"Life is all about giving second chances but they only matter if, given to the right people."-Amalkhan807.

Yumnah's heart beat thunderously against her chest, blood rushing to her cheeks as she stared at the man that currently stood at her doorstep.

The one man and the only man who rightfully and fully owned her heart and that too, forever!

The man whom she had been patiently waiting for and was willing to wait for even if it meant waiting for him her entire life.

The man who was rightfully hers -her husband and whose mere presence was a sign of hope. Hope for her, for him and hope for them as a couple.

"Yasir," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Asalam aleikum Yumnah."

"Waleikum salam. You...you...you came. You came for me. You had said you will come and you did and it's not like you wouldn't...," she began to ramble and he quickly lowered his head to hide his smile because her rambling took him back to the very first time they had met.

Their very first meeting!

At that time, he had agreed to meet her with absolutely no intentions of marrying her but now that he thought about it, he had indeed fallen head over heels for her the second she had stepped into the room. He had felt the instant connection immediately and it was at that moment that he had known that his life would never be the same again.

"Yumnah?" he asked trying his best to hide his smile.

"Yes Yasir?"

"Can I come in?" he asked and his heart soared when he felt her gently take his hand which he immediately turned in such a way that he was able to tightly entwine his fingers with hers.

They then stood facing each other, their breathes rugged, their hands still entwined, both having a million things to tell the other but what stood between them was an awkward distance. A distance Yasir thought he had had enough of and was hell bent on closing.

"This is for you, Yumnah," he said giving her the beautiful bouquet which he honestly had taken a really really long time to choose.

As much as he knew that his wife would simply love and cherish anything he gifted her, he also did not want to buy her just any other bouquet out there. He wanted it to be special. He wanted it to be about them even if it was just but a mere bouquet and therefore, just like the very first time, he had a very hard time to choose the right and perfect colours.

The right and perfect colours only and only but for his wife- Yumnah Saeed.

His thoughts were cut short and his face slightly lit up when he heard her say...

"It's simply adorable Yasir. Thank you. I love it."

"The roses. The colour. I didn't really know which one to choose...," he said but stopped when he felt her untwine her fingers from his.

"Yumnah I..."

"But you still chose the colour red," she whispered, as she gently grazed her fingers over the soft petals tears staining her eyes.

For any other person out there it would appear like a no big deal since it would just have seemed like a normal bouquet a husband had gifted to his wife. But for her...

It meant each and everything!

It showed her, how much he truly loved her.

Her husband was blind. He could not see the colours and she was also sure that just like most of the guys out there, he too had no knowledge about colours and absolutely none when it came to choosing flowers but he had still done it and more so specially chosen the right roses for her or rather...

The PERFECT roses for her.

"I...I was told that red...," he stuttered and tears couldn't help but stream down her face because she knew exactly what he was trying to say.

"I was told that red meant love and so I requested them to get me the darkest red roses they could find because I deeply love you but if you don't like them I..."

"Yasir?" she asked, cutting him short.

"Yes, Yumnah?"

"I love you too," she said, tears continuously streaming down her face and her heart broke when she saw him tightly shut his eyes and pass his hand over his face, relief surging through him almost as if, he had doubted that she still loved him.

"The chocolates. What about the chocolates?" she asked, amazed at how many different types of chocolates he had chosen.

"The chocolates are mine. Remove the flowers and return my bouquet," he said and smiled when he heard her laugh.

"Well, can't you share?"

"Nope!"

"Come on..."

"Sorry but I have some very very strict chocolate policies and therefore I only allow myself to share my chocolates with one special person," he said and his smile widened when he heard her laugh once again.

"Oh really?"

"Yep!"

"So who is this extremely lucky and special person, if I may ask?"

"My beautiful wife."

They both remained silent for a while Yumnah trying her very best not to burst out crying, her hand over her heart afterwich she asked...

"Then why aren't you sharing them with her?"

"I would love to share them with her but you see, there is this distance between us. A distance that I created. Created, thinking that it would protect her. Protect her from me. A distance she has no idea as to how much I hate as well but I only did it to...," he said but stopped when he felt her lovingly cup his cheek.

"Yasir," she said sadly.

"Yes Yumnah?"

