"Hidaya prefers her blue bottle to her pink one, but if she starts chewing at the blue one too much, give her the pink one instead," Zaib instructed Bilal carefully as the muddled uncle tried to memorise his friend's instructions.

"When she's drinking the milk, hold her in an upright position and make sure to pat her back properly after she's fed- thrice at the top and the bottom," Zoya added on to Zaib's words.

"Am I missing anything Zaib?" She turned to her husband. "No, we already told him about her sleeping hours and habits, I think we're good now," Zaib ticked off the checkpoints on his mental list. The couple nodded at each other and turned to Bilal.

Zoya handed him her daughter very gently, kissing her baby's soft, fragrant head. Bilal held her firmly but tenderly, making sure not to drop his niece.

"For a baby, she sure has a lot of requirements," he commented, smiling down at the adorable girl he held in his arms.

"That's kind of the whole point B," Zaib joked. He hadn't been used to caring for a baby initially, but after fathering Hidaya for six months, he had gotten used to her needs as an infant. He looked at his watch and realised it was already seven pm.

He slid his hand into Zoya's, "It's getting late love, we have to get going." Zoya smiled and nodded at her husband, grabbing her things from the sofa.

After a long six months of solely caring for their daughter and working hard in their careers, they had finally managed to make time for a date night. It was hard for them to prioritise their relationship, so much that they had lost track of having time alone. However, with Ehsan and Naimat's advice, the two finally decided to have a night out. After all, before parents, they were husband and wife.

Zaib pulled open the car door, allowing Zoya to slide into the passenger's seat. "Thank you," Zoya giggled as she settled into her place. Zaib smiled at her and walked over to his side, getting in the driver's seat.

>>>>>

"What should we do?" Zaib hummed, driving the car aimlessly with no definite plans. It had been so long since they'd come on a date that they had almost forgotten what to do.

"If Hidaya was here, we could've gone to the arcade. I bet she would've loved all the bright colours." Zoya wistfully thought of their baby back home. Zaib nodded, agreeing their daughter would love it, but this was their date now, so they would do something different.

Zaib spotted the newly opened ice rink in the centre of the town's park. The LED lights flashed, catching his attention. "Hey, do you wanna go ice-skating?" He pointed towards it. "I haven't gone since high school," he joked. She furrowed her eyebrows, contemplating it, "That sounds fun." She flashed a grin in his direction. He parked the car, and they headed to the front desk.

They gave their details to the man at the desk and kept their belongings in a box. Zoya sat on a bench as the man approached her with the skates. He leaned down to help Zoya wear them.

"I'll help her, thank you," her husband called out before taking the skates, kneeling in front of her. He helped her push her feet into the firm ice skating shoes and tied the laces for her. She looked down at her husband, lovingly reaching out to run her fingers through his hair. "Thank you," she gave him a small peck on the forehead, and he immediately broke into a smile.

"I should help you take off your skates later too so I can get more of that," he joked, referring to the gentle kiss he had received. Zoya just rolled her eyes playfully.

"Do you need assistance, Zaib?" she asked. He shook his head and put his skates on himself.

"Let's go," he intertwined their fingers and pulled her towards the ice rink. A gust of cold wind blew towards them, enhancing the chill of the ice rink. Zaib went first, wobbling slightly, so he grabbed the metal bar for support. Despite his instability, he reached out to give Zoya a hand, but she had no problem stepping onto the ice.

"Wow, I forgot what this felt like," Zoya excitedly stated, moving her feet a bit more, maintaining a good balance. It seemed like she was a natural on the ice. A couple zoomed past them, holding hands.

"Let's skate around the rink together," Zoya suggested, looking upon him with anticipation.

"Yeah, let me just-" Zaib tried to balance himself without the support of the metal bar but started losing balance again, so he clutched onto the bar once more. "I think I've lost my skating skills from high school."

He inwardly cursed at himself, realising he shouldn't have suggested this activity. He didn't want to make a fool of himself before her.

"Come on, it's not that bad," Zoya teased, smoothly gliding around him-she did it so effortlessly and with grace. Her floral maxi skirt fluttered around her, making her look like a princess. "It's quite simple actually, just try."

