kubool hai

chapter 47~horse riding

Z A Y N

I took her hand and gently guided her towards the stables where the horses were kept. As we approached, she looked around in awe. "Wow, there are so many," she said softly. She still seemed quiet, different from the vibrant energy she had at the party the other night.

I tried to act normal, but I could tell that she had taken everything to heart—the gown, the fire, all of it. I knew she blamed herself, and in her mind, maybe even blamed me. But I wasn't guilty. I could do anything for her, and I wouldn't regret it.

"Not much, only twenty," I replied, trying to lighten the mood as I led her to one of the horses.

After a few minutes, I noticed she seemed stressed. "Let's go back, you should rest. You look tired," I suggested. As we walked back towards our room, she suddenly asked, her voice barely above a whisper, "Are you ignoring me?"

What? When did I ever ignore her? If anything, it felt like she was the one pulling away from me. "No, jaana, why would I ignore you? But you're the one who seems sad and hasn’t been talking to me," I said, trying to understand her better.

"You didn't talk much with me," she responded, her tone a mix of hurt and confusion. "I was just noticing your behavior, so I thought you might be angry with me," I explained, hoping to clear the air.

"No, I'm not angry, it's just—" She stopped mid-sentence as we entered the room, a spacious and quiet place where her words hung in the air, unfinished.

Our bags were already here. I took her hand in mine and guided her to sit on the bed, leaning in to kiss her forehead gently. "I love you, okay?" I whispered softly. She nodded, her eyes filled with warmth.

"Come, let's shower first," I suggested.

"Together?" she asked, her confused yet adorable expression making me smile. I couldn't help but giggle. "Do you want to?" I asked again, gently caressing her cheeks. She didn't say anything, but her eyes spoke volumes.

I entered the washroom and filled the tub with warm water, adding lavender essential oil to help reduce stress. Then, I went back to my wife, helping her into the tub before joining her. Wrapping my arms around her from behind, I felt the soothing water embrace us both. It was perfect—every problem seemed to disappear when she was with me.

I began massaging her back and shoulders, whispering, "Don't think too much." She turned towards me, hugging me tightly. I held her close, pressing a tender kiss to her head.

After our shower, we changed and headed down for lunch with everyone. It was a family trip, and this was Elizha's first time here. She looked around with Alia before joining us at the table.

We sat together, enjoying our meal. "Do you like it here, Elizha?" Mom asked with a smile.

"Yes, it's really beautiful," she replied.

Shayan, ever the tease, chimed in, "Mom, Bhabhi got really scared of the dog."

I made a mental note to have a word with him later for scaring my wife. Elizha quickly defended herself, "Mom, he was scary!"

Shayan couldn’t resist teasing further, "Bhabhi, you don't fear Bhai, but he's just a puppy."

I shot him a glare, but before I could say anything, Elizha added, "He's not a puppy; he's a big dog!"

"But a puppy at heart," Shayan quipped with a grin.

She glared at him, and he quickly backtracked, raising his hands in mock surrender, "Okay, okay, sorry!"

"Bhabhi ko pareshaan toh tum karte ho, bhool gaye bachaate bhi hum hi hain," Sarah Bhabhi playfully reminded Shayan.

"Sorry, Bhabhi, aap dono kitne cute ho," he said with a grin and reached out to pull her cheeks.