"There is no distance between us Yasir and In Sha Allah, never will there ever be and even if there is, I know that my husband will always be there to bridge the gap and I promise that I too will always be there to support you. Please do not justify yourself to me Yasir. I promised to understand you and I did," she said, laying her head on his chest and he, without any delay, circled his arms tightly around her while continuously kissing her forehead.

He closed his eyes, his heart being slightly at peace because never had he ever thought that Yumnah would make it so easy for him. She had made forgiveness feel so easy that he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. He had not even apologized yet but his wife had made it feel like he had not at all wronged her in any way.

"Yumnah, my love, I am really very sorry," he whispered, soothingly rubbing her back when he felt her tears wet his shirt.

He then slowly lifted up her chin and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb and said...

"Please no more tears Yumnah. I do not want to hear you crying especially because of me. I am really very sorry for all the hurt I have caused you Yumnah and I promise to make it up..."

"No!" she said loudly, once again laying her head on her chest.

"Yumnah, please..."

"I don't want you to apologize anymore Yasir. What is important is that you came back for me. You are here with me now and that is the only thing and only thing that matters to me."

"But Yumnah that is not how things work. At least let me apologise properly Habibty," he said resting his chin on her head and then sighed in defeat when the only response he got from her was another big fat 'No'.

They remained in each other's embrace, both their eyes closed, their hearts at peace with each other with no one to interrupt them and they would have remained like that for a long time if not for Yumnah looking up angrily at her husband, her eyes flashing.

"Yasir?" she asked.

"Yes my love?"

"Why are you this cold?"

"I...I...," he began nervously.

"Yasiiiiir?"

"Wallah I was so excited and very much in a hurry to come get you that I forgot to grab my coat," he said, shyly rubbing the back of his neck.

"So you have firmly established that you will never quit being STUPID?"

He laughed, resting his forehead against her hers, his breathe fanning her face and then whispered...

"Shhhh Yumnah, no bad words please. Our baby can hear you."

"That's precisely the point. Let our baby know how SILLY AND STUPID his or her father can be at times. Its freezing cold outside Yasir, just how could you forget to wear your coat?" she asked, her frown deepening when he only but laughed and pulled her even closer towards him.

He smiled to himself while shaking his head in disbelief. He just could not believe it. His wife, Yumnah Saeed, was not at all mad at him for the grave mistakes he had made but rather she chose to be mad at him for simply not wearing his coat. He found every bit of her scolding adorable and he couldn't stop himself from falling in love with her even more and more.

"But you know Yasir, I still do not have a baby bump yet," she said sadly and he once again smiled.

"It's okay Yumnah. In Sha Allah you will be having one very soon."

"But what if I don't have a baby bump? You know some women barely have it and you can't even know that they are expecting. What if I am one of them?" she asked worriedly.

"Well then that's good for me," said Yasir, a now permanent smile on his face.

"Really? How?"

"More space on the bed for me."

"Yasiiiir, so mean...."

"What? It's the truth okay. Since we got married I have only been sleeping on the last quarter of the bed. Now imagine if you get bigger. Il have to shift to the carpet," he said jokingly.

"Psshhht. Last quarter of the bed as if. Well the last quarter of the bed didn't stop you from snoring like a lawn mower now, did it?"

"I thought we had already agreed that you were the professional snorer between us. Please keep your title Yumnah, I don't want it," he said in between laughs, enjoying every single second of their squabble.

"Wallah, you are still so annoying," she said, a smile on her face as well as she took his hand and carefully began to lead him up the stairs.

As Yasir climbed up each stair, he once again could not stop himself from reliving another beautiful moment of his life. Just a few months back, he was being guided by Uncle Bilal up these very same steps to go meet and get His newly wed bride.

He smiled when he remembered how extremely shy and nervous he had been to the point where he had told Yumnah "Mabrook by the way" in a way that his 'Mabrook' had seemed like he was congratulating her for getting married to someone else.

That had indeed been a 'face palm moment'- one he doubted he would ever forget.

His thoughts were cut short when Yumnah made him sit on the bed and he immediately frowned when seconds later, she had a towel on his head vigorously and roughly drying his hair as if her life depended on it.

"Yumnah!"

"What?"

"It wasn't raining outside Habibty."

"I know but your head is so cold. I don't want you to get a migraine she said still vigorously drying his hair.

