Atifa's pov:

"But ammi, today is Sunday. Where are you going? Don't you have a holiday today?" I asked her, a confused frown taking over my face.

"No. I have a holiday on Tuesday." She replied, her eyes on her laptop as she completed her last minute work.

"But that's... odd..." I mumbled, still unable to believe that fact. "When will you be back?" I inquired, worried.

"The usual time." She mumbled, typing something away. Who even asks their workers to work on Sunday? That was just so weird. And that too not even half day but full day.

"Oh... Should I pack lunch-" I couldn't help but be concerned about her. I mean, it wasn't normal for people to head to work on a holiday, especially if the place was a bit far.

"Can't you just keep quiet for a while? I'm in no mood to talk right now!" She interrupted me, her voice harsh and angry.

"Sorry." I muttered, hurt. Maybe she was starting to get irritated by me. I shouldn't have bothered her when she was working, I pondered.

"Just leave me alone." She replied, annoyance clear in her voice.

"Okay..." I mumbled.

"Ammi!" Just as I was about to head into the kitchen, I heard Amira's voice as she ran into the room. 

"What?!" She thundered, finally turning her eyes away from her laptop and towards her. 

"Saad bhaijaan-" My eyes widened slightly as I heard her mention his name. What… Was she going to say? Was she going to tell her that he came by or something? 

"Don't take his name in front of me. I don't want to hear anything about him." Ammi interrupted her before she could even complete her sentence, making me frown. I… Was just wondering, more like guessing until now that he could be the reason for this behaviour of her's. But… Was he actually the reason behind us leaving? But why? I- I mean, she got us married, right? I can't- I don't- I just… 

WHAT WAS THE MATTER?! 

"But-" Amira tried to say something, a frown forming on her face as she continued to stare at ammi. 

"What did I say? Did you not hear me? Just… Just leave me alone!" She snapped, now glaring at her, her face turning pink due to anger. Exhaling loudly and squeezing her eyes shut, she turned to face her laptop once again. 

I saw Amira's face fell as she got upset, her gaze lingered on ammi for a while before flickering in my direction. Nodding my head solemnly, I motioned for her to go inside. Turning her gaze back at ammi, she glared at her before running back to our room. Letting out a shuddering breath, I headed back into the kitchen. Nothing made sense! And it was driving me insane! 

._._._.

"I was having a walk around here when I saw your mom going out so I thought of dropping by." Bhabi told me, coming inside.

"Accha kiya ke aap aa gai. We were getting bored anyway and I didn't know what to do." I replied while closing the door before making my way towards the couch.

(It's good that you came by.)

"Accha, to ab we can enjoy!" She said happily while sitting on the couch. "Waise where did she go?" She questioned, a frown on her face.

(I see, so now we can enjoy!)
(By the way)

"Work." I replied, sitting down.

"Kyu? Aaj chutti nahi hai?" She inquired, confused.

(Why? Today isn't her holiday?)

"Unhone to kaha ke nahi hai, Tuesday ko hai." I replied, looking at her with a small smile. Amira was in the washroom, having a shower.

(She said that it's on Tuesday, not today.)

"Oh accha. Acchi baat hai tab to. I can be with you whole day." She grinned happily. "Wait, when will she be back?" With wide eyes, she asked me.

(Oh I see. That's good then.)

"The usual time, after magrib." I replied, shaking my head at her antics.

"Oh. So you mean to say, we have time till then? Wow. That's great! To phir chalo kahi chalte hai!" She suggested with a beam on her face.

(So let's go somewhere!)

"Kaha?" Confused, I inquired, my mind already going on alert mode with the thought of ammi finding out about it, especially after seeing what happened in the morning.

(Where?)

"Ghumne kahi. Maybe we can grab something from the supermarket before heading to a beach or resort? What do you say?" She replied after a while, still a thoughtful look on her face.

(To have fun somewhere.)

"Uh... you sure about that? I mean, what if ammi finds out?" I asked her, unsure. It wouldn't be a good thing if she found out about it. Anything unexpected could take place once again if that happened.

"Yeah, I'm sure about it. Sabka mood light ho jayega. We can all enjoy for a while and forget about everything else." She replied, frowning. I wondered what she was talking about.

(Everyone's mood will lighten up.)

"Aapka idea to bohot accha hai, but... I'm still not sure about it. I mean, I'm just worried about ammi. Agar unko pata chal gaya to problem ho sakti hai." I told her, worried. My muscles tensed as I thought about what she might do.

(Your idea is great, but... I'm still not sure about it. I mean, I'm just worried about ammi. If she got to know about it then there might be some problems.)

