Loving You

Chapter 28 : Adventures in Istanbul (Part 3)

Zahra's PoV:
We got to our hotel via a taxi and as soon as we got there, I spoke to the young female receptionist and asked her kindly for a first aid kit. "Zahra, sweetheart, we don't need a first aid kit, it's fine, stop worrying." Ali said, with his hands firmly in his pockets. "Ali, stop being a baby and let me cleanse your wound please." He threw his head back and chuckled softly "As you wish." I thanked the receptionist as she handed us the first aid kit and our room key.

Ali's PoV:
It was so adorable how worried Zahra was about me. We entered our hotel room and I sat down as Zahra closed the door behind us, took my jacket off her body, set her handbag down before taking her hijab off, her long hair still firmly intact in her low messy bun while a couple of long strands fell delicately, framing her face. I swear, I could just sit there, taking in her radiant beauty for hours. I smiled softly at her, smitten.

"Ali, can you please go and wash your hands with warm water and soap." She was so good at taking care of me. I went and washed my hands, as the water made me wince in pain. She opened the first aid box after washing her own hands thoroughly and took out the antiseptic medical wipes as I dried my hands with a towel and sat down again on our bed.

She came closer to me and I looked into her eyes. She opened the packet and with the wipe, carefully cleansed my wound. I flinched in agony at the sudden contact. "Ali I'm so sorry." She said, unable to bear seeing such pain within me, this I could clearly detect from her eyes and her sorrowful yet kind expression. "My darling, it's ok." I replied in a coarse and raspy tone, barely able to get the words out of me. After a while, it felt soothing. Once Zahra was completely satisfied with the level of cleanliness, she got a bandage out from the box and glanced at me through her adorably long and thick eyelashes as she lovingly wrapped the bandage around my hand.

I moved a strand of her hair gently out of her eyes and tucked some behind her ear. She never failed to amaze or surprise me. I had truly underestimated how well she could take care of me. It made me smile to think how much she cared about me.

Zahra's PoV
"Thank you, my love." He said gratefully when I finished tending to his cut. "I'm your wife, Ali, it's my job to take care of you, even if I can't do it at times. Please don't thank me when you are the one who does so much for me every day."  I replied in a solemn whisper and I looked down as I put everything away. Ali tilted my head up with his two fingers, delicately as his eyes met mine.

"You are amazing, you know that. Don't you ever forget that, Eshgham. You take care of me all the time without realising you're doing it, it's in your nature, love. To me you're an angel who's healed a troubled soul, who's mended a broken heart. And it's my honour to take care of you."

He caressed my cheek and kissed my lips softly, before standing up and picking me up gently, bridal style, his eyes still lingering on me and his breath mingling with mine. I held onto his chest. Instead of sitting me on the bed, Ali sat down on the bed and sat me on his lap, sideways so my legs were resting along the width of his legs and we could look at each other. He held onto my waist gently with his wounded hand as his other hand gently tugged at my low messy bun, pulling it out, revealing my long silky raven locks of hair, combing my hair, stroking the strands that fell around my face and his lips kissed the top of my head. "You're so beautiful, the most breathtaking person made by God just for me." He said lovingly, in awe. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his scent.

"I was so scared about what happened today. You know, I saw many Hijabi women in our community and simply thought they were obeying the words of God. Never did I stop to think about the consequences such islamophobia. As a Muslim guy, for most people, it's harder for them to pinpoint our identity. Hayati, has anything like this ever happened before?" Ali asked me in hushed yet concerned tones.