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*

Jasmina

Shaken by my brother's behaviour, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned long into the night.

"What she wants, she gets. And she doesn't want this. Where the f**k is the ring, Jasmina?" Ahad Bhai's accusing words and tone jolted me out of any possibility of sleep.

Fawad had attempted to talk to me when he had returned from buying ice cream for Fariha's sons, but I had brushed him off, saying that I was tired. Now, he was fast asleep beside me, while my mind wouldn't allow me to do the same. 

I got off the bed and headed to the bathroom.

"This was intentional, wasn't it?" Ahad Bhai had questioned me about the missing ring. "You don't want this."

My Allah knew that while I wasn't happy with the idea of him marrying Laiba's sister, I would never purposely sabotage his happiness, especially since there was no proof about Aliya's negativity. 

I stood at the bathroom sink for a long time, staring at my reflection in the mirror. Should I have stayed back and tried to convince Ahad Bhai of my innocence? I doubted that Fawad would have let me though, considering that my insult and humiliation was beyond his tolerance. 

Giving up on sleep, I decided to head downstairs to make myself some hot chocolate. We were staying at my in-laws tonight as per my husband's suggestion as it was closer to my family home. It was better to come back here after the engagement ceremony, than to drive all the way back to our flat, even though it wasn't too far.

I was sitting in the living room, drinking my hot chocolate and watching a re-run of a Pakistani drama, when Fariha walked in. 

"You still up?" She asked.

"Yep, can't sleep." I gave her a weak smile. "What are you up to?" 

"Sometimes Saad randomly wants milk in a bottle at night, so I'm here for that." She shrugged. "You okay?" 

"Why wouldn't I be?" I kept my expressions neutral.

"Bhabi..."

"I'm fine, Fariha. Don't worry." I turned away, indicating that I wanted to end this conversation. Yes, my brother had been horrible to me, but I honestly didn't want to cry about it in front of my sister-in-law. Immediately, though, I felt guilty about speaking to her in such a manner. "I'm sorry, Fariha. I'm just exhausted and unable to sleep. It's not an easy state to be in."

"Don't apologise, Bhabi. I understand. Let me know if you need anything." She gave me a smile before heading out.

I shed tears after I'd heard her go upstairs. I had no words to express how hurt I was by the behaviour of my Ahad Bhai.

*

"What are you doing?" I groaned, propping up on an elbow. "I thought you were off today?" 

I felt like I had just fallen asleep after Fajr, when I'd woken up to some clattering. 

Fawad was buttoning up his shirt. "I've been called in for an emergency." 

The curtains had been pulled back slightly, letting in early morning light, and the scent of his cologne filled the room. 

"Fawad..." I began, hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"I want to go and stay at my parents' house for a bit. I want to speak to Ahad Bhai and erase any misconceptions or misunderstandings that he has in regards to me."

He stilled, glancing at me wordlessly.

"I know that you're annoyed about his behaviour with me..." I added.

"Annoyed? That's an understatement, Mina." 

"But he's my brother. We fight. Ahad Bhai and I always fought a lot, but we love each other and we always work things out."

"It doesn't seem right to me that you want to make the effort, when you were not even at fault. Did he even message an apology, let alone call you?" His jaw clenched.

I picked up my phone, and I only saw a message from Hafsa, asking me if I was okay. "N-No." I sighed. "But I can't leave it at that, Fawad. I've been restless all night. I need to talk to him."

"You've made up your mind, haven't you?" 

I nodded.

"Mina, I won't tolerate it if he further misbehaves with you. I don't give a crap if you're his sister. That's irrelevant. He has no right to behave like that with you."

"Don't worry. I have enough self-respect to attempt anything further again if he treats me the same again." 

*

Fawad dropped me off on his way to work. 

Ammi, Papa and Arhaan Bhai had gone to work, despite the late night last night. It was just me and Ahad Bhai at home.

I was in the kitchen making tea, staring thoughtfully out of the kitchen window, unsure of how to approach Ahad Bhai. With Arhaan Bhai, it was simpler. He was hardly angry with me, and even if he was, it didn't take long for him to melt again. With Ahad Bhai, it was much more difficult.

