Mashal leaned against their car, waiting for Murat to come back. But as the guests keep increasing one by one, she felt anxious and out of place among the new faces, so she decided to go find her husband. Standing along with him seemed like a much better option.
Her long heels made it difficult for her to walk fastly but she managed to walk somehow. That's the problem with being short. Heels are absolutely horrible to wear, but they're too tempting to simply ignore them. After all, it makes her look extra tall by a few inches. She shouldn't be ungrateful or complaining but damn, this particular one is hurting her feet with every step that she was taking.
"Murat, I was waiting for you there. Why are you standing here?" A happy grin broke on her face as she locked her hands with him. It disappeared almost immediately as she observed his frozen state. There was something wrong. She just knew.
"What happened to you?" She asked with concern.
Her eyes travelled to where he was looking at and she was shaken for a second. Her hold on his hands became extra tight, feeling possessive.
What the heck is she doing here? She glanced at her husband and raised her brows, communicating with him through her eyes.
I don't know, I'm as shocked as you. He shrugged and she could read those words crystal and clear in his eyes.
It was hilarious how they could actually communicate without needing to use any words. They've grown to understand each other so well by now.
Eliza glared at their locked hands and eyed Murat accusingly, "was it so easy for you to move on, Murat?" She asked as her pretty green eyes turned glassy and red.
Her stupid question broke their little moment and Mashal felt like throwing something at her. What does she mean by moving on easily?
"Jokes on you, darling. Weren't you the one who dumped him?" Mashal smiled mockingly as she glanced at her husband again, who visibly relaxed as she spoke confidently with Eliza. She blinked at him as if saying- I got this.
He blinked back at her in response.
"I'm not talking with you," Eliza looked down at her as she made a face and then eyed Murat again.
"Don't use that tone with my wife," Murat glared at his ex-girlfriend, who looked taken aback by his rude comment. It was the first time he was talking with her after so many months and it sounded very uninterested. He looked like he'd do anything rather than have this conversation with her.
Eliza clenched her fist as she threw another nasty glare at Mashal. But she was unfazed that night.
Even with heels, Mashal still looked pretty small in front of her. And Eliza was absolutely stunning. She wasn't blind to not see. The pictures failed to do proper justification for her beauty. The red colour saree and her sleeveless blouse hugged her curves perfectly and she was looking breathtakingly gorgeous in them.
Mashal became self-conscious and wanted to recheck how she looked right now. Was her hair alright? Did she wear the right shade of eyeshadow? Was Murat checking her out as well? The last question made her very uncomfortable.
Stop comparing yourself with her! And no, Murat is not even looking at her, stupid. Mashal's inner self chided her.
"You're crazy! Did you forget that you still love me?" Eliza gritted her teeth, feeling frustrated and annoyed by seeing Murat so happy and moved on. All those magazines weren't fake after all.
"No, he doesn't. He never loved you by the way. Stop wasting our time miss supermodel. Can we go, Murat?" Mashal asked smugly as she glanced sideways at her husband again. She was not going to be the insecure wife just because her husband's ex came out of nowhere. She was confident in his loyalty towards her. He never gave her any chance to doubt that loyalty and she won't do now it either.
Murat shook his head with an amused smile although he was burning with rage from the inside.
"Come on," They ignored Eliza and walked away from there hand in hand as if she didn't exist. Murat sighed audibly as they went too far from her
"I didn't know she was coming here," he ran his hands through his hair. Mashal gave him a moment to compose himself as she loosened her hold from him.
Murat knew why was Eliza trying to come back to him. Kaif has dumped her to marry the girl of his parents'choice, who is a business heiress leaving her without a second thought just like she did with him. Well, karma works miraculously. He wondered if she has learnt her lesson already.
"Are you okay?" She touched his forearm in a comforting way, he nodded slowly angry at himself for losing his calm just because Eliza came to talk with him with that hopeful eyes.
What did she even think? That he'd forget every damn thing and take her back? Maybe if it was a year ago, he'd have probably done that. But now he was questioning himself. Wondering how did he fall for her of all the people in the world. She has changed him into the worst version of himself and he didn't even realise those changes until very recently.
"Are you okay?" Murat eyed his wife cautiously as he asked her, she shrugged nonchalantly in response. He was more worried about her than himself. Seeing your husband with his ex was not an everyday thing. And he felt the need to reassure her that Eliza's presence did nothing to him, although he wasn't very sure about that. But he wanted Mashal to be okay. It was his number one priority.
"I'm fine, shall we go ahead then?" Not wanting to prolong these sudden awkward questions, Mashal diverted the topic. They were near their car again.
