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Chapter 10 - Happiness Is You
"I am sorry Aaliya!" he mumbles as he sits on his knees and holds his ears. Another week has passed since the picnic. They are at her favourite cafe and this is how she takes her revenge - by embarrassing him in front of everyone.
"Embarrassment feel ho raha hai Zain?" she asks. He nods. His right knee is injured from Sunday night football and it is killing him. "Uth jao. Mujhe pata hai tumhe chot lagi hui hai." But he doesn't. He moves his right knee up, now sitting down on one knee. Her eyes widen in shock as he pulls out the box of the expensive watch she has wanted since forever.
"Bhabhi, aapki advise le li finally." He grins at Nafisa who gives him a thumbs-up in return. "Miss Kit-kit, bohot saalo se tumpe mota sa crush hai. But then I figured, itne years you don't crush on anyone. So I take it as some solid waali feelings to be with you. Girlfriend banogi meri?" he asks and everyone at the table and the rest of the cafe is chuckling. That was a different proposal.
She doesn't say anything. She is confused. So Aaliya decides that the best thing to do is get up and walk out, as she does. Zain is left behind while the others are confused. He knows what she is thinking. Not losing his temper, he walks out and follows her to the beach. They both sit down and watch the waves crashing onto the shore. Her head rests on his shoulder and his arm wraps itself around her waist, pulling her closer.
"I am sorry Zain. I like you, I really do. But-"
"Ammi abbu ki permission ke bina main kuch nahi kar sakti, right?"
Her head shoots up and she is left wide-eyed. "Haan lekin..."
"Kya yaar kit-kit! Itna to jaanta hoon tumhe. In fact, as we speak, mere mom aur dad tumhare parents se baat kar rahe hai."
"Nikaah ki?" she screams.
"Nahi! I am only twenty-five. Itni jaldi nikaah karke marna nahi hai. Time hai abhi to." She smacks him on the head but he only grins wider. "Romance ke khaatir ek baar haan to kar deti. Meri to poori izzat ka faaluda ban gaya!" He whinges.
"Sorry!" She pouts and he smiles at her. She gets up, pulling him up with her. "Chalo, tumhari izzat bachaane chalte hai."
"Phele loot li, ab kya bachaogi?" He complains, but follows her to the little stalls nonetheless. She buys him an ice-block. "Ye kis liye?"
"Tum mere liye watch laaye. To ye meri taraf se gift. Tumhe pasand hai na? Ab chalo!"
"Bada solid gift hai kit-kit!"
"Deal with it." She says and then walks into the cafe, telling everyone that she wanted to get him something too. They all somehow buy her lame story and the rest of the afternoon goes by in their useless banter.
oOo
They both walk into the living room. She looks at her parents, scared of what their reaction might be. Her eyes move over to him, except he is silently browsing on his phone. No signs of worry on his face, he seems fine. She nudges him slightly and he passes her a confused look. "Kya hai kit-kit?" he whispers and then looks at her parents. He greets them with a salaam and then makes himself comfortable on the sofa. "Tum wahan aise statue ki tarah kyun khadi ho? Aao, baith jao. Apna hi ghar samjho Aaliya." He teases her and gets a look of utter annoyance in return.
"Ammi wo... aap log..." She cannot bring herself to finish the sentence. Everyone in the room bursts into laughter, including Zain. She is confused.
"Aaliya beta, aap itna darr kyun rahi hai? Aapke ammi aur abbu kha nahi jaenge aapko. Hume aapke aur Zain ke rishte se koi aaitraaz nahi hai. In fact hum sab to wait kar rahe the kitne time se ki aap dono kab hume aa kar bataenge." Ghulam is in awe with his daughter's innocence. He silently thanks Allah for blessing him with such understanding girls.
A simple "Oh" escapes from her lips. She feels ecstatic and runs up to her parents to give them a hug. "Thank you!" she whispers. Her phone buzzes in her pocket as she settles on the empty spot on the sofa.
"Ab khush? Or is there anything else that I need to fulfill?" Zain's message flashes on her screen.
"Bilkul khush. And the list is quite long. Baad mein de dungi tumhe ;)" Her reply is instant.
They both continue messaging each other until their parents tell them it is okay for them to spend time alone and that they needn't act like, in their exact words, shareef little bachche.
oOo
"Aaliya, jaldi karo!" He yells from the bottom of the stairs. It's their two years anniversary and he has everything planned out, except the love of his life is taking her sweet time at getting ready. "That's it, I am coming upstairs!" He is halfway up the steps when Aayat blocks his way. "Hato!"
