Yara

After a mouthwatering dinner by the beach, Iyaad lead us towards a bonfire crackling nearby.

I can see the blazing red-orange hued flames flickering brightly over the wooden logs arranged in a pyramid shape over the ground.

The warmth from the fire feels welcoming amidst the chilly night spreading over the horizon.

As we gather around the bonfire, an old lady clad in an ethnic outfit of skirt and an embroidered top full of handwoven embroidered design makes her way towards us.

A steady beat of sticks hitting against the surface of drums fills the air, striking up an addicting melody. A group of men wearing similar clothes to the old lady keep playing the familiar yet strange rhythm of notes which alleviates the atmosphere.

The lady approaches each of us in turn, hanging a flower garland around our necks, all the while keeping a warm, loving smile etched on her lips.

Us girls receive bonus flower bands over our heads made of the most gorgeous, fresh flowers I've ever laid my eyes on. Although I didn't know the names, I could tell these were exotic flowers which definitely couldn't be seen in any random shop.

"She's a native of this island. They wanted to welcome us and were kind enough to extend their hospitality by offering us to join a celebration they have going on over here." Iyaad informs, a flower garland hung around his neck over his blue shirt. His dark locks are tousled in waves and the light from the fire illuminates his alluring face.

How can a person look cute and dashing at the same time?

The next hour is spent dancing and singing around the bonfire.

One of the bodyguards who's good at playing the guitar, plays the strings to match the tune of the drums, creating a remix symphony which makes everything seem even more festive.

The native people of the island sing a song in a language I don't understand but which casts a sense of calmness over my heart.

At one point the lady motions everyone to form a circle and make a chain. We follow her instructions and link our arms with the people at our sides and follow the dance steps.

Sehar is on my right while Iyaad is on my left. Sehar has linked arms with Aleesha who obviously has Hreedhan beside her. The most interesting arrangement is Hreedhan's arm grudgingly linked with none other than Taj.

I snort and muffle my laughter at seeing Hreedhan's pale face looking away from Taj's grumpy frown.

Iyaad sees my reaction and laughs out loud , his voice is like music to my ears.

Taj was appalled when the old lady tried to drag him to dance. He was adamant about staying out, standing rooted as far away as possible. But one glare from the granny and even the menacing head of security was dancing to the tunes of the music.

It was a hilarious yet heartwarming sight, bodyguards and native people linked hands forming the other half of the circle.

"Be relaxed guys, it's necessary to let loose once in a while!" Iyaad speaks to his men, his tone laced with mischief.

We hop from one foot to the other, the circle slowly moving around the flames in an orbit like the earth circling the sun.

As the rhythm speeds up we swing our linked hands back and forth, leaning our body forward only to be pulled back after a few seconds.

The music changes to a more upbeat one and everyone lets go of each other.

I notice that Iyaad still hasn't let go of our linked hands. For some reason, the feeling of his warm hand pressing down on my cold palm seems to be so perfect and i'm also reluctant to let go.

But once everyone has broken the chain, Iyaad let's go at last, sneaking a glance at me as he does so.

As the rhythm of the music speeds up, we start a new choreography. Grabbing the shoulder of the person in front and going round and round, swinging to the left and to the right like the games we used to play in childhood.

The next move is clapping our hands, matching the beats of the drum. Then turning back around to face the opposite person. As we twirl around, I come face to face with Iyaad who's looking at me with a peaceful smile and a strange emotion swimming in his eyes.

We smile at each other and he shakes his head with a laugh, turning his head towards the glimmering ocean.

✨

"Phew, I'm exhausted!" Sehar grips the stitch on the side of her stomach and leans over.

My state is even worse as I directly sit down on the sand to rest.

Aleesha is leaning into Hreedhan's chest who has his arms wrapped around her torso, his head resting over her head.

I shudder at the cuteness. Ugh, too much love in the air!

Iyaad crouched down beside me, concerned etched on his face,
"You okay?"

"Don't worry about her, it's normal. I'm surprised she didn't drop down earlier. The girl barely has any energy, always lounging around like a couch potato and watching dramas." Hreedhan opens his ominous mouth, earning a nudge and glare from his wife.

"No worries, I'll make sure she doesn't have to do anything that makes her tired. I can carry you if you want-" Iyaad’s eyes bore into mine as a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

My eyes widen in surprise and I stare at him with my lips parted, a warmth passing over my cheeks at his implication. Sehar audibly gasps in the background while Aleesha giggles.

