© All copyrights belong to StarsAndMoon1447 on Wattpad

*

Originally published: 20th September 2020

Jasmina

"What?" I asked.

Fawad was spraying on his cologne, his gaze continuously on me in the mirror. "What?"

"Why are you staring at me?" I pulled the duvet all the way up to my chin, blushing.

"Mera haq hai tumpe, meri jaan." He teased me with a wink.

*Translation: "I have a right over you, my life.".

I knew that I was going to regret uttering those words last night. He was definitely going to be teasing me about it for a few years or so. "Whatever. Going somewhere?"

"Doosri biwi se milne." He chuckled.

*"To meet my second wife."

"You repeat that ever again, and..." I raised my finger up in warning.

"Or what?" He came over to the bed and got up on it, leaning over me. "What will you do, Mrs Fawad?"

I slapped a hand lightly against his chest, the scent of his cologne doing unspeakable things to me.

"I have some errands that I need to run." He kissed me lightly. "Are you going to see your Ammi?"

Any traces of happiness or amusement disappeared from my face. "No. I have nothing to say to her."

"Jasmina, she was..." He shook his head, lost for words.

"What? Even you don't have a reasonable excuse to justify her behaviour." I accused him. "And you're always going around defending people like you're a lawyer, and not a doctor."

He kissed my forehead. "Is it wrong to try and see the best in people?"

"No, but you're too positive." I muttered. "It makes me feel even more negative."

He laughed. "You're so weird." He stared down at me fondly. "But you're a sweetheart, and I know how close you are to your mother, and that you actually really want to go to her and talk it out. You've made up with your Bhabi, you can certainly make up with your Ammi."

"I hate you for being right all the time. It's so annoying."

He kissed me deeply, his hands cupping my face. "Oh, and Ammi and Papa will be coming back in the evening. Fariha already got back yesterday, but she'll be coming over later with Zafar and the kids. If you do go and see your Ammi, please come back early, okay?"

"Sure." I didn't want him to go, but if I told him that, he would get all smug. "I love you. Come back as early as possible."

"I love you too." He got up from the bed and walked over to Hania's cot. "Allah Hafiz, meri jaan." Lifting her up in his arms, he kissed her forehead. "Papa loves you so, so much."

I sat back in bed, watching the adorable view. Hania was staring up at him, her hand brushing his cheek. I've long since come to the conclusion that this was her way of expressing her love, and she only did that to me and Fawad.

"Take care, okay?" Kissing Hania on the cheek this time, he set her back down into the cot and looked up at me. "Don't stress out about anything and don't forget your medicines."

"Yes, doctor." I giggled.

Smiling, he walked out of the room.

I felt butterflies in my stomach, feeling like I'd newly fallen in love. He always made me feel that way. We'd been married almost eighteen months and we had a baby daughter, but I still felt like we were in our honeymoon phase.

Alhumdulillah and Ma Sha Allah.

****

I had just dozed off later in the afternoon, after putting Hania down for her afternoon nap. I don't think I was asleep for too long when I smelled smoke.

"Mama." A small voice made me open my eyes. I honestly didn't know whether I'd imagined it or if Hania had actually called my name.

I didn't have a time to be overjoyed because I realised that I actually did smell smoke and that it hadn't been a dream. "Hania!" I rushed over to her cot, but she wasn't in there. "HANIA!"

The door to our bedroom was open and as I raced out into the hallway, the smell of the smoke grew stronger. "HANIA!"

"Bhabi, she's downstairs!" A maid rushed towards me from the stairs. "The kitchen's on fire. We need to get you out of here."

"Is Hania okay?" I panicked.

"Yes, she's fine." She grabbed my wrist and began to drag me towards the stairs. I began to hear Hania crying outside the house, and I quickened my pace, with me dragging the maid along now.

