Few years later
"Princess......" He shouted but little Zaira didn't want him to find her just now. She wanted her Mama to find her instead, Mama who was going to protect her from the tickles because Mama herself was ticklish.
Mehr watched Behzad running behind three old Zaira who hid behind the curtains. Zaira held her breath as she watched her Baba call out for her.
"Princess, where are you?" He called out again and she held her breath. She was going to spook her Baba and win this game. Waiting for her Baba, Zaira tried to hold back the giggles.
"Zaira... Baba is in the kitchen...." Mehr called out helping her little girl, who she knew was going to erupt into laughter any moment, the moving curtain was evidence enough.
Behzad caught her eyes and gave her his mischievous smile. Another thing that he loved about Mehr-un-Nisa. No, there were other things too actually. But he loved that she always sided with him- after getting married. Whatever the game was, whatever the argument was, she'd always be on his team. Excluding their gaming and football sessions. It was like she had pledged her loyalty to him. In everything!
He used to be jealous of her being best friends with his friends. That was before he had her all to himself. His gurl, was the only gurl who was accepted by their boy club. Mustufa's gurl was too girly, Abdullah's was too haughty. But his was just perfect! If someone asked him what he loved about Mehr-un-Nisa, the most? He'd say her loyalty towards her people.
"Princess...." He called out pretending to run towards the drawing room hoping to trick his little girl.
Tip toing his way back, he folded his arms as he patiently waited for his little girl to come out.
"Baba chalae gae..." (Is Baba Gone.") The little girl asked as she peeked out only to find him in front of her. Zaira erupted into giggles, her eyes which were quite dark and warm like Behzad's were shining as she squinted her nose and launched herself into his open arms.
"You are my favorite..." She said as she kissed his cheeks.
"Are you trying to fool me, so that I don't tickle you?" He asked in all seriousness.
And their little girl shook her head in disapproval, only to nod few seconds later. She had inherited that from him. The cute smile, that makes you go "Ahh Janay detay hain..."
And then he tickled her and she laughed. Mehr watched them as Behzad picked Zaira up and placed her on his shoulders. Just seeing him, their daughter and the little home that they had built, made her tear up. They really had come along way, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Allah had blessed her with a family. Some place to call home, which was filled with love, warmth and a sense of belonging. He was a perfect father, helping her at every step.
The day she had announced that she was pregnant flashed in-front of her eyes. Mehr had been anxious. She had her own insecurities and then there were his. But she knew that his were far much bigger than hers for he was scared of being a parent and turning out like his own father. She had dreaded the whole day after getting her reports. Initially she wanted to tell Irsa first, to ask for her advice but then she decided it was personal.
Mehr had been a little too distracted playing the Elden Ring when he entered. The "YOU DIED" popped on screen only to have her curse. His haggard face had softened at the sight of her. Placing his wallet and his phone on the side table, he murmured "Assalam-Alikeum" pulling her into his arms. Somehow, she ended up with her back flat against the soft mattress.
He kissed her forehead and held her in his arms. "Is everything alright?" She found herself asking.
"Perfect. I missed you." He replied holding her hostage.
"Coffee? Ya khana ?" She asked as she tried to get out of his embrace.
"You...." He had replied.
"Simp jee, kya ho gaya hai.I saw you this morning..." She replied shaking her head. He was always cheeky.
"Hmmm.......9 hours..." He replied, his not so smooth chin rubbing against her scalp.
"Don't you think you should stop with this simping business. Ab tu humari shadi ko saal honay wala hai?"
"Never...." He replied.
"Not even when we have kids?" She asked. It had taken her immense courage to ask that.
"Not even then..." He had replied softly. It was the answer that she wanted to hear. But something wasn't quite right, she could feel it. So, getting out of his embrace, she looked at his face.
"Behzad, what's wrong?" She had whispered.
"Nothing." He had replied not meeting her eyes. Mehr waited for him to tell but he didn't.
"Is this about you fearing to turn out like your father..." She asked.
"It's not that..." he chocked. His eyes looked pained as he closed them.
"Then you wouldn't mind being a parent?" She asked. She was testing waters too soon but she had too.
