Chapter 20

"Use the Quraan and the Sunnah as your guide and you will never be lost."

The curtains were drawn to the side, allowing the sun light to stream into the room, as she folded her clothes and placed them neatly into the suitcase. Once done packing whatever she needed, she placed Taahir's clothes into the bag, which he had so helpfully taken out on his own, and placed them on the bed in a neat pile.

She was so grateful she had been blessed with a husband that was neat and tidy and didn't depend on her to clean up after him, unless he was in a hurry, then also he would be genuinely apologetic for leaving a mess behind for her to clean.

She never told him , but at times like that she didn't really mind cleaning up after him.

He was so helpful around the house whenever he could be, he was so patient and understanding, and in the one year they were married, she hadn't even argued with him once.

She truly wished she could be as patient and understanding as he was.

She smiled to herself while zipping up the bag.

She had asked him if she could stay at her parents house for a while, until her father felt a little better and also to knock some sense into her brothers head. She had told him he could stay at home, he didn't have to tag along.
Their flat was only half an hour away from her parents house, so he could come and go as he pleased, but he refused saying that he would gladly tag along. He complained that he would miss her too much and he wanted to be there for her parents, as his mother always told him , after marriage you have two sets of parents and both should be treated the same way.

She loved him even more when she had heard that and her respect and love for her mother in law only increased when he had told her that.

She had always heard stories of witchy and scary mother in laws, and she had been really concerned about it, but after she got married she realised not all mother in laws and in laws were evil people. Her mother in law treated her the way she treated her very own daughter, in fact she sometimes spoilt her even more than her sister in law.

She smiled once again, Alhamdulillah Allah SWT had favoured her with many bounties.

She felt Taahir's arms snaking around her, he held her close, plastering the side of her face with light kisses, causing and explotion of fireworks to erupt in her stomach.

"What is my lovely wife smiling about?"

He questioned, burying his face in her hair.

He loved the smell of her sweet smelling shampoo.

Her lips tugged into a shy smile.

"Just thinking of all the bounties Allah has bestowed upon me, including my dear husband."

He grinned, planting a kiss on her cheek.

" I know I'm so swoon worthy, you probably can't stop thinking about me even for one second."

She shook her head, swatting his arm lightly.

"Such a jerk."

"Your jerk!"

He relied, pulling her into a hug. His hands rested on her waist, his chin on her head, he held her close to himself, not wanting to let go.

"Honey! We have to go now.."

She whined, trying to get out of his grasp, but he refused to let her go.

"Not yet, I want to take you out on a date before we go to our parents house."

Her heart fluttered when he said 'our parents'. Ya Allah! could he be any more perfect! She loved him so so much, was it even possible to fall so deeply in love with him in merely a year. They still had their whole life ahead and she already loved him so much, was it even possible to love him any more?

"Okay."

He smiled at her, pecked her forehead, then rolled the suitcase out of the room.

She eyed the outfit on the bed that she had initially planned to wear today , it was much too simple for a date with the love of her life. Deciding not to wear it, she grabbed it, shoving it back into the cupboard.

She settled on a black abaya, the bottom of which was bordered with delicate lace, as well as the end of the sleeves, a few white pearls had been scattered randomly upon the classy lace. She slipped on glossy white pumps, a few pearly and diammate bracelets and a black and white haanayen scarf.
She spritzed a little bit of perfume, applied a light coat of mascara and lipgloss and she was ready to go.

She grabbed her white clutch from the shelf, placed her phone and wallet inside, she snapped it closed then walked out of the room, making sure all the unesecsary lights were off, before she locked the house and made her way to the car.

Taahir flashed her his mesmerising smile, when he saw her walking towards the car.

He held his chest dramatically, and with his other hand, he began fanning himself.

"Woah woah! I think I'm going to have to turn on the aircon, the climate has become unbearably hot all of a sudden."

Zahra giggled, she walked towards him, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh honey! It's cloudy and quite a moderate weather, not hot at all. Are you sure you're not just feeling flustered because of how hot I'm looking."

She sassed, walking over to the car.

Taahir's jaw dropped due to astonishment. She had never, not even once been so corageous and sassy since they were married.

