I'M BACK!!!
Amiieeyrah sissa💕it's early💃🏻💃🏻(though if you think about it, hayyam your Aunt 😂😂) anyhow here's it is.
I hope y'all enjoy💋💕
Issa Aayan's POV❤️🕺🏻💃🏻
I honestly miss his point of view.
Let's see what our heartthrob😍 has for us.
..........🍷🍾🍸
AAYAN
"Congratulations baby girl." I gave her a bouquet of roses and snickers. She smiled brightly and accepted it, saying thank you.
Jawahir has just finished her three months course at Red Dish Chronicles. She started at the month of November and now she's through. It seems like a long time since she informed me about wanting to join the school, so many things have changed since then, many things. I held the door open for her as she slide in, she has received her diploma and we will be having a small outing with my sisters and her siblings.
Jawahir said it isn't necessary at first, but agreed later on. It'll be a way for them, us to spend time together before they all go back to their respective destinations.
"Uhm, can we please go back....home, I want to change." I nodded my head and took a left turn.
She's wearing a shirt that says 'straight outta red dish' with a maxi skirt and she paired it with a kimono.
A few minutes later, we arrived home and Jawahir immediately went to her to room to change. I branched at the kitchen to get a bottle of water before also walking to my room. I might as well change too.
Since it's just a casual meeting, I opted for a plain white shirt with dark fitted jeans and a sport coat. I grabbed a random wrist watch which happens to be a Rolex. I quickly went down and Jawahir was already there waiting for me. Wow! She got ready real fast, all the girls in my life take hours to get ready, no matter the occasion, even Ma... LA;
No, Aayan don't go there.
Mentally shaking my head, I announced my presence. Jawahir stood up when she noticed me. She's wearing a golden dress with some sort of a cape.
Gold is really her color. Is gold a color? No? And as usual her face is bare just a lipgloss. My Tesoro isn't a fan of makeup, I've only seen her with makeup once or twice.
"Ready?" I asked and she nodded. Slipping my hands into hers, I led us to the car.
We zoomed off to Millennium Park where we will be having the picnic. We met my sisters, Jawahir's siblings—all of them—Jawahir's friends, her brothers in law, sister in law and of course the kids.
The kids—Affan, Ammar, Amma, Humaid, Yasmeen and of course Nai'a and Amal; but the two of them don't like being categorized as kids, all ran to Jawahir when they sighted us, this diverted everyone's attention to us.
"Aunty Jawjaw!! Aunty Jawjaw!! Ya Jawjaw!! Ya Jawjaw!!" They all chorused as the younger ones compete about getting to her first.
What can I say, they all love her a lot and she's no different. She just has a way with kids, the way her eyes light up when she's with them, or how she laughs freely with them, with no care in the world whatsoever. It's such a beautiful sight. She'll be an amazing mother, definitely.
The mother of your kids! My mind said.
My kids........
After exchanging pleasantries with one another I took a seat with the boys at a table while Jawahir took a seat with the girls at the other table and there's a separate table for the younger ones.
"Chef Munchkin." Suhayl teased Jawahir ruffling her hijab a bit. She rolled her eyes and punched him, pretty hard if I must say. He groaned and mumbled something under his breath to which she punched him again. Those two like bickering.
Affan ran to me, I picked him up and placed him on my laps. "Hey buddy."
"Ya Aayan." We fist bumped. "I'm missing you." He said.
"I miss you too buddy." I have to say the house is just too quiet without them. They left a week ago. Is that how Jawahir has being all this time before she started school? And that's how she'll continue now that she has graduated?
"Is that so? Well you did not tell me that you missed me." Ja'afar, Nana's husband said to Affan.
"Uhm I missed you too." He replied hesitantly.
"Who's your favorite brother in law Affan?" Hassan, Farha's husband asked. The twins are so different from each other, while Hassan is a talkative and always jovial, Hussain—Firdaus's husband—on the other hand is reserved. And it's funny how their wives are a complete opposite of them.
I remember growing up with them, Firdaus was a mischievous young girl always stirring up trouble and Farha was a bookworm like Maheera.
