"Kinza, how it feels like when the cameras focus you both and girls, especially, run after Abdullah? Do you get jealous?" The female anchor crossed her leg while sitting in their drawing room sofa.
She chuckled and her imagination travelled to the man who was sleeping in the darkness of his luxurious hotel suite.
"There is no point of jealousy. I understand that Abdullah is famous. He is a celebrity. There are many fans out there who want to express their love to him and a star is nothing without his fans. As far as girls are concerned so I realize the reasons they have in their mind. Today, I would like to admit that we, the girls, are innocent in our own ways. We run after an illusion. We don't realize that the aura of that particular man is eating us from inside. We have everything written in our pre-decided fates and what the God has written for you is the best, girls."
"Did you both ever meet before your marriage? How Abdullah proposed you?" Revolving the pen in her fingers the lady asked.
"I had seen him on television and we first met in a restaurant. His mother brought the proposal." The diamond in her finger shimmered and her heartbeat accelerated.
Lying every time is not easy to do.
"How is Abdullah as a husband? We see him doing magic in fields but everyone is just curious to know about his habits." The anchor plastered a cheering smile on her lips.
"All praises belong to Allah, he is awesome, I must say. I wish every other girl gets a husband like him. I am fortunate to have him." Kinza said and her eyes shouted the gentleness, security and after all serene love.
"We had been receiving millions of requests to interview you as people want to know how Kinza is. Your marriage broke many hearts but even the girls, apart from envying you, want to know how you are. Your dressing sense has been making waves in social media and now you are like another celebrity. How it feels like?"
Kinza grinned and remembered the night when both of them were drenching in mad rain and the ruined sari still rejoiced its special place in her wardrobe.
"It feels very good but being in focus all the time lessens the tiny joys of life. I and Abdullah cannot go in public easily. We cannot enjoy walking together. We miss these things in our life." Her voice lowered and the anchor nodded.
The interview went on and some ailing corner of her heart badly missed him. He was on tour for one day internationals.
...
"Have I told you that this side of bed belongs to me only even when I love you the most?" Tugging a stray strand behind her ear he said while lowering his head on her face.
"The whole bed is same. You can sleep anywhere." Pulling blanket on her head she smirked inside.
"It is not, Kin!" He agitated and then surrendered. His scent filled the blanket from her side of bed and his cold hands covered her warm ones.
"Abdullah, I cannot even tell you that I am missing you so much. There is still a week remaining and this time I even do not have any note to look at." Her fingers typed and pressed the send option.
The blanket was covering her but her fingers were missing the warmth that was just because of him. Her feet were cold and despite rubbing against each other they were not warming.
"And my fingers are twisting due to cold here. Come back, please!" She continued typing.
The ticks turned into blue and she bit her lower lip in excitement.
"I can send you a flaming emoticon only, Kin." And the message was followed by a big red heart.
"We will be celebrating our second anniversary on the fifth of the next month and see we behave like those typical love birds." She typed and smiled.
"Really? Have I asked you for a selfie of yourself? We are not like them, wifey." His message made her dumbstruck.
"So you want me to send a selfie. I know you, Abdullah." She typed and supplemented her reply with a messy selfie.
Few moments passed and her phone vibrated again.
"Ammi has made me to marry a girl with red nose. How adorable it looks! Why its like it every time? Yes, I am just yawning at the moment. Please be patient."
She involuntarily touched her nose and laughed. Her eyelids fell on the sockets and while inhaling a deep breath she just wanted to thank her God for everything she had; a beautiful house, caring family and a very loving husband. It felt like as if it was yesterday that she waited for his appearances on television or looked for every possible clue to find something new about him. Their marriage was two years old now and still she was a fan of the man in her life; on whose bed she was lying and remembering him.
...
"Kinza, tell me that it is true. Ammi has just told me and I am exclaiming like a clown. Ariba asked me what has happened and I just kissed her cheek." Hira said with happiness filling her voice.
Her grip on phone tightened and she pressed her lips together.
"Yes. True it is, Hira." Uttering with difficulty these words escaped her mouth.
"Oh my God! Did you tell Abdullah?" Hira asked.
"Not yet. I don't know how to tell him actually." Sheepishly Kinza smiled and sighed.
"My dear mother-to-be sister in law, this is going to be the most important moment of his life. Tell him when he is back. Nobody of us will tell him, for sure." Hira affirmed her and redness sparkled on her cheeks.
"His flight is of tomorrow and he will land by the next day's evening." Placing the hanger in the racks Kinza mentioned and Hira blessed her with tons of prayers and wishes.
...
She saw the silver car coming from the main gate and her heart skipped a beat. The thought of meeting him, seeing him in person and staring at the arrogant features for whole night made her relieved after a month. Now when she had another piece of him in her body it felt like the bond has strengthened.
He was shaking hands with the watchman and servants and her heart was flooding with the same emotions it felt each time when he came back in their house, in her life.
Ammi was greeting him and she was waiting for her turn. The sober grin was making butterflies run in her stomach and she was internally making fun of her state.
He was now looking at her from Ammi's shoulder and the shouting eyes were burning on her face.
"AssalamoAlaikum." She mumbled.
"Walaikum Assalam. How are you?" He replied enthusiastically.
"I am so good right now." She looked at his handsome face and his arm circled her waist.
The old grey eyes flickered at them and hugged them both tightly.
"I am really very happy for you, my children. A mother only wants her family all settled, established and content. I am proud of you, my daughter. You have made this home like heaven and I am satisfied that I made a great choice in those chaotic times. You composed my son when he was shattered. I owe a lot to you, Kinza." Ammi was saying with love spilling from her words and his eyes were affirming her that he acknowledged what she did.
...
"Another year to rejoice what we have seen and felt together.