Getting over the shock, he smirked at her while jumping into the car, he really liked this side of her. It was very very attractive.

He grabbed her right hand, placing a feather like kiss on the back of her hand.

"Hello my hot wife."

He smiled cheekily.

Her cheeks flushed, she looked away, suddenly feeling extremely shy. Why did she say that? He would tease her about it forever now!

Ruqayya walked around the kitchen, peeking in the fridge and pantry cupboards, checking what needed to be bought.

As she called out what was needed, Yusaira typed it into her memo.

Ruqayya had insisted she write it down on the notepad, she had stuck on the fridge especially for her grocery lists, but Yusaira had politely declined, assuring her that the memo on the phone was a better option, and they didn't have to worry about losing the list then.

"Eggs, milk, bread, strawberry jam, lettuce, cucumber and cheese."

"Is that all mummy? "

"Yip that's it. Let's go to Spar before the storm begins."

Ruqayya suggested, hurrying into her room.

Yusaira saved the memo, then walked into her own room, slipping on a butterfly cut abaya, her glossy boots , just in case it rained and a plain black scarf.

She was in no mood of wearing colour today, or even bothering about how she looked.

As much as she tried to push the feeling away, she couldn't help but feel sad and depressed. She never made it apparent to her mother ofcourse, but she was already missing her home dearly. She knew it would take her a while to adjust, but her home in Johannesburg would always be her actual home, no matter how many times she tried to convince herself otherwise.

When Yusaira walked out of the room, she saw her mother clad in a straight cut, plain black abaya and broad, black scarf, a niqaab covered her face.

Yusaira gasped.

" I didn't know that you wear the niqaab!"

Ruqayya laughed at her daughters expression.

"Now you know."

"But why didn't you cover your face infront of my father?"

Ruqayya, smiled.

"I'm not extremely strict with it as yet. In Sha Allah one day I will cover my face from Zain also. I started wearing the niqaab because your father really wanted me to. We didn't have the best of relationships, but for some reason he was still overprotective, he didn't like any man to look at me, so he asked me to start adorning the niqaab. At first I began because he asked me to, but once I learnt more about it and realised the importance of it and the virtue , I changed my intention, that is why after he divorced me, I still kept it on."

"In Sha Allah, I will wear it one day as well."

"In Sha Allah."

They had decided to go to Lakeside Mall instead, since Ruqayya wanted to buy one or two extra sets of bedding for Yusaira, even though she protested. Her mother was a stubborn woman, she insisted that since she was going to be living with her , she would make sure she was as comfortable as possible , she didn't want to keep her short of anything.

Yusaira didn't want her mother to worry about these meagre luxuries. She knew it wasn't easy for her mother to spend money freely and she promised herself that she would help her mother out financially, by finding a job. In Sha Allah.

Once they had paid for their groceries, they headed towards Mr Price Home, looking for some simple and not very expensive bedding.

While Yusaira was scanning the scatter cushions, she felt someone grabbing her hand, panicked she looked up, realising it was only her mother.

"Let's go my dear, we will come another time."

Yusaira gave her a concerned look, she said it in such an urgent tone.

"What's wrong mummy? Are you alright?"

Ruqayya shook her head.

"I'm fine, we just need to get out of here now."

Slightly frightened, Yusaira followed her mother obediently, only to be stopped once again. Somone grabbed her hand, but this time it felt like a rough hand, a mans hand.

She spun around, panicked. Allah what was happening! Was somone following them or trying to kidnap them? Was her mother not telling her something?

She tried to free her hand, but to no avail.

She lifted her pleading gaze towards the man, only to be hit with a wave of shock. Ya Allah!

Taahir and Zahra walked around the Rosebank Mall, hand in hand . They had eaten so well, that they now needed to walk for quite a while to disgest all that food.

The mall was empty, except for the traders and one or two cleaners, no one else roamed the mall besides the two of them.

"I'm so worried about Suhaib."

Zahra finally spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence.

Taahir gave her hand a light squeeze.

"In Sha Allah everything will be okay. Do you want me to speak to him instead?"