It seems like Hreedhan is regretting speaking up now, shooting Iyaad a wary suspicious look, his brotherly instincts finally taking over no doubt.

“Just kidding! But your comfort is definitely my top priority.” Iyaad gets up and brushes the sand which has gotten over his white pants.

“Thanks, I appreciate the sentiment.” My lips curve into a shy yet grateful smile.

✨

The next stop was a night market near the shop we had initially gone to during the beginning of our trip.

The air was buzzing with excitement as the laughter and chatter of young people filled the atmosphere. Groups of friends, families and couples roamed around under the starry night sky, eating and shopping at the variety of stalls available.

Having waffles and Nutella crepes straight out of the pan along with your close friends at 11 pm was an entirely different feeling.

I watched as the kind middle aged owner of the desert stall poured another batch of mix from the ladle into the steaming pan, making a circle. After a few seconds he flipped over the crepe and spread a thick layer of Nutella over it, skillfully wrapping it up to be served on a plate.

“This is so good!” Aleesha squeals, ready to have her second crepe.

She holds up the crepe near Hreedhan's mouth but he shakes his head, refusing the offer, “Too many calories.”

Aleesha rolls her eyes and takes a bite herself. Hreedhan smirks and grabs the crepe, biting into the same spot she had eaten from a second ago.

Sehar pretends to gag and grabs my shoulders, “I can't- I'll die out of loneliness. Please take me away.”

I give her a side hug, “Don't worry sis, I'm in the lonely club too.”

She swats my arm and narrows her eyes, “Please, Hreedhan and Aleesha aren't the only ones making me feel single today. I've seen the way you and Iyaad keep looking at each other. I'm surprised he hasn't proposed to you yet.”

“Stop speaking nonsense.” I lightly punch Sehar's arm and glare at her, warning her to keep her voice down so no one can hear the rubbish coming out of her mouth.

“Yeah yeah that's why your face is glowing like a ripe tomato.” Sehar pinches my cheek and chuckles like an evil witch.

“I get it now! It's already past your bedtime, that's why you're acting so crazy right?” I tease her back, masking my emotions and trying to distract her.

Sehar clicks her tongue and sighs,
“The things I do for y'all. Sacrificing my precious sleep.”

✨

Our next stop was the souvenir shop. Taking back tiny knick knack presents for our friends and families was a must after every trip!

Some cute bracelets and necklaces made of various shaped, colorful pearls and seashells caught our eyes.

Everything in the gift shop was super cute but we didn't want to spend money unnecessarily.

"I want this - but I also want that." Aleesha purses her lips, suffering from indecision as she holds two different bracelets on each of her hands, inspecting them closely.

She turns to Hreedhan with a pout and he smiles in a taunting manner, "I know jaan, but we already bought two bags of souvenirs. You can only pick one more."

“This is a trap, I'm telling you. Displaying such cute stuff to lure tourists in and making them spend so much money on stuff they won't even take out of the closet for years. Such cunning tactics.” Sehar’s voice whispers near my ear, her arm wrapped around mine, holding on for support as she struggles to stay awake.

“Hmm, I know right. But it's so cute.” I hold up a miniature glowing lamp, shaped like a seashell with a pearl resting inside acting as the bulb.

“On second thoughts-never mind.”My eyes widened in shock after checking the price and I put back the object. Literal dacoits, taking advantage of tourists indeed!

“Guys- feel free to take whatever you want. I'll pay for everything.” Iyaad speaks up from the side and our heads whip towards him.

“You've already done so much! It's really fine, it's not like we need any of this stuff.” I try to argue, embarrassed at the favors piling up from him.

“I insist, it'll make me happy.” He counters, his gaze fixated on mine.

“Even buying this whole shop won't make a dent in their bank account. Take the offer.” Sehar mutters from my side. She's lost her senses  due to sleep deprivation! We can't let him pay for so many things, it's just not right!

“It's okay, we're done shopping anyway.” Hreedhan drags a reluctant Aleesha away from the jewelry rack.

“One more thing hold-on” she breaks free from his hold and rushes towards another shelf displaying sea beach themed decorations.

Hreedhan lets out an exasperated sigh and sits down on the ground with the two bags of souvenirs on his side, “She's not going to leave before half an hour now, might as well take a nap.”

