It was still early morning when a loud sound of something heavy falling to the floor caused Hajra to wake up with a start. She sat up on the bed in a daze and for a moment couldn't understand where she was. That's when her gaze fell on the empty bedside and a soft smile surfaced on her lips.

Just yesterday morning she had landed in Newyork. The few months they had spent apart felt to both of them like eternities. Yet, when they finally met it felt like they had never been apart, even for a single moment. Everything was just the same as they left.

The realization caused her to exhale a satisfied sigh and stretching up her arms, she got up to freshen up.

She peeked her head out of the room and sneaked a glance into the open kitchen to find the whole kitchen turned upside down. Dirty dishes were stacked up in a pile inside the sink while others were scattered all around here and there. And in the midst of it all, Mateen stood there with his back turned to her; grumbling under his breath while staring at the saucepan in his hand.

For a moment, she stood in her place with an amused and adoring smile etched on her face. Following that she stifled her smile and discreetly padded upto him bare feet; catching him by surprise by engulfing him in a hug from behind.

"Good Morning." She murmured softly against his wide back; with the side of her head resting against his back whilst she closed her eyes and inhaled him in. Mateen felt a soft smile breaking against his features as he covered her hands with his.

"I woke you up." He admitted remorsefully but in an instant, a smile had formed across his face when he turned around in her embrace to find her looking up at him with a loving smile. Her eyes closing in a hum when he nudged his forehead against hers in adoration.

"What's cooking?

Hajra inquired excitedly while trying to sneak a peek behind him but he came to stand in front of the disaster he had havocked; trying to hide it from her in vain.

"uh—its Nothing!" Hajra frowned at him in lack of understanding when he began to turn her out of the kitchen.

"Why don't we go out for breakfast today?" His hands were pushing against her back to get her to leave, when Hajra abruptly halted in her steps.

"But you made breakfast."

Mateen opened his mouth to come up with an excuse when Hajra pulled herself free from his grip and began to make her way towards the kitchen once again.

"Everything looks delicious!" She exclaimed happily
while taking out plates to dish out the half burnt scrambled eggs, sausages, overdone pancakes, alongside freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee and bowl of sliced fruits.

"Come. Sit down." She turned over her shoulder to flash him a loving smile, who could do nothing but watch this with a growing sense of shame.

"Hajra. I am sorry. It became a huge mess. Let's just go out, okay?"

"Okay, we'll go for lunch. But can we eat this first? I am famished." She gleamed while putting out fresh toasts on the table for them. Mateen opened his mouth to argue but he noticed how quickly Hajra had tidied up the kitchen and had sat down to eat with him.

"This wasn't my idea of welcoming you." He interjected with a sigh, as he turned his eyes downcast towards his plate; a sad puppy eyed look on his face. That's when Hajra noticed the band aids wrapped on his multiple fingers and the ointment rubbed on his burnt hand.

The man born with a golden spoon his mouth and with multitudes of servants running around him to take care of his every single need was here cutting and burning himself, just to display his love for her. It took Hajra everything to control the urge to engulf him in a tight hug right then and there, only to never ever let go again. How could someone be so impossibly lovable? She thought tearing up and inched forward to put a spoon in his hand.

"Aah." She parted her lips, beckoning him to feed her. Mateen watched her with a feeling of impending doom and with a gulp extended the spoon towards her. Mateen's watchful gaze eyes taking in her every little expression, as she chewed on her eggs. The eggs which were a mixture of undercooked and burnt, with a peculiar flavor; whereas the bite Mateen had fed her had a piece of eggshell too.

"Here spit it out—" He exclaimed quickly only a moment later, putting a tissue paper in her hand. However, Hajra only chuckled before reaching forward to grab Mateen's hand and kissing the top of it.

