Dinners and Outbursts
One look at the clock made my hands work faster as the time was passing too quickly for my liking. On the one hand, I wanted it to go by even faster so I could finally see my family but on the other, I wanted it to slow down a little so I can finish working on dinner!
"Imani beta, I will finish the rest. You should go get ready already." Zeenut Aunty tried to take the bowl from my hands as I hastily worked on mixing the desert batter.
"Just 5 more minutes, Aunty. Once I put this in the oven, I'll go, promise." She kept looking at me worriedly while I started working even harder. Mix up already!
The past week has been nothing short of electric. So many new feelings, so many different glances and so much physical contact! That last one makes my heart skip, literally.
While Zaviyaar has not tried to kiss me again (since after the first time, I had refused to get out from under my blanket for quite a while), he has not refrained from holding me. Whether it be my wrists, my ankles or my waist, one thing or the other was always in his hold when he was around.
He's taken to helping me wear his anklets every morning by himself. He surprised me by going down on his knees again and holding my ankle to put them on. Another deja vu from the morning after our wedding night. I haven't protested wearing them either. I love the sounds they make whenever I move.
Also, he hasn't objected to me making breakfast for him ever since the first time. Either he really is busy with his calls or he loves me feeding him myself, he has not touched his breakfast by himself since. Honestly speaking, I don't mind either way because I like it. It feels so intimate and emotional, like a pure connection is forming between us. And who am I to deny that.
All my stuff was brought over the day of our first kiss itself. Apparently, Zeenut Aunty had adjusted all the stuff in the cupboards while I slept. When I opened it the next morning, I thought someone had done Harry Potter type magic. I was pretty high on excitement which was only up until Zeenut Aunty burst my bubble and said she did it. Mean, I tell you.
But one weird thing about it was that there was a lot of new stuff which wasn't mine. And by a lot I mean 'a lot'. Clothes, shoes, jewellery and loads of bangles. It was like a whole shop had been unloaded inside my cupboard. A whole stand filled with colourful bangles was placed on the dressing table.
My first thought was that Baba sent them for me but when I noticed Zaviyaar's glancing over continuously, I knew it wasn't Baba. So instead of asking if he bought them, I straight away questioned how he knew I liked them? And boy, the colour that marred that man's ears was the same shade as my cheeks, probably even redder. He had refused to answer my question, countering it with his own 'Do you like them?'. So I didn't answer either. Simply pecked his cheek, said a thank you and went back to admiring the pretty, clinking bangles. And throughout my admiration, I felt the same burning gaze fixed on my back.
Besides Zaviyaar's shock-inducing actions, I've been so excited to see my family. I haven't even heard them talk in so long because of no contact. And for those people who think I should just sneak my phone back or use the landline, you think I haven't thought about that?
All the landlines inside the house have been disconnected for the time being and when I asked Zeenut Aunty, she simply told me Zaviyaar said to do it. She is not even allowed to turn on her own personal phone. So the restriction isn't just on me.
And regarding my phone, I heard the stupid thing ringing from Zaviyaar's study once and let's just say, the kind of things I heard on that 10 second call, it's a good thing Zaviyaar took it away when he did. Paparazzi can be really brutal and cruel with their questions...
Judging by the intense look I received when Zaviyaar came home that day, I'm sure he knew what had happened. And I say that because I never heard my phone ringing inside the house again. God knows where everyone got my personal number from. I've always been careful so no one except my immediate family has that one.
"Beta, time's up. Go and get ready now. Hurry, hurry." Zeenut Aunty literally shooed me so I would leave.
I laughed as I finally let go, thanking her for her help, and ran upstairs to my bedroom. Feels weird to call it mine but I'm getting used to it. That fluffy blanket definitely helps.
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I hummed a pretty tune as I pushed my wedding bangles onto my wrists. I had multiple options to choose from now, all thanks to my staring-all-the-time husband, but I felt like these would be the best for tonight. But no, this wasn't the only thing. I was also wearing the anklets he gifted me, the earrings he put on the dressing table when he thought he was being sneaky and... a sari he had delivered while I was in the kitchen.
Granted I had never worn a sari before but considering who it was from made me fall in love with the dress even more. It was a pure silk sari in some gorgeous shade of green with designs all over and lace on the border.
Since it was my first time ever wearing such a dress, Zeenut Aunty had to help me alot. And I must say, Zaviyaar has a pretty good taste. And that is me hoping that Zaviyaar chose this himself. Happy thoughts, come on, Imani.
