Muhafiz-E-Khan (Tere Bin MeeraSim FF)

Epilouge: 48 - 25 Weeks

Mostly proofread.

Some pregnancy symptoms might be a smidge inaccurate/ off timeline, but as I said, I don't like researching too much baby stuff. Make me queasy lol.

Warning: Contains a little smut.

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As of now, Anwar Khan was in semi-retirement and managed the panchayat. Sarfaraz was so immersed in politics that he barely came home. So that left Meerab ordering the haveli's endless staff around to ensure it looked prim as usual without Gul's expert flair. She also managed bookkeeping for their endless estates as Khaani; there were fields and farms, but beyond that, there were houses and shops too. They had in-house accountants, obviously, and Meerab was tasked to sort through everything else with a fine tooth comb and iron-out any landlord duties which could be done from home — there were many leaky roofs and broken roads that needed to be sorted.

That was all pushed aside when Gul returned to the Khan haveli for a visit. They engulfed each other in hearty hugs after a loooong separation (of a couple days), Gul extra cautious to not squeeze Meerab's growing tummy too hard. ''Meerab, you look so pretty pregnant,'' Gul beamed, her heart utterly full. It felt like her little sister metamorphosed into a woman with the new curve, now with a new hesitancy to her step when Meerab used to opt for skyscraper heels like second nature.

Meerab was in sensible sandals today. ''You have your glow back too... baji.''

The new title felt strange at first, but now it felt wholly natural with the changing family dynamic following the finalised khulla.

Together, they lazed in the grandest of living rooms while Meerab sipped raspberry leaf tea on a white throne and Gul had peppermint tea adjacent. They snacked on pinni's (sweet, nutty calories bombs) that Gul had bought along with her for treats.

Some bougie parlour women also arrived to give pedi's at home. Yasmin too got her wiggling toes soaked and buffed to perfection. The tickling sensation meant infectious giggles escaped her lips.

Meerab only took a nibble of one pinni, conscious her weight was already shooting up the scales and her skin itched.

Sensing her hesitancy, Gul probed. ''Morning sickness is better? The tiredness is gone?'' It felt like every conversation revolved around her pregnancy, but just because it was so so exciting, especially with the visible change in her. The bump was obvious and protruding, and couldn't be disguised with a draped over shawl anymore.

''Yeah, but I feel so so bulky now,'' Meerab shared with a tight lipped smile, basking in the massaging ministration on the base of her feet. Meerab sighed luxuriously.

''Your size looks normal to me,'' Gul replied with the shrug of her shoulders. She took another scalding hot sip. ''There's an entire baby in there, jagga tou leyga.''

Meerab stayed quiet. She felt absolutely huge, like she was wearing somebody else's body. Her flat, supple stomach was long gone.

When she looked down, her post-shaddi barri outfits gathered awkwardly and then pulled tauntly over her bump no matter how loose and flowy the fabric was.

Their feet were expertly moisturised and massaged, before opting for paint. Meerab chose cornflower blue as ode to her chota shehzaada.

Catching on to her insecurity over bodily changes, Gul assured, ''You're healthy, and the scans say your baby is healthy too. Hamesha batati ho ke Murtasim kitna kush hai. Is se bhar kar kya chahiye tumhein?''

''Murtasim ne kuch nahi kaha iske baare.'' His happiness was over the baby.

Then, in a dark corner of Meerab's mind, doubt sprouted, patta nahi Murtasim kya sochta hoga....