SIX

❝Tumhara rishtedar lagta hai❞

It was some hours later in the night when Ifrah felt something crawl over her leg. She had not been able to fall into a deep slumber due to the uncomfortable berth and her eyes flew open when she sensed something move across her leg.

Her heart stopped for a millisecond as she realized that they were in a jungle, and various kinds of creatures were probably wandering around them in the open. Ifrah sucked in a breath when the thing moved again and she noticed that it was something which possessed a lengthy body.

A snake?!

She slapped her right hand over her mouth to hold in the scream at the thought and tried to stay frozen. She had watched a fare share of TV programs where they show the wild life and she had learned that if you panic, you invite your doom yourself. So she stayed still, and cautiously moved her uninjured hand towards her husband who was sleeping with his back to her.

How can he sleep so peacefully?!

Oh well, he always sleeps like a panda.

The chestnut haired girl shook his shoulder while trying her best to remain frozen and whispered; “Aayan!”

No response.

She tried again and rattled him like a mad woman while whisper shouting; “Gadhay, wake up!”

Aayan groaned at the disturbance and rolled over, making Ifrah's eyes to go wide as saucers when he draped an arm over her frame and his face ended up resting on her shoulder while he returned to dreamland. She gaped at the mud ceiling as his breaths made goosebumps rise all over her skin and was brought out of the shock when the thing crawled again. Ifrah's left hand was stuck between her and Aayan's side, so she slowly moved her uninjured hand and did the only thing she could do.

She grabbed his nose with her forefinger and thumb; cutting his supply of oxygen, and was relived when her husband woke up with a start and inhaled a few deep breaths to make sense of what was happening. His hazy eyes landed on Ifrah's face and he rolled back in horror for it was too close.

“What the actual fück?!”

“Shut up!” she slapped a hand over his mouth with a glare and Aayan shook it off before opening his mouth but his wife grabbed his cheek and forced his face to look in the direction of her lower limbs.

“Oh shït,” The words escaped from Aayan's lips when he caught the black snake resting on Ifrah's right leg and his head whipped back to face her. “It's a snake.” he whispered with wide eyes and the girl returned the expression.

“I knew it. Oh my God, Aayan— ” she started frantically but the raven haired guy stopped her by covering her mouth with his hand.

“Sshh! Don't talk.” he whispered before slowly facing the snake again and spoke with his eyes fixed on it. “I'm gonna go out— ”

“Mmphh!” Ifrah protested behind his hand with wide eyes but he ignored her.

“ —and look for a stick or something to remove it off of you.” He turned to face her and cursed when he noticed her near-to-tears expression. “Don't start crying now, you idiot! I'll be back, okay? Just make sure that you don't move.”

He quickly picked up his phone and cautiously went out of the cave on all fours before standing up straight and starting to search around the place for some broken sticks. The rain had stopped and a very cool breeze was blowing which made the leaves dance across the forest, and create a soothing atmosphere.

But he couldn't focus on that considering the deadly situation.

Aayan kept muttering the word 'shït' like it was some chant while looking everywhere on the ground to find a broken branch or twig. He ran a hand over his black curls to push them out of his eyes and mumbled annoyingly;

“Mujhy nahi jeenay de gi ye sakoon se, pagal aurat.” (She won't let me live peacefully, mad woman.)

He finally found a fairly thick branch under the light of his phone and quickly grabbed it before making his way back to the cave. Aayan came back to his wife lying as still as a statue while the snake sat on her leg as if enjoying itself. The sight made his mischievous side to come out and he smirked before raising his cellphone to snap a picture (for blackmailing purposes). The flash made Ifrah's head to snap in his direction and her jaw dropped when she realized what that stupid man has done.

She couldn't even yell at him, dammit!

A chuckle escaped from Aayan's lips when he caught his wife's murderous stare and lowered the phone before quietly stepping into the cave. He wasn't going to admit it out loud, but his heart was beating dangerously fast inside his rib cage.

What if the snake attacked him?

Or worst; her?

He immediately shook away the thought; his own life was more precious than hers.

Though his traitourus heart did make a protesting skip at the thought.

Aayan stole a glance at Ifrah, who was watching him with round eyes and frozen breathing, before focusing on the crawling reptile. He cautiously moved the stick near the snake so that it crawls over it but the creature only hissed at him, making him fall back on his behind with wide eyes.

