Isha’s POV

My train of thoughts broke when I heard the car stopping. I stood up and opened the door. Just then Arshad stepped into the doorway. He was shocked to see me. I looked down, feeling embarrassed at my impatient behavior, and gave him space to walk inside. He stepped in and I closed the door.

I didn’t say anything, just walked behind him. He sat on the couch, and I went to bring water. When I came back, I found Arshad resting his head back with his eyes closed. He looked tired.

“Uh... sunein (listen),” I called him in a soft voice. He opened his eyes and looked at me. I passed him a glass of water, which he took and gulped down in one go before giving it back to me.

“Aap fresh ho jaein... Main khana garam kar deti hun (go freshen up... I will warm your food),” I said. He looked at his watch and then at me.

“10 baj rahe hain Isha (It’s 10 pm, Isha). Why didn’t you sleep yet?” he asked.

“Wo... so... Sofia baaji asked me to serve you dinner when you came back,” I said in a low, nervous tone.

“Yaha aao (come here),” he patted the seat beside him. I hesitated but sat down. He was staring at the floor, lost in deep thoughts.

“Aap theek hain? (Are you okay?)” I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder, seeing his tense face. He stared at me for a minute before holding my arms and pulling me into his. My eyes widened and my breath hitched.

“Pata nahi... tumhari behen ke bad-dua ne dara diya mujhe (I don’t know... your sister’s curse scared me),” he mumbled into my hair. I felt myself shaking. He had never held me like this. It was the first time he hugged me. With trembling hands, I gently caressed his back to calm him.

“Wo... wo bacchi hai... uski baat ko dil pe na lein (she... she is a kid. Don’t take her words to heart),” I comforted him softly. He pulled back and stared at my face while his arms were still wrapped around me. My cheeks heated up, and my gaze lowered. He held my chin and lifted my face, staring into my eyes.

“Ky... kya dekh rahe hain? (What... what are you staring at?)” I asked, feeling all the butterflies dancing in my stomach with his closeness.

“Tumhari aankhen... kitni masoom hain... kitni sacchi hain (your eyes... they’re so innocent... so honest),” he muttered in a voice I had never heard from him before.

He came closer and kissed my eyes one by one, making my breath hitch. I fisted his shirt as my heart began thumping wildly in my chest. Strange emotions stirred within me.

“Naa karein please... chhod dijiye mujhe (don’t... please let me go),” I mumbled, wiggling to free myself from his grip, feeling the craziness rising in my heart and body.

When his grip loosened, I opened my eyes. He was staring at me. I quickly stood up, gulped air, and wetted my dry lips.

“Main khana garam karti hun (I will heat the food),” I said and walked into the kitchen with my wildly beating heart.

---

Arshad’s POV

After freshening up, I came to the dining room where Isha was placing dishes on the table. I stood there, staring at her. I had begun to see her from another perspective.

As usual, her dupatta was placed neatly on her head, making her look even more enchanting. She was a pious girl—something I had never found in anyone before her. Her shy nature, her patience, her purity, her thoughts of not even imagining another man... everything pulled me toward her. But most of all, her eyes—eyes that carried so much pain and suffering. My heart begged me to comfort her, to make her believe I would always be with her.

But then Sofia’s face came before me, and I clenched my heart in my fist. I couldn’t betray Sofia. I knew I was being unfair to Isha, but I wasn’t ready for this... not now. Maybe in the future, but not now.

“Ye mere toote dil ki bad-dua hai aapko. Ek din aapko meri baaji se beinteha mohabbat hogi aur aap bhi tarpo ge inke liye jis tarah aap meri baaji ko tarpa rahe ho do saalon se (this is the curse of my broken heart on you. One day you will love her intensely and suffer for her just as you’ve made her suffer for two years).”

Najma’s words rang in my mind, making me anxious. I didn’t want to think about them, but her words scared me. I didn’t even know what exactly I was afraid of—but I was.

The moment I took Isha into my arms earlier, I had felt peace and contentment.

“Khana lag gaya hai (food is served),” her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Nodding, I walked to my seat and sat down.

She served me and was about to turn away when I held her hand.

“Baitho mere saath (sit with me),” I requested softly. She hesitated at first but then sat down beside me.

As the food touched my tongue, my lips curved into a smile. I looked at her, who was quietly watching me. Giving her a warm smile, I continued eating. Suddenly, I heard a grumbling noise. Looking up, I found Isha’s face red and her eyes wide. She clutched her stomach, lowering her head. It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. A chuckle escaped my lips, making her face even redder. She was about to run away, but I held her hand and stopped her.

“Sorry,” I said, pulling her to sit. “So, you hadn’t eaten anything?” I asked. She shook her head, not looking at me.