Zahra shook her head.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea. He has become very rude and abrupt and he can be very stubborn when he wants to be. I don't want him to say something unpleasant to you."

"Alright, let's go then. If you change your mind, I'm willing to speak to him, even if he's rude."

Zahra smiled gratefully.

The drive was a silent one, each lost in thought.

Tears filled her eyes as she thought back to how Suhaib was and how he had drastically changed in just one year.

Taeeba had told her that he came home drunk on a few occasions. They had become somewhat close after she got married, so when she was able to stay up she would. When he was drunk , one of his friends would drop him off, she would open the door quickly, but she made sure she hid behind the door, and slammed it closed as soon as he came into the house. She had said that when he was drunk, one specific guy came and dropped him off most of the time, and the first time it occurred, she had assumed Suhaib was alone, so she handn't even wrapped a scarf around her head, she had just opened the door. She didn't like the way that boy looked at her, so from now onwards, she made sure to hide herself.

Zahra recalled the day that Suhaib came back home drunk, she was sure that at that time, that was not his own doing, either he was forcefully given alcohol or he was discretely given alcohol.

She wondered if it was the same guy that Taeeba was talking about, he also looked at her in a way that made her skin crawl in disgust. She dropped her head into her hands, Ya Allah! Who had her brother gotten involved with!

The wind whipped his face, as they sped on the highway.

They were on their way back from one of the newest clubs that had opened up. Unlike before, Suhaib tagged along, but he was still not able to enjoy the club completely. While the other boys danced to the loud music, amidst all the immodestly dressed women, or grabbed random women and had 'fun' with them, as they always said. He preferred to sit at the bar and have just a little drink. He hardly drank till he was completely drunk, because he liked to be sober and be concious of what was going on around him. Anyway drinking was way better than doing the deed with random strangers, or so he thought.

This is what had become of him, if this were him one year ago, he would have refused to set foot in such a place. He had changed so much and had become so much more sinful than what he was before. What would his previous friends say if they saw him now? Would they push him away and be disgusted with him like his family. He pushed the drink away, suddenly not wanting to even sip the bitter liquid.

That feeling of guilt was bubbling inside of him once again, it was not a major feeling, it was just a teensy bit of guilt, but it was there alright and it was enough to make him question himself. What the heck was he doing with his life?

He stood up, wanting to taste some fresh air.

He walked past many sweaty bodies, swaying to the beat, but suddenly stopped when a voluptuous woman stood infront of him, flashing him a flirtatious smile.

She wore a teal green dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, her dress stopped just by the top of her thigh, exposing her smooth legs. She wore silver stilettos, her dainty feet, looking attractive in those high heels, the neckline of her dress plunged so deep, that her assets were on full view. Her brown hair cascaded down her back, unlike most women he saw here she had on no make up , besides for a thin line of eyeliner, that made her brown eyes stand out and her plump lips were coated with a sheen of lip gloss.

Being a man, he was naturally attracted to her. It was not easy to keep his wild and impermissible thoughts at bay when he was surrounded by women showing off their bodies.

He had managed to keep his hands away from women so far, but when he gazed at the beauty infront of him, his resolve just crumbled within seconds.

What attracted him more was, for some strange reason her being a Muslim. She surely wasn't dressed like one, but he could somehow sense that she was a Muslim. Weird...but sometimes even though Muslims were not dressed the way they supposed to be dressed, he could sense that they were indeed Muslims.

She walked towards him, making sure to sway her hips a little more. She stood directly in front of him, only a few feet away from him. She was just slightly shorter than him, making it easy for her to look straight into his eyes. She flashed him a flirtatious smile, once again. Smiling triumphantly when he returned a small smile of his own.

"Hello there handsome."

She whispered seductively, stretching her hand forward for a handshake.

Suhaib glanced at her hand, hesitantly.

He had never even shook a strange womens hand before, but he was so attracted to this woman right now, so shocking himself and the woman who thought she was about to be rejected, he shook her hand.

She held onto his hand, rubbing circles onto the back of his hand, with her thumb.

She moved a little closer, until she was just a foot away.

"What's your name?"

She whispered, still not breaking eye contact.

"Suhaib. And yours?"