Zaib felt a bit insecure, being unable to skate as well by her side. He was always smoother when it came to excelling in various sports like playing basketball and dodgeball, so he wasn't used to such embarrassment.

"Zaib, come on!" Zoya urged.

"Since you're so good at it, why don't you go alone?" He sarcastically suggested, and she visibly faltered. She shrugged her shoulders, upset at his tone. "Fine, I will." Zoya turned and took off, skating around the rink.

Zaib stood still, realising he had been rude to his wife, taking out his frustration on her. She was just poking fun, after all, he should've made more of an effort.

Feeling impatient, when he saw her skating in his direction once more, Zaib let go of the railing and tried to skate towards her. Then, in a flash of events, he felt himself propel backwards in slow motion, not even registering what was happening until he felt his back hit the ground. Zaib had slipped over.

Zoya, seeing this, rushed to his side and supported him. "Gosh, why did you try to go out there alone, were you trying to fall over?" She scolded him, worried.

Once he was up, she pulled him to the side and sat him down on a bench. "Are you okay?" Zoya inspected his hands which had hit the icy ground. Zaib noticed her eyes brimming with concern- she was worried about something so small. Seeing there was no injury, she let out a sigh of relief. "Why did you try skating alone when you weren't balanced?" Zoya asked again.

He sheepishly looked down. "I felt bad about earlier, so I wanted to go over to you, but lost my balance on the ice."

Her heart melted-"You're such an idiot," she giggled. "I was coming over to you anyways, I felt bad about leaving you behind."

His eyes lit up, looking at her adorable face. "Really?" he teased, pinching her cheeks. He felt tempted to give her a peck, but there were people around them, so he held himself back.

"Yeah. Zoya got up, extending her hand towards him. "I'll teach you how to skate now, come on." She pulled him back to the rink and started by teaching him the basics such as posture when skating and how to lift your feet on the ice. She held his hand and let him skate slowly near the railing, to get used to it. In about twenty minutes, he improved at the art of skating, independently gliding around her.

They had a blast, skating in sync with each other and playing games during that time. Zoya wanted to attempt skating backwards even, but Zaib panicked and held on to her. "Stop acting like my mother, let me skate backwards," she tried convincing him.

Zaib shook his head, refusing to let her go. "No, I'm not risking you getting hurt." The pair went back and forth before compromising on letting Zoya skate backwards but only whilst holding Zaib's hands.

Soon they were both exhausted, so they stepped out of the rink for good. "We should go home soon, I bet Hidaya's getting lonely." Zoya worried for her child.

"But we haven't even eaten dinner and watched a movie yet," Zaib reminded her.

They'd overheard a few people talking about the new hit movie while they were skating, so Zaib had suggested they watch that after dinner, yet Zoya had seemed to have forgotten.

"Oh yeah, sorry," she apologised.

"Why don't we call Bilal and see if Hidaya's okay? You'll get more peace of mind then." Zaib pulled out his phone and clicked Bilal's contact. In a few rings, he picked up, and Zaib handed the phone to Zoya. After confirming that Hidaya was sleeping well, Zoya was more at ease to go to the restaurant.

Since Zoya craved pasta for a while now, they picked a new Italian place that had just opened in their mall.

Zaib parked the car at the mall's parking lot. "Zaib, is my lipstick smudged?" The soft voice beside him caught his attention, and he glanced towards her.

He stared as his wife worriedly ran her finger across her bottom lip, shifting ahead to examine her red lips in the rearview mirror. Her eyes squinted as she attempted to assess herself, but the darkness inside their car hindered her vision.

Zaib surveyed her amusedly and then brought his hand towards her; he caressed her chin and pulled her towards him, making her face him instead of the mirror; the distance between the two shortened. Her cerulean eyes widened, and then her mouth parted slightly in surprise.

Zoya immediately caught notice of the sweet mischief glinting in his eyes, but before she could react, he leapt forward, his lips melting against hers in a soft, sensual kiss that left her breathless.

He pulled apart, a magical smile dancing on his lips. "Yes, Zoya, very smudged indeed," he concluded, and she glowered red in embarrassment as she playfully punched his chest, his laugh filling the car.

After some antics, the two finally found their way into the mall, heading straight to the second floor. The Italian restaurant had recently opened adjacent to the kids playing arena and was quite famous despite opening just a month ago. It was the emerging talk of the town, so Zaib had pounced upon the opportunity to book reservations.

