"Zaib could you uncover my eyes now?" Zoya giggled while grasping onto both of her husband's hands gently placed above her eyes.

After Zoya had her fun with the children, she'd requested Zaib to let her visit the masjid committee as she had her own agenda on her birthday. There she'd donated a sum of her earnings to contribute to the expansion of the women's section of the masjid.

It was an annual birthday habit of hers to donate to charities or causes she believed in. After all, Allah had blessed her with another year to do good and gain rewards.

Especially considering the women's section of their local Masjid wasn't as developed as the men's section-Zoya found this unfair because many women held daily Quran classes and study groups there.

After making her contribution and Maghrib prayer, Zaib informed her that they had another stop to make, which took Zoya by surprise as it was already evening.

On the car ride to their next location, he'd pulled out a brand new box of sports shoes and told her to put them on instead of the heels she was wearing. Zoya didn't even bother to question him as he'd made it clear it was a surprise and instead admired his thoughtfulness.

Upon reaching a vast parking lot, Zaib insisted on covering her eyes while they walked until they arrived at the location itself and Zoya had to oblige.

"Okay, just a moment. You'll be able to open your eyes then." Zaib whispered into her ears as he guided her carefully. Zoya's heart raced in anticipation with every step they took.

"Now."

Zaib dropped his hands and Zoya squinted her eyes to take a look at what was in front of them. She audibly gasped when she captured the view in front of her. It was the infamous travelling fair she'd heard of on the news that only opened at night.

She could spot a giant Ferris wheel and various rollercoasters from where they stood; she couldn't help but squeal in excitement. "Zaib!" she shrilled as she pulled him into a warm hug. He laughed at her response and held her tightly.

"How did you know I love fairs?" She looked up at him, eyes glowing with affection. Ever since she was young, she loved visiting all sorts of theme parks and amusement parks. The whole vibe of them just got her excited and happy.

Zaib stroked her cheek lovingly. "You weren't exactly subtle in hiding your reaction when we saw the news report about it."

Zoya just grinned and grabbed his hand. "Let's go!" She pulled him behind her, impatient to get to the ticketing booth.

Upon purchasing the tickets, the both of them entered the premises hand in hand. Zoya's senses came to life in their environment-she could feel her serotonin rush.

She inhaled the sweet smell of sugar burning in the cotton candy machine and could hear the popping of popcorn kernels. Lights flashed everywhere, people around them buzzing with excitement trying to get on every ride. These reasons were why she enjoyed fairs so much- they were bustling with life.

The biggest rollercoaster caught her eyes immediately as it rushed by, causing a draft of wind to blow towards them. "I want to go on that one first," Zoya pointed at the looped, high rise rollercoaster.

Zaib coughed nervously, "Uh-um you can go, I'll wait for you." His response confused Zoya; why didn't he want to go on the ride too?

"Zaib, why don't you want to go with me?" She inquired, curious to hear his explanation. He turned to her, an anxious smile on his face.

"I'm... scaredofrides." He muttered under his breathe quickly, looking away from her in embarrassment; to zoya, his words sounded like a spell.

"What're you saying!" She giggled. Zaib was acting fidgety and uncomfortable. He sighed and replied defeatedly, "I'm scared of rides."

Zaib feared heights and high speeds for as long as he could remember. Not to mention, he always assumed the worst situation possible when looking at the daring rides; the rollercoaster loops made his head feel heavy. Also, what if the rollercoaster malfunctioned? His family and friends mocked him for irrational fears, so he had started avoiding amusement parks altogether.

Zoya pondered upon this new revelation, "Then why did you bring me here?" She wondered.

"I know you love these adventurous things. I want you to enjoy your birthday doing what you love." Zaib ran his fingers through his hair, sheepishly surveying her.

Zoya's confused furrow melted into a warm smile. She reached out and caressed his face tenderly, "Thank you for bringing me here, despite your fear. We don't have to be here, though; I'm happy as long as you're with me."

Her reaction alarmed Zaib. "No! We can't go back just because of my fear. I want you to enjoy as much as you can." He insisted.

"Alright, tell you what, while I go on the scary rides alone, you can look for some which we both can enjoy together," Zoya suggested.

After all, it was not the first time she'd been to an amusement park, accompanying a more reserved person. Naimat's fears were similar to Zaib's as she would always refuse to go on the more intense rollercoasters.

"Sounds good," Zaib lightly kissed the back of Zoya's hand and walked her to the queue for the rollercoaster. He left her in the queue to search for easier rides around the park.

In the queue, Zoya stood tapping her foot against the ground in excitement. It was a pretty crowded line but she could wait. It had been a while since she got to visit an amusement park, so her excitement was at its pique.

Zoya almost didn't notice a hand tap her shoulder.

Upon turning around, her eyes widened. There stood a blonde-haired man with a bit of facial hair, who looked very familiar to her. She racked her mind for any connections, but it was when he spoke in his distinct British accent, that she recalled the person's identity.

