It was almost 1 am at night. Yet Meerab couldn't sleep. She just kept tossing and turning on the bed. Sleep was far away from her eyes. Sighing she got down from bed and sat on the sofa.

The sofa he used to sleep. How?

That sofa was anything but comfortable for anyone to sleep and too small for his whole body to fit in. Yet he slept there days after days. Just because she didn't let him sleep on bed.

His very own king sized bed.

She palmed her face and sat there not knowing what is to do now. How to fix everything between them?

She knew she had so many flaws. She made a contract, made him eat fish despite of knowing his dislike, went against his decision but man!! Just keep yourself at her place. She did what she felt right.  But what now? Why now this things make her sad?

One thing she realised, she just can't tolerate his silence, his anger. These should be always for others. Not for her.   She was Meerab, his wife..

His wife!! That made sense actually.

And that made her smile. She found herself slowly accepting the fact that he was her husband.

Her officially wedded husband.

And that was the moment she decided to give the best in their marriage. She didn't know whether she was in love or not but one thing she knew was life wipp be colorless if there won't be any Murtasim Khan.

Thinking about something, she climbed the bed and started calling Murtasim.

"Murtasim?! Murtasim, wake up!"

But when he didn't wake up even after calling him 10 times,  Meerab just screamed loudly that made him jolt up.

"What just happened Meerab? Are you okay?"

"I just want to have ice cream." She shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing.

"So go to the kitchen. It's in the fridge."

"You are not coming with me?"

"No. I am too sleepy." Saying so he was going to get back to sleep.

"If you don't go with me, then I will...."

"You will?? What will you do? Stop talking to me? Fight with me? Go ahead. Good night." He smirked

She was fuming in anger. Here she was trying to take a step towards them and he was having none. She was about to shout than teh idea came into her mind.

"Murtasim, are you coming to the kitchen with me or not?"

"No. Do whatever you want."

She smiled evily and looked down at his face tracing his jaw and said,

" Fine then I will call you Bhai."

This one word made his eyes shot open. Her calling him bhai? Astagfirullah!

"What the hell are you talking idiot? For God's sake I am your hu...."

He stopped inthe middle remembering all the times she denied to be his wife. But she had other plans for today.

"Yes. You are my husband. Now. But before that we are cousins. Remember our fathers are sibling. So that makes you my cousin. And you are 4 years older than me. So technically, if we weren't married I had to call you b...." her rant was stopped in the middle as Murtasim pressed his palm on it.

"Dare you use Murtasim and bhai  in a sentence. I am not your brother. I never was." The idea of Meerab calling him Bhai made him want to puke. But what made him amused is Meerab saying he was her Meerab.

Good progress Mrs Khan

"Good. If you don't want me to call you bhai you are coming with me. Otherwise."

"Fine. I am accompanying you. But remember I am cousin not some bhai."

"Cousins are basically brother sister you know."

He just pulled her towards himself and said, " You are not just cousin. You are special."

"Since when?" She whispered.

"Since always. Now come on. Your ice cream is waiting." he said pulling her out of bed.

As it was almost 2 am, no one was there anyway. So she just brought the ice cream tub and spoons and sat on the kitchen slab.

"Are you gonna keep standing? Sit here." She said patting the place beside her.

"Are you okay Meerab?" He asked when in return Meerab just glared him.

"Here."  said forwarding a spoon of ice cream.

"You still love this cookie dough ice cream?" Murtasim was amused.

"Kyu? Tumhara chocolate napasand hogya hai kya?" She arched her eyebrows.

"Mera toh cookie dough favourite ho gya. Aur usko pasand karne wali bhi."

"Is that so?" She whispered in a low voice while coming closer.

"Meerab don't. " He had to stop her otherwise he may lose his sanity. But boy, she was Meerab. She kept coming closer until their nose touched and within a second his noses were smeared with ice cream.

And she laughed. Loud. Even she took a picture of him like that.

"See you look cute." She was still laughing.

"Meerab delete it. Now." He warned.

"Haww! I am scared, Khan."

"You should be Mrs Khan. Otherwise I know ways to shut you up." Murtasim said in a deep voice.

"Then shut me up, Khan " She challenged.

"Don't  blame me later."

"I won't. Promise. But you are going to lose it.".

"What if I win?"

"I will make you coffee." To which Murtasim scoffed.

"And if I win you will make me some hot chocolate." Meerab said grinning.

"Be ready to lose." Murtasim smirked.

Meerab paying no heed to him kept eating ice cream. At some point when she looked too focus on eating ice cream, Murtasim took some of it and smeared on her cheeks and even before she could react on it, he just licked the ice cream from there, painfully slow, just to Meerab lose her sanity.

"Mur...tasim."

"Hmm." He still kept sucking the spot.

"Wh..at are yo..u doing? She stammered feeling butterflies in stomach.

"Nothing. Just winning your challenge, my special cousin." And he backed off.

It took sometime for Meerab to understand what was happening. Her heart was racing wild. She was flushed. Her neck had turned red due to blush.

"So, according to the condition you will make me a coffee."