"The best scrambled eggs I have ever tasted!" She beamed so happily that Mateen felt stunned and at a loss for comeback. He could only watch her in a daze who was gobbling down her meal with a well pleased look on her face. Her heart welling up with love, with every bite she took. With a soft sigh, Mateen looked away from her; shaking his head with a lingering smile.

"Well, of course! I am Mateen Abbasi. Just best at everything." He shrugged nonchalantly, clearing his throat in self appraisal, while Hajra kept watching him with an adoring smile etched on her lips.

"The pancakes are really yummy too. Here, try some." She extended the fork towards him.

"Right?" She inquired eagerly, her eyes twinkling in happiness. And as Mateen watched the look of bliss and love on her face, he felt that the dry pancakes really might just be the best thing he had ever tasted.

------------------

With his head propped up on his elbow, Mateen kept gazing at her sleeping profile. A contented smile stretched across his lips.

He came back in the middle of the night to find Hajra dozing off on the couch. The TV was left on and untouched food was now cold on the table. In an instant, the sight had felt like warm sun shining upon him and warming his cold and isolated existence. As long as he could remember, Mateen was always welcomed to a cold and empty house. The sight of someone waiting on him was something so unexpected and foreign that Mateen couldn't comprehend it momentarily.

After regaining his composure, he picked her in his arms and brought her back to their room. It wasn't until morning came that Hajra finally woke up.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She cried out dejected, watching him get ready to leave for work.

"Because you looked so adorable." He gave the most obvious explanation and placed a kiss on her temple. Making Hajra sigh in response.

"And it was even such a rare time for us to talk." She pouted while fixing his breakfast when Mateen came from behind to hug her.

"Okay. Tonight we'll go out. Wherever you want." He nuzzled her neck playfully and she giggled.

"It doesn't matter where. As long as it's with you." She turned in his embrace and stood on her tiptoes to nudge his forehead with hers.

For a moment Mateen kept watching her blankly.

"What?" She inquired with raised brows and Mateen shook his head at her in a daze.

"Nothing. I just didn't think I could fall for you any deeper. But ever since you've become my wife, I keep loving you more and more. And—it's unlike any love in this world. I don't even know how to explain it." He was saying in a daze when Hajra cut him off with a cheeky smile.

"That's because I am your soulmate!"  She teased, referring to what Mateen had said once and both erupted into agreed laughter.

---------------------

The eerie music echoed through the lounge and Hajra gulped down the lump stuck in her throat. Her eyes widening in horror as she unconsciously pulled up her knees to her chest and tightened her hold around them. Without realising it she tried to cover her eyes with edge of her blanket, as the ominous music drawled on to build up the horror scene. Suddenly, she felt something like a light brush against her neck and in a split second a terrified shreik exploded from the pits of her windpipe, which incidentally coincided with the bloodcurdling scream escaping from the main protagonist's mouth.

While Hajra sat in her place screaming her lungs out and hiding her face in her hands, Mateen crouched behind the sofa clutching at his stomach in pain from laughing at Hajra's reaction.

"I told you I can't stand horror movies!" She complained for the nth time after they had tucked in for the night. Mateen only chuckled in return as he hugged her to himself while they laid in bed.

"I didn't imagine it would be this hilarious though—" Hajra felt his chest reverberating with laughter and reached up a hand to nudge him to stop; who barely managed to stifle his laughter.

"Mateen?" Hajra called out again after a while, when she felt him dozing off. Half asleep, Mateen hummed in response.

"I am right beside you, Bug. Don't worry. You can rest assured. I won't let any ghost take my wife away—" He whispered in a voice laced with sleep and pulled her closer, stroking the back of her head reassuringly.

Unconvinced by his reassurances, Hajra turned her gaze towards the closed door which  was submerged in darkness of the night. Before she could protest, Mateen shifted her in his embrace so that all she could see was him infront of her and feel him around her.

With a soft sigh and a satisfied smile, she let him coax her fears; laying her trust in him to protect her from every harm.

