Sorry for being late guys

We had load shedding here at an unexpected time and so I didn't have WiFi...

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The chirping, twittering and whisling of the birds awkanened Maya from her peaceful slumber. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. She closed them again due to the sunlight shining through the windows. The gentle rays of the sun peering through the glass window stung her eyes and she let out a yawn and realized how tired she was. She snuggled deeper into the pillow and went to sleep again.

Suddenly, she felt the pillow under her moving up and down. What was happening? She wrapped her arms around it tightly but it moved again. She irritatedly open her eyes and what she saw next made her freeze. Her eyes clashed with Zayan's face.

It was not a pillow. It was Zayan.

She quickly snatched her arms from around him and jolted up in shock as if she had been electrocuted by him.

She sat up straight and tried to remember when she had come this close to him in her sleep. She always slept on the other side of the bed and she wasn't  the one to move around in her sleep. Had he come closer to her when she was asleep?

She gritted her teeth at that thought. How dare he? How dare he come close to her when she was sleeping? She couldn't even remember last night. Was she not safe in this house either? She had really began to trust him.

She moved away from the bed and went to the washroom and slammed the door behind her, not caring if he woke up. She splashed water on her face to feel awake. She rubbed her eyes again and tried to get the sleep out of them.

After changing into fresh clothes, she got out of the room hurriedly not even glancing at Zayan.

She went to the kitchen to eat something but came out and decided that she wasn't hungry.

She was very disgusted. She had thought that Zayan was a respectable person and knew his limits. Just because she was married to him didn't mean that he could invade her personal space whenever he wanted. She had never felt more insecure.

All the memories of being touched forcefully came crashing back and she gritted her teeth. How dare he? Were all men really the same? Were their selfish desires more important than a woman's honour?

Why did her brother have to get her married to him? Why?

She angrily turned on the tv and sat down on the sofa with her legs stretched in front of her.

She pressed on the buttons on the remote hard to flip the channels. She wanted to smash the remote on the tv to take out her anger. Before she could do that Zayan came out of the bedroom stretching.

"Salam." He said throwing a small smile as he brushed his fingers through his hair and stifled a yawn.

"Walaikum Salam." She replied rigidly not even bothering to look in his direction. He was such a jerk. She hated him.

She put the remote back on the sofa and left to their room again deciding she could not breathe the same air as him.

A perplexed Zayan followed her into the room.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked Maya yawning again.

"Nothing." She replied rigidly as she took out her phone and put in the password for it.

"What do you mean nothing?" He asked frowning. 

Her fingers on her phone stilled but she didn't bother to reply and just ignored his very presence.

Zayan's frown deepened. "What's gotten into you?" He voiced his thoughts. After last night, he had hoped that she would be more welcoming to their relationship but her behavior wasn't making sense. 

Did she feel embarrassed? Was that why she being so indifferent?

"What's gotten into me?" She screeched, making him flinch. This had made her lose all her control.

Zayan stared at her perplexed. What had crawled up her ass and died? She was glaring at him with such an intensity that he would have been several feet under the ground if looks could kill, but thankfully they don't.

"How dare you touch me without my permission? Just because I am your wife doesn't mean you can take advantage of me." She screeched at him. 

"Take advantage of you?" He repeated confused. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"No! Whats wrong with you? How dare you touch me last night? How dare you?" She yelled at him in anger not caring if her mother-in-law heard them from her room. She had begun to trust him and with one action of his he had sent all her feeligs of respect for him down the drain.

"What? Are you out of your mind Maya? I only helped you. That's all." He all but shouted at her now losing his temper. How dare she shout at him, even if she felt self consious or embarrassed after crying in front of him? It was understandable that she was a proud girl and refused to show her weaknesses to anyone, but your ego isn't everything. Last night she didn't mind when he had reassured her and she had sought his comfort. Why was she being bipolar?

"Helped? What for?" She frowned for a second. "Don't you dare make up lies Zayan." What did she need help for when she was sleeping?

Zayan glared back at her and his orbs turned hard and cold. Now she was going to pretend to forget what happened?

