HIS (YOU series #1)

Bonus Chapter 1

1 YEAR AFTER THE EPILOGUE

Amira

I'm going to be so late. I thought as I rushed into my closet. I had to attend all the kids' parent-teacher conferences today, five to be exact. Of course, when the kids informed us about it, everyone yelled, "not it"; sadly, I was the last to utter those words.

I put on a maxi silk slip dress and added an abaya. I grabbed my phone and keys and then rushed out.

Two hours! Two long, excruciating hours of listening to their teachers. They were all doing very well, but their teachers still felt the need to list areas they could improve.

They already had after-school lessons on weekdays. More lessons would be stressful.

"Hurry and get in so we can go home," I say to them, opening the car doors.

"Since it's summer break, where are we going on vacation," Samir asks.

"Milan" Munira yelled.

"No, Aspen", Inayah counters.

"We can't go to Aspen when it's not snowing," Munir says.

"The Bahamas then," Samir says.

"We've been to all these places. So think of somewhere new", Aadil states.

We took the kids on vacation so often that they've gotten accustomed to it. Aadil kept a calendar in his room to mark off the days till vacation.

They kept listing places as we drove, and finally, we arrived home. 2 years ago, the guys decided to build houses in one compound. They said it was because they wanted the kids to be closer, but the girls and I believe they just wanted to make their basketball gatherings easier.

I can't even fathom how much money they put into the houses. All five houses were large and had three floors, and we had a huge backyard, a pool and lots of space in the front for the kids to play.

It was like a little estate. Bikes, ride-on-cars, and scooters littered the compound, and the backyard looked like a playground. The kids loved living together, and the adults enjoyed it even more.

The grandparents found it amusing. Ammi had even said we had no sense of personal space.

I parked, we all descended the car, and the kids ran in one direction. They were going to see Maya, Ailah's daughter. She was too young to be enrolled in school, so she would cry in the mornings when they left and throw tantrums till they returned.

She hated being separated from them, and although she could barely walk, she followed them around.

I followed suit into the house.

"Are you okay?" I asked Ailah.

She was lying on the couch with a pillow over her face.

"I'm so exhausted. I don't care what Jafar says anymore. I'm sending her to daycare." She replies.

I laughed.

"This is what you get for making me go to the parent-teacher conference on my own", I say, sticking my tongue out at her.

"Just hang in there," I add.

"Where are we eating lunch today? I'm starving," she asks.

"Hudayya's place", I answer.

"Let's go," she says, springing up.

I get the kids before we head over to Hudayya's. The guys were already there, men and their appetites.

"How was the meeting?" Bukar asks.

"To sum up all the boring things the teachers were saying, the kids are all doing great", I replied.

"Where are the report cards," Akrams asks, taking a seat next to me.

I gave him a sheepish smile.

"I forgot", I admitted.

"Of course you did," Amina says.

"In my defence, it's the pregnancy brain," I say, hoping they'd understand what I was hinting at.

"You're pregnant?" Fatima asks.

"Suprise," I say, smiling at Akram.

He was flabbergasted. A smile slowly formed on his face, and before I knew it, he hugged me.

"Happy?" I asked.

"You have no idea," he answered.

He had wanted another baby the moment Aadil was born.

"When did you even get off birth control? We live in the same house, yet you can hide these things from me. It makes me wonder what else you're hiding," he says jokingly.

"17 boyfriends", I reply, and we all laugh.

"I want another baby, too," Amina says to Bukar.

"Same you that called me every name in the book when you were delivering the twins," he says, giving her a dirty look.

The room erupted in laughter. The sass in his voice and the look he gave her were priceless.

"Let it go," she says, hitting his arm lightly.

"You guys are noisier than the kids", Hud says, arriving at the dining room.

"Babe, did we wake you?" Hudayya asked, and he nodded.

"I told you not to nap in the study", she scolds.

"Why would you nap in the study?" Jafar asks.

We had forgotten he was in the room. He had been so focused on his food that he hadn't spoken a word till now.

"I'm trying to finish up some work", he answers.

Working from home most of the time had become the norm for them. Only Ibrahim consistently went to work.

The girls and I didn't work, not because we weren't allowed to. We made the decision ourselves, we lived comfortable lives, and we weren't about to ruin them by waking up at 8 to go to work.

The guys supported our decisions because, ultimately, it was up to us to choose our paths in life. It was a quality each of them had that I admired.

Akram valued my input in any decision. He considered my feelings, allowed me to be myself and take charge of my own life and created a space where I was comfortable enough to say anything.

He wrote me handwritten love letters, opened car doors for me, and knew the foods I liked and those I couldn't stand.

He could tell what I was thinking just by looking at me. He covered the sharp edges of tables when I passed through.

He took me on dates regularly. He bought me gifts, he took note of the scents I liked on him, and he knew all my pet peeves.

I never had to ask for any of these things. He always just did them.

These small things could be seen as the bare minimum, but considering how men are, I couldn't help but be appreciative.

To me, Akram was the epitome of perfection, flaws and all.

If he were the main character of a book, I would bet a million dollars the author was a woman.