Zayne

I held her close and danced with her.

If I had been around when those cowards attacked her, I would have made them pay. They had ganged up on her when she was already in distress, from what Aicha said.

If it weren't for my promise to Naina, I would have told the whole world what that freak had done.

I swayed her gently, my mind racing. I would start work again tomorrow. What would Naina do when I'm at work?

"Zayne?" Naina's voice was muffled, but I felt the vibration from her sound on my shoulder. I smiled. "Thank you."

I wasn't sure what she was thanking me for, but it made me feel slightly better.

"I can cancel the dinner we have with my friends and mentor," I told her. They had expressed wanting to meet her, but I didn't want to put her through it, especially after what had happened earlier today.

She pulled back, creating space between us. "I want to meet your friends," she said resolutely.

"Are you sure?" I asked her, pushing a strand of hair from her face.

She nodded.

We arrived at a rooftop restaurant featuring North Indian cuisine.

We were the first to arrive and sat next to each other at a table for six. "You met Samarth and Prashant at our wedding. They are cardiology fellows who work with me. Samarth is in his second year with me, and Prashant is in his first year," I reintroduced them as they arrived.

"Thank you for coming to our wedding," Naina smiled at them. She wore a pink salwar kameez with flowers on it, which complemented her complexion beautifully. I didn't know if it was the attire or her natural radiance, but she looked stunning to me.

"This is Menon Sir, a third-year PG, and his wife Ashwini. They have a little baby girl at home," I introduced them to Naina.

"How old is your baby?" Naina inquired.

"Eight months old. She's with my mother," Ashwini informed.

"I love kids. Do you have pictures?" Naina asked Ashwini. I was glad Menon sir had brought his wife with him. Naina seemed at ease talking to her. I watched as she oohed and aahed at the baby pictures and smiled.

"Yeah, these babies are great in photos, but they're not easy. They really test your strength, patience, and also your marriage," Ashwini told Naina with a laugh.

I listened in but made no comment. I would love to have a kid with Naina someday. But first, we needed to figure ourselves out. I spoke to Prashant for a bit about a patient on our team.

"Maybe in about a couple of years. I want to finish my fellowship before having kids," I heard Naina say. I smiled. She wanted to have kids with me. The thought warmed my heart. I wanted to draw her into a hug but kept my distance.

"Eat!" I whispered into Naina's ear when I saw her playing with her food. "Or I'll feed you."

"Don't you dare!" she hissed at me under her breath.

I draped my hand around her chair. "Look," I pointed up at the stars. They were clearly visible. The Mangalore skies were cloudy, and you could barely see the stars from there.

Naina looked up, and I watched her face as she smiled. I caught the moment when her eyes widened and her smile shook. Her eyes shone in the starlight, and a single tear fell down her cheek.

"Excuse me," she said after wiping her eyes. "I just need to use the restroom."

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked her, concerned about how she was feeling. Everyone at the table laughed. "Machaa, maybe let her go to the restroom alone," Prashant teased. I smiled dryly.

"You going to be okay?" I asked her, catching her expression. She wore a smile, but her eyes were filled with sadness. She nodded. "I'll be right back."

"So I take it married life is going well?" Menon sir asked me.

I hesitated. "Yes, it's not been very long."

"Hmmm..." he appeared thoughtful. "The first year can be the best or the worst."

I had always been told that the first year of marriage was the best. But I knew that it would be different with Naina. She would need to heal first.

"We had a good one-year period of adjustment," he continued. Was it that obvious that there was something wrong in our marriage?

"She's very beautiful," Prashant added, and I smiled. I didn't mind his comment.

"We have a little bit of change coming up. We are going to have General Medicine PGs and Interns rotate through our department. The PGs will be more autonomous, but the interns won't be. So we have to fix our schedules separately for when interns come in."

We continued to talk about work for some time. I was starting to get a little worried. Naina wasn't back. I remembered how she had broken down at my relative's house, and I excused myself to search for her.

I waited outside the women's bathroom, but I didn't see her.

"Excuse me," I asked a woman standing outside the women's bathroom. She gave me a dirty look. I ignored it. "My... my wife is supposed to be in the bathroom. Can you please check?" She looked alarmed and walked quickly in the opposite direction.

