Arshad's POV

Isha was sitting on the bed, her back facing me, but what made my breath hitch was that her dress was unzipped, revealing her milky skin. She was trying to apply balm on her back, hair falling over one shoulder. I wanted to walk out of the room, yet something inside me begged me to go to her.

My feet moved on their own, dragging me closer. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t notice my presence. I gulped as I stopped just a foot away from her bed. I could see her bra hooks.

Sitting behind her, I held her hands. Her body went rigid instantly, and a shriek escaped her lips. She was about to get up, but I held her hips to stop her.

“It’s me,” my voice came out husky. She sat silently, her body still tense. I pressed my hands on her back, causing her to gasp.

“K...kya kar ra...rahe aap? (What are you doing?)” she stuttered. I leaned closer to her ear.

“Massage. Maine diya na ye dard… To mujhe mitane do isse (I gave you this pain. Let me erase it too),” I whispered, beginning to massage her back. Her skin was soft, delicate, almost fragile. I trailed my hands up her spine to her neck. Her back arched and an innocent moan escaped her lips, eliciting a reaction from me. I inhaled her scent, burying my face in her neck, my hands still at work. Without realizing it, my lips replaced my nose.

“Uh…” Isha moaned, arching her back, her head falling onto my shoulder. She was too sensitive—this was clearly a soft spot. I kissed her ear, trailing my lips across her neck and shoulder, my fingers exploring the softness of her skin. I had long forgotten what my hands were supposed to do a few seconds ago.

“Oh, Isha…” I groaned, wrapping my arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Her bare back pressed against my chest. I was losing control; for now, only Isha existed. She was driving me insane. I forgot everything else.

I moved her hair from one shoulder to the other, before my lips attacked the exposed skin. “Ah…” I bit her neck, making her gasp in surprise.

My hand moved to slip her dress off her shoulder, but she spoke, stopping me:

“Rukiye! (Wait)”

She turned her head to look at me, her innocent eyes full of questions.

“Kya kar rahe hai aap? (What are you doing?)” she asked innocently. Oh, Isha, if only you knew… kya karna chahta hun main. (What I want to do)

“Pata nahi… (Don’t know),” I whispered, placing my forehead against hers. “You’re making me crazy,” I added, kissing her nose before moving back to zip her dress. She stood, adjusting her dupatta. Good.

“Wh…why you ca…came here?” Her cheeks were red from blushing.

“Uh… I wanted to give you this painkiller,” I said, handing her the pills. She took them. “Okay… take this and rest for some time. Koi kaam karne ki zarurat nahi hai,” I added firmly. She nodded.

I turned to leave but stopped. I looked back at Isha, who was still blushing profusely, and my eyes turned red with anger.

“You were sitting here with your dress unzipped while the door was unlocked?” I asked, furious. She looked up at me.

“Wo…mai…bhul gayi thi (I forgot),” she whispered, looking down.

“Bhul gayi thi!? Aise kaise bhul gayi thi! Ye bhi bhul gayi ke mere do bhai bhi rehte hai yaha? Ya khuda agar un dono me se koi aa jata to? (You forgot? How could you forget? My two brothers live here! Oh God, what if either of them had come?)” I shouted, muttering the last part to myself in rage. How could she be this careless?

“Sorry,” she mumbled, still keeping her gaze on the floor. I stepped closer and held her chin roughly, forcing her to look at me.

“I don’t want this to happen again, Isha. Do you understand?” I asked sternly. She nodded, biting her lips—not out of nervousness, but to control a smile.

“What is there to smile about?” I asked, anger rising as I gripped her chin, pulling her closer.

“Um…uh…nothing,” she stammered, stepping back, but the smile remained. It annoyed me. I wanted to know why she was smiling. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her closer. She placed her palms on my chest to keep distance, which I didn’t like, and I pressed her body against mine even more. Her smile disappeared, replaced by a nervous, wide-eyed look.

“Bolo (Say it),” I demanded, our noses brushing.

“I…I… I lik…like your po…poss…possessive side,” she stammered, lowering her gaze. Her cheeks flushed redder with our proximity.

Possessive? Did I sound possessive? Whatever.

