Part 11 –Be Adventurous
"O people! Fear Allah with regard to your wives. You have taken them into your possession with the permission of Allah."
After they arrived in Swaziland, which in itself was no easy feat, they checked into their lodge. They sat in their SUV, growing irritable as the minutes ticked by. The dwindling heat of the sun made it no easy task to wait for three hours either. Zaakir grew frustrated at the wait, but knew that he had to come to Swaziland to do the one thing that he had always wanted to do. It was one of the things on his unofficial, unwritten bucket list. He had done two things on that unofficial bucket list already.
While they waited, he watched Maleeha silently and discreetly. He couldn't understand his fascination with her. He was drawn to her unique mannerisms, her unusual ways and style of arguments. She was different from what he was used to, but he couldn't understand why she enraptured him at times.
Her All Star covered feet rested on his dashboard –which was something he abhorred as it was close to being a pet peeve of his, but he knew telling her would only encourage her to do it again –her dark blue jeans were tucked into her high tops and the long shirt that she wore curled around her waist. Her scarf was wrapped prettily and didn't move at all throughout the day, despite the fact that she wore her sunglasses sporadically and fell asleep once or twice. After their lunch, she immersed herself in her book while he put on the radio for something to listen to, to prevent him from going mad, or worse, pick a fight with Maleeha. However, it did nothing to distract him from Maleeha –who sat less than a foot away from him, and yet remained unattainable.
When they finally arrived at the lodge, Zaakir was famished and very tired. The drive itself wasn't too long, nor was it far, but it was just tiring to wait. After her parked the car, he went to check them in and get their keys. "Come," he said once he parked their car outside their lodge room, underneath the shelter allocated to their room number. "It is a bit small," he told her slightly awkward. "Two bedrooms, one en-suite bathroom and the other one is for you. There is a little table inside, with coffee and tea and a kettle. Lastly, there is a little lounge area leading outside to our patio."
She listened to his very basic descriptions. "So, I assume you are takin g the master suite?"
He knew that that would be the only thing to catch her attention. She hated being told what to do, and there he had just decided for her. "Of course. I am older than you are." He turned over his shoulder and tossed her a cheeky grin.
She rolled her eyes at him as she carried in their vanity bags as well as her shoe bag. When he opened the door, she was greeted by a fresh pine scent. It was less of a lodge, and more of a wooden cabin. The room was square shaped and had a very natural theme to it. Nearly everything was constructed out of wood -chairs, tables and furnishing. Opposite the door, were huge glass doors encased in African Blackwood, which Maleeha presumed led to the patio Zaakir spoke about. Walking in further, she was greeted immediately by the first room with two smaller beds on either side of the room separated by a table between them, opposite the small room was the bathroom she supposed was for her. Zaakir had dropped her luggage off there before he walked in further, with her following behind him.
The master suite was not that much bigger than her room. It had a queen sized bed, a set of cupboards to the right of the bed and a small dressing table opposite the foot of the bed. Maleeha shrugged. She wasn't really losing out on much, and it meant that she wouldn't get to see Zaakir walk around the room in a towel.
"You can keep it," she said disdainfully.
"Why?" he asked her suspiciously.
She gave him a dull look. "Just," she said and turned around.
"Maleeha?" he called just before she was out of his room.
She just barely turned, enough for him to see her eyes. It glistened with unshed tears. "Are you okay?" he asked her genuinely.
The question caused her to mentally stumble. It threw her off. She never expected him to care, after all, he was an ice king. He was a jerk, a cold, closed off jerk, she reminded herself. "I'm fine," she gulped and then rushed into her room. She ignored her inner curiosity that wanted to see the room and explore the outside of their lodge a little, and instead threw herself on the bed facing her ceiling.
The sting of tears prickled her eyes, but Maleeha was being stubborn and refusing to let them fall. Her mind reeled back, thinking about the stories her mother would sit and tell her as a child. Ameena had a way with words, and with a few strategically placed words, she constructed fantastical worlds for Maleeha to dream in. Fantastical, magical stories that ranged from the Disney Princesses, other princesses to anecdotes of the wives and life of the Prophet (S.A.W). Other girls would dream of unicorns and rainbows, but Maleeha's dreams consisted of princesses locked up in enchantments with valiant beasts and knights who would swoop in to save the princesses, or dashing and handsome and smooth talking knights and princes who would laugh at the danger and rush headlong into it, as long as they got the princess for them. Maleeha then thought about how her mother would play with her hair, fingers combing through her hair, from root to end, as she weaved the idea of having someone who would love Maleeha unconditionally and irrevocably.