"Uh..." Affan hesitated looking between the four of us. The boy looks conflicted. He suddenly hopped off my laps as if something bit him, and ran away yelling 'I do not know' We all chuckled at him.
"He's just confused." Hassan laughed it off. "I'm sure I'm his favorite." He boasted.
"Well actually Hassan, I don't think so." Yusuf chimed in.
"Yes I agree." Akram added. "Since the boy came back he has being talking about Aayan none stop."
"I'm sure it's just infatuation." Hassan grumbled and his twin just rolled his eyes.
"Hey!!" Suhayl suddenly exclaimed. "Won't you ask me who my favorite brother in law is?"
Everyone at the table chuckled and Akram whacked him on the head.
Suhayla served us lunch. To be honest I couldn't eat much, the food is delicious not as much as the one I always eat at home though. I don't think I'll find anything as good as that anytime soon.
***********
After lunch we played, well actually they played, all that's really not my thing. I just observed them as they roam around. Nana, Kulthum, Firdaus, Maheera, Farha and Hairan are chatting amongst themselves while Jawahir, Suhayla, my sister and her friends are occasionally taking turns to play with the kids. Yusuf, Hassan and of course Jafar and Suhayl occasionally joined them while Akram, Hussain and I remained seated.
Hassan walked to us all sweaty and out of breath. "You guys should loosen up a bit." He scoffed.
When he got no reply from us, he continued. "Seriously your wives will get bored of y'all, well except you Akram." Hassan chuckled looking at Akram and Akram just scowled.
Jafar jogged towards us. "What's happening here?
"Just look at this boring trio please. The no nonsense soldier, the ever serious CEO and.......and my twin." He deadpanned.
"I have to agree with Hassan." Jafar said crossing his arms.
"You know what?" Hussain suddenly rose up from his seat. "We challenge you in a game of volleyball." He announced. "What do you say guys?" He questioned Akram and I.
"I'm in." Akram said raising his hand.
"Why not?" I also agreed.
"But-but volleyball is a six people game."
"We can improvise, 3 against 3." Hassan shrugged. "Or you're scared twin?"
"What? Nooo!" Hassan scoffed.
"Let me go ask Yusuf then." Jafar said before walking away.
"Nahnu sanahzimuhum; we are gonna defeat them." I told Akram and he smirked.
"Qida'anan; definitely."
"Hey! You guys should speak in a language I'll understand." Hassan protested.
"But we were not talking to you." Akram shrugged.
Hassan just rolled his eyes and went to the middle of the field and yelled about us having a match, literally. He reminds me so much of Uthman, they're all kids trapped in adults body.
The ladies and the kids all went to take a seat as Yusuf and Jafar set the nets. I excused myself before walking to where Jawahir is. She didn't notice me but one of her friend did, Amani. She tapped her on the shoulder, then pointed to me. When she noticed me, she stood up and walked towards me.
"So you're really playing then?"
"Mhmm" I nodded. I removed my wrist watch and clipped it around her wrist. The watch is obviously too big for her, it kept dangling. "You're so small." I tapped her nose with my index finger.
She scrunch up her nose and she looked....cute. "No I'm not." She grumbled.
"Whatever you say Tesoro." I placed my sport coat on her shoulders leaving myself in just a white shirt. I can see Jawahir's eyes roaming round my body. I leaned down and whispered. "Like what you see?" To which she flushed completely, her face going as red as a tomato.
I just chuckled. "Cheer for me Amira; princess." I winked before walking away.
Don't ask!! Because I do not know the answer either. She's making feel, something I haven't encountered in a long while. While I'm definitely...uhm scared, yes scared but this is one of the best feelings I've had in a long long long time and if I'm being honest with myself, I like it, a lot. So I'm going to enjoy it as long as it lasts without over analyzing everything.
But I do know not to cross the line. I cannot fall. I can't, I do not want a repeat of last time.
At the end, we won 15-6. We are not boring after all, we all know how to have fun. Well, I once did know how to now all I know how to do is work.
Hassan is a sore loser. He has being whining nonstop and he's starting to annoy me.
"Shut up Hassan." Akram scowled. I guess I'm not the only one he's annoying.
