۰۵

Azlan's mother had once told him how Hawwa was made out of Adam's left rib. Every woman was made out of the left rib of a man, right by his heart.

He wondered if that's why his heart started beating fast whenever he was around Zyva. Was she was afterall a piece of his being? Was she his soulmate?

He was never one to believe in such fantastical outlandish concepts. To him, marriage was nothing more than a necessity to live life by. Get married, have kids, take care of the kids and maybe just maybe fall in love eventually. Not that he hadn't seen happy marriages filled with love. His parents were a living testament to the very notion.

It was just that he couldn't ever imagine himself falling in love, he couldn't procure thinking about one person constantly that they are all you can even dream of. But, Zyva Qureshi was breaking everything he had built his mind on. He was experiencing everything he had sworn not to ever indulge in.

Seeing her sleep on the leather couch in his office made him smile unconsciously. His fingers itching to touch her skin, to tuck back the fleeting strand of hair that had fallen on her nose. He hated seeing her cry and the faint streaks of tear marks only caused him to reel back his fists in discomfort.

Having enough of fighting his useless restraint, he walked towards her, covering her body with his blazer the most he could, he kneeled down, softly rubbing her cheeks with his knuckles as he tucked her hair in. Suddenly his eyes caught her quivering lips as a lone tear slipped out from the confines of her closed lids.

"Zyva.." He gently called out, his thumb rubbing away at the tear, causing it to disappear into her skin. "Are you awake?"

After their grand exit from home, Azlan had gotten Zyva to his office ordering his brother to bring her stuff, but by then she had drifted off on his sofa, curled into a ball. He didn't have the heart to wake her up, so he barely managed to get back to working, checking on her every few minutes.

She fluttered her eyes open as unshed tears clung to her long lashes, her eyes rimmed red. Her plump lips quivering a lot more intensely this time around.

"Why are you so upset, sweetheart?" Azlan murmured helplessly as he continued swiping at the tears that were leaking out of eyes like a faucet.

"I-I just want to cry. I don't know why but i am getting a bad feeling." She almost whimpered, breathless from the turmoil boiling within her.

"Who are you getting this bad feeling from? Tell me." Azlan frowned, brushing her hair back.

"Pata nahi..."

(I don't know)

"There must be.. wait—Is it me? Am i the one who is making you feel like this? Are you uncomfortable?" A bucket of cold water dropped on his head as he withdrew his hands from her body.

Zyva simply shook her head, not even meeting his gaze, as she sat up straight on the sofa. This action only fuelled his fears of what was upsetting her. Of course, it was him. He was doing a terrible job at being a good husband.

"I—I.." Zyva began, as she tried putting to words what was going through her head, but Azlan cut her to it. Abruptly getting up from the ground, refusing to make eye contact with her, he walked back to his desk.

"It's okay. I understand. Do you want to visit your home? Of course you do. I think that would definitely make you feel better."

"Huh?" Apparently Zyva's questioning 'huh' sounded more like a typical answering "haan" which meant yes, because it broke Azlan's very existence as he sat down, his forehead bunching in tension at the failure of being a husband.

"I will drop you in a while then. Let me just wrap up my work."

Zyva was rendered speechless. Was he finally tired of her? Was it why he was telling her to go back to her home? There was no way she would have him drop her off, like he was doing her a favour. She had more self respect than that.

"I-its okay. I will go by myself." She got up, confused and angered by his behaviour, discreetly glaring at him, she expected him to stop her. But obviously he didn't, instead he nodded her way, avoiding eye contact.

"Take the driver with you."

Not sparing him another glance, Zyva stormed out. Her heart so heavy, why was she expecting this burnt toast of a man to show any compassion towards her. Such a bullcrap. One second he was all protective and cuddly and the next he was withdrawn and abhorrent.

Why was she even crying? She herself had no idea! She hated feeling so many things. Things for him, the one person she was sure she hated. She hated how her heart melted into a pool of honey at his actions and words today. Why was their marriage so complicated?

"Ammar!" Zyva screeched as soon as her brother in law picked up his phone. "Kahan mare pade ho tum?"

(Where have you died?)

"Oye, Kya ho gaya hai! Itna gussa kyu ho?" He questioned already curious at her alarming tone.

(What has happened? So much anger?)

"Tumhare bhai ki harkatein hi waisi hai! Accha suno, I am going to your apartment, you still keep your keys in the milk box no?"

