موت آجاۓ غالب
دل نا آۓ کسی پر
Maut ajaye Ghalib,
Dil na aye kisi par
Death should come to me ghalib
If My heart shall ever surrender to someone
~~
The next day, a dramatic farewell -courtesy of none other than Ali and Sheheryar Khan followed.
In the corridor near the main door, Sheheryar hummed the tune of 'Kabhi Khushi kabhi ghum' under his breath whereas Ali had a glum look on his face, and stuck to the door.
"Fikar na karain bhabi, dil walay dhulania le jayengaaayy..." Ali raised his eyebrows, gesturing back and forth between Zaryab and Sherbano
(Don't worry sister in law, my brother will come soon to take his bride)
Sherbano gave him a look to which he winked and ran away before his elder brother could get to him, yelling
"See you soooonnn!"
As she shook her head and neared the door, Sheheryar wiped the fake tears from under his eyes exaggeratedly and came forth,
"Aap ka aakhri mauka hai Bhabi, bhaag jayein Bhai se" he teased before getting a punch on the arm, courtesy of none other than Zaryab Khan
(It's your last chance, run away from my brother)
"Mai tou Haq ki baat kar raha hoon, bichari ko zindagi bhar ke torture se bachanay ki" he retorted in defence
(I'm just helping the poor girl from surrendering to a life of torture)
Zaryab crossed his arms, turning before inquiring
"Acha? Kaisa torture?"
(Is that right? What kind of torture)
"Zindagi bhar meray hitler Bhai ke saath rehnay ka"
(The torture of living with my hitler brother)
Before Zaryab could once again raise his fist, the mischievous young man ran and hid behind his bhabi to be, finding a new person who would defend him
"Acha chorain issay, where is Ayla?" Sherbano diverted the focus of the topic, Sheheryar sending her a grateful look before dashing for the staircase
(Okay leave him be)
Just then, ayla came Down the stairs after hi-fiving Sheheryar a goodbye
When she saw everyone gathered near the porch, she directed at Zaryab who was going to drive them home,
"Sorry Bhai, I was just finishing my ice cream, I didn't want it to go to waste"
"Kam khao, bachi se dinasour ban jao gi" Adeel chimed in
(Eat less, you'll go from a kid to a dinosaur)
Ayla sent a glare his way, murmuring loud enough for him to hear
"Crocodile ki shakal wala"
(Crocodile-face)
Zaryab chuckled in reply, "it's okay, anything for my favourite sister"
Ayla raised her eyebrows, "Favourite sister, Bhai, you don't have another sister"
"Of course I do, Sheheryar aur Ali kya hain Phir" Zaryab winked
(What else are Ali and Sheheryar)
Farhat Khan shook her head at her children's antics before hugging the two sisters, bidding them farewell with the promise of seeing them soon.
Then, she instructed her eldest son to make sure the sisters got home safe
Ahmed Khan had already left early in the morning to pick Haris Malik from the hospital and help him get settled in his own home.
When they reached, the father son duo enjoyed a cup of the tea with the Malik family before setting out for their own house.
~~~~~~
During the course of the next week Zaryab would often go to the Malik's estate to inquire about Haris Malik's health and was pleasantly surprised with his progress.
It was Friday of the next week when the Khan family was seated in the drawing room of Haris Malik's house.
The room resonated with loud laughter and chatter, the life was back in Haris Malik's eyes as he chatted with his son in law to be.
The table was adorned with vibrant and beautifully decorated baskets full of gifts for the Malik family.
Zaryab had especially dressed up for the occasion. Adorning white shalwar kameez with silver cuff links, his hair swept back neatly and face clean shaved. The radiance of Noor and joy combined, lit up his face -making him look extremely attractive.
He conversed with his uncle and father over the cup of early afternoon tea, eagerly waiting to catch sight of her.
Adeel's eyes too darted across the room desperately, to catch sight of Ayla. Stood in the corridor between the staircase and drawing room with Sheheryar, leaning across the wall with his arms folded across his chest, he nodded along to what his brother was saying, but his attention was elsewhere. Adeel leaned sideways and tried to look into the kitchen without being noticed.