The thought of anyone else seeing Isha the way I had seen her burned me to the core.

I leaned closer to her ear, pressing her into me even more if that was even possible, and whispered,

“Yes. Yes, I’m very possessive… Very, very possessive, Isha. Remember this,” before biting her earlobe. My little girl shivered in my arms like a leaf, making my heart race. I had never realized this side of me existed. People might call me a flirt for behaving like this with Isha, but I had every right to act however I wanted with her. After all, she is my wife… my little secret wife.

I took a step back. She was visibly shaking, eyes shut tightly, breathing uneven, fists clenching the air where she had gripped my shirt moments ago. Her face flushed even more, if that was possible. My eyes roamed over her from head to toe. She was beautiful—the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Sofia was beautiful, yes, very beautiful, but what drew me to Isha more was her innocence, her haya (shyness), her silent endurance, her happiness with whatever little she could get.

Taking slow steps backward, I stared at her one last time before leaving her room.

Ya Allah… Am I falling for this girl?

Certainly, I am.

---

Isha’s POV

I stood there, trembling.

What just happened?

I couldn’t believe what had occurred between us. I was still out of breath, still feeling the lingering touch of his hands.

“Ya khuda,” I exhaled, collapsing onto the bed. Slowly, a shy smile spread across my lips, hiding behind my hands. I remembered every moment we had spent together. I never thought I would experience this. After Arshad had rejected me so many times, I thought I was destined to live with loneliness. But perhaps, my misery was finally ending.

Seeing the affection in his eyes, I knew the day wasn’t far when he would accept me in front of the world as his second wife.

In Sha Allah.

**********

It was 7:30 in the evening, just before dinner, when Arshad came into the kitchen.

“Isha…” I gulped, feeling shy to face him. Not bothering to turn, I responded quietly.

“Ji?”

“Sofia and I are going for dinner, so you better eat,” he informed me, the last part spoken in a slightly stern tone. I smiled and turned to him. He was reminding me because he knew I hadn’t eaten yet.

“Okay,” I nodded. Arshad smiled back before walking out of the kitchen. I began arranging the dishes.

By 8:30, everyone had come for dinner. Arshad and Sofia Baaji were not there, but I knew Arshad was in his room, and Sofia Baaji hadn’t returned from wherever she went this afternoon. After their dinner, they retired to their rooms, and I was cleaning the kitchen with Raziya Bi. Once we were done, she left for her house. I was about to fill my plate to eat when Arshad marched back into the kitchen.

“Kya hua? Aap gaye nahi? (What happened? Didn’t you go?)” I asked.

“Uhm… go get ready. We are going for dinner,” he said, passing a bag toward me. Shock would be an understatement.

“What?” I stared at him in bewilderment.

“You heard me, Isha. Go get ready. We are going for dinner,” he repeated firmly.

“Why? You were supposed to go with Sofia Baaji… Then what happened suddenly?” I asked, confused.

---

Arshad's POV

I had been waiting for Sofia for an hour. She said she would come before 7, but she wasn’t here. I called and learned she wasn’t coming—she was staying at her parents’ place for the night. Tomorrow was a big day for her sister Fariya; her first day as a doctor. She wanted to stay beside her.

“Sofia, I reserved a table for us at the new restaurant in the city. You were persuading me to take you there, and now you’re ditching me,” I said in an irritated tone.

“Then cancel the reservation. Can’t you do this for me?” she asked sweetly.

“Sofia…”

“Sis, give me the phone. Hello, Arshad Bhai… Can’t you stay away from my aapi for a night? Don’t be so clingy… Give her some space, lover boy. No one’s taking her away from you. It’s just for a night. Now bye, don’t disturb us.”

I heard the sisters giggling before the line went dead. In anger, I threw the phone onto the bed.

“F**k.”

Sitting on the bed, I took a deep breath to calm down. I honestly wanted to spend this night with Sofia. I wanted to erase the guilt of not spending much time with her due to work and the ongoing situation with Isha. At night, I usually found her asleep, and before she woke up, I had already left for the office. A few days ago, she looked bothered and asked me to take her for dinner. And now, when I was ready to do that, she chose to stay with her sister.