He said in a low voice, trying hard to keep the excitement he was feeling, hidden.

"Aamira, but I prefer to be called Amy."

Suhaib raised his brows.

"Why is that?"

She looked away, not wanting to look in those unquestionable eyes.

"Because I don't want to be called by a Muslim name, while acting contrary to Islaam."

Suhaib wanted to tell her to rather keep her Muslim name and act like one, but he remained silent. He was in no position to lecture others, when he himself was about to drink alcohol a few minutes ago, and he himself was talking to and oggling an indecently dressed girl. His days of advising others were over, he fell in the dark hole himself.

She turned back to him, interlacing their hands.

"It's so stuffy and crowded in here, let's go outside. There's a small park right next to this club, let's hang out there. We can get to know each other better, become friends maybe.."

He followed her, obediently, feeling rather chuffed that she was already so interested in him, that she wanted to be alone with him. Maybe they would become more than just friends.

They finally left the noisy club and settled on one of the benches in the park. The park had huge trees towering it, on all sides, due to the amount of trees and their density, passerbys could not see inside the park.

The duo introduced each other properly, telling each about their families. Suhaib didn't mention that he came from a strict deeni home, before he would always be proud that his parents were strict about their religious duties, but now just to appear cool and to fit in, he skipped that part out deliberately.

They sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the serene night. Suhaib discretely checked out her voluptuous body. There were hundreds of sirens screaming danger, yet at the same time there was a strong feeling surfacing, that he had always kept at bay and refused to give into.

She moved closer to him, until her thigh was touching his own.

She shivered slightly as a chilly breeze blew past them.

Suhaib had no jacket with him, so he wrapped his arm around her, rubbing her arms with both his hands. He felt no sparks or anything of that sort, all he knew was that he was attracted to her.

"Why did you wear something like this? See you're shivering now."

She looked into his eyes, biting her lower lip.

"To attract boys like you."

If he were in the right frame of mind, he would have backed away as soon as he heard that.

He never liked women who flirted with any and every guy and he disliked forward woman, but he hadn't been in the right state of mind for a very long time. His desires were controlling his mind and doing the thinking for him, and his mind gave him indecent ideas.

He moved his hand towards her leg, resting it on her knee, as he rubbed circles on her knee, he leaned towards her.

Seeing the hungry look in his eyes, she also leaned in, their noses only and inch apart.

She closed her eyes, and just as he was about to close the distance between them, his phone rang, startling them both.

Suhaib groaned, pulling his phone out of his pocket and Aamira blew out a frustrated breath. She was so close to kissing the pretty boy, and make him beg for more. His damn phone just had to ring!

"Hello"

Suhaib answered the call, ruffling his hair.

"Hey man where the *#!? Are you?"

Fayaaz questioned, iritably.

"I'm at the park near the club."

"What the hell are you doing there?"

Suhaib ignored his question.

"Why did you phone?"

"Oh, ya know because I'm so damn bored and I decided to call you and ask you if I could come to the park with you and gossip over a cup of tea."

Suhaib sighed.

"What the heck do you want man?"

"We going home you idiot. Get your
*$# over here."

Suhaib cut the call, glancing at Amy. He gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry I have to go."

She clutched his arm, running a finger down his cheek and across his jaw.

"But we just started baby."

She whispered seductively.

He pried her hands away gently.

"Sorry, next time. "

She tried to hide her disappointment with a fake smile.

"Sure, tommorow same time, same place."

Suhaibs gaze flickered to her.

"How about the movies, in Rosebank. Around 8 p.m ?"

He suggested instead.

"Perfect that will be better, and maybe we can go to a restaurant as well."

"Yip, we'll
do that. Let's make it 7:30."

"Okay, I will be there."

She got up and hugged him, disappearing into her car, she sped off.

Leaving him, smiling to himself.

Imraan whistled, and hit Suhaibs back.

"Yoh! She's hot man! "

"She's one of the best."

Fayaaz agreed.

"I can do so much better."

Talha grumbled, walking towards his car and jumping inside.

"Jealous of you as usual. "

Fayaaz laughed.

Suhaib rolled his eyes.

The guy never failed to hate him, even after he changed and was becoming more like them....