Him & His Muslimah

56

Zaib/Zoya

After some unproductive weeks, Zoya was extremely busy catching up to the topics and preparing for her upcoming exams, whereas Zaib's deadline for the new project was approaching.

Soon spring flowers bloomed across the gardens; the sun shone brightly over the city- Zoya welcomed the weather change as she had grown tired of the gloomy mornings. As spring holidays emerged, she planned on spending every precious second with her husband.

"Zaib, how about we go out somewhere today?" She spontaneously asked while washing the two dishes from their lunch.

They had just eaten some chicken biryani- Zoya finally understood the hype. When Zaib first talked about the mouthwatering rice like it were the love of his life, she had grown bitter and vowed never to taste it!

But oh how the tables turned.

When she tasted the delicacy, it felt like a bundle of exotic spices and flavour unknown to her taste buds burst into her mouth, elevating her to another plane. The rice peppered with traditional hot spices and juicy chicken melted into her mouth, leaving a sensational memory of enjoyment.

After that, she had plagued him almost every week to cook biryani.

"I—have a meeting today, unfortunately," he muttered. Zoya quickly nodded in disappointment.

"That's alright, we can go some other day," she replied, feeling her heart drop. She wanted to spend more time with him, but his workload was only more brutal during the spring break.

She suddenly felt arms snake around her waist and jolted. Zaib was sitting on the couch like a second ago; but every damn time, he reached by her side in a second. Was he secretly a vampire?

"I'm sorry," he whispered against her ear. A dizzying chill ran down her spine- she gulped, easing in his hold.

"Don't be," she scolded, eyeing him. "Should I be sorry when I'm studying and can't spend time with you?" Her sensible words made him feel reassured in a way only his wife knew.

After all, the couple had their fair share of work to do throughout the year. This lifestyle wasn't any newer challenge for the two.

"You know you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, right?" He told her, his eyes bright with sincerity as he stared into hers. She understood- she always did.

Her eyes pooled with gratitude and relief.

"Maybe this marriage was just a mistake."

The sudden bad memory pricked her, as it did at the worst of times.

She didn't want to bring up anything related to that painful fight, but it stuck to her like glue. It was like a blister you forget about but every time you press it, you feel the pain resurface. His words were just like the forgotten blisters; she wanted to ignore them forever, but her heart dared not forget.

That night would always haunt her, becoming a source of anxiety to her at times. She had been actively trying to block that negativity out of her mind, but she hadn't received enough closure to move on.

What if she was a bad wife?

"Why're you crying?" His alarmed voice pulled her out of her trance. His thumb slid against her cheek as he wiped her tear away.

Taken aback, she glanced at him: his concerned gaze surveying her with terror. He caressed her cheeks worriedly.

"I'm just—" she stuttered, her mind not working to the best of its ability. This time, however, she was smart enough to know that lying was not the way out.