As he was lost in his attempts, Sheheryar swallowed his smile and cleared his throat, to capture his brothers attention. Upon failing, the younger brother raised his eyebrows amusedly and playfully slapped Adeel's bicep, succeeding in pulling him out of his trance
"Aur bhai, kidhar?" He referred to his brothers attention
(Hmm brother? lost somewhere?)
"Hmmm? Kuch nahi bus aisay hee,"
(Hmm? Nothing, just like that)
Adeel shrugged him off, before clearing his throat and standing up straighter, once again asserting his powerful and dominant stance.
Sheheryar was not moved though, he smiled slyly and pointing his finger in Adeel's direction accusingly he teased,
"Aisay hee? chota zaroor hoon, par sab samajhta huunnn."
(Just like that? I'm the youngest but I understand everything)
Adeel motioned towards his fist, trying to get rid of this nuisance
"Chal bay"
(Move on)
His futile attempt only fuelled Sheheryar's entertainment,
The mischievous brother reached for a laddu on the table before biting off half of it and offering the other half to Adeel, the smile never leaving his face
"Tut tut, sharam karain bhai, idhar hum Zaryab bhai ke rishtay ke liye aye hain aur aap ko Apni setting ki pari hui hai"
(Have some shame brother, here we are for Zaryabs proposal and you're trying to fit yourself in somehow)
It was when Adeel glared at him and stepped forward threateningly, that Sheheryar ran and hid in his mothers embrace.
Adeel was annoyed but this emotion was soon shaken off by a greater, stronger emotion. He heard the chiming of a familiar Payal (anklet) behind him and immediately turned around.
He caught sight of her and the breath was successfully knocked out of him. She still hadn't noticed his presence, she was running down the stairs but her attention was focused on fixing the bangles that her wrists adorned.
Smiling, he enclosed his hands around her wrists and pulled her into the dark store room. She gasped before realising it was him and waited until he closed the door, trying to conceal her growing smile.
"Kya kar rahay hain aap?" She whispered, feeling like they were part of some cliched Bollywood movie.
(What are you doing)
He only leaned closer, trapping her in place by pressing his hands against the wall, on either side of her head
Her frame trembled in excitement and nervousness
"Dekh raha houn bus"
(I'm just looking)
She averted her gaze and it made him smile. He leaned closer, towards her ear before whispering ever so slightly,
"Jaldi se parhai khatam karo taakay Mai Apni biwi bana kar tumhay yahan se le kar jaa tou sakoon"
(Hurry up and complete your studies so I can at least make you my wife and take you away)
Ayla had never been more shy in her life, even in the dim storage room, he could feel her burning red under him, she bit on her lip and didn't dare look into his eye as she lightly smacked his chest and ducked from under his arms, running out of the room.
Adeel watched her run back up the stairs and placed his hand above his heart, eyes fluttering shut in content.
When he regained composure and returned to the living room where the elders were seated, he found that the playful conversation had been halted as Farhat Khan began,
"Bhai Sahab, you know the reason we are here today. I want to skip over all the formalities, Sherbano's already wearing a ring of Zaryab's name, bus ab jaldi se nikkah ki date final karain aur Phir baaki functions"
(Brother, you know the reason we are here today. I want to skip over all the formalities, Sherbano's already wearing a ring of Zaryab's name, now we just want to hurry and final the date for their wedding and then the rest of the functions)
Ali's eyebrows shot up, his mother surely did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
Haris Malik chuckled,
"Behen, Sherbano aap ki Apni beti hai, aap ki marzi jab le jaayen. But meray Khayal se we should have the nikkah at the end of this month and the rest of the formal functions after 5 to 6 months"
(Sister, Sherbano is your own daughter, it's your choice when you want to take her home. But from what I think we should have the marriage at the end of the month and formal functions after 5-6 months)
Zaryabs eyes widened,
'5 to 6 months? How will I wait that long?'
Ali noticed the dismay adorning his brothers face and laughed,
"6 mahinay sunn kar bhai ke tou hosh urr gaye, dekhain tou becharay sadmay mai challay gaye hain"
(After listening to '6 months' the colours have faded off of my brothers face)
The living room once again resounded with amused laughter as Zaryab glared at his brother.
