Haya had decided to throw an early birthday / farewell party for Sameer before he left for Canada - which was in a week. Umeed knew that Haya was hurting at the thought of Sameer leaving, but she was forcing herself to seem happy so he doesn't get too gloomy about the situation. Umeed herself wasn't doing any better. It was after ages that her and Sameer had finally managed to break down the invisible wall of mistrust and underlying jealousy. Umeed always loved her baby brother, but life and it's twists and turns somehow ended up making Sameer the cause of a lot of pain and negligence she faced. They had just managed to overcome that, and he was leaving again. She really wanted to be with her baby brother more often.
But she also understood very well why this was necessary. She had seen a life of deprivation - having to long for the simplest of pleasures of life. She didn't understand how people said that money wasn't important. Of course, it wasn't everything, but money was still important. She used to look at Mimi and how she would spend thousands without giving it a second thought, while she had to constantly come up with ways to manage some cash. She had learnt long ago that money did play an important role, and she did not want Haya and Sameer to live a life of longing forever.
Currently she was sitting in her room, annoyed at Farjaad. The psychic man she called her husband had a meeting on a Sunday morning too, and he still wasn't back. They were supposed to leave in an hour. He told her thirty minutes back that he was right around the corner.
"Ye mard zaat hoti hi jhooti hai! Aitebaar karna hi nahi chahiye"
She complained out loud as she threw her phone across the bed after Farjaad did not pick up. Yet again.
"Kya karein janaab, aap se hi seekha hai."
She turned towards the door, looking at Farjaad walking in with an amused smile on his face. She grew even more annoyed looking at how chill he was.
"Jee jee, is dunya mein jitnay bhi buray kaam hotay hein, un ki zimaydaar Umeed Pasha hi hoti hai."
She rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against one of the poles of the bed.
Farjaad took small steps towards her, his soft smile on his face as he held Umeed by both arms gently.
"Aray begum sahiba, aap to naraaz hi ho gayein. Mazaaq kar raha tha mein."
"Jee, mazaaq hi to kar rahay hein aap tab se mere saath. Aap ko ab se ghenta pehle aana tha. Yaad hai aap ko? Jana tha hum ne!"
"Abhi to aadha ghenta tha, ye ghenta kesay ho gaya."
She groaned as she pushed him away and began walking. He held her hand to stop her, and pulled her towards him, making her crash right into his chest.
"Acha naa, I'm sorry. Abhi dekhna mein bas do minute mein aata hoon tayyar ho ke."
The proximity made Umeed momentarily forget her anger. Every time she looked at him, she had the same thought in her head - how is he so beautiful? It had been months since she had first realised this, months since they had been together, and weeks since they had been married. Umeed was familiar with every curve, every crevice of this man's body.
Yet, every time she looked at him, it felt like she was staring at a piece of art for the first time.
She had to physically shake her head to get the thoughts out of her mind and stop herself from running her fingers across his well-defined jawline.
"Do minute mein ho hi na jayein aap tayyar, do ghentay lagtay hein aap ki beauty therapy pe."
She got himself out of his hold and began walking towards the dressing table, fixing her hair which had fallen a little out of place.
"Acha, I promise na. 10 minute. Pakka"
"Jee, dekhtay hein."
"Mein shower lenay ja raha hoon, mere kapray nikaal do, please."
"Konsay pehnein gay?"
"Apni marzi ke koi se bhi nikaal do."
He screamed from the bathroom. Umeed made her way towards his wardrobe, scanning through the entire collection of dress shirts and blazers. This man could very well be running a clothing store of his own.
As she leaned forward to take out a black dress shirt from the back of the cupboard, her eyes landed on something hung right at the end. She gasped a little as she took it out, completely forgetting about what she had actually come to do.
Taking out the white dress shirt, her hand grazed the stain of the ubtan on the right side as she smiled. Her mind going back to the night of Haya's mayun and her dropping the ubtan on him. She couldn't believe he had still kept it, secured right at the back of his closet.
"Umeed, kapray kahan rakhay hein?"
She heard him say from the room, snapping her out of her thoughts. He walked over to where she was standing, a towel wrapped around his waist and water droplets making their way down his toned chest. Umeed couldn't help but stare with her mouth agape.
Seriously, how was he so beautiful?
He was now standing right in front of her snapping his fingers to bring her out of her daydream.
"Aap hi ka shohar hoon, madam. Baad mein dekh lejiye ga. Kapray?"
