Yakeen Ka Safar: A Sequel

Chapter 7

                       

The next morning Zubia woke up before Asfandyar, which was quite unusual. It was mostly Asfi who was the early riser, and on most days he had to force his wife to wake up, which had made him very creative in the ways he did so. Sometimes when he was feeling mischievous he would play a loud song and place the phone next to her ear, other times he would tickle her (which had started a huge pillow fight once too, scaring the hell out of his parents) and on some rare occasions, when he was feeling extra affectionate, he would plant soft kisses on her face until her eyes fluttered open. 

Zubia gazed at him as he slept. She lightly touched the mole above his lip, giggling a little as she remembered his jealousy from last night. She had refrained from commenting on it because she didn't want to embarrass him further but she actually found it adorable. Silly, but adorable. Besides, Asfandyar didn't really like being called cute or adorable anyway so she kept that information to herself. 

It suddenly dawned on her that she had a golden opportunity to give him a taste of his own medicine. The cruel ways in which he sometimes brought her back from dreamland played in her mind and she started thinking about her next move.

However, before she could even begin to formulate her plan, Asfandyar's alarm went off, the shrill sound jolting him awake. He sleepily shifted to his side to switch it off. When he turned around he caught Zubia looking at him with an annoyed expression. Asfandyar blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight filtering in through the curtains. 

"Yeh main aaj kya dekh raha hun?" He said sitting up. "Mrs. Asfandyar Ali Khan aaj mujh se pehle uth gayen?!"

She rolled her eyes, still feeling irritated at his stupid alarm for ruining her fun. "Itni bari baat bhi nahi hai."

Asfandyar laughed, pushing the comforter off of him and stretching his arms.

"Good morning."

Zubia forgot her annoyance for a second as she took in the sight of him. Even though he had just woken up with messy hair and bloodshot eyes he still managed to take her breath away. It sometimes made her nervous when she thought about how attracted she was to him. "Good morning" she replied, trying to keep her face neutral as she quickly got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. 

-

That day as they walked into the hospital they saw some of their colleagues sitting in the staff lounge while a box of sweets was being passed around by Dr. Shahab. The atmosphere of the room was very cheery. It turned out he had been blessed with a baby girl. They happily offered their congratulations to him. After a few moments Zubia was pulled to the side by Gaiti, who sneakily whispered to her, "When will we get to congratulate you huh?" 

Zubia's eyes widened as she understood the meaning behind Gaiti's words and she instantly blushed with embarrassment. Asfandyar, who was standing a few steps away talking to Dr. Shahab watched as his wife's face turned several shades of red and wondered what Gaiti had said to her. He made a mental note to ask her later. Just then a voice which he hadn't wanted to hear again echoed through the room. He turned around to see Haroon and Zaviyaar enter. They walked over to where the others were. 

"Zaviyaar wanted to come to the hospital with me toh main iss ko saath le aya tha. Abhi abhi isko humare head of cardiology se milwa kar laya houn. Yahan kya horaha hai?" Haroon inquired. He was brought up to speed. Asfi remembered last night and didn't want to make Zubia upset again but his mood had definitely dampened. Zaviyaar greeted Asfi and remarked "I must say, Dr. Asfandyar, the standard of this hospital is very impressive. I didn't think this was possible in such areas." Asfandyar smiled and nodded.