Suddenly, the man in question walked into the kitchen and headed for the fridge, without a word to me. 

"Assalam Alaikum. Tea?" 

"Walaikum Assalam. No." He didn't even look at me. I saw from his profile that his jaw was clenched.

"Bhai..." I began, but he walked out without even looking at me.

What is his problem?! 

I decided to not approach the subject for the time being. It was better to let him cool down first.

My hand shook as I took my mug and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall towards the living room. I had just taken a seat on the sofa, when Ahad Bhai walked in, his hands curling into fists by his side and nostrils flaring. "We should talk." He spoke rudely.

"About?" 

"Don't play dumb. You always ruin things for me."

"Excuse me?" I stared up at him in disbelief.

"You never wanted me to marry Laiba's sister, did you?" He took a deep breath. "Everything that goes wrong in my life somehow links back to you." 

"You aren't making any sense!" I argued. "Why would I act so immaturely as to lose the ring on purpose? If I was so against the idea of your marriage, I would have spoken up directly, not played these stupid games!"

"You f**king knew that I would marry Aliya either way, so you played this humiliating game." He yelled. 

"Are you stupid?!" I couldn't help speaking in a raised voice as well. "I am the one who got humiliated. Why would I put myself through such a scenario?" 

"Think about it, Jasmina. You are the one who was made to look like the victim here." He sounded exasperated. "Again, it's 'poor Jasmina'. You know, you have serious issues. You want everyone's lives to revolve around you, and you can't stand to see anyone else happy."

"Is this what you think of me?" Normally, I would have cried, but now I was just furious. "I have better things to do with my time than to go around scheming against other people, especially my own family!"

"Better things to do? What, like surgeries?" He mocked me, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, wait..."

I gasped. "What is your problem?!"

"You! You are my problem!" He snapped. "It's always Jasmina this, Jasmina that. Every  f**king thing is about you! You're a bloody pampered princess! You get away with s**t that I've been ripped apart for!" 

I reeled back. At some point I had stood up, and now I stumbled back from the shock of his words. His words slammed into my face like a basketball. "W-Where is all this coming from?"

"The humiliation that you caused Fawad Bhai the first time?" He was practically breathing fire. "Papa wouldn't have spoken to me for months or that. When I went to study in London, Ammi an Papa especially advised Zafar to keep an eye on me! And you? You went completely on your own, and they trusted you blindly! I didn't come home with a girlfriend, but you came home crushing on a university classmate despite being engaged to someone else!"

"Bhai, stop it before I say something that I regret!" I was shaking with rage.

"But you got away with all of it!" He was shouting louder than I'd ever heard him shout before, all his rage and bitterness pouring out in his words and tone. "You've had no real responsibilities in your life. You've been handed Papa's credit card whenever you wanted something- God, Papa even paid for the rent for your flat in London! You've never had to lift a finger in your life, and everything just fell into your lap before you even asked for it."

"All of this over a postponed engagement?!" 

"Don't worry, you'll somehow ensure that it becomes a cancelled engagement." He scoffed. "As I mentioned before, you don't want me to marry Laiba's sister."

"This isn't my fault! I didn't do anything! Stop treating me like I'm responsible for everything that goes wrong in your life!"

He glared at me quietly for a few seconds. "Or maybe you pray for nothing but unhappiness for me." 

I was so furious at his accusations that I grabbed a throw cushion from the sofa and threw it at him with a shriek. "You a**hole!" My head was hurting terribly. God, I needed a painkiller. I never swore, but a dam had burst inside me, making me want to hurt him with my words as much as he'd hurt me.

Ahad Bhai ducked and the cushion landed on the floor by the doorway... in front of Arhaan Bhai and Fawad, who were staring at both of us, shocked.

"What the hell is going on here?" Arhaan Bhai asked, quietly. "Why do I feel like we're walking into a nursery school?" He raised an eyebrow at me, bewildered. "Where the kids are swearing as they fight?" 

"Ask your brother." I crossed my arms over my chest. "He's throwing a tantrum because his engagement got delayed because of the lost ring."