"Table for two, reservations made under Zaib Khan." As Zaib spoke with a man at the reception, Zoya glanced around, and the carousel in the gaming arena caught her eye; she watched the buzz of kids, queuing against the attraction of the night to have their turns. There was one baby in the arms of a mother, wrapped tightly in blankets against the mother's chest.

Zoya's chest clenched as her thoughts drifted to her little angel, Hidaya. Despite having a great time today with Zaib, she couldn't help fret over her daughter. She had a hard time understanding this constant surge of anxiety; but in a few months, she realised it was a gift of motherhood.

"Hayati, let's go," she heard her husband call, and she quickly followed, grinning at his choice of nickname, a glow like that of the colour of her lipstick, staining her cheeks. Zaib's heart pounded as he realised even today, that nickname had her melting like a snowflake.

The two were escorted to their respective table. As the couple settled down, a server wearing black approached and handed over the menu.

"What do you want to have?" Zaib asked, glancing at the options.

"Italian?" Zoya replied sarcastically, with a playful giggle leaving her lips.

Zaib rolled his eyes at his wife. "Well, I wasn't going to be ordering a taco at an Italian restaurant babe," he retorted, to which she laughed wholeheartedly.

"I'll have the chicken fettuccine, Alfredo," she chimed, and he nodded, calling the server over.

"Lasagne, chicken fettuccine and Caesar salad," he told the server. "And- Zoya, do you want some pizza?" He interrupted himself. Zoya stared wide-eyed.

"No, there's only the two of us eating," she reminded, it was as if he was ordering for the whole town.

When the server left, Zoya surveyed her husband. "Someone's hungrier than the wolves," she playfully accused. He chuckled, grabbing her hand within his.

"I just want you to try more things, so we can come here often if you like them." His response shut her up, and she bit her lip softly.

"Zaib- be honest with me, you've had a girlfriend, right?"

Instead of appreciating him, she decided to accuse him of being a player. Zaib scoffed at her question, as he removed his hand from hers. "Do you want me to say yes to that question so bad?" He shot back, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"No, never." She hastily grabbed his hand back, her gaze softening upon his dismal.

"I've not romanced anyone Zoya-" before he could give out further explanations, she gripped his hand. "I know, Zaib. I just said it as a joke- I didn't mean to upset you," the vulnerability of her words simmered down his temper.

He caressed her hand again.

"Sorry, I just don't like to bring up anything when you're already so jealous," he huffed.

To be fair, she did- still- hate how he was so famous with women like bees to honey; it gnawed at her most of the nights, especially after giving birth. Doctors called it post-partum depression.

There were random waves of anxiety and insecurity that came with the after-effects of giving birth, and Zoya wasn't prepared for them. At the time, she was trapped in an endless pool of hopelessness; she unknowingly built a barrier against him. She kept feigning ignorance, pushing him away, but Zaib's love for her overpowered her concerns.

Zaib was well-informed about the internal battles haunting her, so instead of fighting her for her abstinence, even though it was killing him- he remained patient. He stayed stuck to her like glue, helping out with Hidaya and holding his wife close at night. It seemed ineffective at first, but gradually he got through to her, and she caved. She had been alright since those first few weeks, other than the occasional feelings of insecurity uprising.

"Here's your order," the server interrupted Zoya's train of thoughts, and she quickly dismissed the past.

"It looks really good," Zaib addressed, and Zoya nodded excitedly digging into her pasta.

Suddenly Zaib's phone began to ring, and Zoya dropped her fork immediately, her thoughts raving straight towards Hidaya. Zaib slid his phone out of his jeans and quickly responded.

"Bilal, is everything okay?" Concerned, he immediately questioned.

Zoya almost fell off her seat in anxiousness as she edged forward to overhear the call.

"Z, Hidaya won't stop crying. I didn't mean to call, but it's been a while, and she's just going ballistic- I gave her milk, changed her diapers- I even danced to baby shark man," Bilal frustratedly groaned.

Zoya immediately leapt, grabbing the phone from Zaib. "Bilal, is her face red?" Zoya interrogated. She heard Bilal shuffle and then respond, "Yeah kind of? I didn't notice it before, but she's turning pink."