Admist the discussion, Ayla came into the room, bringing Sherbano with her and as the sisters met Ahmed Khan and his wife, Sherbano settled onto a vacant bench like a shy bride, averting her eyes and fumbling with her hands; Ayla taking a seat next to her sister.
Zaryab's attention was stolen completely by the woman who plagued his dreams,
He couldn't wipe the smile off his face at the sight of her, all shy and nervous.
She knew he was watching her, and kept her gaze lowered
Ahmed Khan stepped in and jokingly said,
"Dekho bhai seedhi si baat hai, ab inn 4 bandaron ke saath guzara nahi hota, mujhe Apni Beti ghar Mai chahiye. I think nikkah should be held at the end of the month as you wish but we'll complete the functions within the next three months."
(Look, it's plain and simple, I can't live with these 4 monkeys anymore, I need my daughter in my house)
Farhat completed,
"Aap please functions ki tayyaari ki tension na lain, mehendi and walima is on us, aur rukhsati Mai aap ko help aap ka Apna beta karay ga"
She referred to Zaryab
(Please don't worry about the preparations, mehendi and walima is on us, and for the rukhsati your son is there to help you)
By the end of the discussion, Haris Malik smiled satisfactorily and agreed to their arrangement,
The Sound of 'Mubarak' filled the room and the atmosphere was full of pure joy and celebration
As the elders were busy conversing and the youngsters seemed busy in their jabs and teases,
Zaryabs eyes drifted to his bride, offering her a soft smile and gazed into her eyes with the depths of the ocean,
"Mubarak"
(Congratulations)
Her adoring trance was broken by that one word, the one that sounded heavenly coming from him,
She once again shied away and averting her gaze downward, fiddling with her hands, she couldn't stop the blissful smile from adorning her lips,
"Khair Mubarak"
~~~~~~~
The nikkah had been decided on the 27th of November and the wedding functions were to take place in the last week of February.
Soon, preparations were made and from 21st, approached 22nd, and from there onwards, within a blink of an eye, it was the day of their nikkah.
The day they would form a sacred bond, they would make a relation stronger than any other on the basis of unconditional love, mutual respect, loyalty and understanding.
The night before the Nikkah, as she laid in bed, murmuring over the phone, Sherbano bid Zaryab a goodbye with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. With the excitement in his voice, she judged that he wouldn't be able to sleep all night; and with the butterflies that constantly erupted in her belly, she knew that sleep wouldn't come to her easily either.
Ayla was in the terrace that night and she couldn't stop crying, she dialled a familiar number on her phone. It was the number of the only person who would be able to calm her down and pacify her while she cried helplessly.
Adeels brows scrunched up as he saw her name on his phone screen, they hadn't spoken for two weeks now. Without a second of hesitation, he brought it close to his ear and murmured,
"What's up bachi?" His voice was husky with residual sleep yet still playful
On the other side of the line he heard sniffles and sobs, upon realisation, his eyes widened as he sat up in bed, reaching the worst of assumptions,
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, I'm here, relax, tell me what happened"
he tried not to panic
"Adeeel," Ayla simply cried out his name, making his heart clench with pain,
"Ayla, meri jaan, how will I fix the problem if you don't tell me? Now relax, stop crying and first tell me what the matter is" he coaxed
Slowly, as he whispered reassurances, her sobs faded and her breathing normalised, he gave her a minute to regain her composure before she spoke,
"Api is getting married tomorrow, then she's going to leave and I'll be all alone, what am I going to do without her Adeel?" She murmured helplessly
Adeel sighed, he placed his hand over his heart in relief and laid back in bed, shaking his head. Thank god nothing had happened, he had reached the worst of conclusions.
He knew exactly how to fix her mood, what to say and what to avoid,
"Ayla-" he began sternly,
"You scared me. Mujhe laga pata nahi kya ho gaya hai, now listen to me okay? You're a good sister, I know you'll miss Sherbano but think like this, your api is going to be so happy with Zaryab bhai. Do you really want to cry on this occasion and have her think that you're not happy in her happiness?"