"We could hear you both screaming from the car." Our eldest brother said. "What is wrong with you both?" He shook his head. "Since you're both acting like toddlers, we need to get Ammi and Papa involved."

"No, leave it." Ahad Bhai said, wearily.

"Your behaviour is despicable, Ahad." Arhaan Bhai glared at him. "Is this the way to talk to your sister?" 

"Well, at least now I know what he thinks of me." I shrugged.

"Mina, I think you should come home." Fawad said, quietly. "I don't think you should stay here." He glared at Ahad Bhai as well.

"You're right." I nodded, before turning to Arhaan Bhai. "Sorry, Bhai." I began to walk out of the room. "I'm just going to grab my things, Fawad." 

He nodded, not looking away from Ahad Bhai. I knew that he was furious, but he had a talent of managing his temper well, and remaining calm through everything. I knew that he'd already been angry enough since last night, but this was probably the last straw.

*

Fawad

"You've crossed all limits, Ahad." I glowered at the middle Sheikh sibling. "How dare you talk to her like that?" 

"With all due respect, Fawad Bhai, but she's my sister." 

Arhaan began to speak, but I beat him to it. "That doesn't give you the authority to be rude and insulting towards her. You have absolutely no right to speak to her in that manner, and then try to justify it by saying that she's your sister." I paused. "Don't do ever dare speak to her like that again!" 

"Take care of her, Bhai." Arhaan looked at me.

"Of course. You don't have to tell me that." I glanced quickly at my best friend.

Mina returned and I greeted Arhaan before I led my wife out to the car.

The 'emergency' hadn't been an emergency after all, just a false alarm, so I was on my way back. Arhaan had been finishing his shift as well, so I'd given him a ride back, as his car was with a mechanic. I felt glad that I'd come here because I'd now realised that I couldn't trust Ahad to treat Mina right.

She sat quietly in the car beside me as I began to drive away from her parents' house.

"I don't think I've ever heard you swear before." I said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't normally do." She sighed. "I just completely lost it with him today." She looked at me and I saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "He has never spoken to me like that before, no matter how much we fought. He thinks those things about me? How can he be so horrible?" 

Somewhere deep inside me, I had a nagging feeling that Laiba was involved with this change of behaviour in Ahad. I couldn't shake off the feeling that she was using her sister to manipulate Ahad. That boy was rebellious, but not cruel; certainly not to this extent. The way he had behaved with Jasmina today was out of character.

"I'm furious with him too, Mina, but..." I quickly glanced at her. "You know him better than I do. Is this really a characteristic behaviour for him? Because as far as I know him, this isn't like him." 

She looked thoughtful. "Yeah, he's not..." 

We exchanged a look.

"Anyway..." She shook her head. "I don't want to think about this right now."

"How do you feel about samosa chaat?" 

*Samosa chaat: A delicious mixture of yoghurt, with chick peas, tomato, onion, and various other ingredients, with bits of crushed samosa sprinkled over it.

"Yes, please." She looked as excited as if a child being offered chocolate or ice cream.

I chuckled. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Too long." 

I drove her to one of my favourite places to eat, perfectly hygienic of course, and I bought her a portion of samosa chaat, which she ate in the car right there and then. She was still relatively quiet, but a little bit relaxed now.

"So, are you planning on heaving a test done, or going to the doctor directly?" 

"I'm feeling better for now, so I'm going to wait and see." She pursed her lips. 

"Mina..."

"I'll take a test soon." She said almost dismissively.

"If this is happening, we need to know. You need to take precautions..."

"I know, Fawad. I will." She closed her eyes. "I just need to finish dealing with this drama first."

"It's not more important than your health."

She just turned her head away, looking out of the window.

I sighed, also turning to look out of my own window in the stationary car. If Laiba and her sister are behind this mess, we had to sort out this problem soon, once and for all. 

*

Jasmina

I went straight to bed when I got home, not wanting to talk, not wanting to do anything but just curl up under covers.

I had a very weird dream, a dream that shook me to the core.

★𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞★

"This is how it was always meant to be." Laiba smirked, sliding her arm through Fawad's. "It was always meant to be us." 

They were standing on stage, with Laiba wearing a gold-coloured sari, and heavy gold jewellery... like a bride. 

"Absolutely." Ahad Bhai walked on the stage, holding Aliya's hand. "Jasmina is a spoiled, overprivileged brat. She doesn't deserve you, Fawad Bhai."

"I realise that now." Fawad smiled down fondly at Laiba... the way I was used to seeing him look at me.

"Fawad, no..." I called out, but nobody heard me... or they simply ignored me.

I felt myself fading away. "FAWAD, I'M HERE! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?"

But I was lost... like a spirit disappearing from the face of this earth.

I vanished as my heart shattered.

★𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞★

"Fawad!" I gasped, sitting up in bed.

It was too dark and for a few seconds, I was completely disorientated. I put a hand against my chest to calm my heart down. 

The image of Laiba standing arm-in-arm with Fawad made me want to cry my heart out, even though I knew that it could never be a reality. Fumbling around, I turned on the lamp, and when light flooded the room, I saw that I was alone. I glanced at the time on my phone and saw that it was just ten. Getting out of bed, I left the room and slowly walked down the hall on the laminated floor, barefoot. Hearing the TV in the living room, I headed there.

Fawad was sitting on the sofa watching cricket and holding a mug of coffee. He looked up as I came in. "Good nap, Sleeping Beauty?" 

I nodded as I sat down beside him, lifting his arm up to wrap it around my shoulders. Snuggling up against him, I rubbed my cheek against the soft material of his shirt. "I hope you're not mad at me. I'm sorry, I got a little irritated with you."

"I'm not mad, Mina. Don't worry. I am concerned about you." 

"I know." I groaned, placing a hand on my forehead. "I'll book an appointment with a doctor soon." 

He kissed my forehead.

The dream had been weird and had left me feeling very possessive about him. I didn't want him to get so fed up with me that he decided that I wasn't right for him after all.

His phone buzzed and he grabbed it from the table as I closed my eyes.

"It's Arhaan. He says to come over to the family home for a family meeting."

"Now?!" 

He shrugged. "That's what he says."

I frowned, wondering what that was about.

*

"Tomorrow, Aliya and I will be getting married." Ahad Bhai announced to us all.

Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. We were seated in the living room of my parents' house. Ahad Bhai was standing at one end of the room, facing us all.

"Why bother even tell us then?" Papa asked, quietly.

"I was going to elope, but I couldn't." Ahad Bhai said. "I didn't want to do this without my family."

"What's the rush, Ahad?" Ammi sounded bewildered. "We just asked you to wait until the beginning of the next month."

"I don't think that I'm doing anything wrong." Ahad Bhai argued. "Nikah is a good thing. It makes a relationship halal. The sooner it's done, the better." He paused. "Aliya and Laiba are completely helpless. I'll marry Aliya and..."

"What else?" My father asked, wearily.

"Laiba... Laiba will be moving in here temporarily." Ahad Bhai said, sheepishly. "Just until she gets back on her feet." 

I immediately glanced at Fawad, wide eyed. His jaw was clenched, his hands curled in fists.

"You want to bring that girl into our house? The one who slapped our sister?" Arhaan Bhai stood up, his voice rising along with him.

"Yes, because everything's always about Jasmina!" Ahad Bhai spoke bitterly.

I blinked, stung. He'd already said this to me, but each time he said it, it hurt more.

"Laiba cannot move into this house, I'm sorry." My father said, firmly.

"Papa, I'm marrying Aliya, and Laiba's her only family. If Jasmina keeps her distance, there won't be any more issues."

How much more could I tolerate my own brother's hurtful words?

"Are you actually saying that Jasmina shouldn't come here?" My mother looked furious.

Papa stood up. "With whose authority are you saying that Jasmina shouldn't come to her own parents' house?" In a typical father posture, he clasped his hands behind his back as he stared Ahad Bhai down. "You want an unknown girl to move in here, but my daughter can't come here?" 

