the best thing to hold onto
in life is each other
~
Cliche alert. All the scenes I've seen in dramas have corrupted my mind. Buhahahah!
~
Muntaha was contemplating whether to call her mother or not. She had freed her hair from the bun and removed every piece of jewellery. She was sitting on the bed resting her back on the head board with her hair cascading over the pillow behind her back, the gharara flaring around her legs and her hands filled with deep maroon mehndi stain. Her lips were slightly swollen with the constant biting, eyes puffy from constant crying and nose and cheeks a deep red.
Her phone was clutched in her hand when it started ringing and the name 'Ammi❤' popped. She accepted the call immidiately and brought the phone to her ear. Before she could say anything, tears started escaping her eyes and she started sobbing.
"Meri jaan, don't cry." Her mother tried to console her with her own teary voice. Afterwards she asked her to explain and Muntaha told her what happened in detail.
"Whatever happened, we cannot change it. I know you would never lie to me but beta you should've told us."
"Ammi, it took me time to accept the reality and we were waiting for the wedding to be over so we won't create a hustle in between." She said wiping the fresh tears.
"Your father is very upset with you. I'll try to talk to him but you have to clear up everything with him." Her mother said. Muntaha stayed quite for a few moments then blurted out what was eating her from the inside.
"Does he...does he hate me?" She asked with a trembling voice.
"Ofcourse not! My love, he is just upset at the moment but he'll become normal again when he gets to know about the whole situation." That sent some relief to her. She'll try her best to amend the things, she thought.
"Now, get some sleep, okay? I'll send your clothes and accessories to your susral tomorrow." Muntaha blushed at the susral word. It's all so new to her. At the same time, the door of the room opened and Faris came in.
"Okay, Ammi. Allah Hafiz." She said and cut the call. She looked up and noticed Faris eyeing her form and she felt shy all of a sudden realising her lack of cover and plunging neckline. She got up hurriedly to get her dupatta and draped it over shoulders making him smirk.
"You cannot just barge into someone's room without asking."
Faris who was eyeing his wife with a worried gaze assessing her for physical injuries since he didn't do that before when they came out of the police station. But his overthinking wife, always takes his actions to be something else, he thought amusedly.
"Well, I can definitely come to my wife's room without asking, don't you think?" He said in a teasing tone taking steps towards her and she clutched the edge of the dresser tightly. She couldn't really deny his advances now since they both had accepted the relation. But she felt so shy and she didn't understand why. She had never been a shy girl, making double meaning jokes with her friends and teasing her married cousins and friends to no end.
When Faris covered the distance between them and didn't stop even after reaching one arm length, she took a step back but Faris grabbed her arm and pulled her towards himself making her stumble into his chest. Muntaha placed her hands on his chest, trying to keep some distance between their bodies.
"Faris...ap...uh-wo...." Muntaha kept stuttering, her thoughts running wild. She was in dilemma before and wasn't affected by her husband's arms around her or his kisses but now when she was relaxed after talking to her mother, she couldn't help but blush thinking about how warm and secure his embrace made her feel.
Faris leaned towards her face and Muntaha stared at him wide-eyed. She froze in his arms. There was only an inch left between their lips when Muntaha scrunched her eyes close, anticipating her first kiss. Her heart was racing a marathon and she feared Faris could hear it due to their close proximity. But instead of her lips, she felt him pecking her nose and move back. She opened her eyes and felt so embarrassed.
'You need to stop reading those romantic wattpad stories! It's messing with your mind.' She scolded herself mentally.
"You look a bit disappointed. Were you expecting something else?" Faris teased his already blushing wife making her more flustered. Muntaha just bent her head more, her chin touching her chest. He chuckled lightly seeing his wife's flustered state and cupped her face with one hand and moved her head upwards, the other one rest on her waist.
"You're not ready for that yet." He said in an understanding tone and she felt the respect for him grow more. She definitely wasn't ready for the next step in their relation specially given the circumstances they were in.
"Oh God! Bhai darwaza to band kr lete."(Atleast, you should've closed the door, brother.)
Abdullah's voice filled with tease and mirth startled them both and they moved away from each other instantly. Faris glared at his younger brother who was standing in the doorway with his sister and Muntaha moved a little back trying to hide behind Faris as she couldn't face their suggestive gazes.
Aiman elbowed his brother in the stomach recieving 'Ouch, Api!' from Abdullah and said, "We just came here to give these clothes and food you asked for." She said putting the clothes and plate of food on the table near the door and turned around to leave dragging Abdullah with her who was protesting that he won't get the chance to tease his Bhai again and they should stay there to keep an eye on them.
"Api?" Faris stopped his sister from leaving.
"Han." She turned around to look at his brother.
