"don't let your attitude be in the control of others. don't dim the light of kindness from you just because of someone. instead, increase it by ten folds. you're supposed to be winning against the odds, not fall to your own loss - sulaymaan."

"So what would you do if I said that I don't love you anymore?"

Afra was lying against Sulaaymaan's chest, playing twenty questions. With him, she didn't need anything extraordinary to occur.

His brows frowned and Afra's smile grew in anticipation of his answer.

"I might —," he turned his head to face her," — tickle you till you tell me you love me."

Afra's smile died as Sulaaymaan trapped her in place and hovered above her.

Her eyes widened as he started to tickle he sides.

"SULAAYMAAN STOP IT!"

He giggled nonetheless there was no backing down.

"You just challenged me!"

Afra was having a hard time take control over her laughter. Her stomach was hurting with all that continuous involvement of his fingers and she was turning from side to side. However he just wasn't stopping.

"Sulaaymaan!.....time.....time please."

He sat down on her stomach and she threw her head on the bed, gasping for air as her lungs and stomach burnt with exhaustion.

"Who's the boss now?"

Sulaaymaan jutted his chin up in defiance and Afra lifted her head up to peek a little at him and his arms crossed tight against his chest.

Afra stared at him in disbelief before grunting.

"Get off of me! You're such a heavy load on my shoulders....erm....maybe stomach this time."

Sulaaymaan's eyes snapped at her, a side smirk twitching his lips up.

"You wanna repeat that again?"

Afra's mouth dropped open in horror.

"Okay okay, I surrender."

He narrowed his eyes at her for a few seconds before his expressions softened and he threw himself over the other side.

"You're such an idiot. My poor abdomen. I hope I haven't broken anything in there."

She dramatically sighed and rubbed her abdomen wincing a little.

"Afra, abdomen doesn't have bones."

Sulaaymaan replied with a bored look, giving her a roll of his eyes.

"Sulaaymaan our whole body is made of bones."

He let out a sigh, turned around, propped himself over his elbow and looked deep into her eyes.

She didn't like that look.

It was a little out of her preference.

"Lips don't have a bone."

He remarked softly, a slight glint in his eyes.

"N.. oooo....they...d...o...do  —"

She trailed off, diverting her gaze in a panic.

Sulaaymaan's brows raised a little before a small smile played over his lips.

"I can prove to you that they're boneless."

Her eyes grew wide with shock. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she attempted in vain to calm herself down.

She glanced at Sulaaymaan from under her lashes and almost jumped away from him.

He was moving closer, his breath fanning across her cheeks. She watched in frantically how with every blink of her eyes, he was closer than the last time. Whether it was normal for her heart beat to pound in her ears, she didn't know.

But it sure was dangerous.

Her eyes squeezed shut on their own and she could feel his breath fanning against her nose.

Like the thunderbolt that creates the fathomable destruction of two universes in half, like the parts of the two souls that get masked into one, like the darkness of the dark that merges perfectly with the growing light, did their lips met with divinity.

Perhaps that's what the speciality of kissing someone you love was.

She clutched her palms close and shut her eyes tight. It was already too much to bother with and she didn't want to accidentally see his face.

When his lips stopped moving against hers, he moved back and she could feel his head rest against hers.

His breath fanning over her lips. There was so much to be said, but maybe it was good to be left unsaid.

The tip of his nose rested against hers and she jolted in her position. It was a new sensation and she wasn't too sure about how she felt.

"You can open your eyes you know."

Though he was whispering, there was an playful undertone to his voice.

She didn't say much, pushed him away and dashed for the door. It was impossible to face him now.

After whatever that was.

She shut her eyes tight. It was too embarrassing.

She bounced back on the bed when a hand grasped hers, whirled her around and pulled her with his arms secured around her tight.

For a minute, nothing happened until she heard him order her. 

"Afra, open your eyes."

She shook her head.

"Afra? I'm warning you. You're gonna be tickled again. I said open your eyes."

She snuck a glance at him and he caught her with his brows raised.

"I saw you there. Stop it and just give in."

She groaned and slowly lifted her eyelids. After she helplessly stared at the ceiling for two whole minutes with the anxiety killing her from her insides, his fingers softly grazed her chin and she was forced to look at him.

However, she didn't notice any signs of playfulness. All she could read was a serious impression and a tight lipped mouth.

"Why would you try to run away?"

He demanded and she parted her lips with a hesitant answer.

"It's embarrassing okay. How do you suppose I can face you after all that?"

His brows creased slowly.

"So kissing me is embarrassing now?"

He accused and her eyes grew wide as he got up from the bed and walked steadily for the door.

She rushed to the door immediately making him give her a hard stare.

"Just move."

"Sulaaymaan, you're not even hearing me out."