"Laiba isn't unknown. She'll be my sister-in-law." Ahad Bhai had the audacity to defend Laiba. I couldn't believe that this was reality. It seemed like a nightmare. What was wrong with him?

"I've heard enough. Mina, I think we should leave." Fawad was fighting to control his temper. "Uncle, I came here out of respect for you and Aunty, but Ahad has already crossed his limits repeatedly."

"Fawad, one second, beta." Papa said, before turning back to Ahad Bhai. "In my lifetime, nobody can stop my daughter from coming here. You can make decisions regarding your marriage, but you can't make decisions on who has the right to stay in this house. I'm still alive for this." 

"I don't know what's gotten into you, Ahad." Ammi said. "But this is unacceptable behaviour." 

I got up an walked over to Fawad. "Let's go." I couldn't stop the tears from escaping my eyes.

"Jasmina, come here." Papa called me. I walked over to him, and he wrapped his arms around me. "We can't stop you from getting married tomorrow, Ahad, but Laiba will not move into this house."

"Why the hell does everything always become about her?! This is my life, my decision, and even now I have to consider her! Why did you guys even call her here?" 

Wordlessly, Fawad held out his hand towards me, and I freed myself from my father's arm. The second I placed my hand in my husband's hand, he strode out of the house, taking me along with him. I knew that he was furious, and that if we had stayed in there a moment longer, he would have punched Ahad Bhai or something.

"Beta, wait!" My parents came after us.

"Don't go like this!" Ammi was crying. "Fawad, I'm sorry that you had to witness all that, but don't take her away like that." 

"We will deal with Ahad." Papa added. "Just don't leave upset."

"Uncle, Aunty." Fawad took a deep breath before he continued. "I don't blame you both. But you know that Jasmina's not just your daughter or their sister anymore, and as her husband, I cannot tolerate anyone insulting or humiliating her. I know, Uncle, that it's your house and that she'll always be welcome here, but how can she stay here after everything that Ahad had said? She also has her own self-respect. She doesn't need all this."

Papa patted his shoulder. "At least we're relieved that she has such a supportive husband. Alhumdulillah." 

"I'll always support her, Uncle." Fawad promised. "And Aunty, don't worry. I'll take good care of her. I know she's hurt right now, but I'm right by her side. You don't need to worry about her."

I hugged my parents and then got into the car. Fawad closed my door and walked over to the driver's side.

As we drove off, I cried hard, and he held my hand as much as he could while driving.

*

The next morning, Arhaan Bhai and Sadia Bhabi paid us a visit. 

"Jazzy, beta, I'm so sorry about what happened." Bhai spoke after we were seated in the living room. "You should know that you're always welcome there. It's your house as well."

"I know, Bhai." I smiled weakly at him. "His words hurt, but he can't keep me away from my parents' house."

Bhai and Bhabi exchanged a look, as if silently deciding on how to give us a bad news.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worriedly.

"Ahad went through with the Nikah." Bhai sounded weary. "Ammi and Papa had work, but they said that Sadia and I should attend. Apparently, according to Ammi, Ahad has just gone astray, and we don't want to do anything to push him further away from us."

I had been looking forward to Ahad Bhai's wedding for so long, and I didn't even get a chance to attend. Bhai didn't even want me there! Once again, a tear escaped my eye.

"Listen," Bhai got up and crouched down on the floor in front of me, staring at me gently. "I know that you're hurt, but I saw a glimpse of our brother in there today, Jazzy. He asked about you. Despite everything that happened, he asked why you didn't come. He looked almost pained at your absence." 

"Pained? He didn't invite me." 

"It was an invitation yesterday." He said. "He didn't specifically invite me either, but we went because siblings don't need invitation to weddings. Not in our family, anyway."

"According to him, I'm not even a part of that family anymore." I rolled my eyes.

"Arguments don't change the fact that we're related by blood."

"Why are you even defending him?!" I asked, incredulously.

"Jazzy, do you trust me?" Arhaan Bhai asked me after a few seconds.

I nodded.

