Life is fascinating and so are souls. They say when you truly love someone, your souls bind and when souls bind, one should know that it lasts an eternity. Bodies grow old and fade away but souls? Their light never dims. Maybe that's one huge mistake we make while falling in love, we fall for the body, not the soul and that's one eminent reason why it never lasts. Such kind of love, brittle away with the bristling of body.

Haani Fateen raised his head from prostration and clasped his lips from the silent prayer he made. Folding the rug, he placed it on the nightstand and went back to bed. It was morning, though the sun hadn't risen yet. He pulled up the blanket and covered Sanari's cold sleeping body with it. She stirred in her sleep and unconsciously tugged at the blanket which made him smile. He leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead in pure affection.

Watching her sleep this peacefully and free of all troubles was something he was getting used to now. It had been months of a new beginning with her and each day his heart swelled with the overwhelming feelings he had caught for her and the tiny one he was desperate to meet. That was one reason why he'd laugh it off each time she'd throw a tantrum at him or act repulsive and get hell bent on annoying him to the end of the world. He'd take that for her conditional hormones but even Haani knew that he'd take it for anything as long as it meant that she was always going to be around.

He closed his eyes but something stirred his consciousness. Sanari moved uncomfortably in bed making a painful sound. Her fragile hand touched his shoulder and made a frail attempt of shaking him. Haani looked at her pale face drenched in sweat suddenly and instantly shot up in bed. "Are you okay?" He tried to make her sit to prevent her from choking if she felt nauseated. "Hospital-" she spoke in a rasping voice before she collapsed in his arms. The rest of everything was a rush.

~~~~~

The beeping of the monitor was the only sound in the room when he entered. It had been long few hours of waiting until the doctor informed him that both his wife and child were out of danger. The moment Sanari collapsed in his arms was the moment his heart seemed to have stopped beating until now.

The nurse smiled at him. He returned the smile until his eyes fell on Sanari's pale face. Her lips were tightly pursed and her eyes closed, he could even see the blood vessels popping out in her eyelids. By her posture, he could tell how much pain she had endured. He stepped forward and wanted to touch her but the nurse interrupted his approach and he contracted back his hand, "she's on sedatives, she won't wake until a few hours. She's exhausted but she was very strong. Many mothers lose it by the middle of their painful labours and get all emotional but her strength was remarkable."

Haani smiled again, he knew how much steel she was made of and how much he meant to her. "Is she okay now?" Je asked concerned reeking his voice.

"They're both fine." The nurse jolted down something on her pad and gave one last glance inside the baby cot she was standing next to. "They're both very beautiful, you have a beautiful family here."

Haani walked towards the baby cot and looked down upon his newborn baby, it was a boy. "Can I-?" He searched for permission and the nurse nodded at him. He reached down to pick up the baby wrapped up in a tiny blue blanket. The baby stirred in sleep. Haani held his tiny body in his strong arms and realised how fragile he was. He stared at his face, dark blond hair covered his head, he had a button nose and a small plum mouth about which Haani was sure he had taken those features from his mother. Though his eyes were that of Haani he was more curious to know if he had inherited his mother's unique eye colour. The colour that had changed the story of his life entirely.

He shifted the baby in his arm and reached out to caress his chubby cheek with the back of his two fingers, the baby gave him a toothless dimpled smile in his sleep which earned him Haani's overwhelmed laugh. The nurse left the family to their privacy.

Haani's heart swelled with the affectionate emotions of new fatherhood and completeness. Holding the baby he walked towards Sanari's bed. He removed the strands of hair that were stuck to her forehead from the sweating. He could feel the stickiness of her skin on his fingers but he cared less. Even in such a condition, he was falling even harder for her. She was beautiful in terms only he could word.

This was the repulsive woman he had met a year ago, who refused to take her hijab off for him. Who had agreed to his vile proposition and married him? Who had loved him without any expectations, selfless love? Who had challenged his views on God and ceased only when he himself found Him at last. Who had forgiven him after all the wrong he had done her. Who had feared that he'd never accepted a child but he was here, with his heart filled up with new emotions, holding their child? Haani would've wanted nothing more than what she had gifted him with. A life, a beginning, a hope, an abstract theory of love and art itself.

