Zavian woke up, his eyes opening at exactly 3 AM without an alarm. He had some last minute work to finish before getting ready, because today was Eid-ul-Azha & the Eid prayer was at 5:15 sharp.
He showered in the cold early hours, freshened up & chose his outfit. He wore a dark brown kurta, almost blackish in shade, perfectly ironed. On his feet, he slipped into traditional brown Peshawari chappal, the kind his father loved wearing too.
Before leaving, he stood in front of the mirror. He adjusted his collar, checked his hair & smiled slightly at his own reflection. Then he picked up his phone & took a few pictures. The first one with serious face. The next, a soft smile & the last, a close up just for his wife.
He sent them all to Mahek with a simple text,
"Eid Mubarak, my love. How do I look?"
Then he stepped out into the early morning air, calm & quiet & made his way to the mosque for Eid namaz. After the prayer, when he raised his hands for dua, his heart softened instantly. Between the praises & the gratitude, he whispered a prayer only Allah could hear.
"Shukar, for writing Mahek in my nikkah. Bless her. Bless us. Make our home with her a place of love & peace. Keep her under Your mercy always & bring us together soon, Ameen"
A small smile at his lips as he wiped his face. His biggest sacrifice, he knew, was patience waiting for the day he could stand next to Mahek on Eid morning, not just send her pictures from miles away but for now, this was enough. This love, bond & hope.
He returned home after the prayer, feeling lighter & at peace. As soon as he entered his room, he grabbed his phone again, smiling to himself. Without even thinking twice, recorded a voice note for Mahek.
"Eid Mubarak, begum jaan. I love you" his voice was soft,
He sent it & placed the phone on the side table. He didn't wait for her reply, he had to go outside for the qurbani arrangements with his father & brother.
On the other side, Mahek was busy in the kitchen, helping her mother. When her phone buzzed, she wiped her hands quickly, opened the voice note & the moment she heard his voice, her heart melted.
She smiled, cheeks turning pink & replied
"Eid Mubarak miya g"
But he was already out, handling the sacrifice, fulfilling the Sunnah yet all the time his mind was stuck on that one reply he hadn't heard yet her voice calling him her Zavian.
After a few minutes, while standing outside near the qurbani area, Zavian checked his phone again. A smile instantly appeared on his lips when he saw Mahek's message.
"Eid Mubarak miya g"
He couldn't resist. He pressed the call button immediately just a quick voice call but enough to fill his heart.
"Eid Mubarak, begum," he said softly, his voice carrying all the warmth he felt inside.
On the other side, Mahek blushed & replied sweetly,
"Eid Mubarak, Zavian"
He closed his eyes for a second, just to feel her words properly. Then in a lower tone, he whispered,
"I love you"
She giggled softly & said,
"I love you too" then, gathering a little courage, she made a soft kissing sound near the mic.
His eyes widened a little, a shy blush spreading on his cheeks even though he was surrounded by people. He chuckled under his breath & whispered,
"Let's talk properly after qurbani, begum"
Before she could tease him more, he hung up, hiding his smile, ready to finish the sacrifice & run back to her voice again.
After the qurbani was done, Zavian came back home around 7 AM, a bit tired but smiling. He quickly washed up & the first thing he did, like always, was pick up his phone.
And there it was. A new message from his begum. A picture popped up first, Mahek's precious soft hands covered in fresh, beautiful mehndi, deep in color & full of love.
Below it, her teasing text.
"Find your name, chomu laal. Or else, no more pictures for you"
Zavian laughed softly, shaking his head. His heart was filled with warmth as he zoomed into the photo, his eyes scanning every swirl & curve of the design. He whispered to himself, almost shyly,
"She hides my name but shows her whole heart to me"
His fingers paused over the screen, trying to find the little letters hidden in the pattern.
A lazy smile spread on his face as he replied.
"Challenge accepted, begum"
He knew she would blush & just imagining that made his whole morning brighter. He finally spotted his name, hidden sweetly inside a flower on her palm.
He quickly typed,
"Got it Now, begum, let's have a video call & yes please forget to wear your dupatta again, hmm?"
He added a teasing wink emoji.
On the other side, Mahek's eyes widened as she read it. She covered her mouth, blushing hard, & quickly replied:
"Zavian Astaghfirullah"
Zavian laughed softly, He typed back:
"Only for my begum. Now pick up my call, Chanda"
He pressed the video call button, waiting for her beautiful face to appear on his screen
Mahek hesitated for a second, still blushing, then picked up the video call.
Zavian's eyes softened the moment he saw her face, her cheeks were pink, her hair curly, mehndi on her hands as she tucked a strand behind her ear.
He whispered with a playful smile,
"Eid Mubarak, My shy queen"
She hid her smile behind her hand.
"Stop it, Zavian"
He leaned closer to the camera, voice low & teasing,
"Why should I stop? My wife looks so pretty today. It's a sin to hide this face from your husband, begum"
She pouted, trying to look serious but failing.
"Zavian, behave people are around"
He laughed softly, eyes twinkling.
