The Scars They Hide

Chapter Thirty-Seven - Housewarming

Chapter Thirty-Seven - Housewarming

Lutfiyah knew that this had been her choice. She'd suggested this, organised it, and it had all been her plan and worked out fine. They'd been living in the new house for more than three months now and it was about time that they had people over.

So why on earth was she sitting in the corner of her new and beautiful bathroom and calming herself down? Seriously. These panicky moments needed to take a long vacation and if possible, quit entirely.

Thankfully, it was short and didn't leave her a weak blubbering mess. It was also three in the morning so she had time to lie down and relieve her shivers.

Jaafar barely stirred as she got back into the bed and she was glad that she hadn't woken him. He'd gone back to work a few weeks ago and would come home happy but tired and didn't need her crazy self disturbing him. He already had enough to deal with.

She curled up in his arms, smiling as he reflexively pulled her close, and closed her eyes. Maybe if she faked the sleep, she could pretend that she'd had a good rest.

***

Coffee was a miracle, a savior, a godsend. Jaafar watched in amusement as Lutfiyah closed her eyes in ecstasy and almost moaned. She popped one eye open and glared at him, making him laugh and lift his hands in surrender.

"Just let me enjoy my coffee, you monster."

He dropped a kiss onto her head before grabbing his briefcase. "I thought I felt you come back into bed in the middle of the night. Next time, wake me up, will you?"

She rolled her eyes and adjusted herself on the bar stool. "Jaafar, you can't be expected to wake up every time I need to take a breather. I've managed to have my freakouts for many years without someone holding my hand. I can stand to do it now as well."

He shook his head and twisted her around until she faced him, stepping in between her legs and cupping her face. "Being married also means that you now have someone to hold your hand. So next time, wake me up, okay?"

She sighed and leaned into his chest, smiling when he dropped his hands to rub up and down her back. "No promises."

He returned her sigh. "I guess that's all I can ask for."

A knock on the door had him pulling away and Lutfiyah turned back to her coffee that was thankfully still hot enough to drink. It was probably Jane so she wasn't too worried about getting up to see who it was.

May was still asleep and Randy would be there to pick her up in a few minutes so she made sure to enjoy her coffee in the few minutes of silence before her day began.

***

Lutfiyah hurried back home to find the house set up, snacks and salads laid out and basically everything done. She gaped in shock.

"Surprise!"

Aqeelah came out of the kitchen, grinning. She pulled Lutfiyah into a tight hug before releasing her. "So I phoned earlier to ask what time to come and my brother, the dumb boy that he is, said he didn't know. Anyway, I realised you were at work and I finished classes early today, so I asked Jaafar if I could come over. And yeah. I hope I'm not overstepping." Aqeelah cast a worried look around and bit her lip.

Lutfiyah shook her head so violently, it was almost comical. "No, no! Not in the least. Subahanallah, Aqeelah, you've really helped me. I can't explain how thankful I am."

Her sister-in-law squealed and did a few jumps. "Okay, I'm glad. And anyway, I hardly did anything. I saw that you'd left everything ready in the fridge and Jane showed me where the other things were. It was just setting things out and whatnot. By the way, everything looks amazing."