Aahil looked at me with complete adoration in his eyes. I felt myself melting at his intense gaze.

My heart fluttered and made a summersault as whoosh a feeling of electric current passed through me reaching my limbs. This was a rare moment in my life. A moment that I couldn't quite comprehend.

He held my hands in his and I let him wrap his fingers in mine. We were only inches apart and this made me scared. What if he rejects my advances towards him?

If he did that, it would break my heart so I turned around and started walking away from him before my weak self would do something foolish or regrettable.

We were still in the parking lot and I tried making a mad dash towards the villa when someone held me and dragged me towards the backyard.

I screamed, shouted and tried loosening the vicious grip the person had on my arms, but the grip became stronger and started hurting. I tried kicking but to no avail and then I heard the familiar evil voice say, "Finally, I have you. It's been a terrible game of cat and mouse. Now it's time to get rid of you once and for all."

"Aaaahil," I shouted his name at top of my lungs, hoping that he would come to my rescue.

Two strong hands were shaking me as I tried my best to look at his face in the darkness, "Aleena..wake up..calm down sweetheart."

I scream, "Please leave me. I swear that I have no knowledge of any research papers," I pleaded as tears flowed down my cheeks.

A gentle hand began wiping my tears and holding me close, "It's alright hon- calm down."

I opened my eyes to find a familiar set of eyes fixed on me and those eyes were laced with worry? Care? Concern? I didn't know.

I just kept staring.

He began soothing me with kind words but my brain was too fogged to register the words. I liked the sweet-soft tune and god knows why I cried harder.

"Shh..please don't cry, sweetheart."

"I know nothing. Please stop accusing me and stop calling me sweetheart," I screeched between muffled sobs.

"I believe you," His hold became tighter and he tried his best to stop my sobs by his soothing and sweet words.

Finally, when my sobs subsided he gently laid me on the bed and poured a glass of water from the jug on the side table and handed it over to me, "I am sorry that I had to hug you, but you were having a terrible nightmare and shaking all over," He looked really concerned.

"Do you wish to speak about it?"

I did not reply.

He usually slept in the couch opposite to the bed and it was heartbreaking to see him act like a stranger. So even though the nightmare was terrible, I was happy that it had made him show some concern.

Have you stooped to accept even small bites of concern thrown at you? The feminist inside me was surfacing. You can do far better on your own.

He tucked me inside the blanket, read a few duas and stood up to leave, "Do you feel alright?"

I shook my head.

'Stop acting like a fool' a tiny little voice kept nagging in my head.

I pushed that voice farther back to my mind, "Please don't leave me, I am afraid to sleep alone," I sounded childish to my own ears.

What was wrong with me?

Surprisingly, he did not taunt the way he usually did. Rather, he came and slept next to me but as far away as possible.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes Of course," He turned towards my side of the bed.

"Who is Jennifer?" I questioned meekly.

He laughed out loud, "She is the managing director of my company's foreign branch. She has come down for an annual meet which will take place at the end of this month," he sighed, "Please go back to sleep and I'm right here if you need anything."

The silly me was so happy to have him so close.

I felt safe. Secure.

My intense gaze never left his sleeping form, finally, I drifted off to sleep with a deep sense of contentment and a small smile on my lips.

--------------
Aahil was already in his prayer mat when I woke up for my fajr prayers. He usually woke up before me and was quite a morning person, unlike me.

I hurriedly went to the washroom and after doing the things one usually does there, I performed my ablution and took my place in the prayer mat.

He leads the prayers and after namaz, we both supplicated asking Allah to make all things easy for us and grant us the patience to overcome the present hardship.

"Aahil," I turned to face him.

His face lit up with untold emotions, "Yes."

"Did something good happen?"

"Why do you ask so?"

"You look unusually happy."

"Have you turned into a face reader," He teased as he got up and folded the prayer mat, "Today one of my childhood friends is returning to her hometown after years of study in the city and I can't wait to meet her," He smiled so broadly that his perfect set of dimples left a deep impression on his cheeks.

her?