A man who would have the characteristics and heart of the Prophet of Allah (S.A.W) but the idiocies of the Prince Charmings of Disney. A man who was handsome and dashing, and sweet and concerned but who was brave enough to stand through life's tribulations with her. She had weaved her own stupid dreams of a man who would play with her, give her attention, spoil her with love and affection, a man who would do anything for her, but she was hasty and she agreed to Zaakir. But Maleeha knew that deep down, there was a reason that she agreed to Zaakir. A hidden reason. It was something that she was not comfortable to admit it to herself even.
A few tears escaped her eyes and she let them roll down her cheeks. Her mother had always encouraged her to be a princess, to find her prince and now she had gone on an 'adventure' with the devil she chose and agreed to marry leaving her mother alone in her time of need. The guilt of her recklessness ate away at her. Her sister could not be expected to look after her parents because Qandeel had her own life, and child to look after. What if her mother needed Maleeha? Her father was old, he couldn't possibly carry her and bath her if she required it. What if she got so sick that she couldn't recover? What if she died while Maleeha was away on the foolhardy trip with Zaakir?
Maleeha couldn't handle it. She began crying. Ugly, fat tears ran down her face and she turned onto her side and cried into the pillow, wishing she was wrapped up in her mother's arms. Who knew what would happen?
After she cried her heart out, Maleeha felt drained. She picked up her huge suitcase and heaved it on the opposite bed and began searching for her pyjamas. In her frustration and anger, Maleeha could not find the pyjamas she was looking for. It only made her angrier. She pulled out article of clothing after article of clothing hoping to find it, but she couldn't. In the end, she crumbled to the floor, resting against the bed and clutched her knees as she cried.
She cried again, and again, and she only ended up feeling worse after each tear that fell. Maleeha was wrong. She couldn't be away from her parents, away from her mother on this foolish little getaway. What was she thinking? She wasn't thinking about them when she decided, she had only thought of herself.
As she cried, she berated herself for running away, for actually enjoying herself with Zaakir. She berated herself for not thinking things through, for following through on what Zaakir had told her. She hated herself for not fighting more against what he had told her, for not convincing him to stay. She could not understand why she hadn't stood up against him and demanded that they stay. But, she suddenly understood that deep down, she wanted to look at the trip as a form of adventure. That was the reason she never negated it, or even thought of any reason to stay.
Then, she realised that she could not heap the blame at his feet entirely. She was an adult. She knew right from the wrong, and she had grown up to be independent and to think for herself. She could think for herself! "What was I thinking?" she asked herself. Then, she answered herself. "That's right! I wasn't thinking! I was being stupid, childish and selfish. I knew mummy was sick! Why on earth did I agree to go on this damn trip with Zaakir!"
Several times during her little self-depreciating speech, she hiccupped. Her bouts of crying were fatiguing her and making her irritable. But, she mentally scolded herself and ordered that she 'buck up and get ready for Salaah'. After Maleeha mentally prepared herself, she randomly picked up the nearest pants and t-shirt and then dumped the rest of her clothing in her bag. It was a problem she decided to tackle on another day. She grabbed her clothing and towel and toiletry bag from the bed, and disappeared into the shower.
Maleeha had spent nearly three years in the shower -or, at least that was how it felt to her. When she was done, she made Salaah and yet the feeling of inadequacy and worthlessness still clung to her like a thick mist of despair. She didn't know how to fix it or put an end to it, but she knew that she had to speak to Hector again. He would know what to say.
With that thought in mind, Maleeha walked hesitantly to Zaakir's room and knocked twice. She was a bundle of nerves, worried about what he would think of her, but she tried to brush it off. She had bigger things to worry about. "Come in, Maleeha," he called softly.
She took a deep breath, and then pushed open the door. "You're such a two-faced liar!" she exclaimed. Zaakir was relaxing against the headboard with his legs crossed as he typed away on the sleek, silver laptop resting on his lap. "You have a laptop!" she accused him angrily.
Calmly, he nodded as he raised his eyes and looked at her. He took in her appearance, but hid the frown he could feel forming. It wasn't even Maghrib time, and yet she was already in light blue pyjamas. Her long, beautiful hair, hung on either sides of her shoulders in wet curls and he noticed her eyes were red, glassy and sort of unfocused. Immediately, he knew she was crying without even needing to check if her nose was red as well. He glanced down, and he confirmed his suspicion.
