Asma had always been an early riser.

No matter how late she slept, the alarm clock in her mind worked perfectly - waking her up at the same time every day. By making it a routine, she felt a calm settling in her heart. Giving her ample amounts of time to reflect upon her life while her mother always ended up dozing off.

Jesima would complain about it, feeling jealous of her daughter's traits. And then she would relive the old memories of her husband. "You do look like me, but gayi tho tum apne baap par hi ho," as she would say that, her eyes would glisten. Moisture would be secreted in those brown wells, whenever Asma looked at her mom like that, she would feel scared of drowning in those wells of misery. (You have gone on your father)

And suddenly, her mother would start to laugh with tears, "He is not completely gone while you are with me."

She wouldn't deny the fact that it didn't hurt her. It did hurt a lot. No matter how many family and friends she had, there always was a space in her heart, untouched and unoccupied.

The space of her father.

With those thoughts spiraling in her mind, she pushed a hair strand to the back of her ear, fixing her coral hijab that was loosely wrapped around her head.

That morning, Asma wasn't left long to delve into her thoughts. She had the girls sitting across her in bed, giving her company. Kulsoom leaned in the farthest corner with a book in her hand. Too early to read, she thought at first but sometimes books hook us so much into them, there was no differentiation between morning and evening. Every free minute counts.

Khadija had gone to fetch the morning ritual of beverages. Coffee/Chai, and Cookies.

While Sadaf sat beside her, hugging Asma's right elbow as if it was a pillow and potentially doing the one best thing she always does - daydreaming.

"Asad Mamu makes the best Chai," Khadija commented, coming inside the room with a tray neatly filled with cups of the said beverage and cookies, as promised. "Probably the only thing he knows."

"I can hear you, Khadija!" Asad yelled across the hall, "At least gossip behind closed doors."

Khadija rolled her eyes, nevertheless, after placing the tray down, she quickly moved to close the door.

Asma laughed out loud at their early morning banter, withdrawing her hand from Sadaf's grasp, she grabbed two cookies. Within the next few seconds, the tray containing them was emptied.

"What shall we do today?" Khadija asked, in between the mouthful bites of delicacies.

"My advice is don't take the whole day for planning," Kulsoom snickered, getting down to draw the already drawn-up curtains from her side, to let in more sunlight. She then pulled the tray of snacks towards her, effortlessly arranging it aesthetically. Sunlight streamed on the floral printed book - It Ends with Us, her cup of chai, and placed her two uneaten cookies on the now empty cookie plate.

All the eyes in the room were fixed on the cookies. "Don't even dare to think of eating them, they are mine." She threatened, picking up her phone from the nightstand to capture pictures. "First let me complete taking pictures for my bookstagram." Everyone let out a groan.

"What's the huff about this book? Do you recommend reading it?"

"It's a love triangle, Two boys and one girl," Kulsoom casually spoke but hearing her, Asma burned her tongue. "Careful, Asma!" she said in concern while Sadaf started patting her back.

It took a moment for Asma to calm down, and then Khadija pressed Kulsoom's knee, "Tell me the story."

"I am not telling you the story. Go read yourself."

"Okay, baba. Not the story, tell us the plot."

"It revolves around toxic relationships and past lovers."

"Wow, that's good. People should get educated about toxic relationships." Sadaf indulged herself in the conversation, "What about the protagonist?"

"Huh! Just when I thought you guys might be interested in the plot, it's always the protagonist, isn't it?"

"Duh!" The three girls simultaneously replied.

"One's a chef who had been homeless, an unrequited lover, and the other one is a top Neurosurgeon."

"Woah!" Asma finally whispered in awe.

Khadija clapped her hands in excitement, "Who would you choose, a homeless guy who cooks or a guy who has skilled fingers," She winked at the end part.

"I would go with the homeless guy. All I need is timely food," Sadaf giggled.

"Me too, and you also mentioned he is an unrequited lover," Asma sighed dreamily, pointing her toward Kulsoom. At first, she thought she wasn't supposed to enjoy the conversation but in reality, she was enjoying it.

Khadija was in deep thought for a moment and then declared, " It will be good to have a nice fortune but who cares about fortune when you get your personalized chef on board."

They all laughed heartily. "His name's Atlas," Kulsoom said, sipping from the cup in her hand.

"Atlas? That's such a unique name."

"Atlas, my world revolves around you," Khadija grinned, to make quotes on the character.

Hearing that Sadaf straightened in her seat, "You are the destination to all my maps."

"How about this?" Asma asked, giggling girlishly, " Ya Allah! If you don't give me an Atlas, at least give me a globe. Main use apne isharon pay nachaungi!"

Asma planned to go on an adventurous ride that day.

The other girls wanted to have a dip in the pool. Even when it saddened her that she couldn't join them, she grew over it. She was not one to cry for the things she couldn't attain. She always looked for more options. Think of the ways where she could enjoy what she could.

