After the fight, they both slept. The sun had set. They didn't wake up nor came down for dinner. The family gave them privacy. Nobody intruded. Hamad and Saman had a meaningful smile on their faces.
"Bhai ko to dekhain. Kamra nasheen ho kar reh gae hain" Hamad tried not to laugh.
(Just look at bhai. He spends most of his time in his bedroom now)
The bedroom was filled with darkness. Zulaid opened his eyes and felt something soft on his hand. The next second he realized it was Inara's face.
He turned around slowly to switch on the side lamp. He could see her now in the dim light of the lamp. Her face rested on his hand. He didn't know when she came closer to him in her sleep and held his hand.
He kept looking at her face. A few strands of hair covered her face. He couldn't hold himself back. His fingers moved the strands of hair from her face, and touched the soft skin. She was in deep slumber unaware of his doings.
Jungli bili. He mentally smiled looking at her.
(Wild cat)
He couldn't understand her. She would argue with him for no reason. In response he would also argue with him. He never wanted to fight with her. She would enrage him simply for nothing and he was getting tired of it but watching her peacefully sleeping beside himself, his heart melted.
He realized she wasn't covered with the comforter. He remembered their conversation a few nights ago.
"Take the comforter. The weather is changing. You might get cold" Zulaid suggested to her while lying down and setting an alarm on his cell phone.
"I am fine" She muttered clenching the bedsheet, not meeting his eyes.
"Kha nahi jaoon ga main tumhain. Cheezon ko mazeed awkward mat karo humare lie" He spread comforter on her body.
(I won't eat you. Don't make things more awkward between us)
"I ain't doing anything" She turned her back to him.
"Thank you!" He laid down at his place.
He shook his head looking at her. A shawl was wrapped around her body. It wasn't enough to beat the cold. He gently covered her with a comforter.
Pagal.
(Idiot)
She stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes. Her eyes widened when she realized the awkward position she was in. He was lying beside her, his hand was under her face which she was holding with her both hands as if he was going to run away.
"Sorry" She instantly removed her hands from his.
"I am delighted to hear it from you!" He said. Put his numb hand in the air and massage it with the other one.
"Huh!!" She looked away in embarrassment.
"You should apologize as you argued with me earlier" He reminded her.
"And you snapped at me" She turned her face in his direction.
"You started it" He replied simply.
"As if you never snapped at me before" She smiled.
"Never actually. Just in the classroom" He defended himself.
"That's what it is"
"It's not counted. I ain't your family member at the hospital" He sat on the bed beside her. Their shoulders pressed together. Inara lowered her gaze at their closeness. She silently rose up from the bed but stilled at her place realizing that he grasped her hand.
"Jee" She looked at him meekly.
(Yes)
"You are forgiven" He smiled at her.
He must be in a good mood after getting sleep otherwise he would die before passing her a smile. She was shocked to see his smiling face.
"Chorain" She mumbled, trying to free her hand from his hold.
(Leave me)
"Bolo. Please mera hath chor dain" He bit his lower lip to suppress his laugh. She was astonished at his doings.
(Say please leave my hand)
"Chorain na!!" She pushed him away with her other hand.
(Leave me)
"Say what I said to you" He asked.
"Please leave me" She muttered what she was asked to do just to get out of this awkward position.
"Please" She mumbled again.
"As you say!" The moment he left her hand she rushed to the dressing room holding her hand, the one he grasped.
Cute. He smiled while watching her.
...
Inara swallowed a lump in her throat. She was praying not to get nominated for performing examination in front of the consultant. She realized a sigh of relief when someone else got nominated. As she was relieved now from the stress, she focused on the examination to understand it completely.
"You. In the black dress. Tell me! Why do we perform the last step?" The consultant fixed her gaze in her direction.
She looked around to see who else was wearing black today. Unfortunately, she was the only one.
"Hmm..." She tried to speak but she actually had no idea why they performed that particular step. "I don't know ma'am!" She accepted.
"These are your days to study. Not to get married and think that you got everything by just getting a man in your life" The consultant unprofessionally targeted her, looking at her henna clad hands. Her bridal mehndi was enough to tell anyone that she recently got married.
She was very embarrassed at the sudden insult. She didn't understand how to react. To say something or keep her silent. She chose the later one.
It's better to not reply to seniors otherwise they don't spare you throughout the time you spend under their supervision.
The consultant didn't just stop there. She kept embarrassing her. It wasn't something new. In hospitals, juniors were trained to be insulted by their seniors. Unfortunately, it's a norm but the whole day her words echoed around her. She actually felt very bad.
