Mujhe Pyaar Hua Tha

Ch. 9: Beverly Hills

Alizey's P.O.V.

My smile faltered.

San-? Whose name was he about to take? Or was I just overthinking it and it was a slip of tongue?

Stoic, Fawad made a few trips to the table, setting it with drinks and the food, all the while without looking at me.

I swallowed. "I hope you'll like the shrimp too," I began serving him when he got back up to turn on the TV.

"I'm sure I will," he answered quietly.

We started eating and he politely complimented my cooking before returning to his thoughts.

"When are the bills due each month?" I asked after several minutes of silence.

"You don't need to share them, Alizey. I mean it."

"I want to, and I'm not just saying it," I said seriously. "I always told myself that when I got married, to whoever it was, I'm going to share the expenses. It has nothing to do with you. I just never want to hear a man tell me that I live under their roof or feel like I'm entirely dependent on them. Not that I'm saying you would, but I just don't want that to even be a possible thing. I know how my mom feels when my father's said it, and it's just... really demeaning."

He nodded, wetting his lips. "They're due on the 23rd of every month. You can transfer the payments to my bank account."

"Thank you."

"No worries."

"When's your shift tomorrow? I won't take the keys if you finish before me."

"10-6 PM. That's how it usually is on weekdays unless I request otherwise."

"Oh okay. I'll take the keys then."

He nodded.

We continued eating quietly. After he helped me clean up, I closed the balcony blinds. It hadn't been even three minutes that we were sat in bed when he got up. He grabbed the house keys along with his car keys and pulled on a jacket, "I'm going out for a smoke."

He was already nearly out the door when I murmured, "Okay."

I laid down, his words from earlier echoing in my ears, "F*ck, it's so good, San-"

Who was he talking about?

His ex-girlfriend? He did say he was in a serious relationship before.

Maybe I was thinking too deeply about this. He'd just come home from work. He meets so many people. It could've been anyone.

I glanced at the time on my phone. It had been 10 minutes already.

A sigh left my lips as I switched off the TV and laid back down. I then turned on the morning alarm on my phone.

I wasn't looking forward to Susie questioning why I wasn't wearing a diamond ring anymore. When she finds out I got married, she's going to want to meet Fawad, and on top of that, she's going to want us to join her and Aaron on their friend group's monthly outing. Knowing Fawad, he would never want to go. He could careless about their superficial interests. I, myself, don't.

Fawad's P.O.V.

The pebbles crunched under my shoes as I made my way to the familiar grassy area. The cold breeze spiraling through the night swept past. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath, before opening them with a tired sigh. The knot in my chest was still there.

"You're here."

I whirled around at the feminine voice, my eyes softening. "Sa-"

"Why did you come back?"