ishq lost & found

51; Bonus Scene

"They're in Pakistan?!" Salman nearly yelled over the phone, his voice ringing in Sana's ears as she moved the phone slightly away.

"Yeah, I found out from his friend's wife. He just dropped everything and took her there." She replied, rolling her eyes at the notion that Saad would go this far to prove a point.

"Why would he do that?" Salman asked, anger washing over him when he realized his mother must have known and failed to alert him, like he had assumed she would.

"Apparently they cancelled their walima here and they're gonna do it there. Kind of a bummer considering what I had planned." She told him, a glint of jealousy burning through her chest. The idea that Saad would do all this for Ranya only solidified the fear that he truly felt something for her.

"Then I guess I'll have to go to Pakistan too."

-

Waking up from the ache she felt shooting through her neck, Ranya tried to drown out the sound of birds chirping, surprised she could hear it over the loud noise of traffic that plagued their city. Somehow, this was the worst sleep she had ever experienced in her life- surpassing the time her father made her go camping and sleep in a tent.

That time, she couldn't pinpoint why exactly she slept so poorly. Maybe it was because she was cramped in a small tent with her annoying sister, or because the fear of being mauled by a bear kept her from fully falling asleep. This time though, she knew exactly who to blame.

Cautiously, she glanced over at Saad, a breath of relief escaped her lips when she saw he was still asleep. Looking far more peaceful than her, an arm under his head and the other flat against his side, he slept like a log. His soft exhales, the calm rise and fall of his chest nearly lulled Ranya back to sleep.

But she was terrified to move, fearing that one wrong step could wake him up. It wasn't that she was necessarily worried about disturbing his sleep, of course that was a concern. But the biggest fear was having yet another awkward situation between them.

Gently, she sat up, keeping an eye on him as she did. Maybe it would be better if she took her time, since she had woken up way before her alarm was set to go off. Leaning on the headboard, she stared at him, admiring his face. He looked so much like the old Saad all of a sudden, like his true expression was revealed only when he was asleep. He looked like the boy she fell in love with all those years ago, the same one that would look at her like she was the only girl to exist.

Against her better judgement, she reached over, noticing a couple of hairs that seemed to be directly before his eyes. They looked like they'd stab his eyes the second he'd open them, and moving them while he's asleep isn't weird? It's endearing, but it's something you can do to anyone. It wasn't necessarily an intimate act, she told herself, brushing them out of his face.

Pulling back, she sighed, trying to recollect her thoughts and more importantly, her feelings towards Saad. With the hectic mess of travelling, and the stress of her nani's health, she hadn't really had time to hold a grudge against him. Maybe she had been a bit standoffish subconsciously, acting as she had before, but a small part of her was beginning to mend that soft spot that had begun to harden.

Was she still mad at him? She had every right to be, and maybe she was crazy for even questioning whether it was okay or not, but maybe it was due to their history that she was being so forgiving. It was also their history that meant she should be upset and angry. He had done so much to break her heart, on multiple occasions.

First he leaves, no explanation - nothing. Not a word after, he ghosts her for seven years, appearing unaffected by her absence in his life. Then, after getting married, he tells Sana the truth about her and Salman. Then he accuses her of speaking to Salman, as if she wanted that fool. Lastly, she hears him basically telling Sana he wouldn't have married her under different circumstances. Those were grounds for divorce in some people's eyes, but maybe Ranya was blind.

She was blind and foolish, her inability to stand up for herself beginning to make her loathe herself. Was it that difficult to defend yourself? She could have said more, done more, fought more. She shouldn't have let her guard down in the first place, and that realization was her answer. She couldn't do it again. She would act the way she had to, only when she had to. Then behind closed doors it was back to being silent.

The sound of Saad shuffling broke her out of her thoughts, she reacted by flinching lightly, turning to look at Saad as he turned to his side, his eyes fluttering open.

"You're awake?" He asked, his voice raspy and hoarse.

Like her internal monologue hadn't just told her to ignore him, she nodded, "Yeah.", turning back to the wall she had been staring at before her.

"What time is it?" He asked, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes again like he was preparing to go back to sleep.

"6:32." Ranya answered, still looking ahead like looking at him once would make her do something she'd regret. She wasn't that crazy.

Not exactly able to think coherently, still half asleep, Saad reached over, pulling her down beside him. His hand had grasped her legs, pulling them towards him, his hand finding its way to her waist before somehow pulling her down right beside him. Ranya, stunned, froze completely rigid as she tried to decipher whether this was a dream or her reality.

"It's too early, go back to sleep." He mumbled, his hand still grasping her waist, his head nestled against her hair. Like it were a reflex, he breathed in the sweet scent of her hair, his grip tightening around her.

Able to feel his rigid muscles against herself, Ranya couldn't even let out a croak. Not a word. She could barely breathe, being this close to Saad- that too in such a strange position. She had slept a distance away from him, straight like a log with her hands by her sides to avoid something like this since she knew she moved in her sleep. Apparently the threat existed when she was awake just as much as it did when she was asleep.

After staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes, Ranya relaxed somewhat, the terrifying touch of her husband becoming a bit more comforting, especially since she felt like she hadn't slept at all. Maybe it was because she needed to sleep against someone like this to sleep like she used to, or maybe she was delirious from the lack of sleep- regardless, she found herself drifting off laid up right against him.

When she awoke again, Saad was gone. She was back on her side of the bed, not as straight as she had been before but still- so far it was like she had never moved. Like she hadn't woke up the first time and been pulled in by Saad. She even wondered if she had dreamt all that, hoping she didn't because then it would mean something deep from within her wanted that.

The sound of the shower turning off broke her train of thought, her eyes darting to the bathroom door as it creaked open, revealing a fully dressed Saad. Letting out her breath that she didn't know she was holding, she figured he must've learned his lesson.

"Get ready, we have a lot to do today." Saad reminded her, walking up to his nightstand to grab his phone. The way he barely spared her a glance only fed the idea that she had dreamt that all.

Saad knew she didn't. When he awoke to find his beautiful wife laid right up against him, his hand directly on her waist, he nearly fell out of bed. Barely, but briefly, he recalled waking up to her already awake- but he attributed that to his incoherent thoughts and jet lag.

But no. It was all very real. He had invaded her space, that too when she was fully conscious and able to remember what happened exactly as it did. He wished they had both managed to find their way into each other arms, but the fact that they had only because of him just solidified the notion that Ranya was still mad at him. On all levels, consciously and subconsciously.

-

hiii i'm so sorry i haven't updated in so long! life has gotten crazy and busy lately, but someone asked for an update so i figured id give you a short little bonus scene! hopefully i can get out a full chapter sooner rather than later! i'm aiming for tuesday :) hope you like this