A/N : Thank you all lovely people for waiting so long. As I promised, I am here with an new update. Enjoy reading.
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"Maryam!" Murtasim called as soon as he saw Maryam moving towards the kitchen with a plate in her hand. It was late at night and he wasn't expecting to see anyone so he was visibly surprised.
"Why are you awake so late? He asked.
"Bhai!" Maryam was scared at first then relaxed seeing her brother's figure. "Umm...nothing. I was just going." She said nervously.
"You haven't had your dinner yet?" He asked indicating the plate in her hands.
"Actually, this was for Meerab but she refused to eat." After a minute of silence she continued, "She hasn't eaten anything since morning".
Murtasim's brows furrowed. "Did something happened?"
"Bhai woh..." Maryam told everything that happened at the dining table in the morning. "Bhai, maa ne Meerab se aapki dusri shadi ki baat karke sahi nahi kiya. She was very hurt. I tried to talk to her but she didn't talk. And now she refused this too".
Murtasim's jaw was clenched and his eyes were spitting fire. Yes, he was upset with her but that didn't mean his mother could say anything to his wife and he would do nothing. "How did you know?"
"I was going to the university when I heard this. I tried to talk to maa but she didn't listen to me thinking I would just lie to save Meerab."
He nodded his head. "Tum jao, main dekhta hun."
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Ye aap log mujhe kahan chhodke chale gaye, Baba?" Meerab complained to her father's photo. She was crying since morning. She was already sad and frustrated that Murtasim had ignored her since the day they were suppose to have lunch together. She tried so many times to talk to him, to know what had she done to gain his ignorance. Every day she made his breakfast, sends him lunch and even waited for him to have dinner together but he seemed to have ignored her whole existence. He only came home after she slept until last night when she made coffee for him. She thought to talk to him calmly and understand what had gone wrong in their relationship. She was even ready to hear his point of view regarding Haya's claims of Murtasim loving her and Meerab being an intruder in their life.
But today her resistance broke when baa begum insulted her and talked about Murtasim's second marriage in front of Haya. Was she indicating what Haya claimed? Was she so unfortunate that no one understand her? Was she so unlovable? She couldn't think further and broke into tears. She was lost too much to notice when the darkness spread across the sky hiding the warm rays of the sun.
"Meerab", a deep voice broke her stance. She wiped her tears haphazardly and tried to walk past him when she felt her wrist being gripped by Murtasim.
"Kuch baat karni hai. Whatever I said yeste..." he was interrupted when Meerab made herself free from his grip.
She turned towards him and jerked herhands. "Yes yes, I know I made a mistake yesterday. I told you it won't happen again. Jitni bhi baatein sun'ni thi maine tumse, tumhari ma se infact, tumhari chahiti Haya se bhi sun liya hai. Please, ab baksh do mujhe. Aur nahi sun sakti". She snapped at him. She again tried to walk past him but he held her hand and gently made her turn towards him.
"Meerab" his voice was soft yet firm. His palms wrapped around her upper arm in a gentle yet insistent hold as he guided them both towards the couch. He made her sit on the couch and knelt in front of her. He slid back his hands down and held her hands in his. "I am really sorry for everything that maa had told you".
"Why do you even care?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently you said the exact same thing to me".
He sighed deeply. "I didn't mean it in any other way. I...I was just upset with you and didn't want you to do things which you don't want to do, even if it means taking care of me. Meerab, I...", he wiped her tears which were about to roll down her cheeks and continued, "I am trying everything in my power to make you comfortable and happy with me and in this relationship. I...I have started liking you and I thought we are really going somewhere but that day when I heard your conversation with Haya, I..."
"Which day? What conversation?" Confusion was evident in her voice.
"That day when I came for lunch, I heard you saying that you never wanted this marriage nor did you like me. I don't know why but I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It's like whatever was brewing between us didn't mean anything to you. I couldn't control my heart and started ignoring you. But I didn't know that I would be the one who felt miserable by ignoring you." By the time he finished salty waters were already streaming down his cheeks.
"Did you hear our full conversation?"
"No. As I said I was so hurt that I left from there without hearing it fully". His admission was laden with guilt.
"So, why are you telling me now?"
"After Maryam told me everything, I realized that I might have misunderstood you without hearing the full conversation as maa sahab did." He confessed ardently.
"Aur agar Maryam tumhe kuch na kehti ho?" She asked him the obvious question. Her expression remained stoic as her eyes locked onto his.
He nodded his head in sideways. "Pata nahi. Par main kya karta yaar. You hated me so much that I thought..." He couldn't complete as he choked on his words.
Meerab shook her head at the mountain of misunderstandings that Murtasim had kept in his heart. "I never hated you, Murtasim".
