© All copyrights belong to StarsAndMoon1447 on Wattpad

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Originally published: 18th August 2020

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ONE MONTH LATER

The first wedding that I was attending in my in-laws, and I was wondering if I was overdressed. But Aunty had insisted that I wore a sari. It was very pale pink shade, with silver and pink embroidery. I wore it with silver high heel sandals, and left my hair loose. Bangles matching the colours of my sari jangled in my arms as I adjusted my hair, glancing at myself in the mirror.

A knock on the door made me turn. "Come in." 

"You ready, meri jaan?" Fawad opened the door and entered. He stopped, his eyes widening a little as he glanced at me from head to toe. "Ma Sha Allah. Shohar ki jaan lena chahti hain aap?"

*Translation: Do you want to take your husband's life? 

I blushed, dropping my gaze. "My shohar seems to have the same plan, Ma Sha Allah." 

He was dressed in a black suit, complete with a black tie, and I swear if any Aunties tried to find rishtas (marriage alliances) for him at the wedding, they'll literally have to fight me.

He stepped close to me, making me tilt my head back to look at him, my hair cascading down my back. 

"May Allah protect you from all evil eye. Ameen." He said softly before pressing his lips against my forehead.

"And you too. Ameen." I put a hand on his cheek. 

"Let's go before Ammi starts calling." Grabbing my hand, he strode towards the door, barely giving me time to collect my clutch from the dressing table. "She can't stand being around her in-laws without me and Fariha." 

"So, whose wedding is it, exactly?" I asked as he locked up our flat.

He shook his head laughing. "Jaan, I've told you around five times." 

"No disrespect, but you have a lot of cousins." I slid my arm through his as we walked to the lifts. "Ma Sha Allah, but it's hard for me to remember." 

"It's Khadija's wedding. Ijaz Chacha's eldest daughter."

"Right." I tried to remember which one that was.

He looked at me, amused. "The one with the glasses? She always wears her hair in two braids." 

"Oh, right." 

As we stood in the lift, he stood slightly behind me, and I felt his finger trace the bare skin between my just above my neckline at the back. My grip on my clutch tightened as my breathing increased rapidly. He slid his other hand over my stomach and pulled me back against himself. All I could hear now was my breathing and my heart beating loud and fast. I felt his lips at the crook of my neck. 

I grabbed the handrail on the lift with one hand, gasping out. I turned to face him, pressing my forehead against his chest, my face flushed, which was made worse by the inappropriate thoughts running through my mind.

I mean, it's not really inappropriate with my husband, just that the location is less than ideal.

 We heard the 'ping' as the lift stopped and we pulled apart as the doors opened, his hand automatically reaching for mine.

The breeze outside was nice and warm, a great change from the usual June weather, and it lightly blew my hair away from my face, brushing his arm.

And as if there wasn't enough s*xual tension between us, one of the most romantic songs (in my opinion) was playing on the radio as he switched the ignition on. 'Dheeray dheeray se meri zindagi main aana, dheeray dheeray se dil ko churana. Tumse pyar humain hai kitna jaane janaan, tumse milkar tumko hai bataana.' 

*Translation: 'Come into my life gradually, steal my heart gradually. I'm in love with you so much, sweetheart, I have to meet you and tell you.' 
~Trust me, it's much better in Urdu/Hindi.

He starting singing it under his breath, making my heart beat even more erratically than before. When the love of your life is singing such a romantic song, even quietly, it makes you fall in love with them all over again, and I can now say that from experience.

The windows were rolled down, because even though the car had air-conditioning, the breeze had just felt so good. The scent of my perfume mixed with that of his cologne, exactly the way it did when we embraced. I closed my eyes, tilting my head back against the headrest, inhaling the scent and smiling at the lyrics of the song.

I was actually flushed when I got out of the car at the venue. 

Putting a hand on the small of my back, Fawad led me to the front steps of the banqueting hall. We had hardly spoken a word, but words weren't necessary sometimes. We were both completely at bliss in each other's company and the romantic atmosphere of the car had put us both in a very good mood. 

