I entered home after attending an event, wearing a wine-red sleeveless gown, left my heels at the entrance, lay down on the couch, and drifted off to sleep as I was feeling tired.
After almost an hour, I woke up due to the guilt of sleeping in makeup and went to the bathroom to remove it.
I placed my hands on the edges of the basin, looked in the mirror, and saw that the makeup was still intact, the blow-dried hair was looking great, the red lipstick was still in place, and the Smokey eyes were a little watery. I looked like a heroine who's depressed over her career. Too tired to bother, I decided to leave the makeup on.
Meanwhile, he arrived home, I turned to exit the bathroom, and as I stepped out, he entered the room, his eyes fixed on me.
He was stunned, and said, "You look breathtakingly gorgeous."
As he moved forward, he offered his hand for me to take. I placed my hands in his, and he pulled me close.
As I blushed while looking at him, I placed my forehead on his shoulder, and my cheek almost touched his.
He felt the warmth and placed his hand on my forehead, saying, "You're burning with fever."
"Maybe, I've been feeling tired", I replied.
He picked me into his arms, carried me to the car, and drove me to the doctor.
The next morning, he placed the thermometer on my forehead to check my temperature. I opened my eyes slightly as I woke up.
He was sitting beside me, smiling, and said, "Your body temperature is normal now," while placing the thermometer on the side table.
"Take some rest; you'll recover soon. I've alerted the house-help, they'll take care of you," he continued.
"Are you going?" I asked, while getting up to sit.
"Yeah, I have a meeting at the office. I'll be back in a couple of hours," he said, getting up from the bed.
"Call me if you need anything," he added.
I hummed softly in response. He kissed my forehead and went outside the room.
As he was walking out of the house for his office, but then he stopped, turned, and came to me as I was still sitting on the bed. I turned back to see him, my eyebrows furrowed and my eyes fixed on him, thinking about what he might have forgotten.
Instead, he said, "I wanted to say something to you last night, but I couldn't find the time".
"You were looking breathtakingly beautiful yesterday. You know you're so beautiful. I don't know how I got you", he continued.
The furrows on my eyebrows smoothed out in an instant, my cheeks blushed, and my lips curled into a sweet smile.
In the evening, as the door unlocked, he walked in, and I smiled as he kissed me hello on the head while passing behind the sofa. But his gaze lingered, and he sensed the tiredness on my face.
He sat down beside me, and I rested my head onto his chest, feeling the warmth of his body envelop me. His arm wrapped around my waist, and I slid his hand from my waist to my lower abdomen and placed my hand on his.
I closed my eyes, hoping the gentle pressure would ease my cramps. He sensed that I wasn't feeling well. He kissed my head, wrapped a blanket around me, and with very light pressure, his hands moved in a circular motion from left to right, massaging my lower abdomen.
After a while, he got up and fetched a heating pad, warming it up while reheating some chicken broth. He returned with a mug of steaming broth and the heating pad.
I looked up at him, my eyes filled with gratitude, my lips curled into a sweet smile.
He whispered, "anything for you, my lady!"
I was relaxing on the wide couch placed behind the entrance door in the corner of the living area. My back slouched against the backrest, my head rested at the edge of the backrest, my knees bent, and my feet rested against the hassock placed in front of me. The fireplace was lit, creating a warm glow on the blanket placed over my knees.
I paused the series I’d been watching on the Chromebook, which was placed on one armrest of the couch. I closed my eyes for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, he came, placed one hand, warm and gentle on my lower abdomen and the other against the backrest near my head, and brushed a kiss on my forehead. I opened my eyes and placed my hand over his hand on my abdomen.
“Let’s have this!” he said while picking up the bowl from the fireplace.
“I made some ramen for you,” he said while handing the bowl to me.
“Aw! Thank you so much!” I said while holding the bowl.
“Anytime!” he replied and sat down on the hassock with his bowl of ramen in front of me
“Mustafa!", I called in a low voice.
"Janem!", he replied with a loving voice and I blushed instantly.
"You must be tired because of the office, and now you have to do all of this. Don’t you?” I asked while moving the noodles with the fork.
“Worth it! — I’ve never told you this before, but you know what I used to think before marrying you?” he said while winding noodles onto the fork.
I slightly nodded to the side.
“I wanted to know what it’s like to be with you. I kept wondering—what’s it like to come home from work and see you here? To spend days and nights with you, sleep beside you, have a child with you? I wanted to know all of it. And now I’m here. It’s worth it; every minute and second with you—it was a dream and now I’m living it. I want to live this dream all my life", he continued.
I looked at him; my eyes wandered over his face, my cheeks flushed as my lips curled into a sweet smile.
"Just to see this shine in your eyes, I can do anything,” he added, and my lashes dropped.