Jesima like every time accompanied her on her journey. Her mother had her share of happiness and Asma was grateful that those happy moments were always related to her. To be precise, Jesima quoted her father's words to her. "It makes me happy to see you happy."

He said those words the time he surprised her by calling her friends on the first trip they went on together.

Jesima would say, "You are my happiness, Asma. Now I understand your father's words."

That day Asma was glad she got the chance to explore the neighborhood. They wandered down the lane filled with elite houses. They made her pause, admiring the beauty and creativity of the architects. The front lawns were perfectly filled with greenery, the outdoor balconies, the design, and the structure. Everything was eye-catching and each one differed in its qualities.

The most heartwarming thing was that if she turned around, she saw the end of the green and sandy land, and the beginning of the wide ocean. The color of the ocean mirrored the color of the sky. At the far end, the blue sky touched the water.

No matter how hard humans worked to create mind-blowing things, nature outdated them all. Nature is the definition of perfection and beauty.

"If we move at this turtle speed, the sun will set before we even cross the street," Asad chirped, starting to walk briskly.

Asma rolled her eyes. Coming out of the haze, She pushed her wheelchair forward. "Kindness is a virtue and definitely, it's not in your traits," Jesima smirked, looking at Asad.

"I was just stating facts."

As they all walked in line, Saad walked by Asma not meeting her eyes. He pushed up his glasses and walked ahead. Ever since she had seen him cry, he had been acting wary. Was he embarrassed?

They all turned a corner and strolled down a steep alley to reach a viewpoint. No matter how much or how long she stared at the water- mesmerized by its enormity, she never felt enough. It amazed her how Allah had created the ocean and filled it with so much water.

The viewpoint was called the inspiration point there. It was grassy and had seating arrangements too. The end railing directly overlooked the ocean. On one side there were people sprawled out in the sand, some of them were surfing. And on the other side were large rocks, and there were steps to go down. Asma looked at two guys wearing sleeveless teas and their hands covered with tattoos, painting a coconut tree.

"Shall we move on?" she asked, not wanting others to get bored.

"Sure!" Asad nodded, walking to her back and pushing her wheelchair towards the road. "Did you like the view?"

"It was serene," she smiled, thinking about the view. "I have always had a liking towards the water."

"You should have joined the girls then."

She turned back, meeting his eyes, "In this state, I can't."

It took a moment for Asad to realize what she meant and when he did, his eyes traveled to her legs. He became quiet and they crossed the street in silence. When they reached the steep climb, Asad asked, "Do you have a belt near your waist?"

"What?"

"A belt."

Asma's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Yes, I do but I wear it occasionally."

"Can you wear it now?"

"But why?"

"Just do it, Asma."

"Hmm," she hummed. She clutched one handlebar and leaned forward, grabbing the belt from behind her. She then wore it around her waist.

"Need any help, Asma?" Jesima asked, quickly making her way toward her.

"No, she is fine," Asad answered, and then he grinned in excitement," Are you ready, Asma?"

"Ready for w-," she couldn't even finish the sentence before he pulled up speed and climbed the alley. He ran like holding a stroller in the mart. Asma laughed out loud, her voice dissolving through the fast air that rushed to her face. "Ya Allah!" she whisper-yelled.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Asad?" Jesima frantically screamed, running behind the duo.

"Giving your daughter a rollercoaster ride," he yelled back, u-turning when they reached the top and then going back down at more speed than before.

Jesima paused in her way seeing them approaching her way. She was breathing heavily as she rested her palms on her knees. Her eyes immediately reached Asma's face and when she saw Asma smiling as she went down with Asad, Jesima couldn't stop her lips from twitching up.

The fast momentum and the ride were something Asma had never witnessed since she had been in a wheelchair.

Everyone was careful in front of her, measuring their words and actions in order not to cause her to get hurt.

Of all of them, the ones who treated her normally, overlooking her disability, were her favorite ones. Unknowingly, Asad ticked off that mark. The small ride he gave her was otherworldly, exhausting but she could feel her heart throbbing, her breaths uneven, her lips outstretched, and her soul souring in newfound enjoyment.

"Do you want another ride?" Asad chuckled, panting as he came in front of her.

Asma grinned, shaking her head. "No thanks. Even a rollercoaster experience can beat this."

"You are just being generous."

"No, I am happy. So happy," Asma grinned in between her breaths, she had no clue what her grin did to his heart. In that instance, he realized one thing. If it made her happy, he wouldn't think twice about moving mountains.

He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, combing his messed-up hair from all the straining. He was stunned when someone suddenly beat him with a clutch. He turned to see Jesima - hyper angry but in the meantime, her face showed no signs of showing her anger toward him.

"If it hadn't made her happy, you would be resting in peace by now."

"Aww! Jessie, don't say such harsh words. Please spare my life," Asad clutched his heart, taking several steps back, "I wanted to make her happy too."

**coughs**

Note the keyword: Happy.

Btw, how was the chapter?