CHAPTER 60.
Chapter 60: Good Times.
*
"Don't be disheartened darling,
for every end,
is just a new beginning.
And if everything is not good now,
it is not the end."
-2am-
*
Aanabia hummed to the soft music playing in the background as she walked around the kitchen. The kitchen was big with a marble counter, wooden cupboards and pantry and a large sink. It was equipped with many appliances, including a refrigerator, microwave, gas oven, beaters, blenders amongst others.
She picked up a clear bowl and turned to the next cupboard, picking up a few spoons and placing it into the bowl. She then walked back to the counter and placed the utensils on it, sighing in relief. She finally had everything on the counter. She picked up the piece of parchment which read Samosas in bold at the top, from the counter and scanned it again, re-checking the ingredients in case she missed something. There was none.
Yazdan walked into an otherwise silent house, with the exception of soft Hindi song playing in the background. She is cooking again. He let out a sigh. He walked towards the kitchen and leaned onto the door frame, looking at her.
She had her hair in a messy bun with a few lose tendrils framing her face and she wore one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts. She sure looks better in my t-shirt than I do. She strode around the kitchen, humming the song. Yazdan squinted his eyes as he tried to remember which song this was. He was sure it was an old classic. When he could not find out, he gave up. My knowledge of Hindi songs is limited.
He opted to watch her from the door as she cooked. What she was making was beyond his understanding. He tilted his head and saw a few carrot sticks which were neatly sliced, some greens, chicken? Was it chicken? He could not tell. But it was meat. Salt, pepper, chilies (Lots of them, he noted) and flour.
He smiled at her and walked into the kitchen. She looked up from her chores and gave him a grin.
"As salaam alaikum" she said, dusting her hands on her shorts. Yazdan let out a laugh, walking over to her. She leaned up towards him so that he could place a kiss on her forehead. He did exactly that. She let out a large smile, looking up at him. As he stood in front of her and stared at her beautiful features, memories of the past months flew through his mind like a movie. From the moment he met her to the moment he realized he loved her till date. Every single one of them. Her smiles, her laughs, her warmth and her soothing words. She is everything good in this world.
Unconsciously tears filled his eyes as he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her into a hug.
Aanabia frowned at the unusual habit of her husband but nonetheless, placed her head over his chest and snaked her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. She could hear his heartbeat, matching hers. Both beating radically fast.
"Please don't leave me. I don't know what I'd do without you" he finally whispered and Aanabia let out a small laugh. So this was what he is worried about, she thought with a soft sigh.
"I won't. I promise." she told him, without questioning why he was saying that. She knew something must have triggered it. And she was better off not talking about it. He would tell her eventually.
"Good" he replied and Aanabia smiled. She promised. So we are all good now.
"Now leave me, I need to cook" she told him and he shifted his upper body so that he could see her face. The way her eyelashes graced her chubby cheeks. She more chubbier and healthier now, he noted with a smile.
"Dinner out?" he asked her and she glared at him.
"I have set everything out for dinner!" she told him and he pouted cutely. She shrugged.
"No. I am cooking" She is not going to budge, is she?
"Fine. I'll just take my coffee-"
"No coffee! It is 7pm, Yaza! You'll not sleep the entire night and keep me awake too! I have school tomorrow" she scolded him, wiggling out of his arms. Yazdan frowned at her. Why are women so cruel again?
"You are so over bearing" he told her and she threw him a grin.
"You love it" she said with a wink. I do.
"I do not" with a huff, he walked out of the kitchen to their room upstairs with a childish grin. I love this.
He showered, changed and soon was back in the kitchen to bother his wife. My wife. Bothering her has become my new hobby it seems.
When Aanabia saw him, she huffed out a breath of air, letting the lose tendrils fly around her face. Cute, he thought, taking a seat on the bar stool and leaning onto the counter. He kept his gaze on her as his hands snaked towards the carrot sticks. But before he could get to it, her hands slapped his. She raised an eyebrow at him smugly and he frowned at her, rubbing his sore hand. Women. Are. Cruel. Or maybe just my wife? When it comes to food?
