**Mature Themes Throughout - More so at the end**

"I need to get something on the way home", Omar said, looking at the navigation system on the car's console.

What? Now? Why?

I was nervous as hell, but I still wanted to get home asap. I mean, we had already eaten, and even if the fridge was empty at home, 10 pm on the way back from your wedding, was not the time to go grocery shopping.

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?", I asked him, trying to not sound impatient.

"Umm...no it can't", he said, as he parked in front of a vaguely familiar 24 hour pharmacy.

I looked out at the flickering red light of the 'OPEN' sign on the pharmacy's front door, confused at why he would need to stop here of all places.

"Omar...are you feeling ok?", I instinctively reached out to put my hand on his forehead, suddenly realizing that he just taken care of his sick father and then travelled on a plane, all increasing his risk of getting COVID.

And, we just had a whole event with elderly people in attendance...oh crap!

"I am fine Madi...", he gently smiled at me, even though his face was flushed, "But unless you are already on the pill, or are willing to risk getting pregnant tonight I need to get protection...condoms...whatever you want to call them"

He looked embarrassed again, and cleared his throat before saying, "I don't really have them lying around at home, you know. And I wasn't planning on being married to you right now"

Oh...

"Of course, yes...I am sorry...", I stuttered, feeling my own face heat up.

"Don't be...", he chuckled softly, then leaned over to give me a quick kiss on my cheek, "I'll be right back"

He got out of the car, leaving me to take deep breaths to calm myself down from the heated high his brief touch had put my body in. I was pretty sure, my skin would catch fire if I kept reacting to him like that tonight.

I tried to focus on something other than him. But the furthest my mind would get to was our ICU rotation, the one month we spent together, saving lives...living the dream.

Wait...the ICU...

I looked around the empty parking lot, finally recognizing why this place seemed so familiar. It was the same pharmacy Omar had told me to go to after getting off the train with the drunk man on the day that Noor was admitted to the ICU.

Just then he walked out the front door of the pharmacy. The bright light of the shop framing his visibly fit body against the dark night and through the white kurta he was wearing.

Oh man...can we just get home now...please?

"Do you recognize this place?", he asked when he got back in the car.

"I do..."

"Good, because I got you something...", he smiled.

He took out a pint of chocolate fudge ice cream from the paper bag and handed it to me along with a disposable spoon.

"You remembered?", my mouth dropped open as I stared at him. I had been eyeing this exact ice cream when he found me in this pharmacy. And now that I had my favorite dessert in my hand, the sudden craving for it returned and before long I was digging into the creamy, delicious goodness of milk chocolate ice cream with swirls of fudge in it.

But perhaps I should have held off for just a little bit. Because then I wouldn't have had to look at my husband with a mouth full of dessert, while he said some of the most heartfelt, sentimental words I had ever heard.

"I remember everything about you, Madi", he said slowly in his deep, sincere voice without really even looking at me.

"Since the first day I saw you, outside that patient's room in the ER, I've always noticed you. Even in a conference room full of people, and before I actually knew you, somehow it was always you who I saw first when I walked in"

He finally turned to look at me, "I used to think it was because you are such an impressive person, and that you are for sure. But, recently I've wondered if I had been falling in love with you, ever since the moment I saw you, without even realizing it"

"Omar...", is all I could really mumble, because his words had put all my emotions in overdrive...again, and my mouth was full of ice cream.

"And the night I saw you in this pharmacy, was when I knew you meant so much more to me than anyone else ever had...it honestly scared me. So I tried to convince myself you were nothing more than just a friendly colleague"

He smiled at me again, "I even made it a point to call you my senior resident that night..."

I did remember that night; the way he had hugged me, and the relief in his voice when he had whispered in my ear. And I remembered the way he had looked at me, standing in front of the ice cream freezer in his pajamas and grey shirt, and the way that had made me feel.

I was falling in love with him too...without really realizing it back then

That is something I wish I had been able to say to him then, in fact, I wish I had it in me to confess to him that he had been on my mind even before I met him. But at that time my shy, introverted alter ego was out in full force. And instead of reciprocating his earnest words, or even appropriately reacting to his words all I could say was,

"Would you like some ice cream?"

For the briefest of moments he looked at me with disappointment, but then whether it was because he was seeing through me again, or that he was just being is usual understanding self, he laughed.

"Only if you feed me...so I can drive"

And so that's what I did, feed him and myself ice cream, as we got back on the road and I chatted away about everything I could think of. Just like I did earlier that day when I had picked him up from the airport.

Nervous me turned into Chatty McChatty around him!

I was so nervous that I kept getting ice cream on my own face, making Omar lean over and 'kiss it clean' as he said, at every red light. Though, after the 4th time he told me I had ice cream on the side of my mouth, and then he stopped at a yellow light instead of speeding through like a normal person, I finally caught on to what he was doing.

"Heyy...", I pushed him away, and looked at myself in the mirror, "There is no ice cream on my face! You're just stealing kisses..."

"Took you long enough...", he grinned at me, "You are so adorably gullible"

Only in front of you Omar Khan...only you make me want to take down my walls down and expose every vulnerability I have

I trust you that much...

He reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear, and gave me one of his heartwarming smiles, "I love you so much, Madi"

"I love you, too", I finally managed to say back to him.

There were only another 10 minutes left till we got home, and there was relative silence in the car during that time, other than small talk about the Friday night crowds that used to fill up the sidewalks on the famous Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, but now were nowhere to be seen as we drove through the almost deserted street. Nothing screamed 'pandemic' like an empty downtown on a weekend.

Back at our apartment building, we dragged luggage behind us for the second time that day, and waited for the elevators. This time there were no screaming kids, but that lustful energy between us from the morning was also gone as we stepped onto an empty elevator and took up opposite ends of that enclosed space.

What didn't change was the new occupant that got onto the elevator on the third floor...again, making Omar and I exchange questioning looks.

"Aah...you two again!", Mrs Patel exclaimed, as she slowly looked at me again from head to toe, and then smiled at my husband "Omar, you were in such a hurry this morning, you didn't even introduce me to your lovely bride"

Omar blushed under Mrs Patel's all-knowing gaze, and then meekly said, "I am sorry Mrs Patel, this is Madiha, my wife"

"It is really nice to meet you...", I started to say when she interrupted me again.

"I was going to set him up with my granddaughter...but oh well! Make sure you take care of him, he is a lovely boy"

She wanted to set up my Omar with her granddaughter? No way in hell...

I wanted to tell her to stay away from my husband, but I was raised better than that. So instead, I moved closer to him surprising him, and put my arm in his while leaning my head on his shoulder, "I love my husband, of course I will take care of him"

Before anyone could say anything else the doors opened again and we reached our floor, parting ways from out next door neighbour who I was sure was staring at my back.

"Look at you get possessive so quickly", Omar chuckled as we entered our apartment.

"Did she really try to set you up with her daughter? Why didn't you tell me? And why is she always on the 3rd floor?", I fired off my questions.

"She called me to her apartment one day because she wanted me to fix her wifi router, she wasn't there, but her granddaughter was. So I guess that was the set up attempt. I didn't tell you, because it happened the second week after I moved to Chicago, and I was out of her apartment in under 5 minutes. And I have no idea what or who is on third floor, making Mrs Patel visit there so often"

In between his answers he had somehow moved close enough to me that I had to look up at him, and he reached out to gently caress my cheek and smiled at me, making my pulse race again, "But who cares, at least you're talking to me again"

Yes, it is good that I can actually put some words together

"Was she pretty?", I heard myself ask.

Not those words...dummy!

Embarrassed at the stupid questions I was asking him, instead of telling him how I felt about him, I looked down at my feet.

He immediately reached out to lift my chin gently, so I was looking into his warm, brown eyes when he said, "I don't remember what she looked like, but she could not have been prettier than you"

Oh Omar! I love you...

Of course those words didn't come out, yet somehow Omar was starting to figure me out.

"Are you nervous?", he asked softly.

Yes, yes I am...insanely nervous

All I could do was nod, and look away from him again. But he pulled me into his arms and I buried my face in his chest, taking in his scent, and feeling my body instantly relax surrounded by his strong arms.

"It's ok Madi", he whispered, "So am I..."

He pulled back and made me look at him again, "It's not like either of us has any prior experience. So it's only natural to be nervous. And if you are not ready, we don't have to do anything tonight, ok? You've had a really busy day, we can just rest..."

What? No. No. No. I want to do something tonight...not just rest

Before I could put that thought into a sentence, he moved away from me, but his voice was still gentle, like he was trying to not freak out a little child, "Why don't you take your dupatta off and get more comfortable, and I'll move your things into the room"

With that he disappeared into the bedroom, leaving me feel like we were roommates who had just come back from work. Not the husband and wife who had been dying to take things to the next level just a few hours ago.

Did I just kill the vibe with my inability to say anything romantic to him?

Ugghhh...where the hell is that bold, vivacious Madi who is ready to take on the world

Ten minutes later I had painstakingly taken off the dupatta that Maliha and Noor had pinned up, and had walked over to the living room windows to take in the view of the city skyscrapers glistening in the dark summer night. The lights in our own living room suddenly dimmed considerably and I called out hesitantly.

"Omar?"

"Yes, sorry, I should have warned you", he replied from somewhere in the dark, "We may be pretty high up, but with the lights on and the curtains open there isn't a lot of privacy in this room"

Soon he came to stand next to me. He had changed into his pajamas and a t-shirt that showed off his biceps, and I could see his handsome, smiling face illuminated by the city lights, "And you are looking way too beautiful standing here, for anyone else to be looking at you right now...other than me"

He keeps calling me that...

"I've seen myself...I am not really beautiful, even my skin has so many imperfections, maybe not-bad-looking is more apt a description", I tried to crack a joke, and laughed lightly.

But he just stared at me for a couple of seconds, his expression indecipherable. Then he reached out to hold my hand, "Come with me..."

We're doing it? Now? Really? Ok...

With my heart racing, and barely able to breathe, I followed him to the bedroom. But that is not where we stopped. Instead, much to my utter confusion, he led me to the bathroom.