"Yaar, don't worry about it much. Hum sambhal lenge agar kuch aisa hua to. Isliye to mai keh rahi hu ke hame chalna chahiye. Let's just forget about everything for a while and enjoy." She insisted, pouting.

(Man, don't worry about it much. We will take care if something like that happens. This is the reason why I'm telling you that we should go. Let's just forget about everything for a while and enjoy.)

"Hmm... theek hai. But what about your in-laws? Won't they object or say anything?" I asked her, hoping that one way or the other, I could convince her that it wasn't a good idea. I mean, I just didn't want to take any risk and lose them all again.

(Okay.)

"Oh, don't worry about them. They are all cool. Kuch nahi hoga." She replied happily while looking at me enthusiastically.

(Nothing will happen.)

"I hope so." I muttered under my breath, disappointed that I couldn't convince her.

"So should I take that as a yes?" She asked me hopefully, a grin already forming on her lips.

"Umm... yeah?" I mumbled uncertainly. If Emaan wasn't enough already, then I was sure, this woman here was going to get me killed one day. For now, she was definitely taking Emaan's place in getting me into trouble. Ya Allah, please help us and save me. Aameen. I prayed internally.

"Okay finally! Let me just inform the boys!" Replying enthusiastically, she took out her mobile. I just hoped for things to go well and for nothing bad to happen.

._._._.

I saw as Amira rushed out of the room and crushed bhabi in her hug. Informing the boys, she left, saying that she wanted to get ready and grab a few stuff before leaving. Now bhai and bhabi were here, all of us ready to go as we waited for him and Alayna to join us.

"Will bhaijaan and Alayna join us too?" Amira asked bhabi while looking up at her with her wide hopeful eyes.

"Yes meri jaan, even they are going to join us. We are waiting for them." She replied sweetly, hugging her back.

(My life,)

"Yayyyy! This is going to be fun!" She squealed happily, making me smile slightly.

"In Sha Allah." I muttered under my breath, still scared. What if ammi decided to come back home early today? And what if she didn't find us here? What would she do? Oh my God, I knew this was a bad idea!

(If God wills.)

"How are you feeling now?" Bhai's voice brought me out of my frenzy. Glancing up at him, I smiled slightly, although he obviously couldn't see it due to my niqab.

"Fine alhamdulillah. Aap kaise hai?" I looked down at my hands once again.

(How are you?)

"Mai bhi theek hu alhamdulillah. Utna theek jitna ek biwi ke ghar me hone se uska shohar ho sakta hai." He added the last part slowly, stealing a glance at bhabi and I suppressed my smile, horrified at his comment.

(Im fine too. As much fine as a husband could be with a wife living with him in his home.)

"Jee, kya kaha aapne? Maine sahi se suna nahi." I was just mentally thanking Allah that she didn't hear him when I heard her extra sweet voice.

(Excuse me, what did you say? I couldn't hear it correctly.)

"Yahi ke ek biwi ke ghar me hone se ek shohar kitna khush rehta hai." He replied quickly before looking at me for confirmation. "Haina Atifa?"

(I'm just telling her how much a husband is happy when his wife lives with him.)
(Right Atifa?)

"Mujhe kaise pata hoga bhai?" I replied, looking at him incredulously while suppressing my giggle.

(How would I know that?)

"Haa wo bhi hai, tum bhi to ek biwi hi ho, meri baat to sirf ek shohar hi samajh sakta hai." He muttered under his breath before yelping loudly, earning a slap on his arm along with a glare from bhabi.

(Yeah true that too, you are also a wife, only a husband can understand me.)

"Bohot acche se samajh sakti hu mai ke aap kya kehna chah rahe hai. Zyada over na ho aur chup chaap Saad ko call kar ke puchiye kaha hai wo. Hame aur kitni der intezaar karna padega, it's already getting late." She replied, still glaring at him.

(I can understand what you mean very well. Now don't act over smart and call Saad and ask him where he is. How much more time do we have to wait, it's already getting late.)

"Dekho Atifa, iski tarah to zaalim bilkul bhi mat banna tum. Aise kon zulm karta hai apne shohar par?!" He murmured with a pout before taking his phone out. I giggled at his reply while glancing at bhabi, only to see her rolling her eyes at him.

(See Atifa, don't become cruel like her. Who even hurts their husband like this?!)

Before he could call anyone, the doorbell rang, indicating their arrival. Just as I was about to go and open the door, Amira rushed towards it before opening the door excitedly. We saw, amused, as he came inside with a sour face and an over excited Alayna. But soon my amusement was replaced by a frown as I thought about his sour mood. What was the reason for it? Did he not want to join us? Was something wrong?

