The next morning when Mahjabeen woke up, a smile spread on her face as she was met with her husband's sleeping face. He seemed so peaceful and vulnerable that Mahjabeen couldn't help but admire his face. His long lashes acted like curtains, shielding away those dark black eyes that appeared brown in the Sun. With his eyes closed, Murtasim seemed like a completely different person, his cheeks were red and his hair hid his right eyebrow. 

Mahjabeen extended her hand tenderly to move his hair away, she couldn't help but beam at the softness of his hair. Her heart was overwhelmed with affection, at this moment the world seemed to fade away as Mahjabeen relished the intimacy of the moment. 

A few weeks ago, she had married him because she had no other choice, but right now if someone asked her who would she choose if she had a choice, then it would be Murtasim. 

Her heartbeat escalated as Murtasim's eyes flew open, her hand was still caressing his head, Mahjabeen was alarmed but her eyes didn't move away from his. The laziness in his eyes had swept away all sense of logic from her brain,  how could someone hold this amount of power over others just with their eyes. Those were the eyes mentioned in poetries, they were a poet's muse, that could cast a spell on you. 

Murtasim was staring back at her with the same intensity, he could see her flushed cheeks and light brown eyes that caged him. If his eyes were intense and expressive, her large doe eyes seemed to hold secrets and stories, inviting a person to unravel the depth of her emotions. Murtasim sensed a vulnerability in her gaze, an invitation to dive into her soul. The intensity in his own eyes mirrored the depth of his feelings for her. It was as if their eyes engaged in a silent conversation, conveying emotions that words could not capture.

In that profound exchange, time stood still, and the outside world faded away, leaving only the two of them, connected by the power of their gaze. 

"Tumhari aankhein bohot Pyaari hai", Murtasim found himself whispering, he observed her cheeks flushing and her lips curving up into a lovely smile. She didn't say anything just brushed her finger on his nose playfully and broke the moment by rolling away from the bed. 

She ran away to the bathroom, not before giving him one last glance before closing the bathroom door, in that fleeting moment, their gaze spoke volumes. 

***

"Maryam tumhari Ammi kabhi muskurati nahi?" Mahjabeen asked curiously, she was sitting on Maryam's bed while Maryam combed her hair.  Her question stopped her in tracks, she glanced at Mahjabeen from the mirror and contemplated how to answer this question of hers. A part of her wanted to speak her true thoughts but she held in the urge, and with a smile gave her a filtered answer.

"Mahjabeen zimmedariyan ka bojh insaan ki khushiyan cheen leta hai, bhaijaan ko hi dekh lo kitna kam haste hain", Mahjabeen frowned at the last part, she has seen him smiling multiple times and maybe more than Maryam. 

"Kuch bhi, tumharey bhai tumse zyada hasmuck hai"

Maryam was stunned, she gave her the look to check if she was joking. And she wasn't, since the day they met Mahjabeen had noticed Murtasim smiling by himself. His smiles are had to miss, she might have noticed them too much because when he smiled his cheeks would make his eyes squint and these days make her heart flutter.

"Aap kyun muskura rahi hai Choti Begum?" Maryam teased her eyes mischievous, Mahjabeen shrugged not making any excuse.

An hour later, Murtasim and her were on the road going to her father's house. Mahjabeen was biting her nails a little nervous, lost in her thoughts not paying attention to anything. Murtasim had never seen her this way, as far as he remembered she was always happy and cheerful, doing something mischievous or atleast joking around.

As they traveled, Murtasim couldn't help but notice the lingering sadness and nervousness in Mahjabeen's demeanor. He grew increasingly concerned and a feeling of guilt started to creep into his heart. He wondered if he was somehow the cause of her current state.

He parked the car outside a store and disappeared before Mahjabeen could ask where he was going.

"Ye yaha kyun ruk gaye, Murtasim paan khaatey hai kya?" Mahjabeen concluded as her mouth hung open, she didn't see where he went but there was a paan shop beside the store.

She imagined him talking with his mouth full of paan and couldn't help but laugh loudly, Mahjabeen was laughing so hard that she fell on the car floor.

"Murtasim ke bajaye Muntajim sunaye dega", she giggled as much as she could before he came back. Mahjabeen was aware that some people might like paan instead of chocolate and that was fine. But she would have never vouched her husband to be that person.

When Murtasim entered the car, Mahjabeen hid her face behind her hair as she couldn't stiffle the grin on her face. Murtasim looked at Mahjabeen with a puzzled expression, wondering what had caused her sudden burst of laughter. Her eyes were gleaming with amusement, and it made him smile in return, despite not knowing the reason behind her laughter.

"Tumhe kyun itni hassi aarahi hai?" he asked, trying to suppress his own amusement as he passed her the chocolate.

Mahjabeen's eyes widened and she couldn't control her laughter anymore and burst out, "Mujhe laga aap paan khareedne gaye ho, aur aap khate huey kaise bolenge ye soch kar mujhe hassi aarahi thi !" She continued laughing, finding the image she had created in her mind incredibly amusing.

Murtasim chuckled, relieved that her laughter was not a result of her being upset or sad. He reached over and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face, revealing her radiant smile.

"Tum haste hue bohot acchi lagti ho," he said softly, his voice filled with affection.

"Aap bhi", Mahjabeen replied as she smiled at him, her eyes shining with love.

The moments of laughter and lightheartedness had lifted the weight that Mahjabeen had been carrying, and she felt a renewed sense of happiness in Murtasim's company.

As they continued their journey to Mahjabeen's father's house, the atmosphere in the car was filled with warmth and contentment.

***
I wanted to ask a few things (your personal opinion):

When can we deem jealousy and possessiveness as toxicity in a relationship?

How much intimacy should be shown between a couple in a book or serial if there is no censor board?