50
"Why aren't you eating?" Rehaan paused his own breakfast and looked at his wife who was staring at the plate with much distaste. "You didn't have breakfast yesterday as well Shahwar, why have you been skipping meals?"
"I don't like this." She replied without looking at him.
"Jaan, then we'll have that made what you want to have for breakfast."
Shahwar was feeling like she had gotten the ick from all the things at the table, she knew if she told Rehaan that she didn't want to even look at food he would make her finish the food like the master Kazmi he was.
She stood up and went to his side of the table where he sat, "Rehaan." Her sweetest voice came with a small smile knowing there was no other way out if she wanted to skip the food.
"Kya hua?" He looked at her with surprise not understanding what made her suddenly come up to him.
(What happened?)
Shahwar started to bat her lashes at him and then sat on his lap, "Don't go today."
"Huh?" He was startled for a moment.
"Take me to the bedroom." She snuggled her face into his chest.
"Oh, toh woh wala mood hai aaj jaan ka." He teased kissing her head.
(Oh, so my love is in that sort of mood today.)
She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes at him, "Jee nahi. Aisa koi mood nahi hai mera."
(No. I'm not in any such mood.)
Rehaan lifted her in his arms and started walking towards the staircase, "But now I'm already too ready."
Shahwar clung to him closing her eyes, she'd been feeling so annoyed with everything for no reason lately that she didn't even want to explain, "You'll skip work today right?" She still asked for confirmation.
"Happily. You're the one who forces me to go there everyday." He was shocked at her request today though. Every single morning she would make him go to work not sparing a single day even if he wanted to stay back.
It had been four months since they had returned from Barcelona, they had celebrated their wedding anniversary in Paris, for which Rehaan had gifted her a massive cafe to run at the most famous spot for eating in the city.
After which Rehaan had taken her for their long due honeymoon to Netherlands, because his wife loved flowers and the country basically had fields of tulips of all colors.
There was nothing that Dur e Shahwar Kazmi would wish for and Rehaan Kazmi wouldn't make it happen for her.
She had been never this content and cherished in her entire life.
Even his parents had visited them for their anniversary and had brought too many gifts for Shahwar.
Rehaan had already told her that his parents had always been the emotionally distant kind and they'd never express their feelings openly.
Both him and Iraj were raised with the same emotional capacity by them and which is why they both were never really able to grasp human expression of desires and sentiments with much depth at times. But, Rehaan had learned now.
"Rehaan?" They were almost close to the bedroom door.
"Yes jaan." He entered the bedroom and walked towards the bed.
"Nothing." Shahwar decided not to say anything.
His brows furrowed looking at her as he placed her on the bed adjusting the pillow for her back, "Nashta kyun nahi karna hai?"
(Why don't you want to have breakfast?)
"I just want to lie down. But I don't want to be alone." She extended both her arms for him to come to her.
He instantly inclined his body towards her and rested his head on her chest, "You can't skip meals Shahwar."
"I love you." Shahwar brushed her fingers through his hair and rested her chin over his head.
"This is blackmailing." He slowly tilted his head upward to look at her face.
"You didn't say it back." Without any warning tears flooded her eyes and Rehaan's face turned pale.
"Jaan—please no, I love you, I love you so much, has something happened?" She rubbed her eyes and pushed his hands back every time he tried to touch her face.
"I don't want to talk to you." She sobbed softly, "You think I'm—"
"No, no, I am asking if I have done something? I'm a dumb idiot who always does something stupid." He couldn't believe she was crying right now, it had been a long time since that had happened. He had made sure of it. But right now he was cursing himself, "Sorry, I'm sorry."
She stopped sniffing and then held his face in her hands, bending forward a little she kissed his cheek that froze Rehaan in his place.
What was wrong with his wife? He was unable to understand, "Please tell me what's wrong. Your silence makes me go crazy Shahwar."
"I'm fine. There's nothing wrong." She angled his face on her chest to rest properly.
"Are we sure?" He was very unsure.
Shahwar nodded and pressed another kiss on his forehead and then one on his lips which made Rehaan's expression change all of a sudden.
Shahwar started playing with the ring her husband had gotten for her, which he had wanted to discard because he thought it was not pretty enough to match his wife, so she had forcefully made him give it back to her, and now it was on her left ring digit.
She rotated it around while Rehaan kept on staring at his wife unable to even blink for a moment.
He moved his head up and sat up straight taking his blazer off, throwing it over the couch and then moved back to where she was, placing his face on her sternum, "I love you, so much." Shahwar was still focused on her ring looking at it intently while he laid over her.
Rehaan started pressing kisses into her neckline and then after a few minutes he looked back at her and she smiled softly at him, "Jaan, can we do other things too?"
She gave a low sigh not showing any sign of interest, "Okay."
Rehaan grinned at first and then noticed his wife's face which would always go completely flushed and red whenever he'd say something like that, but not today. "Okay?"
She nodded, "Okay."
This was definitely not okay. Now this was very alarming, "Shahwar, look at me." He placed hands on both sides of her small face. "It's okay to say no too meri jaan."