"Hania!" I grabbed my daughter from another member of staff, and held her close against me. She was crying uncontrollably, most likely startled out of sleep. She began to calm down when she realised that she was in my arms now. "You're okay, meri jaan. Mama's here. You're safe." I whispered repeatedly, kissing the top of her head.

I looked up at the house. From here, the only trace of the fire was the black smoke emerging from the side.

If we didn't have members of staff around, Hania and I would have slept through this...

The thought made my entire body turned cold. I didn't care about myself, not when Hania was involved.

Ya Allah, thank you for saving us all.

****

"The house is currently uninhabitable." The fireman told us. "The damage isn't extensive, but it's still not safe to live here at the moment. I recommend finding another place to live temporarily."

Fawad's arm was wrapped tightly around my shoulders, while he held Hania in his other arm, concern etched all over his face.

"How did this happen?" Uncle Ali had rubbed a hand across his face.

They'd just returned while the fireman had started to talk to us regarding the situation. I'd called Fariha as well, and she had immediately arrived with Zafar Bhai, leaving the boys at her in-laws' house. To my surprise, Papa and my brothers showed up as well- apparently word had gotten around because people from our social circles lived all around the local area.

"It was a freak accident." The fireman explained. "It sounds almost unbelievable how the situation was linked, but apparently one of the maids spilled some cooking oil onto the counter, and just before she could clean it up, another maid dropped a lit match onto the counter."

"That sounds odd. Not impossible, but almost suspicious." Zafar Bhai frowned.

"Fawad, beta, find us a hotel to stay in for a few nights." Uncle Ali told him.

"Absolutely not." Papa spoke up. "You'll stay at our place."

"Asad, don't be ridiculous. We can't all just come and stay there." Uncle shook his head. "Thank you for the offer though, it's very generous of you."

"Uncle, come on." Arhaan Bhai said. "We were all practically family even before Jazzy married Fawad. We insist that you come and stay with us."

I wasn't sure if I was very comfortable with that idea. Yes, Bhabi and I had made up, but this was pushing my luck.

"Arhaan..." Fawad seemed to feel the same way, I could tell by his expression.

"Bhai, come on. You'll do the same for us, right?" Arhaan Bhai told him. "Come on. Uncle, Aunty, please don't refuse."

This is not a good idea.

****

"What happened to your room?" Fawad asked as we entered the guest room.

"Bhabi wanted to use it for the kids' nursery." I muttered, without looking at him.

I saw him glance at me, but he didn't comment on it. He probably felt like it was none of his business, but I knew exactly how he felt about this.

Bhabi had greeted us pretty warmly, but when Arhaan Bhai had said that we would be staying here for a while, her smile had faltered just a little- not too much, but it was definitely noticeable.

"Fawad, I think we should stay in a hotel." I turned to face him. "I don't want anything to happen here that will offend you or our family."

"I'm not comfortable here either, but your Papa was pretty insistent. I didn't want to offend him."

"Aww, are you afraid of your father-in-law?" I couldn't help but tease him.

"He's your father, Mina. Of course it's an intimidating relationship."

I giggled, glancing down at Hania in my arms. "I can't wait to see the roles reverse when it comes to you and your future husband, Hani. In Sha Allah."

"Can we not talk about her future husband? There's still a long time left for that." He wrapped his arms around with, with Hania between us. She put one hand on her father's shoulder and gave him the most adorable smile I'd ever seen. "Reham karo Papa ke dil pe, meri jaan. Mama ki tarhan aap bhi Papa ki jaan lo gi?"

*"Have mercy on your Papa's heart, my life. Would you also take my life like your mother?"

"She's completely smitten with you, Fawad."

He held us both close, remaining silent for a while. "Thank Allah, you both are okay. If anything had happened to you..."

I kissed his cheek. "We're okay, Alhumdulillah. Stop thinking about it now."

He leaned down to kiss me deeply. As I eagerly kissed him back, I felt Hania's hand on my shoulder as she attempted to push me away, an angry cry escaping her mouth. Her father and I pulled apart and saw her looking annoyed (well, as annoyed as a baby can look).