"Nahi. Tum Aaliya ko nahi dekh sakte."
"Kaunsa humara nikaah ho raha hai ki main dulhan ko pehle nahi dekh sakta? Arre yaar late ho raha hai, I've made reservations."
"Patience my child." They both hear the doorknob click and avert their gaze to see her emerging from the room. "Lo, aa gayi tumhari begum."
He has known her for nine years, has been dating her for the past two, and she still leaves him stunned. He has specifically asked her to wear an Indian outfit today. He thinks Indian suits her a lot. She descends and meets him halfway, almost stumbling into his arms.
"Abhi tak heels pehen kar nahi chal paati tum." He chuckles.
"Haan to? Abhi bhi spiders ko dekh kar darr jaate ho tum."
"Yes, that's the same thing." He replies sarcastically. They continue their kit-kit till they reach the restaurant, which is located on the terrace of a high-rise building.
"Poora restaurant khaali kyun hai?" She asks as they leave the lift. Her favourite music floats into the air as they walk the distance from the lift to the open area.
"Zain Usmaan Abdullah hone ka thoda to faida hota hi hai, right?" He pulls out the chair for her to settle into. The view is splendid. Looking over the city of Mumbai, a smile plays on Aaliya's lips. "What are you beaming at?" he asks.
"Just remembering the day I met you, that's all."
"Ugh, so cheesy!"
"Achcha? Aur ye jo poora restaurant tumne book karvaya hai, that's not cheesy?"
"Of course it is love. Chalo, let's order. I am hungry."
They eat their meal in peace, talking about anything and everything, like they always do. He orders the tiramisu cake, which he hates, by the way, but Aaliya loves.
"You don't have to eat this. Tum apne liye kuch aur order karlo."
"Aur tum ye dono piece khaogi? Shaadi se pehle moti ho gayi to main nahi karunga tumse nikaah."
"Haw! Kitni choti soch hai tumhari."
"Ab main itna hot aur sexy, tumhe thoda bohot to maintain karna padega na meri better half dikhne ke liye."
"So you don't think we both look good standing next to each other?"
"Nahi. Just a bit of polish here and there, and we are good to go." Her face drops. She gets up to leave but he tugs at her wrist. "And by that, I mean that I need a bit of polish here and there to look good enough to stand next to you." She continues to glare at him. He fishes out a little box from his pocket and sits down on one knee. "Miss Aaliya Ghulam Haider, will you honour me for this lifetime and the next however many to come by giving me the opportunity to make sure you don't ever fall down while wearing heels?"
He knows how to make her smile, how to vanish her anger in a matter of seconds. She is shocked to say the least. She did not expect this today, considering he had told her that marriage was only after he would turn twenty-eight. She feels him gently shaking her wrist. "Wo right to tumhare paas pehle se hi hai Zain. Remember, tumne appi ke nikaah ke din-" she rambles on.
"Aaliya!" he pleads. "Whoever the hell came up with the idea of proposing by sitting down on your knee, I curse you!" he thinks to himself.
She giggles and decides to put him out of his misery. "Yes, yes I do!" He puts the ring on her finger and pulls her into a hug. They are the happiest people alive today.
oOo
"Qubool Hai!" He says. The wait to see her properly without the veil is killing him. He wants the partition between them gone. He wants to be next to her, hold her hand and finally be able to call her wifey. He hears the distant shouts of "Mubaarak ho!" but they remain faint. His eyes are fixed on her blushing face and downcast eyes. She is gorgeous.
oOo
They both look at the mirror placed in front of them, the thin of piece of net that was previously covering her face now resting atop their heads. Their eyes sparkle with a different kind of happiness. The veil is finally off her face. The sehra is not blocking his face. He gently grips her hand in his and whispers, "Nikaah mubaarak ho, wifey."
"To you too hubby." Her reply is shy and soft. She tries to free her hand from his grip, but he doesn't let go. "Zain please!" She pleads, but he isn't the one to listen. They finish the rest of the rituals and then head to the reception hall. She doesn't speak much and eats in silence. This is the quietest he has seen her in the last nine years.
oOo
She sits next to him in the car and stares at her lap. She can hear her ammi and abbu sobbing outside. Her vision is blurry as the tears fall into her palms. She hears the door shut close and the windows roll down. Aaliya doesn't have the strength to look at her parents. She is going to miss them terribly. The car drives off and he pulls her into a hug. She breaks down in his arms and he lets her cry her heart out.