"Uh wo, haan -"
Umeed looked at him then at the white shirt in her hands. Farjaad's eyes followed her as they fell on the shirt too, a sheepish smile making it's way up his face.
"Ye ... kahan se mili?"
"Waheen se jahan aap ne rakhi hui thi sambhaal ke."
Umeed smirked slighty as Farjaad scratched the back of his head.
"Yaadgar shirt thi, aisay kesay phenk deta."
"Yaadgar to waqaye hai, par jitnay aap ghussay mein us din thay, mera to khyaal tha aap aag laga chukay hon gay."
She chuckled. Farjaad stood up straighter as his lips curved into a small smile.
"Sirf ghussa to nahi tha"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Kya matlab? Aur kya tha."
He took a step towards her, removing the strands of hair from her face.
"Aik buhat khoobsurat larki ko dil bhar ke na dekhnay ka dukh, aur..."
Umeed's big eyes kept staring up at him as his own eyes finally met hers.
"Aur?"
"Aur us ke itna qareeb ho kar bhi us ko na chu paanay ki hasrat."
Umeed felt blood rush up to her cheeks as she remembered the heated moment in the bathroom when he was wiping away the ubtan. As they both looked at each other, their minds drifted back to the meeting of their eyes that night - full of desire, of unspoken ideas and silent acceptance.
They had both wondered that day what could've happened if they weren't where they were. Would Farjaad have simply walked out of the bathroom had he known that Umeed was burning with the same desire? Perhaps not.
Farjaad snaked an arm around Umeed's waist, brining her closer. She was now pressed against his chest. The shirt squeezed between them. Their heartbeats grew faster as they looked at each other with even more desire than that night. Umeed felt herself tiptoeing as Farjaad leaned down at the same time.
Beep Beep Beep
They both jumped at the sound of the phone interrupting the moment. Umeed stepped away, picking out the black dress shirt with a pair of khaki pants and shoving them in his arms before rushing towards the phone.
"Umeed kahan ho tum log? Kitna time lagao gay aur?"
"Haan bas 10 minute mein puhanch jayein gay."
Farjaad laughed to himself as she repeated his lie, before walking off to get dressed.
~
"Aap donon aaj idhar hi ruk jayein?"
Sameer had asked with a lot of hope at the conclusion of dinner. He wanted to spend more time with his sister, and Farjaad had really become his older brother over the course of the past few months. He wanted to cherish the time he had with them all.
"Sameer, subah Farjaad ko daftar bhi jana hota hai. Wo donon phir aa jayein gay kisi din."
Farjaad turned to look at Umeed and saw her face fall slightly at Pasha sahab's statement. He knew how upset she was about Sameer leaving.
"Uhh Pasha uncle, it's fine. Hum aaj idhar hi ruk jatay hein. Mein office mein inform kar doon ga ke mein thora late aaon ga. Masla nahi hai."
He said with the same polite smile that everyone in Pasha house had grown to adore too much. The three cousins cheered at his suggestion. Soon the elders went up to sleep and the four kids were in the living room, watching a movie.
Haya had arranged floor cushions in front of the TV and Sameer decided to watch a horror movie. Umeed was snuggled deeply into Farjaad's chest, hiding her face into his body every time a scare-scene came on.
Maybe staying bad really wasn't a bad idea
Farjaad thought to himself as he wrapped his arms tighter around her petite body. Midway, all four of them decided that they had had enough of the movie, and they shifted to their favourite part of the house - the table in the backyard.
By this point Farjaad had essentially zoned out on Umeed's lap, his legs falling off the bench. Umeed had asked him multiple times to go to the bed, but he kept refusing.
He was loving the feeling of Umeed running her hands through his hair while simultaneously narrating stories of their childhood to Sameer and Haya. He felt strangely at home. He knew he would be tired and cranky throughout work tomorrow, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had found a home at Pasha house, and he wanted to cherish it as much as he could.
"Umeed?"
"Haan?"
"Tum mujhe abhi bhi blame karti ho sab ke liye?"
Sameer had asked after some time. The three of them thought Farjaad had dozed off to sleep.
Umeed placed her hand on top of Sameer's.
"Mein tumhein us cheez ke liye kesay blame kar sakti hoon jis mein tumhari ghalti hi nahi thi?"
"Haan par, pehle tum mujh se naraaz thi na"
Umeed smiled at her brother, lightly patting his cheek.
"Mein tum se naraaz nahi thi Sameer, Pasha sahab se thi, shayad qismat se thi. Tum to bas na chahtay hue raastay mein aa gaye."
"Mene tumhein unintentionally hurt kiya hai na?"
