Together Ever After ~ An Asfiya Fanfic (Complete)

Little Moments Of Happiness

The sound of his car was one of the most comforting ones she had heard all day. Often time these days, Zubiya looked forward to the evenings the most, when Asfi returned from the hospital and spent the rest of the evening with her. She hadn't been working for almost a month, now that she was at a much advanced stage of pregnancy. She got up and stood near the door, like always, eagerly waiting for her husband to come in. Asfi looked at her and smiled warmly as he stepped in.

"Assalamualaikum." He put his arms around her and tenderly hugged her, placing a kiss on her forehead, which was brushing against his beard. They exchanged salaams and sat down on the couch.

"Maama aur baba kaha hain? Nazar nahi aa rahe hain."

"Woh bahar walk ke liye gaye hain abhi thodi der pehle. Mujhe akela chhor ke nahi jaana chah rahe the, par maine kaha ke aap abhi aa jayenge toh woh fikar na karein. Bauhat insist karne ke baad gaye hain dono." Zubiya had always felt blessed to have such loving in-laws, and it was essential on her part that she took care of their needs too.

"Hmmm, achha hain. Waise bhi ghar mein baithe maama ki BP aur bhi high ho jaati hain. Some fresh air is necessary."

After sharing their day's activities with each other, Zubiya got up to get some tea while Asfi freshened up and changed clothes. Enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Kashmir valley, right from their front porch and sipping tea along with it had become a part of their daily routine. They sat down together and chatted away, and then all of a sudden Zubiya asked a rather uncanny question to Asfi.

"Asfi, aap mujhe aise kyun hug kartein hain, ke jaise main koi kaanch ki bani cheez hoon, jisko delicately na handle kiya toh toot jayegi?" Asfi stared at her blankly trying to process what she had just said. He tried to say something but could not find the words to answer her question. Meanwhile Zubiya continued with her complaint.

"Nahi, I mean theek hain maine pichhle kuch dino mein weight put on kiya hain, but that is unavoidable in pregnancies. Is ka matlab yeh toh nahi na ke aap mujhe properly hug karna hi chhor dey?"

Asfi couldn't hold it back anymore and burst out into a fit of laughter. She was somewhat disappointed at his reaction. Throughout her pregnancy, he had been extra cautious about each and every little detail, and although she liked it a lot, sometimes it did get a little overbearing. She was just pregnant, not sick or anything. She was fully capable of doing her own work. But at times Asfi being the devoted husband he is, stopped her from doing a few things thinking that she might exert herself too much, and that sort of annoyed her a little.

Slightly irked at how much Asfi seemed to be laughing at her question, she stared at him with a stern expression. Asfi eventually managed to stop and turned to his wife. In the past few days, he had learned that one could expect a pregnant woman to say all sorts of weird things. Nevertheless, sometimes Zubiya's questions still managed to take him by surprise, usually in a much entertaining way. She was still staring at him, waiting for a reply.

"Because main tumhe aur baby ko hurt nahi karna chahta obviously."

Zubiya rolled her eyes, not satisfied with the answer.

"Aur tumhein kisne kahan ke weight put on karne ke baad husbands apne wives sey mohabbat karna chhor dete hain? Don't harbor such pointless notions, please. You've never looked more beautiful and I've never loved you more."

To most it would seem like he was exaggerating to please his wife, but whatever Asfi had said, he said it with utmost honesty. His love for her had increased by manifolds, especially now that she was to become the mother of his child. Their relationship was at it's peak and it couldn't get better, or so to say.

Zubiya knew her husband well enough to know that he meant every word he said. It didn't take much time for her heart to melt. She smiled wide and happy, and reciprocated to his affection.

"Kabhi kabhi sochti hoon ke shayad main koi khwab dekh rahi hoon, ek aisa khwab jaha zindagi mein sab kuch perfect hain aur chaaro taraf khushiyan hi khushiyan hain."

Asfi looked at her with a soft loving gaze, graced with warmth. "Yeh khwaab nahi hain meri jaan. Haqeeqat hain. Aur tumhe isey open-heartedly embrace karna hain." Zubiya smiled and was about to say something further, but then suddenly her expression changed to a startled one. Asfi's heart almost skipped a beat. He was just about to reach for his phone and car keys when Zubiya started giggling.

Asfi looked at her for a while, trying to make sense of everything.

"K-kya huya Zubiya? Sab theek toh hain na?" He failed to understand her reaction.

"Haan haan sab theek hain. Aap ko pata hain Asfi, jab bhi aap aas paas hote hain yah baatein kartein hain yeh bauhat excited ho jaati hain. It's quite fascinating how she understands that you're somewhere around and starts to move around a lot."Asfi let out a sigh, relieved but also ever so slightly disappointed. He chuckled, amused yet again. Zubiya pulled his hands and placed it on her abdomen. His lips curled up to a wide smile when he felt his little one move, so did Zubiya's.

The parents-to-be spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other's company, excitedly planning the arrival of their baby girl, whom they had decided to name Amaal.