We arrived home thirty minutes to six. I killed the ignition and alighted the car. Jawahir has already hopped off at the front while I parked the car in the garage. Since it's almost time for Maghreb I strolled to the masjid.
I came back from the mosque and met Jawahir in the parlor. She has changed and is now wearing pajamas with her hair open and loose.
"You didn't sleep?" I asked her as I took a seat beside her.
"No." She yawned. "I wanted to wait for you. We have not spend a good thirty minutes together today."
I'm surprised she actually said that. I noticed that she says whatever it is that's in her mind.
"Ok, so I'm here." I told her. "Did you have fun today?" I asked.
"Yes." She squealed. "I'm happy I got to spend time with my siblings. I miss them so much."
"Mhmm." I nodded.
"Oh oh! I forgot to tell you." She yelled all excited. "Ya Farha is pregnant!" She squealed excitedly.
"Wow! Congratulations to them." Hassan is going to be a dad. Wow! We'll see how that ends.
"I'm so excited! I cannot wait, I'm gonna spoil him/her rotten." Jawahir said smiling brightly.
"You should focus on spoiling your own kids." I teased, smirking at her.
She gasped, horrified and flushed beetroot. I noticed she was uncomfortable because she kept squirming. I have no idea why I said that. So I decided to change the topic.
"Now that you're through with the culinary school, what do you have in mind?"
She sat upright and turned around to face me in her seat. "I want to start my own business." She said enthusiastically.
"Business? What sort of business?" I asked interestedly.
"Well a bakery one day in sha Allah. But for now I'll start a small scale one, baby steps. That is if you agree."
Ahh that makes sense. She really is so passionate about it, isn't she? And why wouldn't I agree?
"Of course I'll agree, it's a great idea." I scooted closer to her. "In fact there is this building at Maitama that I don't know what to do with it, so we'll just build you a bakery there."
"What?!" She exclaimed, looking at me like I'm crazy. Did I say something wrong?
"No Aayan."
No? "But you just said you wanted a bakery." I asked in confusion. Because she literally said she wanted to have a bakery and now she's saying no.
"Yes, I did. But you cannot just give or build one for me."
"Wa lammaa laa; and why not?" I asked folding my hands.
"Because I want to start from scratch, from the very beginning and gradually climb the ladder all by myself."
"I still don't see why not?"
Jawahir made a frustrated noise at the back of her throat. "Aayan if you do that, then you just handed it to me in a silver platter, I didn't do anything—
"—It'll be all you, because the customers will only come if there is a good product. And yours is the best." I argued.
"Aayaaaaan." She whined. "I want to know what it's like to fall down and get back up. I want it to be all of my hard work, determination, dedication and ambition. I want to do it all on my own, not just have it automatically. I want to see the real world, because I never got the chance to. I want to prove to myself and others that I am strong and I can survive."
I'm so damn proud of this girl. She's beautiful in and out. Her fierce determination is remarkable honestly. She wants to make a name for herself, by herself, all on her own. She continues to amaze me day by day. She wants to be independent, even though she doesn't need to be, she has this zeal to prove to herself and others that she's not weak then who I'm I to stand in her way. I just hope that she realizes I'm here for her, whenever she needs me.
"Okay fine Tesoro, no bakery." I sighed.
"Yay!" She leaped into my arms. I smiled and tightened my arms around her delicate self.
"Thank you. I'm glad you understand." She mumbled in my chest.
"Mhmm." I hummed. "I'll transfer the money to your account tomorrow morning." I said as my placed my chin on top of her head.
"What money?" She asked raising her head to look at me.
I pulled her back to my arms. "The money you'll need for the expenses of course."
This time she slipped out of my hold and stood up. "There will be no need for that." She replied in some sort of a sheepish manner.
"What do you mean?"
"I have some money saved up." She replied scratching her nape.
She's kidding me right? She's not going to accept the money too? "I cannot let that happen Tesoro. How much is it?"
"It's not much but it'll do." She said with determination.
"But Jawahir I can't let you struggle when I can easily give it to you." I said also standing up. I cannot let her do this, she'll be independent but never will she have to struggle for money when I'm here in sha Allah. That's my job.