"Shayad. Bilkul wese hi jesay meine ajnanay mein pata nahi kis kis ka ghussa tum par utaara hai."
"Haan haan, mein to tumhara punching bag hoon na wese bhi."
He said to lighten the mood, earning him a smack on the arm from Umeed.
"Badtameez!"
"Jab mein chala jaaon ga to ye sara tashadud kis pe karo gi? Becharay Farjaad bhai."
Farjaad stiffled a chuckle that was about to leave his lips.
"Jee nahi, mein Farjaad pe koi tashadud nahi karti."
"Tum to yehi bolo gi na. Ye to wohi behtar bata saktay hein ke tum kitni achi ho un ke saath."
"Oh hello! Mein Farjaad se buhat pyaar karti hoon, acha na? Pooch lena tum khudi un se."
"Haan to Sameer se konsa tum nafrat karti ho jo us ko har waqt maarti rehti ho."
"Haya! Tum is ki zyada side na liya karo, abhi koi shadi nahi hui tum donon ki"
"Theek hi to keh rahi hai, violence to tumhari love language hai."
"Sameer ke bachay! Agar Farjaad sir rakh ke mere upar so na rahay hotay na, to beta tum dekhtay kesay bachtay mere haathon."
"Wese Umeed, ab tum utho aur andar chali jao, kab se Farjaad bhai itnay uncomfortable ho ke so rahay hein."
"Haan, keh to sahi rahi ho. Farjaad, uthein, andar bed par chal ke soyein."
Farjaad acted like he was just waking up as he rubbed his eyes.
"Kya hua?"
"Chalein, bed par chal kar soyein."
She helped him get up and held his hand as they walked toward the guest room, with him pretending to be sleepwalking.
Once Umeed closed the door of the guest bedroom behind her, she turned around to see him staring at her with a smirk on his face, every sign of sleep gone.
"Aisa kya dekh rahay hein, so jayein. Subah office jana hai."
His smirk only got deeper as he took a step towards her, locking her in between himself and the door.
"Hum phone ki ghenti bajnay se pehle kahan thay? Oh haan."
He leaned down with a smirk, earning him a smack from Umeed.
"Hadd ho gayi hai, time dekha hai aap ne?"
"Sahi keh raha tha Sameer, tum to waqaye bara tashaddud karti ho."
Umeed gasped as she narrowed her eyes at him, smacking him again on the chest.
"Aap tab se jaag ke hamari baatein sun rahay thay?"
"Us position mein koi so bhi kesay sakta hai? Wo bhi jab mustakil begum sahiba bol rahi hoon 20 0 ki speed pe?"
"Mene aap ko bola tha andar chal ke soyein!"
"Aap ke bghair mujhe neend kahan aati hai?"
He placed a hand on his chest in an overdramatic manner, making Umeed roll her eyes as she walked towards the bed.
"Buhat hi baray dramaybaaz hein aap, taubah!"
"Drama nahi hai, sach hai."
"Jee jee, itnay to aap sachay hein na."
Farjaad chuckled as he followed her, holding her by the arm to stop her from getting into bed.
"Aisay hi so jao gi?"
She turned to look at him, pouting. He was clearly referring to the night time routine they had developed over the past few weeks. His fingers slowly tracing up her arms.
"Jee, aap yehi deserve kartay hein."
Farjaad rushed forward to block her path to the bed. She tried to push him away. It all happened in one swift motion as Farjaad's food slipped, dragging Umeed with him as he fell on the bed, with her on top of him.
His arm went around her waist. Their noses touching. Farjaad bit his lip to stop the smirk.
"Dekho, qudrat ko bhi pata hai ke mein asal mein YE deserve karta hoon."
He wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, making Umeed blush slightly. She teased him slightly by placing her lips right next to his mout, before getting off lying down next to him, staring up at the ceiling together.
Silence washed over them as they enjoyed just being together.
"Umeed?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm very proud of you, you know that?"
She furrowed her eyebrows.
"Kis baat ke liye?"
"Tum jo itni maturely Sameer ko aur Pasha sahab ko handle karnay lagi ho, us baat ke liye. Tum waqaye buhat achi behan ho."
She shifted closer to him, placing her head on his chest.
"Sirf achi behan hi hoon, aur kuch nahi?"
He laughed before wrapping his arms around her.
"Aur bhi buhat kuch hai. Mood hai aap ka sun'ne ka?"
A smalll giggle left her mouth as Farjaad tickled her belly lightly, before pulling the covers over them.