Yakeen Ka Safar - A Journey Of Love, Lost And Found

Chapter 7 -Sangeet for the docs

The cooks arrived and set the tent in the back yard for preparing the food for the evening's mehindi event. Getti's parents arrived too. Lunch was been served, but Zubiya was still sleeping. When Khala enquired why Zubiya looked a little dull, they told her that she had not been well but is recovering.

Asfand looked around and did not see Zubiya with the rest of the family and they were all preparing to rest before the evening's party. As much as he tried to forget the incidents in her past as was told to him by her Khala, it was very hard not to feel the pain his Zubia had gone through. He sat in the library for some time thinking how terrified she must have been when she left her home that night; a smart accomplished girl treated so poorly by his uncaring family..... . lonely, without the support of her parents and being humiliated by her brother. He just could not digest the pain she had undergone the past years. He made a promise to himself that he would be there for her and make sure that would never ever endure any more emotional pain. Never Ever.

He got up and went to check in on her. She was in deep sleep, holding on to his shawl close to her. He just stood looking at her, falling madly in love with her again and again.He looked at the clock, it was 3 pm and even though Asfand would have let her sleep longer, he knew she needed to eat. He went to the kitchen and prepared a plate for her and even added 2 jamuns for dessert. The rest of the family was resting so the inside of home was silent, while outside the event planners we're busy for the evening event. He walked to her room and set the food on the coffee table. He turns on the table lamps and opened the curtains in the back of the room, it still gave privacy to where he and Zubiya would sit. Hearing the soft sounds, Zubiya opens her eyes and sees Asfand and sits up. They just look at each other and smile. He gives her a hand and she slowly stands up. She uses the wash room washes her face and comes out to hear soft music playing. Asfand had connected the playlist from her phone. It was so pleasant. His back was to her but he knew she was behind him and he blocks her way intentionally.
"Really Asfand"  she mocks him and tries to skip past him, he continues to block her.
"Hmmm I am so hungry" she says and laughs when he quickly moves out of her way.
"You tricked me",  he laughs out loud.
As the wound was healing the tightening on the skin tissue, the pain was pretty bad.    "Asfand, can I have some ibuprofen?"
He brings her some ibuprofen 600 mg and she swallows it quickly. Zubiya sees the Jamuns and her eyes light up, she picks it up to eat and Asfand laughs at her love for dessert. She quickly eats one. He goes up to her and asks for a bite. She gives him only half a peice and eats the other half. But she feeds him a piece of paratha with paneer sabzi. Zubiya was mostly a vegetarian and rarely ate meat. Even though he had eaten earlier, Asfand took the mouthful from her. He was enjoying every interaction with her. He thanked Allah from bringing such a genuine girl in his life. She eats a little dhal and rice and once again offers him some, which he continues to eat with her.
"Zubiya at this rate, I have to run 2 more extra miles" he jokes.
She smiles and feeds him a few more mouthfuls. She noticed he had filled up her plate rather full and finally she was glad to see it all gone. Zubiya too was enjoying her quiet moments with Asfand and she now felt great peace after seeing Rehan Bhai. She wished she could see her nephew Arham whom she has not seen in over 18 months. She missed him. One person she never wanted to meet was her bhabhi. She shook her thoughts from thinking unpleasant things and smiled at Asfand.
"Go rest up she tells him".
"I am resting he tells her" and leans on the couch.
"BTW Dr Zobi, I am dying to get back to my bed, that sleeper couch is not that great" and he laughs as he watches her turn red. He loved it when his firm financee would just melt when he looked at her and it was the same for him. He could hold her endlessly and it have him the ultimate joy. She was his lifeline.
Although he was just teasing her and she closed her eyes not looking at him. Then she remembered what her Khala had mentioned to her earlier and she gets up and walks over to the large dresser. The stiches were still bothering her. She was looking for her mother's jewelry box. She turned to him, "Asfand, aap Meri ammi ka jewelry box dekha, main is table mey rakh thi".
He nodded and went to his closest and bought out the large beautiful antique and ornate box and asked her where she wanted it set. She pointed to the bed. She switched on the lamps and walked over to the bed and opened the box. She knew her ammi had some beautiful jewels and she hoped that they were all there especially the particular one that she was looking for. She opened all the compartments each had several peices of jewelry. Asfand came and sat across from her. He asked her
"Are you looking for jewels for the evening", and he put his hand in and picked out a beautiful and elegant double stand emerald necklace.
"Do you want me to wear this?" She asked him. He nodded. She took and kept it aside but still kept looking. Finally she came to last draw and saw a red velvet pouch. She opened it and inside she found what she was looking for. She smiled and her face glowed. She look Asfand's hand and opened his palm. She then dropped the contents from the pouch onto his palm. Out came a beautiful long chain with an hexagon shaped emerald stone locket. "This is for you from my parents" she said and this time she had no tears only joy and content. He took the chain and looked at the unusual locket. Asfand was not into jewelry but from the look on Zubiya face he understood this was very very very important for her. Her face was still glowing and he had a hard time controlling himself from taking her into his arms. It was a flat locket with a fairly large emerald on the outside with a gold trim on it. When he opened the locket on the inner gold flat surface the name Zubiya was engraved on it.  Asfand's breathe was caught in his throat. Zubiya remembered how when she was young child her mother showed her the chain told it was for the special man in her life, her husband.