Somehow, in the middle of the night Hajra's eyes opened and she checked the time to find it reading 3:07–just like in the movie.

That's when she heard a noise in the kitchen, causing a scream to bubble in the back of her throat. With great difficulty she bit down on it.

"Mateen?"

"Mateen—" Reaching out a shaky hand, she nudged the top of his arm and Mateen groaned in sleep.

"I--I think I heard a noise outside--" She whispered terrified while darting her gaze all around the dimly lit room.

"Mateen—! Get up—!" She pleaded through a tearful voice and he rose up finally.

"What? What happened?" He asked in a fright, hugging Hajra's shaking figure to himself.

"In the kitchen--I heard something--" She managed to utter through quivering lips while Mateen rubbed her back comfortingly.

"I'll go check."

"No—! I'll come too! What if the ghost harms you—!" She jumped out of the bed, clutching tightly at his sweater while she all but hid behind him.

"I think you're the last person who can come to my rescue then!" He crackled loudly, finding humor in this whole situation.

"I told you I am not good with possessions and stuff!" She complained with a frown but tightened her hold around him nonetheless.

"See. It was nothing. Just the wind."

"That's how it started in the movie too—" She returned unconvinced, glancing around the house to catch any spirits lurking behind her. Mateen could only laugh at her reaction.

"How am I finding you adorable in this situation too?" He teased while wrapping his hands around her back but Hajra cared nothing for it.

"It's all your fault." She returned with puckering lower lip, still not meeting his gaze.

"Come. I'll recite Surah Baqarah until you fall asleep. Okay?" He pressed a soft lingering kiss to her temple and she finally smiled up at him as they returned to bed.

-------------------

For a moment Mateen quietly stood in front of the door to their apartment. He felt exhausted to the bone. The patient he was working with the whole year, had just died on the table tonight when he was supposed to get his much awaited heart transplant.

Exhaling a long sigh, he turned in the keys and stepped inside the house. A part of him, in the very depths of his existence was ready to bury the pain inside him like he always did. By putting up walls around him and never letting anyone take a peek inside his broken existence, for fear they might take one look at his ugliness and vulnerabilities, only to leave him stranded and heartbroken. But as soon as he took one look at her, his resolve broke down.

Hajra was standing in front of the mirror, putting in her earing when she heard Mateen coming into the apartment. They were going to attend the party of one of their colleague's at the Hospital.

"I am almost done—" She called out without leaving her place, but stopped midway when she caught sight of Mateen's face.

"Rain check?" He tried to muster a small smile but it immediately faltered when he caught the look of worry dawning on Hajra's face.

He opened his mouth to come up with an excuse but when no words came out, he turned his gaze down and in an instant felt Hajra's arms enveloping around his wide back.

"It's alright." She whispered into his ears who had dropped his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around the small of her back for support.

And in an instant, Mateen felt all his worries evaporating in her frail yet strong arms. Without asking for permission, she had climbed over his defenses and made herself at home in the heart of his broken existence.

-----------------

"Hmm—How about—Khadija? Khadija Abdul Mateen Abbasi?"

Mateen proposed, while they roamed around the streets taking in the Christmas celebration. Hajra's gloved hand in his grasp was inside the pocket of his coat. Their free hands holding hot cocoa and coffee for Hajra and Mateen respectively.

"Yeah. Khadija is nice. And Mustafa Abbasi, if it's a boy." Hajra added with a smile, touching the side of her head to top of Mateen's arm. Mateen glanced at her with a small smile and touched his head to hers while they relished in the news of Hajra's pregnancy.

---------------------

It had been a week since Hajra had left her room. No matter what Mateen said, she would stay like that, her gaze fixated towards the crib positioned in front of the window. It was tearing him apart and nothing he did could ease her pain. She would only start crying and blaming herself. In less than 2 years, she had gone through 3 miscarriages. And this last one happened during 5th month of pregnancy.