"I saw the look in his eyes when he realised that you weren't there." He spoke calmly and softly, the tone of a paediatrician, as Ammi always said about him. "And that's when I decided that he needs our help. He's not a bad person; he's just gone down the wrong path. But he's still our brother, Jazzy. He still adores the hell out of you." 

"Clearly."

Bhai stood up. "I'm not asking you to forgive him, Jazzy. I'm just asking you to help me by getting him to realise his mistakes. You'll see, he'll be the one apologising to you, eventually."

I looked at Fawad, who had been quiet this entire time, and then at Bhabi, who looked anxious.

"If you don't want to, I understand." My brother said. "I just want to sort things out with my family, that's all." 

I trusted Arhaan Bhai blindly. He was the most responsible, the most sensible sibling out of the three of us. If he was asking me to do this, I had to go along with it.

I looked at Fawad again. "You okay with this?" 

"This is your decision, Mina." He replied, leaning back on the sofa, arms crossed over his chest.

"I'd rather know your opinion."

He looked at me, then up at Arhaan Bhai. "If Mina does this, make sure that he doesn't cross his limits again. If he hurts her one more time, I can't promise you that I won't beat the sh*t out of him."

Arhaan Bhai nodded. "And I won't stop you. But yes, Sadia and I will both make sure that he or his wife doesn't do anything to hurt Jazzy."

I understood where Bhai was coming from; our family had always been very close, and we both hated the thought of it breaking apart. I was just worried about Ahad Bhai's attitude towards me.

"Both of you, come over for dinner in the evening." Bhai said.

"What about Laiba?" I couldn't help asking.

"You heard Papa." Bhai replied. "She's not moving into our house. Ahad will make an alternative arrangement for her."

"I have work in the evening." Fawad shook his head. "I can't come. And honestly, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with Mina being there in my absence. You saw what happened while I was there, and if I'm not there..." 

"Bhai, it's her parents' house." My brother reassured him. "Papa, Ammi, Sadia and I will always be present the entire time. And after you guys left last night, Papa gave Ahad a proper lecture. I don't think he'll ever talk about Jazzy in Papa's presence like that again."

Fawad looked at me, concerned. I gave him a reassuring smile in return, even though I felt uncertain myself.

"I'll be fine." I was trying to convince both him and myself.

*

MATURE SCENE

"I don't like this." Fawad told me as he got ready for work.

"You don't trust your childhood best friend?" I asked him teasingly, even as anxiety made me feel nauseated. I grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Let me be a cliché wife and do up the buttons for you." 

He smiled, dropping his hands to his side. "Go ahead."

Our gazes remained locked as I slowly buttoned up his shirt, taking my time with each one.

"How the hell can you make buttoning up a shirt look so sexy?" He asked.

My cheeks warmed and I dropped my gaze. "My fingers brushed the skin of his stomach as I reached the bottom, and just the light touch sent my entire body into frenzy.

He put his hands on my hips, moving me closer. I slid my hands up to his chest, over his shoulders, before clasping them behind his neck. Leaning up, I kissed the corner of his mouth. I'd barely moved my mouth away when he turned his head slightly, so that our lips met in a kiss that almost made me moan.

He guided us back to the bed without breaking the kiss. Buttoning up his shirt had been completely pointless, because within seconds, I was unbuttoning it again, wanting to feel his bare torso underneath my fingers.

My entire body felt like it was on fire, as he planted kisses all over my neck and shoulders. He tugged on my kameez and I took it off, laying in front of him in my bra and shalwar. He traced a finger over my stomach, reminding me briefly of the potentially life-changing fact, before he started kissing me there and taking my thoughts as far away from reality as possible. I giggled as his stubble tickled the soft skin of my midriff.

He moved back up and then we were kissing again. When it came to getting intimate, we kept it simple and I liked it like this. Rather than feeling lusty, when we were together, I felt completely and totally in love. He made me feel like he was completely and totally in love with me as well.

It was so strange doing this with the light of the day still pouring through the windows. But all logical thoughts drifted out of my mind as he made love to me, being as gentle as possible.

I dug my fingers into his back as I lost the battle of control of my body to my desires and pleasure. I am his, I am completely his, and he's mine. No stupid dream of mine means anything. We belong together, and he is in my destiny. It was written from the beginning, but we just didn't realise it sooner.

