"He proved to me that blind was just but a word"- Yumnah Saeed.

Time.

Love.

Affection.

Those were just three of the many things her husband had immensely showered her with right from the day he had brought her back. He had become more gentle, more caring and Yumnah could not help but fall in love with her husband- Yasir Hosseini more and more each passing day.

Loving and accepting him for who he truly was had been one of the best decisions she had ever made in life and Yasir too had taken it upon himself to prove it to her and to everyone else that he was the only one who truly deserved her.

Right from the way he held her and hugged her to the way to the way his eyes would always light up the minute he heard her voice, Yumnah could clearly tell that Yasir truly treasured her and that he had really missed her more than she could ever imagine.

Every new day was taken up like a second chance by him to make up for his past mistakes and to move on and just when Yumnah thought that things could not get any better between them, he had kept his promise and had whisked her away for their honeymoon.

Honeymoon!

Never had Yumnah known that this word was overrated until Yasir had proved it to her.

He had not taken her abroad, neither had he booked them some overpriced five-star hotel but rather, much to Yumnah's delight, he had taken her to a small beautiful cottage in the countryside and what had made Yumnah fall for him even more was the fact that the minute they had entered the tiny cottage and the door had closed behind them, Yasir had taken both her hands into his, brought them to his lips and then said...

"I know that this might not be everything Yumnah and I also know that this might not be the idea of a perfect honeymoon every woman has but I want this to be solely about me and you."

"I want to fully live and cherish every single moment we will have together Yumnah and for these few days that we have alone together, I promise that there will be nothing done that is work related, there will be no receiving of UNIMPORTANT phone calls such as your best friend- Hitler's," he said and smiled when he heard her laugh.

"I want us build more on to this most beautiful relationship we already share Yumnah and us much as I could have easily booked us a hotel room, I wanted all of this to have more of a homely feel," he said, his thumbs now tracing small circles on the back of her hands.

"I want to have you always by my side my love and I want us to use this time to grow as husband and wife. I really want to do so many things with you Yumnah Saeed. You and you alone.

"I want to go for random walks with you at no particular time of day. I want to sit on the outside porch with you early in the morning or late in the evening, drinking either tea or coffee whilst we talk about anything and everything. I want to sit with you every morning after Fajr and attentively listen to you as you beautifully recite the Quran. I want that with your help and the abundant time that we now have, I want to be able to memorise more verses of the Quran, Yumnah. I want my beautiful wife to cook for me with these very delicate hands and the best part about the cooking will be that I will be right there by your side to learn and help you," he said resting his forehead gently against hers.

By then, Yumnah's heart was beating thunderously against her chest as she stared deeply into her husband's eyes with immense love and admiration. She had always known that Yasir would make it up to her but never had she thought that he would make her feel so special and do something that had literally melted her heart away. She took in a deep breath, removed her hands from his and then tightly wrapped them around his neck.

"So Yasir Hosseini now wants to learn how to cook? Are you sure you can keep up with my kitchen skills?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.

"Of course. That shouldn't even be a question to begin with!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes and I have always been a man of many talents. I am actually surprised that you haven't figured that out by now. In fact, back in the days, I always wanted to be a Chef!"

"Then why didn't you become one?"

"Because Mama banned me from the kitchen!"

"What? But why?" asked Yumnah amusedly.

"Because I MISTAKENLY and I repeat MISTAKENLY added loads of sugar to Hitler's favourite chicken lentil soup."

Yumnah stared at her husband for a few seconds after which she burst out laughing.

"Yasiiiir, come on!"

"What? I am blind, okay? How was I supposed to know?"

"Well you could always have tasted before adding it in. In fact, if I was in Mama's place, I would have banned you as well. You can't just go round ruining meals. Poor Baba, I cannot even try to imagine how he must have stomached the sweet soup."

"Excuse me? I was only six okay and...and...what is this Yumnah? Whenever I try being romantic, whenever I try to have some ME time with you, you always have to drag in Hitler," said Yasir while rolling his eyes.

"I drag him in?"

"Yes. Always!"

"First of all you are the one who dragged him into this conversation since I am not the one who mentioned his name TWICE since we got here. It's okay if you are missing him Yasir, I won't judge and secondly stop being a JELLYBEAN."

"I thought that we had established that you were the JEALOUS JELLYFISH in this relationship. Keep your title to yourself, Yumnah," he said as he detached himself from her and began walking away a wide smile on his face.

"YASIR!

"JELLYFISH!"

"YASIR!"

"JELLLLLLYFIIIIIIIIIIIISH."

"Yasir get back here this instant!"

"Sorry but I can't swim," was the only reply she got back which left her doubling in silent laughter.

Days filled with immense love, laughter, lots of teasing and of course extremely hilarious comebacks was how the much in love couple spent their first two days. Yasir had indeed given her and everything else so much thought and time proving to Yumnah again and again of how truly special she was to him.

Currently however, the two sat cross legged opposite to each other on the carpet, a game of Ludo sprawled between them. Yasir had his arms angrily crossed against his chest and Yumnah couldn't help but smile when she saw him pout.