"Who?" I enquired trying to sound as neutral as possible.

"She is our housekeeper Mariam's daughter. In my childhood days, I and Lissa used to play with the neighbourhood kids and Lissa was such a cry baby. Running to me every five minutes with complaints about other kids."

So her name is Lissa. I would have said that I liked the name had I been in other circumstances.

"My schooling and college in the states did not give me many opportunities to return to India as often as I would have loved too and Lissa had already left for the university by the time I returned to this place."

He left humming something. I suddenly felt the urge to snuggle back to the covers and wake up after Lissa's departure. But the weird idea was not going to work out as Lissa was Mariam's daughter and she would be staying here for days or most probably ages. I cringed at the very thought.

I covered myself, wore my hijab and walked down the hallway towards the kitchen as my senses got filled with aromatic smells of various dishes.

The kitchen was bustling with life. "Please have a sit Mrs.hussain. It seems like you had an early morning. Would you like some tea?"

I nodded my head and smiled broadly. She served masala tea with Chapathi (traditional brown bread), rasam and potato fritters.

"Today my daughter is returning home as she has completed her graduation and Aahil has permitted me to make her home-coming rememberable," She exclaimed before I had a chance to question her.

I smiled, "You might have missed her very much."

"We don't have any good universities in the countryside and this is one of the downfalls of our country," She stated sadly and added, "I promise you Mrs.hussain that you will be happy to have her around. She is so full of life that it is impossible for anyone to dislike her."

Of course, every mother thinks highly of her daughter.

"I would love to meet her, Ms.Mariam," I thought of discarding my breakfast as my appetite seemed to be completely lost, but then I thought otherwise as I remembered all the lengthy lectures of my mom regarding wastage of food,

There are thousands of poor people out there who starve for food. They have to worry every single day about where their next meal is coming from or how they are going to survive and on the other side, these arrogant rich people take two or three pecks from their plates and discard the rest into the dustbins. How very shameful!

I humbly ate my breakfast and went in search of Aahil. The doorbell rang making it clear of Lissa's arrival as Ms.Mariam marched hastily towards the entrance.

All of a sudden I felt Aahil's hand on my shoulders and we walked towards the main door to greet her.

Lissa was nothing like the way I had imagined. She was an example of the word beauty. She had a perfect heart-shaped face, large twinkling eyes outlined with kohl, soft pink lips with perfect figure and height.

I stood there mesmerized.

Aahil and Lissa got very easily engaged in a conversation and I heard Aahil laugh at some of her weird talks.

I rolled my mind's eye.

Don't tell me that I am jealous.

"Assalamu alaikum," She held out her hand.

"Wa Alaikum salam," I replied trying my best to be pleasant towards her.

"You are so very beautiful Mashallah, Aahil is a lucky man," Lissa grinned at him.

"That's sweet, you are remarkably pretty," I couldn't stop myself from saying that. It would be unfair of me to act rude to her just for the simple reason that Aahil liked her.

"Let me get you settled in your room," Ms.Mariam said to Lissa with a pleased smile.

"I will get settled later. It's been years since I left this place and I won't be satisfied until I see it all over again. I want to breathe the fresh air, see the clear blue sky touch the hills and the white clouds dance in the air," She started pulling my hands, "Let's go."

Isn't she weird?

"Aren't you tired?" Aahil inquired, his tone coloured with amusement.

"Tired and me? Not in a million years," now she was practically pulling me.

I looked at Aahil and raised an eyebrow but he merely returned a toothy grin.

"Alright. Both you ladies have fun and Dilshad will be in your attendance if you require anything," He turned and walked towards the villa's office extension.

I gaped at him open-mouthed. All the way she kept talking to me non-stop, but I must agree that I wasn't bored in the slightest.

Lissa was a so full of life that it was actually impossible not to like her. It felt like she was unaware of her beauty. She seemed so down-to-earth kind of person that to my own surprise I began enjoying her company.

We decided to have lunch in a small cafeteria named Vrindavan which was situated in the hills, it had a lot of customers for such a small place.