"Allah! Hania, you're so possessive." I grabbed her hand and kissed her tiny fingers. She turned away and wrapped her arms around Fawad's neck, burying her face against his neck. My husband and I both laughed.

I stepped back. "I better go and talk to Ammi. It's not like I can avoid her now."

He nodded. "Just remain calm and hear her out, okay?"

"We'll see." I said as I left the room.

****

Ammi was alone in the kitchen, preparing various dishes.

"Ammi, you don't have to do all this." I said, worriedly. She wasn't exactly getting younger each day, and I hate how she was working on her own. "Where are the maids?"

"Some are cleaning the guest room upstairs for Fatima and Ali Bhai." She looked up at me, her glasses slipping down her nose, as she kneaded dough. I walked over and pushed them back up for her. "Thanks, beta."

"Ammi..." I looked at her, and suddenly I just wanted to hug her. I hated being mad at her. I wrapped my arms around her, resting my head against her shoulder. She smelled of her usual flowery perfume and of baby powder, probably because she spends a lot of time looking after Ismael.

"What happened, meri jaan?" She asked, softly.

"I was angry at you."

"I was angry at myself, Jasmina. I hurt you a lot, didn't I?"

"Not really. I actually don't care." I joked. I didn't want her to realise how much pain I'd gone through because of what she did. If she knew, she would cry, and I absolutely cannot bear to see my mother cry. I once remember that I snapped at her for something when I was a teenager, and to this day, no exaggeration, I remember that one drop of tear that had fallen from her eye, and I still felt horrible about it.

"You know that I was in a very difficult situation, meri jaan." She said. "Alhumdulillah, you're very happy with your husband, but if anything goes wrong here, Arhaan will be directly affected."

"Ammi, I understand. You're my mother, and you don't owe me any explanations." I smiled weakly. "If you ever do something like this again, I would always know that you have a good reason for doing it."

"What must Fawad be thinking of me?" She shook her head, looking embarrassed.

"Ammi, it's Fawad, for God's sake. He can't think bad about anyone, let alone you. It's not even possible."

Our Pakistani families worry too much about what their sons-in-law think, seriously.

"Jasmina!" Zoya Bhabi rushed into the kitchen and threw her arms around me. "Awful circumstances, but I'm glad that you're here." Her eyes were wide with excitement. "Guess what? Aunty just taught me how to cook Ahad's favourite curry! I was rubbish at cooking, and I'm so grateful to Aunty for offering to help, but only if I wanted to learn."

I laughed. "I was never that excited about cooking lessons with Ammi."

"I'd love to cook, but I always got to lazy when Mamma was around." She looked sad. "I regret it now. I wish I'd learnt from her, spent more time with her."

"Zoya, beta, I'm here. I know nobody can replace your mother, but I'm more than happy to teach you, you know that." Ammi said, gently.

"Okay, I'll leave you two Saas-Bahu alone, and go check on my own Saas and see if she and Uncle have any special requests for dinner." With a smile, I headed out of the kitchen.

Fatima Aunty was sitting in the living room, lost in her own thoughts. I knew that her sister's death had hurt her deeply, and she was still in a state of grief.

"Ammi, would you like me to make something special for you or Uncle?" I sat down beside her, putting my hand on hers. "I can make spinach for you. It's also good for iron."

She shook her head. "No, beta. We'll just have what everyone else is eating."

"If you want someone to talk to, Ammi, I'm here." I squeezed her hand.

"Come here." She kissed my forehead. "Bless you, sweetheart."

You know that feeling you get when you make someone happy, or if you make them feel good about something? That feeling is like the first ray of warm sunshine after a cold harsh winter of snow and blizzards. I was overwhelmed by that feeling right now, because I never thought there would be a day where my mother-in-law would be genuinely happy with me.