She passed her hand lovingly over her now tiny baby bump and couldn't help but wonder if she was expecting a baby boy. If she was, she could already roughly imagine how he would look like. Just like his father, In Sha Allah. With the way Yasir had his bottom lip pushed forward and the way there was a look of annoyance all over his face, she couldn't stop herself from thinking of how cute he truly looked.

"Habib, what's wrong?" she asked, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Don't call me Habib," he said exhaling deeply.

"But why? Why are you sulking my love? Aren't you having fun?"

"FUN? This is not FUN! Infactidontevenwanttoplay!"

"Sorry?"

"I said Idontwanttoplay!"

"I can't hear you Habib."

"I said I don't want to play, "he huffed, his cheeks turning red.

"Okay, so you don't want to play because...?" asked Yumnah mischievously, knowing very well where this was heading.

"Because you are CHEATING!"

"Excuuuuuuusssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeee me? Did you SEE me cheating?"

"No, I CAN'T SEE, remember?" he said, while pointing at his eyes.

"Then how can you say, I am cheating?"

"I am not stupid Yumnah. I have been getting greater dice moves than you, then how come my players are still behind yours?"

"No idea," she replied as she picked up one of her players and quietly moved it nearer to HOME.

"And anyway, it's not my fault that you suck at the game of LUDO," she added, cheekily looking at him.

"I wouldn't suck at it if you weren't cheating, Yumnah."

"You have to start learning how to lose Yasir. You are going to become a father soon and fathers lose all the time. Like always. I am only but helping you practise. In fact, you should be thanking me."

"So you agree that you are cheating?"

"Have you seen me CHEATING? No, you haven't. So please stop with the baseless accusations and be a sport and play on."

"I refuse to play this HARAM game, "he said standing up angrily and quickly smiled when he heard her let out a tiny chuckle.

"Yasir, it's not Haram," she said, trying her best not burst out laughing.

"Whatever Yumnah. I have always played this game and I always and I mean always, WON. So please..."

She remained silent for a while after which she cheekily asked...

"And who are these people that you have ALWAYS been playing with?"

"My brothers."

"No wonder. Explains everything," she muttered, loving how she was riling him up second by second.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean like if you play with a bunch of losers, you will definitely win. Like a bunch of three losers playing together, it's sad. No wonder you can't handle the defeat while playing with the QUEEN..."

"Queen of what exactly?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"QUEEN OF HEARTS."

"QUEEN OF CHEATS would be more accurate," he said and she quickly fake gasped pretending to be hurt.

"You did not just call me that."

"And you did not just call Khaleel a loser. Wait till I tell him, prepare to disappear from the face of the earth Habibty."

"Yasiiiiir..."

"Yumnaaaah! And in fact, no more of this Ludo game. We shall not play it unless there is a third player," he said, as he moved forward to roughly kick it away.

She quickly got into his way but he gently lifted her from behind, extremely careful not to press on her stomach and with his leg, He kicked away the dice and whatever else that constituted of the game.

"You did not just do that. Put me down, Yasir," she said as she tried to wriggle out of his grip.

He then gently put her down, pulled her gently towards him and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"As much as you were cheating, I still love you," he said, placing another kiss on her cheek afterwich he went towards the closet to get his towel.

"I love you too but you will not get any pineapple tart that is remaining from last night," she said expecting him to begin argue but all she got was a laugh in return.

"You mean the last slice of pineapple tart?"

"Yes, the LAST slice," she said, getting more and more confused by the minute.

"The one which, when you opened the fridge, was on the right hand side, on the second shelf?"

"Yes, that one...but how did you know exactly where it is?"

"Because I ate it this morning while you were showering," he replied as he continuously rummaged through the closet.

"Noooooo.... you did not," she said as she ran towards the kitchen at high speed and he quickly stopped whatever he was doing the minute he heard her footsteps and shouted...

"And please could you do me a big favour and stop running? You are going to give me a heart attack one day, I swear."

Yumnah got to the fridge half breathless, quickly opened it and her eyes went wide with shock when she saw that indeed the pineapple tart was missing.

That evil mongoose!

"YASIR!" she shouted and immediately rolled her eyes when in reply she heard his loud cackling of laughter followed by the loud slamming of the bathroom door.

"I swear men can be so damn annoying and when will they ever learn that we women shall always and I mean always, be smarter?" she said to herself as she opened the farthest overhead cupboard in the kitchen and pulled out a medium sized air tight tin which contained the biggest slice ever of pineapple tart!

She knew her husband and his love for pineapple tarts all too well and she also had very well known that he would not have been able to resist the urge of eating the last slice and that is why she had secretly hidden the biggest slice of all for last.

She had actually saved it for the both of them.

But not anymore!

"Well, since he chose not be nice, I will not share this with him," she said as she reached out to grab a fork but then stopped.

"No, in fact, Il wait and then I will eat it right in front of his face after dinner. That will serve him right and that way he will always remember that he is married to none other than Yumnah Saeed," she said to herself as she once again hid the tin in the cupboard.

She then slowly made her way back to the room and began looking for the different pieces of the Ludo game in order to put them back safely in the box at the same time waiting for Yasir to come out. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into an hour and he had still not come out.