"Can you give me a hug?" Murat's voice was suddenly very vulnerable. His eyes were filled with an unknown pain. She glanced at his face, feeling bad for him. Five years of being together wasn't a joke and she knew how much it must be hurting for him to be in this situation today.
"Of course, Murat." And the next moment, she wrapped her tiny hands around his torso, engulfing him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back just as tightly. Her eyes were closed automatically as she breathed against his chest.
Mashal loved hugs. But this hug was nothing like the ones they've shared before. It was vulnerable and emotional. Murat was seeking comfort from her and she was only happy to give him that. She didn't know how he must be feeling right now, but the thought of Eliza still having such an impact on him made her feel bitter.
"Thanks for being there with me, Mashal." He whispered sadly and she sighed against his chest. Her eyes fluttered open.
"I'll always be there for you, Murat. I know it must be hard to see her face to face after all that has happened." She paused, reading his expression. He looked pale.
"If you need to talk something, I'll always listen, okay?" She cupped his face, not caring that they're in public. Yes, she hated PDA but she didn't care at the moment. Reassuring Murat seemed more important.
"Thanks for that too, you don't know how much it means to me,"
She smiled at his words. Her eyes became wet unknowingly.
"I just want you to reassure me one more time as well," Mashal whispered as she lowered her eyes, "you won't leave me right?"
She was not insecure. Of course not.
But she was scared. So, so scared.
Even though her heart had told her a hundred times that Murat wouldn't do that to her, she couldn't help her fear.
"No!" His response was quick and firm. The thought of leaving her has burnt his soul. He can never imagine not having Mashal in his life. She was the only colourful thing of his colourless world.
Just her smile lightens up his whole damn day. How can he even think about leaving her?
"I'm never leaving you, Mashal. Even if you deserve someone more perfect. Someone who is not broken like me. I'm too selfish to let you go. You're stuck with me forever, stop thinking about leaving." He muttered huskily making her heart flutter. A faint smile appeared on her lips as she nodded her head, satisfied with his answer.
"I think we should really go now. I want to get done with this and go back home, eat some ice cream and sleep peacefully." Mashal whined, annoyed at the thought of meeting so many new faces. She wasn't a people person. And to top of that, the pleasant evening was not pleasant anymore, thanks to Eliza.
"How about we just go back home?'' Murat suggested after a lot of inner debate.
Her eyes lit up at his words. Because honestly, she wasn't in the mood to fake smile at every other random stranger in the wedding. She was too exhausted already.
"Can we do that?" She asked hopefully and excitedly, forgetting all about Eliza. Who the hell cares about her anyway? She's irrelevant in their lives.
He chuckled at her sudden excitement. She was so adorable and all his.
"I think we can." He replied while caressing her soft cheeks. A fond smile appeared on his face as he drank in her beauty.
"Why are you so pretty?"
Mashal gazed down, feeling bashful. She can never get tired of listening to his compliments. His compliments truly make you feel beautiful. Her toes curled involuntarily but she winced as her heels began to hurt her again.
"We're in public. Stop gazing at me like that," she whispered shyly, he leaned in and dropped an affectionate kiss on her cheeks, "I can't take my eyes off you when you look so enchanting like this," His voice was flirty and playful. The rest of the world faded for him as he forgot everything for a while. Only she has this power over him. The ability to make him forget all his worries and make him smile genuinely.
Just her small smile and he was already a goner.
Mashal couldn't get herself to look him in the eyes. With the way, he was gazing at her as if she's the prettiest girl alive. It made her feel things. The sudden urge to grab his handsome face and kiss him sensuously was making her go crazy. With a lot of courage, she gazed up and stared into his deep black eyes.
All those insecurities Mashal had while meeting Eliza back there disappeared in the thin air as she looked to his appreciative eyes. Her heart felt warm and fuzzy. And those butterflies in her stomach felt alive again. Her cheeks began to hurt by smiling so much.
"Can we actually leave without congratulating your friend? Won't he be upset?" Even if the thought of leaving was too tempting, she felt bad about making him leave for her sake.
"I'm not in the mood to go and face Eliza once again. It's better if we just leave." She grinned at his words. Happy to know that they can back off from here. No meeting with the strangers or particularly that Eliza.
And so, they got in the car and drove back home again. Mashal kept stealing glances at him every now and then as he drove. She wasn't very subtle about her staring either.
"You're staring!" He smiled with a shake of his head.
"You're very handsome and all mine. I think I have every right to stare," she placed hands her hand against her cheeks and gazed at him with dreamy eyes.
"All rights reserved to you alone, darling."
She threw her head back and laughed at his response. Her chocolate brown eyes were filled with fire and intense need. And gosh, he seemed to get addicted to the contagious sound of her laughter. He could listen to it all day.