"It's getting late. Let's get going." Before I could think much about it, he announced before heading out of the door. That was odd. He wasn't like this. No greetings or anything but just heading out directly? I made a mental note to ask him about it later on.

I waited as everyone made their way outside before locking the door and mentally praying that ammi shouldn't return before her usual time and we should reach back home on time.

Bhai had brought his car with him and we were supposed to be heading to the resort first. After enjoying there for a while, we would be heading out to the supermarket before returning back to the resort to enjoy the rest of our time and finally, coming back home before Magrib. Well, that was our plan anyway. But things don't usually go the way we plan them, do they?

He sat in the front with bhai, barely talking to anyone and only answering if someone asked him something. Amira and Alayna were with me and bhabi, in the backseat, excitedly planning what they would like to do once we reach there. And I sat there silently, contemplating the decision which we just made without thinking about the consequences. Ya Allah, please let this go smoothly as we planned, I prayed.

._._._.

It took us around twenty minutes to reach that place. And it seemed like it was in the midst of a forest area. There were trees all around us. Parking our car by the side of the road, we trekked ahead the only path leading us into the forest. Walking for a while, we came across a staircase. The paint was chipped off and the colour was fading away.

But as we were ascending the stairs, I noticed the sea behind this resort. And although it was deserted, the colour of the water was still blue and it looked deep, which could explain the reason for it being deserted. Reaching up, I noticed a number of hut shaped accommodations, and the built in swimming pool. The floor was made of wood, or maybe, it looked like that.

There were a few people around here, getting out of their huts and in the swimming pool. I felt a bit uncomfortable when I realised we were the only ones who were wearing abaya and niqab. Because almost all of these people were roaming around half naked.

Looking away from those people, I turned to look at Amira and Alayna, hoping that they wouldn't get attracted to these kinds of clothing or activities. A sigh of relief escaped my lips when I saw that they weren't looking at the people around us but instead, they were gazing at the sea in awe.

Moving ahead, we crossed these huts, taking a few turns before coming in front of a hut which stood alone among the trees surrounding it. It looked so beautiful that I just stood there for a while, admiring it. Looking back, I realised no one was here, and even the path leading to this hut was deserted. Walking a few steps back, I took out my mobile before clicking a few pictures. Even if I couldn't use this mobile to call, I could at least use it to click pictures, right?

As we headed inside, I realised that it was perfect for a couple. We entered the living room directly. There was a door on our right, leading to a small kitchen while the door in the front led to a bedroom. It was a nice spacious room with a comfortable looking double bed on the right side with a side table, and a cupboard along the wall of the door. The door on the right side led to the washroom while the glass door in the front led to a pretty spacious balcony. The entire front wall was made of glass, giving us a spectacular view of the balcony and the sea.

Making my way towards the balcony, I admired the view. There was also a small swimming pool on one side with two beach chairs and a few chairs and table on the other side, most probably for people to enjoy breakfast with a good view.

"How did you guys even get this place? It's so beautiful and aren't the resorts full? It's summer plus weekend. Like, aren't all the resorts and beaches packed?" I asked bhabi incredulously, my voice filled with adoration as I looked around.

"Oh this is one of Saad's friends' private resort types. He usually comes here so he has like, bought this one accommodation so that he doesn't always have to pay for living here whenever he comes. When you agreed, I told him to ask that friend of his if he could let us use his resort for today. And yep, here we are. To be honest, even I'm coming here for the first time. And seriously, this is just so beautiful." Bhabi replied in awe, gazing at the sea.

"Oh, I see. Then we are lucky." I told her with a chuckle.

"Can't agree more." She whispered, leaning on the railing.

"Api, swimming pool!" Amira squealed, rushing towards the mini pool.

"No Mira! You aren't going in there right now." I replied sternly when I saw, with wide eyes, what she was trying to do.

"Bhabi! Can we please play in the water?" Alayna, hearing my reply and knowing that I wouldn't have allowed her too, turned to look at bhabi with wide eyes and a pout.

"No Alayna. Abhi nahi." Turning to look at them, she replied sternly, making them both groan as they moved away from the mini pool.

(Not now.)

Taking my niqab off, I let the humid air touch my face as I took a deep breath, breathing in the smell of the sea along with the woods. Tucking my niqab in my handbag, I turned back to gaze at the sea while leaning on the railing, enjoying the serene peace and silence while forcing my mind shut of the negative thoughts trying to invade it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I was brought out of my trance when I heard his voice beside me. Startled, I turned a bit to see him admiring the sea. I didn't know for how long I was standing there because bhabi wasn't there anymore. And Amira and Alayna sat on the dining table, chatting away as they admired the flowers on the table.

