kesay aana hua? Umeed ne bataya hi nahi tum aa rahay ho?"
Umeed could feel her entire body burn under the weight of Farjaad's unwavering gaze, as he sat down on the sofa directly in front of her, yet, she stood her ground and kept glaring at him, an eyebrow raised.
"Jee wo Pasha uncle, Umeed ko bhi nahi pata tha mein aa raha hoon. Mera to iraada bhi nahi tha aanay ka, lekin Umeed apna wallet hi subah gaari mein chor aayi thi, to mujhe aana para. Ab wallet ke bghair to guzara nahi ho sakta na. Mene socha de aaon."
Umeed's sat there with her mouth agape and eyes wide open, as she stared at him, earning a cheeky grin in return. Haya turned around to look at Umeed with an eyebrow raised. Umeed had just handed her a few notes from her wallet in the room. She very well knew Umeed had her wallet with her.
"Umeed! Mene tumhein kitni baar bola hai ke apni cheezon ka khyaal rakha karo, dekho Farjaad ko khuamkha itna door aana para."
"Baba mein - "
"Aray nahi nahi Pasha sahab, mene hi subah kuch rakhnay ke liye wallet nikala tha Umeed ka, to us ko wapis rakhna yaad hi nahi raha. Wese bhi, mein nahi chakkar lagaoon ga Umeed ke peeche to kon lagaye ga? Mera farz hai."
Umeed kept taking deep breaths to calm herself down, while simultaneously giving Farjaad murderous looks.
"Farjaad beta, ab aaye ho to khanay ke liye to ruko gay na?"
This time it was Zeenat who asked the question.
"Nahi chachi, in ko dair ho jaye gi -"
"Jee jee, chachi, zaroor rukoon ga. Buhat bhook lagi hui hai."
They both answered at the same time, earning quizzical looks from the entire family. Umeed rubbed her forehead hard, trying to calm herself down. 'Not here, Umeed, not here' she kept reminding herself.
"Chalo ye to acha hai. Magar tum bata ke hi nahi aaye, mein kuch khaas bana leti tumharay liye."
"Aray nahi chachi, aap to jo banati hein acha banati hein. Wese bhi, mein koi ghair to hoon nahi."
"aAp jO bAnAtI hEiN aChA bAnAtI hEiN"
Umeed imitated him under her breath, earning her a light smack from Haya, as she got up and followed Zeenat to the kitchen to set up things for dinner.
"Aur Pasha uncle, tayyariyan kesi chal rahi hein? Meri kisi bhi madad ki zarorat ho to zaroor bataye ga."
Umeed raised her eyebrow as she looked at him, referring to the conversation they were having in the morning, where he wasn't even in favour of her coming over.
"Aray beta, damaad se kaam kehtay achay lagein gay hum? Bas tum ne Umeed to bhej diya, khud aa jana functions pe, ye buhat hai."
"Ab aap mujhe sharminda kar rahay hein. Mein damaad nahi, is ghar ka beta hoon. Aur jahan tak Umeed ki baat hai, to ye us ka ghar hai, wo jab chahay yahan aaye, us ko meri ijazat ki zarorat thori hai. Aap kesi ghairon wali baatein kar rahay hein."
"Meesna aadmi"
She huffed, before getting up to go to the kitchen, just so she could avoid him. Farjaad couldn't help the chuckle that left his mouth.
~
The situation at the dinner table was rather interesting. Farjaad was sitting right next to Umeed, who kept trying to shift away from him, towards Haya, who was seated on the other side of her.
"Kya masla hai Umeed, tameez se apni jagah pe betho!"
She finally blurted out in a hushed voice, loud enough for Farjaad to hear, making him laugh. It wasn't a smart move from him, as the food in his mouth made him choke thanks to laughing. This time it was Umeed's turn to laugh at him as he began coughing.
"Aray kya ho gaya Farjaad? Umeed, paani daal ke do Farjaad ko."
Controlling her laugh, Umeed put water in Farjaad's glass, turning out to hand it over to him, still glaring at him, but Farjaad could see her lips slightly curled into a smile.
"Umeed, zara salad paas karna."
He asked. He did not need salad. What he did want though, was to see the annoyed expression on Umeed's face that he found so endearing, and he got it. As Umeed half-heartedly passed him the salad bowl, he made sure their fingers brushed against each other, making Umeed's scowl grow deeper.
She couldn't wait for this dinner to end so he could leave. She really wanted to have nothing to do with him that night. She had already not gotten over her annoyance from the morning, and this man was making sure he pushed all her wrong buttons. He wanted her to react in front of the whole family, but she was not going to give him the satisfaction. So she took a deep breath and went back to her plate of food.