"—You—you should marry someone else—I-I can't give you a—" Her gaze was fixated to the crib and the tears dripping from her eyes were unceasing.

"Hajra!" He cried out in pain, roughly pulling at her shoulders to make her look at him. His face red with restrained anger.

"NEVER! Never again say or think such a thing!"

With a broken sob, Hajra turned her gaze to watch him through tears pooling in her eyes. Her lips quivering with unshed sobs.

"I am sorry, Mateen—All because of me—"

"Shh!! Stop it! Look at me—! It's no one's fault! Least of all yours!! It was Allah's creation and He took it away! Who are we to dare to go against Him and His plans?! What right do we have??" He took her face in his hands but Hajra only kept whimpering uncontrollably, not heeding anything he was saying.

"Look at me, Bug—Hey—! You have me. I am here with you—Not just to be a part of you in good times. But sad, unhappy times too. I love you, Bug. In every way. In every state. In a very crazy about you, madly in love with you, in an obsessively impossible way. There's no one—! No one I would have in my life except you! No one but you!" He pressed his forehead against hers and Hajra closed her eyes to place her hands on top of his.

"If it was possible, I would've taken away all of your pain and bore it myself. Everything that brought a tear in your eyes, I would've erased its existence. But I am incapable to do that—So, won't you share your pain with me?"

He let his tears escape as Hajra embraced him with heart wrenching sobs.

"I love you, Hajra. And we'll get through this InshaAllah—Right now, we are here. We're alive. And we can't quit. This—This is not the end. Certainly not for us—We'll stay and we'll get through this. We WILL get through this, Hajra."

He repeated her words back to her and Hajra felt herself breaking down all over again.

" You said it yourself, remember? 'Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear.(2:286)' Allah didn't put us through this difficulty to hurt us. He loves us more than anyone in this world. And He only wants the best for us, Hajra. Allah alone knows what's best for us and when it's best for us to have it. And until He wills it, we will wait and hope for His mercy. Either ways, Allah will compensate us with the best for our patience InshaAllah."

He ended in a voice breaking with tears and Hajra too submitted herself to His will.

———————

Hajra woke up with a sigh. Her gaze instinctively wandering towards the window where the crib once used to be, but Mateen had taken it away a few days ago.

Sighing with a small smile, she shook off her thoughts and played the Quran recitation by her favourite Qari, Tariq Mohammed. The pain hadn't gone away completely, but she was adapting, slowly and gradually.

Today was her off day from work, so it would just be her the whole day. Last week Mateen had taken off to be with her. Before marrying him, she knew the kind of person he was. But it wasn't until these hard times had she realise the true extent of his affection and earnestness. He had fulfilled the promise he made to her in best possible ways.

'Did Mateen not go to work?'

She wondered after hearing noises coming from the kitchen, but was in for a shock when she stepped outside.

"You're up?"

Hajra watched the unexpected sight in front of her with quivering lips and with a sob she ran into her Mother's open embrace.

"Hush—Does a shaheeds' daughter breaks down so easily? Aren't you mine and your Baaba's strongest and smartest daughter?"

Humera cooed, tugging the loose strands behind her ear. But Hajra only buried her face closer in the nook of her neck. What she couldn't convey through words, her bitter cries expressed it all, as she tightly clutched to her Mother's safe and healing embrace.

"Shh. It's alright."

Humera kept whispering soothing words into her ears. Her one hand gently stroking the back of her head, as she let her gaze trailed towards the man behind her daughter's happiness; who stood leaning against the doorframe, watching the sight in front of him with a soft and warm look in his eyes.

Smiling at him, Humera nodded Mateen a thanks. For all that she could never repay him for.

Assalamualaikum wa rehmatullahi wa barakatuhu!! Extremely sorry for the delay and JazakAllah khair for waiting♥️🥰Hope you enjoy InshaAllah ☺️♥️♥️Stay tuned for the epilogue InshaAllah🙈🙈🙈