"But I am not feeling cold Habibty."

"Stop being silly, Yasir," she said not at all willing to relent.

"Great. Just great. Just when I had started to get some love but because of that coat it was all short lived. Remind me to go murder it when we get back home," he said and she burst out laughing.

"Yasir..."

"Yumnah. Come. Please I want to talk to you," he said, feeling for her hand and pulling her to come sit beside him.

"But...but..."

"Please Yumnah, just hear me out this once. I will not be able to live with the guilt that you forgave me without me even apologising. Please..."

"Fine but I don't like this part one bit," she grumbled resting her head on his shoulder and he quickly took her hand and brought it to his lips.

"I love you Yumnah. I love you a lot. Please never doubt that," he began, his heart beginning to ease off the guilt he had stored.

"I know that you do not want to hear this but I am really very sorry for all that I did and Wallah Yumnah all those hurtful words I told you, I never meant a single one of them. When I think of all those things I said, I can't help but despise myself. I never meant them Yumnah, I really never meant them," he said, tightly clasping her hand.

"I know you didn't mean them Yasir and I am also sorry for getting in to the heat of the moment and hurling back comments at you," she said and he quickly vigorously shook his head in disagreement.

"No, Yumnah, how I wish you had just taken your shoe and flung it at me."

"Nice, I will definitely keep that in mind for the future," she said and he smiled.

"Regarding what I said about the baby, trust me, I won't be lying Yumnah when I say that the day I got to know that you were expecting, that was the happiest day of my life. I am really happy for us and I cannot wait for our baby to arrive In Sha Allah, in fact I think I am even more excited and happier than you are," he said and laughed when she quickly sat up straight, all defensive.

"What? You more excited than me? Never going to happen."

"Sorry Yumnah but it's a fact. I am more excited than you are."

"Are not!"

"Am too."

"Are absolutely not."

"Am too. You can book the 'most excited spot' for the next baby but for this one, spots all taken by me, sorry," he said doubling in laughter.

Yumnah smiled as she watched him laugh afterwich she said...

"So we are having more kids?"

"Of course we are."

"How many more? Twelve?" she asked excitedly and he immediately palmed his face.

"I refuse to discuss this topic any further," he said once again shyly rubbing the back of his neck

"CHICKEN!"

"Nuggets."

"LAAAAAME," she said and he once again doubled in laughter much to her delight.

He then turned to face her, cupped her cheeks and then placed the most feathery kiss on her forehead while whispering...

"I missed you Yumnah. I really missed you a lot."

"I missed you too Habib. I missed us and now, after all that talking and bickering, I am extremely famished. How about we share one of the chocolates you brought? Il go get the bouquet from downstairs," she said while standing up but he quickly got hold of her hand to stop her.

He then dug into his trousers pocket and pulled out bar of chocolate.

"I wanted to save the best one for a moment like this," he said, unwrapping the chocolate.

He then broke the bar into two, made her take a bite from his half and then placed the other half in her hand.

"So not fair," she said as soon as he placed the bar in her hands.

"What is not fair?"

"I am the one who always breaks the bar into two. You just broke our streak."

Yasir remained silent for a while as if deep in thought and then said...

"Now it all makes sense."

"What does?" she asked confusedly.

"I always had a feeling that I always got the smaller half. We are so using a ruler from now henceforth," he said jokingly and she laughed as she once again laid her head on his shoulder.

"You are so mean."

"It's a weakness I have," he said and she once again laughed.

They then silently munched on their chocolates, Yumnah's one hand tightly clasped around her husbands while her head lay on his shoulder and he too had tilted his head in way that it was touching hers.

"Yasir?" she asked after they were both done eating.

"Yes, my love?"

"I don't know how to tell you this but I still won't be able to come home with you."

"What? But why not?" he asked immediately sitting up.

"You know; you have to talk to Papa. I just cannot come like that..."

"Yumnah...," he said cutting her off.

"Yeah?"

"Your Papa knows that I am here. He was the first person I called regarding all this and he told me that he was not in but then gave me permission to come meet you."

"Oh," she said having been rendered speechless.

"And regarding you coming back with me, don't worry Yumnah. I love and respect you more than enough to ask your Papa for your hand...

A second time round!

****