Endless Summer🌞

14: The office party.

5:30am.
31st December.
Paris, France.
Muhsin's alarm went off, waking him for subhi prayer. He got off the couch and made way to the bathroom. After performing ablution, he decided to wake Hanan up.

"Hanan" He called but got silence in return.

He gently sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes scanning Hanan's sleeping face. She looked so innocent and serene. The ribbon she used to tie her hair had removed, strands of hair scattered all over her face. Staring at her face, Muhsin knew he didn't want anyone else. She was that single person that made bells rang in his tummy. It hurts knowing he had her but just temporarily. There might come a day when she would crawl out of his life and he knew that maybe, just maybe, that might be the end of him. The negative thoughts got swept out by the thought that at that moment she belongs to him, only him.

He stretched his hand to her face and began to remove the strands of hair that covered it. She faintly opened her eyes, blinked a few times and then stared up at the face of the man sitting beside her.

"Time for subhi prayer." He said, rising to his feet.

She murmured the waking up dua before getting off the bed. She tied her hair in a pony tail, then headed towards the exit door.

"Hanan" He called and she glanced to his direction. "Do you want to pray together?"

She rubbed her eyes with her hand and sighed. "Couldn't you just ignore me? Like, how could you not notice that the lady in me is shy. Maama didn't raise me to be sleeping around in some man's room you know."

Muhsin cracked up at her last sentence. "Some man? Sleeping around? For real? Hello Mrs Muhsin Khaleed, my name is Muhsin Khaleed. Nice meeting you." Muhsin said sarcastically.

"I see what you did there man."

"I know right? So, do you wanna pray with me or do you not want to pray with some man. Maama didn't raise you to..."

"To pray with my man. Cool, you won. I will just perform ablution then."

Hanan abluted, wore her hijab and stood on the prayer mat that Muhsin laid just behind him. After prayers, Muhsin brought out two Qur'an's and handed one to Hanan.

"How far have you gone with Qur'an recitation?" He asked after they had recited for half an hour.

"I am done." She stated.

"Good, masha Allah. Now, lets do it this way, we start from Surat Al-Fatihah to Surat An-Nas. The first person to finish insha Allah will have no other choice but to succumb and be the other person's slave for a whole week. Deal?" Muhsin suggested.

"Are you sure you won't regret this later?" Hanan raised a brow.

"I wouldn't suggest if I was still not sure."

"You are so confident, masha Allah." Hanan smirked. "I am in." She declared.

"Wait, that's not all. You will have to promise you would be honest first. You might claim to finish even when you've not, you know."

"For real?" She rolled her eyes. "Alright, I promise to say I am done only when I am really done."

"Pinky promise." Muhsin stretched his pinky finger.

Hanan's heart skip a beat, two beats and three. This had happened to her once. The image of the event that happened on 10th of june, 2000 played on her mind. For a moment there, she saw that child, her first love in Muhsin.

"Hey, my hand is hurting. Don't you know how to make pinky promises." Muhsin spoke, bringing her out of her trance.

"What are you? A six year old?" She rolled her eyes as she stretched her pinky and entwined it with his. They both joined their thumbs for a stamp and brushed their palms apart for a copy.