"I told you earlier," he said casually. "I am a businessman, Maleeha. I need to ensure that things run smoothly in my absence." He had infused as much arrogance into his words as he could, trying to bait her and make her smile, but nothing worked. Maleeha remained stoic and unimpressionable.
"I know!" she replied dryly. "But it wasn't fair that I couldn't bring mine along!" she argued. The fire left her body. She came into his room with a mission, and that wasn't to fight with him or insult him. Then she looked down, as the embarrassment blazed through her body, avoiding his gaze. "I, uh..." she trailed off, embarrassed to go any further.
"You...?" he prompted with a raised eyebrow. He could guess at what she wanted, he wanted her to ask him, because he wanted to make her squirm a bit. He didn't understand why he was baiting her, or even acting sadistic to her, but he knew if he tried to understand it, he wouldn't like the answer.
He hid a smile as he noticed that she avoided looking in his face. The smug feeling was something that he couldn't hide or deny as it grew in his chest, as he realised that he had succeeded in making her feel slightly uncomfortable, and he knew that it wouldn't be too long before his old Maleeha shone through.
With a flinch and widened eyes, he shuddered at his thoughts. His Maleeha? No, he convinced himself. It was a lie, pure idiocy and lack of sleep on his part. She was not his, she was nothing to him but his responsibility.
"Uh," she said softly and hesitantly. "I came to ask you if I could please use your cell phone."
A strong, bright and nearly overpowering flash of jealousy struck Zaakir. It was unusual as it was unfathomable. Was she going to call Hector? A rage he had not felt before enveloped him, but he was a strong man. He offered her a tight lipped smile, and bit down on the feelings of shame and regret of forcing her into feeling awkward and embarrassed around him, as he spoke to her. There was no visible sign that he was jealous. "Yeah, sure, of course. I'll just finish up my work. Wait, maybe you can use my laptop and Skype your sister one time. I'll just be an hour," he said quickly.
He had surprised himself by offering his laptop, but he knew it was sneakily for his benefit. To be able to see and hear who she was talking to. But, he saw her indecision. "Look, why don't you dry your hair. You can't afford to get sick here. I don't know any doctors here. I'll be done with the laptop long before your hair is dried and then I will bring it to you."
She smiled, but he saw see her hesitance and sadness. "Thank you."
He finished off the remainder of his work with a small smile on his face, something so unusual that he didn't even realise he was smiling. He had rushed through his work, wanting to get it done and out of his way. He had planned on relaxing and not doing too much work, that was the reason that he ignored any emails that were not sent to him by his secretary. Zaakir could not care how important the person was.
Any email that did not have a gripping subject line, by even his secretary, was ignored. It was deemed not important. Until one of them caught his eye. It was dated the day that he and Maleeha 'disappeared'.
He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. It was an article written by some sensationalism newspaper that distorted the truth so much, it boarded on fiction. Although he was not one to indulge in any article that involved him, he opened the email to read the article further.
The article itself annoyed Zaakir. It was filled with fairy tale ideas and sprouted nonsense, in his opinion.
HAS THE ICE KING ACTUALLY FOUND LOVE?
Could it be possible that the Ice King of Business that we all know to be aloof and untouchable, has found love?
Zaakir Hussain, dubbed the Ice King of Business is off the market! Ladies of all ages will be disheartened and disappointed. Insiders say that the lucky girl is university student Maleeha Khan, a 23-year-old business major.
Was their love for business the major catalyst to their connection?
While many hearts are broken and devastated by the news, we wish Zaakir Hussain all the best. Especially since sources say that the 'in love couple' have not appeared in any festivity after the Muslim celebration, Nikkah, which is only an acceptance of the marriage and signing the book to say they are married.
Have they actually eloped? What could have been the reason? Do the girl's family not approve of the match? Although, that would seem preposterous since Zaakir Hussain is the most sought after bachelor of his age.
Do his parents approve of the match? No one would comment. After even approaching Maleeha's family for a comment on the wedding, every chance was denied.
We can only hope that the sweet and innocent, according to sources, Maleeha is enough to melt our favourite Ice King's heart and capture it for all eternity. Our best wishes go out to the couple for happiness and love in their marriage.