(I thought that something really bad happened)
She hiccuped, a small voice murmured in answer to his question,
"no"
"Good girl, now as for you being alone, no such thing will happen. I promise I'll come pick you up every Friday so you can spend some time with Sherbano. As for the long run, there's only a couple years left for your studies to finish, ab tum dil laga kar parho, just pay attention to that. Aur Phir waisay bhi shadi ke baad tumhay saari Umar sherbano ke saath aik hee ghar me tou Rehna hai"
(And then after the wedding you have to live in the same house as Sherbano all your life)
His voice became teasing towards the end, her face flushed even brighter at the meaning hidden behind his words, yet she couldn't stop the smile that traced her features. Adeel knew she was blushing and was probably too shy to say anything, so he continued teasingly,
"Ab theek hai? Jaldi se so jao otherwise tomorrow you're going to have a blotchy face and you'll ruin all the pictures"
(You okay now? Go to sleep fast otherwise)
She gasped in shock, how could he be so cute and then so despicable within a span of a couple seconds,
"Adeel!" She exclaimed with anger
Laughter followed on the other side of the line over her attempt at being angry,
"Goodnight Ayla"
~~
Morning followed and it was the day of the Nikkah ceremony. The nikkah was held in the Malik household and was a small affair with close family members and friends
The lawn area was decorated with blooming flowers for the men-assortments of whites and pastels- and the drawing room was arranged for the women.
Sherbano couldn't stop a few streams of tears sneakily escaping her eyes, she was happy -more than ever, but the thought of leaving her father and sister made her emotional.
She looked simply ethereal, her hands were full with intricate bridal henna designs, bangles filling her wrists, she wore her mother's simple gold and white earrings and neckpiece.
Her dress was white with gold designs filled with surma handwork, enhancing her petite frame and delicate features
She sat with Ayla when her phone pinged a text from Sheheryar,
'Last chance Bhabi, abhi bhi time hai, I can climb the balcony for you and help you with your escape from my kharoos brother ;)'
(There's still time)
Sherbano shook her head in amusement, he really was something -asking her to run away yet still calling her Bhabi...
When the molvi Sahab entered the room with Haris Malik and some of Sherbano's elder cousins, her hands started to tremble.
She clasped them as to stop them from shaking and the question was asked.
"Qubool hai"
"Qubool hai"
"Qubool hai"
She affirmed without any hesitance and signed to join his name with hers.
Haris Malik came forth and kissed his daughters head above the veil, his happiness had no bounds today.
A tear trailed down her cheek as she closed her eyes, smiling in content. Under her breath, she whispered,
"Alhamdulillah"
(Thanks to God)
On the other hand, Zaryab looked extravagantly handsome in his tamed hair, white shalwar kameez and waistcoat, his wrist adorning a Rolex watch. What contributed to his charm and aura however, was the radiant glow and the satisfactory smile that rested upon his features.
The Molvi Sahab sat alongside him on the stage with the men of the Khan family and Haris Malik, as well as two of Sherbano's uncles.
Zaryab's vows were taken along with his signature on the 'nikkah nama' after which he was congratulated by numerous friends, family members and in-laws.
Zaryab felt elated,
it was his nikkah day, he was married to the woman he loved.
The thought made him feel more content than he had ever felt and he sent a prayer of gratitude heavenward.
~
When the nikkah was complete, for a while Sherbano sat with Ayla, giggling and crying, their emotions haywire.
The door knocks resounded and it creaked open slightly, to reveal who was behind the door.
Sherbano immediately averted her eyes from him and focused her gaze on her hands, which now seemed like the most interesting things in the world.
Ayla took her cue to leave but before that, she stopped in the doorway with her hands on her hips and took the necessary fees from her brother in law for letting him in.
Silence enveloped them until he pulled out the chair from behind the study table and placed it directly in front of where she was seated on the bed. He sat onto the chair, and focused his intense gaze on his wife
"Assalam-u-Alaikum" he greeted
"Walaikum Salam" she whispered back, almost inaudibly
No words were exchanged after that, minutes passed by,
He continued to stare and when she thought she would explode of nervousness, Sherbano met his eye,
It was just Zaryab, she didn't have to be nervous, right?
