Bonus Chapter 2

❝Tum ho na❞

The house was silent save for the light hum of television coming from the lounge room. An action movie was displayed on the screen and the raven haired guy was completely engrossed in it, sitting near the edge of the sofa as he watched the intense scene in front of him. Just as the villain punched the hero, his view was cut off by another screen being shoved into his face as his wife's hands came around from both sides of his shoulders.

“How does it look?” Ifrah asked, her face close to his right ear. Aayan blinked rapidly before focusing on the iPad screen where a digital invite was staring back at him and he furrowed his brows.

“Um… I don't know, babe. Maybe you should change the theme to green instead of purple? It's really hurting my eyes.”

A frown appeared on Ifrah's face as she dropped her chin on his shoulder. “But I spent two hours on deciding the colour.”

“Then don't change it.”

“But you said it's hurting your eyes.”

“Then change it.”

“Aayan.” she deadpanned.

“Yes, babe?” he turned his head to her side and their noses almost touched. Ifrah pulled back with narrowed eyes.

“Give me a serious opinion! The client is waiting!” she said in a frustrated tone and Aayan picked up the remote to pause the movie before sitting properly on the sofa to face her.

“I'm not an expert in this stuff.” he spoke lazily. It was very late at night and both of them were still awake. While Ifrah had a reasonable excuse, Aayan's reason for being awake was that he couldn't sleep alone in the bed. So, he was killing time by watching a movie as his wife worked.

Ifrah rolled her eyes before moving towards the staircase. “Rehny do tum. Mein khud he decide kar lun gi.”

(Just leave it. I'll decide it myself.)

“Phir mera scene kyun khrab kia fazool mein?” (Then why did you ruin my scene for nothing?) the guy muttered under his breath before rewinding the scene and settling on the sofa. Aayan was focused on the screen but when he heard the light thud of the room door being closed, he immediately pressed pause once again and picked up his phone. His fingers flew on the keyboard as he typed some urgent messages. It seemed like the other person was awake too because soon Aayan was immersed in an important chat.

He didn't realize Ifrah had come back down before she spoke up and he jumped slightly.

“What are you doing?” she asked while coming to sit beside him on the sofa and he hastily tossed his phone to the side. Fortunately, his wife's eyes were trained on the screen so she didn't notice.

“Nothing. I was just scrolling through Insta.” he cleared his throat then; “Did you finish your work?”

Ifrah nodded her head and picked up the remote. “Yeah. By the way, I bought new curtains when I went for shopping with mama today.”

Aayan raised his brows. “Why?”

Ifrah faced him with a straight look. “What do you mean why? We have to decorate our house, Aayan! Itni mushkil se mila hai.”

Her husband rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. Wesy zroorat kya thi itnay barray lawn ki? Tum khud ja ke tou beth'ti nahi bahir.”

(What was the need for such a huge lawn? You don't even even sit outside.)

Ifrah passed him a sheepish look before saying; “I just love the greenery. And the view from our bedroom's window is worth it, don't you think?”

A smirk pulled across Aayan's lips as he shifted closer to her and said softly; “You're right. The view is pretty amazing.”

It took a second for her to realise the meaning behind his words and when she did, she slapped his shoulder while a bright blush rose up to her cheeks.

“Stop being so cheesy.” she tucked the loose strands behind her ear and faced the large screen in front of them.

Aayan grinned at her shyness before letting out a huge sigh and dropped his head on her lap. “Haye, tum sharma rahi ho? I thought you'd be used to me by now.” he spoke softly while staring up at her face. Ifrah looked down at him with a scowl.

“Shut up. Your head is very heavy, move it away.”

He just got more comfortable and raised his hand to pull her hair tie, making them fall freely and she gasped.

“Aayan!” she complained with a glare while he tugged on her curls.

“Jee? Gulaam hazir hai.”

Ifrah couldn't help the smile which was threatening to spill across her face but kept her expression hard and said; “I've told you a thousand times to not remove my hair tie at random moments.”

Aayan gave her an innocent pout in return, making her heart flutter. “But I love your hair down. You look breathtaking.”

The smile appeared this time along with a blush.

“And kissable.”