"Who cares? Let them see how much I love my wife. Show me your hands properly I want to kiss mehndi design you made for me"
She showed her palms shyly. He pretended to kiss the screen, making her giggle.
"Bs bs, you're so cheesy" she said, covering her face again.
Zavian's voice dropped, soft & sincere,
"You know all I want today is you here beside me. You, in this mehndi, this smile in my arms. Eid would be perfect"
Her eyes softened.
"I wish the same, Zavian. It hurts, this distance"
He whispered,
"Begum I'll kiss these hands for real & you'll never hide your face from me again"
She blushed so hard.
"Astaghfirullah stop making me blush"
Zavian chuckled, his voice gentle but teasing,
"Mujhy yhi pasand hai, my shy bride melting only for me"
(This is what I love my shy bride, who melts only for me)
She whispered,
"I love you, Zavian"
He smiled, eyes shining.
"I love you more"
Zavian got busy with the qurbani arrangements while Mahek was busy helping at home with all the Eid chores. Zavian worked the whole day, running around, handling everything & by evening, when he finally came online, the first thing he did was check on Mahi.
He texted her,
"Reply q nai kr rhi ho? Are you okay?"
(Why aren't you replying? Are you okay?)
Mahi saw the message but didn't reply.
He texted again,
"Mahi ap thk ho?"
(Mahi, are you okay?)
After a minute, she finally replied
"Zavian mujhy baat nai krni"
(Zavian, I don't want to talk)
Zavian read her message but before he could type back, his father called him urgently for some work outside. He had no time to reply.
Meanwhile, Mahi stared at her phone, her anger growing more & more because he left her message on seen again. She sat in her room, anger burning at first but soon her silence turned into tears. She hugged her knees, face hidden, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.
Maybe he didn't like how I looked today
Maybe my dress was too simple
Maybe my hair wasn't nice
Maybe he didn't like my Eid wish
Maybe maybe he's bored of me now because of this stupid distance...
The more she wiped her tears, the more new ones came. Her mind created stories that her heart knew weren't true but her heart still ached.
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Zavian's POV:
Let me tell you something about my wife. God, she overthinks so much maybe it's this distance, maybe it's just how delicate she is but my strong girl turns into a crying baby the second I get busy.
Right now, I know she's somewhere in her room, crying her eyes out because I didn't reply fast enough. She's probably blaming herself for things that don't even exist. She does this every time picks on herself, doubts her worth & punishes her little heart.
But what she doesn't know is that she's my whole calm in this mess of a life. Her voice makes my worst days soft. Her face makes my longest days worth it. Even her anger makes me fall in love with her again.
She's my baby. She doesn't even know how much I crave to wipe every tear, kiss her forehead, & remind her,
"You're mine & I love you"
I wish I could be there now to hug her tight but until I can, I'll love her harder no matter how much she cries because she's my Mahek, my home...
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Mahek's POV:
I was waiting for him the whole day. I know, I know it's Eid, he must be busy he even wished me first & called me twice but still I can't stay away from him. Not even for a few hours.
I know he loves me. I know he's not bored of me. I know he loved how I looked today. But... but this stupid overthinking, It's all because of him too because every time I overthink, he sits there & explains everything to me like I'm a baby who needs each worry untangled.
And maybe that's why I secretly like overthinking because I love how he explains things to me. How he calms me down. How he tells me again & again, "You're mine & I'm yours"
For this feeling for his words, I can overthink my whole life because he's my peace after my storms. My Zavian, my only home...
-------------------
At night, Zavian finally came online again. He saw her last seen, took a deep breath & sent her a long, soft text.
"I know you've been overthinking the whole day &I understand. I didn't give you time, proper time & I'm sorry, begum. I was busy with the qurbani & guests but I know you, you need my attention, my time. I promise, it won't happen again. Now please stop crying, meri jaan"
He added another message,
"I love you, Mahi & I always will, no matter what. This distance can't push us apart, never. I promise you, I'll stay by your side ever after. Nothing can change that. Now smile, my love, because your smile is my peace"
On the other side, Mahi knew him too well, she knew he'd explain everything in that soft, caring way only he could & she'd forget all her overthinking in a second & that's exactly what happened. His words wrapped around her heart like a warm hug, making every doubt fade away.
She wiped her tears, a small smile blooming on her face & typed back:
"I love you"
Without wasting a second, he replied
"I love you more, Begum Jaan"
And just like that, all the misunderstandings melted into love again.
-------------------
Zavian was still in his dark brown Eid kurta & brown Peshawari chappal, the fabric slightly wrinkled from the long day. He sat onto the sofa in his room. He picked up his phone, hoping for a message from Mahi. He smiled softly to himself, thinking maybe she’s busy helping her mom.
Out of habit, he opened Instagram & tapped into the readers group chat Mahi's GC. The notifications were buzzing with everyone’s Eid selfies & random chit chat. He typed a few lines, teasing them, laughing a little.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a call, Abba. Zavian’s face turned serious. He quickly picked up.