Zaakir swore colourfully. They were dragging Maleeha's name and her family name through the mud. Worse, than that, was that they were harassing her family. It would only be a matter of time before they found out his family history. His true identity. Immediately, he called his secretary, but the call went to voicemail.
"It is Zaakir. I want you to sue that newspaper company for defamation and I want them to stop harassing Maleeha's family. I want a public apology in the newspaper for publishing that article and I want a restraining order against them. They are not allowed within one kilometre of Maleeha at all times and at least two kilometres from her family. Email me with the details of what my lawyer has set out. And email me the confirmation."
He cut the call and angrily threw his cell phone on the bed as he paced his room angrily. Zaakir knew that his life was in the public eye, it had been since he first started, but he never expected them to jump out of nowhere on Maleeha and her family. He thought that they would at least be able to enjoy their getaway road trip.
Sighing, he ran a hand over his face. He would have to tell Maleeha, but he didn't know how. Was it necessary to tell her? No, he decided finally. She did not have to know. He could and would sort it out. Besides, he knew if it were truly terrible that friend of hers would have told her about it.
Unless, he was too focused on her mother that was sick. That would make Zaakir feel better, because it meant that her friend was not too shallow, and although he would hate to admit it, Zaakir was glad since it meant that her friend cared about her.
With an irritable sigh, he logged out of his email and shut the laptop before he stood silently, listening if she was blow drying her hair. She was. He went to her bedroom and knocked when he heard that there was no other sound.
"Come in."
He frowned at her tone of voice. It was dead and tired and drained. With a deep breath, he pushed open her bedroom door. "Hey," he smiled at her, hoping that she wasn't mad at him. "I brought the laptop," he said hesitantly. Internally, he frowned at that. he was never hesitant, but why was he acting like a shy idiot?
"Oh, thank you," she said as she turned around and faced him. He walked next to her and left the laptop right in front of her. "I honestly appreciate it," she said softly.
Without another word, he sat down, staring into her eyes. It was red rimmed and puffy. He knew that she was still crying as she blow-dried her hair. Her hair was a beautiful ebony colour, he could see that it was naturally wavy and that had him smile slightly as he looked at her with softened eyes. He liked wavy hair. It made your fingers easier to run through and more fun between a couple.
"Why are you smiling?" she asked through narrowed eyes.
With the smile still on his face, he only shook his head. Hastily, she put down the hairbrush and blow-dryer and put her hands to her head and covered them as much as she could. "I know my hair looks funny but that's what happens when you try to blow-dry anyone's hair!" she said quickly trying to defend herself.
Zaakir let out a small laugh as his eyes moved to the sectionalised hair. It was true, it looked a little funny, but he knew that. Growing up with sisters and nieces, he learnt what happens when hair is done. "It's not that," he teased.
"Then?" she asked quickly.
"Nothing," he smiled and scrunched up his nose as he shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm going to make my asr and Google what time Maghrib is, okay?"
She nodded and then finished up the little mountains on her head before calling Hector. To her utter surprise, all of her friends were in Hector's house except for Nura -which was a given. "Hey Leah!" they all yelled at her as soon as the camera connected.
They had strategically placed themselves in such a way that Maleeha was able to see all of them. Tears welled up in her eyes at seeing all of them. She missed them and she didn't even realise it until she saw them all there. "Hey guys," she choked out.
"Why are you crying?" Pooja asked her in a concerned tone.
"I'm not," Maleeha denied as she forced out a misshaped smile.
"Yeah, sure," Savannah said sarcastically. "You totally are crying!"
Maleeha rolled her eyes. "I never realised it until now, that I actually miss you losers," she laughed.
There was a cacophony of laughter from her dorky friends and despite everything that had happened in the last few hours, Maleeha felt a bit lighter. "Of course you would miss us," Cassandra said in an obvious tone. "We are the best you could ever have!"
"You wish!" Maleeha teased with a brief flicker of her wrist. Her eyes scanned over the faces, looking for the one she wanted. "Hector, I thought it was supposed to be a secret!" she accused him.
He looked guilty for a minute.
"It's not his fault!" Savannah quickly protested. Maleeha found her beautiful forest green eyes and glared at them. "We forced it out of him. He really had no choice! Besides, we followed him when he came to come drop off the money for you." Red stained her cheeks as she admitted the truth.
In spite of Maleeha wanting to be angry with her friends, she couldn't. The truth was that even though they did not always get along, but in a group that big it was obvious that there would be discord amongst them, they were family and would kill for one another.