The door handle turned and Annum poked in her head, "Hi!" She whispered to which Haani rolled his eyes. She was a perfect moment destroyer as always. "Come in." She walked in still wearing her graduation gown. She looked at Sanari and then Haani until her eyes fell on the baby he was holding and a smile spread across her face. "How are they doing?" She asked in a low voice.

"They're doing good. She's on sedatives, she's tired." Haani sat beside the bed and picked Sanari's hand and started making circles with his thumb at the back of it. Annum inspected her closely and sat beside Haani after she was assured that Sanari was well and out of any sort of danger.

"How long had it been?"

"Few hours, it was a complex case, she was physically weak." Annum nodded.

She stared down at the baby in his arms and her heart skipped a few beats.

"Must be, though I'm not forgiving her for missing out on my graduation today." Haani rolled his eyes again.

"May I?" Haani nodded and carefully placed the baby in her outstretched arms. "Careful." He warned her. "Please don't be one of those overprotective dads okay?" Haani gave her a stern look which meant don't mess with me at the moment. Sure he was exhausted from the overnight at the hospital which only fueled his annoyance and grumpy mood.

"I can't believe I'm an aunt this early and so young." She spoke with shock lacing her voice. Her emotions were getting a better hold of her. "This is all your fault."

"Excuse me?"

"You made me an aunt this early, this is your baby so your fault. You could've simply waited, what was such a rush seriously." Haani huffed in annoyance at her exaggeration.

"I'm thirty if you haven't noticed. A very lenient age to have a child and be a father." He pointed out. "You know what, give him back."

Annum spun around in her seat to prevent Haani taking away the baby from her. "You don't want to be an aunt this early and that's my child so give him back." Annum spun again and faced him.

"Now now now Mr Fateen, if it wasn't for my sister you wouldn't have had a child today considering the fact, the millions of possible babies of yours you've flushed away." Haani gave her a gross look to which she smirked.

"Do you have a single decent and ethical cell in your body?"

"It's just that I don't like you..."

"Be my guest." After saying it, he sunk into his seat and sighed. Annum was the total opposite of Sanari. He didn't know how they ended up being sisters even.

Annum placed the baby back in his arms.

"What are your plans now that you've graduated?" Haani asked to which she shrugged.

"Work at my company. It'll be more convenient and safe. Your sister worries a lot." She seemed to ponder over her possibilities, deep in thought.

"It's a good option actually, I'd love to." Annum was an easy case, she didn't hold onto too many high morals and self prestige like Sanari did and that was one reason why she was the easy-going type. Haani gave her an assuring smile.

Annum took out her phone and clicked a photo of him. Blinded by the flashlight, he glared at her.

"Yes, you do look terrible no doubt but I'm very sure my hopeless romantic of a sister would so want to see her husband holding their first baby for the very first time." She passed him an innocent smile. "Plus, this is so going on my social media. You have no idea about the crowd of media freaks aligned outside the hospital gates waiting for the new celeb daddy and the adorable baby." Haani grunted in annoyance again. He hated the media but no sooner had Sanari made an appearance that the news of them expecting a baby had spread like wildfire. They literally made them the ideal love couple. As much as Haani wanted his life private, the plan was going down the hill. Media had started to adore Sanari but that didn't prevent the critics from pointing a few vile notches, especially raising the question on how Haani Fateen fell in love with an ordinary girl like Sanari. Only if they knew how extraordinary she was to him.

~~~~~

"Don't hold too tight Sussan, you'll hurt the baby." Ella carefully placed the baby in Susan's tiny arms.

"Is he going to be my friend?" The almost four-year-old asked with exciting big eyes to which Sanari nodded. Sussan gave her a bright smile.

Haani, Aron, Marcus and Ham seemed to be in a deep argument, discussing facts and point of views on why their supported rugby team lost the final. Sport is a subject that can always keep men talking for hours actually or else they don't even bother telling you which colour suits you better or which dress you should wear at their distant cousin's wedding. Men are always men. Absorbed up in their own tiny worlds.

Laila adoringly cradled the four month old baby and offered some handful of tips to Sanari. Sanari was overwhelmed with the new feeling of motherhood. Her love had divided between the two most important people of her life but her love didn't seem to reduce rather increase each day. Maybe that's how fitrah works.