"Don't eat" she told him and in return he made incoherent noises at her. She rolled her eyes at him, muttering childish under her breath. Yazdan rolled his eyes and picked up a apple, biting into it. Aanabia could not understand why she thought Yazdan was an innocent cute little creature who was just tall when she first met him. He definitely wasn't innocent, Pffttt. He is everything not innocent with the amount of bothering he does to me, she thought. But he was a cute little creature who's just tall. The more Aanabia lived with him, the more she saw the childish behavior of his. Yazdan can be anything he wanted but with her, he was the perfect husband anyone could ever dream about.
"Aanabia?" he called out to her and Aanabia hummed from the gas stove where she was frying something, clearly snapped out of her thoughts.
"What are your thoughts about children?" he asked her, placing the apple onto the table coaster. Aanabia stilled at the stove. She snapped out of it pretty soon (again) and finished frying the Samosa's. After it, she walked over to Yazdan with a plate of Samosa. She placed it in front of him with a smile. All the while, Yazdan's eyes were trained on the woman.
"How about we discuss this over Samosa and Chai?" she asked him and Yazdan nodded with a smile, totally forgetting his half eaten apply. Aanabia frowned at him before picking it up and placing it in the fridge for later use. She strained milk tea into two large cups and placed the cups onto the coasters at the counter in front of Yazdan.
"That is mine" she told him, pointing to the frothiest one. Yazdan rolled his eyes. He picked up the other cup and sipped onto it. Nice. If anything, my wife sure does make good tea.
Aanabia took a seat in front of him and picked up her cup of tea.
"Where were we?" she asked, looking up from her cup of tea. Cute. He picked up a samosa and dipped it in ketchup, praying the fillings don't fall out. It didn't! He thought triumphantly.
"Kids? What are your thoughts over children?" he asked her, taking a bite. Aanabia studied him for a moment, watching him eat Samosa like he was a starved human. Maybe he was?
"I don't know. Two maybe? You?" she asked him, picking up a Samosa for herself. Yazdan blinked a few times before nodding.
"Anything in your plan is in mine" he told her and she grinned at him.
"I want children but when we are settled" she told him and he raised an eyebrow. Pretty sure we are well settled? Financially and emotionally. Mentally, I am not sure.
"But we are?" he questioned and she let out a small laugh, wiping away the few drops of source that fell out of her mouth as she did, with a tissue paper. Yazdan rolled his eyes at her, shoving the entire box towards her. Messy.
"Financially maybe, but mentally? Yaza we need to prepare for them. We can't just get children and not know what to do with them!" she told him and Yazdan shrugged.
"Pretty sure mom and abba did the same" he told her and she glared at him. If only she could shoot lasers. Would've been cool but I'd be dead by now.
"Yaza. I have just started working and this place is fairly new. How about we plan this out?" she suggested him and he nodded at her, chewing Samosa slowly.
"I guess so. So when can we start?"
"Start what?"
"Planning" he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.
"Yaza. Finish this first. Let's get settled and when Allah deems us worthy of a child, we will have one." She told him and he nodded at her with a smile. He leapt up and placed a sloppy kiss on her cheeks causing her to laugh and push him away. He persisted and her laughter filled the empty halls of the house.
Home.
-
Yahyah stared at his hands turn cold from the air conditioning of the airport. He had been rooted to that exact place for a while now, waiting for the flight from UK to land. She is finally coming home.
He did now know how long he had been in his thoughts when he felt familiar warm arms around him. He let out a smile and tilted his head to the side to see dark hair. Home.
"As salaam alaikum" he whispered, wrapping his arms around her tiny body. She whispered back the salutations, tightening her hold on him. The two stayed in the warm embrace until their hearts felt content. Even then, Yahyah was reluctant to let go.