Murtasim looked at her in surprise.
"Hate is a very strong word and even a stronger emotion. I just didn't like you. I mean we both were so different. I always hated these traditions which caged a woman inside the house, which snatched the freedom of a woman. We just had different point of views and I didn't like yours. So yeah, I never hated you. Kabhi nafrat nahi ki tumse." She tried to make him understand her stance.
"Then why did you say those words? Why didn't you claim your rights on me? Kabhi to haq jataya karo yar." There was urgency in his voice, a plea to be her priority.
She lowered her lashes fidgeting with the end of her dupatta with her hand which was still in the hold of Murtasim ."Haq samjha tha tabhi to coffee lekar gayi thi par tumne to...", she whispered.
"Ek baat puchu?" He asked looking at her lowered lashes.
She looked up at him. Gaining her attention he continued, "I ignored you for 3 days, didn't talk to you, and didn't even appreciate your efforts of bridging the gap between us then why did you still bring coffee for me?"
Meerab closed her eyes and sighed. Gathering her words in a way so that he could understand her, she started, "Baba always worked late at night. I used to make coffee for both of us and sit together with baba to share some of his work load. Then we chatted and laughed together whole night forgetting the task at hand. When mama found out about that she used to scold both of us". She was smiling by now but then suddenly she shifted her gaze to her lap again. "I told you I felt you were in a foul mood. So I thought a coffee would be good for you. I also wanted to know the reason for your ignorance. So..."
"I am really sorry, yaar. I was an idiot." He slapped his own forehead. He smiled sadly. "No one has ever done anything like that for me. So I was a little surprised too."
"You are such a liar, Murtasim", Meerab accused him but she was far from being serious.
"Why would you say that?" he asked surprisingly.
"You want to tell me that you, the Khan Murtasim Khan, have asked for anything, even it's in the middle of the night, and no one got you that?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, Meerab, I got everything that I asked for but there's a difference between asking for anything and someone doing something understanding you. I really needed that coffee but honestly I wasn't in a mood to ask for it. But you suddenly came and I didn't know how to react. It was small gesture but it meant everything to me. For the first time in my life someone really thought about me, Murtasim and not about Khan Murtasim Khan."
"You mean not even Maa begum or Maryam..."
"They did, Meerab but it feels nice to have someone as your own. I might sound selfish but I always feel everything they did for the head of this family and not for the real man behind it." He sighed. This was the first time he was being vulnerable and that too in front of someone whom he hadn't liked whole his life but suddenly found her the closest person of all.
"I didn't know that." She squeezed his hands at this new found information. She had no idea that the Khan Murtasin Khan could also feel alone. She felt an ache in her heart but couldn't understand why. She couldn't possibly like him, could she? It's only been a month.
She dismissed her thoughts and patted the side beside her on the couch indicating him to sit beside her. When he didn't budge from his position she held his upper arm and made him sit beside him. She cupped his face and wiped his now dry tears that streamed down his face a while ago. She felt a swell of emotion swirl inside her. It was the first time that they were so close to each other, both emotionally and physically.
"Will you always be my side like this? He literally whispered. If Meerab hadn't sat so close to him, she wouldn't have heard him.
Still locking her gaze with him she nodded.
"Coffee banaogi mere liye?"
Meerab couldn't help but smile, a genuine one this time, after a long time. "Banaungi."
Time stood still as they booth kept looking into each other's eyes and tried to understand the other. It was until Meerab's stomach growled because of hunger that they both came into senses. They both created some space between them.
Meerab was highly embarrassed. She tried to get up from the couch but stopped hearing his voice.
"Tum ruko, main tumhare liye khana laata hun".
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
After dumping their used plates in the kitchen sink Murtasim came back to his room and found Meerab was making the bed. She had already changed into her night suit and looked fresh.
"So...", he strode lazily towards her and continued, "You do care for me right?" His lips curved upward showing his trademark smirk.
"Pata nahi". She rolled her eyes.
He was happy seeing her usual self. Suddenly he remembered something. "Meerab, yesterday why did you say I was home at night only 4 days in this 1 month. Shaadi wale din bhi to main ghar par tha". He asked the one question that had occupied his mind.
"No, Murtasim, you weren't home that night. Tum Haya k saath hospital mein the". She said calmly.
Murtasim's eyes widen at this information. "She knew!" Realization dawned on him. Yes he wasn't home that night. He wanted to but couldn't be.
He had woken up in the middle of the night hearing the vibration of his phone. He looked at Meerab who was sleeping soundly. So he took the phone and came to his study not to disturb her sleep. He answered the phone to a frighten Maryam who informed him that Haya had tried to commit suicide by cutting her wrist. He had no other option but to go himself and look into the matter. And he deliberately hid this from Meerab thinking she might feel bad.
