Mahjabeen woke up early and found Murtasim sleeping on the couch. She frowned, how did he got there? Last night she fell asleep in her lehenga when Murtasim went to change and she woke up now. A smile formed on her face as she remembered last nights events, he listened to her and actually believed her words. She was touched by this and also by the fact that he had sacrificed his own happiness to marry her.

She knew he deserved better, a woman like Haya had described. An educated woman who had an identity other than Murtasim Khan's wife. Mahjabeen had promised herself to be an ideal wife so she got up and quickly changed before he woke up. She went to the kitchen and found Reza preparing tea.

"Raza do cup de dena mai aur Khan kamre mai chai peelenge", she said to him who nodded and passed her the tray. Mahjabeen was going to her room when Maa Begum stopped her.

"Ye kamre me chai kyun lekar jaarahi?" She asked frowning, they had breakfast on the table as a family. Mahjabeen's smile vanished and she stared at the ground her hands shaking as she remembered last night's incident.

"Woh Maa... Maa Begum meri Ammi Abbu ke uthne se pehle unke liye chai le jaati hai... Isliye ", she explained not meeting Maa Begum's eyes, Mahjabeen was scared that she might scold her again like yesterday but instead Maa Begum smiled and asked her to wake him up for breakfast.

As Maa Begum walked away Mahjabeen stood there in shock, she turned around to see if she was actually gone and finally sighed in relief.

Before entering their room, Mahjabeen hooked her lips up in a smile. Murtasim was laying on the sofa his legs on the floor, she felt guilty at his uncomfortable sleeping position. He didn't sleep on the bed because she had literally occupied the entire bed.

As she set the tray on the table, Mahjabeen couldn't help but admire how good looking Murtasim was.

"Allah ye toh sotey wakt bhi itne acche lagte", She said while giggling happily, staring at him for a few more minutes before waking him up by jingling her bangles.

"Murtasim", she called his name kneeling beside the sofa, trying to wake him up. But he didn't move, Mahjabeen brought her hand near his face but stopped when his eyes flew open startling her. There was silence as her hand remained hanging in the air, and they stared at each other. He smiled lazily as he sat up and Mahjabeen got up from the floor to get him a cup of tea.

"Shakkar kitni lenge aap?" she asked and he shook his head his eyes shining with mischief as he took her hand in his and made her sit beside him.

"Shakar nahi bas ek ghut peelena", he flirted gazing at her, Mahjabeen wasn't flustered by his proximity like he expected her to instead she brought her mouth near his ear and whispered.

"Kyun aapke ghar mai shakar ki kami hai?"

She was naively asking that, not registering the fact that Murtasim was indirectly calling her the sweetness in his life. Murtasim laughed and brought the cup to her mouth gesturing her to drink it.

She did and made a face.

"Kadwi hai!", She exclaimed as she furiously tried to wipe away the taste from her mouth. Mahjabeen had a sweet tooth, she loved to drink and eat all sweet goodies. She didn't understand how he was drinking his cup of tea without sugar. She made another cup for herself adding three spoonful in her cup and sighing when they dilluted away the bitterness of the tea.

"Isse kehte hai chai", she teased as she took sips from her perfect tea as he drank his bitter tea. But Murtasim didn't react, just smiled humouring her.

They sat there beside each other, having the morning tea in a peaceful silence when Mahjabeen remembered Haya's words.

"Murtasim suno", she called him bringing him out of his distracted state. He faced her and she continued, " Mai school join karne waali hu"

"Haan karo infact yaha paas mai hi ek school hai, maine tumhare liye baat ki thi waha", he replied and he saw Mahjabeen's face lighting up as he had kept his promise.

" Sacchi?" she asked excitedly holding his wrist and he nodded taking her hand in his.

"Chalon Maa Begum intezaar kar rhi hai humara", he said as Mahjabeen smiled and followed him holding his hand.

As they entered the room, Maa Begum and Anwar's eyes lit up when they saw the two of them holding hands. Maryam smirked and shot a teasing look at Mahjabeen making her giggle.

Murtasim didn't greet Maa Begum though as he sat on the table, dispersing the happy environment in the room. He had never done this before and everyone was shocked except Mahjabeen who had no idea of this custom of greeting.

They were quietly having their breakfast when Murtasim again and disrupted the silence by sharing that Mahjabeen was joining school.

"Kya zaroorat hai ab padhne ki, jab padhne ka wakt tha tab toh shaadi ka bhoot chadha tha sar pe", Maa Begum taunted showing her opposition clearly.

"Maa Begum mujhe padhna hai", Mahjabeen pleaded, she wanted to be educated enough like Haya or Maryam who had a house of their own. She remembered how Rohail had called her an illiterate, and broke her heart. He was disgusted by her lack of qualifications and bad grades. What if in the future Murtasim too gets irritated by this? She wouldn't let anyone else degrade or bring her down like this ever again.

