I have never written a story in my life but boy am I inspired! So here goes my first and probably last attempt (for I am no writer). Have mercy if it is dry and boring, but I could not get this out of my head since I woke this morning.
A soft piano tune was playing somewhere. Imlie stirred in her husbands arms and opened her eyes. Her alarm! She moved to slip out of bed but the band of steel around her tightened a little more. “I have to study, let me go” she murmured. She heard a soft sigh followed by a gentle kiss on her head. The arms around her loosened and she slipped out of bed.
3 years. She thought to herself, as she brushed her teeth. It’s been three years since we married under some very strange circumstances. Imlie had been a fresh divorcee, still picking up the shattered pieces of her heart but had agreed to marry Aryan nevertheless under the circumstances. With her consent this time, she had married her pillar of support, the man who pushed her to stand tall when life had tried to bring her down to her knees over and over again. He had promised her a platonic relationship for as long as she needed, knowing that she would never be able to move on unless her heart healed first. That’s just like him, always considerate, always putting her needs above everything else. She sighed and started washing her face. She had better get out of this bathroom or Mr. khadoos jasoos would be knocking to see why she was dallying. She walked over to the desk and turned on the light. Their desk. Their desk, where they often spent early mornings together, in silence, him catching up on work emails and his agenda, her studying.
She turned to see him swinging his legs over the side of the bed and walk to the bathroom to freshen up. Opening her books, she looked to see what assignments she needed to work on today.
Aryan glanced over at his wife who looked engrossed in her books, as he walked out the door towards their gym. He treasured these morning hours, where he brought his mind and body into focus ready to start the day. 45 minutes later he walked to their desk, freshly showered, ready to see what the day had in store for him. He watched as Imlie was typing away furiously at her laptop, biting her lower lip in fierce concentration. He sat down on the opposite side and opened his laptop. She glanced up and gave him a quick smile before she bent her head to work again. And just like it did every single time she smiled, his heart skipped a beat. A corner of his mouth lifted. God, I love her! he thought to himself. Silently thanking Him/Her every day for bringing this ray of bright light in his then dark life, he turned his attention to his emails.
They worked quietly for the next half an hour when he heard a loud rumble. Aryan’s brow shot up as he glanced at Imlie. She was twirling a pen in her right hand and laying her left hand on her belly, frowning as she stared at the screen. He quietly made his way out of the room.
Ugh her stomach was rumbling again. Imlie made a face. All this thinking seemed to make her hungrier. But she was almost at the end of her assignment and loathe to get something to eat so early. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a hand slide a tray towards her with some freshly cut fruit and milk. She smiled a small smile and without looking up shot out her hand to hold his arm, pull him towards her. Thank you, she said simply, to which he smiled back and bent down to look at her screen. His cheek brushing against hers. Ow! Chubhti hai! (It prickles!) He looked at her innocently, What? Tumhari dadhi, ABP! (Your beard!) He smirked and turned to brush her cheeks with his soft lips. Her cheeks burned where he had touched her and her breath hitched. She watched from the corner of her eye as he straightened. “Kha lo aur apni padhai pe dhyan do” she heard him say sternly.
She watched as he walked back nonchalantly to his side and sat down. How did he do that? Switch emotions on and off. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the screen again. But her heart was still topsy turvy, her breath still uneven, her vision still unfocused.
Aryan sat down on his side, a small smile playing on his lips knowing the havoc he had just created. 3 years. 3 very long years, he had waited patiently. Sometimes he cursed himself for promising her a platonic relationship. But he now saw light at the end of the tunnel. His wife, Imlie would finish her masters in journalism in a few weeks…and then? And then he fully intended on taking things to the next level, that hitch in her breath had told him all he needed to know. She was ready. He had married a child-woman-prodigy three years ago and watched her slowly blossom into a woman. Life had taught her many bitter lessons early on and she had persevered through it all. He still remembered that life altering night at the bridge where a broken girl had stood up tall for a moment and told him “Imlie. Imlie hun main. Hum darr se nahi, darr hum se bhagat hai!!” Before she broke down and fell to her knees again. Yes, she had come a long way. Her resolve made of iron and nerves made of steel. Her spirit still light hearted and carefree, she brought his home to life every single day. He had promised her a platonic relationship back then, but every morning that line of pillows between them had disappeared with her soft form molding to his back for warmth. Yeah right, within a few weeks they had given up that particular pretense, he scoffed. Oh, but the sheer torture of waking up to her soft warmth every morning and then having to just let her go……Soon, he thought to himself, that sweet torture would end soon.
He didn’t realize he was still smiling when their eyes met over the tops of their screens. “I saw that smile Mr. Khadoos Akkad bagga” and she stuck out her tongue at him and grinned. And just like that, Aryan thought, his face breaking out into a genuine smile, just like that she lights up my life and steals my heart every day.
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