MAQAAM - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

"Kaha gya ye?" Inara wondered frustratedly, breaking the organized room into a fit of desperate searching. She was ready to throw things around in a dump at this rate, thanks to her outfit for the day preventing her from going all hulk on their belongings and only surfing through them vehemently.
"Inara, yaar! We are getting late."
How so wished to kill this human reminder with her bare hands?
Rahil was ready, up and about in his good-looking Kurta set. She swears never forcing him into purchasing anything blue again. The powder blue sherwani with gold thread work intricately designed all over it made it hard for her to focus. While she was wrestling her way through what this man manipulated her into, he looked dapper as always in walking around with his sleeves pushed to his forearm and nothing but a watch in hand. This man literally had pushed his hair back, trimmed his beard, added some moisturizer, and a little fragrance on himself. While he looked no less than a movie star, she had to take another hour just to manage her hair and makeup.
Life was so unfair.
"I told you to keep the envelope safe. It is your mistake I can't find it now." Life was too short for her to blame herself, but Rahil could handle and take most of it.
"Me? I haven't seen what that thing looks like." He was rolling his eyes behind the door. She could challenge any force in the world at this rate.
"Usme surkhaab ke par nahi lagein the jo aapko dekhna tha." She snorted going through his desk for the third time in a row. "How are we supposed to go to their wedding without a wedding gift, Rahil?"
"We can give it later." His suggestion was so illogical.
"And when do you suggest, Mr. Sohail?"
"Reception tomorrow." He answered with a duh. Oh, she will tell him duh.
"No, I want to give it today." She was acting like a child; well, he could manage one. He was an adult, wasn't he?
"Fine." She loved the way he always gave up on her demands. He may glare at her for a long minute but would let her do anything in the world.
Like the day she was getting free from that forsaken plaster. He had chided her for a good 10 minutes for demanding to go to an Amusement Park which was later changed to Fun Park but nonetheless, she had enjoyed her day jumping around, throwing sponge cubes around, and laughing in hysterics with him sighing at her antics.
She had gotten freedom from that plaster and would be moving to the office the next day; she deserved a break and fun. Her argument had made a lot of sense to her, she wondered why he looked so puzzled. Wasn't it normal for people to enjoy once given a clean chit for their health?
"Open this door. I will help you search for it. This way we would reach the courthouse before they leave from there." He had started exaggerating things. Was her jesting rubbing off on him?
"Yeah, coming." She shouted and gathered the plates of her own blue saree walking carefully to not trip in her heels. She latched the door open and let him inside.
Ignoring how his eyes took in her look, she pushed down the swell of pride on her efforts and decided to search through her heap of books on the bedside one last time.
While he stood burning holes in her saree cladded form, she bit back a smile. He wasn't expecting her in a saree at all. They had decided on a royal blue Anarkali together and she had placed an order for the same until she bumped into another one on her Instagram feed, a tap on the link, and voila! The pretty sky-blue saree was what got her attention and heart.
She had traded her dress with this one, a georgette fleek of 7 meters with a light encrusted border and a full-sleeved deep-neck blouse she had dropped and picked from the tailor on her way back without Rahil's knowledge.
"This is not what I selected." He commented from somewhere behind her, near to be exact.
"I can bet." She bit her smile and almost squealed as a familiar brown envelope appeared out of nowhere. She tugged it out of his hand and checked its contents. "Where did you find it?"
"On the bed." He was still staring at her with what she could point to as a blend of amazement, irk, and skepticism. "Where is the blue Anarkali?"
"Somewhere? A warehouse may be." She shrugged. "Or someone's closet. It was pretty to go unsold."
He shook his head in defeat. "Ab chalein?"
"Don't you have something to tell me?" She stepped closer to him. A hand on his chest and their heartbeats synced almost instantly. "Like I look pretty or how you cannot look away from me."
Taking his own time, he nodded. "I like blue on you."
"Bas?" Why was she acting desperate for his compliments?
He hummed.
The drop of her excitement was instantaneous.
"Khadoos." Mumbling she pushed him aside and stomped her way out only to be whirled halfway. Before she could cross the threshold of their room, she was pushed against the wall and her lips were captured in his.