“Don’t withdraw this love that I see in your eyes so that I can fight against all because I’ll know that you’ll be waiting for me when I get home,” he added.
*After a week*
In the afternoon, the main door creaked open, and I reached to open the entrance door, my heart racing with anticipation. As I pulled it open, I saw him standing there, a warm smile spreading across his face. He entered, and his warm, strong hand reached to held mine.
"Where have you been? I've been waiting for you," I said, while placing both of my hands in his hand, feeling a sense of relief wash over me.
"Waiting? You could've texted me, I would've run back to you," he said with a smile, his lips brushing against my forehead as he kissed me, sending a gentle tingling sensation through my skin.
"I know... Actually, I have some abdominal pain. I don't know what the reason might be... maybe I've displaced my navel," I said.
"How? Did you carry something heavy?" he asked, his eyes searching mine with concern, his brow furrowed in worry.
"No, I haven't done anything," I replied, shaking my head, feeling a slight ache in my stomach.
"Let's go to a physiotherapist then," he suggested, his voice firm but gentle.
"No, I want to see my gynae," I replied firmly, trying to assert myself.
"As you say," he said, nodding, his hand gently moving a strand of hair off my face, sending a gentle caress down my cheek.
"Atif could've driven me but I wasn't comfortable to go to gynae with him. I wanted to go there with you", I added while looking up at him.
"Of course... I'll take you. Atif is here for the house. But for you, I'm always here", he replied while moving the hair strand off my face.
At the clinic, the doctor's words, the only voice in the sterile, antiseptic-scented room: "She had her navel displaced, but I've treated her."
"But she hadn't done anything, then... " he said, his voice filled with concern.
"Actually, she has weak abdominal muscles, which is why she has to go through this frequently," the doctor explained, her voice calm and professional.
"Frequently?" he asked, his eyes locking onto mine, and I felt a pang of guilt for not telling him sooner.
"I came here last month too, for the same reason," I replied, trying to avoid his gaze.
He understood and turned his attention to the doctor. "So, how can we prevent it? What are the precautions? What do you suggest?" he asked, his voice filled with concern, his jaw clenched in determination.
"Nothing much! Just a regular abdominal massage with some warm oil, and I'll prescribe some supplements to help her strengthen her abdominal muscles. Plus, stress makes things worse. So, make her stay away from stress," she suggested, handing him a prescription.
"Okay, thankyou so much!", he said while getting up.
"Are you okay? Is there any pain?", he asked while he moved forward his hand, and I placed my hand in his.
"I'm fine.." I said while nodding and we walked out of the clinic.
As we walked out of the clinic, the warm sunlight enveloped us, his fingers intertwining with mine, sending a sense of comfort and security through me.
"Why didn't you tell me about it before back then?", he asked, as he opened the car door for me.
"I thought it was just for once. I didn't know that it'll happen again...but here we are...", I replied while sitting in the car.
"What happened when you visited here last month?", he asked further as he started driving.
"I just had some abdominal pain so I visited here with sunny. Then, she treated me same as now. But she didn't tell that I've to go through this again", I replied.
"You won't have to go through this again. We'll prevent it", he assured while kissing my hand.
At night, he entered the room with a jar of coconut oil and a fondue cup, the scent of coconut filling the air.
"Aiiii, Mustafa," I said with annoyance, trying to roll away from him, feeling a bit self-conscious.
"Can't we do it from tomorrow?" I asked, my voice muffled by the pillow.
"But you need it," he replied, lighting the candle and putting a scoop of coconut oil in the cup to warm up, the soft glow of the flame dancing across the walls.
The soft glow of the candle illuminated his face as he started unbuttoning my shirt, his fingers brushing against my skin, sending shivers down my spine.
"Is the temperature of my hand right?", he asked while moving the back of his fingers on my abdomen from right beside my stomach to my navel.
I nodded and he took the oil from the cup in his hand to check the temperature and then dropped some drops on my abdomen and massaged it in with a light pressure.
As he massaged my abdomen, the warmth of his hands and the coconut oil seeped into my skin, relaxing me, making me feel like I was melting into the bed.
After a while, he grabbed the curve of my waist, brushed a kiss on my forehead, and I felt a sense of safety and comfort, feeling like I was wrapped in a warm hug.
I briefly opened my eyes to look at him, and then closed them again, drifting off to sleep, feeling his gentle touch as he buttoned up my shirt.
He laid beside me, pulling me into his arms, and I snuggled into his chest, feeling the beat of his heart against my cheek, the scent of coconut oil and his aftershave filling my senses.
The warmth of his body, the sound of his heartbeat, and the scent of coconut oil on my skin lulled me into a deep sleep, surrounded by his love and care, feeling safe and protected.