"Yes, it is." Murmuring quietly, I turned my gaze away from him.

"But well, I think it isn't as beautiful as another view." He replied with a small smile.

"Accha. Which view?" I turned to look at him, confused.

(I see.)

"The one beside me." He replied, and I saw his ears turning pink. What was he talking about?

"The forest?" I inquired, turning to look beside me at the trees surrounding us.

"No..." He murmured. But why was he trying to hide his face?

"Then what are you- Oh..." I was asking, confused, when I realised what he meant. "Very funny." Looking away from him, I muttered quietly. Nope. My cheeks weren't heating up, it was the fever returning maybe.

"No seriously." He mumbled, still not looking at me. Was he that shy that he couldn't even look at me? Ah actually, it was a good thing that he wasn't looking at me anyway, because I surely didn't want him to watch my - now pink - face.

"I don't believe it." Muttering under my breath, I added quickly. "How are you feeling now?"

"That should be my question." He replied, turning his face to look at me.

"But I wasn't the one with a bad mood when we were coming here." I reminded him, avoiding his gaze.

"Hmm... What do you think?" Looking away, he countered back while leaning on the railing once again.

"Aapki baaton se to bilkul theek lag rahe hai aap. But still, can't be sure about it. Maybe ye aapka mood handle karne ka tareeka ho?" I replied uncertainly.

(You seem pretty alright by your talks. But still, can't be sure about it. Maybe this is your way of handling your mood?)

"You think so?" He asked me, amusement clear in his voice.

"Not really. So tell me yourself." I replied while thinking about his question.

"I'm fine alhamdulillah." Chuckling, he replied.

"Alhamdulillah." I muttered under my breath, a small smile tugging at my lips. "But what happened?" I inquired, both, concerned and curious.

"Nothing much. Don't worry about it." He replied nonchalantly.

"But it was something, right? What was it?" I tried once again, remembering what happened the last time I insisted him to tell me about his problems. Well, it definitely didn't turn out well. And I really hoped it would turn out better this time.

"Not now, maybe some other day." He replied quietly before asking me. "Anyways, how are you now?"

"As fit and fine as I could be. Alhamdulillah." I replied, turning my face a bit to look at him. He looked lost in his thoughts, a faraway look on his face. The green colour of his eyes seemed more prominent than the brown colour. His jaw was set straight before he bit his lips, as if thinking about something deep. His hair were devilished due to the air blowing around and his usually black hair looked brown due to the sunlight reflecting on us.

"That's good to hear... Did you like it?" He inquired, his gaze flickering in my direction.

"What?" Coming out of my trance, I asked. What was he talking about? And what was I doing? It took a moment for my mind to actually comprehend his question. Did he, by any chance, caught me looking at him and was asking me if I liked it? Oh God, it was so embarrassing, I really hoped that this wasn't the case.

"This place obviously, what else?" He replied, turning to look at me while pocketing his hands, a frown adorning his features.

"It's amazing. Thank you for bringing us here." I replied while looking away from him, trying to cover my slip up. Alhamdulillah he didn't notice it.

"What were you thinking?" He asked me, confused.

"When?" I asked, getting confused myself.

"Just now when you asked me what, when I asked you if you liked this place." He replied in an obvious tone, making me regret my question. Why did I even ask him?

"Nothing." I replied, praying that he would leave this topic alone.

"There must be something." He insisted, looking at me curiously with amusement dancing in his entrancing orbs. Now what was he amused about?

"Told you it's nothing, now don't nag me about it." I tried to dismiss his question as I turned my body away from him and towards the ocean once again.

"Were you looking at me just now?" I squeezed my eyes shut at his question. He noticed it? Or maybe he already knew but he wanted to listen to it from me? Ya Allah, save me from this embarrassment!

"Are you dreaming right now?" I retorted, still hoping that he hadn't actually noticed me and was just making a guess.

"I don't think so. I mean, I saw-"

"Shut up!" Flustered at being caught, I muttered while squeezing my eyes shut and turning my face away. I could feel embarrassment pooling around me.

"So you were checking me out." He concluded and I swear I felt a smile in his voice.

"I- I wasn't!" I protested weakly, turning to leave. The embarrassment was too much for me to take.

"Now where are you going?" I could only take two to three steps when he held my arm, stopping me.

"Obviously inside."

