"Ughhh yahan bhi nahi hai"
Umeed mumbled out of annoyance as she disheveled yet another drawer of the dresser. Farjaad, who had for the past thirty minutes, been observing her almost quietly, finally gave up and walked up to her.
"Kya gumm ho gaya hai Umeed? Mujhe batao, shayad mene dekha ho?"
Umeed stopped her rummaging momentarily and looked up at him with all seriousness, mentally questioning whether she should tell him or not.
'Nahi, Farjaad ko buhat dukh ho ga agar unhein pata chala' her brain concluded.
"Nahi, kuch nahi, aap ko nahi pata. Wo aik necklace tha, shayad Pasha house reh gaya hai. Haya se pooch loon gi kal kar ke. Chalein? Dair ho rahi hai."
Farjaad didn't miss how she avoided meeting his gaze as she picked up her purse and ran out. He also did not miss her continuously fumbling with her hands throughout breakfast and the car ride. The silence in the car was piercing. Something was really wrong.
Umeed couldn't help run her fingers over her naked ring finger. The absence of that one ring felt very heavy. It almost felt like a part of her skin was missing. She wanted to cry, but she also did not want Farjaad finding out. As she silently ran her thumb over her left ring finger, her mind drifted off to their wedding night.
After an overdramatic moment of Farjaad teasing Umeed about how 'normal brides' usually sit and wait for their husbands with their lehnga spread across the bed and not by 'accidently' breaking a decoration piece in an attempt to observe it, Umeed had sat herself down in the middle of the bed and spread her dupatta as a ghoongat over her face.
"Ye lein, khush hein ab aap? Ab lag rahi hoon mein riwayati biwi?"
"Haan kuch zyada hi riwayati lag rahi ho, aur qasam se buhat ajeeb lag rahi ho. Ye ghoongat to hatao!"
He tried to lean forward and take the ghoongat off but Umeed smacked his hand away.
"Buhat shauq tha aap ko typical biwi dekhnay ka. Ab aap jayein, dobara andar aayein, aik typical shohar ki tarah, sarra hua munn bana ke."
Farjaad laughed out at this.
"Shaadi ki raat kon sarra hua munn bana ke aata hai?"
"Typical shohar. Ab jayein naaa!"
"Umeed, are you serious?"
"Kya meri shakal se lag raha hai mein mazaaq kar rahi hoon?"
"Pata nahi, I can't tell, shakal nazar nahi aa rahi"
"Uff Farjaad, jayeinn, aur jab tak mein na kahoon, andar na aaiye ga"
Farjaad groaned but did what he was told. Umeed laughed at his reaction and fixed her lenhnga spreading it out in a perfect circle all around her, taking up all the space on the king sized bed. Getting irritated by the net over her face, she quickly threw it back. Yeah, the ghoongat had to go. Fixing her dupatta back over her head, she sat up straight with a poker face.
Farjaad lightly knocked on the door.
"Umeed, kaafi time ho gaya hai. Ab aa jaaon?"
"Aa jayein"
Farjaad gently opened the door, peeking in to see Umeed looking down, acting like a 'typical' bride, refusing to meet his gaze. Holding his laughter, he locked the door behind him and walked towards the bed.
"Ghoongat kahan gaya?"
Umeed looked up only momentarily, a sheepish smile forming on her face, met with pure amusement in Farjaad's eyes.
"Wo dupattay pe makeup lag raha tha, mene socha kharab ho jaye ga."
Farjaad nodded his head, his lower lip slightly pouting. He did not believe her.
"Achaa. Ab batayein, ijazat hai? Mein beth jaaon?"
"Beth jayein, agar aap ko bethnay ki jagah mil jaye to"
Farjaad's eyes moved around the circumference of the lehnga. She was right, there was no space on the bed for him. He could see the smirk forming on her lips.
"Ye kya hai?"
"Aap ne hi to kaha tha, riwayati dulhanon ki tarah betho, to lein"
She casually shrugged. She was clearly enjoying this.
Pushing the lehnga to a side, Farjaad finally made some room for himself to sit.
"Ye lein, ye aap ke liye laaya tha"
He pulled out a red rose from behind his back and handed it to Umeed who smiled wide, before bringing it up to her nose and breathing it in.