****

"Dinner's ready." I stood in the doorway of the room where I was staying with my family. Fawad was sitting on the bed, trying to find a temporary place to rent for his parents, while Hania was sitting beside him, trying her very best to climb onto his stomach, unsuccessfully.

He looked up at me, but he seemed to be deep in thoughts.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I have to get back because I have to be at work." He said as I sat down beside him and Hania. "I'm trying to find a good place for Ammi and Papa."

"They can stay here, Ammi and Papa won't mind."

"It's very kind of them, Mina, but you know my parents aren't comfortable." He continued scrolling on his phone. "And I'm responsible for them as well, so I have to make sure that wherever they stay, they'll be safe and comfortable."

"Okay, look for the place after dinner then." I grabbed his arm. "Let's go. Everyone's waiting."

He shook his head in mock disappointment. "It's so hard living here. I can't even wander around shirtless."

I laughed. "That's your biggest concern? That you can't wander around shirtless here?"

"No, meri jaan. That's your biggest concern, that I can't wander around shirtless." He gave me a cheeky look. "I know that my wife loves it when I do that."

"Keep flattering yourself, jaan, if this is what helps you sleep at night." I picked Hania up and she squealed, kicking her legs in the air in protest. "Papa's coming as well, beautiful. Calm down."

Fawad casually wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we headed down the stairs, teasing each other back and forth.

My cheeks were warm and I couldn't keep a smile off my face as I took a seat beside him at the dining room table.

"This is for Hania." Ammi set a small bowl of mashed vegetables, along with a baby-sized spoon.

"Aww, thank you, Nano." I said, on behalf of my daughter. I glanced down at my baby. "What a special little treat for you, Hani."

*Nano/Nani/Nani Jaan: always ways to refer to maternal grandmother. Similarly Dado/Dadi/Dadi Jaan are all ways to refer to paternal grandmother.

"Let me feed her." Fawad offered. "You eat your own dinner."

"It's okay, I'll manage. Thanks." I smiled up at him.

As I fed Hania, and everyone ate and chatted, I noticed Sadia Bhabi staring down at her own dinner, her jaw clenched. Ismael was reaching out for her from his high chair, most likely asking her to feed her the next spoonful of his food, but she hadn't noticed.

"Sadia, beta, Ismael is waiting." Ammi said to her, jolting her out of her thoughts.

Ahad Bhai, meanwhile, was making funny faces at Hania, who seemed to be returning the looks eagerly. She wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes at him and he laughed loudly.

"Ahad, let's take Hania and Ismael out for a drive after this." Zoya Bhabi suggested. "Give the parents some time to relax."

"That's a brilliant idea." Ahad Bhai nodded. "The best part is that I don't even care if the parents say no. I'm taking them anyway and they can't do a thing about it." He winked at me.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Sadia Bhabi spoke up. "You guys have no experience with kids, so I'm not sure if you should go alone with them."

"Sadia, Ahad is their uncle." Arhaan Bhai spoke in a calm tone. "We can trust our kids with him and Zoya."

"Ismael won't go." Sadia Bhabi said, firmly. "Ahad doesn't exactly have the best track record as a trustworthy person."

Ahad Bhai looked down at his plate, jaw clenched. Zoya Bhabi put a hand on his arm, as if to keep him calm.

"You can take Hania." I blurted out. "I have no problem. Fawad?"

"Sure, no problem." He looked a little uncomfortable, not wanting to get in between all of this.

Zoya Bhabi gave me a grateful smile. "Thanks you two."

The rest of the dinner remained tense and awkward.

****

I walked outside with Hania, where Ahad Bhai stood beside his car, his hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans as he stared up at the starry sky.

"Hania's ready." I announced, forcing a smile onto my face.

He turned to face her and instantly his tense expression was replaced by a warm smile. "There's my Hani Jaani." He reached out for her and took her in his arms.

"You okay?" I asked my brother.

"I don't know what her problem is." He muttered. "You're not the only one she's been attacking verbally."