"Umeed, biryani daal do thori si."
"Bas karein, aap ki phir tabyat kharab hoti hai"
"Itni mazay ki banayi hai chachi ne, mera dil kar raha hai khaye jaaon."
"Oho Umeed, khanay do becharay ko, kuch nahi ho ga tabyat ko."
Umeed rolled her eyes as she poured in a spoon full of rice into his plate and handed it back to him.
"Aik kabab bhi rakh do saath."
Her patience was running low.
After putting a kabab in his plate, she handed him the plate again, only to have him pass it back to her yet again.
"Thora sa raita bhi daal do upar."
He doesn't even eat raita!
At this point everyone had stopped focusing on their own meals, and began glancing between the two of them.
Umeed gave him a sickly sweet smile, as she began pouring raita over his rice. While giving him the side-eye, she kept putting one spoonful after another, until she saw his eyes widen in horror, as he opened his mouth to try and say something. Once she had pretty much drenched his entire rice in raita, she handed the plate back to him, the same smile plastered on her face.
"Aur kuch chahiye aap ko?"
Farjaad shook his head as he chugged down water, staring at his plate. 'Ye kesay khana hai mene?'
Umeed, finally satisfied, went back to her food happily. 'That's what you get, Mr. Farjaad'.
Her victory was, however, short-lived. They were in the middle of eating kheer, when she felt Farjaad's hand on her knee, making her jump lightly. She did manage to maintain her composure, and not attract any attention. Farjaad wasn't done though. He slowly began moving his hand upward, making sure to tickle her in the process. Umeed dropped her spoon in the bowl all of a sudden as she jumped in her seat, making everyone look at her.
"Aray Umeed, kya hua? Tum theek ho?"
Farjaad turned around to look at her, feigning the most innocent, concerned face, as he held her shoulder with the same hand that was on her thigh a while back.
Umeed narrowed her eyes as him, as she spoke through gritted teeth.
"Jee, theek hoon, wo aik keera charh gaya tha taang pe, utar gaya hai ab."
Farjaad could barely hold his laughter at this point, and had to place a hand on his mouth to hide it. Everyone returned to eating, but Umeed was done. She just sat there with her arms crossed, waiting for this dreadful dinner to end, so he would leave.
Luck clearly was not on her side that day. After dinner, Farjaad went back and sat in the living area with everyone else, and began chatting away with Aagu Jaan, who was busy narrating to him a story of your youth.
"Acha lekin Aagu Jaan, aap ne ye to bataya hi nahi, jab aap Dada jaan se naraaz ho jaati thein, to wo aap ko kesay manaya kartay thay?"
Farjaad's question was directed towards Aagu Jaan, but his eyes were set on Umeed, who made sure to pick the seat farthest away from him.
"Mein un se kabhi naraaz hoti hi nahi thi mere chaand, to manana kesa?"
Farjaad's smirk grew even wider.
"Achaa, aap kabhi un se naraaz nahi huieen?"
"Haan, aik do baar hui thi, phir wo mujhe gajray la ke de detay thay, ya phir koi khoobsurat sa geet ga ke sunatay thay, to mein foran man jaati thi."
"Wese Aagu Jaan, aap ke zamanay ki biwiyan buhat achi hoti thein, kitni araam se maan jaya karti thein. Aaj kal wali to buhat nakhre wali ho gayi hein."
Umeed narrowed her eyes at him. Oh how much did she want to punch him square in that pretty face of his.
"Farjaad, aap ko dair nahi ho rahi? Ghar nahi jana aap ne? Subah office bhi to jana hai. Dair ho rahi hai, hmm?"
"Chala jaaon ga ghar bhi, abhi Aagu Jaan se baat to karnay do mujhe. Kabhi kabhi to mauqa milta hai."
"Haan na Umeed, betha rehnay do mere chaand ko mere paas. Mein kya bata rahi thi, haan, aik baar na ...."
Umeed placed one of her hands on her forehead as she rested her head against the backrest of the sofa. The stare off between the two continued, until Umeed finally gave up and stood up.
"Mein chai bananay ja rahi hoon, kisi aur ko peeni hai?"
"Mere liye bhi aik cup bana dena."
Umeed looked at Farjaad then at the clock that read 10:40 pm. The ride back home took at least 45 minutes. What was this man up to?
Moments later, she walked back with cups of tea for herself, Haya, Zeenat and Farjaad. After handing the ladies theirs, she handed Farjaad his cup, but he also subtly held her hand, making her sit right next to him. The hand never left hers throughout.