"Aayan please, please min fadhlik understand." She begged holding my hand.
"You do know it's a big bruise to my ego." I mumbled.
"I'm sorry." She pouted. "But lemme do it please."
"No." I said in a final tone.
Jawahir sighed and dragged me to the couch.
"Aayan..." She started. "I know you don't like this idea but I need you to trust me. I've never ever had some sort of independence in my life, never not even once. That's why I need you to let me do this, please. I'm not accepting the money for only this reason."
I sighed, still a bit reluctant.
"Aayan all I need is your support, to have you by my side each step I take. And I promise when I see this aren't working out—which it hopefully won't happen— I'll speak up, I'll ask for your help. Please let me do this." She pleaded.
"Okay fine." I agreed. She squealed happily and hugged me. I didn't waste a second in returning the gesture. "You promise to speak up when you need help right?"
"I promise." She grinned then she yawned. She looked downright adorable.
"Time for bed Amira."
"I'm so tired, I don't want to walk all the way to my room." She said in a whiny voice.
"Your wish is my command." I turned around and squatted a bit in front of her. "Hop on."
"What are you trying to do Aayan?" She giggled softly.
"Giving you a piggyback ride." I said in a duh tone.
She really is changing me.
"Okay." She laughed and hoped onto my back, wrapping her legs tightly around my waist and her arms around my my neck. Her warm breath caressing my neck and a shiver ran down my spine.
"Ready?" I asked.
"Yuppp." She said and planted a kiss on the left side on my bare neck.
"Don't do that, in ba kinaso mu fadi ba; unless you want us to fall down." I warned.
She just chuckled but said nothing, she then rested her head on my shoulder. I carefully climbed the stairs till I reached her door then I asked her to open it. After she did, we entered and I dropped her at the foot of the bed.
"Good night." I placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.
She beamed brightly at me. "Night." She stood on her tip toes and kissed my cheek.
I smiled at her one last time before walking out.
What are you doing to me Tesoro!?
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
"YOU CALLED ME AT 2 FREAKING AM TO ASK ME WHERE YOUR FREAKING FILE IS?!!!" Uthman bellowed furiously through the phone.
"Yes." I said calmly.
"Kaci gidan ku Aayan. Nace 'kaniyanka." He deadpanned and I chuckled.
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?" He yelled incredulously.
"Sort of." I snickered.
"Why did you really call?" He sighed.
"I need the file right now, I couldn't sleep so I thought I'll just thoroughly check through it."
"You didn't take your pills?" He asked quietly, his voice now gentle.
I sighed tiredly. "I didn't. I haven't taken them in a while." I confessed.
"Aay—
"I want to stop relying on them." I quickly interrupted him.
"Yeah it's about time. You've been using them for a while now. I'm sure—
An ear piercing scream interrupted Uthman. Jawahir I started panicking. And I know what he was going to say.
"Good night mehn." I said in a haste and didn't wait for his reply before disconnecting the call. I sprinted to her room in a flash.
It's the nightmare again. For the past few weeks, she has being having them almost on regular basis. Anytime I try to talk to her about it she close off completely, it's like flicking a switch and everything goes blank. She just goes rigid and emotionless. And I don't like seeing her that way so I try to just be there for her without pressurizing her into saying something she's clearly not ready to, but things are getting out of control.
I barged in and saw her curled up on her bed yelling, and struggling to move away from something as if it's about to hurt her.
"NO DON'T! NO!! PLEASE NO!" She screamed in terror again.
Oh Tesoro.
"I'M SORRY, WALLAH. PLEASE PLEASE DON'T."
It's physically painful to see her this way, wallah it really is. I gently marched towards her, I'm scared to touch her. I placed my hand gently on her leg.
"AHHHH!!" She attempted to scram away. "DON'T!! PLEASE STOP. HELP!! HELP!!!" She choked.
I held her shoulders and shook her roughly, trying to get her to wake up but she kept struggling and painfully screaming in agony.
"JAWAHIR OPEN YOUR EYES." I yelled shaking her furiously again. She has to wake up, it's like she's trapped inside her own body. I've seen this before, it's obvious she's having recurring nightmares. With no other choice, I slapped her. I'm so, so sorry Azizaty but I had to.
