Yakeen Ka Safar: A Sequel

The Morning After

The next morning Zubia found herself wrapped in Asfandyar's arms. Her eyelids fluttered open wearily, only to be snapped close, not adjusting to the warm sunlight filtering in through the curtains. As she slowly regained her senses she found herself nestled so close to him she could make out each and every detail of his face as he peacefully slept beside her, his chest slowly moving up and down with rhythmicity. It took her breath away.

His lean arms were encircling her, as if even in his sleep he was making it clear she was his.

She remained frozen in this position, afraid to even breathe. But at the same time she really wanted to get a glass of water.

She shifted ever so slightly, pausing after every movement. This was brand new territory for her. She had almost succeeded in getting out but suddenly found herself being pulled back with a gentle force until she was once again right next to his warm body. Bewildered, she turned out and saw him eyeing her with amusement twinkling in his eyes, which were now wide open. His eyebrows were slightly raised in a where-were-you-running-of-to look.

"Woh main paani peene jaa rahi thi" She answered his unuttered question, smiling sheepishly.

He stared at her for a second longer and then got out of bed, throwing the comforter off of him. The black shalwar kameez he had slept in was wrinkled now but he still managed to look effortlessly handsome in it. He calmly made his way over to the table in the corner and poured some water into a glass.

Asfandyar walked over to her and handed her the glass. She sat up a little straighter on the bed, surrounded by a mess of pillows and ruffled sheets. As she downed the water in three quick gulps and mumbled a quick thank you to him, he jumped back into bed, pulling her towards him. Everything about this morning felt different. He wanted to prolong this for as long as he could.

She felt a little disoriented at this sudden movement. Being this close to him always made her slightly nervous, but she was realising that she quite enjoyed this feeling. It made her feel alive. Radioactive.

They shifted a little, trying to become comfortable. It took them a few seconds of fumbling around since neither of them was used to it. Finally they managed to settle on a position. One arm was around her, the other held her hand which was lying on his chest. Her head was buried in the crevice of his neck, he could smell her shampoo and a little bit of the hairspray from last night. They seemed to fit perfectly into each other, like two pieces of a puzzle. To an outsider looking in, it may seem as if they had been doing this for years, and not for the first time ever.

"Tumhe neend theek se ayi?" He asked, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of her hand, making currents of electricity shoot through her.

"Mhmm. Bohat achi tarhan se" She replied. It was true. She hadn't slept that well in ages.

There was silence in the room again. Slightly awkward, but not necessarily in a bad way. It just felt a little weird, being here, together, in this moment, after all they had been through. Both of them were lost in their thoughts for a while. Neither was used to being in such close proximity of the other.

Currently her mind was racing with thoughts. She realised how real all of this was. How real the man lying next to her was. She was his wife now. Asfandyar's wife. What an honourable title. One she wasn't quite sure she could uphold to the best of her abilities.

Asfandyar's thoughts were in a different direction. He felt strange waking up next to someone after being alone for so long. He was so used to the space next to his bed being empty. Now he finally had someone to fill that void. She felt small and delicate in his arms, and her tenderness and warmth was awakening something in him. It felt nice. Inexplicably, inarguably nice.

It was weird how they were both so quiet when usually neither of them ever ran out of things to say. That was another thing they loved about each other. They always had something to talk about, even though their personalities were so different. True, it did sometimes lead to arguments but they had realised that even arguing with each other was quite enjoyable, as it was often laughed off after a while.

"Kya soch rahi ho?" He asked her lightly.

"Hmm. Kuch khaas nahi" She replied. No matter how much she loved him, there was no way she was dampening the atmosphere by sharing her doubts about being a good enough wife.

"I don't believe you" He stated, but his tone was friendly and non-confrontational.

"Aap kya soch rahe hain?" she fired back at him, trying to change the subject.

"That's easy. I'm thinking about how much I love you" He said. In a totally calm and casual way. Probably unaware of the effect these simple words always had on her.

"Hey" he said, feigning sadness when she didn't reply. "Isn't there something you want to say to me too?"

Deciding to play along, she giggled and said "Nahi tou."

In a flash of a second he had per pinned down on the bed, their faces inches apart, eyes locked.

"Aur ub?" He asked, gazing intently at her.

She was blushing now, both of them surprised by his sudden move.

Unable to hold it in any longer, she said the words he'd been wanting to hear. "I love you too."

With a satisfied smile, he released her, plopping back onto the bed and putting his arms behind his head. He wished now that he had kissed her as well and was berating himself for not doing so.

She got out of bed first, trying to hide her face so he couldn't see how much she had just enjoyed that. She walked over to the closet and looked around for a second before deciding on a beautifully embroidered red suit. She knew red was his favourite colour.

***

When they made their way outside, dressed and ready, the rest of the family was already up. The table had been set for breakfast and it seemed obvious that they were waiting for them so everyone could eat together. It was a very cheery morning, with hugs and greetings all around.

For Zubia, one of her most favourite moments of that day was when Saim called her 'Zubia chachi'. Asfi Chachu. Zubia Chachi. Asfia and Zubia. She loved the way their names sounded together.

She thought she would be too nervous to eat but everyone in her new family was so welcoming that she felt like sitting there having breakfast with them was the most normal thing ever. She had tried to get up and assist Gaiti but her mother-in-law would let her do no such thing.

"Zubia meri jaan tum araam se beth kar naashta karo bus" She said as Gaiti poured tea for everyone. "Aur haan. Ub yeh aunty uncle kehna chor dou. Jiss tarhan main Asfi ki maa hun, ussi tarhan tumhari bhi hun. Only Mama, Baba. Theek hai?" Sitting next to her, Usman uncle nodded with an approving smile. He had always considered Zubia the daughter they never had.

Zubia's heart felt like it would burst. The love they were all giving her overwhelmed her. She just nodded in agreement, trying not to look too emotional.

"Main bata nahi sakti mujhe iss din ka kitni shiddat se intezaar tha" Lubna aunty continued, giving her son a smile.

She could tell, just by looking at his face, how happy he was. She was his mother after all. Even when he tried to hide it she could always tell how he was feeling. She loved Zubia for a lot of reasons but most of all she loved her because her son loved her and because she made him happy. Which made her happy.