Accepting You

Chapter Twenty Nine

Asiya yawned impolitely as Yusuf walked around the car. It was past Magrib. Her nikkah was over, and she was officially married.

Yusuf opened the door and smirked. "Hey, I want to tell you something."

"I think we're moving too fast," he said in a light and playful tone. "I mean, I just met you; we've had a nikkah, sure, but now you're trying to pick me up and take me out of the country."

Asiya smiled and rolled her eyes. "Just get in the car, Yusuf," she instructed while patting the driver's seat.

"See what I mean about trying to pick me up?" Yusuf grinned as he slid into the car and shut the door.

"If I had been fully in charge of who I picked up, you may not have been the one sitting here," Asiya joked.

Yusuf gasped dramatically and leaned towards her.

His lips slanted mischievously as his eyes roamed across Asiya's face. He picked up Asiya's hand and melted his fingers through hers. 

 "Who else would you have picked if not me?" Yusuf asked, giving Asiya an adoring smile.

Asiya couldn't hold Yusuf's gaze, so she dropped it like a raw egg falling from its shell and wriggled her fingers.

This was the first time they had been together, alone, and Yusuf's boldness emphasised the absence of a third person.

"Sorry. I should've asked," Yusuf apologised as he loosened his grip.

How many times are you going to make this man apologise, Asiya?

It wasn't like she didn't like Yusuf touching her.

The opposite was true. All day, the parts of Asiya that Yusuf had touched, grazed or whispered against had come alight like his hand was a match, and her body was a board.

She didn't mind him touching her. His touches were reassuring. Each one confirmed that he liked her without Asiya asking, and they encouraged her to ignore what Yusuf's family and guests had said about her.

Asiya braced her fingers around Yusuf's own, stopping their hands from separating.

"No. You don't need to," Asiya said. She could feel her heart swelling nervously in her chest.

"I like it, I do," Asiya said as she inspected their connected hands.

Their fingers rested perfectly on the gaps between each other's knuckles as though their bodies had been moulded with the other in mind. Asiya squeezed Yusuf's hand for extra reassurance. "Okay?"

"Okay," Yusuf smiled before clearing his throat. "But I will need my hand to drive, and you're kind of cutting off my blood supply."

Asiya released Yusuf's hand before smacking it lightly.

Yusuf pressed a button, and the car roared to life. "How did you find today?"

"Tiring," Asiya replied.

The size of the party they had held after the nikkah was no comparison to how big Asiya's mendhi had been. However, Asiya was still exhausted, and her body felt battered. Being the new couple, they had been the entertainment for their guest all day.

"Same. After today, I'm wondering why we didn't leave a gap between today and the walima," Yusuf said.

Because. Despite all of Asiya's fears and reservations, she wanted to be married quickly. She wanted all the customs of their union complete because getting married had initially felt like the hardest thing to do.

"I guess we'll be able to rest on our honeymoon," Yusuf said.

Asiya laughed, disguising her nerves. "Rest? Have you read my itinerary, Yusuf? We're going to Turkiye. There's so much to see there. Resting is not on the agenda."