"Me? Lying? You were the one crying so helplessly last night in your nightmare. I was only being a good husband and helping you in your time of need and you dare accuse me of things I would never do?" He yelled. He was losing his patience now. Enough was enough.

"What nightmare are you talking about?" She asked frowning. 

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He growled, shaking his head at her. Was she really pretending or had she been so sleepy last night that she didn't have any memories of it?

Maya flinched at his tone. What did he mean? Had she really cried in front of him? She hadn't been sleeping well for the past few days so she had hardly had any nightmares. Only occasionally she would wake up sweating. Then, how did Zayan know about her nightmares?

She frowned and raked her brain trying to remember. It was as if there was a blank spot. She didn't remember waking up last night.

She glanced at Zayan as he gritted his teeth and shook his head at her.

And then as if all of a sudden the memories from last night came crashing back to her as she gazed at his face. Zayan's dull face in the bed side lamp appeared in front of her eyes and she remembered how she had cried and Zayan had promised her that he would be there for her and then she had fell asleep in his embrace. It all hit her all of a sudden like a volacano. 

How could she have forgotten? She had seen him trying to touch her again. Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered her nightmare. It had felt so real. As if he was really there. And Zayan had been the one who had saved her.

Again.

She looked up at Zayan's angry face.

What had she done? 

How could she have accused him?

"S-sorry. I-I didn't remember that." She said, feeling so embarrassed. What was she thinking? A wave of regret, shame and guilt swept over her as she looked down at the ground, on the verge of tears.

"Oh yeah? Your memory came back now? I am not a fool." He yelled at her as a futile rage took over him and his eyes flashed with anger. That's what you get for putting yourself aside and helping someone. Here he was trying to move on and give them a chance and she was ruining every effort he made. Why had he even bothered trying, when she clearly didn't give a shit about anything? This relationship between them was hopeless if after all this time, she didn't have a single grain of trust for him in her heart. 

Maya looked back at him in shock. She didn't know that there would come a day when he would yell at like this. But then it was her own fault.

He slammed their bedroom door and stormed out of the room. She flinched when it closed and she would be surprised it didn't come off its hinges. She stared at his retreating back wide eyed in shock. Suddenly, as if regaining her senses she ran after him.

"Zayan?" She called when she saw him leaving the apartment through the front door.

He ignored her and just left shutting the door with a bang which made her wince again.

What had she done? 

She sat down on the sofa with her head in her hands. She had been so judgmental. How could she do that to the person who had been nothing but good to her. How could she be such an inconsiderate and judgemental bitch?

She was shaken out of her thoughts by her mother-in-law's voice.

Startled she spun around, "S-sorry what did you say?" She stuttered. Had she heard them?

"Where did Zayan go all of a sudden?" She asked frowning.

"I don't know." She mumbled feeling so embarrassed. What would she think of her if she knew what kind of person she really was?

"Maya, beta what happened?" Her mother-in-law sat down next to her and wrapped her arm around her shoulder bringing her closer.

"I don't know. He probably h-hates me now." She said as she basked in the warmth of her motherly comforting embrace. She gripped at her hair in frustration. She hated herself. She was so pathetic.

"Beta don't say that." She said frowning. "Fights are common in any relation like this. You just need to know how to resolve your issues before they become big."

"He didn't even have breakfast because of me." She said feeling guilty as her eyes started pricking with tears. "I called him such b-bad stuff."

"Don't cry beta." She said to her wiping the tear off her cheek. "I know you care about him and he means a lot to you, but crying over anything is never an option."

"I don't know what to do." She cried feeling so guilty. Why did she have to be a stuck up snobbish bitch to him? How could she think that way about him?

"Amend your relationship before its too late." She advised rubbing her back soothingly

Maya's eyes went wide at that. What did she mean by too late? Her heart started beating at an abnormally irregular rate. Would he leave her because of this? She had insulted him so badly.

"Zayan has went through a lot in life. I'm sure he has already told you about it so I just want to request you to please take care him."

What did he go through, Maya thought silently but didn't ask further. She didn't have the right to. And what would her mother-in-law even think if she said that Zayan hadn't confided anything personal? And that they were far from a real happy, newly wed couple still in their honeymoon period.