Well yes, it was just Zaryab, only now, he was her husband
"Kya Dekh rahay hain"
(What are you looking at)
"Allah (SWT) ka shukar Ada kar raha hoon, ke itni khoobsurat biwi meri kismat mai likhi"
(I'm thanking God that he wrote such a beautiful wife into my fate)
She couldn't stop from getting shy and letting the redness engulf her cheeks, I mean, how could she? He never ceased to charm her with his words and actions.
He wanted to get her to be comfortable around him, wanted her to share everything with him,
"Oh and, your lipstick is kinda smudged" he motioned towards the corner of her mouth
Sherbano gasped in horror, they had yet to go outside where the guests and family members would feed the couple sweets as per tradition
Her hand instinctively went to her lips as she started to pat them down in efforts to settle the lipstick which had smudged
She looked back at him for assurance,
"Is it okay now?"
Zaryab pursed his lips to stop himself from laughing,
"Well it was fine before you touched it, now it's actually smudged" he chuckled deeply
Sherbano scrunched up her brows and looked at Zaryab angrily, she huffed, looking away and that's when he caught a hold of her wrist and jerked her close, their noses only a couple centimetres apart
"It would have been smudged anyway after I did this"
He whispered and Sherbano didn't get a chance to process his words before he leaned upwards, his lips moulding with hers.
He kissed her softly, like she was made of glass and would break upon force; gently, as to not bruise her delicate pink lips, and sweetly, with all the love of the world
He pulled away sooner than she wanted him to and she hid herself in his chest, trying to calm her racing heart, tingling lips and the blush creeping up her neck.
Once she had cowered in his chest, she never wanted to leave, his deep, manly and sophisticated cologne made her mind go into a frenzy and his warm embrace made her heart thud.
His chest rumbled with his amused laughter as he pressed her further into his arms and rested his cheek atop her head, swaying them back and forth.
They stayed in that position for a couple minutes before he pulled away,
"Acha I brought something for us"
Confused, sherbano looked up at him curiously.
He picked up the box that he had kept next to him and opening it, pulled out the Mithai (sweet). He held it up to her mouth and shyly, she bit into it before taking it from him and feeding him the other half.
"I wanted to be the first one jo tumhara mou meetha karwaye" he murmured and she smiled in reply
(I wanted to be the first one to feed you the sweets)
Their moment was cut short when ayla pounded her fists on the door,
"Times up lovebirds, neechay sab bula rahay hain!"
(Times up lovebirds, everyone is calling you downstairs)
"Abhi aye!" Zaryab yelled back
(Coming now!)
He stood up and helped his wife stand in her heavy dress before smiling, a twinkle in his eyes as he leaned close.
Sherbano closed her eyes, expecting him to kiss her again but instead, his thumb came up to the corner of his lips as he softly rubbed away the smudged lipstick.
A shiver ran down Sherbano's spine as she felt the cool metal of his ring touch her chin, along with his close proximity
He whispered playfully in her ear,
"We don't want to give them any ideas, do we?"
She pushed onto his chest with a smile, he knew well the effect he had on her and he chuckled, grasping her hand into his own firm grip and leading her down the stairs
~
3 months had passed by in no time, over its course, Zaryab and Sherbano fell into a habit of hearing each other's voice before they slept, without it, sleep would reach far from their grasps.
On nights when Zaryab was under the constant load of work, he would make sure to call her -even if it was only to say goodnight.
Sherbano had gotten used to Zaryab now, she had always loved him but now she was sure that every second of her life spent without him would be in agonising pain and misery
Many days, Zaryab would wake up longing to see her and would make excuses to go over to her house. Some days he would go with the excuse of meeting his father in law, some days he would bring snacks for his sister in law or presents for his wife, all just to catch a glimpse or exchange a few words with Sherbano.
Zaryab felt overly protective and loving of his wife, she was his to protect and care for, his to cherish and love, his alone. That thought made him feel euphoric -this angel, whose responsibility could've been given to any man in this world was given to Zaryab.
The mehndi went by smoothly, with Ali and Sheheryar causing mischief during the function and making people laugh with their skits and dances. During Ayla's rendition of 'Didi Tera Dewar', Sherbano couldn't stop laughing as she saw her sister holding both of her younger brother in laws by their ears.