Everyone ate dinner in a rasp of chattering and catching up on each others' life stories. Aron ended up confessing he got engaged to which both Haani and Marcus laughed wholeheartedly. They teased him with why would a sane woman even agree on marrying him. Aron frowned and defended himself by saying if Ella could agree on marrying an overly self-obsessed writer and Sanari could agree on marring a delusional artist, sure a sane woman could agree to marry a very sane businessman.

After dinner and a round of yet another family conversations and laughing, everyone retired back to their rooms.

Sanari exhausted from the day, walked into the dressing to change and prepare for bed leaving both father and son duo to themselves. Haani placed him on the bed and crouched down to kiss him on his forehead, "daddy loves you very much, more than he loves mommy but we won't tell her that. It's our little secret okay champ?" The baby stared back at him with wide sea green orbs.

Haani tickled him and he began giggling, fisting the air and Haani laughed. He snuggled his nose in the baby's stomach and earned himself a cheerful laugh, "you smell like candles."

"He does not smell like candles." Sanari walked in, in her nightgown carelessly wrapped around her. Pressing her shoulder with her hand, she sleepily asked him to give her the baby so she could feed him and put him to sleep. He laughed, "newborns always smell like scented candles." She gave him an annoyed stare. They were behaving like any husband and wife and it further spiced their relationship. Haani picked him and gave him to her. She cradled him against her and sighed.

Haani loosened the strands of her hair from her high bun and massaged her scalp. She leaned into him exhausted. Relaxing her knotted nerves in his embrace. He removed her hair from the side of her neck and softly placed his lips to a spot right above her collarbone, knowing very well what it did to her. "Haani, let me feed him in peace, please." She felt his laugh vibrate against her skin which didn't help the situation.

After putting the baby to sleep, she placed him in his baby cot and climbed back in bed. "I'm exhausted, I never realised having a baby can be such an errand." She huffed. Haani gave her a warm smile and stretched his arm for her. Snuggling closer to Haani, she let out a deep sigh. "Let me ease you then." She very well knew what he meant by that and gave out a shy laugh till he pushed her on her back and bend over her, connecting his lips to the side of her jaw. A shiver ran down her spine and the response further induced his excitement. He loved how she was always sensitive to his touch and her body always responding with the same enthusiasm, betraying her very graceful and calculated nature. Helping her out of her gown, to bear her body and soul to him, he leaned in to mark her as his. So he could shower her with his sensual yet passionate love.

She dozed off immediately afterwards, the day's exhaustion catching up to her. He held her closer and kept drawing patterns with his fingers on her bare back, letting her ease her muscles and drift into a peaceful slumber.

No woman can change a man she loves but a man can change for the woman he loves and Haani changed for Sanari. For she made him believe. She made him believe in love, belief in God believes that Fate isn't against you rather it's with you but it only makes you wait for the right moment to come along. Every story hold twists and so did theirs. We all search for happy endings but little do we realise that we ourselves make our endings. It's always the choices we make. She made a choice to love him, he made a choice to love her back.

Sanari resting in his arms made him realise that she had completed him. No one realises what a woman is capable of and neither do they realise how blissful a man can live if only he values her rightfully. That's why men are empowered over women. She gave him love, she gave him hope, she gave him new beginnings and most of all she gave him a family he dreamt of. If those weren't enough reasons to cherish her for the rest of his life than I don't know what are.

He leaned in and kissed her on her temple, "Thank you for everything, I love you very much." She smiled at him in her sleep, of course, she was his

*****

I've never done an epilogue before and neither do I fancy it much but since most of you asked for it, well here's a first.

Also know that my initial thought was killing Sanari in the end and leaving Haani Fateen with his child but then I don't want anyone to murder me in return so yeah lol. I guess the one reason we adore books is that we all search for the kinda happy endings we can't find in our own lives. So, I made this novel a happy loveable one. This was the final chapter. Guys please do promote this book if you like it, suggest it is the best Muslim books on Wattpad or anywhere you can to make it noticed. I love it when people read my work. I'm not in for the votes of something but I'm literally in love with this couple and their story and I do wanna share it around. So do help. Love you all!

If you guys want me to pin an interview segment at the end of this book (where you ask the author some questions etc) as I did in my last novel "strangled roads", please let me know.

-Maliha