"Don't think too much. Just try to understand him. He needs a a life partner who understands him like none other and who he shares his sorrows with. Someone who will help him get over everything that he has gone through. Only you can give him that beta." 

Maya's heart ached hearing that. How the hell was she supposed to support someone when she herself was broken? She was probably just increasing his problems as well. He must hate her now. God, how pathetic could she get?

"He respects me like his mother and the least I could do for him is to make sure he is happy in life." She continued talking, trying to convey her point her

Maya looked at her confused. Wasn't Zayan her own son? What did she mean? She didn't ask. She didn't have the courage to speak anything as she knew if she opened her mouth she would spill out what she had did.

She knew she had bruised his manly ego. She understood how he would be feeling. Well, kind of. 

But she had disrespected him in the worst way possible. She was so stupid and pathetic! What did she even think of herself? Zayan had never touched her that way in these few days of their marriage, not that she wanted him to either. Who would want a girl like her anyway? She was getting a little too ahead of herself thinking like that. He did't want her and their relationship was devoid of any feelings between them.

She had labeled him to be like any other man. She was his wife and she had said such disgusting things to him.

She needed to fix this. She would apologize.

He was her husband after all. 

Not that you treat him like that! 

A voice at the back of her brain quipped and she realized that when they didn't even treat each other as such so why would he even think of touching her in that way? He was already tolerating her and she had to create more problems. He had sacrificed his happiness already why was she making him more unhappy

She would fix this between them. What would everyone say if Zayan left her just a few days after their marriage? Her mother would be so disappointed in her. And she couldn't imagine the hurt her father would go through becuase of her if she returned to her father's house with a divorce.

The society would never leave her family. Everyone would judge her family becuase of her.

What would she even tell her parents? That she had accused her husband of merely touching her, when he had every right to? That she was a pathetic girl who was paranoid if he even touched her?

She would apologize to him and make sure that he forgive her no matter what.

"What shall I do?" She asked her mother in law in a small voice, hoping that she would judge her for being a despicable woman who didn't even know how to please her husband. God! She hated herself so much.

Her mother-in-law chuckled in return before replying. Maya felt a little better knowing that she didn't mind.

"Why don't you make something good to eat? He didn't have breakfast so I'm sure he won't refuse food." She adviced her with a teasing glint in her eye.

"Okay. Thank you." She said feeling a little grateful. She honestly had had no idea how to apologize to him.

"Don't thank me beta. Just keep him happy. Thats all that matters to me." The older woman said to her patting her affectionately.

Maya's smile faltered a little. Could she keep him happy? She could do nothing but create more problems for him.

What should she even make?

"Uh, does he prefer anything specific for lunch? Its too late for breakfast anyway, so I'll just make lunch." She said hesitantly. She didn't even know his preferences even though it had been nearly two weeks now since their marriage. What kind of wife was she? What was her mother-in-law going to think about her now?

"He eats everything in general but he loves biryani. And kheer too." Her mother-in-law replied thoughtfully with a small smile. "First have some breakfast and then I'll come help you in the kitchen."

"No, I'll manage." Maya said with a small smile. She must rectify her mistakes herself. And on top of evetything she was already so nice to her. She wasn't the kind of mother-in-law who wanted evetything perfect for her son and scolded her daughter-in-law for every little mistake. Alhumdulilah for that.

Maya stood up and made her way towards the kitchen hoping it would all be worth it. This was the second time she would be making biryanu and she wasn't even sure if it would be good enough. She didn't even feel like cooking right now as she was so sleepy but she had a mission to work on.

***

Here's the chapter!

Hope you enjoyed it! 

60 votes and 70 comments till the next chapter...

I'm too sleepy to rant. I didn't even feel like editing the chapter and decided to do it in the morning, but I love you guys too much!

I loved reading all your comments. Jazak Allah Khairan for all the love!

Btw, I am thinking of changing my username and I don't wanna use my own name. Any cool suggestions? Something unique?

Until next time, 

Salam.