"Shukriya"
Farjaad leaned closer and Umeed's heart skipped a beat as his hot breath fanned over her face. His face inches away from hers, eyes searching hers. She observed his perfectly chiseled jawline, resisting the urge to run her hands over the neatly trimmed stubble. The smell of his cologne filled her nostrils, and she had to momentarily close her eyes to take it in.
"Shadi Mubarak, Mrs. Farjaad Khan"
He whispered close to her ear, making her open her eyes again, seeing his face even closer to hers, his lips touching the side of her jaw. All she had to do was turn to face him, and their lips would meet.
But wait.
"Aisay kesay shadi mubarak"
She lightly pushed him away making Farjaad furrow his eyebrows.
"Kya matlab aisay kesay?"
"Aap ne kya samajh liya hai mujhe, huh? Mera gift kahan hai?"
She extended her palm in front of him as she wiggled her eyebrows.
"Gift bhi laana tha? Mujhe to kisi ne nahi bataya"
"Oh achaa, phir aap aik kaam karein, aap ja ke gift le ke aayein. Mein buhat thak gayi hoon, mein araam karnay lagi hoon"
"Bghair gift ke kaam nahi chalay ga?"
"Jee nahi, wo kya hai na ke RIWAYAT ke mutabiq, pehle munn dikhayi milti hai, phir ..."
She trailed off. The smirk on Farjaad's face grew deeper.
"Phirrr....?"
And for the first time, throughout the day, he saw a blush creep over her face. She refused to meet his gaze.
"Phir se aap ko matlab? Aap ke paas to gift hi nahi hai. Mein is liye ja rahi hoon change kar ke sonay, buhaat thak gayi hoon."
Umeed began to get up and run off the bed, but her speed in the heavy bridal outfit was no match for Farjaad's pace as he held her hand strongly in his, pulling her closer to him. Their noses brushed as he stared at her intently.
"Asal mein, hua kuch yunn tha ke...."
He trailed off as his other hand went into the pocket of his kurta.
"Mein buhat time se aap ke qaabil kisi gift ki talaash mein tha. Par kuch aisa mil hi nahi raha tha jo meri Umeed ki tarah ho - anmol. Sab kuch buhat riwayati tha, buhat typical."
He finally pulled out a tiny little box, but Umeed couldn't even function any of that, her eyes didn't move an inch away from his.
"Phir aik din, mein aisay hi randomly kaheen kisi kaam se gaya, aur meri nazar is par pari, is ki chammak bilkul tumhari ankhon ki chammak jesi thi. Jesi tum yunhi chaltay chaltay mili thi, wese hi ye bhi yunhi chaltay chaltay mil gayi."
He opened the box to reveal the most beautiful ring Umeed had ever laid her eyes on. With a large sapphire in the middle, surrounded by a number of diamond cutouts, the ring did shine bright in the dim lights of the room. Umeed gasped as she kept looking at it.
"Mene jesay hi is ko dekha tha, tumhari ankhein yaad aa gayein, to phir leni pari, kya karta. Tumhari ankhon ko kabhi mana nahi kar sakta mein"
He gently held Umeed's left hand in his before slipping on the ring into her finger. He did not let go of the hand, simply gave it a tight squeeze, before bringing it up to his lips.
Umeed was brought back to the present as Farjaad parked the car in the office parking lot, still staring at her intently. She ran a finger over her bare ring finger one last time before sighing and getting out of the car. The ring finger felt strangely exposed and she just wanted to cry non stop over it. There was no way she lost that ring. She vowed to care for it more than anything in the world.
"Umeed, agar koi baat tang kar rahi hai to mujhe batao na. Fikar ho rahi hai mujhe buhat"
Farjaad pleaded yet again as he held her by the arm gently, turning her around to face him.
"Nahi kuch bhi nahi hai, bas thora sir mein dard hai."
"Umeed! Subah se tum pareshan ho, I know something is bothering you."
"Bataya to tha, aik necklace nahi mil raha"
"Aur aik necklace ke peeche tum itnaa pareshan ho rahi ho? Please."
"Jee, mera favourite necklace tha. Upar se sir mein bhi dard hai."
"Agar zyada dard hai to ghar chali jao, chutti le lo aaj?"
