Humsafar .

ten

Chapter 10

Communication is the key.

ANAAYA

"Anaaya." I heard Hassan's calm voice as I shut my eyes even more tight. I didn't want any more drama. I was already tired and it had only been a week.

I wanted to go home. My back was turned against him but I could feel the weight shift on the bed as he sat on the edge. His hands touched my waist.

"I know you're awake." He whispered. I defiantly shut my eyes, not willing to open them at any cost.

"Get up and eat something." He said a little loudly this time, turning my body towards him that caused me to open my eyes in panic.

"I don't want to." I murmured, trying to move back to my earlier position.

"Stop acting like a child." Hassan exclaimed, putting the tray on the side table and making me feel like I was some student getting yelled at by my teacher.

I jolted up from the bed, sitting on it's edge now. He wants to talk, now?

"As if you've been very mature for the past week." I shot back at him and he simply sighed.

"Don't start on that." He said. Why not? Jerkface.

"Why not? In the time that we should spend together to know each other, you have simply shut yourself out for no reason." I argued.

It was true though. How could we get to know each other when he was simply shutting himself off?

"No reason? You lied to me, Anaaya." He declared. That wasn't even a big deal. Why was he so hung up on this?

He felt like I lied to him because I got nervous that day. I suddenly wanted to explain what had really happened.

"I didn't lie. I wanted to tell you and I was going to but Hiba stormed inside in that exact moment and then at the reception, I didn't want you to know from Ahmad and that's why I said what I said to him-" I rambled but then inhaled a deep breath, not wanting to seem like a fool.

"The point is that you could have talked it out with me. Instead you simply shut me out. I'm your wife, not your client." I explained calmly this time.

My mother had told me that if there was anything bigger than ego, then it was marriage. If you want to develop a relationship with someone, you have to make the initial compromise. You do it once and your partner will do it for the rest of your life.

Marriage is a team work. You have to put in an effort, you have to clear your misunderstandings.

I never had much ego to begin with,  neither did I have an attitude. I had judgement problems, for sure but honestly, I just wanted people to trust me and understand me as a person, I wanted them to treat me as equal, instead of looking at me as if I was their follower.

That was the only thing that bothered me when my mother in law told me all about the family traditions. She wasn't being rude, she was just talking to me about what she expected from me but I didn't like that either way.

The same way I wanted Hassan to understand and trust me, to not dictate me, to treat me as an equal but how could he understand me without me explanining my side of the story?

I glanced at him.

"I have never appreciated liars. No matter what the situation, I don't like when people lie to me." He simply said, not bothering to look at me.

"I'm not a liar, alright? I told everything to you instead of hiding it. If I was a liar I would have hidden it all." I continued.

"And he's my best friend! I can't just stop being friends with him because you're not friends with your ex!" I exclaimed, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.

Hassan looked at me as if I was stupid. As if I didn't know him at all.

"Did I ask you to do that? I don't care about that stuff, all I care about is the fact that you lied. " He remarked.

I held his arm.

"And I just told you that it wasn't my intention, I cleared it up honestly, did I not?" I questioned him as he looked at me for a while, he concentrated on my face.

"Communication is the key, Anaaya. This is the first time you tried to talk it out with me. You didn't clear anything up in the past week. Nothing." He told me.

"Because you were so f*****g cold, Hassan." I replied and at that last word, my voice broke.

A few tears leaked out of my eyes again, why did this have to be so hard? I tried to wipe them off but they didn't stop.

"Why are you crying? Are you a child?" He enquired, holding my chin.

"I'm not crying, okay!" I tried to defend myself but I cried even more.

He sighed before pulling me in his arms. "Come here, it's alright. Don't cry." His right hand moved across my hair providing a certain comfort that I couldn't quite understand. It felt nice.

He made me look at him. My lips trembled as I tried to stop myself.

"Come on, are you crying because we argued? Anaaya, couples fight." He assured, but that wasn't it.

I wasn't crying because we fought. I was crying because I didn't expect this new life to be so different.

"I'm not crying because of you. You don't understand." I sniffed."This is so hard for me, Hassan." I told him and he smiled softly.

"Anaaya, I'm here..okay? I get it." He tried to help me out with it, tried to understand me in a way and that was all I needed right now.

He was here. But was he really? We both had to communicate to solve our problems. If trouble came along our way, would we stop talking? Would he talk it out with me the way I talked it out with him tonight.

I hoped so.

"I've only lived with my parents all my life. Now suddenly I have a husband, three sister in laws, one brother in law and your parents. I don't know anything and then you acting like this-" I ranted on and on and he chuckled playfully.

"Okay how about a truce? Forget about everything that has happened."  He suggested instead.

"You still don't get it!" I exclaimed, trying to get out of his hold. He laughed at me but then turned serious.

"I do, Anaaya. I know it's hard for you. I know that now you can't yell for your mother when you wake up, and you can't go out and see your friends in islamabad and you can't say everything you want to. I get it." He finally said.

So my description of him was right so far.

The only words that I had right now to describe who he was were handsome and thoughful. Understanding? Maybe. I didn't know.

"But I'm here with you. We'll build a life together. A happy life. I promise." He placed a kiss on ny forehead and I closed my eyes, relishing the moment.

"No arguing from now on. Forget all that happened." He said. I nodded.

"I can't forget so easily." I replied playfully, he leaned in close to me.

"I can make you forget, mhmm?" He murmured, leaning in close to kiss me.

I smirked and put a hand on his lips.

"Hassan, I-" I tried to whisper seductively in his ear. He looked at me in curiousity.

"Hassan, I'm hungry." I said instead, laughing out loud at his blank bored face.

He expected me to say something sexy and instead, here I was.

"How f*****g romantic..Anaaya." He replied but brought the tray in front of me anyway.

With another kiss on my forehead, he made me eat the food with his hands instead.

And when the time to sleep arrived, it was the first time we didn't sleep with our backs towards each other.