"Wh...what are we doing here?"

"This is the only mirror in the apartment", he said as he positioned me in front of the large rectangular mirror above the bathroom sink, "And I need you to look at yourself the way I look at you, Madi"

What?

He stood behind me, looking at my wide-eyed reflection in the mirror, just like I was. His palms rested on my waist, and his temptingly, full lips whispered in my ear, "Because when I look at you, all I see is the smart and brilliant, yet absolutely gorgeous woman who stole my heart"

His hand reached around me to caress the skin over my freckles, "Who has these adorable freckles that make her one of a kind among more than 7 billion people in this world, because no two people have the exact same pattern of freckles. And the fact that she chose me, makes me one of the luckiest men in the world, statistically speaking"

I could feel his hot breath on my bare neck, quickening the pace of my own breaths, and I couldn't help but lean back slightly so that my shoulders touched his chest.

He unclasped the clip that was holding my hair in a bun, making it fall across my shoulders, "And who has these beautiful, soft curls that bounce up and down when she walks down the hallway commanding respect from everyone around her, or when she turns sharply to look at me when I annoy her"

I saw him bury his face in my hair and close his eyes, just for a second, as he took in a deep breath.

Does he like the smell of my shampoo?

His lips lightly brushed over my temple, making me close my eyes, yearning for more, but he kept whispering, "Who has these mesmerizing, bright, expressive eyes that were the first thing I noticed about her, when she was scolding me because I made her patient upset. Eyes that are a window into her kind and generous soul that I pray will always remain unscathed from the world around her, and that never betray her true feelings, even when she is trying to put up walls around her"

So that's how he always seems to see right through me!

He turned me around to face him, his eyes focused intently on my mouth, and he ran his thumb gently over my lips, his voice getting so husky, I could barely stop myself from pulling him in for a long, passionate kiss, "And these lips...God, Madi these lips are all I dream of these days..."

His breathing had gotten faster, his own lips parted and begged me to taste them, yet when he finally looked into my eyes he took a step back from me, letting go of me completely.

No, wait Omar...kiss me

He cleared his throat and his lips turned up into a brief smile, "So Madi, even your imperfections are perfect... and you are beautiful, in every sense of the word. I never, ever want you to think anything less of yourself"

I was still processing his words, trying to come up with an answer, when he put his arms around me again and gently kissed me on the forehead, "We should go to sleep now...you must be tired"

What? No, I am not tired...

Damn it Madi...say something to him...

I reached out to grab his hand when he walked past me, "Omar...wait, I am ready..."

"You are?", he looked at me with his eyes wide open.

"Yes, I am...", I moved closer to him, placing my hands on his chest, "I am not sure what has gotten into me but I have been ready the whole evening. I just seem to have lost my ability to speak..."

He leaned down to kiss me, but this time I moved back, and smiled at him cheekily, "You've waited this long...wait a few more minutes. I promise it will be worth it...I just need my bags, please"

Oh thank goodness, bold Madi is back! After that sweet, yet passionate monologue, he deserves his beautiful wife, and I want my insanely attractive husband...now

Omar bought me my bags, and then left the bathroom, but not before I noticed the color creep into his cheeks which made me smile.

I tried to decide which nightgown to wear; the white silk one with lightly embroidered borders that reached my knees and that I had bought with Maliha, or the black sheer lace one, whose neckline was a lot lower and the the hemline a lot higher, that I had gone back to buy on my own because no one should ever think of me wearing that except for my husband. My ridiculously, hot husband who was now waiting for me outside these doors.

Black, sheer lace it is...

I struggled to get out of my lehnga, but once I did I quickly put on my lingerie and stepped out the door before I could lose my nerve. Which I almost did, when I saw the previously dark bedroom lit up with a few strategically placed candles. And my husband whose pajamas hung dangerously low on his hips was lighting up the last one, with his back towards me.

"I didn't think you would be a scented candle kind of guy. Did you just have these lying around at home?", I asked him, my voice surprisingly even and smooth.

He swung around to face me. The poor guy's jaw almost hit the ground, and I had to suppress a laugh. But he recovered, quickly enough to smile at me seductively, as he slowly made his way around the bed and towards me.

"No...I picked them up at the airport. Their smell reminded me of you"

He stopped a few inches away from me, as his eyes travelled slowly down my body and then back up, I could tell he was trying to say something, but all he could muster was, "Madi...you...uh...you"

"You can kiss me now...", I closed the gap between us, fully enjoying the effect I was having on my husband, whose mouth was still wide open.

"Oh I will...", he finally looked into my eyes, his own filling up with a mixture of lust and mischief, "As soon as I catch my breath..."

He reached out to touch my bare arm, letting his hand slide down, leaving a trail of electricity, adding fuel to the fire already burning inside me, "God, Madi...I have no words to describe how you are making me feel right..."

But I needed more than words, however full of affection they were. I needed his touch, and the feel of his lips devouring mine, and his hot breath on my desperate skin.

"Then show me instead...", I heard myself say as I reached out to pull his shirt off and loosen the strings on his pajama pants, "Show me how I make you feel"