"Ya, but why are you going to my apartment? I haven't been there in months. It will be dirty."

Ammar had an apartment just towards the outskirts of the city, close to the university he was doing his Masters from. His parents didn't want him to travel to and from everyday because the commuting itself took hours. But, alas he had never actually used it as he enjoyed being over home rather than in the apartment. Zyva herself had only been there once or twice.

"Mai clean karne jaa rahi hoon. Gande saandh jaise to tum rehte ho. Don't you dare tell anyone i am going to your apartment. I will slap you so hard that your next four generations will feel the effects of it." Zyva threatened as she hailed a cab to the apartment.

(I am going to clean it. You live like a dirty buffalo)

"Oye dhamki kisko de rahi ho? Mai bhi maarunga phir."

(Who are you threatening? I will also hit you)

"Mujhe maaroge tum? Tumhare jallad bhai ki biwi ko maaroge?"

(You will hit me? The wife of your beastly brother?)

That instantly shut him up as he murmured silent curses at her.

"Leave all that, I will drop you off, where are you?"

"No no, i am already in the cab. I'll call you to pick me up." Zyva replied eyeing the roads that were nearly empty leading to the highway.

"Okay. Be careful, theek hai? Call me once you reach."

"Accha na Ammu, bhuddi amma nahi bano tum. Rakho phone bye!"

____

It was around 11 in the night when Azlan finally finished his work. Meetings after meetings piled him up, enough to distract his mind off his little wife. Although that also seemed futile most times, because he found himself zoning out in split seconds, the teary face of Zyva Qureshi flashing before his eyes.

He wanted to text her or even call her. Just talk to her to calm his mind, but what if she didn't want to talk to him? Dare he say he missed her already.

Walking down to his car, he was shocked to see his driver leaning against it, scrolling something on his phone.

"Naushad, You should have gone home after dropping Zyva. It's quite late, your wife must be waiting for you." Azlan asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Azlan Sahab, Zyva Ma'am ko to maine nahi drop kiya kahi bhi. I am here only from afternoon." The driver replied straightening as he pocketed his phone.

"What?!" Azlan's eyes widened in puzzlement and slight fear upon hearing this new piece of information. Dismissing his driver, Azlan sat down in his car as he dialed his sister in law's number hoping to at least know that Zyva was at home safely.

"Salam, Farwah Jaan" Azlan chimed trying to hide his nervous from the overly curious teenager.

"Salam, Bhaiya! What happened? You have called me so late. Are you and Didi okay?" As soon as he heard this his blood turned cold and his forehead bunched in tension. That meant Zyva hadn't gone home. Shit!

"Yes yes, Jaani everyone is okay. I dialled your number by mistake. Sorry. I'll call you later okay? Khuda Hafiz" Hurriedly cutting the call, Azlan now dialled Zyva's number. She didn't pick up at all, before her phone went unreachable.

"Fuck Fuck Fuck!" Azlan screamed slapping at his steering, wondering where she had gone. Maybe she had gone back to their house. He desperately hoped she did.

Dialling his brother's number he waited almost not breathing until he picked up. He hurriedly asked him about her whereabouts. He was bound to know it! Ammar and Zyva were the two shits of the same pod.

And fortunately enough he did know. The reply that his brother gave caused fury to rush through his veins. Fucking Idiots his brother and wife were.

"Ohh Zyva. She wanted to go to my apartment, to clean it she said. She still hasn't returned though, i thought she was with you."

"Ammar! You better not appear before me when i come home or i swear on everything that you love, I will literally kill you. How could you let her go all the way to your apartment alone, you dipshit! Do you not realise how fucking dangerous that area is?!" Azlan screamed, turning over in the intersection leading to Ammar's apartment as he continued screaming at the poor boy.

Azlan had never felt so helpless and angered with himself than he felt at the moment. He hated how she refused to inform him about her location. He hated that he had pushed her away from himself. Driving in full speed, he covered the distance that would normally take two and a half hours in one hour.

Marching up the building, he swiftly pushed the key to Ammar's  apartment and opening it! He thanked the lords that he hadn't removed it from his wallet. Walking in his breath hitched in his throat looking at Zyva curled up on the small couch, a bedsheet over her lap and a few snacks lying around. The tv playing a bollywood rom com. Locking the door behind him, Azlan slumped to his knees in exhaustion, buring his eyelids in the heels of his palms. She was safe. She was safe and it was all that mattered.