We lay back in each other's arms a while later.

"Main aapse bohat mohabbat karti hoon." I whispered.

*"I love you."

"Main bhi tumse bohat mohabbat karta hoon, Mina." He ran his fingers through my hair, with his other arm folded beneath his head.

*"I love you too, Mina."

"Kaam pe nahin jaana?" I lifted my head up and stared up at him.

*"Don't you have to go to work?" 

He nodded. "Plan to yehi tha ke tumhain chodh ke, Arhaan se thodi dair gap shap mar ke chala jaaon ga, laikin ab time nahin hai. Tumhe chodh ke bas chala jaaon ga kaam pe." He grinned at me. "Sab tumhara kasoor hai."

*"I planned on dropping you off, and chatting with Arhaan for a bit, but now I don't have the time. I'll just drop you off and leave for work."
"This is all your fault."

"Mera kasoor kaise?" I widened my eyes, innocently. "You are the one who took things further."

*"How's this my fault?"

"You're a seductress."

"And how did I seduce you? By buttoning up your shirt?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You have no idea, jaan." He kissed my forehead. "Tumhain zara bhi andaza nahin hai ke tumhari har choti se choti baat mujhpe kitna asar karti hai."

*"You have no idea how even the smallest thing about you affects me."

I smiled, placing my hand over his stomach and resting my head back against his chest. "We should go." 

"Unfortunately, yes." He sighed. "Bu take your set of keys for the flat. If things deteriorate, just come back here. You don't have to tolerate anything just because he's your elder brother." 

"I know." I sat up. To be honest, I was actually a little more concerned about facing a smug Laiba, than I was about facing Ahad Bhai.

*

We showered and then headed for my parents' house. On the way, I decided to tell him about the dream.

He scoffed. "Me and Laiba? Jaan, you know that can only be a conjured fantasy of the mind, and never a reality again."

"I felt like everyone wanted me out of the way to get their happily ever after." 

"In my case, my happily ever after is with you, not without you, Mina. Certainly not with that Laiba." He glanced quickly at me, before turning back to the road. "You aren't still insecure about me and her, right?"

I shook my head and replied with sincerity. "Of course not. I just don't know how you ended up with her. You're you, and she's just vile."

"Allah plans our lives a certain way, Mina. We go through things that act as life lessons for us, and that is what my relationship with Laiba was about. I learnt exactly what true love isn't, thanks to her." 

"Why are you so wise?" I frowned at him. "It's not fair. You know, considering the 'what's mine is yours' rule, can I have some of your wisdom?"

He laughed. "You're such a weirdo, jaan."

"Mind it, doctor." I warned him. "Otherwise I'll tell Arhaan Bhai on you." 

"That dork is going to support me."

"Hey! Don't call him a dork!" I lightly slapped his arm.

"Astaghfirullah! No respect for your husband!" He shook his head in mock disapproval.

"You have to earn respect!" I giggled.

"As a husband, shouldn't I automatically get respect?" He winked at me, playfully.

"Get lost." I turned away from him and he laughed again.

Despite our joking around, I had an incredible amount of respect for him, and not just because he was my husband. I respected him as a person in general, because of how good he was. Ma Sha Allah.

Honestly speaking, I'm guilty of being one of the girls who were attracted to the bad boy types, but I've long come to the realisation that those guys were only suited for fiction. In reality, you would want someone loving, caring, respectful and kind.

As he pulled up outside my parents' house, he turned to me. "Take care, okay?" There was concern in his eyes as he lifted up my hand to his mouth.

"Don't worry about me. I'm tougher than I look." I smiled reassuringly.

"Not when it comes to family." He brushed kisses across my knuckles. "I know how much Ahad has hurt you." 

I glanced towards the house. "Well, I guess I better go inside and meet my new Bhabi."

*

Ahad has well and truly crossed his limits, but will he soon realise his mistakes?

How will the first meeting with the new Bhabi go?

Favourite part?

Thoughts and comments?

Thank you for reading and don't forget to vote!