He sat down in front of her but maintained a respectable distance between them.
"As salamu Alaikum, Nikah Mubarak," He said to her who ducked her head down not knowing how to react.
"Walaikum as-salam" Her voice came, and he sighed out.
He looked at her face which was looking beautiful, even without makeup she looks so beautiful that today she has all dolled up for him. He couldn't control himself and leaned down and kissed her forehead giving a rise to a strange sensation in her cold heart, warming her heart with the fire of his love. She closed her eyes feeling a touch of his lips on her forehead.
He gave a lingering forehead kiss and leaned away from her, slowly he took her hand in his and she raised her eyes at his face to look at him, he was having the most tender expressions on his face.
"I know you are not ready. And I am not backing up on my statement. As you have said trust is the basis of any relationship, I want you to trust me completely before we start our life as a married couple" He said looking directly into her eyes, No traces of lie were detected in his eyes.
"And what if I won't be able to trust you ever?" She asked back a twisted question to him, who let out a small smile on his face.
"Then I would accept it as my defeat and my punishment for leaving you alone in the past." He said and smiled at her before placing a box in her palm, she raised her eyebrows at him in question.
"Muh dikhai," He said and scratched the area above his eyebrow with his index finger. She felt a sudden urge to laugh at his adorable nervous expressions but managed to let out only a smile.
She took the box with a thankful smile on her face, she had promised her mother that she would give her best to this new relationship and even though she wanted to give a chance to him now, hearing his words she felt peace settling around her heart. He could have done anything if he wanted to, they were married Islamically as well as lawfully yet he wanted her to trust him first.
With that thought, she laid down on the bed by her side, both of them were facing each other. He wanted to say something, she knew that but kept quiet.
"Can... Can I hold your hand?" He asked her nervously, at one point he himself had told her that they won't act like a married couple and after a few minutes he was asking to hold her hand, what would she think? Thinking that he mentally facepalmed, he was about to say sorry but then felt her soft small hand on his big hand.
She put her hand on him and he immediately clutched it in his palm. Her skin felt soft against his rough ones, the warmth his hand was providing was directly settling into her heart, melting her cold heart. She smiled and with a smile on her face she slept. While he had a big grin on his face in his sleep.
~*~
"No, I don't," She said to him while glaring at him who was laughing at her.
"I am telling you, I heard it by myself yesterday." He again said laughing at her while laughing he fell on his back on the bed where he was sitting.
"Can you stop laughing?" She gritted her teeth in annoyance as he kept laughing at her.
"Sabur," She said irritatedly and went over to him putting her palm on his mouth to stop his laugh, in the process, she straddled him by his waist, putting both of the knees on the sides of him and that immediately made him shut.
He looked into her eyes who was still glaring at him, she still didn't realise their position. His gaze was stuck on her face, her caramel brown flawless skin, her long eyelashes falling over her cheeks, her chubby cheeks puffed in anger, and her doe shaped eyes narrowed on him in anger and her pink lips inviting him to catch them in his...
He was lost in her, and she noticed his expressions getting softer with each passing seconds that's when she realised their position. She tried to get away from him but he put his arm around her making her lay down on him. Her eyes lowered down in shyness as she felt his unwavering gaze on her face.
Her breathing became hard when his fingers lightly caressed her cheeks, he closed his eyes and leaned down kissed her chubby cheeks which were turning pink due to their proximity.
He so wanted to kiss her but his promise was holding him back. Inhaling her hairs once he removed his arm from her, she immediately straightened up and went out of the room with harsh breathing. He turned around and groaned loudly in his pillow.
She regularised her breathing while sitting on one of the dining chairs, she took an empty glass and filled it with water. Her hands were shivering as she held the glass and took it to her lips. She gulped down the water and felt a little relieved.
It has been a month and few days to their marriage and exactly a month to their coming back to Sabur's house. His mother was not happy for sure but she apologized to Aakifah for her behaviour and assured her as well as her husband and son that she won't create any problem in their married life or would never interfere in their lives. Qadir and Sabur agreed with her and Sabur and Aakifah came back to his house.
Safiya didn't behave very politely or kindly with Aakifah but still, she was not being hostile and it was enough, for at least now.
Sabur was making his way in her heart, she knew that. May it be his always affectionate actions towards her or his caring persona. The way he respects her parents or never takes a step ahead from holding her hand or kissing her forehead and cheek. He was making her trust him again.
She has started trusting him back, living under the same roof most of the time, they started becoming friends and now they have become best friends. They joke around, laugh together, prank each other, tease each other and share everything with each other.
Today also they were making fun of each other when Sabur told her that she blabbers in her sleep and she was not ready to accept it which lends both of them into a certain situation.
After that incident, she gets back to her normal self not wanting to create any awkward situation between them.
That night, both of them were sitting on the couch of their balcony looking at the night sky when a question popped up in Aakifa's mind. She turned towards him who was sitting on the other side of the sofa looking at the sky.
"Do you have anything which was mine?" She asked him, and he was surprised at her sudden question.
"What does that mean?" He asked her back.
"I mean have you kept my any belongings with you all this time?" She asked again and he remembered her scarf, he slowly nodded his head and got up from his place. She frowned on his behaviour but he came back with her scarf in his hand.
"This," He said and showed her the scarf, her heart suddenly felt it couldn't take it anymore, she felt something which she couldn't describe. Is it respect for him? Or shock that he kept her scarf all those years? Or something else? What is that?
She was grinning at the sight of the scarf, while he had a soft smile looking at the scarf. "Do you have anything?" He asked back to which she nodded looking back at the sky.
"What?" He asked because he remembered he never gave his handkerchief to her or anything which she can keep.
"Pendant" She replied, he thought for a moment and remembered that he had given a pendant to her after their engagement.
"Why don't you wear it then? I remember you used to wear it in university" He said and she looked at him with a curious look on her face.
"How do you know I used to wear that?" She asked him who shrugged his shoulders in answer telling her, he won't answer her question.
"Anyway, the day I'll feel I am ready, from that day I will start wearing it," She said, focusing her eyes on the sky, and he prayed in his heart for that day to come faster.
"By any means, do you have any idea how far that day is?" He tried his luck and in response, her laughter filled the atmosphere around them. He smiled hearing her laugh, for now, he was happy with this only.
~*~
Hey Guys!
So do you have any idea about the feeling Aakifah is confused about?
The story is nearing the end by the way.
Do you have any thoughts about Sabur's mother?
Till then the next update, Allah hafiz.
𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚊𝚊𝚊𝚊𝚊..!𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙼𝚄𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙸𝙺𝚄𝙼 𝙱𝙴𝙷𝙽𝙾 𝙰𝚄𝚁 𝚄𝙽𝙺𝙴 𝙱𝙷𝙰𝙸𝚈𝙾....;)
𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚂𝙴 𝙰𝚄𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚁𝚂 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙳 𝚃𝙾 𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙹𝙾𝚈 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚃𝙰𝙸𝙽𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚃𝙾 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙶𝚄𝚈𝚂.
𝚂𝙾 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝚂𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝙼 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙸𝙵𝙸𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝚅𝙾𝚃𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚂. ~𝙽𝚄𝙶𝙶𝙴𝚃