Shit!

I called Naina's phone. After several rings, she picked up. Heavy breathing.

I closed my eyes. "Naina?" I said into the phone.

More heavy breathing. No words.

"Naina, where are you? I'll come and get you," I said urgently. Did someone harass her again? Was she having an emotional breakdown?

"Naina, I'm worried," I confessed into the phone.

"I'm... I'm on the... on the road," Naina finally said.

With my phone held to my ear, I walked out of the restaurant. My friends would understand. I would tell them there was an emergency. I sent them a quick message.

I looked to both sides of the road. There were a few vehicles and some people on the street. But no Naina.

"Naina, I don't see you outside. Can you be more specific?" I asked her. She was going to need help. This was not normal. She was not okay.

"I don't... know," she told me. I was beside myself with worry. I didn't know where she would have gone. Unless...

I walked towards my old apartment, the one I had briefly shared with Advik. I wanted to find her there. But I also did not.

I walked slower than I should have. I finally saw her. She was sitting on the base of a street light, sobbing. It was a quiet street a couple of blocks away from where Advik lived.

"Naina..." she looked up at me. "Naina, I'm here."

I didn't feel like touching her. She wasn't mine. She didn't belong to me. I didn't think I meant anything to her. Or she wouldn't have abandoned me. She wouldn't have done this in front of my peers.

I stayed an arm's length away from her. I was her husband. I would take her home. I would keep her safe.

She needed comforting. But I couldn't comfort her, not when I felt the way I did. If I hadn't called her, would she have gone to Advik?

"Let's go home," I said softly. My voice sounded different. She stood up, not looking at me. My car was parked at the restaurant, so we headed there.

We were both silent throughout the journey. I wanted to ask her if she meant to meet with Advik. But I didn't want to know. I didn't want to hurt more than I did right now.

I let her use the bathroom first, and while she did, I changed into my night clothes. She wore her blue pajamas with little duck prints on them.

"That's hilarious!" I chuckled as she came out of the bathroom. I was leaning on the half wall that separated my side of the room from Advik's.

"What?" she asked me.

"Your pyjamas. What's on them?" I smiled at her. She looked adorable. She had her fluffy slippers on that looked like bunnies, her duck pyjamas, her hair was wet after a shower and left open. She had glasses with blue frames on - she had a few different colors I had noticed.

She looked down at the print. "Ducks. Why?" she asked me, genuinely curious.

I was momentarily distracted but quickly got back on track.

"They look possessed," I laughed. The print had ducks with big round eyes, funny-looking beaks, like something out of a horror story. "We should call an exorcist."

She stared at me with her hands on her hips. I widened my eyes and said, "quack!"

She laughed, picked up a pillow from Advik's bed, and threw it at me. I caught it and threw it back at her. It hit her on the face, and her glasses fell off.

"I'm so sorry..." I said, but I couldn't help laughing. The whole scene was funny.

She found her glasses and picked up the pillow. This time, she chased me with it, and I ran to my side of the room. She hit me with the pillow. I wasn't expecting it. I put my hands up in surrender.

"Nope! That's not going to work," she said, laughing. She tried to hit me with the pillow again, but I grabbed it from her. I was about to hit her with it but stopped myself. I didn't know what an appropriate spot to hit her would be. Not her chest or her butt. Her legs were too low. Not her face again. Smack!

She had picked up my pillow and hit me on my side. Then, she ran to Advik's side of the room and stood on top of his bed. I chased after her, determined to get her back.

The door opened.

Now I stared at the ducks on her pyjamas. A poor imitation of ducks. Just like ours was a poor imitation of a marriage.

"I'm sorry," she told me softly.

I shrugged. I didn't want to say anything that would hurt her. My own hurt and anger superseded my sympathy for her. But I didn't want to hurt her further.

She climbed into bed, and I followed after finishing my namaz and turning off the lights. A few minutes later, I felt her head on my arm, her hands on my chest.

"Naina, I just need some space."

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Thank you for reading. Remember that you are amazing, and there is a reason for everything. You are going to be okay.
❤️Faiza