Shaking my head, I lay on the bed. Many thoughts roamed through my mind. Isha. She was slowly making her way into my heart. I was trying to keep my sanity, but this heart refused to stay away from her. My heart—or perhaps destiny—was paving a way for us to be together.

Her scent lingered in my mind. Her face. Her shyness. Her moan…

“GOD!” I exclaimed, sitting up. Just then, my phone rang.

Adil.

“Hmm,” I hummed as I answered.

“Why are you sounding like you just lost a million-dollar deal?”

“No yaar, I’m just stressed,” I mumbled, beginning to unbutton my shirt.

“Why?” He asked, and I explained that I wanted to take Sofia on a date, but she had ditched me.

“….Now you’re going to cancel the reservation?” I said.

“Why cancel it? You must’ve spent a fortune to get a reservation at that new restaurant. I get it, you’re wealthy, but still—why waste the money?”

“So… you mean I should go there alone for my date?” I asked, annoyed. Had he lost his mind?

“Not a bad idea though. We should take a day for self-pampering sometime,” he said in a fake dreamy tone.

“You know, Adil, you’re sounding like a teenage girl.”

“I know,” he chuckled.

“I’m going to cancel the reservation. Bye…”

“Wait, wait, wait!!” He stopped me.

“What now?”

“Don’t cancel it, yaar. If Sofia isn’t coming, then you’ve got your other wife to take,” he said. My eyes widened, and anger rose within me.

“Have you lost your mind, Adil? Are you saying I should replace Sofia’s place with Isha’s?” I snapped. Before he could respond, I continued, “No. Isha is not some object I can use for convenience. She doesn’t deserve this. She deserves her own place,” I exclaimed. I didn’t know where all this emotion was coming from.

“Woah, dude! Calm down! I didn’t mean it that way,” he said soothingly. “Arshad, you’re overthinking. If that date was meant for Sofia, she’d be here. You planned it for her, but it was her destiny and choice not to come. So, that date was not meant for her. The truth is, it was always meant for Isha if you take her.”

“No, Adil… it’s wrong,” I mumbled, but his words planted a seed in my heart.

“What’s wrong? Isha is also your wife. You’ve never taken her out, right? That poor girl never complains, and now, when you have a chance to give her happiness, you hesitate. For God’s sake, Arshad, forget everything else and think about her for once. Imagine how happy she’ll be going out with you,” his tone was convincing.

“But Isha will think I’m taking her because Sofia isn’t coming,” I thought out loud.

“Dude! Isha isn’t like any other girl. She always finds happiness in whatever you give her. She knew from the beginning that she’d have to compromise. She’d have to share you. And trust me, she’ll be happy even in this situation if you show her a little love. I’ve seen the shine in her eyes when you feed her cake. That small gesture lights up her entire face.”

Okay, I’m convinced.

“Fine… but I feel guilty thinking about Sofia,” I muttered.

“Remember, Arshad, you’re not doing anything wrong. The only wrong is hiding this secret marriage from Sofia. And I know you’re not ready to tell her, so forget about that and enjoy your night with Isha bhabi.” With that, he hung up.

Bhabi! He never called Sofia that… But then again, she was our college friend, maybe that’s why.

I thought about Adil’s words for hours, pacing back and forth in my room. He was right somehow. If this date was meant for Sofia, she would’ve been here. If it wasn’t meant for Isha, I wouldn’t even be considering her. Isha would be so happy. And I’d be happy too, to see her innocent, beautiful smile. I smiled at the thought of taking her out on our first date.

Okay. I’m taking her.

I walked out of my room with the dress Isha had returned after Asam’s engagement. The dining room was empty—everyone had retired for the night. In the kitchen, I saw Isha plating food for herself. I stopped her.

“Get ready,” I said. She looked shocked and asked about Sofia.

“She’s not coming. She’s staying at her parents tonight. So if you don’t have any other questions, go get ready.”

“Ye kya hai?” she asked, looking at the bag.

“Your dress. Now don’t dare refuse,” I warned. She sighed, taking the bag. “Now go, we’re already late,” I said. She nodded and walked out of the kitchen.

I exhaled and then smiled. Unintentionally, I was too excited for our first date.

This night was going to be beautiful.

★★★★