"Azlan... is that you?" He didn't know for how long he sat there breathing heavily like that, but her sleepy voice broke him out of his reverie.

He refused to look up as his eyes burned with anger.  He could feel her soft steps towards him as she sat down on her knees. Before he knew her dainty arms were wrapped around his broad frame, his face buried in her neck. Azlan was scared of these feelings he had developed for her, of this protectiveness. Because he knew feeling anything for Zyva Qureshi was ruinous. She was a hurricane that would wreck everything and everyone. And he also knew he would let her do it to him. Let her ruin him.

"Why did you come here without telling me?" Azlan softly questioned, clenching his fists tightly as he breathed down her neck.

"I was angry with you..."Zyva feebly answered back as she tightened her arms around his body, fearing if she let him go he would scream at her.

"Do you even how scared I was when I got to know you weren't at your parents home?"

"I..I am sorry. I just didn't want to go home. Not mine, not yours."

"You could've still told me, Zyva! My mind was racing a thousand miles per hour. I just couldn't stop thinking if you were alright." He murmured, detaching himself from her, finally looking into her eyes.

"I thought you didn't want me around anymore, you were sending me to my parent's house. I didn't want to go..I wanted to be with...you." She nervously whispered, her hands shaking in tremors.

Azlan's red rimmed eyes softened, as his shoulders slumped, if only they would've communicated this out. He should've not jumped to conclusions. Gently taking her fervid hands in his, he rubbed them between his palms, trying to restore the warmth.

"I know, our relationship from the beginning has been rocky. I know I am far from being the ideal husband you deserve. But, I want to try to be better. I want you to be comfortable enough with me to share your woes, your thoughts, your feelings. Ask me to stay and I swear to god I will drop everything just to stay with you, because lately there is nothing more I want than you."

"Why did you ask me to go to my parent's house then? I hated it." Zyva retorted in annoyance, as a soft blush spread through her cheeks at his words.

"I just wanted you to go to your parent's house because you were so disturbed. So sad. You wouldn't tell me what was wrong and I thought it was me being a bad husband. I know you hate me— " He sighed starting to speak again, but she cut him off frowning deeply.

"I don't hate you."

Casting her a weak subdued smile, he continued.

"Well, maybe be close to hate then. Whatever it was made you upset seemed like it was linked to me, so I thought perhaps you'd appreciate not looking at me every day. I just couldn't tolerate your grief and I couldn't tolerate myself around you because I felt helpless to not make it better."

"Shut up!" Zyva screamed furiously once he was done talking, she didn't like how he spoke such honey swirling words that made heart go loopy. How dare he think she hated him? Maybe she did in the past but right now, there was no hate for him at all. She didn't just spend the entire day listening to sad atif aslam songs and deep cleaning Ammar's apartment. She totally didn't look at their "honeymoon" pictures and cried her heart out everytime she saw him smile and she obviously didn't come to the realisation that she might be falling for her husband. The spawn of satan. AZLAN FRICKING SIKANDAR.

She pulled the back of his neck with her arms, tugging him towards her. He obviously wasn't ready when she planted her lips against his warm and firm. And before she knew she had pulled back gasping as she covered her mouth in horror. What had she done?

She hurried backwards, about to get up and leave, when Azlan pulled her by her arm, their chests clashing as he covered her lips with his. His fingers tangling into her hair pulling it back as he deepened the kiss. Initially unsure, Zyva began responding slowly, pulling herself closer to him as she placed her hands on either sides of his cheeks.

After a while, Zyva pulled away, drawing in deep breaths as she leaned her forehead against his. Eyes closed. Azlan's fingers traced her glistening lips as his eyes filled with adoration for his wife. He didn't know kissing someone could make him feel like he had the world in his palms. And it literally did.

His world was in his palms. Her face.

____

hi guysss, mujhe shy aara hai btw. I have never written such an intense scene before, so ya agar thoda bekaar laga to forgive.

please do comment and vote, it legitimately makes my day!

(also also, this story is probably going be the last in this book until a few good months because the engagement has dropped soo much that it feels like i am writing for the "silent readers", which is fine tbh because i myself am one, I prefer reading without commenting. but now i am planning to put it on hold and focus on my other books which are incomplete! So ya, i probably think another 2-3 chaps revealing the reason why Zyva's groom ran away and why Azlan has two broken engagements! happy reading you guyss!)

Stay Safe byee!

~flawfully