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Rehana POV

"Oh, really?" he said, lifting his brow at me. And I could not help but feel a twitch in my heart.

Why was he so good-looking?

And, why the hell, I hated black so much, but that looked so good on him?

"Yes," I said, taking a few steps back as he was approaching me closer.

The same fake predatory steps, and I immediately burst into laughter and ran from there.

Walking out of the chamber, I went to meet my new best friends. The attendee told me that they had already reached the venue.

So, I did not waste any moments and reached there in no time.

The moment I entered the small celebration hall, my sight fell on everyone being present there.

Ammijaan, Choti Ammijaan was sitting in the corner over the mattresses laid on the floor. Ghazal, Ruhani, Nandani, Aishwarya, Suman, and Trisha sat beside them. My sight fell on Choti Ammijaan holding a two-headed hand drum beneath her knee, and I could guess that because of the way she was tightening it, she would hit it because of how she pulled the ropes.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips.

"Here she is," Ruhani said, looking up at me. I smiled and walked towards her.

"Where are the kids?" I asked, sitting beside them, and they all sang in unity.

"With their fathers,"

I laughed loudly and noticed that there were so many other women as well.

"So?" I asked, looking around and noticing the attendees bringing a few things to eat and drinks as well.

My eyes widened with shock.

"Are they going to drink as well?" I asked, leaning into Ruhani's ear, and she chuckled.

"Whoever wants to," she said, and I noticed the dancers walking in. They wore traditional clothes, and a wide smile appeared on my face.

The whole hall was covered with yellow tents, and I wondered if Jaan-e-Jahan would come, how would he?

I mean, there was no way he could enter the women's hall through the main door. And even the ceiling was covered with the tent. So he would not walk to the second floor and gaze at me.

Though a part of me felt happy that he would taste the flavor of his own medicines, others wanted him to come here.

That would be so romantic.

And the moment he said he agreed to let my father stay here, I felt my love for him increase ten thousand times.

Finally, now, if Abbu would agree and the misunderstanding, if there were any, would be cleared, we would live as a happy family.

And I would not mind my stepmother coming here as well.

I mean, she was evil, but the time was wrong for all of us. And I hated her, but she was still part of the family.

"Alright, ladies and ladies," suddenly, Ruhani stood up from her place, let the dupatta slip off her head, and walked to the middle of the hall.

We all looked at her with excitement. And she looked mesmerizingly beautiful in that bright green attire. The way that Sharara was ending over her thighs and revealing her legs before the frill caught my attention; I could not help but feel a swell in my chest.

"As you all know, we are here to celebrate the arrival of my Bhabhijaan; I welcome you all. First of all, thank you so much for taking your precious time out and coming here to be part of our happiness. And, then, please be free to enjoy the night. So, to set the mood, the royal dancers have prepared a piece of art for you all," she finished, and I smiled, almost shifting to my knees with excitement.

Oh my goodness!

These people were so lovely. I could not believe that they were doing all this just for me.

I did not know what the hell did I do to deserve all this.

"Are you excited? Bhabhijaan," Ruhani asked as she walked closer, and I nodded.

"A lot!!" I said, and suddenly Ghazal leaned in closer to us and whispered.

"I think the men are planning to crash our fun. I found Amir Saheb smiling a lot before I came here. He even did not say anything. Like, he would shake the whole world if I went anywhere without him, but he did not even say anything," she said, and I did not know, but suddenly I felt like this was the most Ghazal had spoken until now.

And the way she was smiling, I could tell that she was slightly high.

"Oh, we have to be aware. I can feel that, too," Ruhani said, and suddenly, I looked at all of them, and the dam on my tongue broke.

"Well, Jaan-e-Jahan confirmed that he would come to see my dance," I said, and their eyes widened with shock.

"What??? Bhaijaan???" Ruhani's voice was so loud that it caught everyone's attention, and now Nandani, Suman, Trisha, and Aishwarya looked at us, too.

"What happened?" Nandani asked, and Ruhani inhaled sharply.

"I think men are going to crash it," she said, and suddenly Suman laughed.

"I am two hundred percent sure my husband will surely be here wearing a Lehnga and choli," she said, and my eyes widened with shock. I immediately looked around at all the ladies.

"That is wrong," Aishwarya said, and we all nodded.

