SURPRISE!!!!
Haha, its a Sunday and I owed you guys one more so I updated for you guys ❤️
----
Aaina.
She might have been in her early thirties, or late, I couldn't tell. There were small wrinkles around her eyes, not the wrinkles that could say someone was old enough but the kind that gave away someone's maturity.
Ever since she sat by my side, the third female to do so.
That's what happened when your husband gave you away to the wolves.
If the one before her was staring at my tulip shalwar, this one was analysing my face, maybe she was trying to find some weakness or maybe she thought I wasn't fit enough to be her first lady.
Maybe, she thought Zaydaan deserved better. Her eyes were unkind but her smile was soft and polite. I smiled back, saying nothing.
She was a minister in Zaydaan's cabinet. He had told me about her in the car, he had briefly introduced all his ministers travelling with us, just so I could understand them better.
She questioned me suddenly
"Are you nervous?"
"Hm?"
I mumbled, not understanding her completely. I was so used to ungentle females in my life, that even a compassionate one seemed fake and unkind to me.
Whether it was that minister's wife who had talked about Minal, whether it was Minal herself or whether it was my own mother, I didn't have a nice experience regarding it all.
My own friends were incredible but I had not talked to them in a very long time.
"It's your first big event, are you nervous?"
"Isn't it your first as well? Zaydaan said you're a minister for the first time." I questioned her back.
She nodded.
"Um yes. But I'm not nervous, I've been attending such events for a very long time." She replied. Her tone wasn't rude or offensive, just honest.
I liked honesty. I just didn't like it much when Zaydaan got honest with me since his honesty was harsh and cruel.
"Too bad I can't say the same. I'm nervous but I'm excited too." I told her.
She chuckled.
"Does the Prime Minister talk about us?" She asked next.
I raised an eye. What kind of question was that?
"About you?"
"Yeah, like us. His ministers. We never understand what he's thinking."
Maybe she was a curious cookie or maybe she, just like me was not able to figure out the mystery that was Zaydaan.
"We hardly get enough time together, do you really think we'll spend that talking about his cabinet?" I responded playfully. She laughed.
"Point."
I shrugged. Before I could ask her anything else or she could talk to me more, I saw Zaydaan walking towards our seats.
Even in the small vicinity of the government plane, there was this magical aura about him. In his white dress shirt, while his suit hung in the small wardrobe, he looked fresh as a daisy.
I hoped I looked the same.
"Aaina, feeling okay?" He questioned me, eyes staring at me as if he was reading my soul.
Since it was early morning, the sun shine its brightest and its rays entered through the windows too, falling right near his eyes.
It had been more than ten hours since the flight had taken off, and He had been working with his team ever since, there would be short breaks but nothing major.
He would sit by my side, only to close his eyes for a few minutes to rest. While I had slept for atleast five hours and overthought every thing for the other five.
He hadn't talked to me much though.
"Yes, perfect." I replied to his query.
He looked at his minister next.
"And you?" He asked her, she nodded eagerly.
"Yes sir, shall we give you the reports?" She questioned back instead. He shook his head.
"Not now. I believe your seat is there." He said to her, pointing at the seats where his other three ministers and two advisors were sat.
As she stood up and walked away, Zaydaan quickly took the seat.
"Hey," I greeted.
Rays of sun hit his brown eyes. I liked his eyes, I always had. But there was something about sunlight hitting his eyes that had me mesmerised. That golden impact in his eyes had me hooked, so I looked away.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay." He said after a while, I smiled at him.
"I am." I affirmed.
"We'll be there in two hours so you can change after an hour or so. Alright?" He informed me.
"Yes, that's fine."
"Good. What did Ahad say?" He interrogated. I looked at him in slight shock.
"How do you know everything?" I asked exasperated. He smirked.
"I'm the Prime Minister." He continued.
"And I'm your husband."
I sighed, ofcourse he knew. He knew everything and I hardly could figure him out. Zaydaan looked at me for an explanation or some sort of answer.
"He was really angry at me." I started off, gulping as I remembered Ahad's cruel and harsh words.
"Really really angry." I whispered. He scowled.
"I told you not to go to him." He mumbled, voice low but firm.
"I'm sorry, Zaydaan. I just couldn't help it." I excused.
As if he didn't know I would talk to Ahad, ofcourse he knew.
"And you also told him of our personal conversations." He accused next.
I almost scoffed, almost.
"They weren't conversations, that was you hurting me to an extent where I had to talk to someone or else I'd go crazy." I answered him back.
I had noticed that either I had grown slightly confident in his presence or he had been giving me more space than usual.
"So you chose my brother." He added. I nodded without a shame.
"Yes, I did."
"You know you're getting too brave for my liking and-" I interrupted him before he could say something hurtful, I held his arm.
"Zaydaan, I'm sorry. Can we please let it go? Ahad wanted me to convince you regarding Saaniya. And I've never seen him so cold and still so worried."
I changed the topic, tried to atleast.
But at the same time, I had rambled out the one thing I didn't want to bring up.
Since he had not responded, I dragged my words even further.
"So can't you help him? Maybe she's a good person and Ahad wouldn't fall in love with just anybody, right?"
His face turned glum.
"Aaina, this does not concern you." He shrugged me off.
