Fate

Epilogue

*3 Years later*

The birds chirped in the background as the golden hour sun sparkled in all its glory, peeking through the clouds. It's warm rays mixed with the cool breeze that flowed through the fields, creating a relaxing atmosphere that Murtasim revelled in as he lay on the charpai with his head in Meerab's lap while she gently ran her fingers through his hair with one hand while the other alternated between lovingly caressing his beard and resting on his chest, just above his heart as she felt its relaxed rhythm.

They sat in a comfortable silence, inhaling the smell of fresh dandelions that adorned acres and acres of private land. As he lay there in the comfort of his wife's lap, basking in the serenity of it all, the peace was broken when the high pitched voice of a three year old Meesam filled their ears, "Babaaaa!" She called out, running through the dandelions with an excited jump in her step, gripping her favourite stuffed lion in one hand.

Both Murtasim and Meerab turned their heads in her direction as she approached them with a pout, "baba!" She said again, scrunching up her nose with an adorably angry pout. "Jee" Murtasim responded with a chuckle, reaching out to gently squeeze her little nose between his thumb and index finger. She rubbed it with her tiny hands once he released it, scrunching it up again in the process before she met his loving gaze again, "aap meri jagah pe kya kar rahe hain?" She asked, her tone laced with accusation. Murtasim and Meerab stared back in confusion and amusement.

"Konsi jagah?" He asked playfully, turning on his side to get a better view. Meesam was dressed in a floral yellow and white frock with a matching silk ribbon that tied into a bow across the waist. It blended in yet still stood out among the field of dandelions and matched Meerab's light yellow dress who watched in amusement as Meesam accused her father of stealing her spot in her mother's lap, reaching out with her tiny hands to remove Meerab's hand from where it rested on Murtasim's chest, letting out an adorable cry when Murtasim would playfully put it back just to tease her.

When she had had enough of the teasing and was on the verge of crying, Murtasim reached out and with a swift ease, picked her off the ground and placed her on top of him so she was now straddling his waist, clutching her toy lion possessively to her chest.  There was a sudden shift in her mood and with an excited giggle, she fell on top of his chest. Murtasim let out a playful oof as he placed a hand on her back and caressed her clipped back black locks that matched his own hair colour but were thick and lustrous like Meerab's. 

Resting her elbows atop her lion and placing her tiny hands under her chin Meesam looked at her baba with a shy smile, "baba?" She began and Murtasim responded laughingly, "jee, meri jaan?"

"Mujhe bhi school jana hai" she said shyly as if asking for something she thought he would deny. Laughing at her request Murtasim playfully ruffled her hair a little as he spoke, "tou jao na! Zaroor jao" he smiled, pinching her nose again and she repeated her action of rubbing her nose from earlier. "Par mujhe mama wale school jana hai" she said in a small whiny tone and Meerab smiled as she laughed lightly, "par mama ka school tou Karachi mei hai, aur hum tou Hyderabad mei rehte hain" she stated, reaching out to lovingly pinch her chubby cheek.

"Lekin baba ne tou kaha tha ke aap next month se school jayeingi aur phir aap boht badi law-law-"  she paused struggling to pronounce the word. "Lawyer?" Meerab asked, her brows furrowing and lips forming a confused pout. Meesam excitedly nodded in agreement causing her eyes to widen in surprise, "jee wohi! Baba ne kaha ke phir aap woh baneingi aur phir aap unki help karaya kareingi" she finished, flailing her hands around as she spoke.

The smile had vanished off of Murtasim's face and was replaced by a sheepish grin as Meerab looked down and gave him with a questioning look, "Murtasim?" She said in a care to explain tone. He huffed in response, rolling his eyes playfully, "Meesam yaar" he whined, like a boy. Sitting up straight he rested his forehead against Meesam's and began to tickle her, "koi baat apne pait mei nahi rakh sakti na" he said while tickling her and she erupted into a fit of laughter that echoed through the fields, carried away by the gentle wind. "Sowwyyyy" she cried, throwing her head back in laughter and fisting the collar of his white kurta.

Ending his tickle attack a few seconds later he pulled her into a hug and nuzzled her neck, gently rubbing his beard against her soft cheek knowing how she would react, eliciting a shriek from her followed by a giggle. Placing a kiss on her cheek he said "jao khelou" and she jumped off his lap along with her stuffed toy, seemingly having forgotten the whole conversation and ran off into the field again.

Murtasim turned back to Meerab with an awkward grin and she arched an eyebrow in response. Huffing again he picked up his phone from where it rested on the side, opening up his email he handed it to her. Furrowing her eyebrows Meerab took the phone from him and began reading the email. Her eyes widened when she recognised the logo at the top and quickly read further, her breath turning into short quick gasps with each line. Her mouth broke into a wide smile as she looked up from the screen in surprise and awe to find Murtasim staring at her with an endearing smile.

"Murtasim...yeh kya hai?" She breathed out. His smile turned softer, "law parho, apna khwaab poora karo" he said. A surprised laughter escaped her lips and she pressed a hand to her  mouth, failing to contain the excited smile that formed on her face as she read the acceptance letter over and over again. It was from Hyderabad's best law school and she guessed Murtasim must have applied secretly with the intention to surprise her. But then something else crossed her mind and her smile dimmed. She stared out into the field where Meesam sat not too far away among the flowers playing with her toy before turning back to him. He noticed the slight frown on her face and asked, "kya hua Meerab?"

"Meesam..." she breathed and he instantly understood the reason for her frown. "Meesam ka khayal rakhne ke liye sab log maujood hain" he began, taking her hands in his, rubbing across her knuckles in soothing motions with the pads of his thumbs, "main houn, Maa hain aur ab tou Anila chachi bhi hain" he reassured her with a smile. "Aur tum bhi tou hou! Tum ne kaha tha ke Meesam thodi badi hojaye tou tum sochogi iss baare mei. Koi zabardasti nahi hai agar tumhe aur waqt chahiye tou. Lekin agar Meesam ko time dene ke tension hai tou jab parhai nahi kar rahi hou gi tou Meesam ke sath time spend kar lena" he finished, punctuating his words with a warm smile.

"Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly but he gave her a reassuring nod in response that put her heart and mind at ease instantly. With a squeal she jumped up to hug him. Murtasim placed a hand on the charpai to steady himself before he hugged her back. Her excitement had reached Meesam's ears who looked up from where she was sat among the dandelions to see her parents hugging and innocently ran up to them shouting an excited mai bhi, mai bhi before jumping up on the charpai and in between them as they pulled back.

A soft blush adorned Meerab's cheeks as they pulled back and Murtasim brought one arm around her, while the other one went around Meesam's waist who now sat sideways on his thigh, her legs dangling above the tall grass as she hugged his torso while Meerab nestled comfortably into his side.

Right then and there, in that moment, as he sat with his two absolute favourite ladies whom he loved the most in the world, Murtasim felt complete. He felt whole. And he felt like this was all he ever needed, his wife and his daughter by his side, always and forever.

_______THE END_______

And with this epilogue, this ff officially comes to an end.

I would just like to thank each and everyone of you for showering so much love on this story. When I started this I didn't think it would receive so much love. But the idea was so clear in my head and the more I tried to ignore it and push it aside, the stronger the urge to write became. And that is how FATE was born. Again a huge thank you to everyone who read, commented and voted on this. Thank you for making it a success and I hope I haven't disappointed you all!

Love, M🫶