"Nahi, thora kaam hai aaj, chutti possible nahi hai. Chalein, dair ho rahi hai."
And with that, she did what she had been doing all morning - avoiding meeting his gaze and running away. Farjaad sighed as he followed her. He really had to uncover whatever the problem was.
~
Throughout the day, Umeed's behaviour kept confusing Farjaad even more. She did not come into his office even once for some 'work discussions'. An excuse that she made daily to see him time and again. Something they both knew was a lie, but a lie they always went along with. Checking the time on his watch, he realised that she didn't even ask him for lunch today.
With a sigh he picked up the intercom and asked Mehak to order lunch for them and asked for two cup of chai to be sent to his office. He realised Umeed wouldn't have had chai today either - something that she did when she was the most annoyed or worried.
He walked out of his office, taking quick steps as he made his way towards Umeed's desk and saw her staring at the laptop screen with a bored expression on her face. He leaned against the wall and stared at her intently for a while, and it took Umeed some time to realise that soemone had been looking at her.
"Aap yahan? Kab aaye? Mujhe bula letay, mein aa jati."
"Tum ne aana hota to tum khudi aa jaati, tumhein kab se mere bulanay ki zarorat parnay lagi?"
He complained as he took small steps towards her desk, sitting in front of her.
"Haan wo sorry, thora busy thi aaj. Time hi nahi mila"
"Koi baat nahi, zaroori to nahi hai ke har baar tum aao. Zaroori to ye hai ke tumhein dekhay bghair mera din nahi guzarta, to aaj mein aa gaya."
For the first time all day, a small smile made it's way up to Umeed's face, but even that didn't reach her eyes.
"Bataiye phir, kya kaam hai aap ko?"
"Kaam? Kaam to nahi hai, aap ki yaad aa rahi thi bas"
"Ye lein phir, dekh lein jee bhar ke"
Farjaad leaned over the desk slightly.
"Dekh to mein loon, par aik masla hai. Yahan koi privacy nahi hai"
Umeed laughed at his face and the way he kept staring around at the cabin.
"Hmm, phir is ka kya hal hai? Aap mujhe bhi aik alag kamra de dein yahan, mil jaye gi privacy"
"Alag kamra to kya, aap ko pura alag portion banwa dein gay, par abhi time lagay ga. Tab tak humein mere office se kaam chalana paray ga, hmm?"
"Acha aap chalein, mein aati hoon."
"Nahi, saath le kar jaaon ga tumhein, I don't trust you."
"Haww, roz aati hoon mein, phir bhi itna lack of trust?"
"Bas, aisa hi hai."
He shrugged. Moments later they were seated in the sofa in Farjaad's office with two cups of chai and two sandwiches placed in front of them.
"Mujhe bhook nahi lag rahi Farjaad, aap kha lein"
"Khanay se kya larayi hai? Naashta bhi nahi kiya tha tum ne"
"Bas nahi dil kar raha na"
"Acha chai to pi lo. Please?"
Umeed sighed before picking up one of the cups. Its when the hot beverage went down her throat did she realise how badly she needed it. Next she knew she was chugging down the tea and Farjaad smiled lightly, finally seeing her somewhat getting comfortable. Farjaad finally managed to make her eat some of the sandwich too.
He also managed to convince her to go back home and rest because he could see that she was tired and not able to put any energy into work. Umeed tried arguing, but he was having none of it. He simply called the driver and asked her to go home and straight to bed.
~
Umeed being Umeed had not listened to him of course. As soon as she got back home, she began going through all shelves and every nook of the room all over again. It did not make sense. She vividly remembered putting the ring on yesterday and she didn't go anywhere other than the office all day. Where did it even go?
She was in the middle of her search on the console table opposite to the bed when the door of the room opened, making her freeze. Farjaad took an annoyed sigh seeing her restless yet again.
"Mene tumhein kaha tha na ghar ja ke rest karna"
He said in his no-nonsense voice as soon as he shut the door behind him. Umeed fumbled with her fingers. She knew this voice meant business.
"Mein so hi rahi thi, abhi uthi thi bas 10 minute pehle."
"Achaa, aur tumhara jo bhi issue hai wo hal nahi hua abhi tak?"
"Mera? Issue? Nahi mera to koi issue nahi hai, mein to bas aisay hi cheezein samait rahi thi."
