The Perks of Having a Nikah (A Muslim Love Story) *BACK 2023*

24.

❝Never forget why you fell in love in the first place.❞

I feel the sudden urge to throw up so I rush and head upstairs before someone catches me and head to the toilet to vomit. When I'm done, I wash my mouth and face and head outside to see Zane standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, waiting for me.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Yasmeen?" I stand there frozen, trying to figure out how I'm going to break this to him.

"Yeah, the hand soap smells really good." I sniff my vanilla-scented hands and fake a smile. My heart has picked up so much speed.

He raises an eyebrow at me and removes his hands from his pockets to cross his arms across his chest. "I'm serious, Yasmeen."

I can't help but sigh in an odd breath, my heart beating the most it ever has. My stomach feels like it's swarming with thousands of butterflies. "Uh." I wipe my hands on my clothing nervously. "I'm um, we're um. I." I cover my face with my hands. "I can't." He walks over to me and raps his right arm around my waist, using his left hand to softly remove my hands from my face. Everything he does with me is so softly, it almost makes me feel bad.

"Tell me, please?" His light eyes bore into mine.

"How about you guess?" I say a bit hopefully.

"I think I already know, but I'm waiting for you to say it." He quirks a small smile at me, snaking his left arm around my waist, too.

"I'm pregnant." I say a little above a whisper. I sigh really loudly, feeling like I've released most of the tensions in my body. "There, I said it. I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant." He repeats before kissing me lightly on my nose.

"I'm sorry." I put my face into the crook of his neck. He smells so good.

"Sorry? For what, love?"

"For this."

"You say it like it's your fault. If anything, it's just as much my doing as it is yours."

"So you're not mad or upset about it?"

"Mad or upset?" He asks as if he can't believe I asked him that. He lifts my face with his hand to look at him. "I'm so happy and excited."

"Really?" I slightly smile back at the grin that is now sitting on his face. "But what about Alia?"

"Who cares about her?" He shrugs nonchalantly.

"You sound like you're not even worried about all this." I laugh.

"Oh I am, trust me internally I'm freaking out right now, but Allah doesn't burden a soul with more than he can bear, right?"

I nod. "Yeah. And we'll be in it together." Our hands intertwine and he gives me a peck on my lips.

"When do you want to tell your parents and my mother?"

"I don't know." I bite at my lip anxiously. "Can we wait a little while first?"

"Sure, love. As long as you're comfortable with. If you want, we won't tell them until you have the baby." He wiggles his eyebrows playfully and I can't help but laugh, feeling a bit better, but I can't help but still feel a tugging feeling in the pit of my stomach. "When's your first appointment?"

"I honestly haven't even made one yet. I'll make one by tomorrow the latest in sha Allah."

"Alright, and let me know so I can take you. Now let's get back downstairs before your brother and Fadwah think we're getting freaky or something."