Him & His Muslimah

37

Zaib/Zoya

Yesterday night was the warmest night of Zaib's life. After gazing at the stars, the newlywed couple scurried to their rooms and talked for hours until Zoya's eyes fell heavy. Zaib surveyed her as she struggled between keeping up with the conversation amidst a chain of yawns. He chuckled as she finally gave in and her eyes screwed shut. He covered her with the duvet and dimmed the lights before laying beside her and hugging her to himself, falling into the whirlwind of dreams.

He woke up to the scent of her and his eyes flew open. There she was, her head resting on his chest, her light breathing making her body heave against his. His gaze flooded with warmth as he ran his fingers through the umber strands of her hair, admiring the softness of it. She was so soft and squishy, almost like a down pillow.

"Alhamdulillah," he whispered to himself. God, was he thankful for having her. He was so gracious and happy, he could pray hundreds of voluntary prayers to thank Allah.

Out of love, he nudged forward and kissed her forehead which caused her to stir. Then suddenly she halted and looked up. Eyes wide in horror, she gasped and screeched, jolting away to the other side of the bed, panting as if she had run a marathon.

"Zoya?" He stared flabbergasted at her sudden outburst. Was something wrong?

"Wait-I- you're here?" She gaped at him as if he were a Tyrannosaurus, back from extinction. She stared blankly and then rubbed the back of her head, her face masking confusion.

"It wasn't a dream?" She naively questioned.

Zaib put two and two together and realized what was happening. He broke into fits of laughter while her cheeks began to fire up with embarrassment. "Stop mocking me! I really thought yesterday was a dream," she murmured due to which he laughed harder.

He pushed himself off the bed and approached her before grabbing a pinch of her plump cheek and pulling softly. "Does this feel like a dream Zoya?" He rasped, his morning voice causing Zoya to grow even more flustered than she already was.

"Sorry, I tend to have vivid dreams and most of the times, I can't differentiate between real life and my imagination," she explained, hoping the situation would become interesting rather than embarrassing. Zaib's eyes were full of spark and playfulness as a smirk uplifted his mouth.

"You dream of me, huh?" His whisper made her abdomen clench.

"Yes—no? I mean, I don't know?" She groaned, unable to handle this sudden outburst fresh in the morning. "Can we stop playing embarrass Zoya challenge and get ready? We need to head downstairs," she announced and pulled away quickly.

She paused, reading on her phone that it was ten in the morning. "Zaib, by what time does everyone wake up?" She questioned, worried she might've overslept.

"By now, everyone's probably awake except for Zain: he likes to sleep in when he doesn't have any lecture to attend and Zay has school," Zaib notified, smiling at her scrunched up face.

"Are we late?" She worriedly nibbled on her lower lip.

"We're not—" he halted mid-sentence and pulled her close, tightening his hold on her waist. "But we might be if you keep doing that."  Zoya stopped immediately and giggled, pulling away to run to the bathroom.

He was faster, pouncing onto her from behind and grabbing her waist causing her to squeal aloud, struggling to leave his embrace. "Zaib!" She helplessly shrieked and then giggled as he tickled her sides.