Adorned in all of Zaviyaar's gifts made me feel shy but for some reason, I wanted to show them all off to everyone. Tell everyone that my husband gifted all of these to me. It's funny how I never thought of marrying so early and here I am, excited to show Baba that Zaviyaar takes care of me. He must be so worried...
As the door opened, I saw Zaviyaar slowly walk inside with one hand in his pocket. His white shalwar kameez looked shiny underneath the lights. His sleeves were folded to his elbows, showing off his flexing forearms and expensive watch and rings. Pretty....
I quickly looked back at the mirror to make sure I was done getting ready. Something feels missing... I thought he would go sit down or finish getting ready in case he forgot something but what he did made me forget what I was thinking about.
He walked over and simply stood behind me, jumbling up any and all activity in my brain. His piercing and focused gaze was making me sweat and overthink. 'Does he like how I'm looking?', 'Does he like this dress on me?' or worse, 'Is he regretting getting me a sari?? DO I LOOK BAD?!'
My mind was working overtime to calm me down as I worked hard to not break eye contact. It is essential for me to become stronger in the face of his piercing gaze if I ever wish to have proper conversations with him.
I was about to ask him how I looked when all of a sudden, he wrapped an arm around me to hold onto my right hand and slipped a delicate diamond ring into my finger. I stopped thinking and simply looked on, it was perfect... I felt ready.
"Beautiful..." His fingers kept brushing over it, caressing my hand while his eyes didn't leave mine for one second. His body pressed against my back made my heart race even further, light shocks rocking inside me as I tried to pace my breathing so as to not faint.
'Boy, he's so good at this eye contact thing,' Yeah... He is.
I wanted to say something as well, respond to his comment in a way that was not blushing but damn it, my mouth refused to make a sound. The sound of incoming cars was effective in breaking us out of the trance as I jumped to move away from him.
His sharp intake upon my move was enough to show his displeasure. Nope, you're not getting upset today, I refuse. I giggled as I held his hand and started dragging him outside, surprising even him. Just then, I remembered something causing me to pause mid-way to the bedroom door.
The way I immediately turned around caused Zaviyaar's eyes to widen, but that buffoon took no step back so we stood so close that our chests were almost touching. For a few seconds, we just stood there. Me holding his hand, alongside my breadth, preparing myself to say what I've been wanting to ever since he first walked into our bedroom.
"You look very handsome," I smiled and again pulled his shoulder down to kiss his cheek. Not a peck, but a kiss. I held my lips against his cheek for a while, hoping to express my happiness and excitement.
When I slowly backed away, he was frozen with his eyes still wide open. I giggled as I went back to pulling my awe-struck husband down the stairs.
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"Baba!" I left Zaviyaar's hand and ran down the few steps of the porch, straight into Baba's awaiting arms. I held on tightly, trying to stop any tears from slipping; I missed him so much...He held on just as tightly, if not more. I went to back off but stopped when I felt his shaking body. Oh Baba...
Oh no, you're not crying today. I'm going to make sure that when you leave here, you'll be relaxed. I forcefully pulled away, smiling up at him and looked him over completely. Even though he had clearly tried to put on his businessman persona, he looked so tired and worn out...
Hearing a throat clear behind me made me remember the rules for tonight. Oops? Wait! I quickly left Baba's embrace and pulled Zaviyaar forward by his arm, causing him to almost trip. I ignored the break in his stern expression, choosing to smile brightly at Baba.
"Baba, welcome to our home," I guess Baba didn't expect me to be smiling so widely. He looked as shocked as I looked, and felt, happy. And honestly speaking, I am genuinely happy with Zaviyaar, Zeenut Aunty, my new home with such pretty flowers and comforters.
"Wow, You barely saw Baba and forgot everyone else?" Bhai's sarcastic tone was ever present as he roughly pushed Zaviyaar out of the way to hug me. I laughed as I hugged back, excited to see my big brother.
"My turn," Mama pushed Bhai to lightly hug me. Uff, this woman is always afraid to mess up looks.
"Always stay happy and smiling like this," When I looked up, Mr.Khan was standing in front, smiling down at me.
"Uncle, it's nice to see you again."
"I'm not just uncle anymore, you know. I'm waiting for the day you start calling me Abbu." A blush crawled onto my cheeks at his statement as he chuckled and patted my head.
