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Salma felt goosebumps raising on her skin with every small circle Zayn's thumbs brushed on her hands. She responded by tightening her fingers around his hands as she walked backwards, leading him to the intended spot on the rocky turf.
"A little to the left." Sarah nudged her shoulder.
Salma corrected her course and threw a glance over her shoulder. The Coach waved at them. Nodding at the Coach and his crew, Salma turned her attention back on Zayn.
"Almost there," she told him excitedly, steering him away from a slippery carved edge of the rocky terrain they were trekking on. His heavy rubber shoes barely made any sound as he followed her blindly.
"With how the wind is blowing, and the kind of ground under my shoes, I'm quite certain you're about to lead me to some cliff and push me off," Zayn guessed.
"You got that right!" Sarah cackled.
Salma's shoulders shook with a suppressed laughter. Poor Zayn has been forced to wear a blindfold the moment Salma picked him up after her class. He was clueless about the location, or the activity he was supposed to partake in with his date. His only instructions had been to grab a jacket and wear trekking shoes.
"You'll be alright." Salma reassured him with a squeeze of her hands.
"Not really, but whatever!" Sarah interrupted.
"Sarah!"
"I'm starting to regret agreeing to this." Zayn huffed.
"Pfft! Grow a pair!" Sarah snorted. "She followed you into the heart of the forest in the dead of the night! And your track record is less than doubtful!"
Had Salma's hands not been in Zayn's, she would have facepalmed.
"And you brought her along!" Zayn continued, turning to where Sarah was. Oh yes, he also had no clue that Sarah would be joining in. "I don't see why we needed a deadly virus accompany us on a date!"
"Dude, keep talking!" Sarah warned.
"Stop it!" Salma intervened.
"Whatever," Sarah scoffed, walking ahead of them.
Salma heard Zayn snicker.
"Is she gone?" He smirked.
"No she isn't!" Sarah called from her spot.
Zayn sighed bitterly.
"Bummer!"
Salma giggled.
After the scare of her unnecessary, foolish slip the other day, Salma felt unusually happy for the date. She was glad things were still okay between her and Zayn and that their nikkah was valid. She had panicked fearing that she had messed it all up unintentionally but fortunately, her father had managed to keep a calm head despite getting very worried for this sudden problem he could have done without.
"Zayn, can you recall the exact words she had said to you?" he had asked Zayn - who had insisted on coming with Salma to meet her father.
"She said I might have divorced her by signing the paper," Zayn replied, "but she didn't mean it, obviously! Mr. Rahman, it was joke --"
"Even so," Mr. Rahman intervened. "So the words used were 'might have?'"
"Yes," Zayn confirmed.
"And that made you think she intended to terminate the nikkah?"
"Yes, but I misunderstood her. She didn't meant it! It was a prank on her part."
"Salma?" Mr. Rahman turned to his daughter who was quietly crying in her seat. "Did you say 'might have?' or did you say 'we are divorced' or something to that effect?"
"No," Salma said, sniffing. "I think I said 'we might as well be. . .'"
"And did you mean it?" he asked. "As a joke, I mean. Did you intend for him to think you're divorcing him?"
"No." Salma shook her head.
"But he said it was a prank so that means you meant for him to think you're divorcing him."
Salma shook her head again.
"I was only joking about how easily he had agreed to sign a contract he had not even read. So I said 'Read it. We might as well be divorced and you're now my body shield.'"
"Exactly!" Zayn snapped his fingers. "I recall those to be her exact words!"
Mr. Rahman turned his unimpressed stare on him.
"Look, I know I said slightly different words but she said it like that and I misunderstood her," Zayn clarified. "I thought she was telling me we were divorced when she was being sarcastic about my readily signing the paper. Also, we cleared it up immediately afterwards. I don't know why it's an issue --"
"Because it is," Mr. Rahman replied. "She's right to worry. These matters are sensitive."
Zayn paled. For the first time since Salma's freak attack, Zayn had started to look worried. He had clearly thought he would explain to Mr. Rahman what had happened, who would side with him, call Salma a silly girl, and the non-issue would be resolved.
"But it was a joke," Zayn said feebly.
Mr. Rahman inhaled deeply.
"I'll consult a scholar to get a second opinion but so far as I see it, I don't think the words have been said, therefore, the nikkah stands," her father said.
Salma and Zayn turned to each other, relieved.
"However," Mr. Rahman continued. "I will ask you to keep your distance till it is confirmed."
"But --" Salma and Zayn tried butting in together.
Her father held up his hand to shut them up.
"And also, be careful in the future. Some things cannot be taken lightly. This is one such matter. Unless you are interested in messing it up, don't even utter such words in the echo chambers of your brains. Understand?"
"Yes dad," Salma muttered
"Yes sir."
Thankfully, the expert of fiqh -- islamic jurisprudence -- her father approached for an opinion, also agreed with him. He had confirmed that very night that the nikkah still stood as valid. Salma and Zayn were elated by the news, to say the least.
***
Salma came to halt when she felt Sarah's hand on her back. She wriggled one of her hands free from Zayn's hold and looked over. Her heart skipped a beat and her skin crawled. As excited as she felt, a wave of fear rippled through her body. What if something went wrong?