"Without thanking me?" I could imagine the frown on his face as he questioned me. This guy could be a real kid at times! I suppressed my smile.

"I already thanked you." I replied, frowning myself.

"Naah, not like that."

"Then how should I thank you now?" I inquired while folding my arms, confused by his antics. Glancing up at him, I saw his ears turning pink. Again. Now what was it?

"You know the forest around us gives us a pretty nice coverage." His enthralling orbs shone mischievously and hopefully as he looked at me.

"Accha..." I raised my brow, not understanding where this was going.

(Okay...)

"So...?" He asked suggestively, making me frown at him.

"What?"

"Ya Allah, you don't understand anything. How come you are so innocent even after reading so many books?" He mumbled with a pout, looking at me in disbelief.

"I still don't understand, you know." I replied while looking at him inquisitively. What did he even mean by that? Where did my books come from in between this?

"Give me a kiss." He demanded quietly, exasperated. The colour of his ears had deepened, if that was even possible.

"Wha-" It took a moment for my mind to actually comprehend what he just asked me. "Oh." I murmured, looking away. Where did my mind go when I needed it the most? And what was I supposed to do now? And this time I was sure that face might have betrayed me. "You know my sandals here give pretty nice coverage too. Want to experience it?" I heard myself replying to him, making me internally groan at my silly self. What was I even trying to do?

"You won't understand my words but you definitely have a reply for everything, right?" He mumbled, pouting, finally turning his gaze away from me. At least now I could breathe peacefully.

"Accha, leave my hand. Let me go now." I replied, not being able to control the small smile forming on my lips at his reply.

(Okay,)

"But I'm not accepting your rukha sukha thanks." He mumbled. Was he really cute or what?

(Dry)

"Accha. There are our siblings sitting here, having a pretty good coverage of us." I tried to reason, hoping he would just let it be.

(Okay.)

"Does it look like I care? I just want a kiss." He demanded stubbornly while looking at me. His eyes once again shone in the sunlight, making them look enchanting.

"Accha, close your eyes and leave my hand first." I replied, unsure of what I was doing myself. But this seemed to be the only way for him to actually leave my hand.

(Okay,)

"If I do that, you won't run away, right?" He questioned, looking at me doubtfully.

"Of course I won't." I replied assuringly as my mind fought with my heart, both of them contemplating on what to do next. I couldn't just leave him hanging there! My heart argued while my mind opposed, asking me to make a run for it.

"Okay, I'm trusting you on this." He replied uncertainly while closing his eyes and leaving my hand.

"Umm hmm..." I hummed while smiling at his innocence. How did I get this lucky to have gotten such a cute person? My heart hammered in my chest as I contemplated my decision once again. Biting my lips, my gaze flickered back at the kids to see them busy in their own world.

Realising this might be the only chance which I might get, I glanced back at him before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. 'You can do it!' My mind sided with my heart as they cheered, encouraging me to go ahead.

Opening my eyes and tiptoeing slightly, I quickly pecked his cheeks, my lips hot on his already warm cheeks.

Before he could open his eyes, I tried to walk away from him quickly, but failed miserably as once again, his hand held my arm, pulling me back to him. If my cheeks were pink before, then I was sure that they were red by then. I mean, how much more awkward could this get? Well, I didn't have to wait much for the answer.

"Now where are you going? I haven't repaid you back yet." He whispered in my ear, and I could feel tingles all over my body.

"Wha-" Before I could ask him, I felt his warm lips on my cheeks, making me freeze on my spot. Pecking softly, he left my arm while taking a step back, looking at me with an unreadable expression on his face. I was still frozen on my spot, shocked by his sudden move, my eyes still wide when I saw him smiling slightly, his ears turning pink.

The excited giggles of Amira and Alayna brought me out of my trance, and glancing at them, I saw them looking at us with an awe filled gaze. Flustered, I rushed past them and into the room. Ya Allah, what just happened?

._._._.

▪ What is your holiday destination? Or where would you really like to go for holidays/vacation?

I really want to visit Kashmir or some cold place.

Anddd
*hides my face*
How was the chapter? I really love reading all of your comments, they make my day.

So, I wrote this chapter a while back, and although I knew what would happen in it, I still couldn't stop myself from rereading it twice.
Like, lemme just fangirl over my own characters for a while. xD

Anyways guys, I have noticed that these chapters get around 80 reads but only around 20 to 25 votes. So pleaseeee my dear silent readers, if you like this book, then please vote and comment, let me know your views.
And don't only vote for this chapter, vote for the previous ones too. xD

._._._.