"I'm so bored," yawned the oldest of the Muller kids, Daris. His arms were folded across the dining table as his legs kicked back and forth underneath, energy bursting through him. "Can we do something fun?"

Nicholas glanced at his eight year old son, finding the familiar mischievous grin on his son that he always found on his wife's lips. "Are you saying crosswords aren't fun?" he teased.

Daris rolled his eyes. "Come on, Dad. There's a million other things we could be doing right now." He turned to his sister, who was only one year younger than him. "Naira, tell Dad about how much fun it'd be to go to an amusement park or to see a movie or to-"

Sitting beside her brother, Naira's jet-black hair fell over her forehead in bangs and down to her shoulders. Glasses were pushed up the bridge of her nose as her dark, brown eyes stared blankly at Daris, hating the interruption from her rubix cube. "Speak for yourself," she huffed. "I want to finish my puzzle."

Daris pouted, resting his chin on the palm of his hands. "You two are no fun," he mumbled.

Nicholas chuckled, nudging his son. "We can do something fun after your Ammu (Mom) comes home, deal?"

"Describe fun."

"A good retelling of a book?" tried Nicholas.

Daris narrowed his eyes at his father, hazel with specks of green on the outer ridges as bright and vivid as the dappled light through a iridescent forest, whisks of sunlight skimming the surface. His eyes were like Haroon's and his mother-in-law.

Nicholas sighed, knowing there was only one thing that his son found amusing. "Letting you beat me at that Islamic trivia game for the thousandth time," he grudgingly consented to.

Instantly, Daris perked up, tan skin glowing. "Yes!"

Over the course of their marriage, Nicholas had two children to thank Allah for, two kids that made even stormy days an adventure and sunny days a wild ride for both their parents. Daris resembled his mother in almost every way with his outspoken personality, daring courage to take risks, and in his golden complexion and wavy, chaotic tangle of ebony hair.

He could create a hurricane with the tales of adventures he saw himself sailing through. Even the calmest ocean trembled in his presence. There were times when Nicholas thought fatherhood would make him old and retired far too early, but he couldn't deny the amusement he found in Daris's antics.

They reminded him of Dina and all the days that she'd talk herself out of trouble with Professor Jerikson.

His gaze shifted to his daughter, watching her pursue her lips as she calculated her method to solve the cube. Her dark, midnight, crescent eyes were exactly like Dina's, had the same sass, same kindness, same slyness, same confidence coursing through. Compared to Daris, she was much lighter in her skin tone than he was, more on the paler side. She even wore glasses like Nicholas.

He saw himself more in his daughter. She was cautious and very intelligent for a seven year old. Naira's memory was too sharp to go unnoticed that when Dina saw how easily she memorized pages upon pages of facts, she quickly taught her the fundamentals of reading Quranic texts to enroll her in a full-time hifz (memorization of the Qur'an) course.

Daris knew a lot too, but he preferred to run a couple laps around the house before he settled and did his Qur'an homework or his school work.

"Assalamualaikum!" chirped the lovely voice he was accustomed to. "Please tell me Daris didn't burn the house down."

"Ammu!" the kids cheered, running to greet her at the door with Nicholas close by.

When he reached the hallway that led to their front door, he couldn't stop the smile on his lips as he watched his children climb on their mother's legs, watched as Dina dropped her journalist bag to the floor to embrace them, laughing so much that the sound echoed off their walls and filled their home with the same warmth she brought him.

Warmth flooded his senses, engulfed him in her bubbly presence and the joy she brought to their kids. Her smile still brought Nicholas to his knees.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from the wide-toothed grins from their kids, from the loving grace that embraced them, and the light in all their eyes, the radiant, golden glow of their cheeks. Allah truly blessed Nicholas with this family.

And he couldn't be happier. Alhamdulillah (thanks to God).

Nicholas leaned against the staircase. "How was work?" he asked.

Dina shrugged, straightening from the flurry of kisses she gave their kids. "Oh you know, political backlash, a couple of angry officials, and a whole lot of controversy. Just a typical day in journalism," she smiled as she walked up to him. "And what about you, Nemo? Did you scavenge for new books to publish?"

His brows furrowed. "Scavenge is a little rough, sweetheart, but yes. I did find new books to publish. I'm quite proud of our team," he responded, equally as playful as his wife.

Daris tugged at his father's sweatpants. "Dad, why does Ammu call you Nemo all the time? Most parents refer to each other by couple names, but Ammu calls you the clown fish from Disney."