Zoya Bhabi came out then, holding her handbag and phone. "He's her child, and no matter what you say, she has a right to decided what's best for him."

"I'm his Chacha!" He practically growled. Hania looked up at him, startled. "I'm sorry, Hani Jaani. I didn't mean to scare you." He kissed the top of her head.

"Fawad can set up her car seat in your car." I said.

"No, I'll hold her. It's fine." Zoya Bhabi said. For a girl who was born and bred in London, she was pretty carefree when it came to road safety. "Unless you want us to...?"

"It's not about trust, Bhabi." I said, sheepishly. "But, God forbid, if something happens... It's for safety, that's all."

"It's okay, I understand." She smiled, reassuringly.

"I can set up the car seat by the way. Arhaan Bhai showed me." Ahad Bhai said, almost proudly.

I gave Hania a kiss on the cheek. "Go and have fun with Mamu and Mumani, Hania. Don't misbehave."

Hania was safely strapped up into the car seat, and I watched them leave, before I went for a stroll in the garden. I started wondering about what had happened in our family. We used to be so close, with minimum problems. Our parents had raised us in a loving, caring enviornment, with no family politics, no drama.

I was blankly staring at the pool when I suddenly felt hands massage my shoulder and I whirled around, startled, and relaxed when I saw my husband.

"You know, when you and Hani came to Pakistan, I realised how boring things were without her." He chuckled. "Our whole lives revolve around her now."

"She's just gone for a drive, Fawad."

"I know, but it still feels weird without her now."

"Actually, you're absolutely right." I slid my arm through his and rested my head against his bicep.

We continued strolling around the garden in silence for a while. To my surprise and confusion, he led me into a darker corner, where we were hidden in the shadows caused by the bordering wall of my parents' property.

"Are we actually sneaking around like teenagers?" I giggled.

He turned to face me and leaned down to kiss me, but I backed up, laughing harder.

"Fawad! Anyone can see us, despite the shadows!" I protested, glancing towards the house.

"Fine. Let's change that." He sat down on the grass, pulling me down along with him. I gasped, as he fell back onto his back, pulling me on top of him.

"Allah! Fawad! Think of the bugs, and..." I stopped talking, frozen under his intense and loving gaze. And then I couldn't resist myself and I leaned forward to kiss him.

Without breaking apart, he rolled over so that he was leaning over me, as we made out, hidden away from everyone else's sight. For a long time we just kissed, and I did feel like we were in a forbidden relationship that we had to hide from everyone else, even though we were in the most pure and halal relationship that there ever could be. Who says that romance has to end after you've become parents? Private moments like these are actually more valuable now.

"You know I'm your husband, right?" He pulled away, propping himself up on an elbow, while I lay on my back.

"Are you?" I wrinkled my nose. "I didn't realise that."

"You want me to remind you?" Amusement was obvious in his voice, even though I couldn't see his expressions clearly.

I traced my fingers over his cheeks, and I felt him kiss my palm.

"And because we're married, and we're technically on private property, there's nobody in this universe who can stop me from romancing my wife, apart from you yourself."

"Hania can. Remember how she pushed me away?" Again, I giggled.

He laughed as well, pulling me into his arms. "Well, she isn't here right now, so I'm all yours."

We kissed each other again, losing ourselves in our own private bubble, with not a care or concern in the world, for the time being.

As we got up, I glared at him. "If there are insects in my hair, I'm going to take them out and mix them in your coffee."

"Are you?" Grabbing me by my hips, he began to tickle me and I burst into a fit of giggles.

"Fawad, for Allah's sake, stop!" Tears escaped my eyes from laughing too hard.

"Shall I teach you how to behave with your husband?" He bent down and scooped me up into his arms.

"Allah! Fawad! Put me down! Both sets of our parents are here, as well as my older Bhai and Bhabi!" My eyes widened, even as a part of me was thrilled at this display of affection.