Standing beside him, Mrs.Khan looked just as arrogant as the first time I met her. The only difference was that now, I could sense no hate for me emanating from her eyes. Her cold and calculating gaze still sent literal chills down my spine though. Her smile was the same one she presented for cameras - fake and hiding all sorts of scary thoughts.
"Imani," She went to hug me, causing me to panic. What should I do?!
"Hello, mother." Thankfully, I didn't have to do anything as Zaviyaar's arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back, away from her proximity. He made no move to hug her or even shake her hand, choosing to simply nod at her. Talk about awkward...
"Imani, beta, how have you been? And why haven't you called at all? Even your phone appears to be powered off." Baba's worried voice broke the awkward silence as I shifted to look at him.
I unconsciously went to step towards him till Zaviyaar's grip stopped me. I huffed and was about to tug away till I remembered the stupid rules. Stupid, stupid rules!
"Actually, Baba, I don't have my phone. So many weird people were calling to ask inappropriate questions so it's shut down. I seriously have no idea how the paparazzi got my private number." Still puzzling. Does this mean I'm going to have to get a new number?
Baba's sigh of relief was confusing as he whispered a 'Thank God'. I went to question him about him when Zaviyaar interrupted, "It's almost time for dinner. We should head inside."
When Zaviyaar turned around to go inside, pulling me along, I didn't miss the glare Baba directed towards him. What did this guy say to my Baba?
"Did you say something to Baba? He's been glaring at you ever since he arrived." I whispered as he continued to tug me along with him.
"No idea." He simply shrugged, continuing on his way. Huh, I don't believe that... My eyes narrowed but I forgot about it as the delicious aroma of food hit me.
"Baba! Come, look! I made all of this with Zeenut Aunty. Doesn't it look amazing?!" Baba finally laughed at my excitement, looking slightly at ease. Yay!
I looked at Zaviyaar, silently pleading with him to let go of me for a few moments. He ignored me as if I wasn't even looking at him till I forcefully tugged him.
"Please..." He looked angry at my request but slowly let go when I persisted.
"2 minutes. And stay away from my mother." I vehemently nodded, whispering 'done' before slipping away to Baba, Bhai and Mama.
I went to excitedly talk about what everyone has been up to, how everything was going and so on. Zaviyaar hovered close-by, talking to his Father in whispers or simply staying quiet. I engaged in conversation with them all, even Mr.Khan joined us to express his delight at being able to taste his daughter-in-law's cooking.
The one time Mrs.Khan tried to join the conversation was with a taunt at me acting like a typical middle-class housewife instead of the Khan's daughter-in-law. In response to which, Zaviyaar did not even let her finish before interrupting her and taking me away. That woman is scary... And my husband, for some reason, is appearing very cute to me right now.
For dinner, the seating arrangement was slightly different. This time, I sat with Zaviyaar instead of Ayesha and my family sat on the opposite side. When everyone started serving themselves, I was still contemplating asking Zaviyaar to pass the dishes when all of a sudden, he started serving me himself.
As I watched him fill my plate, my heart started skipping beats like crazy and my tummy was going insane with the amount of butterflies in it. I noticed him being careful to place everything I liked on the plate and avoid the things I didn't.
'I never knew he noticed our likes and dislikes...'
While Zaviyaar got busy serving me, I got lost in admiring my husband and his actions, completely oblivious to the deafening silence in the dining hall. When I came back to my senses, I felt like running away due to everyone's eyes fixed on us. God, my face felt heated enough to charge a stupid battery!
Zaviyaar chose the route of obliviousness as he asked, "Is the food not to your liking?"
While Mrs.Khan and Mama looked shocked at his actions, Mr.Khan looked proud of his son and my Baba and Bhai, well, they looked like someone had just performed a successful exorcism in front of them.
"She's not a child, you know," Mrs.Khan's icy tone caused no change in Zaviyaar's demeanour as he continued to serve himself next.
"Thank God for that. Otherwise, this marriage would have caused quite a bigger stir," Me and Bhai choked back a laugh as Mrs.Khan turned red.
As dinner went on, I finally managed to make Baba and Bhai laugh a few times. Watching the tension ease from their bodies made me happier than ever. They must have been so stressed these past few days due to the no contact.
"That's a big diamond on your ring. Already asking my son for gifts?" It seems Mrs.Khan was back to her taunt-with-a-smile mode. Her question made me uncomfortable as I couldn't figure out how to answer it. And it seems I didn't have to when Zaviyaar answered for me.
