Chess & Checkers

1. Opening Moves

*March 2023*

The blaring sound of her alarm abruptly shattered the serene silence enveloping the room, jolting Meerab from her deep slumber. With a groan, she reluctantly extricated her hand from the comforting warmth of her blanket to silence the annoying sound and place her phone on the nightstand. Groaning, she turned under the blanket, lying on her stomach. Folding her arms under the pillow, she buried her face in its softness and emitted a loud, muffled huff.

For the past month, the routine had remained unchanged. Their wedding night had defied expectations, with Meerab adamantly claiming the bridal bed. The divide persisted, Meerab occupying the bed, and Murtasim reluctantly settling on the sofa.

*Flashback*

"Yeh kya kar rahi hou" he had asked.

"Tum yahan nahi sou sakte. Iss bed pe mai soungi" she replied, arching her eyebrows but not making eye contact as she feigned confidence. "Excuse me? Yeh mera room hai aur ye mera bed hai. Mai yahin sounga" he argued, not in the mood for games as he slammed a hand on the bedpost, nearly crushing it under his vicious grip. 

"Aur iss room mei shaadi kar ke tum mujhe laaye hou!" She pointed out. "Isiliye tum-" she paused, scanning the room for a suitable alternative, grinning as her eyes landed on the blue sofa. "Tum wahan-wahan sofei pe sou"

"Tum sojao na wahan pe"

"Mai kabhi sofei pe nahi soyi" she said, attitude dripping from every word as she fixed her dupatta around her shoulders.

"Tou mai bhi kabhi sarkon pe nahi soya" Murtasim retorted in a low growl.

"I don't care! Iss bed pe mai soungi and that's final" she said one final time and he could only groan, knowing there was no winning with her and that she always got her way, by hook or by crook. With an irritated groan, Murtasim then turned around and walked out of the room and she could see from the window that he had gone out to the lawn to smoke away his frustration.

*Flashback Over*

It had been this way ever since. They would also go to bed at different times, Meerab usually earlier than Murtasim, who would return in the late hours of the night after a trip to the village or after spending hours drowned in paperwork and other business matters in his home office or simply a late night stress-reliever smoking session in the backyard, not at all excited about sleeping on the couch instead of his comfortable bed, that had now been claimed by his wife.

She would normally skip breakfast so there was not much interaction during that time, and dinner was also usually a quiet affair. When they did talk during the day, it would strictly be business related. Knowing each other their whole lives made it difficult to maintain a distance in the bedroom too without making it awkward, but thankfully, he hadn't tried anything either, for which Meerab was secretly grateful that he was giving her the space she so desperately needed.

The past two months had been a whirlwind of emotions – wedding preparations, ceremonies, and post-wedding events. Forced to take a month off after the wedding, they tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy with occasional business meetings. But now, as the month drew to a close, the reality of returning to work loomed over Meerab.

"Ugghhh..." she groaned, getting out of bed, fixing the sheets and shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the heavy feeling that was a result of her deep sleep being disturbed.

Meerab Zaheer Ahmed, now Meerab Khan, had transformed her life with determination. Initially a night owl, she had embraced a disciplined routine, working hard to establish her own identity as a successful businesswoman, driven by the motivation to achieve a certain lifestyle earned through her own achievements, not through her privilege. Privileged as the daughter of a wealthy businessman, she aimed to earn her success and had indeed risen through the ranks.