Accepting You

Chapter Forty One

After finishing their morning routine on Saturday, Yusuf kissed Asiya on her forehead and left for the gym.

When Asiya was certain Yusuf had left the building, she flung her duvet off her body and dropped to her knees.

Her knees pressed against the wooden floor, sending painful shocks of excitement through her as she reached under her bed.

Asiya's hands teased the sides of the boxes before she managed to latch onto the edge of one and pull it out. 

She huffed and flattened her body against the floor to pull out the remaining boxes of stuff she had ordered and hidden from Yusuf.

Artwork, slippers for Yusuf to wear, personalised blankets, cushions with feathery designs sprouting out from their fronts, and small furniture and toys were some of the things Asiya had quickly accumulated ever since she had spoken to Yusuf's mum, thanks to same-day delivery.

Asiya waltzed over to her intercom when the buzzer sounded. She pressed the silver button firmly and moved her lips closer to the speaker.

"Hello, Mrs Asiya. Your deliveries have arrived. Shall we send them up?" David's voice crackled through the intercom.

"Yes, please!" Asiya squealed.

She ran into her room and twirled her jilbab over her head.

Asiya galloped to the front door and threw it open. 

Her palms were plastered over her smile as she watched the bellmen lug the final pieces of Yusuf's surprise into her flat.

Asiya wanted to make Yusuf feel like he belonged here and emphasise that she wanted him here too.

"Hello," Asiya gingerly cooed as she bent down to introduce herself to her new freeloading housemate.

The kitten scratched its nails against the walls of the plastic carrier it had travelled in.

Asiya stared as the kitten's mouth opened and expanded. It took over her entire face as though she was going to roar.

Instead of releasing a ferocious sound, a soft meow exited the kitten's mouth, and she tilted her head backwards and seemed to blink in disbelief.

"I'll let you out soon. I promise," Asiya said to the kitten.

Asiya carefully used scissors to remove the plastic covering on the chair she had bought for Yusuf. Olivia had sworn it was worth the money, claiming it felt like sitting on a nest of clouds.

Asiya looked at the kitten. "Soup wey sweet na money kill am," she said.

Asiya spent the next half-hour putting on her best Mrs Hinch act.

She squished the kitten's furniture and toys into spare corners, swapped pieces of her decor for faceless pictures of Yusuf and her at their nikkah, and finished by draping new blankets across the top of Yusuf's chair and placing his slippers at its feet.

Asiya picked up the kitten's carrier and put it in her bedroom. "I'll be back. I promise," she said as Yusuf's keys jangled at the front door.

Asiya skipped across her flat and met Yusuf at the door. "Asalamu alaykum Yusuf."

Yusuf moved forward, and Asiya lagged in front of him, stopping him from properly entering. The front of Yusuf's eyebrows tugged together. "Wa alaykum salam? Asiya?"

"Notice anything?" Asiya drawled. She had initially wanted to keep her purchases a secret and wait for Yusuf to notice them alone, but she couldn't contain her excitement.

Yusuf's eyes moved around the open-plan room.

The more scenery he took in, the wider his eyes grew. "Asiya," Yusuf said in a low, serious voice, "Why have you spent so much of your money?"