"Tum konsa top karti thi, beta tum toh Waqas ki sifarashon se pass hoti thi ab kya chahti ho? Murtasim mera beta jaakar tumhare liye sifarashein karey?" She angrily rebuked appauled by Mahjabeen's boldness. How could she even think her son would go around requesting teachers to pass his wife?

"Karunga sifarishein, agar isse meri biwi ki khwahish puri hoti toh kyun nahi", he replied passing a smile to Mahjabeen, taking her hand in his he left the dining table to drive to the school.

Mahjabeen couldn't believe he was standing up for her, opposing his own mother. As they got in the car, Mahjabeen couldn't stop staring him and Murtasim noticed.

"Kya hua aise kyun dekhrhi?" He asked, she was looking at him with a beautiful smile.

"Yaqeen nahi hota, khuda ne mujhe itna pyaara shohar dediya"

Murtasim smiled warmly at Mahjabeen's words and reached out to hold her hand as he drove. He was touched by her appreciation and love for him.

"Mahjabeen, tum bhi mujhe bahut pyaari ho," he said sincerely.

Mahjabeen blushed and leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt grateful to have Murtasim by her side, supporting her dreams and standing up for her against his own family. She knew she was lucky to have found a loving and understanding husband like him.

As they reached the school, Murtasim parked the car and turned to Mahjabeen, cupping her face in his hands.

"Tum jaao aur apni padhai shuru karo," he encouraged her. "Main hamesha tumhare saath dunga."

Mahjabeen nodded, her eyes shining with determination and happiness. She leaned in and kissed Murtasim's cheek, feeling overwhelmed by his words.

Murtasim smiled and kissed her forehead. They both knew that their journey together was just beginning, and they were ready to face any challenges that came their way, as long as they were together.

Hand in hand, they walked into the school, ready to embark on a new chapter of Mahjabeen's life.

***

Was this too much sweetness? I needed this after the last two episodes and I guess everyone did.

Mahjabeen entered the school with excitement and a little apprehension, she knew she have to start over again. She could no longer run from maths, this time she had to give her best and learn everything from scratch. The teachers weren't too happy when they saw her grades and even advised Murtasim that maybe she won't be able to make it through.

"Fail bhi hogayi toh kuch nhi hota, firse koshish karegi. Mahjabeen chahey toh puri zindagi dasvi de", Murtasim argued and it was his money anyway, even if Mahjabeen failed he didn't care.

"Theek hai Khan sahib, jaisi aapki marzi", the principal agreed and passed them the admission form. Mahjabeen was nervous as they went and brought the books. What if she failed again? This time not only her but Murtasim's name was also on stake.

The corridors echoed with the sounds of students bustling about, the aroma of books and fresh notebooks filled the air. It was a whole new world for her, and she couldn't help but feel a wave of uncertainty wash over her.

Sensing her distress, Murtasim, ever attentive, noticed the unease in Mahjabeen's eyes. He could see the weight of self-doubt weighing her down. Determined to lift her spirits offered her silent support by speaking words of affirmations.

"Mahjabeen, yeh samajhne mein waqt aur mehnat lagti hai. Aur mujhe yaqeen hai ke tum ye karlogi," Murtasim whispered softly, his voice filled with warmth and reassurance.

Mahjabeen was touched but her doubt still lingered so she pulled on his cuff asking him to lend her his ear. Murtasim loved this ritual of theirs, at first he thought she was joking when she suggested this. But now he looked forward to her sharing her real thoughts with him and speaking her mind.

"Agar mai fail hogayi toh ye log bolenge dekho Khan ki biwi fail hogayi. Aapki bohot badnami hogi", She whispered already feeling guilty for the future taunts that Murtasim would receive because of her.

"Mujhe logon ki baaton se koi farak nhi padhta, mai chahta hu ki tum itni samajhdar hojao ke log bolein woh dekho Mahjabeen ka shauhar hai", he whispered softly, his voice filled with warmth and reassurance. Mahjabeen giggled as she imagined this happening someday, she felt reassured by his words and with a positive energy started studying.

Maryam and Murtasim became her guiding light in her pursuit of dreams. They would sit together in the evenings, pouring over textbooks, tackling difficult problems, and engaging in deep discussions. This in a way helped the two siblings bond over, as they reminisced their school days. They would argue sometimes and the way they did was hilarious, the first time Mahjabeen was confused whether to stop them or laugh.

"Aise nahi karte Bhai, ye sawal sirf do steps mai solve hota hai. Maa ki tarah har cheez complicate mat karye", Maryam had said, Murtasim was shocked by her tone. When she lived with them she had hardly ever raised her voice much less argued.