"There you two are!" Fatima Aunty's voice popped our little private bubble.

"Assalam Alaikum." We both greeted her. 

She stood at the top of the stairs, dressed in a cream shalwar kameez suit, with a matching hijab, looking relieved to see us. "Walaikum Assalam." She eyed me from head to toe and then back. "Ma Sha Allah! You look very beautiful, Jasmina." 

"Thank you, Aunty." 

"Just remember, don't interact with his relatives too much." She whispered in my ear as we reached her. 

"Ammi." Fawad shook his head.

"What?" She shrugged. "I've always kept you and Fariha away from them, why not your wife?" She turned back to me. "Stay close to me when Fawad's not around." 

"Is Fariha here?" I asked.

"Yes, she just arrived with the boys. She's sitting inside." Aunty replied.

The loud blaring music made me wince as we entered. The hall was of an average size, decorate in white and gold. There were round tables set up around the room, with golden ribbons decorating the back of the chairs, and golden napkins placed inside the glasses on the table. The stage was set up on one side of the room, with golden and off white drapes hung on the wall behind the cream coloured sofas. 

We greeted and congratulated the relatives, including Dadi Jaan, who sat on a wheelchair at a table near the front of the stage. Fawad was immediately taken away by an uncle, who wanted to discuss something important with him. As Aunty started chatting to a lady I didn't know, I walked over to where Fariha was sitting, looking bored. Omar was playing on his mother's phone besides her, while Saad was running around the hall with other kids.

"Assalam Alaikum." I said to both of them, sitting on the other chair beside my nand. 

"Walaikum Assalam!" They both replied.

"Mamu's here! Finally!" Omar immediately set the phone down on the table, and his eyes began to scan the hall for Fawad. "I'm going to him, Mamma!" 

"Omar!" Fariha said, wearily, turning to look at him as he ran away. She didn't move her gaze away, until he was safely beside Fawad, tugging on the sleeve of his suit jacket. She looked at me. "You look beautiful, Bhabi. Ma Sha Allah. Is that why you and Bhai are late?" 

"Allah! Fariha!" I lightly slapped her upper arm, shaking my head. 

She laughed, and I saw her eyes twinkling with genuine happiness, something that I actually hadn't seen since before she got married. She looked stunning in a grey shalwar kameez with silver embroidery. Her hair was up in a bun, with loose curls curtaining her face, and she wore a few silver bangles on each arm.

"You look beautiful as well, Fariha." I said, softly. "Ma Sha Allah. And you actually look happy, Alhumdulillah." 

"I am. And you know why?" She grinned. "Because, I've finally completed my idaah period, and now I'm officially a free woman." 

*Idaah: If a woman's husband dies, or she is divorced, she has to wait a certain amount of waiting period before she could marry. As Fariha has asked for Khula (where the wife asks for divorce), the idaah was one menstruation period. It can vary, between three and four months, depending on the situation.* While, my own knowledge is not excellent on this subject, apart from the research I did online, this had to be shown as part of the storyline as Idaah is an Islamic requirement.*

"Alhumdulillah." I put a hand on her shoulder. "I know that divorce is the most hated authorised act in Islam, but this was necessary." 

"I know." She nodded. "And I'm done grieving over my past, Bhabi. My Allah knows that I did my best to maintain this relationship, but Umair didn't fulfill his responsibilites, but he was having illicit affairs outside marriage."

"May Allah always bless you with happiness. Ameen." 

"Ameen." She played with a napkin on the table. "You know what, Bhabi? I don't actually regret my marriage. My Saad and Omar are here because of that. And now, I'm going to dedicate my whole life to my sons and helping others through my role as a doctor." 

"In Sha Allah." 

****

The bride looked gorgeous in a red and green bridal dress, and she seemed really happy. 

It's good. A girl's wedding day should be the happiest day of her life. I automatically found Fawad with my gaze. I don't know where his jacket was, and he stood with one hand in his trousers' pocket, with a soft drink in the other hand. 