“Why?” I asked again.

“Isha?” She looked up at me, and I gave her a look, waiting for her answer.

“Uh... wo... aapse pehle khana nahi khati main (I don’t eat before you),” she replied in an almost inaudible whisper. It was only the quietness of the night that allowed me to hear her. My eyes widened in shock.

“Why?” was all I could ask.

“Bas yuhi (just),” she shrugged.

I stared at her, noticing how nervous she looked in my silence, biting her lips.

“Khana khao (eat now),” I said, placing the plate in front of her and filling it with food. She began eating, and unconsciously I kept staring at her.

“Agar aap mujhe aise dekhte rahenge to mujhse khana nahi khaya jayega (if you keep staring at me like this, I won’t be able to eat),” Isha mumbled after some time, her face turning red.

“Kyun? Dekh nahi sakta tumhe? (Why? Can’t I stare at you?)” I asked amusingly, leaning toward her. She ducked her head even lower.

“Please na karein na (don’t do this),” she whined with an even redder face.

“Arre... maine kya kiya? (Hey... what did I do?)” I asked innocently, leaning a little closer. I bit my lips to hold back my smile, watching her cute blushing face.

“Main... main ja rahi hoon (I... I’m going),” she tried to stand, but I held her hand, stopping her.

“Accha accha, nahi tang kar raha. Baitho, khana khatam karo (okay okay, I won’t tease. Sit and finish your food),” I chuckled. She sat back down, and we began eating together.

After dinner, I helped Isha clean the table and wash the dishes. She protested, but I ignored her.

“Aap chhod dein, ho gaya hai (leave it, it’s almost done),” she said, taking the cloth from my hand and wiping the water splashed near the sink. I stood there, helplessly staring at her.

When she turned to me, she quickly lowered her head, embarrassed. Unwillingly, I walked toward her and stood just a step away. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, I caressed her cheek, which turned red again. I leaned down unconsciously, placing my hands on the counter on either side of her, inhaling her fragrance. She placed her hands on my chest—not pushing, just keeping a little distance. Her gaze stayed fixed on my chest.

Her shyness drove me crazy for reasons I didn’t understand. I brushed my stubbled cheek against her soft one, making her release a soft breath.

“Kya... kya kar rahe hain aap? Ba... bahot raat ho gayi hai... aap ja... jaaiye yahan se (what... what are you doing? It’s very late... you should go),” she whispered unevenly.

I moved back, understanding her discomfort.

“Hm... bahot raat ho gayi hai. Tum bhi jaake so jao (yeah, it’s very late. You also go and sleep),” I said, taking a step back. “Good night.” With that, I walked out of the kitchen with my wildly beating heart.

**********

Arshad’s POV

“Good morning,” I whispered behind her ear, making her startle.

“Ah!” Isha shrieked, putting her hands on her heart, causing me to laugh.

“Tum itna darti kyun ho? (Why are you always scared like this?)” I asked, still laughing.

“Ab aap daraienge to darungi na (If you scare me like this then I will be scared),” she mumbled, adjusting her dupatta.

“Maine kaha daraya? Main ne to kitne pyar se tumhe good morning kaha (When did I scare you? I wished you good morning with so much love),” I said without thinking what my words were doing to her.

“Good morning to you too. Now sit, I’ll serve you breakfast,” she said, filling my plate. I sat and held her wrist, making her sit with me.

“Saat breakfast karte hai (Let’s have breakfast together).”

Isha smiled widely and nodded. As she had already served me, I thought to serve her.

“Agar kisine dekh liya toh? (If anyone sees us then?)” she suddenly asked, looking around.

“No one comes to the dining before nine, and it’s only eight. So stop worrying yourself. And let’s have this delicious looking breakfast. I’m starving,” I exclaimed, rubbing my hands while my mouth almost drooled at the sight of the delicious-looking paratha and kheer. I began eating and moaning. “Hmm, Isha… it’s so yummy,” I moaned, eating the hot paratha. Suddenly, I heard Isha’s laugh, which brought me out of my dreamland. I looked at her; she was smiling beautifully, causing my heartbeat to increase.

“Ya khuda, aap to bilkul bacche ban jaate hai jab khane ki baat aati hai (Oh God, you become a kid when it comes to food),” she laughed and, without thinking, brought her fingers to the corner of my lips to wipe the kheer. As her soft finger touched the corner of my lips, I felt an electric shot through my veins. Sensing my heated gaze, she looked into my eyes, and when she realised what she was doing, she gasped and withdrew her hand, but I held it and brought it back to my lips.

“Jab aap itna accha khana banayengi to mushkil hai fida na hona aap par (When you cook such delicious food, it’s hard not to fall for you),” I said, kissing her soft fingers without realising what I was saying and doing.