A ripple of panic washed over Mehr, and she started talking faster. "It's not in our control. Being parents. Haina? This is one of the blessings and we can't do a thing about it. Allah ki dain hai. Jab Allah day day... It's not that we have a control over it...." She said the last part and he gave her a dirty loop sided smile and she turned red. It was another thing of theirs that she loved. How he turned everything dirty with just that sparkle in his eyes. He didn't have to say it, his eyes did it for him and she would understand what might have been going through his mind.
"Mehr-un-Nisa..." He said pulling a hand on her thigh.
She caught her lower lip between her teeth and chewed nervously waiting for him to speak. She waited for him to speak. She knew he had difficulty expressing it.
"It's not that I don't want to be a father..." He said slowly and Mehr noticed that his breathing was strained and so she took his hand in her and gave it a firm squeeze. He turned to her with eyes that pleaded for understanding.
"I've spent so long looking for love...I have always wondered why? Why he couldn't love me?..." He swallowed. Mehr offered him a reassuring smile. In retrospect, she realized they both had a childhood trauma. He turned to her, and Mehr was undone by the sheer emotion burning on his face. His jaw was trembling, his eyes full of questions. This was the most vulnerable she had ever seen him. Mehr could feel the tension in his neck, his shoulders as if every ounce of his energy was required to give her the answer, she was looking for.
Mehr wanted to hold him, to comfort him. She wanted to smooth out the brows. She wanted to do a thousand and one, things but she just held still.
"You were right. About me having issues. I have abandonment issues. That is why I never stay. I leave before the other person can. I cut people off, without them knowing it. Like wosh? And the bond is gone. I did it with you and I am sorry for that. I know I am not the perfect person to love...." He said. His words were tumbling from his mouth.
"B-but what if we have a child and I do that? Abandon him when he needs me the most? And then he doesn't love me?" He asked. For a moment Mehr couldn't speak. Her eyes tingled with unshed tears, her lips were parted with shock. He feared that he was so un-loveable that their child won't love him. Mehr wanted to shout, "This is not funny Behzad." But she noticed the utter torment in his eyes. He wasn't kidding. Now matter how stupid his insecurity sounded, Mehr knew that it was not shallow.
"What if our child makes you realize that I am not worthy?" He asked.
Mehr swallowed. She certainly wasn't expecting this.
"It's not possible. I will always love you and so will our children." She answered, inherently placing a hand on her stomach.
"There might be days when you'll feel that I love our children more than you. And maybe I would but because they would be yours. Ours! God, help all the boys in the world if our daughter takes after you. A shameless flirt...." She said.
A strange little smile moved across Mehr's face as she realized how true her words were. She didn't want their daughter to take after Behzad! Her smooth tongue would ruin boys.
"Kyun jee?" He asked.
"Because I don't want another simp in the house." She told him and he made that cute- 'not funny, you wound me face."
"You know you are the actual simp. I don't do favors. You do them for friends. You are the one who has difficulty saying 'no'. You are the one going out of your way to help. So, if there is a Simp here, it's You."
"We'll discuss this later. You, are going to best the best father and their favorite." She told him. His eyes shone with an odd, new, almost hopeful light.
"Do you believe it?" He found himself asking.
"I know it." She told him. She smiled softly as she placed her head on his shoulders.
"Ek dikkat hai..." (There is only one problem)
Behzad held still. He knew there had to be a problem.
"I don't want them to be a shawty like you." She told him.
"You...minx..." He called as Mehr ran to escape him.
Two minutes into the cat and mouse chase, Mehr held her hand out. "Two times. I think we have out run our self." She told him.
"Little one, I hope you are a shawty like your Baba. You can tell already, I have a thing for shawties." She said as she winked at him.
Behzad held very still for one moment. Disbelief visible in his eyes. Mehr waited for him, to realize what she was telling him. And then he did. "ABCCCCCCCC" He had shouted. Not the reaction she was looking. And then in a rush of movement pulled her into his arms.
"I love you..." He choked out.
"I love you soo much..." And Mehr was certain that everything was going to be alright.
"We love you too." She had replied as he lifted her in his arms.
"Simp jee, eh ap humesha mujhe utha kese letay hain app?" She had asked resting her head against his neck.
"Apko kya lagta hai, main roz gym main kya kartoon hoon?" He asked .