She pretended to be angry at them, not saying a word as she played with her scarf. "Leah," George said in his deep baritone. "Come on, pretty girl, don't be angry with us. We were worried about you. We all knew about your complete dislike to the douchebag you married, and when we saw Hector drive out in a rush on us, we followed him. We worried if something had happened to Pooja's favourite person," he teased, yet there was a slight pleading to his deep tone.
"Please?" he begged and unconsciously pouted at her.
It made her smile to see such a big man as George pout. "Fine, I forgive Hades," she said nonchalantly as she rolled her eyes.
Then, out of nowhere, Hector blocked the whole group as he came to the front of the camera on the laptop. "Hey Leah, remember when we were doing our assignment?" he asked as excited as a kid on crack.
Maleeha nodded as she recalled her state of mind that day -completely frenzied. She blushed and hoped that no one else would see it. Fortunately for her, Hector blocked it out and he seemed too eager to tell her want he wanted to, instead of paying attention to her blush.
"So, you remember when Pooja swore she'd marry Zaakir?" he asked mischievously. His broad grin promised nothing less than trouble, and Maleeha was nearly ecstatic that she was not going to be one on the receiving end of his teasing.
He moved out of the way and then she nodded. "OMH! Yes! I totally do remember! Remember how angry she got at us for teasing him?"
Maleeha and Hector laughed, while Pooja blushed furiously. Everyone else seemed slightly confused. "Yes! She was such a hellfire that day."
"What are you talking about?" George demanded as he placed his arm around Savannah's waist.
"Whoa! Whoa! When did that happened?" Maleeha asked in surprise. She was happy for them, that much the cute grin on her face said so, but she was a best friend. And best friends do not let other best friends get into relationships without them being teased about it. It was her job, as best friend to both of them, to make them squirm and feel uncomfortable.
Savannah looked at Maleeha, blushed and ducked her head under George's chin. "At your wedding reception, where you failed to show up," George said gruffly, but Maleeha smirked even more when she saw the rosy tinge on his cheeks.
"Glad my absence made your heart grow fonder for her," she winked at them.
"Shut up!" he blushed. "And tell us what secret you three have?"
Maleeha only wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Oh, no, I will definitely not shut up, since no one cared to inform me!"
"Just like you didn't inform us about your secret runaway trip with your husband," Cassandra countered.
Maleeha flinched, but covered it up with a dramatic resting of her hand over her heart and a goofy grin. "I'm hurt! You actually think I wanted to run away with him?"
They nodded. "Duh!" Savannah said as she scooted onto George's lap.
Maleeha shrugged. "You're right." Her admission was so casual that everyone gasped.
"WHAT?" Hector yelled.
"I didn't try to change his mind. I just went along with it, and now, how can I say that I didn't run away from it?" her tone went back to a flat tone, the one she used on Zaakir.
There was a collective sigh of relief. "Idiot. That was merely going along with it. You didn't explicitly agree to it," Cassandra told her calmly.
"But I still haven't fought against it. I'm just a spectator."
They rolled their eyes at her idiocy. Maleeha was too stubborn for them, they knew that the best way for her was to learn the hard way. The worst part was, she was completely oblivious to the fact that Zaakir was standing behind her. No one said a word to her. They all ignored him as well.
"So, you three have still not explained Pooja's statement," George felt compelled to point out once again.
That led to Maleeha, Pooja and Hector explaining the one time that Maleeha forgot about their assignment and how Pooja swore that she would be the one to marry Zaakir and how Hector and Maleeha would regret every word that they said against him.
"Oh," Savannah said calmly. "Isn't that ironic? Maleeha ended up married to him and Raj Kapoor proposed to Pooja!"
"What?" Maleeha exclaimed. "I go away for a few days an everything happens!" she whined.
Pooja glared at Savannah. "It is not like I agreed. He is a dork anyway. I don't even like him. Besides, there is still a chance that Zaakir could marry me," she said hopefully.
"Whatever," Hector said bored. "But, Sav is right. It is kind of ironic that you married him. I swear, I still laugh every single time when I think about how you described him."
At that, Zaakir walked into the room and made his presence aware to everyone. "What kind and flattering words did Maleeha say about me?" he asked as he slipped behind her, wrapped his arm around her, and placed a light kiss to her temple, as if they were a couple in love.