“Ji Abba okay, I’m coming”
No time to explain to Mahi he was already pushing himself up from the sofa. He grabbed his keys, stepped into his sandals & in seconds he was outside. He slipped into the driver’s seat, started the engine & drove off into the quiet night Eid traffic, heading toward the place his father had called him to. His mind, though, kept going back to his wife, I’ll tell her everything later.
Zavian was driving through the night, one hand on the wheel, the other holding his phone as he chatted in the group chat. Everyone was excited as always, bombarding him with questions, jokes & emojis. It had become a ritual for them whenever Zavian showed up, the whole chat came alive. He was teasing them, sending voice notes, laughing at their replies while keeping his eyes half on the road.
But then, suddenly, something felt off. His vision blurred. He blinked hard, shook his head & pulled the car over to the side of the empty road. He rubbed his eyes & tried to type in the group chat again. His fingers moved clumsily, the words coming out wrong letters, half sentences.
He couldn’t even read what he had typed. Panic crawled up in his chest but he brushed it off, "Maybe I’m just too tired. It’s Eid, I haven’t eaten properly, it’s nothing"
He forced a smile emoji, quickly typed “Bye bye Fi Amanillah guys” & sent it.
On the other side, Mahi was reading every word, her heart sinking. She knew him this wasn’t how he texted. She could feel it, something’s wrong.
Mahi’s hands trembled as she typed, her heart pounding louder with each second of silence from him.
"Zavian, kya hua hai? Ap thk ho??"
(Zavian, what happened? Are you okay??)
No reply, She texted again.
"Zavian, jawab dein. Khn hain ap??"
(Zavian, answer me. Where are you??)
On the other side, Zavian’s chest tightened painfully, a sharp ache spreading through his left arm. His vision was blurry, the phone screen was swimming in front of him.
He dropped the phone on the passenger seat, grabbing his head with one & and pressing the other to his chest, trying to catch his breath.
He somehow grabbed his phone with shaking hands & tried to text Mahi,
“Mahi… I… I can’t see… everything is blurry…”
His fingers slipped on the screen but he managed to press send before another wave of pain hit his chest, eyes half open, breathing hard praying she would read it soon.
Mahi read his message and her heart sank she knew exactly what was happening. It was his panic attack again. She hated this she knew how much pain he felt whenever he went to his mother’s house & now, on Eid, it was happening again. He was all alone on the roadside, fighting to breathe, eyes burning with tears he couldn’t shed. On the other side, Mahi was crying too, wiping her tears again & again, trying to sound strong for him.
She kept texting him,
“Zavian, please breathe slowly… I’m here… listen to me… you’re okay… I’m here, my love…”
Zavian, with trembling hands, somehow called his friend, His chest felt tight, vision spinning.
Mahi started panicking too. Her hands were shaking as she texted him non stop, crying & begging him to answer. Seeing her like this in his mind made Zavian’s panic attack worse. He hated this her tears broke him more than his own pain.
He didn’t want to say it in the group chat but he had no choice. He texted there,
“I’m not okay please take care of Mahi, make her understand if she cries like this, how can I get better?”
Everyone in the group chat froze, their Zavian bhai, the one who always made them laugh, was like this. One of the members quickly offered,
“Should I send someone near Zavian bhai? Please tell me if it’s urgent”
The whole group turned quiet but their chats kept flooding worried words & calming Mahi down. They were his family too. His second home 'Mahiyans'
Zavian’s friend finally reached him after 15-20 minutes. He found him sitting on the roadside, head down, breathing heavily. The friend held him & helped him stand up, while Zavian’s phone buzzed with Mahi’s texts.
“Zavian please reply please, breathe please…”
With whatever courage he could gather, he texted Mahi,
“I love you, Mahi. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay. Muneeb is here we’re going to the hospital”
Mahi’s reply came in seconds,
“Why did you even go outside? Why didn’t you tell me?”
He quickly sent another message, forcing a soft smile even through his pain,
“Baba called, Mahi I love you. I’ll be back soon. Please don’t cry, jaan. I’ve cupped your face in my hands & kissed your forehead”
It was his little habit his way of holding her, even through a screen. Whenever he stepped out of the house or left for the masjid, he would always text her the same way & every single time, Mahi felt his love as if he was right there protecting her, calming her.
His friend took him to the hospital & after that, Zavian didn’t remember anything.
In the group chat, everyone did their best to calm Mahi down. She kept saying,
“I’m okay, I’m okay” but everyone knew she wasn’t okay at all.
She waited the whole night without closing her eyes for even a second. Her phone was clutched tight in her hand, screen lighting up again & again but not with his message. Not the one she was begging for in her heart. The night passed painfully & so did the next half of the day. Still nothing.
Her mind was drowning in fear, her heart felt empty, her hands trembling. She prayed again & again, whispering his name to Allah, begging Him to protect her Zavian.
She cried until her eyes burned. She hoped until her heart ached. All she wanted, was one message. Just to know her husband was still breathing, still hers...
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for the next part...📚🤍
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