Her hands outstretched as far as they could, making her stand in an awkward starfish position.

He rolled his eyes and turned to face the other side.

She stood back normally, walked up to him and gently cupped his cheeks, making his lips pout.

When he looked at her with that pout and the disappointment that he was faking, she smiled at his cuteness.

"Sulaaymaan, I never meant it that way." She started, his eyes softening gradually."Why would you think I'd be embarrassed to...er.....kiss....you? You're being silly. Wallahi, that's not what I meant. I'm just new to this and it felt a little uncomfortable.....with the way my heart was almost leaping out of its place."

He chuckled slightly, a side of his lips curved upwards.

"But if you really loved it that much —" she let go of his cheeks, wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes and let her lips rest against his. " — you can always ask for it again. As long as you'd like, I'm here to give it to you."

His eyelids closed and in that moment — as their hearts fell to a rhythm unique to the two souls — their eeylids drooped and everything stopped.

Time never existed in a land of love.

Sulaaymaan had the largest grin on his face as he kept singing loudly and swung his arms back and forth while swaying around the hallways.

Afra had finally let him kiss her.

The smile grew to the point that his cheeks were starting to hurt.

He needed to calm it down. And act like an adult. Be mature. It was difficult with the way the excitement was pumping through him though.

Gathering his self esteem, jutting his head up and broadenings his shoulders, he walked away with a weird expression that fell between a smile and a frown.

He entered the kitchen and upon sighting his mother to whose lips lay a glass of water, he saluted her in a cool manner and took off towards the fridge.

Queen Basmah choked on the sips she was taking as her widened eyes followed her son's hideous actions.

"Erm.....Habibti, are you alright? What happened to your face?" She paused a moment, her laugh no longer remaining within her. "Mind you, but you look extremely similar to a donkey."

And with that he began to softly laugh and walk herself out before he could wail.

By the time Sulaaymaan had turned around to face her, she was long gone. He shook his head in slight disappointment but continued to hum a little and shrug it off.

Today was his day of being happy.

As he pulled out a tray of chocolate chip pastries, his mind diverted back to his childhood days when both him and Waasay would race each other over who would eat the most pastries.

The love they held for this particular flavour was unnatural.

Earlier in the afternoon, they got a good news from the hospital. Waasay, Alhumdulillah, was out of danger but still was sensitive at the moment.

The guards were still present at all times. He was very dear to Sulaaymaan and his loss — irrespective of his doings — would bring upon great devastation.

As he pulled open the drawers to grab himself a spoon — still deciding if he had the appetite anymore — his eyes fell over a note stuck to a cake knife.

He dropped the spoon he had grabbed, took ahold of that knife and snatched the note off.

It was printed with a couple of sentences.

Somebody seems happy. Pardon me for being such a party pooper, but I guess you'd appreciate another surprise.

Sulaaymaan's face paled. He nearly threw the tray over the island in his hurry as he ran along the hallways, barged into his room and spun his head wildly in order to search for Afra.

When after scanning the whole room, he couldn't find her, he began to yell out her name.

A few seconds later, the door to the bathroom opened only so an eye could peek through.

"Oh my god, Sulaaymaan. Why would you scare me like that? I could've slipped —"

A ghost of a smile relaxed his features as he ran towards the door.

"Afra, could you please come out for a moment?"

He begged as his voice started to quiver heavily. It was only a moment before he would fall in tears.

Her eye narrowed for a second before she shut the door. He heard shuffling and just as quickly she walked out — with her hair dripping wet and her body soaked — with a towel secured around her.

The point she kept her foot out, he pulled her against him with such a force that she almost broke her arms and ribs.

"Before anyone kills me, I'm damn sure you're sucking the air out of me."

She mumbled and instantly she was thrusted away from him, his hands squeezing her shoulders as he scrutinized his face wildly.

"Don't say that!"

He yelled and she frowned.

"Just kidding. Though Seriously, you need to control a little. I'm a woman. Have mercy on me."

He shook his head and just at the time, a tear fell down on his lips and she froze as she traced the movement with her eyes.

"You were crying? Sulaaymaan, why? What is it?"

She grabbed his cheeks, rubbed her thumb across his lips to wipe the tear off and looked into his water filled eyes.

"I can't lose you too."

He muttered.

« Assalaamualaikum Princesses ❤

I'm really very sorry for the delay. I'm so sorry. it's BEEN FOUR DAYSSSS!!! I'm so sorry. ❤❤

Please forgive me. In Shaa ALLAH, I'll do my best in updating as per my routine. ❤❤❤

I hope you're all doing well. Please forgive me for that. You see I'm just busy with so much at the moment. Its hard to cope up.

Please take care of yourselves and stay safe.

Much love,