Zoya frowned and calculated in her head what could make her so rowdy. Her eyes widened as she realised, "Bilal, did you make her wear her baby cap?"

"Uh-yeah? Is that a problem?"

Zoya almost threw a punch in from the phone. "Bilal, I told you her skin is very sensitive; she gets rashes if her head feels hot!" Zoya yelled, and Bilal immediately pulled the cap off.

The loud sobs in the background grew soft immediately, and Zoya finally breathed. "Bilal, how could you be so irresponsible?" Zoya groaned.

"Zoya, let me speak to him," Zaib's insistence made her hand him the phone. "B, you better take good care of her," Zaib's stern voice even caught Zoya off guard, and she straightened up in her seat.

"Yeah, alright," Zaib smiled in response to something Bilal said and then the call ended.

Zaib rubbed his hand reassuringly over Zoya's. "It's alright now," he reassured.

Zoya nibbled on her lower lip worriedly as Zaib began to eat again. "Zaib, can we go home?"

Zaib's stared at her wordlessly.

"Zaib, I'm worried Bilal will mess up again," she confessed.

Zaib frowned as he held onto her hand. "Zoya, she'll be alright. You're stressing too much. B still has a long way to go, so, understandably, he makes mistakes," Zaib explained, coaxing his wife. "Come on now, finish your meal."

Zoya looked unnerved but nodded nonetheless. She held up the fork, but her thoughts were just oscillating around her daughter. She took a few bites and then looked back at Zaib.

"Zaib, can you call home again? What if she's crying and Bilal doesn't know why-"

"Zoya, stop it." His gaze was afflicted as he begged. "You keep on worrying over Hidaya. How're we supposed to have a good time if your thoughts are elsewhere?" He demanded, his gaze pointed.

Zoya lowered herself into her seat and finished eating.

>>>>>>>>>>>

As they stood in a line for tickets to the movie, the tension between the two of them remained thick. Zaib was cold and unresponsive, while Zoya was unsure. She knew she had been a bit obsessive with her excessive concerns, but she couldn't help it.

She had her baby's welfare in her mind all the time. She hadn't been away from her daughter much in the past few months. Even if she was busy, Zaib would be at Hidaya's side, but now that she was spending time with Zaib while their daughter was at home, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

Their turn to buy their movie tickets came soon. "Zaib, what was the movie you wanted us to watch?" Zoya asked him.

He shrugged nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter." She sighed, "We'll be right back," she told the person at the ticket booth. She pulled Zaib to the side, a bit further from the line.

"Zaib, I don't like this," she firmly told him, grabbing his hand. "Don't like what?" he asked indifferently, raising an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.

"I don't like us fighting. I know I should've been more focused on our date. I'm sorry."

Zaib looked at her, and seeing her eyes wide with concern, he faltered. He sighed and instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, hating himself for constantly arguing with her.

"I'm sorry," he exhaled, "It's just, ever since we've had Hidaya, it's like you don't have time for me," he complained. Zoya let out a baffled laugh. "What do you mean, Zaib? We live together."

"Yeah, but I mean, alone time. You're always taking care of Hidaya. I love our daughter too, but I miss spending time with just you," he sulked, looking down at their interlaced fingers.

She bit her lip, her hand tightening against his.

"I could never love Hidaya more than you. It's just hard to distinguish between being a mother and wife sometimes," she explained.

"Zoya, I know you love me more because if you didn't, you wouldn't love Hidaya so much either. She's a part of us, always connecting me and you," he frowned, his gaze earnestly trained on her.

Then he glanced down bashfully. "It's just- it's childish, but I don't like sharing you. And then sometimes you're too busy with Hidaya that you forget me." He scratched the back of his head, and Zoya could tell he felt extremely childish, explaining himself.

Zoya finally got it; she had unconsciously been giving more time to her baby than her husband, so Zaib may have felt neglected. She couldn't stop herself from finding Zaib very endearing. Is this what all the fuss was about?

She held back a smile, her heartwarming upon seeing her husband so vulnerable. "I'll give you all of my time Zaib," Zoya declared, her eyes glinting with joy.

Zaib met her eyes, "What if you don't?"