She thought how would Zulaid react if he came to know that someone insulted his wife. He was very possessive about his family and unfortunately she is his family now.
She was sitting alone in the open space behind the wards that wasn't crowded, to get some fresh air. Her mind was occupied with unnecessary thoughts.
Zulaid had just completed his round. He was going back to his office when his gaze fell at Inara, sitting in the open space. She seemed lost to him. His steps moved in her direction.
"Kia hua?" He asked, sitting next to her on the bench.
(What happened?)
"When did you come?" She was shocked to see him there with her. They didn't usually see each other in the hospital nor their relationship was known to anyone except Azwa.
"Right now" He looked into her eyes. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing!" She shook her head.
"Here take it!" He moved a small chocolate packet in the air to lighten up her mood.
"Where did you get it?" She chuckled lightly taking the chocolate in her hand.
"I was on round" He informed her. She knew he used to have these on round for his little patients who could have them with no issues.
"Thank you" She opened the packet to have some.
"You didn't tell me. What happened to you?" He repeated himself, patiently.
"Dr. Nosheen insulted me today" She told him.
"Why? You didn't answer her in the class?" He questioned concerned.
"Yeah, I didn't" She accepted.
"It's okay. It happens!" He didn't know how to console her.
"Yes. Yes. It happens. You know there was a consultant in my previous rotation he used to insult me like I had stolen something from him. You are right. They all are the same".
She started mimicking him. "Dr. Inara! Are you really interested in learning or just coming here to waste your own and our time"
"So, you are very right. It happens!" She didn't bother to give any rest to her tongue.
"My goodness" Zulaid couldn't stop himself from laughing lightly at her accent. She mimicked him on point.
Inara was amazed to see him laughing with her. It was something new to her. He never spent time with her before., laughing was another thing to do. In the past few days, he was different with her. He would smile, laugh and be concerned for her.
"You are right but one objection. I never insulted you or my other students. I just scolded" He told her softly.
"You don't just scold. You scolded badly!" She corrected him.
He just smiled in response and didn't defend himself.
"Ab muskura kyu rahain hain. Bolain nahi dantata main intna ziada" She challenged him.
(Now why are you smiling. Defend yourself that you don't do that)
"Why to defend myself. I am the senior. I have authority to do so. You don't need to be jealous!" He rose up from the bench to leave. He couldn't spend his whole day sitting there.
"You guys have a seniority complex" She said unhappily.
He shrugged his shoulders, not bothering about her words.
"And you have a double complex. Seniority complex plus consuin complex...wait you actually have a triple complex. I am not elaborating the last one!" She announced.
"Cousin complex? What's that?" He couldn't hold himself from asking. He just heard a new term from her. Although he knew she must have invented it herself.
"You. You are a living example of a cousin complex!" She rose up from the bench. Now they were facing each other. He was much taller than her. She had to raise her face to see him.
"Why? What did I do?" He didn't understand.
"No. You didn't do anything. You are the innocent one. I am the meanest one" She faked a smile.
"What can I say about that if you are accepting it" He shrugged his shoulders.
"You are very bad" She looked away from him.
"And what's the last one you didn't bother to elaborate?" He pressed his lips together to hide his smile. He was getting what she wasn't trying to say.
"Bachain hain kiya ap. Kuch khud bhi samajh jaya karain. Okay bye!" She ran towards the corridor.
(Are you a kid. Try to learn something on your own)
She is so childish. He kept looking at her back till she disappeared.
He had a day off from his clinic today. When Inara reached home, he was watching TV in their room.
"Aslamo alaikum!" She greeted him as she entered inside.
"Walekum salam! Didn't you come late today?" He asked.
"Traffic jam" She told him, throwing her stuff away, finding an escape from the books.
He nodded.
"Did you fall down?" She suddenly asked him out of nowhere.
"What?" He looked at her.
"Did you hit your head anywhere? Are you febrile?" She pressed her hands on her hips and watched him.
"No. Why?" He switched off the TV and averted his attention to her.
"Let me check myself!" She came closer to him and pressed her hand to his forehead.
"What are you doing?" He held her hand to stop her. In the way she stumbled at her place, couldn't balance herself on the floor and fell on him.
"Ahhh. Fudge!" She screamed. When she came back into her senses, she realized their closeness.
She was lying on top of him. Their face was so close that his hot breath fell on her face. He was staring into her soul through her eyes.
Her breath hitched. Heart beat raced. Pupils dilated. Blush crept on her cheeks as if they were painted pink.
..................................................................
Zulaid is trying to be a little softð
Inara can't help herself from getting into difficult situations.
How was the chapter?
Did you guys like their interaction?