Conversations kept flowing across the living room. From Aagu Jaan's stories to the antics of Umeed, Haya and Sameer in their childhood. Time kept passing, and no one kept a track of it. No one realised when the clock struck 12, everyone was too engrossed in the conversation. Umeed had pretty much forgotten about how annoyed she was at the man sitting next to her. In that moment, all she had for Farjaad was admiration, as she watched him mingle in with her family. Life never felt more complete.
It was around 1 am when Farjaad yawned, bringing Umeed back to reality.
"Farjaad, time dekhein. Itni dair ho gayi hai."
"Baaton mein pata hi nahi chala waqt guzarnay ka. Chalta hoon mein ab."
Although Umeed had waited all night for him to leave, suddenly the thought of him leaving made her heart drop.
"Beta ab is waqt kya tum itna door jao gay. Idhar hi ruk jao aaj raat."
"Aray nahi Pasha uncle, aap logon ko khuamkha zehmat ho gi."
"Zehmat wali konsi baat hai mere chand, ye tumhara bhi to ghar hai."
Farjaad turned to look at Umeed, wanting to know what she wanted, but she refused to meet his gaze. Every part of her wanted him to stay. The thought of him leaving made her feel empty and cold. But she still wanted to keep a semblance of her anger, although it was long gone.
"Bas Farjaad beta, aur behas nahi. Guest room faarigh hai para hai wese bhi. Aap donon aaj waheen so jana."
With that Pasha sahab went to his room, Aagu jaan, Zeenat and Hilal and Sameer following suit.
"Umeed wese to guest room mein sara kuch rakha hi hua hai, mehmaan aana shuru honay walay hein na, lekin agar kisi cheez ki zarorat ho to bata dena. Khuda Hafiz."
Haya walked out too, leaving only Umeed and Farjaad in the living room. Farjaad gestured for Umeed to take the lead, and she did, walking towards the room. Once Farjaad locked the door behind him and turned around, he saw Umeed standing in the middle of the room, holding a T-shirt and trousers Sameer had brought for Farjaad.
"Ye yahan bed pe rakh rahi hoon mein, change kar lijiye ga, aur phir so jayein, buhat dair ho gayi hai."
With that she began walking towards the bathroom, when Farjaad quickly caught up to her, holding her wrist in his hand, as he stood in front of her.
"Haath chorein Farjaad, aur ja ke so jayein, subah aap ko office bhi jana hai."
"Meri Umeed mujh se naraaz ho to mujhe neend aa sakti hai?"
Umeed stared up at him with her big, round eyes. The look that drove Farjaad mad. The eyes he could stare into forever.
"Rehne dein, aap ko kya farq parta hai meri narazgi se?"
"Agar farq na parta hota, to is waqt ghar mein araam se so raha hota, yahan na khara hota."
Umeed felt a sense of warmth overtake her entire being from the inside. She knew he came here for her.
"Wo kamra tumharay bghair ab adhoora lagta hai Umeed. Aadat ho gayi hai tumhari us kamray ki har cheez ko. Tum aik raat bhi na ho na, to wo bed, wo sheesha, wo khirki, sab veiran lagtay hein."
"Wo aap ka kamra hai, kuch maheenay pehle bhi to wo aisa hi tha."
"Meri koi cheez ab sirf meri nahi hai, Umeed. Tum ne har cheez pe qabza kar liya hai. Kamra to kya, mera wujood tak adhoora hai tumharay bghiar."
Umeed's eyes widened.
"Aap ko to buhat hi shadeed neend aa rahi hai, Farjaad. Ajeeb behki behki baatein karnay lagay hein. Please ja ke so jayein."
She turned around to leave, but Farjaad pulled her back towards him. Her back touched his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Tum hi socho zara, kyun na rokein tumhein
Jaan jaati hai jab uth ke jatay ho tum
Tum ko apni qasam, jaan e jaan, baat itni meri maan lo
Aaj jaanay ki zidd na karo"
He hummed into her ear in a low voice, making Umeed's entire body go wild with goosebumps.
"Gajray to nahi hein mere paas jin se tumhein mana sakoon, gaanay se kaam chal jaye ga?"
As Umeed snuggled deeper into his arms, and placed her hands on top of his, he got his answer. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, taking in the fruity scent of her conditioner. Umeed kept running her fingers up and down the prominent veins of his arms, tracing them as far up as his rolled sleeves allowed.
All the moments of the day culminated into just this - Umeed and Farjaad's home wasn't defined by where they were. The only thing that mattered was that they're together. As long as they were, every place became home.