"Achaa"
Umeed observed how he threw his breifcase on the couch before doing the same thing with his blazer, all the while not looking her her.
She kept observing him closely as he stared taking small but steady steps in her direction, as he began rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, still not looking at her. Umeed couldn't help taking small steps back.
"Umeed, mujhe na, do cheezon se shadeed nafrat hai."
His voice was stern and his actions calculated. He was done rolling up one sleeve and had moved on to the next one. The distance between them was beginning to shrink, and Umeed's breath got heavier.
"Aik to ye ke koi mujh se jhoot bolay"
He finally looked up to her, barely a few steps away from her now.
"Aur tum subah se mujh se jhoot bol rahi ho."
Umeed opened her mouth and tried to get something out, but she couldn't.
Farjaad moved on to loosen his tie next, still taking small steps towards her.
"Aur doosra,"
He was now standing right in front of her, their feet touching. Umeed's back hit the wall and she had no place to escape. Her heart was beating at an abnormal race, and as she saw Farjaad's eyes grow darker, her breathing became even more uneven.
"Jab tum mujh se baatein chupaati ho."
He placed his left hand on the wall, completely trapping Umeed between himself and the wall. As he lowered his face to meet her level, Umeed was convinced that she was going to pass out right them and there.
"Aur tumhein lagta hai ke mujhe pata nahi chalay ga"
This time around his voice was barely above a whisper, lips right next to her ears. Umeed felt shivers down her entire body.
"Farjaad mein to bas -"
"Mujhe tumhara koi aur excuse nahi sun'na Umeed. Tum ne mujhe buhat disappoint kiya hai"
"Meri baat to sunein -"
"Yaani tumhein mere upar itna sa bhi trust nahi hai ke tum mere saath itni choti cheezein bhi share nahi kar sakti"
"Mera khyaal tha aap ko dukh ho ga"
"Tumharay is lack of trust se mujhe zyada dukh hua hai Umeed"
"Aisi baat nahi hai -"
This time she wasn't cut off by his words, but by his lips crashing on to hers, making her eyes go wide. As Farjaad pulled her closer by the waist, Umeed finally loosened a bit, but just as she was about to reciprocate, he broke off the kiss.
"Aik to tum chup nahi rehti. Haan to kya keh raha tha mein?"
Umeed narrowed her eyes out of confusion, what was he doing?
"Haan, tumhein laga ke mujhe aik ring ke ghum ho janay ka tumhari pareshani se zyada dukh ho ga?"
"Wo ring...."
She was cut off yet again, this time around, with his lips placed on her jawline, right below her earlobe.
"Buhat bolti ho tum, Umeed. Haan to mein keh raha tha, ke is ring ke peeche tum subah se khud ko halkaan kar rahi ho?"
Umeed gasped as she saw the bright diamonds flashing in his hand.
"Ye kahan se?"
He sighed before placing another kiss, this time lower than where he had placed he last one.
"I know I'm irresistable, par itna bhi kya yaar Umeed?"
Umeed didn't even have the energy to respond to his narcissistic remark, she kept staring at the ring.
He slowly brought it forward and put it in her hand, back where it belonged.
"Dil to kar raha hai issay utha ke samandar mein phenk aaon, subah se meri biwi ko pareshan kar ke rakha hai. Par kya karoon, tumhein itni azeez hai, ye bhi nahi kar sakta"
"Ye nahi poochein gay ke itni azeez kyun hai?"
"Wo poochnay ki zarorat nahi hai, mujhe wese hi pata hai."
Umeed smiled before getting on her tiptoes. This time around it was her crashing her lips against his, clutching his shirt and bringing him closer to her, while her other hand ran freely in his hair. The kiss was hungry and demanding, as if she was starved for it for ages.
Once they finally broke free, their foreheads resting against one another's, Farjaad spoke in a low whisper.
"Wo kal aap aayi thein na mere office, 'kaam' ke silsilay mein, tab bhi kuch aisa hi kiya tha aap ne. Shayad ussi doraan wahan ring gira aayi thein aap. Ab jab aap is mood mein aati hein to aap kuch sochti samajhti to hein nahi"
This time around, he earned a smack from her on the arm, making him laugh.