"Guys?" Zayn asked uncertainly. "Like what happens now? I can feel the wind has gotten stronger."
Salma was just looking at the magnificent six hundred feet fall, open-mouthed. The green cliffs were breath-taking, but the steep drop was scary.
"I'm just choosing the right kind of blade, be patient!" Sarah snapped.
"Sarah!" Salma chastised again.
"Bee? Can I please take the blindfold off, I need to see her, to not punch the wrong person!"
"No!" Salma cried, grabbing his hands again. She then rounded on a snickering Sarah. "Can you please stop it? You're ruining everything?"
"Should have thought of that before you invited me over to your lovey-dovey fest!" Sarah returned with an eye roll at Zayn's arm snaking around her waist.
"I swear, I just need one glimpse!" Zayn said. "I have a very good idea where she's at. I can sense the virulence even blind-folded."
The Coach and three of his helpers walked over. They raised a thumb, asking Salma if they were ready? Salma and Sarah exchanged a glance and nodded their confirmation.
The Coach grinned. Salma could see they had not had such a crazy bunch of idiots request their services before this.
Zayn was quick to grab the hand that approached him. His body language changed from relaxed to offensive in a flash. Salma gasped, reaching for his arm.
"Easy there, Zayn!" she said hastily. "He's here to help."
Zayn let go of the helper's hand.
"What's the tinkling noise?"
"It's chains!" Sarah feigned a monstrous voice. "We're going to – alright, alright, I'm sorry!" She quickly stopped and threw her hands up when Salma threw her a dirty look.
Rolling her eyes at her friend, Salma turned to Zayn.
"It's nothing dangerous," she replied. "It's something to wear for – well, the surprise!"
Salma saw Sarah pointing at her. she frowned.
"Me too?" Salma asked. "Why do I have to wear it?"
"Because?" Sarah pointed to the edge. "You hold his hand to guide him and therefore, you wear it too!"
Salma looked away from her to the Coach.
"It's dangerous!" he whispered.
"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Zayn asked, laughing awkwardly.
"Not yet," Salma told him quickly, still arguing with the Coach and Sarah silently for having to wear the harness. "But soon."
The two men started helping Zayn in his harness. Salma held onto his hand to let him know she was still around and Sarah was not preying on him in his moment of vulnerability.
"I better not be staring at my death once its off!" he said, feeling the metal attachments. "These feel like hooks. Ya'll want to hang me or something."
Sarah laughed out loud but quickly cut it short when Salma threw her another glare.
"In like, five minutes, you'll see!" Salma replied, as she pulled the safety vest over herself. "Just trust me, alright?" Giving him a quick hug, Salma let go of his hands to fasten the clasps of the harness around her thighs.
The Coach put on a helmet on her as his helpers helped Zayn into his knee and arm pads.
"Pads for the knees, elbows and a helmet," Zayn observed. "I'm starting to get excited!"
Salma laughed as the Coach asked her if the gloves were the right size. She nodded in reply.
"That's good to know," Salma replied, as she took his searching hand in hers.
"You are all geared up too?" Zayn asked, feeling her protective gloves and pads.
The Coach double-checked all their clasps to make sure they were properly fastened. He gave her a thumbs up.
"Yep," Salma replied, edging closer as Zayn blindly tried putting his arm around her. "It's a date. I'm with you in it . . ."
Salma led him forward when the coach beckoned them on. He started connecting Zayn's harness to the line.
"Well . . . for the most part," Salma added, giggling.
Zayn squeezed her to his side.
"I really don't like that evil little laughter in the end," he muttered.
The Coach asked her to move forward. Salma gestured with her hands. "What for?" she mouthed.
The Coach pointed at the six hundred feet drop behind him. "It's dangerous!" he whispered strictly.
Sighing in defeat, Salma rolled her eyes and moved to allow him to attach her harness to the line too.
"Alright," Sarah said. "Ya'll are ready."
Salma felt her heart pumping at mad pace as she followed the Coach to the ramp, right at the spot where there were no more fences. Her stomach knotted to see the never-ending steep fall just half a foot away. She was now very glad she was securely attached to the line. Taking in a huge, shaky breath, she raised on her tippy-toes and reach for Zayn's blind fold with trembling hands. Nodding at Sarah, she kissed Zayn on the cheek.
"Ready?" she asked.
He breathed out a sharp breath.
"I have no idea!" He laughed.
"We'll take that as a yes!" Sarah said, walking towards them. "Hold on to her tight –"
"What?!" Salma cried just as she loosened the blindfold.
"—or I'll basically kill you if she gets hurt!"
The blindfold slipped.
"What the –"
Zayn's eyes widened. He took in the deathly drop, the equipment and the rope. Shock gave way to excitement. His arms around her tightened. Salma saw Sarah grabbing the fence, lifting her foot in a kick. On instinct, she locked her arms and legs around Zayn, screaming.