"She never has to ask, Mother. After all, she is my wife." As if the chaos he stirred inside me was not bad enough, he chose to look at me when he spoke that last sentence. THIS GUY WANTS TO KILL ME WITH BUTTERFLIES!
The rest of the dinner went much better than I anticipated. Mrs.Khan chose to not interact with me again as Zaviyaar always interrupted her anyway. Mr.Khan seemed very happy and relaxed, same as Mama. And my Baba and Bhai, they looked so much better than when they arrived. The worried creases on Baba's forehead were easing as well as the stress inside his body. Bhai still looked doubtful but happy that I was smiling.
After dinner, when everyone was chatting, Bhai carefully whisked me away from Zaviyaar when his father was talking to him. Oh boy, this does not seem like it's going to end well.
"Imani, we haven't been able to talk properly the whole night. That asshole is hovering over you like a fucking demon." I simply looked at him with a disapproving gaze as he rolled his eyes in Zaviyaar's direction.
"Bhai, he isn't a demon..." Can't deny the hovering part because he has. No idea why though, I should probably talk to him about that.
"Forget about him. You tell me, are you okay? Has he hurt you?" Bhai was frantic as he whispered to me, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
"Bhai! Trust me, Zaviyaar has not hurt me at all. And I am happy." And I truly am happy. I understand his concerns but he has never intentionally tried to hurt me.
"You're lying to me, aren't you? Is he forcing you to say this?" I was horrified at his question, unsure what to even reply to that so he would trust me.
"Bhai, listen to me. Zaviyaar takes care of me a lot. He talks to me, he tries to make me happy and he... tries his best to give me space as well," He still looked so suspicious of everything I was saying. His concern warmed my heart but I didn't want him to think bad about Zaviyaar when he hasn't done anything except try to make me happy. "We're both trying to understand each other, Bhai. It's obviously going to take time... Trust me, I am okay."
Even though he still looked doubtful, he chose to let it go for now, finally exhaling a deep breath he had been holding for God knows how long. A giggle escaped me looking at his action as I dragged him back to everyone.
Back in the living room, it felt weird to see Zaviyaar and Baba whispering to each other in the corner. Well, it was more like Baba angrily whispering and Zaviyaar acting as if something funny was being said. I don't like that...
I was going to see what was going on between them but before I could take another step, someone stood in front of me, blocking my way. Oh no... The very person I had been avoiding the whole night had taken it upon herself to talk to me.
"You've been avoiding me. Is that any way to treat your mother-in-law?" Her raised eyebrow and sharp yet sweet tone made me unable to say anything except, "Umm.. Woh.. I... haven't..?"
'That sounded like a question instead of an answer.' Cue the facepalm.
"Hmm, you know, I never wanted you to marry my Zaviyaar," Yep, you made that very, very, clear. "But now that you are, let's try to get along, shall we?" Okay, I did not expect that.
Seeing me still speechless, she carried on, "I'm not a bad person, you know? I just love my son very much and always want the best for him. For example, right now, I just want you to keep my son happy."
That's valid, isn't it? But Zaviyaar doesn't like her so I should stay away... But how do I get away when she's actually being civil?!
"You know, one thing my son loves is homemade food, just like his father in that regard. Call me anytime and I'll give you the recipe of one of my favourite dishes to cook. It's what made his father fall in love with me. If you ask nicely, I'll even tell you my secret ingredient." I must have looked interested as she chuckled looking at me. Why wouldn't I be interested, she's known him his whole life. And if I cooked something unexpected for Zaviyaar, I can surely make him happy!
She looked around to make sure no one was listening before leaning in to whisper quietly, "The secret ingredient is-"
"IMANI!"
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Here is the new chapter, guys. I know it's been a long time and I apologise for that but I have been busy dealing with a lot of personal issues, still am. Hopefully they get resolved soon and I'll feel better.
Onto the chapter, what did you guys think? For Imani's dress, you can imagine any colour you like, I imagined a more darker, emerald kinda colour but I couldn't find a pic I liked so here it is.
Do share your thoughts on the chapter with me and share this story with your friends and followers if you like it. All your reads, votes and comments are highly valued and appreciated. I thank each and every one of you who has voted and commented so far, I have a lot of fun reading your comments and replying when you guys do so.
Hope you like this chapter and until next time, XOXOX.