"Maa? Idhar Maa kaise aagyi hum toh pahade seekh rahey they na", he asked confused and upset by her tone.

"Aapko Maa ne America bheja tha padhai ke liye, mujhe Hyderabad nahi bhej saki. Ye sab jo aap bolrahey, seekha rahey, ye humarey schools mai nhi padhate. Mujhe samajh nhi aarha iss bicharee ko kaise samajh aayega?" She argued pointing at Mahjabeen, now it was no longer fun as the two siblings had pulled her in their fight.

"Mahjabeen bolo samajh aaraha kya?" Murtasim asked her softly, Mahjabeen was in a tight spot right now as the two of them expected different answers from her.

"Mai na thak gayi hu, aaram karleti hu thoda", she made an excuse and a smooth escape running away with her bag.

The days in the Khan mansion were eventful, Mahjabeen would constantly revise her tables and mix them up pretty badly sometimes.

" Mahjabeen paanch jama paanch kya hota?" Maryam asked as she looked through Mahjabeen's homework

"Aaa... shayad aikkis?" She guessed counting with her fingers like Murtasim had taught her.

"Mahjabeen?!" Maryam exclaimed softly, her classes had already started and Mahjabeen wasn't able to grasp the most basic concept.

"Nahi shayad pachees..", she finally calculated with her fingers.

"Fir tumne yaha gyaara kyun likha?" Maryam asked in a strict tone, Mahjabeen fidgeted not knowing what to answer.

"Mujhe laga woh jawab sahi hai", she replied but the truth was she was tired after coming back from school and attending their tuitions separately so when it came to homework she would randomly write anything.

With each passing day, Mahjabeen's progress was slow but steady. She sought guidance from her teachers the siblings, and poured all her time into studying. Murtasim became her study companion and Maryam her teacher, their shared determination creating an environment of growth and inspiration.

In moments of doubt, Murtasim would look into Mahjabeen's eyes, his gaze filled with unwavering belief. "Mahjabeen, yaad hai jab yeh topic tumhe mushkil lagta tha? Ab tum use acche se samajh rahi ho. Apne upar bharosa rakho, tum aur bhi behtar ban jaogi," he would say, his voice a soothing balm for her weary spirit.

As time went on, Mahjabeen's hard work , Murtasim's unwavering support and Maryam's guidance began to bear fruit. The once-blurry equations and complex theories gradually became clearer to her. She found herself engaging in discussions, answering questions with confidence, and earning the praise of her teachers.

"Mahjabeen pahade toh ab tumhe aagaye", Maryam beamed as she went through the homework and Mahjabeen did learn them over the course of two weeks which was hell of a progress. Maybe she needed the individual attention and good guidance all along.

"Sach bolu tum dono ne mujhe pareishan kardiya hai. Tumhara bhai mujhe pahade sunakar sulata aur wapas aau toh tum mujhe likhwati. Parso toh Murtasim ne had kardi, mai sorahi thi pucha paanch jama do kya hota? Maine nind mai paanch bol diya, usne purey din paanch jama das ki ratt lagadi", Mahjabeen complained exhausted, she wasn't ungrateful for their help but now it felt like their only goal was to teach her tables be it anywhere. The love life she had imagined has now been flipped into a nightmare called maths.

"Ya Allah mera maths se peecha chuda de", Mahjabeen cried out, Maryam laughed and comforted her realising that maybe the two of them actually went too far.

***

Maryam discussed this with Murtasim and the two agreed on the fact that maybe Mahjabeen needed a break. So the next evening Maryam came to their room and helped her get ready.

"Kisiki shaadi hai kya?" Mahjabeen asked not understanding why Maryam was dolling her up to this extent.

"Nahi magar tumhari aur Murtasim ki abhi shaadi hui hai. Aaj tumlog karo romance", Maryam teased as she completed her make up and combed her hair. Her goal was to make this night memorable for the two of them, and she could achieve that by dolling up Mahjabeen.

"Iska matlab hum aaj maths nahi karenge?" Mahjabeen asked excitedly turning her head around to face Maryam with the biggest grin on her face. Maryam laughed and nodded earning an excited squeal in return, she could see the wheels in Mahjabeen's head turning but soon the smile vanished from her face.

"Maryam romance kaise karte?" Mahjabeen asked confused, she had heard the word tons of time but never seen someone actually do it in real life.

"Tumne movies mai dekha hoga na hero apni heroine ka haath pakadkar bhaagta jungle ke beech", Maryam explained slowly as she thought of more examples but Mahjabeen caught on as she dramatically nodded.

"Tumhara matlab Murtasim hero aur mai...", She trailed off then glanced at the mirror admiring her reflection and dreamily said to herself.

"Mai bhi koi heroine se kam nahi"