"No! No-no-noooo—"
The rest of her sentence drowned by her blood curdling scream, Zayn's hooting laughter, the rapidly blowing gusts of wind and the fact that she was free-falling down a six-hundred feet cliff.
As her world crashed into a nothingness of cold wind and speed, the only solid thing was the very strong pair of arms holding her securely and his neck that she was trying to hide in, screaming holes into his ears.
The mad fall came to a sudden halt as the rope jerk and bounced. The swung to one side, then started falling back slowly. The whistling of the wind had stopped already, replaced by the enthused sound of someone's excited hoots and laughter.
The only solid thing that she was holding onto for dear life, moved as Zayn kicked his feet happily.
"Heck yeah!" he screamed. "Best. Day. Ever!"
Trembling all over, Salma grabbed onto him even more tightly as the rope bounced due to his kicking.
"Tell me about it!" someone yelled from above. "I've always wanted to kick your butt off a cliff."
Sarah. Salma recognized the voice. That bloody demoness!
Pumped by a sudden blast of anger, Salma poked her face out of its safe space.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" she screamed.
As if the sick prank and her consequent reaction were not embarrassing enough, Salma's threatening screech bounced off of the tall, rocky walls of the cliff, in various versions of a very squeaky voice.
An explosion of manic laughter took place at the cliff's top as the Coach, the crew and the Demoness all grabbed their stomach in jest.
With her expression crumbling, Salma turned to Zayn who quickly bit his lips to not join those howling at her up the cliff. However, his shaking shoulders were a dead giveaway. Crying in defeat, Salma went back to hiding her face in the crook of his neck, as she helplessly swung back and forth with the rope, still very secure in his embrace.
Drained of energy by the unexpected fall, she actually felt so exhausted she could cry. Zayn patted her back.
"Come on, Bee," he consoled her. "I can't think of better date. It's so much fun. Laugh it off?"
Salma swallowed past her clogged throat. He was right. She would square off with Sarah some other time. Also, this was meant for Zayn, and if he was having a good time. Purpose served.
"My legs are shaking," she muttered, feeling the muscles in her thighs and shins ache as she continuing straddling him.
He laughed, kissing her on the crown of her head.
"Welcome to the life of an adrenaline junky!" he said, squeezing her in a hug.
Salma chuckled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"Once the thrill of the ride is over, and the adrenaline wears off, you get weak knees, shaky legs and depression. How about that?" Zayn grinned.
"That sounds promising." Salma laughed.
The rope stopped. Salma quickly undid her arm and legs around Zayn when she saw more helpers moving the ramp to help them off the harness. However, she could barely hold her weight. Her legs felt like jelly.
"Here." Zayn grabbed her waist. The helper put them off the line. "Thank you."
"No problem." The helper smiled.
Zayn climbed off the ramp, then caught Salma as she jumped towards him.
"I almost dropped you!" Zayn chuckled, lowering her to her feet.
"Thank you." Salma muttered. "I can honestly just go to sleep right here!"
"Miss?"
Salma saw another helper offering her her favorite chocolate milk.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed. "I had almost forgotten about this."
Smiling at her, the kid trotted away. Salma and Zayn grabbed a bottle each and took a seat on a nearby boulder to catch a breath, and boost their sugar levels.
"Anyone fancy a second round?!" A booming voice from above yelled.
Salma looked up to see the Coach waving at them. She realize he was speaking through a mega phone.
"Yeah!" Zayn replied. "In a minute!"
He then turned to Salma as if realizing just now she had almost had a heart attack the first time around.
"I'm up for it," Salma shrugged, taking a huge gulp of the milk. "Just not when I'm not mentally prepared."
Zayn's eyebrows shot up in amusement.
"And you thought I would be?" he laughed.
"No, you were supposed to stand there, take in the view and then jump at your own time," Salma explained. "I didn't know Sarah was going to end up being a pain in the neck."
"When is she not a pain in the neck?" Zayn scoffed.
Salma opened her mouth to defend her friend out of habit, but then remembered she was burning mad at her and shut her mouth close. Zayn noticed and fell into fits of laughter, almost spraying the drink out.
Salma smiled, nudging him in the side to make quit laughing.
The two of them rested for about fifteen minutes. Once Salma's muscles relaxed back and she became more steady on her feet, they stepped into a small make-shift lift to get pulled back up the cliff. Throughout most of the break and the journey up, Salma kept plotting ways to get back at Sarah. She tried calculating the manner in which she could overpower her to get into the harness and then kick her off the cliff. No matter how impossible it sounded, Salma was determined to do it.
There was no need, however.
The moment she stepped out of the small lift and walked to the take-off area, she saw Sarah all geared up, padded and clasped to the jump-rope, fastening on her helmet. She threw up thumbs up sign.
"See you on the other side, suckers!"
Pulling her fists to her eyes to mock Salma's crying, Sarah jumped off the cliff with a black flip, her exhilarated scream of joy in complete contrast to Salma's strangled gasp of panic. She raced towards the edge in fear, terrified for her friend.
A hand grabbed her protectively near the edge as Salma watched Sarah free-fall with bated breath.
Author's Note:
Don't look at me. The lot of them are mad 🥴😂
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J.