4
"Bienvenue à la maison madame." Said the lady standing in front of Shahwar as she entered her new house. The woman was definitely a year or two older than her.
(Welcome home madam.)
She was in Paris, France. The flight had been as silent as the first night after her marriage.
It did feel too overwhelming and tiring to her now.
Everything that had happened. Her return from Barcelona to Karachi and then the wedding, then again a long flight to Paris. She badly wanted to rest.
"Fais-lui visiter la maison plus tard. Emmène-la dans sa chambre." Rehaan said to the woman.
(Show her around the house later. Take her to her room for now.)
"Je veux seulement dormir, pour l'instant." Dur e Shahwar told the lady, who passed her a quick smile but the words left Rehaan in shock. He hadn't expected her to speak French.
(I only want to sleep for now.)
"This is Ms Isabel, she's the one in charge of housekeeping." He finally said not looking at her.
"Hm." She nodded mostly to herself.
Isabel started walking towards a direction which led to a staircase and Shahwar followed her up and saw the floor, there was a huge door on the left and before Isabel could take her to her room Shahwar opened the door she saw believing it to be her room and went inside.
It was a massive room with proper French colors and furniture.
Though rest of the house was too modern but this room was more beautiful than the entire place she'd seen till now.
Shahwar smiled and tried to check the doors inside for a bathroom.
There were doors to a terrace which she didn't need to check, then for a walk in closet and then she found the one for the bathroom.
Taking a shower she changed into the bathrobe inside the bathroom.
She went out to see if her luggage was settled into the closet, but before she could do that her phone started buzzing and she went towards the bed to check where she'd left it.
Her stepmother was calling but she didn't want to speak.
She knew it was basically her father who was the reason behind that call and she wouldn't go back on her words about never contacting him again.
She kept on looking at the phone as it blinked its screen and sat on the bed.
Few minutes later Dur e Shahwar was in a half lying position fast asleep on the bed.
The bedroom door opened and Rehaan entered the room.
Before anything else he saw his wife asleep in his bathrobe which was clearly too big for her, on his bed in his bedroom.
He lifted her legs slowly up that were hanging down from the bed to the floor and placed them on the bed. He took the phone from her fingers that were ready to let it fall anytime and put it on the side table.
"How can someone doze off without even lying down straight?
" He whispered to himself. It was annoying him how he had not slept the night earlier because she took his bed and now again she was on his bed.
He was sure she hadn't eaten anything too because he was the core eye witness to the entire time they'd spent traveling.
Walking out of the bedroom he called Isabel and asked her why she didn't take her to her own room.
"Je l'emmenais dans la chambre mais elle est entrée dans la v?tre et j'ai pensé que tu lui avais dit d'y aller." Isabel explained with a sorry face.
(I was taking her to the room but she went inside yours and then I thought that you told her to go there.)
Shaking his head he went back inside and changed his clothes after a shower.
She was still sleeping when he came out.
Rehaan wondered if he should ask her to go to her room or take the other room as his now.
This was his room, he had specifically got it designed for himself but it would sound so petty if he'd tell her to take another room for herself. He wasn't liking this one bit.
Shahwar's eyes opened and she saw Rehaan sitting on the big couch opposite to the bed. First she narrowed her eyes trying to figure out what was happening and then she sat up looking for her phone. She realized she had fallen asleep in the bathrobe and stood up to get her clothes.
She went inside the closet and came out wearing her usual light pink soft fabric shorts and top set.
It was almost night as it appeared to be from the terrace glass doors but Rehaan was still sitting on the couch using his phone.
She found it utterly bizarre. "Aap souyengay nahi?
" Her curiosity had taken over looking at him.
(Will you not sleep?)
He looked up at her, "Bed milega toh hi souyega koi." He had said it to himself in the lowest voice sarcastically.
(When the bed will be available only then someone can sleep.)
"Hmm?" Shahwar came closer to the couch looking at him.
"After dinner." He stood up towering over in front of her small figure and walked towards the door to leave.
Then it hit him. Had it been that she thought they'd be in the same room?
He recalled the conversation they had in his office and he hadn't clarified about being in separate rooms to her.
He could've just made a PowerPoint presentation for the terms and regulations for the marriage for clarification purposes.
"Tum khana nahi khaogi?" He turned holding the door open.
(Will you not eat?)
"Khaongi." She smiled and walked out as if he had held the door open for her. Rehaan helplessly rolled his eyes watching her go down the stairs casually.
(I will.)
She roamed around for a while unable to find the dining table but then Rehaan came down the stairs and she walked to wherever he was going behind him.
The dining space had a semi open view from the kitchen and she sat down feeling truly starved.
She wanted to eat as much as she could when the food was being served by the house help.
She filled up her plate in the most overloaded way and busied herself with finishing everything.
She'd been too hungry to even look at what Rehaan was doing.
Staring at her. He ate with adding small proportions to his plate slowly whereas she was doing the exact opposite.
After finishing the dinner she saw fruits being brought to the table all cut into small pieces, and she excitedly started eating them not once glancing at her husband who sat looking at her in shock.
He saw the tiny person sitting beside him, whose body was smaller than half his own size gulping food down her throat with such effortless enthusiasm and felt his attention completely focused on her.
She was done eating the fruits and then wanted to have tea.
Since the kitchen was quite visible to her she got up and moved there taking a good look around.
This was one thing she enjoyed. Being inside the kitchen.
Two people were working inside and she passed them a small smile asking them for a kettle.
When they told her they'd get the tea ready for her she insisted that she'd do it herself.
"Shahwar?" Rehaan called her from behind entering the kitchen. The two workers left immediately at his arrival.
She turned around from the kettle on the stove, "Yeah?"
"We have a reception party at the house tomorrow and day after tomorrow we have to leave for a countryside meet up with some more people." He stood right in front of her.
"Okay." She nodded.
"These people didn't get to attend the wedding which is why I've held these events for them." He continued.
"Hmm, okay. You want tea?" She asked plainly.
He wasn't able to digest the fact that she was not asking anything about the two events and was conveniently just making tea unbothered by everything. Any other woman might have created a fuss over not knowing before or not wanting to interact with people.
"No. I'm going upstairs." He turned around and went straight to the bedroom.