"Mai pass hogayi!" Mahjabeen came rushing out of her school, as she informed him of the news. He smiled, Murtasim already knew the results, that's why he had been excited to see her reaction. And it was worth it, the smile on her face and the bear hug was bubbling with happiness.

"Ab mujhe koi dasvi fail nahi bulayega", she whispered breaking the hug and with an emotional voice told him, " Thank you!" For believing in her, for motivating her when she lost hope and for teaching her everything from scratch.

"Kiski jurrat hogi! " he replied with a smile, his eyes twinkling with love. The woman in his arms was his entire world, he could no longer imagine a life without her.

"Murtasim", she whispered his name, with love. Maybe this was the first time he was glad that his mother named him, Murtasim. The way she looked at him, said it all, as if he was the most precious being in her eyes. Before Mahjabeen he never thought he needed someone's support, he was Murtasim Khan. The gaddi ka janesheen he had it all, but maybe he didn't. Those large brown eyes that gazed him innocently with so much love, cute button nose that she scrunched up in anger and the pink lips that perked up in a teasing smile- she was nothing short of an enchantress. And the best thing, she had no idea about the effect she had on him.

"Kaha kho gaye?" She asked with a smile, he put on his shades and bend down to whisper in her ears, "Man karaha tumhe kahi bhagakar lejao"

Mahjabeen placed her hand on his chest, she had always been intimate never shying away from his proximity. His presence made her feel safe, and comfortable. His cologne tickled her nose, it was rich spicy scent that made her relax.

"Le jaaye", she whispered with a smile and that melted his heart. If his eyes had been visible right now, she would have seen the effect she had on him. Mahjabeen drove him crazy, his heart would start beating loudly in her presence and his cheeks would fluster. He couldn't control his lips from perking up in a smile, he wondered if others too felt the same around her?

"Phirse kho gaye!" Mahjabeen's voice brought him out of the momentary daze, she was leaning on the car staring at him with an irritated look. He seemed to flash out in between of their conversations, getting distracted by thoughts of someone that made him smile. It irked her, what if it was a past girlfriend?

She sulked silently as they entered the car, with her hands around her chest. What if he left her for his so called mehbooba? She couldn't hold it back anymore so she poked his hand to grab his attention, he glanced at her while driving, "Aapki mehbooba ka naam kya hai?"

"Mehbooba?" Murtasim asked a little taken aback by the absurd question, he did had a girl he previously liked but she left him to pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor. But the love he had for her, was nothing when he compared it to the girl sitting beside him.

"Haan jaise aapse pehle mera Rohail-", that name set him off, somehow his name made the beast in him go crazy. He wanted to give that guy two matching black eyes, which he could appreciate in front of the mirror like an art.

"Uska naam bhi mat lo", he ordered his voice carrying an angry tone, but Mahjabeen smirked realising Rohail was his trigger.

"Kyun meri pehli mohabbat thi.. Aap ne hi toh mujhe ghar se bhagaya tha usse shaadi karne ke liye", she said boldly in a sweet voice, he didn't reply just parked the car on the side of the road. It was in the middle of nowwhere, then she saw her husbands face. His vein were visible as he clenched his hand, his face red with anger.

" Gaadi kyun roka?" She whispered as he glared at her and then answered, "Mere andar ke jaanwar ko mat jagao Mahjabeen"

Startled by his response, Mahjabeen realized the intensity of Murtasim's anger. She reached out and gently placed her hand on his clenched fist, urging him to calm down.

"Accha mai kaan pakadkar sorry bolungi", she asked but he shook his head, Mahjabeen was in a dilemma as she wondered how to calm him down.

"Gaana gau?" She asked, Murtasim shrugged and she started singing in the shrillest voice possible. The lyrics was wrong, the tune was wrong but her confidence made him laugh.

"Hass diye!" She exclaimed pulling his arm towards her as he bit back a smile, "Ab sorry bolu?"

She asked and he nodded, with a mischievous smile she brought his face closer to hers and kissed on his cheeks. He felt goosebumps arrise as she whispered the word "Sorry"

His cheeks were red again, this time not because of anger. He started driving again as Mahjabeen continued with her initial questioning.

"Aapki Mehbooba ka baarey me bataye zara", she pleaded curiously, he sighed giving in, "Mere saath school me thi"

"Hoshyaar thi?" She asked trying to feed her insecurity, he understood what she was doing so he shook his head.

"Nahi fail hogyi thi", he lied straight though his tongue and saw the frown disappear from her face, "phir chalega"

Mahjabeen picked up his phone and started dialing a number.

"Kisko call mila rahi ho?" (Who are you calling?)

"Abbu ko." (It's my father.)

"Assalamualaikum abba mai pass ho gayi!" (Greetings, Father, I passed!) her father congratulated her and chuckled. "Haan abba, magar Murtasim aur Maryam ke wajah se hua hai sab. Ye le, baat karein."

She handed him his phone to Murtasim and picked up her phone to dial Maryam's number.

"Maryam, mai paas ho gayi!" (Maryam, I passed!)

"Mashallah! Suno, tum log bahar ho?" (Congratulations! Listen, are you both outside?)