Iyaad slips away to speak to the shopkeeper about something and then jogs back towards me.

“While they keep on shopping, there's something I want to show you.” He motions towards the gate, asking me to follow him.

Sehar has plopped down on a chair beside the wall, her head resting against the wall.

“Okay.” I followed him out of the shop.

We walk past a few more shops and stop outside a bookstore. The same one where I had first seen Iyaad, his face hidden by a mask.

A bodyguard holds open the door and Iyaad puts out his hand, motioning for me to enter first.

The shop is completely empty, save for the elderly owner who smiles at me and waves enthusiastically at Iyaad.

The nostalgic smell of old papers and freshly printed ink wafted through my nostrils and the heat coming from the burning fireplace in the corner engulfed my body in a warm hug.

I made my way around the long aisles lined with books brimming with stories to be told. My soul yearned to reach out and pluck a book from the shelf so I could escape into one of those millions of lives whose story was waiting to be discovered.

“Happy birthday Yara.” Iyaad's deep voice whispered from behind me and I turned to see him looking at me with a serene smile.

I scrambled to check my phone and saw it was three minutes past 12 am. It was officially the next day. My birthday.

“Wow- thanks! I had totally forgotten about my birthday for a while.” I let out a surprised laugh.

“So, the reason I brought you here- Let's play a game.” Iyaad's lips turned up in a mischievous smirk as excitement danced across his pupils, “You have exactly one minute to pick out as many books as you want, and I'll pay for them all.”

My mouth falls open in shock and I give him an astonished look, overwhelmed at his gesture.

“Hold on what ? You'll buy me as many books as I can pick out in one minute?” My eyebrows draw closer and I repeat his words, not being able to believe the offer he was making.

“Yup! You have 60 seconds to go completely crazy. I would have bought you the whole bookstore but I know you wouldn't have accepted such an extravagant gift so this is the least I can do.” He explains, his lips curving upwards as he shrugs his shoulders.

“This is surreal. I feel like I'm on some reality show experiment.” I laugh in disbelief. Come on, this is every bookworm’s dream come true!

“It's very much real. Oh and Yara- please don't hold back and think about limitations, I seriously want you to get whatever you want. It's a birthday gift from my side. You better go all out!” He taps the Cartier watch on his wrist and looks up, “And your time starts - now.”

I immediately spring into action. Free books ? All I want ? Say no more !

But I can't just randomly pick everything my eyes fall upon either. I don't want to waste money on something I won't be interested in reading.

I run towards the romance section and scan my eyes over the covers and titles. Dang I've already read most of these, but that one looks interesting.

I grab a few books which intrigue me and carry them over to the fantasy section.

I add “Dance Of Thieves” duology to my pile.

“25 seconds remaining.” Iyaad gives a time check, following me around.

“Already? Shoot -” I gasp and run back to the other sections , overlooking the Percy Jackson and Harry Potter series which I've already read by heart.

Grabbing a few more books like The inheritance games, If I loved you less, Salaam with love, If you could see the sun and Better than the movies, I finally halt when Iyaad’s voice speaks up, “ 3 2 1 - boom.”

My arms hurts from carrying so many books and Iyaad walks forward, taking half of them to share the load.

We place the piles over the counter and the shopkeeper gives us a knowing smile, observing us from over the loose glasses perched over his nose.

“You got everything you need?” Iyaad asks as the old man scans the books.

I nod enthusiastically and shoot him a beaming smile, all my teeth on display, “This feels like a dream. I can't thank you enough Iyaad!”

Iyaad grins at me and his eyes soften, “It's my pleasure. Maybe you'll remember me while reading these books.” He adds in a joking tone.

“I can never forget you.” My voice is barely a whisper as I turn my face away, hiding the blush creeping over my cheeks.

I've picked out 12 books in total, which Iyaad orders one of the guards to carry back to the bungalow.

As we rejoin my friends at the previous shop, I turn towards Iyaad, “It's been half an hour but this is already one of the best birthdays I've had. All thanks to you.”

He stops in his tracks and one corner of his mouth lifts up as he places a hand over his chest, “I'm honored to know so. But my plans aren't over yet .”

Author's Note

Sooo thoughts ?
Pretty fun and cute chapter I think 🤭

Although I didn't have much energy to edit it properly so my apologies for the low quality :(

The bookshop game idea of picking out books in one minute is inspired by a YouTube short by Haley Pham.

Remember to press that star ☠️