And, suddenly, we all looked at our Ammijaans and crawled towards them.

"Ammijaan," Ruhani said, catching Choti Ammijaan's attention.

"We think that men are going to ruin our fun," she said, and we all nodded in unity.

And, by the time all this was happening, the dancers had already come to begin.

"Do not worry. The soldiers are keeping strict eyes, and if they try, the soldiers will inform us," Ammijaan said, and we all looked at each other with a smile.

"That is a good thing," Ghazal said, and we all sat back in our places.

I inhaled a breath of peace as I wanted to give Jaan-e-Jahan a tough time. I did not know why, but I felt like teasing him.

He should work hard to see my dance.

Suddenly, the musicians began playing their instruments. My gaze moved across the other side of the hall. The slow sounds of drums erupted through the fine arts of the musicians' fingers, and the way that slowly echoed through the walls of the hall gave me goosebumps.

My nipples hardened as the sound of the flute and other instruments were added, and the dancers began dancing.

The noise of dancing anklets echoed in the whole hall as they put their front foot in front of the other in unity. And, the way they spun together and the frill of their outfits circled around smoothly, my gaze softened looking at them. A wide smile appeared on my face, and I was in awe.

It was magical.

I could not move my gaze away from them. They danced slowly, gracefully, intricating their steps in the weaves of the song-the song about the arrival of the newlywed bride in the husband's home and how she spends her first night with her husband.

The teasing, the slow hand touches, and the description of the man holding the feet and pulling her closer to him made my heart beat.

My breath hitched, imagining myself in that song.

I would die if Jaan-e-Jahan would ever do that.

And the way dancers sat down on the floor before laying back, turned on their chests, and slowly sat up to show the heavy heartbeats of the girl during the wedding night filled my eyes with tears.

It was so beautiful.

I had not seen that before.

The way they described wedding night was very different. It was so magical.

They told that the man would break the bangles, but it would not be to harm you, but set you free from the boundations. The moment he would take off your pieces of jewelry, it would not be for him to see you naked but to tell you that he adores you even when you are not jeweled. And, when he takes the last pieces of clothes off you, you would die with timidity, but the moment he would come closer and leave his wet kisses on your body, and tell you without even using the words, how much his soul needs you, you would fall in love with yourself again and again.

The night would be full of teasing, slow pain, and struggle, but the morning would be full of light. It would bring the visible presence of love between the two. They might not discuss whatever happened, but their eyes would.

The dancers began spinning in their places as the song reached its last lines.

That night would be the beginning of something eternal and pure. The sparks might fade slowly, but love only darkens and deepens. And, all it would take was the man to break the bangles again and again to set the women free from the boundations.

My heart was full when they stopped. I closed my eyes to let the tears roll down my cheeks, and I could not but take off the golden bangles from my hands and offer them to the dancers.

They stole my heart.

I had never learned such a beautiful description of a wedding night's love.

A part of me suddenly felt so thankful that Jaan-e-Jahan did not do anything that night because now I knew how it should feel and lead.

Oh, my goodness!

I wanted to feel it now. A part of me suddenly felt ready yet again, but others wanted to know more.

I understood that it was not how I had seen it happening in the brothels. Jaan-e-Jahan said that I did not need to satisfy him. So, he meant this: satisfaction meant a different thing in marriage. It was not just the physical act in which the man would go hard and fast and get his release.

And I did not know why I wanted to ask him what he meant exactly.

Did he mean that there was a concept of feminine satisfaction in marriage as well?

Was the marriage not about a woman being the ultimate helper of the man and his purpose?

"What happened? Bhabhijaan?" Ruhani asked, and I noticed Ghazal placing her hand on mine.

"What happened? Aapi?" she asked. I shook my head, washing the tears off my cheek.

Nandani, Trisha, Aishwarya, and Suman also shifted closer to me.

"What happened? Mallika," they asked as well, and I shook my head.

"I felt overwhelmed watching it," I tried to say with a soft chuckle, and they smiled, nodding.

"We, too,"

"It's beautiful," Ghazal said, and I smiled, nodding.

"By the way, you did not tell us how your wedding night went?" Trisha asked, and I smiled, shaking my head.

"Nothing as such happened till now," I said, and they smiled, looking at me.