"Haan, aa rahe hain abhi..." (Yes, we're coming right now...)

"Arrey, mat aao..." (Oh, don't come...)

"Nahi aau?" (Shouldn't we come?) she asked with a tinge of sadness.

"Arrey woh... Humari baat khatam nahi hui" Maryam whispered, and Mahjabeen stifled a giggle.

"Hmm, theek hai. Kuch karti hoon drama mein yahaan. Tum log continue karo jo bhi kar rahe the." (Hmm, alright. I'll create some drama here. You both continue with what you were doing.) Mahjabeen teased and ended the call.

She turned towards Murtasim and asked him, "Hum jungle mein jaate hain, na?" (Shall we go to the jungle?)

"Raat ko chalte hain." (Let's go at night), Murtasim replied.

"Jungli janwar kha jayenge humein raat ko." (We'll be eaten by wild animals at night.) Mahjabeen said trying to make up an excuse, but he again gave her the side eye and replied in a deep voice.

"Mere hote hue jaan, tumhe koi nahi darayega..." (As long as I'm with you, no one will dare to frighten you...)

"Haan, haan, aap sher hain." (Yes, yes, you're a lion.), she mocked but another idea hit her and she excitedly asked, "Murtasim, Hyderabad chalein?" (Murtasim, shall we go to Hyderabad?)

"Aaj Maryam ki rukhsati hai. Tumhare Ammi Abbu aayenge..." (Today is Maryam's bridal send-off. Your parents will come...), he replied not matching her energy.

"Arrey, mai unke liye nahi bol rahi thi..." (Oh, I wasn't talking about them...), Mahjabeen whispered, it had been a long time since she participated in an art mela. Her hands wanted nothing but to grab a pencil and draw a sketch.

"To phir?" (Then who?) Murtasim asked curiously now glancing at her as he saw the beautiful smile on her lips.

She stopped, unsure of how to respond. Murtasim's mind couldn't think of anyone else except Rohail and the call she had received. When she didn't answer his first question he went on with a second one, demanding to know what was in her mind. The seed of jealousy she had planted in was now blooming.

"Kiska call aaya tha?" (Whose call was it?)

"Hmm, nahi batana. Aap jungle nahi le jaa rahe na, isliye." (Hmm, I won't tell you. Because you're not taking me to the jungle.), she humped and scrunched her nose.

Murtasim sensed her playfulness and smiled, realizing that she was just teasing him. He decided to play along.

"Acha, mai tumhe jungle le jaata hoon toh batao, kaun tha woh?"

Mahjabeen's eyes twinkled mischievously as she leaned closer to him, her voice barely above a whisper. "Kya aapko sach mein jaanna hai?" (Do you really want to know?)

Murtasim nodded, intrigued and curiously. "Haan, bilkul. Batao." (Yes, absolutely. Tell me.)

Mahjabeen paused for a moment, relishing in the suspense she was creating. Then, she burst into laughter, unable to contain her amusement any longer, she went on in a serious manner.

"Mera dost tha", she wanted to test his limits, as she maintained the suspense.

Murtasim looked at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity. He couldn't help but be drawn into her playful game.

"Dost? Kaunsa dost?" he asked, trying to conceal his growing interest in her answer.

Mahjabeen smiled mischievously, knowing she had captured his attention. "Ek bohot special dost, jiske saath maine bahut kuch share kiya hai."

Murtasim's eyes narrowed slightly, his mind racing to guess who this mysterious friend could be. He couldn't deny feeling a pang of jealousy, but he decided to play it cool.

"Achha? Toh woh dost kaun hai?" he probed, trying to keep his voice casual.

The car came to a halt near the haveli, and Mahjabeen sighed, "Kyun batao aap mujhe jungle nahi legaye", she was trying to think of a way in which she could stop him. It felt impossible, and she didn't wanted to break Maryam's promise. Murtasim was disappointed by her stubbornness, he couldn't help but call her a 'bawli' under his breath.

He turned the engine off but when he was going to walk out she stopped him by pulling his sleeves.

"Murtasim, aap bahar nahi jaa sakte." (Murtasim, you can't go outside.)

He asked as he was pulled towards her.
"Kyun?" (Why?)

She thought of an excuse and went with the old school one.

"Mera dil ghabra raha hai isliye." (My heart is feeling uneasy.), she replied holding her hand across her chest exaggerating it.

"Dusri taraf hota hai dil." (The heart is on the other side.)

"Arrey, magar dhadkan toh har jagah tez hoti hai, haina? Sir mein, pao mein, haath mein..." (Oh, but the heartbeat is strong everywhere, isn't it? In the head, in the feet, in the hands...)

"Yaar, tum mere saath chalo phir." (My dear, come with me then.)

She hugged him from behind.

"Nahi, aaj na jaaye, Jaan..." (No, let's not go today, my love...) She tried to flirt to distract him, "Meri baat manenge na aap?"

She knew this would stop him, he would melt but Murtasim saw through her act.

He smiled sweetly and sarcastically replied, "Nahi"

With that he walked away, Mahjabeen huffed in frustration and couldn't help but complain to Allah, "Allah Meri Zindagi itni mushkil kyun hai?"