"Hey! That is a very endearing name for me to call your father," she defended, ruffling their son's mass of black hair. "Don't you know me by now?"

"Ammu, you're a little crazy sometimes," muttered Daris.

Dina glared at him. "Want to try that again?"

"No," he squeaked, hiding behind Nicholas's legs. "Dad, she's scary."

Nicholas chuckled deeply at his fuming wife and his passive-aggressive son, witnessing the clash of their similar personalities.

On the other hand, Naira tilted her head to the side, curious about the whole situation as she tried to make sense of the logic behind their arguments. "Why would you provoke Ammu?" she asked, genuinely lost. "She always gets like this whenever we tease her."

Dina turned to their daughter with a sickly sweet smile. "What?"

Realization dawned across her visage, and Naira visibly paled, knowing her fate was all too similar to her brother's. She quickly ran to her father's other side, hiding beside Daris as she glanced up at Nicholas with wide, doe-like eyes.

"Your mother is just teasing you," he assured with a soft voice. Nicholas raised a brow at his wife. "Weren't you?"

His ever-so-lovely wife scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "My kids are trying to have a mutiny against me," she said, but Nicholas didn't miss the wicked glint in her eyes, twinkling like stars, a clear indication of a small joke she was playing on the kids.

"Ammu, we don't even know what a mutiny is!" exclaimed Daris.

"Dad, protect us," begged Naira. "She's going to take away my puzzles again."

Dina rolled her eyes at that one, taking off her coat.

"Or my lego blocks," complained Daris.

At this, Dina blankly stared at the two children hiding behind Nicholas, practically begging for their mother's mercy.

Most people would have been annoyed by the circumstances, but not Nicholas. He'd known his wife long enough to understand what a life with her would be like. Truth was that Dina was the most caring, affectionate, and playful woman he'd ever met, and she brought a liveliness into their home every day, kept him on the tip of his toes in anticipation, and provided their small family with the basic essential to life.

Love.

"She's bluffing," stated Nicholas confidently. "Dina, stop scaring the kids."

"I did no such thing."

He narrowed his cerulean eyes, knowing the look would crush the little facade she played.

"Okay, fine. I was only kidding," she said, unpinning her hijab as she stared at her reflection from a wall mirror. Dina spun on her heel, grinning widely at them. "Did you guys already have dinner?"

All three of them glared at her. Cold, dark, and blank stares that very well could have been daggers.

"Ammu, that's not funny!" whined Naira. "You scared Daris out of his socks."

"Me?" gasped Daris, turning to his sister. "What about you, Miss Don't-Take-My-Puzzles?"

"Hey, puzzles are good for the brain," she retorted.

Daris opened his mouth to say a no doubt even more insulting comeback, but Nicholas interrupted. "Okay, that's enough. We don't need anymore scares for the day," he sighed, pushing himself off the staircase. "Go to the living room with the game you kids want to play. Your mother and I will be there shortly."

Grudgingly, Daris and Naira complied, still bickering and pushing each other as they left. Nicholas didn't have the energy to keep up with them, nor did he have the voice to scold them tonight. After all the sass his children brought him, Nicholas was running out of the ability to counter their remarks.

Arms embraced him from behind, a rose-gold wedding band glinting in his vision, the heart-shaped diamond sparkling like a thousand stars splayed against a canvas of black on her finger, midnight's kiss a gentle spark between them, electrifying and rejuvenating all at once.

Nicholas pulled his wife in front of him. "Seems like someone was in need of a hug today," he teased.

She pouted. "Dealing with politicians is hard."

"I know." He kissed the tip of her nose. Nicholas lowered his head, lips dangerously close to her ears, hot breath taunting her and deep voice trailing across her skin. "Yet you still manage to look more beautiful every day MashAllah (God has willed it)."

A crimson blush coated the apples of her cheeks. "Oh?"

He gripped her hips. "I'm not quite sure how I can control myself around you anymore," he murmured.

"The kids-"

Nicholas swallowed her protests with a passionate, searing kiss, his lips on top of hers, moving gently with the sway of what she wanted, with the deepening love he felt from holding his wife in his arms.

She arched herself into him, arms wrapped around his neck as a small gasp escaped those perfect lips of her, and he couldn't stop himself from wanting more, from indulging in her presence. A lifetime didn't seem long enough to spend with Dina.

The more she tempted, the more he chased for. The more she teased, the more he lost his sense of rationality. All he wanted was her, all he could think was her.

And all Nicholas ever wanted was this life they now shared together.