"Rehaan." He cuddled further into her arms and closed his eyes, "I am not uncomfortable."
"But it didn't seem like it."
"I'm—"
"Don't say that you're fine." He shook his head lightly over her chest.
"You never make me uncomfortable, never Rehaan. I know I can say no when I want to, but I don't want to." She argued with him, another very unusual thing to happen with Shahwar.
"Will you eat fruits, at least just a few?" He tried his luck with making her have breakfast.
"Don't go anywhere today." He moved away and stood up the moment she said that. "Mat jayen please Rehaan."
(Don't go please Rehaan.)
He was about to go to the dressing room and turned around at the sound of her almost nearing cry, "Shahwar only two minutes, I'll change my clothes and be back."
When she didn't speak and sniffed back her tears he walked back to the bed. He laid down the same way he had been before over her and closed his eyes, "You're worrying me now Shahwar. Whatever it is, just tell me already." He was speaking with his eyes shut.
Soon after she had drifted into deep sleep along with Rehaan who had fallen asleep in his work clothes.
Two hours later his eyes opened but Shahwar was still fast asleep.
He placed soft kisses on her head and got up without making any movements that would wake her up.
He was going to change his clothes now but Shahwar again moved in her sleep sensing him not being there right away and then sat up on the bed opening her eyes.
"Rehaan." He hurried back towards her but she just smiled at him and shook her head, "Go change, I'm waiting."
"No, no, I just—I'll change later—"
"It's okay, go. I'm waiting." She pushed him to go and blinked at him with a smile.
Rehaan went inside the dressing room and changed into his comfortable shorts, and suddenly a piece of paper fell to the marble floor when he opened the drawer of his watches to place his watch inside it.
Looking at the paper that fell from the drawer he now understood everything that was wrong with his wife today.
"Shahwar? What is this?" He came out holding the paper.
She looked towards the paper in his hands and him then bit her lower lip taking steady breaths to calm herself, "It's, it's—"
"You're pregnant?" It was her report from the hospital.
"I just," She blinked back her tears slowly, "Rehaan, mien apko—"
(Rehaan, I was going to—)
"Bataya kyun nahi?" He was standing there in complete shock and disbelief.
(Why didn't you tell me?)
"I was scared. Are you angry?" She had been dreading it so much since yesterday.
"Why are you scared? Why would I be angry?" He stepped forward, "I'm very upset. Why didn't you take me to the hospital with you jaan? Why did you sit there alone on your own?" He got on the bed and then kissed her forehead multiple times.
"You never talked about the previous pregnancy ever, so I thought you wouldn't want this." Rehaan was shook within mind and body with her words.
"I didn't want to trigger your trauma Shahwar. Why would I not want my own child? Am I that kind of a person to you? Are you still convinced that I'm not a person who can ever love?" He sounded so broken.
"Sorry." She looked at her hands avoiding his eyes and he lunged at her.
"Shahwar." He whined and then pecked her lips, "I'm sorry, but you will not say sorry to me."
"I used to think about it. I think it was going to be a girl last time. But then Allah was unhappy with me so—"
Her words had pierced into his heart tearing it apart, "No. He was not Shahwar. Allah loves you meri jaan. And I love you." He could feel his own tears now. "I want to go to the doctor too. Let's go now." He suddenly got up from the bed.
"You will go without a shirt? In those shorts?" She giggled and Rehaan finally felt peace now.
He jumped back on the bed and kissed both her cheeks with affectionate grunts, "I want to hear that sound all the time." He was talking about her laugh.
"Are you happy Rehaan?"
"Happy? I can forget the whole world if it's something that makes you smile maalik ki jaan. Are you happy? Shahwar, you are okay with this right, you will tell me what you want, there's no—"
"I am. I am happy." She hugged him before he could say more.
He pulled back kissed her nose, "Do you know what I thought when I met you for the first time in my office?"
Her big brown eyes widened with curiosity, "How can I know? You never told me." She shook her head and he chuckled kissing her cheek.
"I thought that the girl who can have any man on earth is sitting in front of me and bearing with my nonsense ready to marry me, Shahwar, I'd be lying if I said you weren't the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.
Now you're not just that, but you're the only one I see, I can't seem to see anything beyond you.
" Rehaan wanted to lose himself in her eyes.
"I'm not that pretty." She shyly pressed her lips into a thin line.
"Pretty? Your beauty can dull the diamonds on earth, Shahwar Kazmi. And well, I'll have two Shahwars now, I'm surpassing my own happiness at the moment." His wife was blushing profusely.
"Let's go back to sleep." She lied down again and stretched her arms out for him to lie down as well. He did whatever she wanted anyway and now was no different than any other day either. He laid down holding her.
"Now you know who is the ghulaam and who is the maalik?" He asked.
"Go to sleep maalik." She kissed him.
Their epilogue is worth it.??
I'm so biased with my love for these two.
Whoever will end up reading rest of my books will know that Rehaan and his adorable wifey, Shahwar Kazmi are undeniably my best written couple.
I've done a variety of descriptions for each of my books and the characters, I've tried not to bring too many similarities amongst them, but I've literally invested my soul into The Stake.