And soon it was dinner time, which was when I started feeling weird. The scent of the food, which would have normally made me hungry, now caused waves of nausea to rise inside me. I grabbed a glass and with shaking hands, poured water into it. I drank it quickly, hoping that it would get rid of the sick feeling. 

Fariha had gone to get food for her sons, while the boys were playing with the other kids. Aunty and Uncle were chatting to a couple that I didn't recognise, seated on another table at the other end of the room.

I got up and quickly headed to the front of the hall. Maybe some fresh air would help.

I stood there for barely a few seconds when I knew that I was definitely, without a doubt, going to throw up. I immediately rushed towards the nearest bathroom, and threw up.

When I came out of the bathroom stall, a woman I didn't know turned to look at me. "Pregnant ho?" 

*Translation: Are you pregnant?

I actually blinked at her, surprised by the blunt question from a stranger.

"N-No." I shook my head, walking to the sink and rinsing my mouth. 

But the lady's words made me think and I realised how stupid I'd been. Last time I'd taken the test, I was expecting my periods in a few days...but they'd never come. How could I have missed that? After the whole scare, how did the monthly visitor slip out of my mind? 

Maybe I should have seen a doctor that time.

The lady had left after her inability to keep her nose out of my business, and now I was on my own.

I grabbed the pack of gum from my clutch and popped one into my mouth, feeling the burst of strong mint freshen up my mouth. Heading out, I felt anxious. What do I do now? Should I tell Fawad? Fariha? 

I went back into the hall, afraid that I might get sick again. There was no way I could stay here any longer. I made my way to my husband, who was now chatting to his uncles. "Fawad?" 

He looked up and walked over when he saw that it was me. "You okay? You look pale." 

"Can we go home? I don't feel well." I admitted honestly.

"What's wrong?" He frowned, concerned.

"I have a terrible migraine." I didn't want him to tell everyone that we were leaving because I was feeling sick, because being Pakistani, everyone would automatically think that I'm pregnant...which I probably was. I didn't want them to guess before I had it even confirmed.

He nodded. "Just let me say goodbye to Chacha and Chachi, and let Ammi and Papa know." 

I waited patiently by the door, and the moment I saw him walking back towards me, I stepped outside. 

"You okay?" Once again, he put his hand on the small of my back as we walked to his car.

I knew that I should tell him, but ever since we decided that we were going to have a baby,  I had thought of a cute way to announce my pregnancy to him, and I intended to stick to that.

"Yeah, I just need to sleep it off." I stopped walking just before we got to the car. "Fawad?"

"Yes, jaan?" He turned to look at me, questioningly.

"Are you working tomorrow?" 

"I am. Why?"

"Can I stay the night at my parents'?" I said. "It's been a while, and I miss Ammi." 

And I can ask Sadia Bhabi to take me to her colleagues tomorrow for a proper check-up. 

"Sure." He shrugged. "Let's get your stuff from home and I'll drop you off." 

"No, I have enough things in my old room there, I'll manage."

He grinned teasingly at me. "Admit it, you just want a head massage from your Ammi." 

I couldn't help laughing at that. "Speaking from your experiences with headaches?"

"I swear, whenever I used to get headaches from late nights and studying too much, and my Ammi used to massage it..." He sighed in content. "It was almost like a healing touch." 

"Ammis do have a magical touch." 

A warm breeze lifted up my hair again and ruffled through the skirt of my sari. I turned to look at the road, at the passing rickshaws and at the general liveliness of Lahore at night, and I couldn't help thinking how much I loved my city. 

I had a small smile on my face, and as I turned back towards the car, I saw him watching me. "What?" 

"You look so beautiful, especially in the moonlight. Ma Sha Allah." He said, fondly.

"Fawad." I walked up to him, my eyes locked with his.

"Hmm?" He seemed mesmerised by me.

"Where's your jacket?" I giggled. "Didn't you leave your car keys, phone and wallet in there?" 

"Oh, s**t." He muttered. "Come on."

"I'll wait here." 

"It's not safe, Mina. You're wearing too much jewellery." He grabbed my hand and led me back towards the building.

