Better Late Than Never

38

They made every day spent in Granada blissful in every way possible and Ayra loved it. She loved all of it.

They went everywhere and did everything. They visited the Alhambra and enjoyed the Micador de San Nicolas. The men had soothing baths at the exotic Al Andalus Hamman while the women splashed water on each other before they all got immersed in the beauty of the Nasrid Palaces.

They caught Flamenco shows, had tea in tearooms decorated with Moorish architecture, tried churros in different ways and sampled other cuisines while keeping an eye out for Ibtihaj who had to be selective with what she ate, and then caught beautiful sunsets.

The photos they took were nothing short of beautiful and Ayra had to get more and more film for her camera, wanting to capture every single detail. On her own, she toured other spots such as the Catedral de Granada or went back to the spots they'd toured just so get another feel of it while exploring hidden nooks and crannies that they had missed.

When it came to her outings with Ayman, she loved everything; even more than she loved their group outings. It was a truth she held close to her heart. Ayman planned out everything for the both of them and when she thought there wasn't anything that could surpass the last thing he'd done, he proved her wrong.

They maintained their night tradition of meeting up on the rooftop terrace and talking about whatever came to mind. Then they went on dessert scouts although they both termed those outings "dessert dates". They had meals in stunning hidden restaurants in The Alabaicin which was the Moorish part of Granada and also in The Realejo which was the Old Jewish quarter of the city; raced each other on tiny, hilly streets while capturing sceneries; had separate massage sessions at Banos de Elvira; went back to the Alhambra together at night and toured the Nasrid Palcaces too, seeing the places in whole new lights; squeezed in time to marvel in nature and wildlife areas and; took the climb up to the Sacromonte Abbey.

By the morning they packed up to leave Granada for Seville, Ayra and Ayman had gotten so much closer. Ayra had way too many shots of him and quite a number of Polaroid print outs. Ayman, who'd gotten himself a small camera, had beautiful pictures of the places they'd visited; most of the pictures having Ayra in them, clearly captured with angles that brought her out in clear definition.

Most of them slept throughout the bus trip to Seville and on arrival, they met their Seville tour guide; a nice female named Georgina who had the most adorable son whose name she revealed was Cristiano after the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo. While Ayra melted at how adorable the little boy was, Ibtihaj cried and Adil held her, laughing softly while the other Bellos apologetically explained to a worried Georgina that all was well and that Ibtihaj was being affected by her pregnancy hormones.

Georgina let out a relieved breath, glad it was nothing serious. When Ibtihaj sniffled and apologised, the Spanish woman shook her head with a small laugh. "Oh it's alright. I can understand what you're going through. Don't worry, it gets better. It might take a while but it gets better."

Ibtihaj sniffled again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Chuckling, Ayra reached out to pat her best friend's back. "Oh Ibty."

Ibtihaj scrunched up her nose and buried her face in her husband's chest, inhaling deeply. "Fi mi si lé abeg."

They laughed and agreed with Georgina when she told them they should head to what would be their home for the entire week. Like she wanted, Ayra sat beside Ayman on the bus and although they said nothing throughout the entire ride, they shared little smiles and took in the places they drove past.

The Seville home was a single bungalow with interconnected flats that could take them all and a beautiful courtyard right in the middle. It was way better than the homes they'd occupied in Granada and Ayra fell in love all over again. Georgina had them know that the area – Casco Antiguo – was in the heart of Seville and she let them marvel at the sights they were blessed with from the terraces; the Seville Cathedral and the stunning sights of La Giralda.