"Zoya? It's you right? Sorry if I have the wrong person," the man hesitantly asked. "Jeremy?" Zoya's voice grew loud and she nodded to herself in recognition; she hadn't seen this guy since middle school.

He chuckled, easing up as he confirmed it was the Muslim girl he had a crush on, Zoya Malik, back in middle school.

"I noticed you a while ago, but I wasn't sure till now." He gazed around self-consciously.

"I didn't expect to run into you here, what a coincidence." Zoya uncomfortably shrugged. Zoya was naturally awkward in communicating pointlessly with any man other than her husband, but she also had a bad experience involving Jeremy, so she grew extra cautious.

"Yeah." Jeremy shoved his hands in his pocket before clearing his throat, and spoke up, "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for what happened back at that party all those years ago. My friends and I were idiots and crossed the limit."

He paused and then bashfully muttered, "I liked you a lot back then but I was conceited and inconsiderate of your values. Since then, I've grown and learnt. I hope you can forgive me."

Zoya was taken aback by his sudden apology, pleasantly surprised at the same time. Despite that incident being almost a decade ago, he still wanted to apologise and take accountability.

There are some good people on earth.

"I forgive you. It was really a long time ago, and I doubt anyone would stay like their fourteen-year-old self." She joked, lightening the mood.

"That's great," his tense frown changed into a smile as he beamed relaxedly.

"So, what have you been up to these days. I'm assuming a challenging profession; you were the smartest kid back then," he guessed and Zoya laughed, nodding.

"Yup, I'm on my last semester of med school before specialising and residency. I also got married last year."

Jeremy smiled wide. "That's great! You've come a long way from being a class nerd," he teased. "Well, I've been managing my dad's business in London, but I visit here often as my girlfriend is a full-time uni student."

"Sounds fun! Good for you, Jeremy. You've come a long way from being a class jerk." Zoya fired back.

Jeremy rolled his eyes and laughed at her unhidden sass; it was partly the reason he fell for her in the first place.

Zaib returned after roaming the park only to see his wife immersed in a conversation with some random blonde guy; Zaib eyed them narrowly and unknowingly his fists clenched. He noticed that the seating of the ride was for pairs and quickly rushed into the swarming crowd.

His protective instincts arose and he pushed into the queue. As he got closer, Zoya noticed him and grinned cutely motioning him over.

"You decided to go after all?" She questioned him, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"Yes," Zaib determinedly said, caught up in the moment. He would rather face the dreadful rollercoasters than have another man sit next to Zoya; the image itself made him ick.

He glared pointedly at the blonde guy who had been chatting with Zoya. Zoya noticed his deadly stare and felt flustered at his protective demeanor; she liked to see Zaib protective over her, but she also found it to be ridiculous; after all, she had signed a Nikah, she was his in every way possible. Who dared come in between them?

"Jeremy this is my husband Zaib," Zoya gestured to him. "And Zaib this is my classmate from middle school, Jeremy," she introduced. The one-sided tension from Zaib eased as the males shook hands.

So, Zoya knew this guy.

Suddenly a red-haired, freckled female joined Jeremy's side, wrapping her arm around his back. Jeremy gestured the girl to greet the couple. Surveying them, she spoke up, "Hey, my name's Eve. I'm Jeremy's one and only girl." She extended her hand to Zoya and shook it.

She then extended her hand towards Zaib and before Zaib could refuse courteously, Zoya intervened and quickly grabbed Eve's hand vigorously shaking it again. "Oh, nice to meet you Eve, look the queue is finally moving! I guess it's our turn," Zoya urgently blabbered.

Zaib didn't even have a moment to react until he was pulled away to the entrance.

He chuckled at his adorable wife's reaction. It's not like he would've touched that other woman but the fact that it brought out her fight-or-flight response gave him happiness.

Before he could tease her about it, he noticed the huge, loopy rollercoaster towering above them and tensed up. He realised that he had agreed to join her and his anxiety piqued.

Zoya noticed his discomfort and grabbed Zaib's hand. "It'll be alright," she softly whispered. He looked over and gave her a tight smile.

Once they were strapped in, it dawned upon him that there was no going back.

"Zoya, if we die on this ride, I just want to say I love you and if we had lived more, I would've loved to have a beautiful daughter who resembles your blue eyes and pretty smile," he over-dramatically proclaimed and Zoya giggled aloud, her stomach twisting in excitement.

"I love you too Zaib and this confession is sweet but trust me, we won't die," she announced, but he still looked completely uncertain.

"When we get to the top, let's scream together okay?" She leant towards him and pecked his cheek, instantly calming his nerves. His anxious heart melted at the gesture, and a fluttery feeling surged in his chest overpowering fear of the upcoming ride.

Suddenly, their cart jerked forward, and they were off! It was all happening so fast; Zaib's eyes screwed shut instantly, trying to ignore the fact that they were approaching the peak. His stomach curled at the feeling of ascending.