She gasped out loud and whimpered. "Aayan!!"
And she threw up. Gross!! She then leaped into my arms hugging me tightly like her life depended on it. "Don't leave me here please, take me away from here. Please, please, please." She kept chanting.
"Shhh!" I rocked her, rubbing her back soothingly. "It's okay, everything is fine now. I'm here, I'm here. Shh! Shhh!"
We sat down like that for about thirty minutes till her breath even out. I carefully picked her up bridal style and walked to the bathroom but didn't switch on the light to respect her privacy. I removed her night gown careful not to wake her up and wrapped a rope around her. I left the dirty clothes on the counter top then picked her up again and walked to my room.
I gently placed her on my bed before walking to the bathroom to also change my clothes. I climbed the bed and carefully pulled her body, tucking her to my side. I whispered prayers all over her and placed a gentle kiss on her head.
I desperately need answers now Jawahir.
:::::::::::
I woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Sighing, I stood up and walked to the ensuite. I knew she'll leave immediately she wakes up. I haven't slept that peacefully in a long time. I did the usual morning routine and wore my clothes before going down.
I'll get my answers and I'll get them now. We've stall this long enough, I can't help her when I do not even know what the problem is. I ambulated to the kitchen and met her kneading a dough.
She visibly stiffened when she heard me walk in, straightening her back and she became rigid. See what I was saying.
"Jawahir." I called.
"Na'am." She replied without turning, she continued kneading her dough. But I don't think the force she's using is required.
"Hal anti bikhayr?" I have to know how she's doing first. She might have a headache from all the yelling and screaming.
"I'm peachy." Ok now she's just being sarcastic.
"Jawahir." I sighed. I walked to her and placed my hands on her shoulder, turning her around. She refused to meet my eyes, her gaze on anything but me.
I released her shoulder and stepped back a little. "You need to tell me what's wrong, Tesoro." I pressed further. Jawahir can be stubborn when she wants to be.
"What do you want me tell you, when there's nothing to say." She grumbled, clearly annoyed.
"Tesoro all I want to do is to help y—
"And who said I need your help, huh?" She shot angrily, glaring at me. "I don't need your f***** help."
"Do not swear at me Jawahir, ever." I warned in a deadly tone.
"Then leave me alone!" She yelled and stormed out of the kitchen. I know it will probably be better to let her cool off but I followed her anyway.
"Jawahir what you are doing is not healthy. You can't keep everything bottled up. You need help." I said to her as she was about to start climbing the stairs.
She whipped her head in my direction. "Are you saying that I'm crazy?" She shot, her eyes furious.
What the Jahannam!? Where on earth did she get that from?
"That's—
"Will you for once stop breathing on my neck? I don't need your help or anyone else's for that matter. JUST LET ME BE! GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE. I'm sick and tired of you asking if I'm okay or not. I DO NOT need your help, not now, not ever. Just go away, no one wants you here." She furiously yelled, with so much anger I never knew she had the tendency to possess.
I just stared at her for a couple of seconds before snatching my keys and walking out. It's best if I give her space like she said. She's obviously not in a good mood and I don't want to stay there because I might loose my cool and things will spiral out of control, which is the last thing I want right now.
I got into my car and drove away with no idea where I was going. Thirty minutes later, I found myself in front of my in laws house. I honked and the gate was opened, I nodded at the gateman and drove inside the house.
I parked my car beside Mammie's and killed the ignition. What I'm I even doing here? I thought. Not giving myself a chance to change my mind, I alighted the car and walked to the front door. The door was opened by a maid who ushered me in. The house is eerily quiet.
I took a seat in the small parlor as I wait for Mammie's arrival. She walked in a few later and I immediately squat a bit to greet her.
"Lafiya qlau Aayan. Take a seat." She motioned to the couch.
After we exchanged pleasantries, she looked at me. "Son? What is the matter? I know for sure there's must be something for you to visit this early. And without Jawahir."
I didn't know what to say, where do I start from? What do I tell her? So I explained everything the best I could.