“Oh wow, my hero.” Ifrah remarked sarcastically while fluttering her lashes and Aayan glared at her.

“You speak again, and I'll leave you alone with this thing.” he said, and the girl snapped her mouth shut.

Good.

He rummaged through his brain to recall anything which he had watched or heard that could help him move this snake away, and his caramel eyes lit up when he remembered something. Aayan neared the snake again, but this time without a stick. He waved his hand in front of the snake to distract it while moving his left hand behind it to grab its head. Ifrah was watching him with her heart in throat and sent a silent prayer to Allah to keep him safe.

Don't get her wrong, this khota was her only way out, and she didn't want to be left alone in this jungle with other creatures like this snake.

In a jerk, Aayan had grasped the snakes head like professionals, making his wife's jaw to go slack. He slowly turned his head in her direction and Ifrah watched as a full blown grin made its way on his full lips, causing for her heart to flutter involuntarily at how attractive he looked.

“Oh my God!” he exclaimed in a whisper while staring at her. “I have a fücking snake in my hand!”

He just had to use that word.

Ifrah was snapped out of her wandering thoughts when Aayan carefully went out of the cave and she followed him after gathering her nerves. Her hands were shaking and had turned cold with fear and she looked at her husband who was still holding onto the snake and looking at it like it was some trophy.

Oh wow, another thing he can boast about.

She rolled her eyes before saying; “If you're finished looking at that beast like you're going to kiss it any moment, maybe we can let it go.”

Aayan turned to face her and scoffed before smirking. “You're just jealous that I'm brave and you're not.”

“Whatever. Now, let go of it. We can't be too sure about this thing, what if it bites you?” she narrowed her eyes while he quirked a brow.

“Is that... concern I hear in your statement?”

Heat crawled up Ifrah's face and she crossed her arms with a glare. “Dream on, idiot. You're not a professional, so it's better to not take any kind of risk. Besides, burying your body is not a task I look forward to.”

Aayan's smirk dropped at her last words and he glared. “Very funny.” He suddenly stepped towards her and she walked back with wide eyes.

“What are you doing?!” she asked loudly, scared that he was going to drop the snake on her.

“Stop screaming for God's sake, and pick up my phone. I wanna have a picture with it.” he informed her while staring at the snake in his hands and Ifrah groaned. But she fulfilled his wish so that he let go of the reptile sooner and she can return to sleep.

However, it was going to be a tough task after what happened.

She snapped some pictures of him and after that, he left the snake in the grass, a long distance away from the cave. Aayan came back and sat in the cave beside Ifrah's lying figure while staring at the pictures she had captured. It was a bummer that they were taken in night time, but he was still going to frame them once they get out of here. He zoomed in on the snake and cast a glance to his wife who lied there with her right arm covering her eyes and said;

“Tumhara rishtedar lagta hai,” (Seems like a relative of yours,) When she moved away her arm to give him a confused look, he turned the screen towards her and elaborated. “This snake.”

Ifrah narrowed her gaze as he chuckled. “Well, we are married, which means that we share the same family now. Is liye ye tumhara rishtedar bhi hai.” (That's why it's your relative too.”

The raven haired guy's chuckles died down and he scowled at his wife who just returned to her previous position after that smart statement.

He hates it when she comes up with witty replies.

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In the morning, Aayan handed Ifrah some rings he had made from stretchable branches before explaining their purpose.

“These are signs. We're gonna leave them on the trees to keep a track on our path and use them to get back to this cave if we don't find any other suitable spot by night.”

She nodded slowly and watched as he hung one ring over a branch of the tree which was fairly a twenty feet away from the cave. He faced her again and said; “Switch off your phone.”

“Why?” she asked with a scrunched up face.

“To save the battery. There's no signal here in the first place, so what's the point of keeping them on? And also because we're gonna use them as flashlights.”

Understanding crossed Ifrah's features and she took out her phone from the bag before turning it off. Aayan had started walking while she did that, and she glared at the back of his head before following him.

She really hoped that they get out of this stupid jungle sooner or she might lose her mind.

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N O T E

Too bad they couldn't speak parseltongue to ask the snake to go away 🤷🏻‍♀

I received so much love today! My wattpad had 99+ notifications when I opened it this evening 🤧 (I never get this much lol)

So, I decided why not give some love back, too? Yep, there will be two chapters today because you guys are AWESOME ❤❤❤