Instantly, Maleeha's face transformed. She grew angry that he was eavesdropping on her conversations, and worse than that he was touching her and pretending as if they were a couple. "What the heck?" she fumed as she turned around and faced him. "Why are you even here?"
He ignored her and instead spoke to her friends calmly. "Hi Pooja. How are you?" he greeted.
She grinned happily. "Hi!" she beamed widely at him. "I'm great, thanks, and how are you?"
Zaakir was being evil and he knew it, but he had to do it. He felt like he had to annoy her, if he didn't want her to be so sad. He didn't like the fact that she was sad. He would rather have her angry at him, then miserably sad. "I am absolutely great! Hey Hector!" he greeted with a wide smile.
Hector raised a thick eyebrow. As if asking, are we friends? "Hurt her, and I will kill you," was all Hector said in reply to Zaakir.
Zaakir laughed, long and loud, seemingly ignorant of Maleeha's intense glare on him, but he knew she was glaring at him. "I don't aim to," he told Hector earnestly.
"Good," George chirped in. "Because I will help him hide the body and pretend that we know nothing about your...untimely disappearance," he said with a shrug.
The girls nodded in agreement with them, until Maleeha sighed. "Guys, knock it off. I'll kill him myself if I have to. I can manage him."
"We know, pretty girl," George winked. "Just letting him know that it doesn't matter who he is, we will kill him if he hurts you."
"Uhm, thanks?" Zaakir said hesitantly.
"It's a pleasure!" Savannah squeaked. "I'm Savannah."
"Pleased to meet you," Zaakir charmed. "You have beautiful eyes."
Maleeha sighed as shifted her over and sat down next to her and slipped his hand around her waist, keeping her next to him. Her breathing hitched and she became hyperaware of every single pressure point he was touching. The sensation of his hands -as light as the touch was -keeping her from making any rational comment. Her brain turned to mush, and she just kept an annoyed look on her face. Even though she discreetly tried to wiggle her way out of his touch, she felt slightly flustered.
She barely paid attention to who he was flattering and who he was charming, all she could think about was his hand on her. "Hey Zaakir?" she called softly, once she realised that she was acting like a teenage lovesick fool.
He turned his head slightly and offered her a goofy, jaw-breaking, mile wide smile. "Yes, babe?"
She rolled her eyes at his lame attempt. "They know I dislike you, so can you please stop buttering my friends up? There is no need to pretend that you like me, nor do you pretend that ypu want their approval. And get your damn hand off my waist!" she hissed, but loud enough that everyone heard her.
"You dislike him, but that doesn't mean we dislike him!" Pooja yelled as she gave Zaakir a small, supportive smile.
"WE DO!" the rest of them groaned.
Zaakir smirked at Maleeha. "Who said I was pretending?" he winked and then got off her bed, disappearing out of her door.
She hoped it would be out of her life as well, but she knew that was wishful thinking.
"Ahem," Cassandra cleared her throat suggestively.
"What?" Maleeha growled out.
"That was one fiery interaction," Hector grinned teasingly.
"Shut up!" Maleeha said annoyed.
They jeered, but continued to make fun of Maleeha, taking advantage of the fact that she was the first to be married, and yet she didn't even like her husband. "But Leah, if you didn't like him, why did you blush?" George teased her.
"I don't know what you're talking about, since I didn't blush at all."
"Hmm, really?" Savannah asked sarcastically from where she was perched on George's lap.
Maleeha glared at them, narrowing her eyes as much as possible. "I didn't blush."
"Not even when he walked in and kissed your temple?" Hector said suggestively as he made kissy faces.
"Because you definitely looked like you were blushing," Pooja called out, her tone sickeningly lovesick.
"Are you jealous?" Maleeha said darkly. "Because you can have him for all I care."
"Maleeha," Pooja said seriously. "He isn't an object. And yes, I'm teasing you with marrying him and stuff. But you are my friend and I will not allow a man to get in the way of our friendship. I don't know why you're still angry about your marriage to him. You can benefit from it more than he can. He can help you with your essays, and your thesis to finish your Masters. He can advise you on what way actually works in practice, Leah, honestly. Milk it!"
Maleeha never replied, just pulled a face. "Hector," she called, changing the subject. "Did you speak to Qandeel? Or go and see my mum?"
_+_+_+_+_+_
AN: Salaams!
So, please let me know what you think? What was that little kiss Zaakir gave Maleeha? (THEIR FIRST KISS!)