The first snippets of early dawn peered into the room through the white silk curtains hanging on the glass panels of the balcony; causing the bedroom to illuminate with golden-white hues of the new day.

Sleeping peacefully curled up in his warm embrace, they laid secluded from the harsh world.

Slight movement outlined the cracks of her eye when the first beam of sunlight hit the side of her face, causing her to stir awake. Reluctantly, Fajer made an attempt to pry her eyes open. Her mind still under influence of the heavy curtain of sleep drowning her consciousness.

Before she could succeed in waking up, a familiar scent began to nudge her senses awake. Her eyes fluttered open instantly when she became aware of a warm presence enveloping her figure. Her heart involuntarily began to thud loudly against her chest as she opened her eyes to his sleeping profile.

For a moment there, Fajer could do nothing but gawk startled at his face only inches away from hers. It took her another moment to realise that she laid cradled in Umar's arms, who was holding her against his chest; his one arm draped around her back and other clutching at her waist.

Gawking unblinking at his vulnerable profile with all his defenses down, Fajer's eyes ran wild across his face. His warm breath caressing the skin of her face and causing knots to form in the pits of her stomach.

Ever so softly, she blinked at him in a daze. Her hand involuntarily breaking free of his hold around her, to reach out towards him. Her fingers hovering an inch above the skin of his face while she paused to gulp. However, just before she could make the contact he flinched.

Startled by him waking up, Fajer pulled back slightly with a gasp. A burst of surprise flashing behind the million drapes of her ocean blue orbs as she gaped at him without blinking or releasing the breath she had sucked in. On the other hand, Umar silently kept staring at her. His deep and dark onyx orbs, peering into the depths of her very soul.

Few moments passed between them without any movement from either of them, as if frozen in a trance. The precious moments in which no one existed except for him and her—stripped bare of all the falsehood and pain.

As if finally able to break free from the shackles of her dream, Fajer released a soft sigh against his skin.

Slowly blinking, she let her gaze trail from his eyes towards her fingers; only a few inches apart from making contact with his face.

Gulping down the lump in her throat, she pursed her dry lips and reached out to caress his face. As soon as her skin made the contact, she instinctively sucked in a sharp breath as if an electric bolt jolted through her existence.

Her lips quivered with shaky breaths but she didn't stop there. Caressingly, she dragged the tip of her finger against the side of his face. Carefully tipping one finger, she let her touch graze all the way from his temple to caress the side of his jaw; a tingling feeling bubbling in the pits of her stomach.

Umar closed his eyes; a soft breath escaping his lips as he savoured her soft and tender touches.

Not for a single moment did Fajer let her gaze wander from his face. Her eyes fluttering against his warm breath while she kept tracing his features; dragging the tip of her finger slowly along the bridge of his nose and then moving across to stroke the skin under his eyes; like a soft, sweet torture.

With a soft breath, Umar snapped his eyes open. His gaze locking at the earnest look etched on her face before drifting away for a split second to take hold of her hand in his; softly and ever so gently—only to touch the tips of her fingers against his lips.

A sharp gasp hitched in her throat when she felt the soft touch of his lips pressing against her fingers. Her heart thumping loudly in her chest, while she gawked at him with quivering lips and feverish face. Ragged, uneven breath escaping her lips as she closed her eyes, letting his warmth seep into the depths of her frozen existence and sparking a new life within her.

The realisation doused her existence like warmth of sunshine in a cold, dreary and lonely winter. Just as her eyes fluttered open, Fajer missed a heartbeat when she caught him still watching her with a glazed look in his eyes.  Ever so slowly he pulled her hand away, his heated gaze lingering on her parted lips, as if intending to lean in—when suddenly the room began to echo with the sound of his phone's ringtone.

Umar gritted his teeth in restraint and pulled away immediately. Sitting up, he turned his back to her before grabbing the phone placed on the side table and left the room to attend the phone call. Leaving Fajer to watch after him disheveled and longing.

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"—Take left from here."

Fajer's gaze flickered up towards the rearview mirror, before wandering to his back. Sitting in the back of the 4x4, with Buzdaar sitting in the passenger seat and the driver behind the wheel, Fajer was getting accompanied to a local market at the Mall road.

She knew the clock was ticking. It'd already been two days since that incident. Even though Umar mentioned that he was going on that trip for work related, Fajer knew it had something to do with that gun incident. That's why whatever she needed to do, it had to be done quickly.

She was on leave from work until the end of this week, so this was the golden opportunity to get done with her work without having Umar know about anything. But to make sure he didn't suspect anything she had texted him earlier that she was leaving for a market errand with Buzdaar; hence Umar relented without putting up a fight.

For a few moments she silently watched Buzdaar's back. He was Umar's personal bodyguard and surely he was no one ordinary. But even so Fajer knew she didn't have much of a choice but to play the cards she had been dealt with.

Gulping, she turned her gaze towards the window and tapped her nails on the armrest a few times before cautiously sneaking a glance up in the rearview mirror at Buzdar. Only to find him showing no reaction.

She didn't try again in fear that he might become suspicious of her actions. Slowly, she turned her eyes down towards her hands knotted in her lap and nervously began to claw at the sides of her nails.

Just then they parked outside the market area which was packed with small vendors who had set up their stores and stalls throughout the district. Before stepping out, Fajer took out her wallet and carefully dropped it on the car floor.