"Don't be surprised, this place provides world's best food and a lot of the customers are tourists," Lissa grinned, 'Don't you know that Indian's believe in Athithi Devo bhava meaning guests are god sent and therefore all tourists are thoroughly entertained."

I smiled realising that she had sensed my curiosity. As it was a beautiful winter-day we took a table in the open air.

"The weather is beautiful and I'm sure that you have yet to get a chance to see around this place. Therefore, after lunch, I'm taking you sight-seeing and I bet you will be enchanted by the beauty of the hills. Won't you?" I wasn't sure whether it was a question or a statement.

I simply nodded my head in agreement but I couldn't help smile at her childish enthusiasm.

"So how does it feel yo be married to a billionaire?" before I could answer Lissa continued, "It looks like over the years Aahil has perfected the angry young man look," She winked as she dug her fork to her honey-drizzled chicken.

Suddenly I remembered that they knew each other from childhood days, "How was he as a boy?" I questioned enthusiastically.

"Aahil was the same mini version of what he is now. He always liked to show the tough guy appearance, but believe me your man has a heart made of gold," Lissa shoved another piece of chicken into her mouth, "Why haven't you started eating yet? It tastes yum."

"Tell me more about your childhood days?" I invited.

"Mine or Aahil's?!"

I blushed as the realisation hit that I was so easily readable.

"Aahil's parents would often visit their country-side home. It is just a five minutes drive from your villa. All the neighbourhood kids use to gather in their backyard and we use to play for hours. As Aahil was elder to most of us he uses to make the game rules and we had to follow," She laughed out loud, more to herself than to me.

I imagined Aahil as a small boy and my heart gave a squeeze.

"I will never forget the way I, zareen, noor and Habeeb use to go to Aahil complaining about the neighbourhood kids and he always came to our rescue in his typical Superman-style," Lissa laughed still more and tiny drops of happy tears made their way on the edges of her eyes and she rubbed them with her little finger.

"Of course, Aahil would love to play the role of a protector," I said that out aloud and Lissa raised an eyebrow. "We all know how he acts like he can make all things right. As if he obtains some kind of magic," I conveyed with a sarcastic tone.

"Don't make fun of your man. There are thousand's of female out there wishing that he would be their's," she added grimly.

"Are you one of them?" I asked suspiciously.

It took her full five minutes to stop laughing, "Nah! I love being his baby sis,"

Alhamdulillah

I guess she has a sweet name. What do you think?

"Jealous much?" She winked once again.

"Not in the least," I added hurriedly.

"I heard my mom say that Noor has flown back to India. Do you know when he is visiting you?" I would have sworn that I had seen a blush creep on her face, had her face not been so naturally pink.

"I have no clue about his plans," I replied casually.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I shrugged my shoulders involuntarily.

"Is there any problem between the two of you? I mean Aahil and you."

"No," I replied hurriedly and hoped that I sounded convincing.

"I am sorry. It's just that you both act so weird around each other. Not the way newlyweds normally do."

I just shrugged my shoulders the second time.

"But have you seen the way Aahil look's at you?! He looks like a teenager in first love."

"You should be kidding," I replied laughing.

"Then you need to get a reality check, just turn around and see your man, who has been stalking us to ensure that you are safe," She pointed a finger in his direction and I turned around.

And there he was, sitting a few tables behind us, with a glass of juice in his hands and a pair of eyes glued to me. As soon as he noticed me staring at him, he averted his gaze and began a conversation with Dilshad.

I don't know why but my heart gave a tug at the sight of him and at that moment, I wanted nothing other than have him next to me.

I caught him once again steal a glance at me.

Now, I wanted to become oblivious to my surrounding's. I wished everyone would disappear, leaving behind just the two of us in this serene environment, under the clear blue sky.

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Assalamu alaikum.

In the beginning, I wasn't sure how wattpad really works and couldn't work out the dedication part. If I knew then, I would have dedicated this chapter to nafisabilal my very first reader. I thank you for the lovely support you have shown.

I totally love the new readership and I'm already in love with my old readers.

Thank you once again,

-voracious_writer <3