Meerab tossed and turned on the bed unable to sleep. She had slept for 3 hours in the afternoon and now she became an night owl.

Meerab sighed. She got up from bed and sat on the sofa. Everything was too quite for her. She subconsciously started to thought about their life.

It's been 3 months since their wedding and first month was a disaster. She would make him angry, do everything that he hates. But he handled her with patience, fulfilled her every wish. Even went to bring an admission form of law school.

She went on the bed and sat there looking at him intensely. Her husband was good looking. She had to admit it. His sharp nose and perfectly trimmed bread. Eye catching jawline. His board shoulder, narrow waist veiny hands. Damn!

Suddenly she felt he was shifting and shivering. He was really uncomfortable in that buttoned up shirt. So she hesitantly opened his top two buttons. Still he kept murmuring. Initially it was something incorhent. But slowly she understands it.

"Baba don't leave me please. Why? Please. No. Don't take her with you. Don't take her. I ... I can't live. Meerab . Not Meerab please. Please... Meerab!!" He screamed her name and got up. But not fully aware of his surroundings. He was panting and kept murmuring.

Finding no other option, Meerab hugged him tightly. She rubbed his back continously but seems like he was just in another world.

"Murtasim,  look at me. I am fine. Nothing happened to me. Your Meerab is all good. Calm down." Meerab said as she hold his face. Her Murtasim was having a nightmare and it was his fear to loose her.

"Don't leave me please. I will do whatever you say, whatever you say but I won't be able to live without you." He was vulnerable and it was killing her.

"I am not going anywhere. Believe me, no matter how much I fight with you, you are just mine. I will never leave you." Meerab assured him.

"Promise?" He was scared.

"Promise."She put his head on her lap and stroked his soft hairs.

"Murtasim?" It's been a while and he didn't say anything just kept quite.

"Yes." He was still in a daze. He was still processing the whole fact.

"Don't you feel sleepy?" She asked to divert her mind.

"No. Are you? Then sleep. I will figure out something." He replied in an attempt to get up.

"Why are getting up? Stay right there. Let's just gossip. Like we used to." Meerab smiled at those memories.

"You want to talk to me?" he couldn't believe his ears. Meerab who always ran away from any type of conversation, was willing to talk to him.

"Yes. If you are comfortable."

"I am always. Its just I am scared you know."

"Why so? And you are taking too much stress. Its not necessary. What's the point?" Meerab rubbed his forehead only to him to sigh.

"Baba came in my dreams." He whispered.

"We often dream what we think about. It's not always a sign of something. Don't stress."

"I showed him my camera and he.. he took away. He told me to handle these feudal duties. Trust me.. I never wanted this. I.. I wanted to be a wildlife international photographer. You know right? I told you."

"Yes Murtasim I know. You used to click so beautiful pictures. I saw them. It's okay." Meerab tried to calm her hyper husband down.

"Baba took away my camera. Then I saw you. You were by my side. But suddenly you went to Baba. You hold his hand and disappeared. Meerab I know you don't love me. But please don't leave me. I know I am being selfish but it just becomes impossible to imagine a life without you. You don't have to love me. I will love enough for both of us. Just stay please." He was sweating and shivering. Meerab hold him close to herself hugging him to death. He needed her. Her Murtasim needed her. She never knew he was fighting with this much. Her own battles seemed to be small before his ones.

"Look at me Murtasim. Meerab is all yours. Just yours. I will never leave you. Never. It was just a bad dream. I am with you. Till we die." Meerab ruffled his hairs lovingly.

"I know sometimes you might think that why I don't sat anything to haya. Or maybe I have something for her that's why I don't say anything. But ... but I feel so disgusted with her. She tries to touch me, tries to manipulate me. It's so disgusting. I want to throw her out of the house but she finds a way back home. I will... I will talk to Ma begum to get her married to someone. Just don't misunderstand me please." He hugged her tighter.

"Murtasim, I won't lie. I literally want to slap her and I will. She threats me that she will take you away from me. But I know my husband. He loves me. He won't leave me. Sleep jaan. I am here. With you." She stroked his hairs until he was in a deep sleep clinging to her.

--

It was already morning. 8 am. Meerab slowly opened her eyes. She saw him holding her like last night. Her husband had a breakdown last night and he deserved to be pampered now. It shouldn't be like she always gets to be pampered.

So she carefully detached herself from him and went to take a shower. After getting ready, she went downstairs only to see all the family members waiting for them.

"Assalamualaikum Ma begum. " She politely greeted her.

"Walaikumussalam. Where's Murtasim? You're alone and he's never late." His mother questioned.

"He came late last night and it's a holiday. So I thought let him sleep. You guys have breakfast. I will make for Murtasim his favourite."

"Thik hai. Do whatever you want for your husband.

Murtasim woke up on a empty bed. He started to panick. Last night's nightmare made a bad effect on him. He was thinking about meerab leaving him. So he hurriedly left bed and went to search her. Until he found her in kitchen.

"Meerab." He sighed in relief.

"Murtasim? What are you doing here? What happened?" Only for Murtasim to hug her to death.

"Murtasim?" Meerab signaled the maids to leave them alone.

"I thought you left me. You weren't there when I woke up. What the hell are you doing in the kitchen? Are the maids dead?" Murtasim roared.

"Murtasim calm down. I wanted to make breakfast for you. That's why I came here. Murtasim? Murtasimmm!!" Meerab screamed as he fainted in her arms.

"Ma begum? Baba? Murtasim what happened? Open your eyes." She was already crying.

----

As the doctor checked him, Meerab didn't leave his hands for a second.

"What happened to him?" Meerab was impatient.

"He is taking too much stress. He is dehydrated also. Make sure he takes proper rest for some days." Doctor prescribed some medicines and left.

As the doctor and her father left the place haya started to spit venom.

"You must have done something. Otherwise who can give him stress. All day you eat his mind and now he is ill. You are such a selfish. That's why I always say to oust her from our house but no one listened to me." She was screaming and much to Meerab's dismay Ma begum was watching the show.

Meerab got up making sure he was covered properly. Doctor had gave him an injection to sleep and that was working.

She hold Hayas hand and drag her to downstairs followed by Ma begum. As soon as they reached there, Meerab tightly slapped her.

"First of all that's my husband and I know why is he stressed. And that not your problem. And about getting me out of the house, bitch I am both the daughter and daughter-in-law of the house. So no one can do that. Ig- getting me out of the house. This is both my father and husband's house. But you tell me, who are you?"

" What do you mean by that? Even I am a daughter of this house. Ma begum thinks me as a daughter."

"Let me show you your place. You are not a daughter of this house. You are an outsider. Ma begum considers you as a daughter. That doesn't make you a daughter of the house like me and Maryam. Better watch your tone while talking to me. And Haya madam kuch haya kare aur Murtasim se dur rahe." She glared at her.

"Ma begum, I would say Murtasim is taking too much stress regarding everything and he's a human after all. He needs break. And after our marriage we didn't even go anywhere. So ai was thinking, we will go somewhere. Hope you won't mind."

"Not at all beta. You guys enjoy. And about this vile woman, I will call Sabra today and ask about a rishta for her. She will go away. Don't worry. " Ma begum assured her.

Meerub knew she had to take the charge now. And she was determined not to let her husband now. He was the best and he deserved the world. At the end end he was her Murtasim and she will let nothing happen to him.

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