Unlikely To Happen

Part 26 - Emotions

Part 26 - Emotions

'I love you, Maleeha.'

'I love you, Maleeha.'

'I love you, Maleeha. Your mother is my mother and I am going to do everything for her that I possibly can. I know you are stressed about her and that you are confused by what she has, but we will figure it out together.'

Maleeha's head spun with Zaakir's proclamation of love. All she could focus on was his admission, even as her father spoke to her directly. She gave him a half-hearted answer and then gave more time to her thoughts. How could Zaakir love her? Well, how could he not? Why would he love her? Does he really love her? Or, does he merely think that he loves her? Was his declaration only a slip of the tongue? Was it meant to be comforting to her because of the fact that her mother was ill?

Did he mean it?

With an exasperated sigh, Maleeha gazed down at the pepperoni pizza in front of her. Several pieces of pepperoni were crammed on her single slice of pizza with a generous helping of extra mozzarella that created a spider web of cheese strings as it broke apart from the others. It was a downright delicious masterpiece that still steamed with heat from her black side plate she was using. A tall glass of cranberry juice sat beside her plate, but Maleeha had no appetite to eat the pizza.

The conversation between her father and her husband flowed easily and steadily. They were discussing sports and her mother's medical condition, and as much as Maleeha loved her mother, she could not bear to hear anymore about Multiple Sclerosis. It was, for the time being, much too much for her to even wrap her head around. Along with Zaakir's 'I love you' and her mother's Multiple Sclerosis, she could not eat. She blocked it out, until she heard her father's voice. "What did you do with Zaakir over these last two weeks?"

Her eyes were unfocused, then cleared as she looked at him. "Jee, daddy?" A dark blush covered her skin.

Binyameen gave his daughter a wide grin. "What happened with your rather quick honeymoon? Considering you and Zaakir left before the reception."

Regaining her composure, Maleeha smirked and answered, "Oh, Zaakir decided that he wanted to begin our honeymoon and surprise everyone by that fact!"

Zaakir gasped as her father choked on his laughter. "MALEEHA!" Zaakir scolded. "It was a joint decision!"

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "But you coerced me into joining you!" Maleeha broke out into a fit of giggles at the look of Zaakir's outraged face. Hiding behind her hand, she winked at him before her father looked at them. "I'm teasing him, daddy," she quickly clarified.

Calmly, her father picked up his glass of Pepsi and took a long sip while his eyes were on Maleeha. "If you say so," he told her with a knowing look glittering in his brown eyes. "But where did you go to? What did you two do?"

Sensing Maleeha's hesitance, Zaakir spoke up. "It was nothing romantic, just a short getaway." Zaakir's eyes went to Maleeha as she finally picked up her pizza and took a bite out of it. He was glad that she managed to eat. He had noticed throughout the night that she barely ate, just picked at her pepperoni and it worried him because it was one of her favourite pizzas. "It was short notice and I didn't have much of a plan," he dismissed their trip easily. "But when I proposed the idea to Maleeha," his eyes briefly slid to Maleeha as he spoke, "she agreed with the plan and that was why we went on the trip."

Maleeha giggled and then choked on her pizza, causing Zaakir to fuss over her, by standing up and going to rub her back until she was able to breathe. Zaakir's big hand was warm against her back. To him, she felt extremely fragile after their elopement, and it worried him. Maleeha should not be model thin, in his eyes. She was absolutely stunning when she had her curves. It was then that she fitted perfectly in his arms. He worried over how he could feel each curvature of her vertebrae as he rubbed soothing little circles in her back. "Breathe," he commanded her gently in her ear. "Relax."