Not harsh, just a small peck with slight movement in order to not ruin her lipstick.
Not a percent of what Rahil was capable of. Oh, she had witnessed his shades, the one where he could make her jelly in his arms with just small ministrations on her neck and jaw. They had crossed that intimacy, touching different bases as time passed.
If before he was teasing her with his words and actions, here inside the four walls he was outright rampaging her brain cells leaving them haphazard with each stunt he pulled.
"Is this compliment enough?" His breath fanned her lips as he placed another one of a kiss on her lips making her flush against the wall.
Nodding wordlessly, she breathed into his mist and sighed.
Would throwing the bottle away be enough or she must file a legal suit against the firm that manufactured this evil fragrance?
Her wondering came to an end at his chuckle. His lips touched her temple ephemerally and he stepped back.
"Come. We are late."
At this point, she could have followed him inside an airplane only to jump down later.
"I love you," Inara murmured behind him as he gathered the baskets and boxes of sweets they were to take. Rahil had taken a glance at her, a smile on his lips as he went back to locking the door behind them. Guiding her through the hallway and inside the elevator, he held on to the weight while she idled having her fill of him.
Staring or not, she had every right to keep looking at her husband. One she had made clear a few good times that he had tried reasoning.
Not that she was alone. Though subtle, Rahil checked her out every chance he got. Oh, how she had known it over the months yet she kept pushing back the urge to catch him red-handed.
The doors parted and so her as her frown returned. "Are we not taking your bike?"
She loved his girlfriend, jealous or not, the vehicle was what gave them enough time together on maximum days she had traveled to the office with him.
"We have things, Ini." He raised the weights and she was disappointed. Why were they taking this again? "Well, I thought you would like to drive in that."
"That what?" She spun around to see what he pointed behind her.
The outside parking was filled with visitors yet she could see what he was referring to. a Thar standing proudly at a distance.
"How come?" She could have squealed at the scene but refrained, she will have all the time later to gush on her favorite model.
"I rented it for the day." He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal that he remembered her random chatter about this model. She had mentioned how she had demanded her father to purchase one, only for it to be replaced by another bigger model that suits his image.
He said Thar was modern, too funky for an old man like him.
Not that she had understood or even remotely tried to compare his description with her imagination.
"You aren't that worst of the husbands, Mr. Sohail." Jumping towards the car, she was ready to admire the vehicle all day if he hadn't pulled the door open and coerced her into sitting.
"We are late." His grumbling never dimmed her excitement as she grinned. The apprehension of traveling in a car that she had often felt after that accident did not rise much, a little and she had refused to acknowledge it.
"Lucky us, we aren't getting married." Her comment earned a side eye and he drove to make up the 25-minute drive. They were late yet never he sped past the acceptable, never overtaking until necessary and waiting until it was clear numbers on traffic lights. He understood the itch of speeding up for her, he had offered to drive her back and forth from office for an indefinite period until another of her colleagues suggested carpooling.
Yet this husband checked on her until she was safely in the office or back each day without a miss. He didn't want her on the road for more time than required.
They parked outside the courthouse, trudging down towards the marriage registration office.
Irfan and Tarini were having an interfaith marriage, a topic still sneered upon in the country. Not wanting their guests and extended families to run their mouths and demean each other's religion anytime during a ceremony, they had decided on a court marriage with only family and a reception for others. This was better for them than butting heads to find a common ground to mix Muslim and Hindu traditions.
Lawfully wedded, they could go any further.
The marriage registrar read the terms and other scripts he was supposed to as Inara stood grinning at the couple. Tarini wore a red lehenga, covering her head and adding minimal jewelry to keep it simple. She looked every bit of a bride in that rich attire that was enough for Pinterest-worthy posts.
Her eyes met Irfan's who swallowed and tried smiling in nervousness. With Rahil at his side, he tried gathering strength to match his bride's grace in a black suit tailored to perfection.
Talk about formal weddings.
He was a lawyer, standing inside courts and defending his clients came naturally to him yet the amount of nervousness this man excluded was amusing.
