Better Late Than Never

Bonus Scenes: Part 1

Two months after marriage...

Ayra stepped out of the bathroom and smiled at Ayman who lowered his book, smiling back. With a sigh, she crossed the distance between the bathroom's door and the bed, and easily slid under the blanket.

Ayman closed his book and put it on the nightstand before he laid back and pulled her close to him, letting her snuggle into his side like she'd been doing from their very first morning together. He kissed her hairline, still smiling. "I told you to take it slow with the liquids you were gulping down earlier."

She smiled like a child who'd sighted chocolate. "It's not my fault that my husband makes the best juices. I had to take a bit of everything."

He chuckled. "I'm done with you, Ayra."

"You love me."

His eyes met hers and held. His smile softened. "I do. I really do."

Ayra's smile was stunning. "Don't worry, I love you too."

He chuckled again. "I know you do, and I'm grateful for it."

Her hand came up between them and she caressed his cheek. A moment passed before she spoke. "I was thinking..."

Ayman was at full attention. "About?"

"We getting a mini fridge for this room."

He blinked and then blinked again. "I never thought about it. Why?"

"So that we don't always have to head down when the bottles of water we have here run out." She explained gently. "We come up with at least three bottles each night so that when we wake up and we're thirsty, there's water in the room. If the fridge is here, we can keep more water in and not have to bother about going up and down. We can add juices too." Her smile turned naughty. "And drinks. And chocolates. And –"

Ayman feigned an unimpressed look. "I'm not even surprised that you're adding more things to that list."

She laughed. "But I'm serious. I have a valid argument. Also, there was a video I watched on TikTok where a breastfeeding mum spoke about how nice it is to have a fridge close by where she could store her pumped breast milk. We can invest in on before our baby comes, no matter how long it'll take him or her."

Ayman stayed quiet, staring at her. She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Ayman, I'm telling you, I have a very valid –"

His lips on hers shut her up and when he pulled back after they kissed for a little while, he said "Let's talk about it tomorrow and then finalise our decision."

She pouted. "But I have to be at work early tomorrow while you get to stay home."

He pulled her even closer to him and closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. "When you get back then In Shaa Allah."

"And since we're making decisions," Her voice dropped. "Have you considered my earlier suggestion? The one of an inflatable pool in the backyard for us to fool around and –"

"Asķim, good night."

Ayra glared at her husband. "That's what you said the last time and we never got back to the discussion. An inflatable pool is the best thing!" She slapped his chest when he kept her quiet. "Ayman Hakeem!"

Sighing dramatically, Ayman tipped her chin up and kissed her again.

Nearly twenty hours later, a tired Ayra stepped into the bedroom and stopped in her tracks. At the side of the bed, just near the nightstand on the side she usually slept on, was a compact refrigerator in black. Her eyes wide, Ayra all but ran to it and pulled it open.