Chapter 8

• Fiza's POV:
• "Fiza, Ami wants to talk to you." Ehtesham said coming into the room. I quickly put the pillow back on the bed and took the phone from him.
• 'Assalam o Allaikum Ami.''Wallaikum Assalam beta, how are you?'
• 'I am fine Alhamdulillah. How about you and Papa?'
• I glanced at Ehtesham and found him looking through my bookshelves. I rolled my eyes when he took out the book which I wanted to remove from the shelf but forgot.
• 'Fiza? Are you there?' I turned my attention back on call.
• 'Ji? Ji I am here.' 
• 'We will talk later on your phone. Ehtesham must be getting late for office. Allah Hafiz.'
• 'Allah Hafiz.'
• "I didn't know you into such things?" He said waving the book 'Fifty shades of Grey' as soon as I ended the call.
• "You don't know many things about me, Mr. Ehtesham Ghori and I am not into this type of garbage." I stomped towards him to return his phone.
• "That's why you had the whole series?" He smirked.
• "It was my friend's way of teasing me. I never read it." I give him his phone.
• "Than why you still have it?" 
• "Why are you asking?"
• "Just increasing my information about my wife." He shrugged 
• "Why suddenly become so interested in your wife?" I mocked.
• "I want to see how many faces you are hiding behind this face of yours." He pointed his index finger to my face.
• Idiot!
• "I only have one face Mr Ehtesham.  It's not my fault that you are blind." I said with a clenched jaw,  "and besides, I never dirty my mind by reading and watching such stuff. Maybe that's why I know my limits and unlike someone didn't have any lover or boyfriend in my entire life." I said grinding my teeth.
• "And you are referring to?" He glared at me.
• "None!" I stared back in his eyes. 
• I know he got the point, the deep frown on his forehead is the prove. I was pointing towards his lover.
• "Don't you dare to disrespect Sania ever."
• "Sania?... Sania who?" I pretend not to know his lover's name. He clenched his jaw tight and left the room without saying anything.
• I squeezed my eyes shut and open again. It was not my nature to say such hateful things but I hate when people judge me. I already have enough of this judgmental behaviour of others and I don't have the stamina to endure more of this.
• ~*~
• "So, how is your married life going? Any progress with your husband?" Qudsia asked as she takes a seat on the dining table beside me.
• Qudsia and I were best friends friend since our pre-school, which continues to college, university and even now after both of us got married. Her marriage was four months before mine and Alhamdulillah she is spending a happy married life. It has been a while since we met so I came for a visit because both kids left early today with their Mamo and Ehtesham left after our bickering,  cursing me as much as he can. So I am free for today. 
• "What sort of progress are you expecting from our bogus relation?" I threw back a question at her taking a piece of cucumber in my mouth.
• "Marriage is not bogus. It is genuine as any other relation of life. You are just not trying hard."
• "Well! I don't want to try at all." I shrugged.
• "And why is that?"
• "I don't know yar!..... Maybe its because I still remember the things I felt when he told me that he likes someone else and rejected me.... shock, pain, anger, dejection... it's all fresh in my mind. I felt like he pushed me from a rooftop of the highest building on earth... I also dreamed about having a happy married life like every other girl and he ended it before it could get started... I really wanted to punch that guy on the face or slice him with a potato slicer at that moment. It's like Allah pick me from a well and throw me into a dungeon. Which has the same darkness as the well." My thought started wandering into the past.
• "Dungeons can be dark but cannot be deep as well." She said and my head snapped towards her. 
• "What do you mean?" 
• "Think about it. Living with kids and him is suffocating as living with your family? Because I think the answer is a big no. So give your husband a little credit yar. Don't always fight to him."
• "We don't always fight. Yesterday night we painted together."
• "Ah!... ahaan." She grinned ear to ear.
• "And you said that your relationship is not going anywhere." She wiggled her eyebrows.
• "It's not what you think. He helped me because I was using his new shoes."
• "Shoes?" She batted her lashes not understanding my point. So I told her the whole story but skip the where he... he held me.
• Argh! Why did I let him???
• "Hm! So he is a jerky husband and a prince charming at the same time?" She inquired.
• "Yep! Really a prince charming any girl would dream of... but it's better to have a frog prince for a girl if he truly loves her.... you know life cannot be live with beautiful appearances, it can be lived only with beautiful hearts. Otherwise, you only spend life, not live it... just like I am going to do ... spend my life." I sighed.  
• "I am sure Allah has something very special plan for you." She tried to comfort me.
• "I know! Maybe that's why I kept on living." I give Qudsia a weak smile, which I think didn't even reach my eyes.
• "What's your plan for tomorrow?" She asked after a moment.
• "Don't know yet." I shrugged.
• I don't have any idea what I am going to do tomorrow. Everything is changed now, I didn't have the responsibility of kids on my shoulders before.
• "Is Nuwair coming?" 
• "He says he will try but cannot promise." I sighed.
• I hope he comes...!
• ~*~
• "I am taking kids for an outing today." I informed Ehtesham when he was about to leave for work.
• "Fine... Allah Hafiz." He said and left.
• Why did I even bother to tell him?
• I sighed and come back to Sadaf, who was trying to wear her shoes on her own.
• "Where are we going?" She asked turning her head towards me.
• "Where we can meet many Nani (maternal grandmother) and Nana (maternal grandfather)." I answered taking biscuits from Taha, who was about to throw them after licking the cream between them.
• I was not telling her that we are going to an old age home. She will ask more questions about it and I don't think I might be able to answer them now. I always spend my mother's death anniversary day in old age home with parents of different people. Parents of those unlucky people who don't care for the blessing Allah gave them. Those good for nothing people who use parents as a staircase to reach their destinations and later throw them into a corner like a piece of garbage. I hate such people not only because they left their parents when they are in need but also for not coming back to visit them. 
• "Will they give us chocolate?" Sadaf asked again.
• "No! We will give them gifts." I smiled at her and she nods turn her attention to the shoe.
• Holding Taha's hand I lead him to the car and tries to help kids to sit in cad but they jump in on their own.
• Guess they don't need me for everything!
• I was about to slide in when my attention caught by a car horn near our gate. I tilt my head to peek inside the car and saw a man wearing a red T-shirt. The doors opened and he came out with a big bouquet of flowers in his hand. As soon as our eyes met he waved at me. Unconsciously my feet start moving to his direction and next thing I know I was embraced in a warm hug.
• "You're here." I exclaimed putting my head to his chest.
• "Yes! I am here...Happy Birthday, dear." He said tightening his arms around my shoulders.
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