"We have to head home" she told him, her voice muffled on his shoulder. The familiar scent of lemon and strawberry (two very contrasting scents) engulfed his senses and he let out a sigh. I missed this.
"Let's get home" he said, letting her go with a glint in his eyes. Nahal frowned at him before she caught on. She let out a laugh, blushing furiously.
"Let's get home"
The two walked out of the airport with Yahyah pulling the luggage with one hand and holding Nahal's hand in the other. He tossed the bags into the trunk of his SUV and got into the vehicle, only to witness his wife struggling to buckle up. He chuckled as he settled onto his seat and watched her struggle.
When he had enough, he leaned over her and pulled the belt to the side, clicking it into place. He gave Nahal a chestier cat-like grin before pecking her lips. It was so fast that she only felt his soft lips on hers and then air. This left her dumbfounded. She frowned and turned to him, glaring.
"What?" he asked, as he watched her slowly unbuckle her seat belt. He raised an eyebrow. She angry? She looks angry. Oh god. She will- hhhhhhmmmmmh soft. Her lips were on his and she pulled him by his shirt collar to herself, almost choking him. She let out a small laugh in the kiss. It was passionate, rough and a little sweet. It was more of a- I missed you so much of a kiss than anything else. The two were starved of affections for so long that this kiss had to suffice.
For now. Yahyah thought with determination. For now.
The ride back was filled with chatter and laughter as Nahal told Yahyah everything about Manchester and work.
"They were shocked that I got married" she told him, letting out a laugh. Yahyah glanced at her with a smile.
"And why is that?"
"I don't know. They just didn't expect it I guess. Anyway, so when they saw the wedding ring, it was a mess. I had to answer questions, Blah blah blah- oh and Mr. and Mrs. Ibrahim send their best wishes our way" she said excitedly, almost jumping on her seat had it not been for the seat-belt and Yahyah's hand in hers keeping her rooted on spot.
"Jazak Allah Khair. I will call them today, In sha Allah" Yahyah told her and she nodded.
"Yahyah?" she said, after a moment of silence. Yahyah raised an eyebrow at her, glancing her way before returning his eyes to the road ahead.
"Yeah?" he replied, uncertainly. The uncertainty in his voice made her laugh.
"I want to start wearing a hijab" she told him and Yahyah let out a small smile.
"And?"
"Do you agree I should?" she asked him and he frowned. Do I agree?
"Why are you asking me? Wearing Hijab is a matter of choice, nothing more. If you want to, do it. If not, then our Imaan is solely judged by Allah anyway" he replied and she smiled before it was morphed into a grin.
"I am so glad I married you"
"Why?"
"I knew my Imaan is weak. I could not pray 3 times a day, let alone 5. My fasting habits, well. Let's just say they weren't so good. And the rest..... that was until I met you" she told him and he let out a laugh.
"It has nothing to do with me. It was your initiative to take a step, the Almighty guided you through the rest. Don't give me credit for something I didn't do, Naha" he told her and she shook her head at him, smiling.
"But seeing you so.... pious made me want to be the same, you know. Level up my game" she laughed at the last bits causing Yahyah to laugh too.
"Of course. But Naha?" he said, glancing at her again.
"Yeah?" she looked at him with her doe like eyes. No matter how much she looked at him, he remained so beautiful. Ever-so-flawless.
"We both are bent, perhaps this is why we are perfect together" he told her and she grinned at him.
"I am glad I found my missing piece" she told him sincerely, smiling brightly at him. She could make Miss. World run for her money with that smile of hers.
"Stop calling me a puzzle"
"But baby you are one"
"No Nahal. I am not"
Their bicker and laughter faded against the afternoon traffic of Adelaide as the two drove towards their home. The one home they knew would be waiting for them with open arms. The one home where they could be themselves, together with no one to judge.
The one home with the woman I love.
****
As salaam alaikum! :)
Last chapter before the Epilogue. :)
Enjoy. Give me feedbacks!
| R - C - V |
xx,
-Aalihha.
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