With Buzdar on her heel, she made her way to 2 cloth shops and came out without buying anything. Finally the third shop she arrived on, seemed to have what she was looking for. Just as they entered the shop, the shopkeer's gaze turned up towards her.

"Assalamualaikum—How may I help you today?" The shopkeeper's gaze found Fajer and a business like smile appeared on his features.

Buzdar watched the Madam as she handed a handwritten note to the salesman, who looked no different than any other salesman there, donning a white knitted kufi with his white shalwar kameez.

His gaze lingered on the written note for a while before finding Fajer's again, who was tapping on the counter top distractedly while gazing around the shop, waiting for him to finish reading.

The middle aged shop keeper's gaze drifted towards Fajer's moving fingers before falling behind her on Buzdaar.

"Is this all?" When his gaze returned to Fajer, he blinked at her a few times, who came to stand in front of Buzdaar such that she had blocked his view of the shopkeeper.

"Baji, we don't keep that kind of resham (silk) you mentioned—but we'll keep a look out for it and will let you know as soon as we hear anything."

He said finally and Fajer nodded her head at him, before pointing towards a piece of cloth to buy instead.

She opened her bag to get out her wallet and fumbled in confusion for a while before turning her surprise filled gaze towards Buzdar.

"Did you lose your wallet, Madam?" Her response came in a sharp shake of head, until she pointed outside.

"Dropped it in the car?" Upon his inquiry, she paused and shrugged doubtfully. Buzdar began to get out his wallet but Fajer reached out a hand and gestured him to stop, instead turned on her heel ready to step out of the shop. Only for Buzdar to stalk after her instinctively, without missing a beat.

"Why don't I follow you to the car and you can pay me there—" The shopkeeper suggested helpfully with a small smile after seeing how Buzdar was unwilling to leave his Madam's side.

As if on cue, Fajer's feet halted on the edge of the door. Only for a moment Fajer's gaze grazed Buzdar, before nodding her approval to the shopkeeper.

————————

"Fajer—"

Umar called out when he stepped into the room but saw no sign of her. As usual, he had come back from work late.

"Fajer—"

He called out again a few moments later; his gaze fixated on his phone while he took off his jacket and loosened the tie around his neck, before slumping on the couch placed in their room. Moments passed when Fajer emerged into the room from the washroom. Her gaze froze on his unexpected presence, who casually threw a glance at her and muttered a greeting.

"How was your trip to the market? No problems?"

He questioned with his gaze fixated on his phone's screen, only lifting it up to catch her reaction, who kept gawking at him blankly as if lost in her thoughts.

"Fajer?"

His voice slashed through her delirium and her eyes immediately fluttered away from him. Turning her gaze down with a start, she tried to get rid of the memory of this morning and how quickly their moment was cut short. Finally meeting his anticipating gaze, she was able to shake her head in response.

Before he could make any more queries, she turned away towards the bedside table to pour him some water from the jug. Just as she had bent down to place the glass on table, Umar's hand reached out to clutch at her wrist.

"What did you do to your hands?"

He asked in a grave voice and momentarily she forgot to breathe. Her thoughts immediately reeling back to her expedition this morning, wondering if he had caught her in the act.

She kept gawking at him momentarily without responding. Her pulse had picked up with her and she had to gulp down the lump lodged in her throat to be able to blink. Just then Umar's gaze wandered back towards her hand.

"Your fingers are bleeding."

He said finally, loosening his hold on her wrist but not letting go. Slowly, she followed his gaze towards the object of his concern and was finally able to ease her breathing when she understood what he meant.

With a shake of head, Umar tugged her towards him and made her take a seat beside him on the couch. He then stood up to find the first-aid kit from the bottom drawer of their closet.

"I can't believe you still claw at the skin around your fingernails when you're worried. What have you got to be nervous about when I am here with you."

He grumbled with a frown, carefully putting on the medicine using a q-tip on her skin before wrapping them in band-aids one by one. Fajer kept on staring at him. Vulnerability and sincerity etched in her gaze, as she traced his every feature with her gaze, over and over again. Her thoughts and her own self wrapped around his soft touches, his piercing and knowing gaze. No matter what happened, he was always going to be overprotective of her.

"You really haven't changed." He mumbled softly after finishing with her hands and looked up to peer at her; his gaze filled with tenderness and affection.

Fajer felt her lips parting at his comment. She could sense the warmth in his words and caught a glimpse of the old Umar peeking at her through the harsh barriers he had put around him over time.

"I told you, you can lean on me, didn't I?" He leaned in to caress her cheek with the back of his finger. His warm gaze heating her existence.

"I am always going to stay by your side. Always—" He whispered softly, repeating his long declared promise. His deep gaze peering into her devoted one, as he continued to stroke her cheek. With a gulp, Fajer inched closer. Her face flushed with his touch and heartbeat quickening with every passing moment. Just then his phone placed on the glass table began to ring. For a moment, Umar pretended he didn't hear it but when Fajer's gaze involuntarily turned towards the phone before returning to him, he pulled back. Rage flashing in his onyx orbs and a ready to kill infuriated frown forming between his brows as he took the call.

"WHAT?!"

He barked while stepping out of the room and Towqeer on the other end of the line flinched in his place.

Fajer felt a soft smile forming across her flushed features and bit it down to turn her gaze towards her now bandaged hand.

Assalamualaikum! Hope you liked the update InshaAllah. Don't forget to vote and share your thoughts🥰♥️♥️