"it's not the world that consumes my pain and hurt; it's the words that you say - faaris."

Faaris had never been dressy or elegant as such . His clothes normally included a pair of loose pants that stopped a little above his ankles , a sweatshirt or shirt that hung loosely over his shoulders and Nike shoes .

Today's occasion , however , called for a little difference . But he did not know what to do . After going through his closet , he pulled out a pair of ash coloured jeans and paired it with a grey shirt .

Gathering his car keys and wallet , he exited after greeting Mariam and tickling Mahreen .

Inaya never called him before . She just never did . He was a little worried thinking something bad must have happened now that she tried contacting him for real .

Whatever the reason , she was the one who suggested going for ice cream . Initially , she spoke in a dry tone , making it obvious that she was definitely being forced into the conversation . It came off as a surprise when her voice softened and she asked about going for ice cream .

Faaris had been waiting for this opportunity from the day he had married .

He smiled as he pulled closer to Afra's place and found Inaya standing by the doorstep , her head swaying in every direction to be on a lookout for him .

He pressed the honk of his car and her eyes snapped to him , as he waved a hand motioning her to join him .

She did not give any reaction and ducked her head when she saw two men walking towards the opposite direction .

She swung the car door open and adjusted into her seat , till she felt comfortable enough .

"Assalaamualaikum ." Her voice came out low , as her eyes rested over the car's dashboard .

"Walaikumussalaaam !" His greeting came out more like an exclamation .

Inaya turned to face him . She was like a dream to him . She haunted his dreams , yet managed to calm him down . She enraged him , yet concluded by making his heart flutter . Words flew like a melody out of her mouth , yet her words managed to bury his hopes .

"How are you ?" She spoke , her voice still as low as before . She broke the dream like haze between them .

Something that he did always .

"Alhumdulillah . And you ?" He started the engine again and the car zoomed forward .

It took them fifteen minutes to reach Lazeez , a famous ice cream parlour that sold very naturally prepared ice cream .

The parking area seemed very clear for a day off afternoon and he felt heavenly lucky . To start off with , his fate never sided with him . And when it did , it managed to leave a lingering feeling within his heart , making him wonder if all the good luck he was enjoying would turn to something dreadful by the blink of an eye .

He gestured Inaya to get out and he helped her come in , holding the glass door to the small and cozy shop open .

After Inaya stepped in , still admiring the brightly coloured walls along with the seating arrangements , Faaris walked over to the counter .

"Assalaamualaikum büyükanne ." Faaris cheerfully greeted a short woman seated by the counter , engrossed in counting some pills with her tiny glasses perched over the rim of her nose .

The moment her gaze landed on Faaris , her eyes lit up ." Walaikumusslaaam Habibi . I see you're back again !"

Faaris nodded , a small smile playing over his lips . "I'm here with somebody special ." He whispered , glancing over his shoulder , exposing the covered up figure in black , examining a portrait that hung on one of the walls .

"It's my kadin es ." He pointed at Inaya and the grandmother came out with a slightly hung open mouth .

"Inaya , can you please come over here ?" He called out .

Inaya blinked at him and walked closer under the grandmother's constant gaze .

"Assalaamualaikum ." She politely greeted , holding her hand out and the old woman's crinkled smile widened .

"Inaya , she's the owner of this ice cream place . Mrs . Deena ." Faaris wrapped an arm around Deena's short body .

"Your husband is a great man , sayin . He always comes to help me out everyday for an hour or so . You're a blessed woman ." Her voice quivered a lot , signifying her aging self .

Inaya bowed her head respectfully as the woman tried placing a hand over her head as a form of blessing . After that limped to the counter , her large abaya sweeping the floor .

"Inaya , you get seated . And , which flavour would you prefer ?"

"Butterscotch ." She replied .

Faaris nodded with a smile and hurried over to the counter . She could see him helping Deena out with their orders . 

A few minutes passed by when Faaris placed a cup of her desired flavour on the table along with his on the other side . Inaya gazed at it and figured he liked strawberry with chocolate chips .

He arranged some sort of wooden partitioner around their table , giving Inaya a grin everytime his gaze fell on her observing him .

When he was done , Inaya smiled at how they were shielded . It relieved her to think that she would be able to enjoy her ice cream contentedly .

"There !" He exclaimed cheerfully , dusting his hands and settling down opposite to her . "You can eat without worrying about being seen . Relax yourself ."

She undid her niqaab and placed it at the side of the table , fixing her scarf unmindful of Faaris fixed gaze on her .

"You look beautiful ." He commented , his voice husky and low .

Inaya squirmed in her seat , feeling a little out of the ordinary . She cleared her throat and plunged her spoon into her ice cream .

She took in a mouthful of it and almost yelled in satisfaction at the creaminess of the butterscotch ice cream .