"And you want everything to happen?" Ghazal asked, and I blushed, nodding slowly.

"Jaan-e-Jahan does not agree," I said, and they awwwwed in unity.

I let out a fake cry.

"No, it's not cute," I said and chuckled.

"It is good that he is giving you time to adjust," Nandani said, and I smiled, nodding.

"I know, but I have already waited for seven years for his love," I said, and Trisha caressed my hand.

"Love is not a one-night thing. It is a long-time companionship. You will know. Trust me, these moments are real love," she said, and I lowered my gaze.

I did not know why, but no one could convince me to not want him so much the way I wanted him.

"I understand," I said in a slow voice.

"By the way, come with us," suddenly, Ruhani grabbed my hand, and they all pulled me to the middle of the hall.

"Bua-sa, sing something of Hind," Nandani exclaimed to Choti Ammijaan, and Choti Ammijaan smiled, looking at her.

And, as she began singing the different cultural songs, they hooted in unity and started dancing, lifting their skirts a little up. Nandani, Aishwarya, Trisha, and Suman sang along with Choti Ammijaan, and the way they danced made me feel a different energy in my body.

Ruhani knew that dance as well.

They took spins, squatted down, and then stood up immediately.

I was amazed.

I could not help but try to copy them, but all I could do was laugh out loud.

Oh, my Goodness!

We kept dancing, and I learned so many steps.

There were so many songs, and the fun continued till the middle of the night.

I forgot about everything. I forgot about Jaan-e-Jahan, too.

But, the moment I remembered that he promised that he would watch me, I looked around to see if he was there.

And thankfully, all I could see were the faces of women.

By the time it was past midnight, I had learned almost all the steps of the dance. So, when the beats intensified, we all started spinning in a circle. The circle was huge, and we all let the frills of our outfits spin freely.

My hair had opened, flowing freely. I could feel the warmness and redness in my cheeks. The sweat was visible on my face, and suddenly, when I lifted my hand from down to up and clapped, my gaze lifted up as well. The moment I noticed a manly figure through the crack of the tent's ceiling, my heart stopped.

I froze.

Jaan-e-Jahan.

I could recognize him with closed eyes, too. He was there on the first floor. He was watching me all this while.

I could not believe it.

Suddenly, Ruhani crashed into me and laughed.

"Bhabhijaan, what happened?" she asked through the loud noise of music, but I could not move my gaze and said.

"I will be back in a moment," I said, excusing myself immediately.

There must be stairs somewhere to reach up.

And, as soon as I parted the curtains and came out of the tent made within a celebration hall for utter privacy, my sight fell on the stairs leading to the first floor.

I gulped as I could not find anyone. However, the fire torches were lit there.

And as I ran over those stairs, the music faded slowly, and the noise of my anklets grew louder.

But, before I could even step onto the first floor of the round-shaped open gallery, I felt a strong arm around me, and Jaan-e-Jahan pulled me closer to him, almost lifting me up in the air with a single hand.

My eyes widened with shock.

His back pressed against the wall, and I panted harder, feeling his gaze.

"Poori raat nachengi?"

"You will dance for the whole night?" he asked, pulling me dangerously closer. My chest was crushing into his, and the way he held me closer to him, I could not help but shift on my feet.

"Poori raat dekhenge aap hume?"

"You will watch for the whole night?" I asked, panting harder, and suddenly, I heard the laughter of all the men and noticed that Jaan-e-Jahan was not alone.

My eyes widened with shock as I pulled back from him a little and noticed all the men standing far away from each other.

They were smiling.

And, suddenly, Jaan-e-Jahan held my hand and pulled me to him.

"Come with me," he said, immediately pulling me up the stairs that would take us to another floor.

My heartbeats thumped louder in my chest as we ran through the three levels of stairs. The music had now faded to the lowest. And the moment we stepped into the galleries of the top floor, my heart almost came into my mouth. It was on the fifth floor.

My hair flowed in the direction of the wind. It was dark in here; only a few light lamps were lit, but the way bright moonlight was falling all over the fort, I couldn't help but gasp.

It was the first time I had climbed to such a height. The railing was made of thick rocks, almost two feet wide. Even if I tried to see down, I could not really bend over them and see.

And suddenly, Jaan-e-Jahan's hands wrapped around my waist, and my back pressed against his chest.