Bumping her shoulder with Afreen, Inara whispered. "Do you think Irfan Bhai needs water? He looks ready to pass out."
"He would live." Afreen chuckled. "You should have seen Rahil. He was sweating the entire time you took to come down."
"Really?" This was news for her.
She hummed as the couple was asked to exchange rings and garlands. "He was anxious that you would realize it was a bad idea and not come down. He tried maintaining that composure but I am also his mother. I knew everything before Irfan vouched the same to prove me right. What about you? Were you also nervous?"
How was she to tell her that she wasn't? Not even a percent as she was busy plotting against Iram, sabotaging her dreams, and admiring her wedding attire. The day was clear as a daylight to her, she was busy glaring and raging as her cousins disrespected him and gossiped about the change of their alliances.
Never once had she thought to say no.
"I pronounce you two as husband and wife." The registrar's declaration echoed in the room, pulling her out of her memories. The families gushed and celebrated the union and Inara felt a sense of déjà vu. It was as if she was reliving her own wedding, experiencing once again the joy, the love, and the promise of a shared future in the air.
As they signed the marriage register, she clapped along with the others, her heart brimming with happiness for the newlyweds and a renewed appreciation for her own marriage. Her eyes met his and her grin widened feeling him shake his head at her happiness.
"Well, Barkhurdaar, welcome to a life full of compromises." Irfan's father patted his back laughing boisterously at his joke.
"Baba." He rolled his eyes but welcomed the hug. His father squeezed him in an embrace which made Inara glance at her husband. The man missed his father a lot more than he let on.
She excused herself after congratulating Tarini and made her way behind him, intertwining their fingers together and standing at the sidelines as they watched the couple being showered with blessings. They were waiting for the sealed certificate from the registrar and until then, the families dived into a mini celebration.
"I heard you were nervous on our wedding day." She pipped wanting to change the subject for him.
"Where are you hearing rumors from?" He glanced at her with a cocked brow.
"My sources are reliable, Mr. Sohail." Inara pursed her lips to bite back the smirk, watching his eyes challenging her to continue. "I have eye witness against your word."
"Is it?" He played along with an amused twitch of his lips. "Then, I have no way out but to get convicted. Guilty as charged, Mrs. Sohail."
She giggled at his dramatic gesture.
"Is there a way I can plead against your decided punishment?"
She pulled her lower lip in, thinking and faking it. "A week of vacation would do."
He snorted shaking his head. "Try again."
Inara scowled at his blunt refusal. "It is just a vacation."
"This impromptu? Not happening." Another refusal. "We hardly get time together. Our schedules are packed."
"Our?" She glared holes in his head. It was his schedule that was packed, while he worked, she hated being free so had to join in his long hours. If not for him, she wasn't interested in self-induced torture. "You can gift Irfan bhai tickets but not even consider ours?"
If being bitter let out her feelings, she would.
Inara was far from being a saint, she kept trying to prove every chance she got.
"Don't be like this." He was admonishing her, which made her more upset.
"I never said I wanted it tomorrow. I was suggesting it." She grumbled hugging herself, suddenly the hurt made her aware of the monsoon wind that had started rounding the eastern coast. "But you had to shoot down it the first instance, Rahil. It is not fair."
"This is no place for a conversation, Ini." Why did he look irked? It should be her emotion.
"Are you going to designate places for us to talk now?" Inara was being petty, petulant, and angry. Not a good combination for Rahil to survive.
"I didn't mean it." He exhaled aggravated. "Let's talk back at home, ya?"
Not that she would.
She had successfully dodged him the entire day, and the next too. While they left for reception, she had avoided replying to long conversations. Monotonous replies, a bunch of passive glares, and more attention to the world than him had Rahil pull his hair out and pluck his tongue for saying stuff to her.
Not that he tried, but apologies would take him only so far.
"Talk to me, Inara. Please." He had begged her midway through Irfan and Tarini's reception, uncaring of looks he received for following his wife who busied herself in serving the elders something or other. He had pulled the plates of starters out of her and passed them to a server with sharp glares.
