She was sitting in her cabin, going through a file but repeatedly her concentration was breaking as her mind kept on shifting to somewhere.
The memory made her bite her lips and take a deep breath.
She was at work!
She needed to focus.
Why was she feeling that way?
She could feel butterflies flipping in her stomach.
His intense stare again came over in her mind that had her shook her head away.
They both sat together, in that starry night, under the shade of moon, with their hands in hand.
"Isn't moon looking so beautiful today?" she had whispered dreamily as her head rested on his shoulder.
"Which one?" he asked making her puzzle.
"The one in the sky,"
"Not as beautiful as the one sitting beside me,"
"You're cheesy with your dialogues, Mr. Shehryaar,"
His eyes flickered from the stars on the sky to her face, "Dialogues ain't the only thing I'm cheesy at, Ms. Sheharzaad,"
Sheharzaad averted her gaze, looking away. She was grateful that it was night because her cheeks were turning hot. His gaze always managed to make her stomach flutter.
"Aye? My wife is feeling shy?"
She remained quiet, straightening up as she bit her lower lip. Without looking at him, she shook her head when she felt his thumb moving and releasing her lower lip from her teeth. Grasping her chin, he turned her head towards her as he placed a chaste kiss on the her lips that had electricity travel through her body as his lips moved up and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes, feeling the lingering feeling of his lips.
She had developed his habit.
His warmth.
His presence.
Especially after Haider's death. When she was vulnerable and considered herself as a bad omen, he helped her to cope up with it.
"Thank you," Sheharzaad whispered.
"For?"
"For," she tilted her head up and stared in his eyes, "for supporting me,"
Her gaze flickered to his perfect grey eyes and then to his lips as he smiled.
"Let's go inside. It is getting cold," he uttered and they both headed to their room. Chahat was now shifted to a separate room as they both were alone there.
There was silence between the two as they laid on the bed.
His eyes noticed and the distance between them had decreased but still it was there. And suddenly again that evacuated place filled as she turned towards him, going in his arms.
"I think you need a hair cut," she asked, her fingers disappearing in his soft hair.
"You've got more soft hair than many women out there," she whispered and again her eyes went to his lips as he slightly peeled of the part of dry skin on his lips with his teeth. It was her now who released his lips from her teeth as she slowly ran her thumb on his lower lip.
He bit it, immediately, taking the top of her thumb in his mouth.
Sheharzaad's eyes widened as her voice almost got struck in her throat.
What was happening to her?
She pulled her thumb immediately out of his mouth and looked away, avoiding his gaze that grew intense with every passing second.
"Little lady," he murmured, and she directed her eyes to him, "let me satiate you," he uttered in a low whispery voice that made her heart pound wildly in her chest that she was able to ear the drumming in her ears.
"I...I," her voice was lost somewhere so she tried turning to the other side when he gripped her arm and didn't let her but she kept on avoiding his gaze and tried prying his hand off of her.
"I know you want me,"
The color on her cheeks turned scarlet as her eyes were anywhere but him.
Yes.
This was the truth.
But she didn't want to admit it.
"There is nothi-nothing...li-like th-that," she stuttered, trying to take off of his hand on her arm.
"I know you like the back of my hand, little lady," he hoarsely whispered. His voice raspy and low playing with her senses, "you want me," his dark voice getting magnified in her mind.
She stared at his chest, not looking up at him when he kissed her nose.
"My little lady is shy," he said, kissing the tip of her nose and then his lips went to her ear as his voice filled her, "Just one green signal and I'll tame this shyness," he whispered making her breath hitch in her throat.
And she hid her face in the blanket.
....
The trance of Sheharzaad's thought broke when her phone dinged with a message. It was just another text from her phone service company.
Her thoughts went to Maaz. Sheharzaad had found Maaz's attitude a bit weirder from before. He seemed to have a personal rift with her that was why he transgressed his anger on Sheharzaad every chance he got but the next second he would be apologizing.
It had Sheharzaad wonder that what has got to him.
Shehryaar has asked her to break the news on her office colleagues that she was taken and off the market so no one would entertain any thought regarding her. She had just nodded her head but didn't implement on it. She didn't want to reveal her marital status. She was aware then everyone will look at her with a different eye since she was the wife of business tycoon Shehryaar Haider Syed and she didn't want to be the center of attention.
In her cabin, her phone rung with a call and she picked it up. It was Maaz.
"I want to talk to you about something important, Ms. Sheharzaad,"
"Yes?"
"Not on the phone. And I apologize for... getting angry on you earlier,"
"It's fine. Shall I come to your office?"
"No. Not in the building. Can we have that lunch today which you've been stalling?"
Sheharzaad got quietened for a second, trying to figure out her answer. She didn't want to but he has been pressing her for quite a while.
"What is it about?" She asked, "is it related to work?"
"You should just know that my life depends on it,"
She breathed in.
"Please, for once," Maaz spoke when she gave no answer, "just for once. I'll not bother you with this offer again if you'll have lunch with me today,"
"Just half an hour it is," She replied.
.....
Her grey eyes could see how queasy Maaz has been since they have settled on the table. She saw sweat accumulating on his forehead that he kept on cleaning with his handkerchief.
"Sheharzaad... I actually," he began.
"You need to come to the point, Mr. Maaz,"
"Please can you drop this 'mister' for a while. Can you call me by my name?"
"What do you want to talk about?"
He sighed, closing his eyes before opening them again.
"I... my family have met you.. and my father, mother really... really liked you," A frown came over Sheharzaad's brows.
"Can you... I mean... I also... I mean... can you for once.. consider my proposal for your marriage?"
Sheharzaad's eyes widened.
"What?" a whisper escaped her lips.
"I really like you, Sheharzaad. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he said, dreamily looking in her eyes as out of instincts he tried to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear when Sheharzaad moved back.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry," he immediately fixed himself, "I really want to... to marry you,"
"She is off the market," A voice suddenly caught their attention as they both saw Shehryaar standing there.
Sheharzaad's eyes widened as she stood up, knowing the situation was going to turn from bad to worst.
Bad for her.
And worst for Maaz.