"You're going to get us into an accident," Murat added huskily feeling content at the thought of being desired and admired by his wife. It was such a good feeling.
Seeing Eliza back again brought back all the bitter memories. Of how she cheated on him because he was not giving her enough. Of how she dumped him because she became bored of him. All those hurt resurfaced as she came back today, with her bloody hopeful eyes. How can she even hope for anything from him, after all, that she did?
Mashal was smiling shyly with a shake of her head as her laughter died down, but as she observed his sudden stiffened expression she knew something was off and didn't have to guess what was bothering him.
She felt like punching that woman at this moment. No, she's not this violent generally but for Murat's sake, she'd do anything. Even punch someone on their face.
"Did I ever tell you?" He spoke vaguely, his voice came out as a whisper.
"Tell me what?" She asked while holding his hand gently.
"That she cheated on me." He couldn't meet her eyes. But she could see how deeply hurt he was. His eyes spoke volumes even if the mouth didn't.
"Murat?" Mashal's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't understand why would anyone do that to him of all people. He's such a good human being. Yes, he has his moments. But he wasn't a bad person.
Not even a bad person deserved to be treated that way. Cheating on someone in a relationship is the meanest thing anyone could ever do.
"Yeah. I was not enough apparently." He chuckled dryly while halting at the signal.
"I'm going to sound like a selfish and crazy person but I'm glad you guys broke up. Because it leads you to me." She squeezed his arms, "and you're mine now. I guess it was meant to be this way."
"You're right. I shouldn't be sulking but it just hurts." He sighed defeatedly while starting the car again. The signal was now green.
"You're allowed to feel every emotion, Murat. You're allowed to feel them, express them or talk about them. I'm always here to listen to you and support you in every way possible as your wife."
He didn't speak anything but she could see how much these words meant to him. She could see it in his eyes. Not everything needs to be spoken anyway...
And also, she could read him so well.
"I'm here for you. Always." She whispered softly and turned her gaze towards the window, not wanting to sound too emotional. Her hold on his hand remained strong even if she looked away.
"I don't even deserve you, but too bad you're mine. Thank you for everything, Mashal." He grabbed her right hand and placed a lingering kiss on her knuckles. She smiled at his gesture. While his eyes were fixed on the road. She could feel his inner turmoil from here and hated Eliza Hossain for putting him through so much pain.
"I don't know about who deserves me. But I have always wanted you. Only you."
There was silence for a few minutes as they gave each other some space to think about everything that has happened.
Mashal mentally prepared herself to confess to him everything about her crush on him.
Murat deserved to know this one day. And she wanted that day to be today. It might make him feel better. She'd do anything and everything for his happiness and to see that charming smile on his face.
"Why did we stop here?" She was confused as her husband got down from the car and passed her with a weak smile.
"You wanted ice cream. Which flavour should I buy?" He asked gently and she felt herself swooning over him again.
"I'll try your favourite flavour tonight." She grinned as he nodded and walked inside the Ice-cream shop. Their home was two minutes away from here. It wouldn't melt that much.
"Here," Murat came back as quick as he went and got into the car as he placed the small bag on her lap and locked the door shut.
"Can I eat now?" She asked impulsively and bit her lips with a sheepish smile. Murat hates it if someone messes up his car.
"You can, just don't spill anything." He said with an amused look.
"I'll try," She replied cheekily while peeling off the top cover of the cornetto choco fudge and licked it with a childish smile and then went on to devour her Ice-cream.
"We're here already?" Mashal got down with a sigh and continued eating her Ice-cream. Murat took the cover from her as he opened her door, not wanting to trouble her with anything when she was enjoying eating the ice cream so much.
"Thoughtful as always," tiptoeing on her legs, she placed a lingering kiss on his cheeks and smiled at him.
"Come inside it's cold out here. We don't want you to catch a cold," Murat dragged her to their home as he unlocked the main door.
"Finally!" She muttered in relief while removing her heels. She was pretty sure there's going to be some swelling near her ankles.
She bent down to examine them but thankfully there wasn't any swell but her white legs were red.
Murat frowned at it, bending down and grabbed her legs gently as he placed the ice cream cover beside him. His eyes became soft with worry and concern, "what happened to your feet?" He asked with confusion.
"Nothing much. Just the heels." She shrugged nonchalantly almost used to it by now. Wearing heels all these years has gotten her prone to these pains.
"What do I do with you?" He shook his head with disappointment and without a blink of his eyes, he lifted her in his arms. Her ice cream fell in the process, making her scream.
