“Chris!” She called his name as she opened the door while carefully holding the baby girl in her arms. She closed the door behind her and suddenly silence engulfed her as the members downstairs were having an important conversation. Christian’s attention was already dragged by her soft call as he was watching her move to him with the baby. The girl was wrapped up in a soft quilt but woke up as her big brown eyes watched everything. “You didn’t meet our little angel, right?” She said, sitting in front of him but folding her right leg on the bed. The white silky mattress dipped underneath her, and the light yellow cotton chikankari designed fabric of her plazo shone brightly under the warm glow of their room. The small glasses at the border of her dress enhanced its gleam. He put away his laptop and gave his full attention to his wife and the baby in her arms. “Adnan’s daughter?” He asked, looking down at the girl who looked back at him with her big brown eyes. “Yeah,” she said, ho

The ladies who gathered, sitting around Hazel were all happy, chirping and doing their things, laughing upon seeing the men dragging Christian with them. The pleasant sound of their laughter boomed but Hazel giggled softly when she saw how Christian’s face was scrunched and he was writhing like a small kid among his friends —Izhar, Kevin, Adnan and Abel. “I don’t want to do that, mom, why don’t you understand?” He uttered, releasing his arms from their grips as that was the sole way they could drag Christian back to the ladies as he ran away right after he got to know that they wanted to apply some henna paste on his palm and he did not like its smell. “But it’s important, son,” said Heer, who sat beside Hazel and gave her a flying kiss when she saw her all dolled up. She found her way too beautiful in that green traditional mirror-work dress. Her hair was tied into a loosened French braid and it was decorated with white shiny beads. Her make-up was nude. The green coloured lehenga

“I just called them,” said Hazel over the phone which was pressed against her ear. Her grip was soft while her other hand was holding the steering wheel. She turned it, entering her house through the large main gates. The guards on either side of the gate bowed respectfully as Hazel drove the car inside. She nodded at them, the sight of her face visible to them through the rolled-down windows of her car. She drove it ahead, still listening to the person over her phone. "Of course.” She smiled brightly. “He’s giving him full attention,” she added and parked the car. She listened to the person while turning the engine off and coming out of the car. She picked up the bags from the back seat. Chirping, sparrows flew above her head to another tree planted in their lawn. It was the beginning of March. Spring was coming. Finally, winters were over. Hazel loved that season. From the bottom of her heart. Spring brought life back to nature. Trees were green once again, butterflies and birds

“You’re looking beautiful; so beautiful that I can barely look away from you, Haze,” Christian said while coming behind his wife. She held his hand and was walking towards their suite. Her henna-cladded hand was barely covering his but her grip was firm because her husband was tipsy. He drank a bit at his friend’s wife’s birthday party and they were coming back now. His eyes roamed her back from behind. Her brunette hair was tied in a bun, decorated with red roses that matched her red banarasi saree, red bangles, her bright red painted lips — her whole self. Her blouse was not very backless but still, the beauty spot on her back could not escape his gaze through the knots. The sleeves of her blouse reached above her elbows. She looked beautiful as he said and everything in her was his choice. Even the saree she wore was draped by him. “You said that I don’t know how many times,” she said while her lips stretched into a smile. He watched how her plump fleshy bright red lips stretched

“Love,” he called her lovingly. He bent slightly and hugged her from behind, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Her body found relaxation in his arms but she chooses not to answer him. She was upset with him. She could not forget that. Christian sighed after he did not get her response. She stared at the view outside her room through the window and it was raining outside. Trees outside were greener than before and the smell of wet soil and leaves mixed together reached them.Hazel loved rain but she could not go out and enjoy that because she was seven months pregnant. Autumn has started and the weather always turned colder than usual whenever it rained. Even the greenery outside was fading away because of the season but who could make a heart understand? She still desired to enjoy it and Christian was stopping her. He could not leave her out like that. “Haze,” he said. She still did not answer him and hugged herself inside the blanket that was wrapped around her body. She was