I admired his height, his muscular built, and his handsome profile. I wonder if our baby would have his height? Would the baby look like me or him? I hope it looks like him. Do I want a boy or a girl?

Too many questions filled in my head and remained there for the rest of the night.

****

"We'll have the blood test results in a couple of hours." Dr Khan said, smiling at me from across the table. "You can pick them up from the nurse station outside then."

I glanced at Sadia Bhabi beside me, who had been sworn to secrecy, before looking back at Dr Khan. "Can a home test miss a pregnancy sometimes?" 

"Yes, of course. That's called a false-negative." Dr Khan nodded. "Did you take a test before?" 

"Last month." I explained. "I got a negative, and I brushed it off because my last period wasn't late, and I was expecting it in the next few days. Now I realised that it never came."

"No other symptoms?" The doctor asked.

"Not till last night, no."

"Okay, no problem." Dr Khan nodded. "Sadia can get you another appointment sometimes this week, as I am a little busy today. We can discuss the report then, if necessary." 

Thanking her, Bhabi and I left the room.

"What do we do for two hours?" I asked, anxiously.

"Let's go to the canteen and see if you find something appealing." She suggested.

We walked in silence towards the lift to the lower level.

"Bhabi?" I asked.

"Hmm?" 

"Were you nervous when you thought...?" I couldn't even meet her gaze. Talking about this subject still made me shy.

"Of course I was." She said. "But I was excited as well." 

We got off on our floor and she led me down a long hallway, then through a door at the end. A mixture of scents entered my nose, and I prayed that I didn't feel nauseated because some of the scents were really good.

She took me to the buffet and examined the display carefully. "What would you like?" 

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted.

"Well, that's a pleasant surprise." 

Allah! Arhaan Bhai!

Bhabi gave me a nervous look as I turned around, and saw Bhai and Fawad both standing a few feet away by the hot drinks machine.

Bhai patted his stomach. "Did you bring us delicious homemade food?" 

"We don't deliver in caves." Bhabi shot back. "Because clearly that's where you live if you think that's the only reason why your wives would be here." 

"She got you." Fawad laughed, slapping Bhai on the back.

"Why are you here?" Bhai looked curious.

"I'm on duty, just taking my break." Bhabi shrugged. "I work here too, husband." 

"What about your gorgeous companion, Bhabi?" Fawad winked at me.

I blushed, silently begging Bhabi to answer that as well because I wouldn't be able to lie to him.

"I called her over for my break." Bhabi replied. "Am I allowed to call your sister without your permission, Arhaan?" 

Fawad and I laughed as Arhaan Bhai shook his head, smiling.

"Are you guys just starting or finishing?" Bhabi asked. "If you have time, join us." 

So, the four of us had lunch together. Bhabi discreetly suggested a fruit yogurt because I didn't feel like having anything else. 

"My Lahori appetite sister is just having that?" Bhai raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?" 

"Late breakfast." I tried to sound as normal as possible, whereas I just wanted the time to quickly pass by so that I knew the result.

****

Unfortunately, it was taking longer than anticipated, so I just went home. Bhabi said that she'll get Dr Khan to call me back with the results later in the day. It really helps to be a part of a doctor family, seriously.

I was lounging around in the living room of our flat, when Dr Khan finally called me.

"Assalam Alaikum, Jasmina."

"Walaikum Assalam." My voice was trembling with nerves, as was my hand that was clutching the phone.

"I've received your test results." She said. "Would you like to come and see me in the office tomorrow?" 

"Can you just not tell me now, please?" I asked.

"We usually don't do this over the phone." She sighed. "But Sadia's a colleague, and she insisted that I tell you otherwise you'd worry overnight." 

I smiled. My Bhabi knew me well by now. "Yes, that's a hundred percent accurate." 

She paused. "Well, Jasmina, looking at your report, I can see that you are indeed seven weeks pregnant." 

****

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote!

Two chapters in a day, but I might not be as regular anymore as I return back to my regular routine tomorrow.