"Is this the place you deem fit to talk?" She bit back a higher level of sarcasm. "Nice choice though."
"We will go on a vacation." He agreed. Oh, he was coerced into one by her moods. Blame her due periods on blowing this out of proportion.
"You can go alone." She shrugged. "Not interested anymore."
Walking away towards Afreen she stood wrapping her arms around hers, leaning her head against his mother while he was called by his other common friends, they were separated the entire time that followed making Rahil's irritation ooze out in waves now.
A look by Afreen and she sighed seeing her kids giving silent treatments to one another. The lady sighed and left for her room. She wouldn't dive into their fights to mediate until one was ready to kill another. Months that they had lived her had made her backtrack, she had cleared how she wasn't the one to meddle with them until they explicitly sorted for her intervention.
"Where do you want to go? I will make the bookings and we will leave the first week we are free." Tempting, yet the offer will have to wait. This was their 6-month anniversary fight, it should be memorable.
She had checked his schedule. Ye, he had forwarded his calendar to satisfy her curiosity once and never took the access back. She had checked and prodded around the document but the man had his hands full for the next 3 months. He was working, in a meeting, sleeping, or free to spend time here at home.
There were free days, just hours.
"Ini." He pulled her back, blocking her way to the washroom as she had collected her things for a quick shower after a long day. "I am sorry."
"I said it was okay, Rahil. Leave me, I am tired." Her feet ached due to the high heels she paraded around, there were rashes on her back and waist due to the embellished blouse digging into her skin. The only thing she was interested in here was to throw the clothes away and give in to exhaustion.
"You clearly didn't mean it. Nothing is fine. You are ignoring me." He did not take her excuse, yanking her clothes off he threw them on his bed. "Why not sit and tell me how upset you are? I promise to make it up to you."
This room was too small on days like these, a few steps and her calves touched the bed. She sighed and sat down. Working on her heels, he removed the death trap away from her. She had protested the first time he offered to touch her feet, but now she didn't bother to look at him do it.
"Tell me what should I do? Just say the word." He kneeled before her, cupping her face to make her look at him. "I hate it when you stop talking to me."
"I don't know." She was tired, being angry was a task in itself. Leaning into his touch, she placed her head against his shoulder and enjoyed the feel of his arms around her.
His finger traced the edge of her blouse and she winced at the sensitive skin.
"Dress comfortably." Chiding, his finger stopped on her zip and hovered. "Should I?"
She nodded against his neck and he loosened it making her throw the last defense out. "Why would you act like that? I wanted to strangle you in the courthouse."
"I am sorry." He was guilty. "I have days where I don't think before acting. It costs a lot, now I know."
Rolling her eyes, "Now you know because I refused to give in to your latches. You are quite unreasonable for being a businessman."
"I am." He was doing it again, agreeing to her accusations, words, and taunts like the semi-good man he was. She thought he was taunting the first time, next, she thought he had lost his senses, and now she was used to him.
"I thought you didn't want to go with me. You don't like me enough to share a vacation."
"That is not true." He stated with conviction, his finger pads massaging her shoulder blades. "You know that better than anyone."
"How can you tell me where I can talk to my husband and where I cannot? I will talk to you in the middle of the ocean or on the moon if I want to. I can wake you up in the middle of the night and talk to you if I want. I will call you in the middle of your important meeting and ask you silly things, you have to reply. That or nothing."
"Every time." He surrendered. "You can call me in the middle of a war and I won't care. I will reply each time."
"You better do." She quipped with finality. "Now about that vacation. You will free up the time around the Diwali holidays. I don't care but you will."
"I will." He agreed to her demands. "Tell me where, when, and how. I will plan our trip."
"No. I will."
"You can." He agreed again. "I am fine with it."
Some days, she wanted to bash his head for being agreeable to her, others she took advantage of it.
"There will be adventures." It was only right for her to give him a heads-up.
"Until it is us jumping out of an airplane or in a valley without a way to return, it is fine with me." He feared heights; he didn't shy about admitting it.
"I am tired and in need of a shower." Why she looked at him with hopeful eyes surprised her. Not that she wanted to insinuate action between them, they were too tired after three hectic days of the wedding.