Finally, it was time for the rukhsati function.
The function passed by and Sherbano looked ethereal in her dark maroon wedding dress. When the time came, her cousins and sister lowered the red net dupata over her to cover her face in a visible veil and it was time for the rukhsati.
Sherbano met her uncles and aunts formally, she squeezed Ayla in her embrace as tears spilled through their eyes. Lastly, before getting into her husband's car, Sherbano cried into her father's arms lightly and he hugged his daughter tight, whispering sweet assurances into her ear like always, before sending her off with the man whom he knew would always keep her safe.
As the car drove off from the wedding venue, Sherbano still could not control the streams of tears that escaped her.
Zaryab's heart hurt at the sight of her tears and with a sigh, he pulled her close to him, her cheek resting in his chest as he rubbed her arms, pressing kisses to her hairline in efforts to comfort her.
Soon enough, she stopped crying and as they stayed in the same position, he wiped away the wetness under her eyes and began,
"You know, when you cry like that I feel like you don't want to go home with me, agar zyada miss kar rahi ho tou baba ke ghar le jaoon?"
(If you're missing them a lot, i can take you to your dads house)
She shook her head in his chest, and cleared his doubts
"Mujhe aap ke saath, aap kay ghar jana hai"
(I want to go to your home with you)
He smiled,
"You mean humara ghar jaan"
(You mean our house, love)
Soon they reached the Khan mansion and he helped her out of the car and into the main entrance of the house. The rest of the family had reached before the couple and made necessary arrangements.
As soon as they entered the corridors, rose petals were showered upon the couple and Sheheryar's singing voice resounded, echoing in the halls with his rendition of "Sajan jee ghar aye" (a Bollywood song)
Zaryab shook his head once again at his brothers antics,
Really? Even on his wedding
Of course, especially on his wedding
"Welcome home Bhabi!" The brothers synchronised, Adeel joining in this time
Some rasams followed (fun traditions) and during the competitive games like finding the ring in the milk, all 3 brothers cheered on for their Bhabi, leaving Zaryab shocked and feigning to be appalled,
"I helped raise you three with my blood sweat and tears, ye sillah mila mujhe?"
(This is what I get)
He had said before the living room resounded in laughter and with her 3 cheerleaders' support, Sherbano won the game.
Zaryab proudly smiled at her until she flaunted the ring in his face and hi fived her partners in crime, to which he pouted in reply.
Farhat and Ahmed Khan both knew how incredibly whipped their son had already become as they smiled, seated on the couch and sipping on their mugs of chai
"Looks like the first of many times Bhabi will be winning from bhai" Ali teased
"I can't fight you on that man" Zaryab joked, winking at his bride, making her even more shy as she blushed furiously and the living room once again resounded in amused laughter
Soon enough, when it was time to retire to bed, Sheheryar piped in,
"Bhai, aisay kaisay le ja rahay hain? You have to pick her up"
(Is this the way you take her in?)
Zaryab gave his youngest brother a plain look,
"Sheheryar tum aaj kal kuch zyada bollywood movies nahi Dekh rahay"
(Sheheryar aren't you watching too many Bollywood movies these days)
"Oh come on!"
"Bhai utha lain na"
(Pick her up!)
"Why else do you work out?"
Upon their constant insists, Farhat Khan chimed in,
"Beta, utha lo na beghum ko, kuch nahi hota" she winked
(Pick up your wife, it's no big deal)
"Wah Bhai, idhar tou mama bhi raazi hain" Zaryab murmured with a smile before hoisting his newly wed bride in his arms and making his way to their room, shouting a goodnight behind his back
(Wow, here my mom is also agreeing)
Sherbano giggled softly in his arms before they reached their room and he plopped her onto his bed. Kissing her on the forehead softly he tilted her chin upwards to face him,
"Go freshen up, I'll be here"
Sherbano smiled, she couldn't believe how sweet her husband was.
He showed her the dressing room and the grand bathroom attached to it
As sherbano was left alone in the dressing room, she realised she wouldn't be able to make her way out of the dress alone. Reluctantly, she peeked out of the dressing room and called for Zaryab.
"Kya hua?" He came to face her
(What happened?)
she flushed tomato red,
"Wo...um" she couldn't help but stutter
What would she say to him?
