Asif was shocked. She panted heavily after her monologue and still glared at him. He gulped and opened his mouth to lie that it was his mother who sent the alliance but she stopped him before he could.

“Aur ab ye jooth nhi sunna mujhe ki tayiammi ne rishta bhijwaya tha aur aapko khabar tak nhi thi. Mai mana kr dungi aapne jooth bola toh.”

His eyes widened at the threat and he shook his head. He tried to say something but nothing came out of his mouth and her eyes teared up.

“Kyu kr rhe hai aap aise? Kyu mujhe baar baar joothi ummeede de rhe hai? Nhi hu mai itni strong ki aise heartbreaks seh saku. Please mat kre na!”

Her voice broke and he sighed walking closer to her. He stopped at an arm's distance from her.

“Joothi ummeede nhi de raha mai Chanda. Mohabbat ho gyi hai tumse.”

He confessed in a slow whisper and she looked at him with tearful eyes.

“Nhi! Aap-aap sach nhi keh rhe hai. Aisa kaise ho skta hai Asif? Kal tak toh aap aapi se mohabbat krte the na? Aaj achanak mujhse kaise ho gyi?”

“I don't think I even knew her enough to fall in love with her. Maybe it was just attraction and I am so happy that our marriage didn't happen. Yu samjho Allah ne bacha lia mujhe ye galti krne se. Aur kuch bhi achanak se nhi hua hai. Trust me maine khud ko bhut baar roka tha, I was in constant denial ki ye nhi ho skta but it did happen. I fell in love with you Zainab. I love you Chanda.”

He confessed again and she cried. The words she had wanted to listen to all her life were finally here. But her heart was weak. She didn't know if she should believe her heart or brain.

“Agar aapko kal ko ye realise ho ki mujhse bhi sirf attraction thi phir?”

“Aisa nhi hoga. What I feel for you is too deep and strong to be termed as just attraction. I know I'm in love with you. Jaise mai tumse sabse better samajh skta hu waise hi sirf ek tumhare saath mai khul ke rehta hu Zainab.”

She looked at him and sniffed. He smiled and continued.

“Tumhare saath hota hu toh azaad hota hu. Kisi aur cheez ki fikr nhi hoti. Aisa lagta hai ki mai finally mai ban skta hu. You make me feel liberated Zainab.”

She gave him one last look before rushing out. She fell on her bed and cried. She didn't know why. Her heart was finally devoid of the heaviness that was there since the past few weeks.

He loves her! Her Asif loves her!

She had told her ammi to say yes to her tayiammi. She had decided to leave for college early trying to avoid Asif because of her shyness. She didn't want to be there when he would he told about her decision.

“Mujhe bhi nikalna hai. Chalo chhod dunga.”

Asif said not wanting to miss any chance of being with her. She bit her lip and nodded having no other option.

She didn't meet his eyes during their journey. They were midway when Asif’s phone rang.

“Kiska hai?”

He asked her check and she picked it up.

“Tayiammi ka.”

“Speaker pr daalo.”

“Ji.”

She said and picked up the call putting it on speaker.

“Ji ammi kahein kya baat hai?”

“Zainab ki haan hai. Aaj ghar time se aa jaana nikkah ki date bhi final ho jaayegi.”

Zainab gasped and turned red while Asif almost banged the car before bringing it to a stop. He turned towards her and grinned wide.

“Sach mai ammi?”

“Haan! Tumhari chachi jaan ne bola ki usne aaj hi haan boli hai.”

“Shukriya ammi.”

With that he disconnected the call and Zainab looked anywhere but at him.

“Tumne haan krdi?”

She didn't say anything but turned even more red. 

“Chanda! Meri taraf dekho na!”

She sucked in a breath and looked at him for a fleeting second before hiding her face again and whispered.

“Aap drive kre na please! Mujhe late ho raha hai.”

And he drove the remaining distance with a wide grin on his face.

It had been a month and a half since Zainab's graduation and three days since Zainab's rukhsati. Yesterday was the walima.

Zainab was really nervous to enter the room. She had been staying there since two nights but each night they were too tired to think of anything else because of the wedding rituals.

But the rituals were finally over now and Zainab was realising that inside was her husband. The man she had loved all her life and the man who married her in front of everyone making their relationship halal.

She took a deep breath and entered the room only to have her breath hitched. There stood her husband. Shirtless. In grey sweatpants. She gulped seeing his form. He didn't have an exceptional physique but he was fit and very good looking.

“Aa-aap aise kyu-aise kyu ghoom rhe hai?”

She asked and he turned towards her with a naughty smile.

“Ghoom kaha raha hu? Apne kamre mai hu.”

“Haan lekin-lekin aap kamre mai akele thodi na hai! Mai bhi toh hoon na!”

She countered with red cheeks and he put his hands in his pocket while walking towards her. Her eyes widened and she started walking backwards nervously.

“Haan toh kya hua? Koi anjaan thodi na ho tum. Biwi ho meri. Haq hai tumhara mujh pr.”

She stopped feeling the wall behind her and he got inside her private space making her heart beat wildly.

“A-Asif?”

“Hmmm.”

Why did that hum send butterflies in her stomach? He nuzzled his nose in her neck and she inhaled sharply. 

“K-kya kr rhe hai aap?”

“Apni begum ko pyaar kr raha hu. Aap nhi chahti?”

He asked seriously and she blushed. She felt him kiss her neck and suck her soft spot. She bit her lip to control the moan that was struggling to slip past her lips.

He kissed his way up from her neck to her jaw and kissed her cheeks softly before pulling back and looking at her.

“I want to kiss you. Can I kiss you?”