Accepting You

Chapter Forty

"Asiya, wake up. Otherwise, we'll miss Fajr," Yusuf said.

Yusuf stood over her with a fluffy towel wrapped around his waist, but Asiya was too exhausted to admire her husband's physique.

She bobbed her head up and down, hoping that her slow nods mimicked someone awake and would convince Yusuf to go away.

Yusuf's breath tickled Asiya's cheek. "Asiya, I can tell you're still sleeping." He placed his hand on her shoulder and shook her. "You need to wake up!"

Asiya swatted Yusuf away and blinked until her vision was no longer blurry. "I'm so tired," she yawned.

"Any reason why?" Yusuf drawled before finishing his sentence with a wink.

"Stop it," Asiya said as her face flooded with warmth.

Yusuf chuckled before pulling on some shorts and throwing his towel over Asiya's face. "Please get ready. We need to pray."

Asiya dragged the towel off her face, and once she saw the time on Yusuf's alarm clock, her body kicked into gear.

She hopped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

As Asiya prepared for salah, memories of their night would break through her routine thoughts, accelerating her heartbeat and making her actions clumsy.

Their night was fun but also bumpy and didn't exactly flow the way most people claimed it would. 

When Asiya had allowed herself to get wrapped up in her head, she had secretly wished she had done more research.

However, Yusuf had made her feel beautiful, and constantly hummed his appreciation of her into her skin, and underneath the sheets of apologies, soft kisses and laughs, Asiya and Yusuf found a shielded bliss that their Lord had promised.

'And of His signs is this: He created for you wives from (the same natures) as yourselves, so that you may live in tranquillity with them; and He put between you love and compassion. Here, indeed, are signs for people who ponder'. Surah 30 (Al-Room) Verse 21.

- A -

Asiya rolled over onto her back as a joyful tune played from her phone.

Once their video call had connected, Olivia smacked her camera. "Don't leave me hanging like that, Asiya, eh-ver again! Geez, you get married and forget about your bestie."

"Ha! Look at you, needy Liv," Asiya teased in a sing-song voice.

"Wait," Olivia moved her phone camera closer to her face. Her eyelids bordered her moss-coloured eyes as she narrowed them. "It's Monday afternoon. You've just gotten home from work. You're all smiley, and your cheeks are so...round? You don't look like you've been fighting with Yusuf."

"Do you know how anxious I've been since Friday!" Olivia shrieked into the microphone. Her curls bounced around her face as she animatedly moved her head. "What the hell has been going on in love land?"

"Liv, there's been nothing going on, I swear. I should've messaged you sooner, but you don't need to worry. Things are good between Yusuf and me. We're good right now, Alhamdulillah," Asiya said in a floaty voice.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew Sarah was just talking out of her arse!" Olivia exclaimed as she clapped happily.

"Liv, don't say tha–wait, what?" Asiya pulled her eyebrows together at the sound of her former best friend's name. "Sarah? What does Sarah have to do with anything?"

Olivia slapped her hand over her mouth, smothering curse words.

"Olivia. Speak," Asiya demanded.

"I wasn't supposed to say that," Olivia said.