"Huh? Oh yes." She was still in a daze. She just climbed down from the slab and started making coffee. While her husband just came beside her.

"Meerab!" He whispered in a husky voice.

"Hmm."

"What happened? Why all these?" He knew something was there.

"Just my views regarding us, our marriage changed. I ..."

"You,?"

"I just wanna be happy. With you. Like we used to be. Before we were separated. When there was no Haya. When we used to be best friends. Please." She whispered. Her big doe eyes full of tears.

"Haya was never important. Never. She was , is a responsibility.  Always. You don't have to be insecure regarding her."

"You always give her so importance. I don't like it. You know she has a thing for you." She said playing with his shirt buttons.

"Accha, you see these but don't you see when I give you importance? You are the most important one in my life." He said softly pulling her towards himself.

"You will ask her to call you bhai just like Maryum." This made Murtasim laugh.

"I'm not joking. If you don't ask her this, then..

"Then?"

"I will call you Bhai."

"You can't just call your husband that you know!"

"I can and I will if you don't do this. Want to try, Murtasim bh..." He just put a spoon of ice cream in her mouth

"Don't you dare Meerab. I will be brother to everyone, not you."

"So you will ask her?"

"Obviously. And basically she is a sister only."

"Good boy. Here's your coffee."

"It's not that sweet." He said taking a sip.

"Is that so? Give me." His eyes widened when she took a sip from it.

From the same place he took.

"Now check it."

"Too sweet to die."

"Accha suno. Where's that album? Childhood one."

"Maryum k paas. Kyu?"

"I want to watch them."

"Why?"

"To show you that Meerab was always beautiful." She said proudly.

"I never denied that."

"You never even said that."

"That Meerab was not my wife. But this one! I can stare all day long and describe her beauty."

"You can't do this. "

"Do what?"

"Distract me with these eyes."

"When did I do that?"

"From childhood."

"What!" He was baffled.

"Just go to the room. I will get the album. Go na."

She went to Maryum's room and knocked it. A not so welcoming Haya opened the door.

"What do you want?"

"Maryum, you have the album of our childhood right?"

"Yes bhabi. The one with you me and bhai. You want that?

"Yes. We just wanted to go through the beautiful memories."

"We? Oh bhai and you! Oh my god,bhabi I am so happy."

All Meerab could do was blush.

"Here it is. And if someone is on the way, you can just tell me. I will start shopping." Maryum winked.

"Maryum" her eyes widened.

" who is on the way?"

"Tumhari shaadi karwadu samajh ajayegi." Maryum laughed.

"Good night."And she left hurriedly.

"Itna time kaise lag gaya?"

"Aise hi." She just couldn't bring herself to tell him about Maryum's teasing.

"Accha. Come here. We will just go through the pictures."

To his utter surprise, Meerab sat on his lap shocking him to the core.

"I want to sit here." She shrugged at his shocked expression.

They opened the album. First picture was of an eight years old Murtasim, three years old Maryum and four years of Meerab. In frocks and shirts respectively.  Sober one.

One was like meerab pulling his hairs and he was with an angry expression. Meerab just laughed looking at the photo.

" you were always possessive about your hair." And she pulled them. Again.

"I would love to let you pull my hair while doing something else, you know."

"Turn the page." It was a photo of Meerab sitting on his lap eating chocolate smeared all over her face. She just turned red on that.

"We are already recreating this one. Bass chocolate ki kami hai."

"Murtasim.."

"Hmm."

Seems like she had just lost her voice.

Then it happened. Her face was red. Due to anger jealousy.

It was a photo of Meerab, Murtasim, Maryum and Haya. But the problem was Haya was pulling Murtasim's cheeks and he was smiling looking down.

She looked at Murtasim and he looked back horrified.

Oh khudaya! Save me please.

"Can you explain Khan?" She said dangerously and meant no nonsense..

"I don't remember why."

"You definitely do, Khan. Don't you dare lie." That made Murtasim gulp.

"She was saying I looked cute." He closed his eyes but what Meerab did next made him shocked.

She got up from his lap and went towards the candle there and boom!

She just burned thr picture. Freaking burned the picture.

"If I ever see you smiling while interacting with that Haya, I will slap you so hard that my finger marks will be imprinted. Samjhe?"

All he could do is nod his head.

"In return I will never meet heck not even talk to Rohail. Never in my life. Even if he came in front of me, I will surely tell him about my husband. Done?" And that made Murtasim happy as hell.

He just pulled her in his lap again and hid his face in her neck.

"You smell so good."

"Hmm?"

"Hmm!"

"I'm too sleepy."

"Let's just sleep." With that he just leaned on the bed with her in his arms. He was going to have the best sleep in years.

It was then she said those.

"I luh you Muttashim." Just like that 4 years old Meerab.

"Hmm? It's for whom?"

"For my best friend and my special cousin."

"And what about your very own handsome husband?"

"He knows about my feelings. He is so smart."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm hmm."

"I luh you too Meer." Just like that 8 years old Murtasim.

Feedback will be appreciated!!<<33