"Can you help her with everything?" Faris knew Muntaha would not be able to rest her mind in his presence as he made her so nervous so he asked his sister to help her with getting comfrotable.
Aiman understood the pleading in his brother's gaze and passed him a bright smile. Afterall, it was a first for her not so little brother to care about a girl like this.
"Sure."
"Mai bhi ruku ga!"(I'll stay too.) Abdullah said enthusiasticly.
"Tu mere sath chal."(You come with me.) Faris grabbed him by his neck and started dragging him out of the room with him after he gave Muntaha an assuring look.
"So, now we both are each others Bhabhi?" Aiman teased lightly and they both chuckled and Muntaha put her hands on her cheek to lighten the blush.
"C'mon now, change your dress. I brought you a new pair of pajamas."
Muntaha changed into the pajamas and they both sat talking for a while. She shared her feelings a little and Aiman also told her that she's feeling giddy about tomorrow. They both dozed off after some time and got the much needed sleep after a hectic day.
●~●
"Beta, a driver dropped off your clothes. The beautician has almost done Aiman's makeup. You go and change, I'll send the beautician here till then." Aqsa Zayyad came into the room after knocking at the door. Muntaha was sitting on the bed drying her wet hair in a dress Aiman gave her this morning to change into.
"Aunty, there's no need for that. I'll get ready on my own." Muntaha declined politely. She didn't like to cake her face with makeup.
"I am not hearing anything. She'll be here in twenty minutes." Her mother-in-law said.
"Okay. Thankyou, Aunty." No one could deny the pathani afterall. Also, Muntaha realised she didn't have any makeup with her at the moment.
"Beta, can I ask something from you?" Aqsa Zayyad said cupping Muntaha's cheek when she stood up from the bed after drying her hair the best she could.
"Sure." She replied carresing the hand on her face.
"I would love it if you call me Ammi or Mama. Even Ma since Faris calls me that."
Those words caused roses to blossom on her cheeks which were already pink due to the shower.
"Jee, Ma." She said with a shy smile and Aqsa Zayyad kissed her bahu's forhead blessing her with prayers and then left her alone to get changed.
Muntaha changed into the golden high-waisted lehnga and black blouse with embroidery on the neckline and net sleeves. It took her some time to deal with the hooks on the lehnga and the zipper on the blouse. Now, she was struggling with tassels at the back as her hand wasn't bending enough to tie them.
She heard a knock on the door. Thinking it's the beautician, she asked them to come in.
"Hey, can you please help me with this first?" She asked still standing facing the dresser and not looking at who came in.
Faris was very amused at his wife's doings. He could understand that she took him for someone else because she would never so confidentally ask him to do something especially helping her with her dress. He made sure to close the door this time and walked towards his struggling wife. Muntaha heard the door close and turned around skeptically as to why would the beautician close the door. She was shocked to find her husband walking towards her with a smirk on his face in an off-white sherwani looking like a king.
Well, he definitely was the king of her heart.
Faris looked at his wife from top to bottom and his breath hitched. His wife dressed in a lehnga with wet hair and rosy cheeks was definitely an arousing sight for him. Her neckline was plunging because of the untied tassel and Faris tried his best not to oggle at her. But it was a little difficult when he had all the rights to do that.
She was his.
But he didn't want to scare her away. He walked forwards and she backed away a little but was hindered by the dressing table. He continued to smirk at his wife's nervous state. He stood infront of her with barely any distance between them.
"Ap...." Muntaha couldn't utter anything else as Faris 'shh'ed her. He grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her around. Their eyes met in the mirror and they stood staring into each others eyes for what felt like eternity. Muntaha couldn't handle the heat of his gaze anymore and looked down shyly making Faris chuckle. He moved all her hair to one shoulder and tied the tassel at the back. He then saw the golden neclace lying on the table. He had noticed she never took it off, last night she was wearing this necklace even though she had taken off every other jewellery and makeup which made him hide a smile. He picked the necklace from the table and tied it around her neck. She, who was continuously looking down with her chin touching her chest, looked up when she felt something cold touching her neck. Her eyes again met his and this time she didn't look down. Actually, she couldn't look down as his grey orbs held her green ones captive. Faris then took something out from his pocket and handed it to Muntaha. She looked at her hand in confusion and realised he put some money in her hand. She questioningly looked back at him who kissed her temple and said,
"Apna sadqa de dena." (Give your sadqa.)
Crimson tinted her cheeks and he left the room leaving his wife in a whirlwind of emotions. The air around her giggling at the mess of a girl who stared at her husband's back with haya surrounding her.
Author's Note
Please tell me what you think about this chapter in the comment section. I really appericiate all your reactions,it really makes me smile.
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