"..............Mammie ana haqanan uridu an usaeidaha; I really want to help her. And it keeps getting worse, she even threw up yesterday."
Mammmie nodded her head as if that's what she was expecting, it didn't surprise her at all. "Aayan son, I wish I could tell you. But it is not my place, it's not my story to tell. Jaw wouldn't be happy if I tell you. She'll be so angry with the both of us."
I nodded my head understandably. This is what I was expecting to hear honestly, but a small part of me was hoping she'll at least say something.
"Aayan it's painful for her, it'll take time before she opens up." Mammie continued. "It took her a while before she finally told me what she sees in those dreams." She choked. "I couldn't sleep for days. It's horrific and terrifying."
Ya ilahi!
"Please try to be patient with her. She'll be hard to deal with, she'll frustrate you but please son......
"Mammie you do not have to tell me this. I'll take care of her to the best of my capabilities in sha Allah."
Mammie smiled appreciatively at me. "Allah muku albarka gaba daya; God bless you all."
"Ameen ameen."
I left thirty minutes later.
I honestly don't know what to expect as I entered the house. The place was quiet as usual so I walked deeper into the parlor. I saw Jawahir sitting down on the floor with her head buried in between her thighs. She looked up when she heard my movement.
"Aayan." She called, her voice a bit croaky. She has being crying. Oh Tesoro!
"Yes Jawahir?" I kept my car key on a stool, not looking at her.
"Aayan I-I'm." She sighed. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"What are you sorry for?" I asked, still not looking at her.
"Aayan please...."
"There's nothing to be sorry about." I told her and walked passed her.
"Then why are you ignoring me?" She called back.
"I'm just doing what you asked me to." I shrugged and continued climbing the stairs.
"Aayan." She called again, I turned to look at her. She looks as if she wanted to cry again. "I said I'm sorry. What I did was uncalled for, I released my frustration on you, which you did not deserve. I'm really, really sorry Aayan."
"It's fine." I said in a monotone. Without waiting for her reply, I hurriedly continue climbing the stairs, taking two at a time.
"Aay...ouch." She cried out in pain. I whipped my head around and saw her sitting on the last stair holding her ankle. I sighed and rushed to her.
"What is it?" I squatted down and picked up her injured leg. It looks like she twisted her ankle.
"Can you turn your foot for me?" I asked her. Jawahir winced in pain when she did.
"Looks like you sprained your ankle." I picked her up bridal style and she yelped in surprise. She instinctively wrapped her arms around my neck. I ambulated to her room, looking straight ahead though I can feel Jawahir's gaze on me, but not once did I look down at her.
I managed to open the door with her in my arms. I gently placed her on the bed and turned around to leave but a hand on my wrist stopped me.
"Aayan, please look at me." I finally looked at her and she was pouting. Boy did she look adorable. "Seat down please." She requested in a soft tone.
I sat down beside her and she took a hold of my left palm. "Aayan ana asifun haqanan; I'm really sorry. Irja'an adaniun; please forgive me."
"Tesoro." I sighed, placing my hand on top of hers.
She smiled brightly when I said that. "It's okay, it really is. All I want to do is to help you. I hate seeing that way, wallah I do."
She scooted close to me and rest her head on my shoulder. I automatically draped an arm around her, pulling her to my side.
"I will tell you." She declared.
"No, you don't have to. I understand." Even though I want her to tell me so badly, but I want her to tell me when she's ready not because she feels obligated. When she finally trusts me.
"No Aayan. I want to, I need to. I'm going to go crazy if I keep bottling it up."
"Ok."
Hello lovelies❤️❤️❤️
I hope ban cika ku da long boring chapter ba☹️😔
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Tell me your favorite part and why 🤗🤗
Ohh 😲 and they had their first real fight 😥
My babies 😭❤️🔐
In the next chapter we'll finally hear why Jawahir is having this horrific nightmares. Fingers crossed it'll meet your expectations 😬 *chew nails and lips nervously*
Until then anticipate, leave your wildest guesses.
I also want to thank you guys❤️❤️ we've reached 7k+ reads. And I noticed that I have many new voters💃🏻💃🏻 my phone was spammed🕺🏻💃🏻
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