"What?" He shrugged. "Zoya Bhabi said that we would get a chance to relax, and this is my relaxation, Mrs Jasmina Fawad."

He set me down, but kept his arms around me and we stared at each other with loving smiles.

Shyly, I pressed my forehead against his chest. "I love you so much, jaan."

"I love you too." He held me in a tight embrace.

****

"It's almost twelve." Fawad frowned. "Why aren't they back yet?"

We were back in our bedroom, but there was no sign of Ahad Bhai, Zoya Bhabi and Hania.

I had tried to call Zoya Bhabi, but her phone was switched off, and Ahad Bhai wasn't answering either. They'd been gone almost two hours, and now we were both worried. I think we were both thinking about the gang, even though that story had ended months ago.

Just as I tried to call Bhai again, we heard voices in the hallway outside, and then there was a knock on the bedroom door. We both rushed to open it, and saw Ahad Bhai standing there, with Hania asleep in his arms.

"Yaar, have you seen the time?" Fawad asked him in a disapproving tone.

"Sorry, we stopped at a cafe." Ahad Bhai said, sheepishly. "I left my phone at home and Zoya's phone battery died otherwise we would have called you." He handed Hania over to her father. "She was so happy and excited at the cafe, that we didn't want to leave." His gaze on his niece was adoring.

"Just please make sure you take your phone the next time." I said. "We were worried sick."

"Sorry, guys." Ahad Bhai said, sheepishly.

"Thank you for taking her out." Fawad gave him a small smile. "I hope she didn't trouble you both too much."

"She's an angel, unlike her mother." Bhai teased me and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You have no idea how right you are, bro." My husband grinned at me, and I lightly slapped his arm.

"Good night." Bhai nodded at us and headed towards his own bedroom.

Bhai had apologised, and Fawad and I had forgiven him because they were all okay, and that was all that mattered. It seemed like a small incident, and none of us made a drama over it. Unfortunately, it ended up creating a huge drama anyway.

****

"What time did you come back last night, Ahad?" Sadia Bhabi asked casually during breakfast.

"Around midnight." Ahad Bhai looked at Zoya Bhai, clearly uncomfortable.

"You kept Hania out of the house till that time?" Sadia Bhabi shook her head. "Thank God, I didn't send Ismael with you. How can you keep such a young child out of the house so late at night, away from her parents?" She looked at Ahad Bhai's wife. "Zoya, you're going to have kids one day, In Sha Allah. How will you feel if someone kept your child out of the house so late?"

I was almost glad that Fawad, Arhaan Bhai and our fathers had gone out to check on the renovations going on at our family home, because this was getting seriously awkward.

"Well, we didn't keep Ismael out." Zoya Bhabi said, politely. "And things were sorted out with Hania's parents, and as long as they don't have a problem, I don't think it matters, does it?"

"Of course they don't have a problem. They're always looking for an excuse to romance." Bhabi muttered, clearly without thinking because she froze at her own words.

I almost choked on toast, and Ammi had to pat my back as I coughed. My cheeks felt like they were on fire, and I was absolutely mortified. What happened to the apologies and the regret? Clearly she had seen me and Fawad out in the garden, but instead of keeping it to herself, she was going to embarrass me in front of everyone. How dare she use my private moments with my husband against me like that?

"So?" Zoya Bhabi shrugged. "They're a married couple, and they need time together. What's wrong with that?"

Not in front of our mothers, for Allah's sake.

"These things only suit newly married couple, not parents." Sadia Bhabi said.

"Oh, is that the law now? Or is that what our religion says?" Zoya Bhabi's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I do know that it's highly inappropriate to discuss a married couple's relationship."

"Excuse me." I stood up, and headed out of the room, taking Hania with me. I'd never been that embarrassed in my life.

****

"What's wrong?" Fawad looked amused as he saw me after he'd returned home.

I was sitting on the bed, an angry frown on my face, still humiliated and furious because of Bhabi's behaviour. "Nothing."

