Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

56

In the eleven days they spent in Barbados, they ensured no place was left unexplored on the Caribbean island. From Bridgetown to Greenidge, they went everywhere and paid no attention to the money they spent, agreeing to deal with the consequences when they were back to reality in Nigeria.

Asiyah and Mas'ood watched the sunset from the Barbados Boardwalk located on the island's southern coast, enjoyed a cocktail tour of the Mount Gay Rum Distillery where they paid close attention to the drinks they were given to avoid anything alcoholic. They swam and surfed (Asiyah learned faster than he did) at the beaches homed on the island which happened to be the best beaches in the Caribbean and then got tastes of cuisines from around the world (they got recipes to try once they got home and if it turned out well, Matbakh Mas'ood was going to have a menu reconstruction).

They explored attractions (Harrison's Cave was their favourite with its hundreds of stalagmites and stalactites, and then the oldest sugar plantation in Barbados; St Nicholas Abbey) and snorkelled on tropical reefs and shipwrecks. With the advice of their tour guide, they enjoyed two picnics in Hunte's Gardens that housed a large range of amazing tropical plants from around the world and also tropical birds. They stylishly watched movies at Limegrove Cinemas and then went golfing before hitting a number of spas for premium treatment.

Apart from the sights and scenes, they explored shades of each other once they were away from every prying eye, locked in the safety and privacy of their suite. Mas'ood never got tired of Asiyah's laughter so he did everything possible to make her laugh more than she ever had. In every way possible, they fit perfectly. She never failed to mention that it would be hard to fall back into their normal routines once they returned to Nigeria because they had trapped themselves in a comfortable bubble.

They spent their last day indoors, not in any hurry as their flight was scheduled for 9PM. Mas'ood watched her trace a random shape on his bicep, a small smile on her face. Her hair was a mess, thanks to every rendezvous they engaged in after Fajr.

Her smile widened by the tiniest inch. "Stop staring at me."

"I don't think I can."

Her finger stopped moving and she sighed before she brought her eyes to his. "I don't want to go back."

"And you don't want us to extend the trip either. I told you we could add one more week but you said no."

She pouted cutely. "That's because we need to get back to everything, Mas'ood. We've missed work for a month."

He pulled her closer so she was flush against him. "Pick a struggle. Do you want us to stay or do you want us to go?" He kissed her messy hair. "If you want us to stay, I'll call the airport and have our flight rescheduled. If that's not possible, we'll have to cancel."

She shook her head. "Let's go home."

"You're sure?"

She nodded. "I am." She sighed resignedly. "I'll miss it though." She moved so she lay on him and smiled when he adjusted accordingly, an arm of his coming to rest on her lower back. She rested her head against his bare chest, his heartbeat soothing. "We can come back later in our lives, right?"

"Of course we can, Asiyah. We'll come back whenever you want."

She raised her head to look at him, her heart swelling when she found him smiling. "I've told you to stop saying things like that. It messes with my heart and it makes me feel like I'm not doing –"

Cupping the back of her head, Mas'ood brought her mouth to his to shut her up with a kiss. Still not used to it despite being married for more than a month, Asiyah pulled back with wide eyes. His smile returned and he spoke before she could.