Her eyes widened as Aayan's deep chuckle reverberated across the silent house and she silenced him with another slap on his chest this time.

“Baaz aa jao tum, badtameez.”

“Never.” he shot back with a stupid grin before; “So, can I get a kiss?”

Ifrah pushed him off just as he said it and he fell down the sofa with a loud yelp while she stood up from there. “Sara din bss yahi kam hai tumhy. Kal se kam pe jana chup kar ke.”

(You don't have anything better to do all day. Start going to work from tomorrow.)

She said as she made her way out of the lounge room and towards the staircase.  Aayan immediately shot up on his feet and yelled at her retreating back.

“I can do whatever I want, okay?! And wait 'till I get my hands on you!”

Their bedroom door slammed shut as a grin pulled across his full lips and he quickly shut off the television and lights, picked up his phone and ran up the stairs.

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Ifrah was pulled out of her sleep from the sound of a phone ringing. She tried to tune out the noise by snuggling further into her husband's side but to no avail. Her hand shot up before she removed Aayan's strong arms from around herself and sat up straight.

This guy slept like a stone.

Rubbing her eyes to get rid of the haziness, she realised that the ringtone belonged to Aayan's phone. Her eyebrows creased together and she looked at the clock on the opposite wall.

7:15 it read.

Who's calling him this early?

The phone blared for a second time and she leaned over his sleeping form to grab the device and checked who was calling.

The caller ID made her eyes go round. It displayed 'GF' with a freaking heart beside the alphabets.

What the actual broken stool leg?!

Her head snapped at the side to gaze at his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful and innocent, and Ifrah felt her insides melt. She shouldn't assume anything. Aayan loved her. She knew that. And besides, he wouldn't be so careless to save a contact with that name if he had an affair.

So, she answered the call when the phone chimed for the third time with her heart beating rather haphazardly.

“Hello?” she asked in a small voice. She could hear someone's breathing on the other end but they didn't speak. Alarms started ringing in her head and she tried again. “Hello? Anyone there?”

The person hung up and Ifrah's eyes widened. Who the eff it was?!

She thought of dialing back the number but stopped to stare at Aayan's face. She felt conflicted. They were doing great since they returned from the island four months ago and this one call was going to ruin it.

Nope. Ifrah wasn't going to take it on her head. What's the point of saying 'I love you' when you can't even trust each other?

So, she took a deep breath and placed his phone back on his bedside table. Turning around to gaze at his peaceful form, she brushed the hair away from his forehead and pressed her lips there lovingly. She untangled herself from the sheets before making her way to the bathroom to freshen up for the day.

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Aayan came bounding down the stairs while running a towel through his wet strands. He practically skidded into the open kitchen to see his wife standing near the stove, her back to him. He grinned mischievously as he dropped the towel around his neck and stepped forward to snake his arms around her waist from behind, hoping to startle her. But she didn't give any reaction besides slightly tilting her head to face him.

“I heard your monstrous steps coming down the stairs.” she told him and he rolled his eyes while resting his chin on her shoulder.

“I'll remember that next time.” he muttered and watched as she added salt on the egg, heating on the pan.

“You know what week is it?” he asked out of the blue and her brows furrowed in confusion before she shook her head. “It's your birthday week.” he told her while moving his hands from around her waist to grab hers which were holding the spatula and pan. Ifrah's eyes went round in remembrance and she smiled.

“You remembered?” she asked, making him frown.

“Of course. Stop asking stupid questions and get away from here.”

“What?” she asked as he pulled her away from the stove and spun her around to face him. Ifrah opened her mouth to ask what he was doing but a yelp escaped her lips when he held her by the waist and perched her on the kitchen island, completely taking her off guard.

“What— ”

“Sshh.” he brought his face close to hers, their lips only an inch apart. Ifrah's eyes widened as her heart leapt up to her throat.

“Aj nashta mein bnaun ga.” (I'll make the breakfast today.) he spoke softly, his eyes darting between her eyes and lips. Ifrah felt her breath hitch as he closed that inch of gap and stole a peck before spinning on his heels and going over to the stove.

Four long months and she still got nervous whenever he did that.

The chestnut haired girl cupped her cheeks which had turned red and took a few breaths to calm her racing heart. When she finally got a hold of herself, she tucked the loose strands behind her ear and said;

“You don't know how to cook.”