"He's your brother and he's hurting."
I knew Zaydaan cared alot about his family, especially his brother. So I knew he was going to be damn angry at me for even suggesting something like this.
"And he will get really hurt if I don't stop him. Shut your mouth about the things you know nothing about. That family is cancer, you really think that girl is anything different?" He hissed in my ear. I winced.
"She trapped my brother and is going to use him as a bait to hurt our entire family! I will never let that happen." He promised, more to himself than to me.
There were so many people around us, whispering words in my ear and still making me flinch was an absolute art, an art that Zaydaan perfected in.
"Zaydaan...atleast -" I murmured, he held his hand.
"Aaina. Bas."
Enough.
So Iet silence take over us and closed my eyes once again, just the way he had.
--
"Do you want me to open the braids?" Raima questioned me as she helped me get dressed, I buckled up my heels and lifted my head up, staring at the compact mirror.
"Yeah, it looks unruly." I mumbled. She clicked her tongue.
"No, it looks okay."
"Uhh, let's just open it anyway."
I brushed my hair, I wish I could just straighten it properly but there were waves in it already, so I just brushed it untill it looked good.
"Everyone's trolling your tulip on social media." She said out of the blue. I groaned.
"Bad trolling?" I enquired. She laughed.
"All in good humour, people are really excited about your first visit though." She added.
I stood up from my seat, putting on the final touches of my lipstick.
"And I feel like peeing my pants." I joked but it was almost true.
"Just smile and breathe, you'll do fine." She tried to comfort me, I took a deep breath but it didn't do me any good.
Raima had been such a blessing lately though, no matter how uncomforting her words were right now.
Before I could thank her, or say anything else, Zaydaan's voice reached my ears.
"We're landing in twenty, come here and fasten your seat belt."
---
Zaydaan liked three colors, as far as I had noticed. White, black and blue. He only wore suits of these three combinations and sometimes, he would opt for grey.
But he always managed to look good. Like, always.
I took a few more deep breaths as the time to land almost arrived, my husband sat by my side looking at me after every few seconds as I inhaled and exhaled deeply
"You don't have to be nervous, you look good."
He somewhat complimented to calm me down.
I knew that. I knew I looked fine. Better than how I used to look. Having a stylist for such events helped, it truly did.
But it didn't help my nerves. There were going to be people there who would be twice my age, maybe more than that. More experience, more intellect.
I didn't want to make a fool out of myself. And I didn't want to disappoint Zaydaan. I didn't want him to think about how different things would have been if he had married Minal.
I didn't want all that.
"Okay," I murmured, looking at him.
"So what's gonna happen?" He enquired.
I remembered all that he had told me in the car ride before entering the aircraft.
"Um, so we're going to be greeted by the president and his wife, a little girl will present us with flowers, we'll have some time to go and rest, approximately two hours before meeting up with some guys."
"Some guys?" He teased.
"You know," I tried to remember but couldn't.
"I don't know." He denied.
I looked at him long enough for him to tell me.
"We're going to meet some investors who are interested in investing billions of dollars."
"Yes." I nodded.
"And you're going to be on your best behavior." He stated.
"I am."
What option did I have? I wanted to impress him, his ministers, the various important people that were going to be present there and I wanted to impress the journalists who always wrote about me as someone immature but beautiful.
"And then in the evening, we're going to attend the g20," He repeated.
"And I'll have dinner with the first ladies after the summit ends." I finished his sentence.
"See, I'm prepared."
I
said with a smug smile, he shrugged.
"You are," He confirmed.
For a minute or so, he remained silent and so did I. Then, I heard his loud voice booming across the entire aircraft.
"Alright people, I want all of you at your best behavior. No giggling like little girls and no whispering in each other's years. Be at your perfect God damn self. Is that understood?"
He said out loud. I heard the chants of yes and ofcourse and inshaAllah.
"Good."
He looked straight ahead, sitting calmly but I understood his demeanour. There was a nervousness inside Zaydaan today too, one that he covered up well with his confidence and arrogance.
"You know, I understand you too." I piped out.
"Ahan." He glanced at me with interest.
I questioned him next with mild curiosity and a little bit of worry. If Zaydaan was nervous, I should have been terrified.
"Yeah, like how you are actually nervous too but you aren't showing it. Why are you nervous? You have been doing this for so long."
"I'm not nervous." He denied instead, I gave him a nonsense look. He looked away but spoke anyway.
"I've been doing this as my father's minister, now I am a Prime Minister. Everything that goes wrong will be my responsibility."
He was responsible for the entire country, for my actions and for his. For his minister's actions and for actions of other people that were related to him.
That sounded crazy. To be responsible for each and everything.
And powerful. Crazy and powerful.
At this point, I could worry for myself and be scared enough on my own but at the same time, i could also comfort him. He had never taken comfort from me. So I could atleast try and comfort him even once.
I put my hand in his, squeezing it a little too tight. Then I smiled at him, a reassuring smile.
"Nothing will happen, it's going to be perfect." I whispered.
"Okay," He instantly replied.
"Okay?" I questioned.
That easy? Was it that easy to comfort him? To put him at ease?
"It's quite believable when you smile at me like that." He answered.
It was quite surreal and quite romantic, and quite charming.
And I was quite trapped in his love.