"Aaliya!" he whispers and she shakes her head, not wanting to look up. "Aaliya meri baat suno. Ammi aur abbu Mumbai mein hi to hai, right? Hum har weekend unse milne chalenge, I promise."
"Sachchi?" she mumbles through her sobs.
"Muchchi!" he replies and she chuckles lightly. She adjusts herself, realising that there is a third person in the car. Wiping her face with a tissue, she takes his hand into hers and lightly whispers, "I love you Zain!"
"I love you too kit-kit!"
oOo
Something disturbs her sleep and she squints her eyes, not wanting to wake up. She snuggles deeper into his embrace and shuts her eyes.
"Was last night not enough for you wifey?" he teases her and she hits him.
"I am tired. Let me sleep." Her voice is groggy.
"Aaliya!" he whispers, pushing her flat on her back and balancing himself atop her. "Main kya soch raha tha na..."
"Zain koi-"
"Nahi aayega! Aaj kal ki heroine bhi itna nahi sharmati jitna tum sharma rahi ho. Ab suno. Remember the first time I came to your house? And I read that thing you were writing?"
She knows where this is headed. "Zain jaane do. Mom neeche wait kar rahi hongi."
"At 4:00am? Come on Aaliya! Stop being a party pooper." He smirks at her and she blushes furiously. "Haan to what was it that you were writing? Some innocent romantic stuff right? How about," he whispers, his fingers tracing her lips. She shivers under his gaze, "we take that," He pecks her lips lightly as she bunches the bed sheets in her tiny palms, the memories of the events from just a few hours ago still fresh in her mind, "to a not so innocent level."
He knows Aaliya too well. She could be shy one minute, and a lioness the next. He wants the latter; he likes that version of his wife better. And so he gets it. They lose themselves in each other for the night. The next morning, their eyes are swollen and red due to the lack of sleep. And the teasing... that never stops.
oOo
She drops herself down on the bed and her eyes feel heavy, except she cannot allow herself to sleep. The apartment is an absolute mess and she must clean it. Zain and Aaliya are into their third year of marriage. Life has been blissful, what with their little arguments and the romantic moments that follow. It has been a month since they have moved to Delhi to look after the business there. She sighs and pushes herself off the bed when a hand rests atop her shoulder and pushes her back down.
"Tum araam kar lo. Main dinner bana deta hoon." He is concerned for her.
"Nahi Zain, tum bhi to thake hue ho. I'll help."
He settles down next to her and envelopes her tiny palms into his. "Is everything okay?"
"Haan sab theek hai. Bas teen-chaar din se weakness feel ho rahi hai."
"And?"
"What do you mean and?"
"And I saw you throwing up this morning. Tum bataogi nahi to mujhe pata nahi chalega?"
Aaliya sighs. "Sorry!" She mumbles. "Zain, I have something to tell you." She gulps. "Allah kare sab theek thaak ho." she thinks to herself before taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Tum abbu banane waale ho."
Incoherent words make their way out of his mouth as he tries to process the news his wife has just delivered. "Abbu?" he asks.
"I know Zain! Unplanned hai, but... tum abbu aur main ammi aur-" Her words are cut short as he takes her into a fierce hug.
"Thank you!" he mumbles into her hair. "Thank you Aaliya!"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean huh?"
"You are happy about this?" she asks, disbelief glazing her senses.
"Of course I am!" He looks at her confused face and starts wondering. "Wait, are you not happy about this?"
"What? No! I mean yes, of course I am happy. Mujhe laga tha ki tum nahi chahoge ki hum-"
"Oh!" He mumbles before waving his hand in the air. "Tum to kuch bhi sochti rehti ho Aaliya! Now let's start planning. Sabse pehle ghar pe phone karna hai." And he continues blabbering. She watches with a content smile playing on her lips. She doesn't realise when tears of happiness pour out of her eyes, when he takes her into a hug and kisses her senseless; nothing registers.
Realisation had struck years ago, they just keep reminding themselves time and again... their happiness lies in each other.
oOo
First of all, I am extremely sorry for this major delay in posting the update. I just got really busy and I also had a writer's block with the last two paragraphs (literally)! So, the SS comes to an end here. Let me know what you all think of it. Hope I did justice to the SS 😳 Once again, a big fat thank you for all the support and love and the wonderful comments you all have given to me on this story, it truly means a lot 🤗
Also that scene from their wedding night, credit for the idea goes to Emaani. I hope you like it :)
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