Finding the strength to his self-control, he pulled back breathless, observing the red lips Dina now had from the intensity of their kiss, her cheeks flushed. He felt heat all across his visage, the flame still coursing through his veins.

"Later," he promised with one last peck of her lips. "I promise."

Dina nodded, releasing a hot breath. "Well, that's certainly a nice way to come home," she said. Hearing the children's voices in the other room, she smiled, tugging his hand. "Let's go make sure they don't destroy the house."

"They got the competitiveness from you," said Nicholas, laughing. "Don't even deny it."

"My genes are too superior."

The both of them erupted into a fit of laughter as they walked to their living room, enjoying each other's presence in way where they felt complete, their bond strengthening among the ripples of time, their love glowing as the sunlight faded from their windows, the moon smiling down at the gift that Allah bestowed upon their family.

The happiness that resonated through their household was a gift to treasure.

Nicholas allowed Dina to pull him beside her onto the couch, mind faraway as the children began to bombard her with questions about their night game. His wife's lilting voice took him faraway, led him down memory lane all over again.

Even if the world tried to tear them apart again or test their relationship to the limits, Nicholas would never let his family go, would never doubt the love Dina and him had.

"Ammu?" asked Naira, distracted by the book in her hands.

"Yes, darling?"

"Can we read this book? We found it while we were looking for the trivia game," she said, voice eager to find out more as the curiosity pushed her to inquire more. "It looks like you and Dad on the cover."

Dina and Nicholas exchanged glances.

Sure enough, Naira was right. It was the first book wrote, the book that started his massive publishing house, the legendary love story that swept the nation overnight.

Bookworms, it read.

There was a vector image of a Muslim woman covered modestly from head to toe, leaning against the words and a man of blonde hair and pale skin sitting below her, a book in his hand. Nicholas's signature glasses were hard to miss.

It was their story.

"Can we please read it?" pleaded Daris. "It has Dad's publishing company on it."

"Yeah, it does," whispered Dina, voice faint.

Nicholas knew the overwhelming emotions that stilled in her mind, knew the sight of her dewy tears at having Nicholas write their love story in such eloquence and grace. When he first showed her, she cried in his arms, whispering sweet nothings to him over and over again.

He clasped her hand. "We should," he offered a small smile.

Daris climbed on his father's lap while Naira cuddled next to her mother. Dina's brown eyes softened at the sight of their children and their willingness to learn more about their parents, their drive to celebrate their parents' love.

They smiled up at their mother, reassuring and grateful.

Dina laughed, wiping at her watery eyes. "Okay, Chapter one," she read, trailing off as she used her mystical, sweet voice to take their family on an adventure among the crisp pages.

Nicholas closed his eyes, lost in the words that he crafted and the memories that weaved between the lines. On his pathway towards darkness, the moonlight shined above, the silhouette of his wife waiting to meet him at the end of his journey, the glimpse of hope he needed when he couldn't carry on.

The noor (light) that surrounded her had been Allah's plan, His written destiny for the two of them. He didn't know what he would overcome. He didn't know that he'd learn to cherish someone so dear to him.

Silent darkness blurred as a bridge led him right towards Dina in that small library. He held her at arms length, yet she still found a way, still found a reason to have him as her partner in life. With every day they spent, he lost himself in the fantasy of a future with her, found himself dreaming of a life that he didn't deserve.

The pain of losing Dina or his family like he did with his friends was always near, yet if Nicholas never learned what it meant to lose the ones he loved, he wouldn't have learned how to love his family so wholeheartedly. Her tears, her laughter, her turmoils that mingled with his own taught Nicholas the value of strength.

Allah was always looking out for him even when he didn't appreciate the trials that overwhelmed him. The path to his love, to his family was far from easy, but Nicholas still chose that pathway, still chose the life that was marred with difficulties.

Because at the end of that bridge, Dina stood there waiting for him with Daris and Naira right beside her. And just like that, the family of bookworms expelled the darkness and in its wake left a blinding future.

----

I'M GONNA CRY. Yes, this is the book Dina is reading to them.

The book is officially complete! Man, I actually kept avoiding this epilogue because I didn't want the book to end either. I put so much effort in describing Nicholas's journey that it feels so weird to see him grow up now.

AND HAVE KIDS.

Only finished because I didn't want to write in the airport XD

Anyway, thank you all for being such faithful readers and giving this story a chance. I made the epilogue long for y'all ; )

Now that the book is complete, tell me what you thought and tell your friends. Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!

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