the desert's rose

nafrat ya mohabbat (🏜️🌹)

Two weeks, two weeks was all it took.

Two weeks of reflection meant two weeks of contemplation. By now, Bhaisa had finally left for Amer as according to them, they didn't wish to overstay their welcome. Yet, the letter from Bhapusa which Raj Bhaisa had left her lingering in her thoughts.

I ask that this war not be the reason why you and Jamai Sa drift apart, Bhapusa had written in his letter.

And coupled with Abdul's words with her on the terrace, Jodha's countenance seemed to have mellowed by now.

"Bhaijaan has always donned this mask of a heartless ruler ever since we were younger. There are so many stories, Bhabijaan, so many reasons why he has to be cruel. It's never just because he chooses to be," he had said to her and while she still found it difficult to reconcile the image Abdul had tried to portray and the image of Jalal she knew, there was that part of her which dared her to search for more.

People are complex, they have hidden depths. Shehenshah may have as well.

She let out a sigh now as she concluded tulsi puja at the site of the plant in the Angoori Bagh. It was the early hours of dawn now, the sun still peeking behind the clouds as the birds chirped.

Holding the puja thali close to her, she turned her focus ahead, her breath caught in her throat at none other than Jalal. He stood poised and strong as he did his daily regimen, with Abdul for company.

While it was not uncommon for him to be out on the terrace, Jodha's reaction for the first time was not aversion but a strange sense of gratitude that he was here.

She did have a pressing topic on her mind which she had to discuss with him after all. That and that she was going to offer him prasad for the first time since their shaadi.

With a determined resolve, she took her step forward, her feet feeling the dewy grass as she moved forward.

It seemed he noticed her with the way a smirk lit up his face as he changed his routine to one that had his biceps bulging through the fabric of his angarkha.

Her forehead creased as she subtly raised an eyebrow at him at something that would have otherwise annoyed her. But not today, she was taking a different approach to interacting with him, remember?

So, instead, she internally rolled those eyes as she lightly snorted, Showoff.

Once she was finally before him, he stopped, regarding her one of those heated looks he always gave her. Despite the relatively cool temperature, sweat ran from his hairline, making some of his hair stick to his face, and down to his neck which lightly drenched his collar

Abdul, now aware of her presence, silently greeted her with a taslim which she responded with a smile before focusing her attention back on Jalal.

He raised his eyebrows, wordlessly asking the purpose for her presence before him. Also silently, she turned her gaze down to her aarti thali.

Momentarily, he followed her gaze before staring at her. She nodded at him, nudging him to take aarti until he...chose to slightly lean forward?

She narrowed her eyes at him in confusion. What is he doing? Why is he bowing his head? It seemed it wasn't just her as Abdul, in the background, stifled the urge to burst into laughter.

On the other hand, Jalal accorded her a puzzled look of his own as his hazel eyes stared back at her brown eyes with his hand shoving his hair back.

It was then that it clicked in her head and she let out a short giggle.