He sensed her hesitance and encouraged,
"Bol dou"
(Say it)
"Umm...the Dupata and the zipper..I can't-" she stuttered
"Bus? Itni si baat par itna sharmana? Jaan, I'm your husband now, you can share anything with me okay?" Zaryab intervened
(That's all? You're shying away at this)
Sherbano nodded shyly as he walked into the dressing room then slowly picked out the pins holding his wife's dupata in place. It took the two a while to figure out the never ending placement of bobby pins and safety pins.
She had never before felt more cherished and respected when he closed his eyes and pulled down the zipper of the dress to the small of her back, pressing a blind kiss to the base of her neck.
He kept his eyes closed with a soft smile tracing his features until he heard the bathroom door close and the shower running.
Zaryab took a plain pair of shalwar kameez and made his way to the guest bathroom to shower and freshen up.
When he walked back into the room, his wife sat in front of the large window, brushing her semi-wet hair and enjoying the view of the pool and sitting area.
(This is what I imagined)
He walked up to her and sat onto the window seat right behind her, pulling her back to recline in his arms.
They watched the moon reflecting on the waters for a while in each other's arms, surrounded with peaceful silence.
It was a while later when she turned around in his arms, and gazed into his eyes adoringly. Zaryab places his palm on the side of her cheek, she looked so beautiful to him, in her white shalwar kameez that she wore to bed, her hair open and face radiant, a healthy pink tinge to her cheeks. It was the first time he had seen her without a dupata and he couldn't help but lean in.
As he kissed her sweetly, she kissed him back, with the love she had stored in her for years, all pouring out. His arms came around her and he brought her to his bed.
As they tangled in the sheets and got lost in each other's touch, he pulled away slightly to look into her eyes, seeking permission; and her soft smile, creeping blush and bowing lashes were enough answer to his unasked question.
~~~~~~~
It was a couple hours before fajr when they were embraced in each other's arms
The night was deep and the crickets chirped, the stars twinkled bright.
She laid on her side, facing him as he did the same. His hands were tangled in her soft hair, playing with it tenderly.
For a while, no words were exchanged, they just stared at each other and smiled, his gaze penetrating through hers adoringly -as if he was ready to kiss the ground she walked on. Her body heated up because of his gaze and flustered, she questioned
"Kya Dekh rahay hain?"
(What are you looking at)
"Kuch nahi, bus tumhari inn nashili si aankhon ko Dekh kar aik sher yaad agaya"
(Nothing, just remembered some lines of poetry while gazing into those mesmerising eyes)
She turned onto her side excitedly, now hovering above him, her laying frame on the bed supported by her arms, her hair swept onto her left shoulder, the right one bare, right above his lips.
And so he leaned upwards and pressed a warm kiss at the pure, smooth skin near her collar bones, peaking out just before the neckline of his kurta on her loosely concealed the rest of her arms.
She felt shy, but wanted to know badly what poetry he was talking about
"Sunnain na, please."
(Tell me, please)
A smile adorned his face as he pushed back the tendrils of her hair,
"Ab itnay Pyar se kaho gi tou mannah kaisay karunga?"
(Now if you'll say 'please' with so much love, how will I say no?)
Her shy lashes bowed, he slid his hands around her frame and turned them around -her back pressed against the mattress as he now hovered above her.
He leaned down, pressing a sweet kiss to each eyelid before he whispered, their foreheads almost touching, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Hum to fana ho gaye unnki aankhain Dekh kar Ghalib
Na Jaanay wo aina kaisay dekhtay hongey"
(I have been perished to ashes after looking into those eyes oh Ghalib
God knows how they must face the mirror)
She smiled shyly and he smiled back, in sheer satisfaction and content.
That night was the first of many in which they slept in each other's arms, holding hands, legs tangled and lips intertwined.
The End
~~~
So guys! That was the end of Zaryab and Sherbano...
I wanted to thank you all for the amazing comments (I read every single one🤩) and the support
Oh one more thing...
Now it's up to you guys whether you want an epilogue for this story about 5-6 years into the future or to start a new story...
(Updates will be slow starting now because of school reopening😫)