My hands immediately touched his wrist, and as he leaned into my neck, breathing slowly and loudly against my ear, I could not help but pant even harder.

"Koi dekh legal, Jaan-e-Jahan,"

"Someone will see, Jaan-e-Jahan," I said, referring to the height at which we were standing. Anyone could look up and find us.

"Come, let me show you something," he said, gently pulling back and holding my hand in his hand. He walked slowly through the gallery. My heartbeats were racing wild as the air was thinner and colder here.

I could feel it going inside me through my nostrils and settling into my chest.

We reached the end of the gallery, and there, my sight fell on a small cabin with a small dome in the ceiling. We both climbed five stairs to reach it and the moment I looked through it at the Sulatante, my eyes widened with shock.

I could see all of it.

It was huge. Though I could not see anything in the darkness, I could see the small dot-size fire torches lighting far and far away. It seemed to be villages and towns.

The winds were hitting my face hard. And, the moment I looked down from here, my fingers trembled with the fear of height.

"Jaan-e-Jahan," I gasped, but he immediately wrapped his arms around me, and I pressed my back against his chest for the care.

The railing was thin here. I did not know why, but suddenly, I felt like if this broke, we would end up in the grave.

"This is our Sultanate, Rehana," he whispered slowly in my ear, lifting my hand in the air to the front and pointing my finger from left to right. It was huge.

"Our sultanate?" I asked in a low voice, and he hummed.

"Hnnhmmm,"

"Our Sultanate. Sultan Rehman Sulaiman and Mallika-e-Sultanate, Rehana Sultan," he said, and I know, but listening to his words, a wide and timid smile appeared on my face.

But, every time my gaze dropped, my heart stopped beating. And all I could feel was my cheeks turning ice cold, my heart coming into my mouth, and my knees trembling with fear.

"Are you scared?" he asked in a low voice, and I turned my gaze a little up to look into his eyes.

"Who would not?" I asked, almost breathless with the running and the silence we had found here. However, the noise of the winds was scaring me.

"My wife would not," he said in a low voice, and I inhaled deeply and sucked on my lower lip while looking back at the view before me.

Leaning forward a little, I looked down and kept breathing deeply to calm myself down.

I would not fall ever.

I reminded myself and nodded, looking back at him.

"I am not scared," I said, trying to sound confident in a low voice, and he smiled, caressing my midriff, slowly walking around me and leaning back against the railing. My eyes widened with shock, and I immediately held his hands tighter.

"Jaan-e-Jahan, please, do not sit like it here. It's scary," I said, and he just chuckled softly and gently pulled me closer to make me stand between his slightly parted legs.

He was half-sat, and still, I stood only a few inches taller than him.

My heartbeats were racing wild. My gaze fluttered between his eyes and the view behind him-the open sky.

One fall, and we both would die.

And, the way the winds were turning stronger, flowing my hair and dupatta to a side, I could not help but shift closer and fist my hands tightly on his kurta's arms.

He gently wrapped his arms around me, and the moment he lifted my one thigh up and placed it beside his waist, my breathing began to turn uneven.

"Come closer if you are scared, Rehana," he whispered.

"What are you doing? Jaan-e-Jahan," I managed to ask in a low voice, and he just smiled slyly and pushed his hands inside my kurti.

I breathed shakily and pressed my forehead against his.

My nipples hardened as he gently held the sides of my waist, and the way he glided his hand down to my other thigh and pulled it up as well to hook me into his lap made me sit in his lap, almost hanging, my cheeks flushed hard.

His arm held me strongly against him, and I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck to prevent myself from falling, too.

At this moment, I could not even look anywhere except his face.

I knew he would not let anything happen to me.

I trusted him. I trusted him with everything.

And suddenly, he leaned in and gently pecked my lips while holding my hands and pulling them down.

"Baandh de aapko yaha?"

"Shall I tie you here?" he said in a low voice. I followed his gaze slowly, and the moment I noticed an empty bell's hook hanging from the dome's ceiling, my heart stopped beating.

"Jaan-e-Jahan," I breathed shakily, looking back at him, and he just smiled, kissing my lips.

"I am thinking of rewarding you for showing me your beautiful dance," he said, and I blushed hard, trying to hide my face in his neck.

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