Aayan's shoulders stiffened for a moment before going back to normal and she bit back a smile as he replied. “So what? You already did the hard part, I just have to wait for it to cook now.”

She didn't reply and quietly watched him as he turned off the stove and came to the island to put the egg in the plate which was already placed there. His damp hair fell over his eyes as he finished the task and looked up to see her staring at him. Ifrah didn't avert her gaze and a slow smile pulled across his full lips.

“What are you looking at so shamelessly? I'm shy, you know.” he remarked teasingly, making her chuckle before she replied.

“I have full right to stare at you for as long as I want.” he passed her a grin. “And I was just thinking how you look like Zayn Malik's twenty fourteen version, with those long hair, stubble and all.”

Aayan's expression dropped and she laughed out loud at his reaction. He was growing his hair because according to him, he wanted to try a different hairstyle from his usual messy one. And now she'd compared his efforts to one of the members of a boy band he absolutely hated. Aayan took a deep inhale before coming to stand in front of her.

“You love teasing me, don't you?” he asked, planting his hands on either side of her. Ifrah's grin didn't waver and she grabbed the towel from around his neck and dropped it on his head.

“I wasn't teasing you, I genuinely thought you looked like him.” she was rubbing the remaining water out of his hair with a frown. “Baal bhi nahi sukhany atay tumhay?”

(You don't even know how to dry your hair?)

“Tum ho na.” he commented lazily and her light hazel eyes found his caramel ones before she smiled softly. He didn't miss any chance to make her heart flutter.

Adorable gadha.

Ifrah felt him leaning in and she immediately tightened the towel around his face in such a way that he looked like he was wearing a scarf and burst out laughing at how hilarious he looked. Aayan stepped away from her with a scowl and she slapped a hand over her thigh, lost in her hysterics.

“Oh my God!” she gasped out. “I should've taken a picture!”

“Shut up!” he growled before throwing the towel at her face. It just landed at her feet, making her laugh even more, and he went out of the kitchen in frustration. Leaving her to sober up on her own.

This woman will never let him have a serious romantic moment.

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Ifrah sniffled as she dabbed her eyes with the tissue for the hundredth time that night, her light hazel eyes trained on the screen in front of her. They were having their Sunday movie night and it was Ifrah's turn to choose the movie. She had gone for Me Before You, and now when the movie was nearing its end, her waterworks had started with full force.

Aayan sighed loudly from behind her and leaned over to pull her back to him, she didn't even protest, too engrossed in bawling her eyes out. He rested his head against the headboard while tucking her to his side and cringed when she dropped her used tissue on his chest.

“Oye nahi mar raha wo, acting hai ye bss.” (He's not dying, it's just acting.) he said in annoyance while picking up the tissue and throwing it away. Ifrah immediately snapped her head up to give him a glare.

“Nahi dekhni tou bahar lounge room mein so jao.”

Aayan zipped his mouth shut and she rested her head back on his chest. A scowl was etched on his face as he stared at the stupid movie but it soon dissolved when he felt her fingers playing with his wedding band. A smile made its way to his lips; it'd become her habit, and he loved it because she wasn't even aware of it.

Soon, his mind drifted off to the task he had to do tonight and he let out a quiet sigh. He would have to make sure that she doesn't wake up. But she was a light sleeper, so he'd have to do something about it himself.

An idea hit him all of a sudden and his eyes rounded before he moved away from her form, making her give him a confused look.

“I'll be back in a minute.” he said while getting up from the bed and going out of the bedroom. It only took him ten minutes to come back and Ifrah raised her eyebrows when she saw him entering with a glass of milk placed in a tray.

“What's this for?” she asked as he handed her the glass and passed her a smile.

“Warm milk helps with a peaceful sleep.” he told her while climbing on the bed and she threw him a funny look.

“Why all of a sudden?”

Just drink it, woman!

He smiled tightly. “Why not?”

Ifrah stared at him for a second or two before shrugging and drinking the milk. Aayan's shoulders visibly relaxed when she finished the glass and placed it on the tray. She lied back down and he wrapped his arms around her frame, hoping for the crushed sleeping pills to kick in.