"What did I do?" He chuckled.

"Have you found a place?" I snapped at him. "Because I don't want to stay here."

He sat down in front of me, raising an eyebrow. "Kya hua? Kisne ghusa kardiya meri biwi ko?"

*"What happened? Who made my wife angry?"

"You know what? Sadia Bhabi is a snake!" I couldn't control my temper anymore. "If she wants war, I'll give her war."

"What now?" He sighed, wearily.

I told him about her behaviour at the breakfast table, in front of our mothers, Ahad Bhai and Zoya Bhabi. "Who gave her the right to discuss what happens between you and me? How dare she?"

"I should have been more considerate." He shook his head. "To romance you like that in your parents' garden was a reckless move."

"No!" I said, angrily. "You were right. I can take you out in the living room right now and kiss you passionately and nobody has the right to say a word about it."

"Is that right, meri jaan? I certainly don't have a problem with that." He teased me lightly.

"And you know what else annoyed me? Her implying that we were happy to have someone take Hania off our hands because we always want an excuse to romance." I punched a pillow.

"Is becharay ne kya kiya hai?" He took the pillow away from me.

*"What did this poor thing do?"

"Listen, Jasmina, we're in their house at the moment, so we need to be thoughtful." He put his hand at the back of my neck, trying to calm me down. "I know that Bhabi has no right to talk about our relationship, publicly or privately, but we need to realise that we're at their house, and not the other way around."

"She's just jealous."

"No, jaan, it's wrong to think that way." He said. "We know that they're not having an easy time, but it's not right to basically look down on them just because we're happily married."

"So, what? I tolerate her behaviour? This is my parents' house as well, Fawad. It's not just her house! And that's irrelevant. The point is that she has no right to discuss our relationship, our romance, full stop. That's just shameless behaviour and beyond inappropriate." I got up and began to pace the room. "You know, I thought that she genuinely felt bad about her behaviour..."

He took my hand in his. "You have every right to be angry, Mina, I'm not denying it. But, for Arhaan's sake, let it go."

"I can't stand this humiliation again, Fawad!" I was in tears again. "Our mothers were there. She was talking about our romance in front of our mothers. It's bad enough that my elder brother was present, but who discusses this in front of parents in our culture?"

He put his hands on my shoulders now. "Are you embarrassed of me?"

"What are you talking about? When did I say that?"

"Well, then, you and I love each other and we're happily married. I get that you must have been terribly embarrassed, but I don't see why you have to be, meri jaan. Everyone knows about our relationship and how we are around each other, Jasmina." He kissed me lightly on the forehead. "And I'm proud of us. I'm proud that we can still behave like a newly married couple. We have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of."

I was already calm, as he spoke to me in a gentle and soothing tone.

"If she discusses a husband-wife romance, then it's on her. We didn't do anything wrong. Nikaah hua hai humara, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend."

*"We have performed Nikaah."

"You're right." I admitted.

He leaned forward to kiss me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sarcastically. "Don't you know that you're only allowed to kiss me in our own home?"

"Mina."

I grinned before I grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him in for a kiss.

Jealousy is a very dangerous thing. I had no idea how much our pure love for each other was going to be tested during our stay at my parents' house. Fawad and I tended to avoid PDA, especially in Pakistan, but we were the sort of couple who loved expressing our love for each other by kissing, holding hands, wrapping our arms around each other, and yes, we did sometimes tend to behave more romantically than other couples around us, but we did everything within our rights and boundaries. I just didn't realise how much I was going to have to suffer for expressing my feelings towards my own husband.

****

For those of you who like romance and drama, now their romance is going to create drama! :D

This is a highly unusual concept, the guy's family moving in to the girl's family home, even temporarily, and this will create serious issues for the couple.

Thanks for reading and please don't forget to vote and comment!

Plus, do you guys like reading about the parts with Hania? I have based her on my own niece and her adorable acts, and I like writing about cute family moments.