Our Miracle

Chapter 10

The soft, yellow light of the sun poured in through the cracks in the blinds of Abir and Mishti's room and kissed Mishti's tranquil features. Mishti groaned sleepily and turned to the other side of the bed while pulling the blanket to her face in order to obstruct the light from disturbing her sleep. It hadn't even been a full minute when the sound of some door lock clicking disrupted her slumber again. She reluctantly slid the blanket off her face while cursing under her breath. She rubbed her eyes and slowly fluttered her lashes open while letting out a yawn. Her eyes widened as her mouth was left hanging open, forming a perfect 'O', at the view in front of her. Her devilishly handsome husband had just walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his neck. His jeans hung loosely around his waist while no piece of clothing smothered his upper torso. His bare back dripped of tiny water droplets from the recent shower, glistening in places where the sunlight touched his milky white skin. Mishti shut her mouth and gulped back the lump that had formed in her throat before concentrating her gaze back on her husband. Abir hadn't noticed that Mishti was awake. He stood in front of the mirror, drying his wet hair with the towel while she shamelessly ogled at her husband, completely smitten by his perfectly chiselled body. Abir sensed someone's eyes on him and swivelled his face in Mishti's direction, his brows creasing together. As a reflex, she drew the blanket back to her face but Abir's sharp eyes had detected the faint movement. A mischievous smirk tugged along his lips as he realized what his dear wifey had been doing while he thought she was asleep. He quickly put on his t-shirt and tiptoed towards his side of the bed, away from Mishti's line of sight. After a few seconds, Mishti peeked out of her blanket as she anticipated no danger of being caught but her eyes met an empty room and flashed a hint of disappointment as she thought that her morning view had disappeared into thin air.

"Yeh Abir kaha chala gaya?" she thought to herself as her brows knitted in confusion before a voice startled the wits out of her.

"Good morning Mishti," came Abir's sugary voice, laced with a hint of amusement as he stood on the other side of the bed, his arms folded near his chest. Mishti's eyes bugged out and she pivoted her head towards Abir in a swift movement, only to yelp out in pain. The smile wiped off Abir's face at Mishti's tormenting shriek. He was by her side within a fraction of a second as Mishti clutched the back of her neck, her face crumpled in agony.

"Kya hua Mishti?" Abir asked, panic-stricken as a few droplets of tears slid down the corner of Mishti's closed eyes. Abir suddenly noticed her hand on her neck and joined the two and two together. He immediately stood up and sprinted out of the room while Mishti dragged in deep, audible breaths to help her endure the pain. She hadn't realized that Abir had left the room and come back until his palm came in contact with her hand that was holding her neck in place. He gently lifted her hand off her neck and replaced it with the ice bag that he had brought from the kitchen. Mishti grasped his hand tightly at the sudden coolness she felt near her sore area and very mildly, Abir aided her neck by raising the bag and putting it back in its position. After a few minutes, Mishti felt a little better and her hold on his hand loosened. She shifted her free hand to grip the ice bag in position and lightly pulled Abir's hand, indicating him to sit beside her. Abir obliged and Mishti adjusted her neck to get a better view of Abir's face. The worry was palpable on his face as his lost orbs met Mishti's black ones.

Mishti touched the side of his face and assured, "Mei thik hu Abir." Abir imperceptibly bobbed his head. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and not let go until his heart was free of the dread it still felt but he didn't dare, fearful that he might hurt her in the process. Mishti let out a sigh as she suspected what kept Abir on the edge. He was still shaken up from everything that had conspired in the last few days and the sprain in her neck only added on to his torment. She abandoned the ice pack on the bedside table and moved closer to Abir, careful of not moving her neck too much. She snaked her arms around his neck and hugged him, their cheeks touching as she tried to keep her neck straight. As soon as Mishti was in his arms, Abir let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and pulled her closer by her waist. He placed a kiss on her shoulder and dug his face there, a few tears escaping his eyes at the relief washing over his heart. When he broke apart, he wiped his eyes off with the back of his hand and cupped Mishti's cheeks.