"Murat!" She yelled his name. He rolled his eyes and picked the cover from the floor, "you can have mine."
She grabbed them almost immediately, "really?"
"Really."
"But you wasted that one," she pouted.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
He gently placed her on their sofa and sat down beside her while taking her legs in his hands again. She became ticklish as he rubbed her foot making her giggle. But the thought of him doing something to her feet even though he didn't have to, made her feel giddy and warm.
His caring side was so hot. She'd be gushing all day about how much of an amazing husband he was. This foot rub was just another reason added to that long list.
"The ice cream is melting eat them soon," he told to distract her and she wriggled her toes but the giggles stopped at one point as she began to lick his share of ice cream.
"Do you want some?" She asked while forwarding the cone towards him but he leaned in close to her and pressed his mouth against hers, licking the little remains on her upper lips. He pulled back with a grin and resumed rubbing her foot. Her face was a sight to see at that moment.
"You're so good at this," she muttered while suppressing a moan. Her breathing was uneven and her heartbeats were fast and frantic. Nothing new about that.
Mashal's face flustered deeply as she recollected their very first kiss. It happened on the same sofa and it was because of a red velvet cake that day.
How quickly the time has passed.
It feels like just yesterday they shifted here and she remembered the awestruck feeling she had when she first laid her eyes on her dashing neighbour. Murat is someone you can't simply ignore. His aura is such that you'd have to pause and appreciate his beauty at least for a second.
Mashal couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. And there began that obsession. She had it so bad for him.
It's funny how the same person is now her husband. Life works in strange ways sometimes.
She was not complaining at all.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked while pausing in the middle. She missed his magic of hands almost immediately.
"You!" Came her bashful reply.
"What about me?" He quirked his brows, she lowered her gaze and didn't answer him. The ice cream was finally completed, she pouted wanting more. But Murat had other plans it seemed.
"Woah!" She yelped in surprise as he pulled her on his lap, his hands goes to wrap around her waist, not giving her a chance to move away. Not that she'd move anyway. An amused smile broke onto her lips as she gazed at him quizzically.
"What were you thinking? I know there's something." He asked while moving her hair behind her shoulders. She shivered at his touch.
"I was thinking about our first kiss. Us. And my cru-" she was going to blurt out in a daze but stopped in the middle.
"And what, babe?"
"About my crush on you." Her cheeks were on fire as she finally admitted that.
He froze for a second as his muscles tensed. He couldn't believe his ears.
"Yeah. I came out to throw the trash in the bin when we first shifted here. That was when I first saw you. Your face was moody and annoyed like always but I was simply starstruck. You looked so good, Murat...'" Mashal gushed like a fangirl as she recalled that evening. Her eyes twinkled brightly.
"It was crush at first sight for me. There was something about you that pulled me towards you all the time... I was downright stalking you for a week straight. I couldn't get enough of seeing you. It was like I'm obsessed." She blushed recalling all of those days.
Murat was silent the whole time. He had no idea what to say.
"And that's why it hurt so bad when you slammed the door on my face. I couldn't comprehend why would you do that. I have pictured our first meeting to be many things but not that." She chuckled softly. But his eyes widened in realization and guilt gnawed him.
"I know you are sorry. It doesn't matter now. I just want to tell you how much I've adored you right from the beginning."
"And Amina auntie had a huge role in getting us both hitched. She was my fairy godmother literally." Mashal laughed as she explained to him about the supermarket incident.
The look of surprise and shock remained constant on his face throughout the time. She gave him the space to digest everything.
"You're all I've wanted and desired for, Murat. Even if everyone says you don't deserve me, I'd still not care." Her voice cracked at the end. She became emotional suddenly.
"I don't know what to say, Mashal." He held her so close to him while whispering those words. She smiled against his chest, relieved at the thought of telling him everything.
There are no more secrets between them now.
"You don't have to, Murat. I'm just letting you know how much I like you," she sighed against his chest as he helped her remove the jewellery. They were going to sleep anyway. And honestly, Murat needed something to distract his mind for his inner self was freaking out because of the revelation he just had.
"You like me!" He repeated just to be sure. She nodded while he cupped her jawline, gazing at her face intensely. Both their eyes were dark with desire and want.
"I think I'm falling in love with you, Mashal," Murat confessed making her breath hitch.
"I can't believe I got so lucky." He muttered in disbelief while peppering kisses along her jawline. Mashal was yet to react to his confession. She was numbed with happiness or shock he had no idea. It could be both he assumed while gazing into her chocolate brown eyes.
They both were in their own world, enjoying this little intimate moment having no clue of the brewing storm coming ahead of them.
After all, Eliza Hossain was not someone who'd back out without a fight.