"Yasir?" she shouted whilst standing near the bathroom door.

"What?" he shouted back and she smiled when she heard him turn off the faucet.

"Nothing, was just confirming if you drowned or something, "she said and turned to face him the minute the door opened.

"What on earth were you doing in there Yasir? Attempting to scrub off your skin as well?" she asked and frowned when she saw how he quickly wanted to walk past her, almost as if he was avoiding her or rather hiding something.

"What up with you?" she asked, standing in front of him in attempt to block him.

"Nothing," he replied trying to get her out of his way but she just wouldn't budge.

"Why are you smiling like a racoon?"

"What? So now I am not even allowed to smile?"

"Yasir seriously, what did you do?"

"Nothing, I just showered..."

"Yasir?"

"Yumnah?"

She began moving closer and closer to him and the more closer she got, she could clearly see that it was getting more difficult for him to control his laughter. She gave his face a close look, stood on her toes to touch his hair and that it when the scent hit her.

The pineapple scent!

"Noooo," she said as she burst out laughing and he too joined her and for the next one minute or so, they held on to each other, both trying their best to control their laughter.

"I can't believe you stole my shampoo..."

"I didn't steal it."

"Is that what you were rummaging for in the closet?"

"Maybe!"

"But like seriously? You now smell like pineapple," she said, laying her head on his chest once again doubling in laughter.

"That was the whole point."

"But the shampoo is for ladies, Yasir...."

"When did I say it wasn't? Stop burning with jealousy Yumnah. It's an obvious fact that I now have silkier hair than yours. Learn to live with it," he said and smiled when he heard her burst into laughter once again.

He then gently wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly pushed her against the wall caging her against it. He then moved his face closer and closer to hers and smiled to himself when he sensed how nervous she was getting.

"Yumnah?" he asked, his face just a few inches away from hers.

"Yes Yasir," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Did you cheat while we were playing?"

She remained silent, not planning on giving him an answer and he therefore deliberately moved his face even closer, his minty breath now fanning her face.

"Yumnah?"

"Okay fine, I did."

He threw his head back along with a fake victorious laugh and then said...

"I knew it. I can never lose. It is just something within me."

"Whatever, now let me go," she said attempting to get out of his grip but he only but held on to her even tighter.

"When did I say I was done so that I can let you go?" he asked, his eyes lighting up when he heard her gasp the minute he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Yasir..."

"Yumnah...answer this question and I will let you go," he said, his face once again dangerously close to hers.

"What question?"

"How do I look Yumnah?"

"What?"

"How do I look to you right now?"

She raised her face to look at him, blush creeping up her cheeks but she once again did not give him an answer.

"You do realise that I don't mind staying like this all day," he said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You...you...look...hot," she finally whispered and he immediately stepped back his hands in the air.

"YES! And I am going to look even hotter. Where is your hair dryer?" he asked as he sat on the stool near the vanity table.

She laughed, her hand over her now racing heart clearly amused by her husband's antics. She quickly got out her hair dryer along with her hair brush and smiled on seeing how cute and excited Yasir looked.

The next few minutes was spent drying his hair, both husband and wife having huge smiles on their faces. As soon as she was done, he held on to her hand and asked...

"Could you style my hair for me Yumnah?"

"Of course, what kind of a hairstyle do you want?" she asked while smiling but the smile was quickly wiped away when she saw his body tense.

He remained silent, his face getting pale and Yumnah gently squeezed his shoulder knowing exactly what he was going through.

"This reminded you of Hisham, didn't it?" she asked and her heart broke when she saw his eyes dim.

"I don't know what kind of hairstyle I want Yumnah. I have never really known which kind of hairstyles I used to keep. All I know is that I always wanted them to be the same as his and all I would do is sit and he would style them for me," he whispered and Yumnah quickly embraced him in a way that his face was near her stomach.

"Yasir, it's okay..." she said passing her hands comfortingly through his hair and her heart sank when she felt her blouse get wet.

He was crying!

"Yasir...," she whispered, somewhat glad that this had come up.

Yasir had completely closed off about Hisham and barely ever mentioned his name. Seeing him like this assured her that he still loved his Akhi the same and still missed him.

"I don't know where my brother is Yumnah. I don't know if he eats, if he has clothes or even a roof over his head. I don't even know if he is alive," he said, letting it all out and she held on to him tighter knowing that this was the moment that he needed her the most.

"I don't even know what I can do about it. I can't even help him. I don't know what's wrong, what happened and why he left. How can I help someone who does not want to be helped? How Yumnah? How?"

"You can help him Yasir," she said, pulling his head back and cupping his face.

"How?"

"By praying for him Yasir. Let your Akhi be for now Yasir. He must be hurting even more than you are now right now but he made a choice and we have to respect that. When the time is right he will come back, In Sha Allah."

"What if he doesn't Yumnah? What if I never get to see him again?"

"You will Yasir, you will," she said as she lovingly wiped off the tears from his face.

He immediately lowered his head totally ashamed and whispered...

"I am sorry...I never meant for you to see me like this."