And they did. Because soon Ifrah was mumbling incoherently, fighting off the sudden drowsiness.

“Aayan,” she called in a soft voice and he hummed in response, prompting her to continue. “I'm feeling sleepy.”

He bit his bottom lip to stop the amused smile. “Then sleep, babe.”

“But we still… ” she yawned. “... have another movie to watch.”

Aayan picked up the remote and turned off the LCD before moving them down so they were properly lying on the bed. He brushed her hair out of her face and stared into her eyes.

“We can watch it next Sunday. Now go to sleep.” he murmured while guiding her arm around his torso.

Ifrah closed her eyes before mumbling. “Are you hiding a mistress?”

His eyes went wide as saucers and struggled to come up with a reply.

“Where did that come from?” he asked in bewilderment. His wife clutched his shirt in her fist as a response.

“Your GF was calling you this morning.”

Realisation dawned on him and he heaved a sigh of relief before letting out a chuckle. Thank God she wasn't having any doubts about him. He was still scared that this was all a dream and he'd wake up any minute.

“I don't have any GF. My only girlfriend is my wife.”

He watched as she crunched up her nose in an adorable way. “I don't want to be your girlfriend. Wife is much better.”

“I agree.” he replied softly while leaning over to kiss her forehead, his heart beating loudly against his ribcage. She'd always hold the power to make him weak in the fücking knees.

A moment of silence passed before he whispered in the silence of the night, abrupt as always.

“I love you.”

He waited for her to reply and when he thought that she'd gone to dreamland, he felt her tightening her arm around his waist as she replied with; “I know.”

And he grinned like a fücking idiot.

An hour or so later, when Aayan thought that she was completely knocked out, he slowly and carefully unwrapped her arm from around him and moved back. Standing up from the bed, he stared at her sleeping form for a moment before grabbing his pillow and placing it in his place, so she could hug it instead of him. He turned around to go out of the room but his mischievous side came out and he swivelled on his feet with an evil grin.

Opening the bedside drawer, he took out a page from the notepad and drew a childish face on it before pasting it on the pillow with tape. He barely controlled his laugh when he guided her arms around the fake Aayan and moved back to snap a picture. She'd go ballistic when she'll see this.

He pushed a fist against his mouth to cover the chuckle and skipped his way out of the room while dialing someone's number.

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Ifrah tripped for the third time as she blindly followed her husband through their lawn in the morning, her eyes were covered with a cloth and Aayan was guiding her by grabbing onto her hand. Well, he was the worst guide ever!

“Aayan!” she exclaimed in frustration.

“Yes, babe?” he replied in a cheerful tone and Ifrah let out a groan.

“Where the eff are you taking me? There are stones everywhere!”

“You are tripping over your own feet, babe. There are no stones.”

She felt heat rise up her cheeks as Aayan's laughter echoed through the air. Ifrah grumbled some more before they came to a halt and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her husband moved closer to her and she inhaled his familiar cologne, her heart thudding in her chest as his hands went around her head to untie the eye cover and she blinked rapidly to adjust her vision to the sudden brightness.

Aayan passed her a huge smile before stepping to the side and Ifrah's eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her.

A white wooden playhouse was standing in front of her, the inclined roof was grey in colour while the front door was baby pink. Two potted plants were placed under the small windows on both sides and the left side had a small table with two more plants placed on it. She stared at it starstruck, her jaw hanging open and Aayan's chuckle brought her out of the surprise.

She whipped her head to stare at him while pointing at the small house.

“You… this… what?” she stammered and her husband stepped forward to wrap his arms around her waist.

“Happy birthday, Ifrah.” he spoke quietly while leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. “I promised you a doll house back on the island, remember?”

Ifrah felt her insides turning into mush. “I-I thought you were only joking.” she whispered. “And I don't even need it.”

Aayan pursed his lips. “Ab aesy tou na kaho. Sari raat mehnat ki hai.”

(Don't say that, now. I spent the whole night on it.)

His wife gave him a round eyed look. “You spent the whole night on it?!” she asked in bafflement and he grinned in response while nodding his head. Ifrah was going to ask how come she didn't hear a sound and then remembered the glass of milk he'd given her and the pieces fell into place. She narrowed her eyes.

