Renewed Vows (Tere Bin)

12. Honeymoon?

For a little while, Murtasim drove towards the village, one of his hands still intertwined with Meerab's. 

As Meerab and Murtasim arrived at the village, an undercurrent of timid excitement coursed through Meerab. The picturesque surroundings seemed to reflect the blossoming emotions she felt deep within.

After settling into their room, a subtle blush adorned Meerab's cheeks as she stole glances at Murtasim. The weight of her newfound love for him created a delightful shyness that made her heart flutter.

As they prepared to head out for lunch, the enticing aroma from the kitchen enveloped them, teasing their senses and adding to the butterflies that danced in Meerab's stomach. She found it difficult to meet Murtasim's gaze directly, her gaze often lowered, her fingers nervously playing with the edges of her dress.

A shy smile curved Meerab's lips as she timidly took a step closer to Murtasim. Her voice quivered slightly as she spoke, "Murtasim, this place is so beautiful, and I'm so glad that we came here." She was never this shy but Murtasim's presence and the look in his eyes was making her.

Murtasim, sensing her shyness, responded with a gentle understanding in his eyes. "Meerab, your presence lights up my world. You have no idea how much I love you. I'm glad that now we have the much needed privacy so that I can express my love to you in ways that no one ever could."

Meerab's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, her heart beating fast at his words. She couldn't help but push him before she turned to head out for lunch. 

Murtasim caught her arm and stopped her. His touch sent a jolt of electricity through Meerab's body. She couldn't help but feel a surge of nervous excitement, unsure of how to express her burgeoning desires. As he pulled her closer to him, Meerab realized that now he didn't even need to kiss her to make her want him, his gaze, his touch, his closeness was enough for her to feel weak in the knees. 

Meerab knew that if they stood like this for another minute, both of them would not be able to control themselves so she suggested that they head out for lunch and thankfully Murtasim agreed.

During lunch Murtasim excused himself to attend a phone call. Left alone, Meerab couldn't help but recall their close encounter before lunch. This trip to the village seemed more like a honeymoon. She recalled his words, "I can express my love to you in ways that no one ever could." What had he meant by that? And why did it feel so wrong to think of Murtasim like that. He was her husband after all.

"Sorry Jaan, I had to take that call. Are you okay?" Murtasim's words interrupted her chain of thoughts.

"I'm fine. I just need to talk to you about something after lunch." Meerab told him, still unsure how she would explain what was going on in her head.

After lunch, Murtasim seated himself on the couch in their room as he went through his email inbox. Meerab, on the other hand, helped the kitchen staff to clean up.

After coming into the room, Meerab sat on the couch beside him. "Kya kar rahe ho Murtasim?" she asked. 

"Kuch nahi bas I was checking my email. You wanted to talk about something?" Murtasim raised his eyebrow at her.

Meerab nodded then rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't know where to start."

"Just start speaking. I'll understand. Don't worry!" Murtasim assured her.

"Tum ne mere contract pharne ke bad kuch kiya kyu nahi?"

"Kya karna chahye tha mujhy Meerab?"

"Please Murtasim! You already know what I mean."

"Nahi I don't know! Samjhao mujhy please."

Meerab sighed. "I mean why did you not c..consummate our marriage."

"Because I was waiting for your consent."

"Wasn't the tearing of the contract enough?"

"No it wasn't. And you know why? Because I can still feel you hesitate whenever I come closer."

"Murtasim I told you before. All of this is new to me. I'm just ..... shy."

"Your hesitation is not entirely due to shyness. I'm not going to take things further between us till you tell me what's stopping you."

"It just feels wrong."

"What?"

She got up and seated herself between his legs and softly kissed his lips before saying, "Being this close to you."

"It shouldn't feel wrong. I'm your husband, all of this is natural."

"I know but it still does. That's why I hesitate. I have always been taught to protect my chastity and now I'm expected to be intimate with my husband....." She trailed off not sure how to explain.

Murtasim nodded. "Those teachings are there so that we don't go towards haram. But Nikah exists so that we can satisfy ourselves with our partners and there's nothing wrong with it." 

As he said this, Meerab felt something poking in her back. When she realized what it was, a look of shock came over her face and she immediately got up. Murtasim chuckled as he got up too and pulled her into a hug. He buried his face into her hair and whispered. "Something urgent has come up and I need to go to the Malik's house right now. But please do think on what we just talked about. I don't think I can wait anymore."

I love reading your comments and feedback so keep them coming.

A/N: I'm half asleep right now but I wrote this because I know you all are waiting for an update and I was feeling overwhelmed by the actual story. I just can't believe Murtasim himself said that he will marry Haya.

 Please ignore the mistakes I'll proofread later. Also you can expect some mature content in the next chapter so consider this as an early warning. Not the best part in this whole series but I still hope you like it.