Beyond "I Do"

5- Kisses by the sea

Muhammad rented a sleek black convertible for their drive from St. Tropez to Nice, and the mood was lighter than it had been in days. Aisha sat beside him, the wind gently blowing her hijab lightly as she adjusted her sunglasses. The sun glistened off the water as they cruised along the French Riviera.

Muhammad chuckled, turning up the music. "What game do you want to play to pass the time?"

"Let's play '20 Questions' again," she said, flashing him a grin.

As the game started, the questions flowed naturally—sometimes funny, sometimes thought-provoking.

They went back and forth, sharing stories and laughing harder with each answer, pausing only to sing along to their favorite songs blaring through the speakers. Aisha's voice mingled with the breeze, and Muhammad kept stealing glances at her, amused at how carefree she looked.

After hours of playing and laughing, they arrived in Nice. By this point, Aisha was tired but exhilarated. They decided to explore the city by foot, stopping at random restaurants to snack on local pastries and trying small dishes at a seafood restaurant by the shore.

Later that evening, they took a boat cruise along the coast, the water reflecting the sunset in shades of pink and gold. As the boat rocked gently beneath them, Aisha leaned against Muhammad, feeling the tension between them melt away completely. The moment felt intimate and freeing, like a fresh start.

They were both happy at how things were turning out. Aisha, for the first time in a while, felt a sense of peace wash over her. She hadn't realized how much she'd craved this—just an easy, effortless connection, moments where there wasn't tension hanging thick in the air between them. As they drove, the wind playing with her hair, Aisha began to feel that maybe, just maybe, she hadn't made the wrong decision by going through with this marriage.

Muhammad, on the other hand, was feeling something different altogether. For months, he had been wrestling with himself, questioning if he was the right man for her—if he could be the husband she needed. His mind often drifted to their arguments, his aloofness, and the many times he'd shut her out. But today, as they played road-trip games and sang along to music, something shifted inside him.

Looking at Aisha, he felt his heart tug in a way that scared him. She was different today—light, carefree, beautiful. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. His wife. His. And there was an unfamiliar urge deep inside him, a desire to protect this feeling, to hold onto it. He wanted to be better for her, to nurture this growing sense of connection between them.

Muhammad was also fighting something else—a longing he had tried to suppress. Every time she laughed or leaned in close, it stirred something in him. Not just desire, though that was certainly there, but something deeper. A yearning for intimacy, not just physical, but emotional. He wanted to break down the walls between them, to know her in a way he hadn't let himself before.

Maybe this marriage wasn't a mistake after all. Maybe, in ways he hadn't realized before, Aisha was exactly who he needed, even if he hadn't been ready to admit it until now.

As night fell, they found themselves walking along the beach, their feet sinking into the soft sand, the gentle sound of the waves filling the silence between them.

Muhammad pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. Without a word, he leaned in and kissed her. It was slow, deliberate, and filled with all the unspoken emotions between them. She melted into him, her hands resting on his chest as the kiss deepened. The waves crashed softly behind them, and for a moment, time stood still.

"I've wanted to kiss you like this for so long," he whispered against her lips.

Aisha looked up at him, her heart racing. "Why did it take you so long?"