"Khobsurat larkiyon ko ghornay k ilawa batana hai?" she had asked knowing very well , that the old ladies he worked out with were no threat to her.
"Uske ilawa tu main kuch karta he nai..." he had replied, throwing back his head and laughing. His stupid self she had grown to really really love.
From waking up in the middle of the night to calm Zaira, to tricking her into eating the peas that he himself disliked, he had done everything. Mehr smiled as she thought of the peas and the funny argument they had over it.
"Behzad ! Humesha yehi kartay ho! Now she wouldn't eat the peas. Kyuke baba nai khatay!" Mehr-un-Nisa complained as she tried to shove a spoon full of peas into Zaira's mouth.
"Zaira! Mama ki jaan look they are soft and round ! Just like your balls! Dont you like balls?" She asked only to have him cough to cover his laughter.
The look on his face and the redness of his ears , and she could tell that his dirty mind had drifted somewhere else.
"Yaar kya masla hai apka ! Why cant I have a serious conversation in this house without your innuendos ?"
"Mehr kya kiya Behzad nay?", Ala called out from longue.
"Haan batain Ala ko....." He said giving her a wink. Techincally it was her fault too for understanding what was going in his dirty mind.
"Tang kar raha mujhe...." She grounded out in frustration.
"Hain jee?" He had asked sheepishly.
"Dekha ! She keeps spatting them out , because she saw you do it once ! " Mehr -un-Nisa complained.
"Nai pasand meri beti ko balls or peas or whatever ! Baba ki jaan kya kae ge..." He had asked as he took the bowl from Mehr-un-Nisa and placed it on the table. Picking his baby girl in his arms he left the kitchen , leaving Mehr-un-Nisa to fume.
"ALAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" She had shouted !
(mini flashback ends)
Mehr was brought back to the real world by a kiss from their angel, who was enjoying her time on Baba's shoulders.
"My turn now..." Behzad said as he leaned to kiss her cheek. His lips lingered there, and their daughter had to pull his hair to steer him away from her.
"Ahhhhh...." He said complaining.
"Baba, chalain na! Mama ko wapis ake baki ka pyar.."(Come on Baba lets go...)
"Kidhar?" (Where?) Mehr asked as she looked at him, who tried to shrug but failed as Zaira was riding on his shoulder.
"Nani aur Dadi k pass!" Zaira shouted. It was their ritual. Behzad use to take Zaira, every Thursday with him to the graveyard. It was his way of thanking Ahsan Mamo. Mehr couldn't feel more blessed. Zaira wasn't going to grow up in a toxic environment like she had. Their daughter knew that they adored each other and her.
Mehr watched Zaira whisper in Behzad's ears. It was funny watching her boss around him, school him and then never admit her mistake. It was always "Baba ki galti". It was a treat to watch. Though Mehr was trying to get Zaira to accept her mistakes and apologize when she was wrong, but she loved it when their little girl used to put all the blame on him and then he used to look helplessly, shaking his head in denial.
"Baba dekhain, Mama ko nai pata chalna chahiye about the icecream...." His daughter whispered.
"Kyun jee?" He asked , studying his daughter.
"Kyunke woh apko kuch nai , kehain ge... Aur sirf mujhe dant paray ge..."
"Aisay hota hai?" He asked trying really hard not to smile.
"Humesha..." Zaira said crossing her arms.
"As you wish , Princess..." He said , doing that stupid 'i swear on my heart' thing with their daughter.
Standing in the veranda, her eyes glistened with tears as she waved them goodbye. He was everything that she wanted in her husband . And he did everything she had wished her father did for her. Mehr was thankful. And that shukar was dripping from her eyes as she looked at her family. She had a family. Something she thought she would never have!
She was really glad that Ahsan Mamo was able to sense the 'baat unkhai' that was left between them. She only hoped he knew the rest too. Most of all she hoped that he knew how thankful she was to have him around, growing up. And how much she loved him and cherished him.
Assalam-Alikum
Heyyy its a wrapppp !!! I hope you guys had good time. Head over to my thank you note and lemme know.
The ost is so perfect for my book . So here it is. I dont own it. Do watch the drama if you can â¥â¥â¥
I'd miss Behzad and Mehr! But hate dragging and elongating things .
Remember me in your prayers,
Alynaâ¥â¥â¥