"But how?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Agle din Haya ne khud elaan kiya tha".
"Then why didn't you ask me anything? Tumhara haq tha, Meerab."
She looked straight into his eyes. "Aur mujhe batana tumhara farz." She couldn't mask the hurt in her voice.
"I thought you would feel bad. Tumse chupana iraada nahi tha. I just didn't want to hurt you." He tried to justify his actions.
"Well, you did." Suddenly she thought of something. "Murtasim, can I ask you something?"
He nodded.
"Agar tum aur Haya ek doosre se mohabbat karte the to mujhse shadi ke liye haan kyun kaha? I know I agreed first but you could have told everyone that you already had someone and you didn't want to marry me."
His eyes scrunched. "What are you talking? Who told you all these nonsense?"
"Haya ne khud bataya uss din. She accused me of ruining both of your lives. That's why I lost my cool thinking if you didn't want the marriage you could have denied."
He sighed deeply. He should have cleared the misunderstanding earlier. "Can I?" He stretched his hands asking for hers.
After a moment of hesitation, she placed her hands on his and waited for his reply.
He caressed her knuckles softly. "Meerab, tum meri zindagi mein aane wali pehli aurat ho. Na tumse pehle koi tha aur na tumhare baad koi hoga. Mera maazi tumse na sahi lekin mera aaj aur mera mustaqbil tumse jura hua hai." He laid his heart bare in front of her.
"But Haya..." she was cut off by Murtasim.
"Haya mere liye Maryam jaisi hai. In fact she is only the responsibility of this house and nothing more. Mere liye wo maayne nahi rakhti. Tum rakhti ho, tumhari khushiyan rakhti hain."
She was hearing his confession in a trance. Every word that this man had uttered melted her heart like an ice melts under heat. "Murtasim..." She began but couldn't find the right words to explain her state right now.
He lifted her hand and softly brushed his lips on her fingers. "I really like you, Meerab and I want to give my everything to you and to our marriage. I want to have a future with you and I want you to try that too. Can you do that, hmm?"
"I guess. Lekin agar tum aise hi mujhe ghalat samajhte rahoge to..."
"Ab nahi samjhunga, promise." He smiled. "Btw, I was thinking if you could make coffee, you know, I am going to go and start some work.
Meerab rolled her eyes. "No, it's very late. Itni raat ko coffee peyoge to puri raat neend nahi aayegi. Aur agar tumhe peeni ho to khud bana lo."
Murtasim's mouth formed an "O'. "Didn't you just say that you will make coffee every time I will need?"
"Yes but that doesn't mean I will ignore your health. Waise bhi pichle 3 din se tumne thik se apna dhyan nahi rakha. So no coffee for tonight."
"How did you know that?" He felt happy but didn't show it.
"I asked Bakhtu". She instantly bit her lips realizing she had just said out loud that she was inquiring about his health from Bakhtu.
"Achcha, itni fikr hai meri?" His lips curved upwards as he couldn't hide his smirk. "And what about my work?"
"Your work can wait till tomorrow. Kal subha kar lena."
Murtasim was about to say something but was interrupted by Meerab. "Yes yes, I know you will have to go to village tomorrow but you always go after lunch so you have the whole day to do your unfinished work. Ek din shikar par nahi jaoge to koi qayamat nahi aa jayegi." She said as a matter of fact.
"Jaisa aap kahein." He kept his wrist watch and phone on the bedside table and was about to go the washroom but halted and turned towards her. "Mere saath gaon chalogi?"
"Kyun? pehle to kabhi nahi pucha?" Meerab simply asked.
"Wo kya hai na, aaj kal meri biwi mera kuch zyada hi khayal karne lagi hai. To ab main gaon jaunga to usse bhi to jana hoga na? Soch lo, mera khayal rakhne wala koi nahi hoga wahan. Tum chalogi to bakhtu se mari jaankari nahi leni padegi." He teased her.
Meerab felt her cheeks suddenly became warm at his statement. But she was still hesitant. "Pehle maa begum se ijaazat to le lo. You know very well..."
"Maa ko mujh par chhod do. I will handle her. Aur waise bhi yahan wohi hota hai jo main chahta hun, hai na? Hai na?" He stressed at the last part and she couldn't help but grin at his words.
"Haan", she answered loudly making his grin even wider.
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(Words Count - 2800)
Hey you all, only one chapter is left as I have already mentioned that it will be a short story with no unnecessary drama or exaggeration.
So Do read and tell me if you find it worth reading through your votes and comments.
Next part will be updated soon.
Till then good bye and take care.
XOXO
Sunayana (writer as some of you don't know my name).