"Open your eyes! Zaib it's beautiful," Zoya nudged him gently; she wanted to enjoy the ride to the fullest with her husband.

At her sweet request, he reluctantly opened his eyes, observing his surroundings. The sight was breathtaking, all the lights throughout the park illuminated the night's darkness. A gush of wind seared the two, Zoya's hijab flapping in the wind.

Noticing her hijab was slipping out of its position, he forgot about the approaching peak and instinctively placed both his hands on her head in an attempt to secure it. Suddenly they were at the peak and lunging forward, going down so fast; Zoya's exhilarated and Zaib's horrified screams reverberated in the large arena.

The cart approached the giant loop that Zaib feared the most and he inwardly asked Allah to let himself blackout before he reached the darn thing.

Zoya let out a breathy laugh, surveying his dreadful face and grabbed his hand, holding it up with hers.

"Whooo!"

-——————-

"You have to admit all those rides were fun!" Zoya giddily teased, swinging their hands back and forth as they walked aimlessly.

So far, they had been on all the freakiest rides at the fair, and Zaib had slowly started to enjoy them. Granted, the first few rides made him feel like they were going to be his last ever, but after a while, he started to loosen up as he stared at her dizzying smile.

Consequently, he started enjoying his time. However, he was still never going on a rollercoaster alone-even with anyone besides his wife; Zoya's happiness was the only thing hypnotizing him to be with her in a rollercoaster.

"Let's go on some more mellow rides now I'm starting to get dizzy," Zoya stated as she slurped her slushie, finally wanting a break from all the adrenaline rush.

"How about the carousel?" Zaib pointed at the extravagant, gold-lit ride.

Zoya's eyes lit up, "Great idea, I want to sit on that white horse." She pointed towards her seat of choice- Zaib just shook his head at his wife's childlike spirit.

The queue wasn't long, so they got to the ride pretty fast, and Zaib lifted her onto a white wooden horse, painted with a pastel pink seat and silver reins. He stood beside her, holding onto her waist as he watched her enjoy the calm ride.

"Zoya," he suddenly spoke up. She looked at him expectedly.

"What is the Jeremy guy's ordeal? I know he is your old classmate, but you've never mentioned him before so I am curious." Zaib had wondered why she hadn't mentioned a 'Jeremy' as she had told him a lot about her childhood before.

"Uh... alright, I'll tell you." She adjusted herself on the seat as she began. "So back when I was in middle school, I had that one toxic friend I've told you about, Sabrina."

Zaib nodded in acknowledgement as he had heard of a few incidents regarding this girl from Zoya before.

"Once, she urged me to go to this big middle school party with her. I was hesitant but blinded by our friendship, I obliged."

Zaib felt his nerves tense up.

"After arriving, I wanted to leave straight away, but she insisted on meeting some of our classmates first. She led me to the kitchen where Jeremy and his friends were and I instantly realised that something was off." Noticing her husband's eyes widening, she tried to disregard his assumption.

"Don't worry, nothing extreme happened. Jeremy just confessed to liking me and suggested we go out." Zaib's fists clenched, his eyes growing dark.

"He did WHAT?" His demeanor visibly changed as he let go of her waist. Zaib suddenly wished he had shoved that idiotic blonde off the damn rollercoaster when he had the chance.

Why did some loser confess to a woman wearing hijab knowing perfectly well she was incapable of dating someone?

"Zaib, I rejected him, of course." She grabbed his hand and affectionately rubbed her thumb on his knuckles, calming his anger.

"Him and his friends were noticeably furious and kinda tugged at my hijab, causing me to panic- I immediately left." She sighed. To this day, she blamed herself for going to the damn party.

"Alhamdulillah, it was an eye-opener for me but it stuck as a fear within me mentally." Zoya looked down, playing with her bracelet.

"One of my worst fears is the right to wear hijab being taken away from me, and that was an incident that reinforced that dread." Zoya shook her head, trying to lighten up, "However, meeting Jeremy today made me realise people do change: we have to be patient and educate them."

She smiled at Zaib, who looked livid; his fists were tight ready to punch someone and his chest was heaving as if he were trying very hard to restrain himself.

"Zaib, don't be angry. I'm okay," she consoled.

Zaib knew living in a non-muslim country would induce these Islamophobic and discriminatory experiences, but he still prayed that no one would have to go through them and knowing that his wife had experienced that trauma made him want to tear those insolent men apart.

But he had to refrain. This was a story of the past.

"Zoya, you're the strongest person I know. I'm sorry you had to deal with this so young," he muttered, breathing deeply to regain some sense. He didn't know what else to say; his wife was his anchor, always setting him straight. Every time he learned more about her, he fell deeper for her.

"I think I love you more than I just did two minutes ago," Zaib reached out and took her hand into his comforting grasp, kissing her palm tenderly. She giggled, instantly forgetting that awful memory of the past.

"I love you more."

Zoya had never felt so warm before.