𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

EPILOGUE

Arsalan POV:

5 months later.

I wave at Airah as she reaches for the car door. She and the girls decided to have a day out today, so I offered to take complete care of Yusuf while she enjoys a bit of time for herself. The little guy has become very naughty over time. Once the car leaves, I take Yusuf for a tour of the garden in the back, which Iqra takes care of. It’s his favorite spot in the whole house. Yusuf wiggles in my arms as I walk through the garden. Once we're done, I take him inside the house and sit down on the couch in the living room. That’s when he starts crying.

"Hey, hey," I quickly stand up with him in my arms, but he still doesn’t stop. He isn’t hungry—I know that because Airah just fed him.

"I think you need to change his diaper," Ziya’s voice comes from behind me.

I quickly grab his diapers and wipes, then sit down on the ground in the living room. Wait—how do you change a diaper? I remember once sitting with Airah and watching her change it, but I didn’t understand a thing.

Thinking of a solution, I open YouTube and search for a video. "Wait a sec, baby," I mutter, scrolling through my phone while Yusuf keeps crying.

"That’s pretty difficult," comes Tariq’s voice from beside me, and that’s when I notice that Tariq and Ziya are sitting with me, watching the video.

"Doesn’t cost a penny to try, right?" I say as I put the phone down on the floor and follow the steps.

I spread the diaper out in front of me and lift Yusuf, but his wiggling makes it hard to get it right. "Stop moving, buddy!" I mutter as I try to figure out which side is the front and which is the back. Tariq points at the video, "I think you're supposed to stick that side first."

I fumble with the tabs, sticking one on but missing the other. Yusuf squirms even more. Tariq laughs, "I think you're taping it upside down." I glance at the video again, "No way, it's this side... I think."

Ziya leans in, trying to help. "No, look, you're supposed to clean him first, right?"

We all pause, and I groan, "Oh yeah, that."

I grab the wipes, but Yusuf grabs my hand, causing me to accidentally wipe his leg instead. Ziya snorts, "That’s not how you do it, bro!"

Tariq chuckles, "This is like putting together a piece of IKEA furniture."

"Without instructions!" I add, feeling a little panicked as Yusuf’s cries get louder.

Finally, after a few tries and a lot of laughter, we somehow manage to get the diaper on, though it looks a bit crooked. "Well, it’s not perfect, but it’ll do," I say, relieved.

As all three of us sit admiring our work, Yasir enters the room. He’s dressed in a black hoodie and pants, holding his black helmet in his hands. He sits near Yusuf’s head and looks down at him. Yusuf gazes up at him with wide, curious eyes.

“Wanna go for a ride, buddy?” Yasir asks, nudging Yusuf’s tiny shoulder. Yusuf wiggles and giggles, completely entertained.

“For God’s sake, Yasir, he’s just five months old!” Ziya scolds.

Yasir just waves her off and picks Yusuf up carefully. I chuckle to myself, wrapping up the changing mat and heading upstairs to our room, the one we moved into just a few months ago. When I return downstairs, the guys are still playing with Yusuf, who now sits happily in Yasir’s lap, laughing and giggling without a care in the world.

My phone rings, and I pull it out to see Airah FaceTiming me. I answer, and as soon as the call connects, her cheerful voice fills the room.

“Where’s Yusuf?” she asks immediately, her face lighting up on the screen.