"How's it ?" Faaris looked hard at her , a way that made her feel like her mind was being read .

"It's really delicious , ma Shaa Allah ." She weakly smiled , trying not to meet his gaze .

His face lit up and a warm smile spread across his lips . "I knew you'd like it ."

An awkward silence hung between the two of them . Inaya continued innocently relishing her ice cream , swaying with delight every time her a spoonful of it melted in her mouth . Every now and then , she could feel Faaris' eyes follow her movements . For some reason , it felt good having his attention .

For once , she decided to let go of what had happened and see him as a husband .

Somebody who's been smiling at her from the moment his gaze landed on her .

"This is not funny !" Alexander barked , slamming his fist on the table and Elsa jerked in fright at the intensity of his remark .

Elsa sighed , running a hand through her short dark hair . Alexander had returned half an hour ago and after a lot of debate , he had been forced into eating supper at five thirty in the morning .

"Elsa , you know you're not helping me by passing some sick joke right ?" Alexander's voice spoke low and slowly as he placed his free-hand over Elsa's . "I'm sorry , it's just that I'm very tired today darling ."

Elsa sighed loudly , tilting her head ."Alex , you know , I don't play sick jokes . Hell , I don't even joke around . Do I look like I'm joking ?" Her voice was desperate , as she tapped her feet impatiently .

Alexander stopped eating his mashed potatoes and turned his attention fully to Elsa who looked paler than the day he had left her and the dark circles around her eyes looked more prominent .

"Elsa , honey , please start from the start . What happened and why are you so frightened ?" Alexander softly pressed his wife , who shook her head vigorously .

"The day after you left , Minister of Internal affairs and public relations , Mr Haamid paid us a visit . He said that some prince wanted to take Afra away for a while from us because Afra was in danger . From whom or what he didn't specify . But Alex ," She paused , licking her dry lips and bending sideways to pick up something from the chair beside her . "And he gave me this Alex . You know what this is ?" She failed the thick envelope in her hand and Alexander's gaze fixed on that envelope worriedly .

Alexander shook his head as his gaze stuck at the envelope . Elsa pulled out a shiny golden sheet out from it and placed it in front of him on the table .

He felt like his breath had been pulled out of him , as the writings and the royal seals stood unfaltered under his gaze . His heart clenched painfully when the Prince's sign was laden across the rich and heavenly gold sheet in brisk Arabic words that he recognised due to his detailed knowledge of the language that he had mastered over the years .

"This is......this i-s...." He stuttered uncontrollably , the spoon slipping out of his grip and clicking against the floor .

Elsa sighed , a few tears brimming in her eyes . "It is true Alex . Our baby's in danger and the prince wants to help out , which only highlights how dangerous the situation is ."

Alexander took ahold of the paper and skimmed his eyes over the writing a couple of times , before falling back in his chair and momentarily shutting his eyes close .

"It's authentic ! That...is real ." He admittedly dropped his hands limply by his sides , as Elsa broke into silent sobs .

"Oh darling !" He pushed his chair back and bent down in front of Elsa , rubbing her arms .

"Everything will be alright . This is all for Afra's best . If the Prince is involved , surely nothing will happen to her ." His voice was low and soft , trying not to reassure her as she shook her head weakly in response .

The truth was , he himself was badly shaken up about the sudden awareness of his only daughter's life in danger . Though it seemed inconvenient to send her off to a Prince's palace , it also sort of relieved his tensed mind . The royalty never got involved until something was genuinely serious .

What puzzled him was what could have gotten Afra involved in such a dangerous case ?

"Comeon , let's get some sleep now ." He insisted , wrapping his arms around Elsa's shoulders and pulling her up on her feet .

As they climbed the stairs , Alexander's mind revolved around the possible scenarios that could have gotten Afra unintentionally tangled into whatever mess it was .

After tugging Elsa in to her place and pulling the blanket over her cold figure , Alexander tossed and turned around in his position , hoping to not disturb Elsa too much .

He had returned from a twelve hour drive from Ahsaan , a small village located on the western outskirts of the city . That in itself had exhausted him and he was looking forward for a relaxing sleep . Life sure had weird ways of giving surprises . Because he hadn't even had the will to concentrate on anything let alone how to tackle an emotionally messed up mind .

The morning sun had already risen , highlighting the light crème shade of the curtains with a bronzy glow .

Morning had already fallen and he had less than half a day with his one and only daughter .

<< Assalaamualaikum . It's so nice to finally get back to you all . To all of you who've been following the book , a heartful and greatly appreciated Jazak'ALLAH from the bottom of my heart .

If the book is worth your time , please vote and share . And of course , your comments really just make my day .

May Allah always bless you all .

With love ,

Jasmine ❤