She softly took her hand back and lowered her head. Her cheeks turned pinkish. I smiled.

“Office ke liye der nahi ho rahi aapko? (Aren’t you getting late for the office?)” she asked, not looking at me, and took a spoon of kheer in her mouth.

“Nah… I have an important meeting at 2 in the noon after lunch and I have already done all the preparation last night for the meeting so thought to take rest today,” I informed her, shrugging while I began eating my breakfast.

“Then why did you wake up early? You should have taken rest?” she asked. I smiled and blurted out:

“I wanted to have breakfast with you.” As I said it, my own eyes widened, and I looked at her, who was shocked at my response. Not thinking too much—because I knew my heart and mind would start battling again if I thought too much—I continued eating.

After breakfast, Isha said she was going to university, and I told her I would drop her. We left for her university, and with calmness all the way, I dropped her and returned to my room. It was 9:10 in the morning. Everyone else was having breakfast in the dining room, so I thought to take a nap—not before informing Sofia to wake me up before 12 as I had an important meeting.

---

“Uthein! (Wake up!)” I heard a soft voice. “Uthein! Aapki meeting hai! (Wake up! You have a meeting!)” I heard again, but not in the mood, I covered my ears with my pillow. I felt someone shaking me. “Uthein please!” This time the voice was louder and the person shook me harder. With irritation, I threw the pillow and sat on the bed only to find Isha standing in front of me.

“What?” I asked, confused, looking around to see if Sofia was here. No matter how much I liked being with Isha, the fear of Sofia catching us never went away.

“Your meeting! It’s already 1:40,” she said. My eyes widened as I realised.

“Oh God! How can I sleep like this when I have a meeting in less than 20 minutes?” I jumped out of the bed just as Sofia walked out of the bathroom.

“You spoiled my dress, Isha. Next time be careful what you’re doing,” said Sofia in an annoyed tone.

“What happened?” I asked while walking toward the closet to take out my clothes.

“She brought me a cold drink when I didn’t even ask her and before I could hold the glass she dropped it on my dress… idiot,” Sofia said all this and muttered the last part. I shook my head, not wanting to think about her tone with Isha.

“Sofia, I told you to wake me, then why didn’t you wake me up?” I asked, taking out my clothes.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I forgot. I was talking with Raheeb about our upcoming events,” she said. Raheeb was a designer like her and they both were partners and shared a good friendship.

“It’s okay… now can you please iron my shirt? I will freshen up,” saying this I took my towel and went to the bathroom. I had already showered in the morning, so I just had to wash the sleep from my eyes. I wore my pants and walked out of the bathroom.

“Sofia shir…” My voice stuck seeing Isha ironing my shirt. She quickly turned around.

“Ye lijiye hogaya (Take this, it’s done),” Isha said, giving my shirt in a hurry as if I was the one getting late but her. I looked around to find Sofia but she was not there.

“Where is Sofia?” I asked.

“Wo… un… unhe ek zaruri call agayi thi… to… to wo chali gayi (She got an important call so she left),” Isha said. It was clear she didn’t want to say anything bad about Sofia.

For the first time I was feeling angry at Sofia. I hardly told her to do any of my work, but she had to disappoint me. First, she forgot to wake me up, now she didn’t care I was getting late and left. And here Isha was. Now when I came to my senses fully, I understood that Isha slipped the drink on Sofia intentionally so she could wake me up when Sofia went to the washroom. Isha ironed my clothes without saying anything.

“Kya hua? Aren’t you getting late? (What happened?)” Isha’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. I nodded and was about to pull my t-shirt up when Isha quickly turned her back to me and began walking toward the door but stopped.

“Aap please kahi jaein na, mai abhi aayi (Don’t go, I’ll come back),” she said and ran out of the room. I took off my t-shirt and wore the shirt before wearing my coat. I combed my hair, wore my watch, took my mobile and laptop bag. I saw it was 1:50. I was about to walk out of the room when Isha entered.

“Aa… apka lu… lunch,” she said, panting as if she had just run a marathon, passing me a container. I felt my heart skip a beat. In my five years of marriage, never once had Sofia done something like this, and here was Isha, the little girl.

I stared at her with some emotions I wasn’t ready to show her, not even myself, but I couldn’t help it. I took a step forward and cupped her face, placing a passionate kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you.” With that, I took the container from her hand and walked out of the room with a smile on my face at her condition. She was frozen in her place, closing her eyes tightly while her cheeks turned, as usual, red because of the effect I had on her.

I didn’t realise I was comparing her with my wife Sofia. It meant only one thing—

I’m beginning to accept Isha as my wife. My secret little wife.

★★★★