“You put sleeping pills in that milk.” It wasn't a question. Aayan wiggled his brows without any shame or regret.

“I had to protect my surprise.”

Ifrah pushed him away from her with a scowl. “Surprise ke bachay! Mein behosh he parri rehti tou?!”

Aayan frowned at her bizarre statement. “What the fück? It doesn't work like that!”

“Shut up!” she swirled on her heels and the sight of the playhouse welcomed her again. All her irritation seeped away at the sight of it and her heart went soft. She glanced back at Aayan who was scowling at her and lifted her lips into a smile.

“I love it.” she told him softly and his expression softened. Ifrah grinned before running up to wrap her arms around his neck and pressed her lips on his jaw.

Aayan's heart did a somersault and he squeezed her closer while brushing her hair out of her eyes.

“Banda heart attack se mar jaye ga.” he murmured, making her chuckle and he returned it. Ifrah played with the hair at the nape of his neck while a sudden ball of emotions got stuck in her throat.

She thought she was getting better at not getting emotional at his sweet gestures, but alas!

Aayan knew she was going to cry so he passed her a reassuring smile and she opened her mouth to speak, her voice thick.

“How did I get so lucky?”

Her light hazel eyes were staring intensely in his caramel brown ones and his mind went back to the time when he used to stay awake in his bed at nights, thinking about how their friendship had fallen apart and his own eyes started stinging.

“Funny,” he replied in a hoarse voice while running his gaze across her face. “I ask myself this question every single day.”

“Liar.” she stated as she closed her eyes and tears spilled down her face. Aayan moved his hand to catch them in time and his warm skin lingered on her right cheek.

“Remember my confession from that night on the island?” she gave him a meek nod. “I meant it. I can't promise you a happily ever after because we both know it only happens in fairytales. But I swear I'll keep holding your hand through every hardship and ease, 'till Jannah unites us again.”

Ifrah Raheem was the luckiest woman alive. She didn't care if there were a million other ladies who thought the same, because none of them was blessed with Aayan Abdullah. He was her gem and she was going to value him as such all her life.

She passed him a watery smile and he grinned before leaning down to brush his lips against hers. Moving back, he shoved his hands in his trousers pockets and enjoyed her flushed state.

“I fücking love that blush of yours.” he commented and she slapped her hands over her face to hide while screaming out his name. He chuckled before saying;

“You wanna know who the 'GF' is on my phone?”

Ifrah peeked at him through her fingers as he continued.

“It's Faisal.” her hands dropped to her sides in shock. “His full name is Faisal Ghani, so I saved it as GF.”

“Are you serious?” she couldn't help but laugh at that. Poor Faisal. Aayan chuckled too.

“Yep. He hates it. But who cares? He helped me with assembling it last night, by the way.”

That's why he didn't speak on the phone that day, Ifrah mused with a wide grin. She shook her head at his childishness before turning around to face the playhouse. She walked over to the side table and looked at her husband who was contently watching her from some feet away, a soft smile playing across his lips.

“Let's have a tea party.” she suggested with sparkling eyes and despite finding the idea a bit too girly for his taste, Aayan found himself nodding anyway, making her jump in happiness.

From that day on, it became a tradition to have a tea party in the playhouse on Ifrah's birthday.

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N O T E

Author waving at you guys after realising how awesome she is:

That number 29 was making me uncomfortable so I thought why not just make it 30 parts by adding another bonus chapter 😌

Some of you had asked for a bonus chapter on how they fell in love or the one with their kids. But I guess this is the best way to officially end this book; Aayan fulfilling a random promise (if you can call it one) he made to Ifrah. Sometimes the smallest of things matter the most, and considering how both of them wasted nine years apart, this makes it even more special in my opinion.

This is OFFICIALLY the end. I know I said it in chapter twenty five too, but now I really mean it. They're gonna spend their lives away from our prying eyes now LOL.

Also, SB is now close to 30k reads and 3k plus votes 😭❤️

Hope you enjoyed :)

*holds back tears*

We'll see them in Wild Rides so it's not a biggie.

*bursts out crying like a psycho*

Ignore me, I'm a mess 🙂

Stay blessed, loves ❤️