Another year to realize again that we both fit each other like the pieces of a puzzle.
Another year to say that I still crave for tiniest of the fan-girl moments with you.
Another year to say that I am deep in your love; that is beautiful, heartwarming and pure.
Another year to wish you happy anniversary."
The piece of paper whirled under his pillow and he turned at her side.
"It is another coincidence that it is exactly when the needles strike twelve and when my heart submits that this is all what I want. Happy anniversary, piece of my heart!" Ruffling her hair he said and a fulfilled smile decorated her face.
She continued staring at him and her eyes never blinked for an instant.
"Is there something you want me to know and you don't know how to put it in front of me? Say it all. I am all ears." With warm expression filling his eyes, Abdullah said.
"When did you feel it?" Her excited ones asked.
"When I came back, since then. Now it is going to be two weeks in the country." He touched her nose and confirmed.
"Mish told me to do so. She thought that this would be the anniversary gift for you." She placed her face on her elbow and looked in his eyes which contained mystery and ambiguity.
"How many other minutes you are going to take. Tell me. I am wait.."
"We are expecting." She said hurriedly and covered her face.
"What? Really?" He almost yelled and got up.
"Kinza, are you serious? I mean I have taken this to some another level and I cannot endure if this was a joke." Holding her cold hands he asked for confirmation.
Her all red cheeks replied and he released a heavy breathe and chuckled.
"Thank you so much. I have no words right now. Congratulations." Resting his back against the bed crown he exclaimed.
She just lifted her eyes and his relaxed body answered the emptiness in their lives. Turning straight she faced the ceiling and just when his voice echoed in their room.
"If I had any option to prevent you from the severe pain I would have done it already. A man can never thank his wife properly for the blessings in his life. She goes through what we say unbearable but we have no idea what it is. I will be by your side, Kin, always. I will endure your mood swings happily to never let you feel that you are alone in this journey. The parenthood is for us both, not only for you to bear pain and me to extract moments of joy. We both will go through it, okay?"
A great epiphany again stamped her heart. The thought of someone being with her in the journey that was longer than a hot desert and harder than being in hypothermia made her all contented.
She tightened her hold on his hand and said,
"I am proud of you, Abdullah."
...
"I had claimed this lawn chair long ago so there is no point in arguing. Even this bougainvillea branch knows." Touching the violet edge of the soft petal, Kinza said and Abdullah dropped his arms.
"Aisha, your mother has always been like it."
"Mommy, why you just not give daddy his favourite chair? He is so cute." The girl of four in orange polka dots frock pouted and Abdullah laughed at her last words.
"You see, only she considers me cute. Aisha, men are handsome not cute" He said with a smirk playing on his lips while staring at his wife's flushing face.
"Oh daddy, you are cute in my eyes and my mommy is the princess. She has beautiful hair. Why my hair is like it, a grassy field?" Examining the length of her hair the little girl asked.
His eyes traced the ponytail on Kinza's shoulder and his mind affirmed what the kid said.
"Yes, mommy has very beautiful hair. Even mommy knows, Aisha, but your hair is good too." Lifting the grumpy girl in his arms Abdullah said.
Kinza was observing all their babyish conversation with her head tilted on her shoulder.
Life had been very good for her and no gesture of gratitude was worthy to express her thankfulness.
"Your daddy once solved the easiest question of my textbook when I was sitting here and since then I used to sit here. And tell me why your hair is like the nest of any bird? Get me your brush." She answered her query and the lines on his forehead deepened.
"So, you have decided that you will not leave this chair." Looking at the running baby girl he asked.
"Yes, I have. Why don't you take this next seat? Why wasting this beautiful evening?" She crossed her legs and rested her head on the back support.
"This beautiful evening? Wow! Let us not waste it then." Lowering the bougainvillea branch on her face, he said and walked to stand behind her back.
"Abdullah, I am telling you. I am warning you. Do not. Not now." She chuckled in the end and he smirked again.
"You cannot keep it in your mind. I was not doing anything." He said and pulled the pony band down.
"Can you please sit here? Why are you embarrassing me? Ammi is here too." She bit her inner lip and asked.
Abdullah sighed and then walked towards the seat.
"I am destined to take this one. I was teaching you on that day and you were pretending that you don't know probabilities. How unethical it was to waste the time of a man who was about to take an important flight!" Adjusting in the comfy seat he regretted.
"How bad it was to wipe my tears taking maximum care of not touching my skin! How bad, seriously!" She nodded her head to his face.
"I was taking care and you were like that you have already broken all your dams. We were adjusting at that time, Mrs. Abdullah." He neared his face to hers and said.
"I was learning to love you properly, Mr. Husband." She replied confidently looking in his eyes and the fan in her heart wondered.
"Are you still learning?"
"A wise woman has said that a successful marriage requires falling in love many times," her eyes grew warmer, "Always with the same person."
"I am still learning." He told her.
"I love you." She lowered her face and kissed the knuckles covering her hand.
"I love you too." Resting his head on hers Abdullah replied.
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"Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tinythreads which sew people together through the years." -Simone Signoret
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AssalamoAlaikum.
After a very long time I am glad that I am writing my note for TAL. It feels beautiful.
Finally, today, I can say that I have completed my first story on Wattpad.
I am thankful to everyone who made TAL a success. I always look for your comments and I will tomorrow, if Allah wills, reply them.
Abdullah and Kinza's story was influenced by moments of fandom. Its every aspect dealt with how a fan perceives things. Right these days I am writing another story. Philophobia is more reality based, I must say.
Wish you all luck, health and success!
And for the final time,
Byeee.
Allah Hafiz.
*OH YEAH! PHILO IS MORE REALITY BASED. TODAY, I ADDED A FEW MORE DIALOGUES IN THIS SCENE*