"Do you want me to carry you inside?" Rahil cocked a teasing brow. "Or join you?"
"None." She averted her eyes bashfully. "Just wait for me."
He chuckled tapping on her blushing cheeks "Always."
He does. On all the days. Either it is a wait for him to home to her or her to get back to him after a long day of office. She had been pulling overtime to get the accreditations for the impending promotion. Mr. Iyer was on his way to be promoted by the end of this year, leaving his spot open for all those who deserved it, or the ones who pay their way in it.
There was no way Inara was paying, she had turned into a miser over the years, only way to take the lead was to get in a good word from Mr. Iyer and fly past the dogs who lapped at the opportunity.
Irfan and Tarini were back from their week-long honeymoon and had dropped gifts for both Rahil and Inara, sneaking a box of exquisite chocolates for her much to Rahil's chagrin. The man was jealous of her love for sweets, nothing else.
"This is better." Her dearest team leader shuffled through the proposal she submitted. His salt and pepper brows furrowed together as he suggested minor suggestions for her to make while Inara took in the impressed glint the man had laced in his tone. Oh, this was another task done for good.
"I will mail the changes to you by EOD." She affirmed passing a nod. Reaching her desk, she silenced an unknown incoming call before it disturbed others. She shot a text to Rahil and sat back to pull another overtime before she completed it today. There was no way she was pilling it for tomorrow.
An hour above the office time, she pressed enter and the e-mail was sent to him along with a blind CC to their manager. There were no trusting factors incorporate. There were always people ready to pull you down, mostly when it was a woman.
Logging out of her domain, she collected her things as her phone pinged with another call. She frowned at the unknown number; this was the fifth time she had been contacted in 24 hours. Every time she tried calling back, the line dropped before connecting. She stopped after the third and did not bother answering during work hours.
Whoever it was, they were playing games with her.
This time another call followed almost immediately, prodding her curiosity as she decided to answer.
"Hello." She spoke but the sharp breathing from the other side made her frown. "Who's this?"
"A-ppi?"
"Iram." Her throat was cloaked. It had been 6 months that she had heard again. Her parents didn't mention her a lot, if not for informing her about her pregnancy, her mother never brought her up again. "Is that you?"
"Pl-ease help me, A-ppi. T-hey...th-is people..." She was begging.
"Iram, calm down, baby." Inara held on to the desk to clench her knuckles. "What is wrong?"
Cutting a sibling out of your life is harder than it seems. It was chopping your limp and inflicting a disability for life. One may decide to never talk to them, forget their existence but there were always little moments that act as a reminder.
From the time of wake up till the start of another day, every moment you would be reminded of what you lost. How and when never mattered. It was a scourge for life.
"Please c-ome get me, A-ppi. Pl-ease." She was hardly able to speak, frightened and breathing harshly that Inara's senses heightened with panic.
Her mother told her Iram was pregnant. The day they had that forsaken dinner, they had just got to know. If adding up the time, she has to be in her early third trimester.
"Can you drink some water? You need to breathe slowly and tell me what is wrong. Should I call Ashfaq?" She winced at the name.
"No!" Iram snapped, her voice turning croaky as if holding back sobs. "Not him. Pl-ease take me a-way from here. I am hiding and c-alling you. I may never g-et a ch-ance again."
"What did he do?" She blinked the fury that rose in her veins. "Did he touch you? Hit you?"
A noise in the background startled Iram making her yelp in freight and Inara's insides tumbled into an endless pit. Her sister and she were raised to never fear, never to cower. They were always told to fight, no matter the enemy. It was fight and kill, leaving the rest for their father to handle.
And they never gave in to evil, never broke infront of others.
Iram was known to be the spoiled princess but she was the most hard-headed, she couldn't be ruffled so easily.
Something was wrong, her blood chilled.
"Are you talking to someone?"
It was Ashfaq, a tone Inara had never heard. It was full of menace that brought goosebumps to her arm.
"N-o, I am not." Iram was scarred, anyone would.
"Show me your phone."
"You wench." It was followed by a loud slap and the line dropped.