TWELVE

❝Let's do something❞

Ifrah hissed as her wrist throbbed once again and looked up at her husband who was walking ahead of her with a slight limp in his right foot. They were going back to the hut because it was getting dark but Aayan had made sure to hang the signs so they can continue their search tomorrow. She was actually feeling a bit anxious after the whole shirt scenario, and the fact that Aayan had not uttered a single word after that made it worse.

Her eyes drifted towards his right foot and she bit her lip.

He shouldn't put too much pressure on it.

The graze was actually a mild one, but she was still paranoid. What if it catches infection? She hoped it didn't, because her wrist was already bad, and his foot getting damaged would only increase their worries. Aayan had thought that he stepped over a broken glass while in fact it was just a very sharp rock which was jutting out from the mud. She was pulled out from her reverie when Aayan paused and turned around.

He stared at her for a moment or two (which made her frown) before speaking. “Do you think we can survive with that bag of chips for tonight?”

Ifrah's lips turned into a straight line. What was she supposed to say? Her stomach was telling her that it wasn't enough, but her brain said that she should just be grateful for having whatever they had, even if it was short.

“I'm mainly asking about you,” Aayan's voice broke her train of thought and she looked at him. “Because I know you don't like bananas that much, I'll only collect them for me. You can have the chips to yourself.”

What?

Was he... being considerate?

I am dreaming, there's no way he's being nice.

“I— um... ” she stammered, mentally slapping herself, before; “Just collect the bananas, we'll decide who's eating what when we reach the hut.”

“That rhymed.” he pointed out with a hint of amusement in his tone, causing Ifrah's face to catch colour, before shrugging his shoulders and continuing back on the way.

What's wrong with him?

Ifrah stared hard at the back of his head with furrowed brows. First, the unusual quietness and now, this sudden act of kindness.

Did that injury caused some of his blood cells to mutilate and he got his DNA damaged?

She quickly shook her head.

What the eff am I thinking? This is not some science fiction movie!

“You good back there?” Once again, her husband's voice snapped her out of her thinking.

“Why— ” Act nice, Ifrah! It was just a question. She cleared her throat. “Yeah, I'm good.”

“Okay.”

Nothing else.

They just continued trecking in the awkward silence. Well, it was awkward for Ifrah because her mind was all over the place. She was very disturbed about Aayan's sudden change of demeanor. One last look at the back of his head, and she let out a sigh before deciding that she shouldn't think much over it. He will be back to his normal, obnoxious self in no time.

Or will he?

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Aayan shrugged off his backpack before setting it in the same corner as the night before, and heaved out a breath while lowering himself down on the floor. His teeth clenched when his wound stung a bit, and he looked at Ifrah who had also sat down on the opposite side.

He didn't know his eyes had been glued on her until she stared up at him after rummaging through her bag and cocked a brow. Aayan diverted his caramel brown eyes to his foot and cleared his throat.

Why am I finding her so intriguing all of a sudden?

He gazed at her again and found her already looking at him with creased brows. Aayan raised his own to dodge her judgement on his constant staring and she rolled her light hazel eyes.

“Here,” she pushed the bag of chips towards him. “Eat some, and then leave the rest for me.”

Aayan blinked.

“How much is some?” he asked with his tongue in cheek. “I mean, is it two chips? Or four? Or six? Or— ”

“Nahi khanay tou bta do.” (If you don't wanna eat, then tell.) she cut him off with an irritated look while moving forward to grab the packet but he quickly snatched it away. Ifrah narrowed her eyes at him.

“You can't even take a joke, babe.” he commented while opening up the bag and watched as his wife's face coloured.

He was starting to like that blush.

For teasing purposes, of course.

“Will you please just stop calling me that word?” she ground out her words, amusing the raven haired guy as he munched on the crispy potatoes.

“What word?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Nopes!” he had the nerve to say it innocently and pass her a smirk, which caused Ifrah's insides to flutter. But she kept her tough act and only gave him a glare. Speaking would evolve into an argument, and she wasn't going to get her mood ruined by it.

When Aayan realized that she wasn't going to fire back, he made a 'tsk' sound. “You're so boring. Ab tum larrti bhi nahi ho meray sath.” (You don't even fight with me now.)

He dramatically wiped a fake tear from his right eye, making Ifrah's left one to twitch in annoyance.

She was right; he was back to his normal, irritating self.

“You're an idiot.” she settled with her regular insult. It didn't work on him, though. He casually leaned back on his hands after pushing the bag of chips towards her and said;

“Let's do something.”

Ifrah put a chip in her mouth before giving her a questioning look.

Aayan's reply was a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows and Ifrah's eyes went wide as saucers at his implimentation before she gulped down the potato and screeched in fury.

“Mein tumhay goli maar dun gi, besharam insaan!”

(I'll shoot you, you shameless man!)

A loud laugh bubbled up from Aayan's chest at her exclamation while she sat there shooting daggers at him and a red face. When he sobered up, he straightened up from his leaning position and replied; “What? We are on our honeymoon, right?”

“Aayan.”

“What do you think people do on honeymoons?”

“Aayan... ”

“They most certainly not watch The Looney Tunes Show, do they?”

“Aayan I'm telling you... ”

“And they also don't give each other bracelets.”

“Stop.”

“Mein btaun wo kya karty hain?” (May I tell what they do?) he whispered like a teenage girl sharing an interesting gossip.

“Aayan, shut up!” Ifrah finally said it out loud, startling him for a moment before he passed her a rakish smile.

“Why are you blushing?” he asked with round eyes.

“I'm not blushing!”

“You so are!”

“Tum aj apna munh laal krwao gy meray se!” (You'll get your face painted red by me today!)

Aayan gave out a dramatic gasp while leaning backwards and put a hand over his heart.

“Haw haye, I'm an innocent man, okay?”

If it was possible, her face got redder than a tomato. “I will kill you!” she snapped before lunging at him with an intention to land a punch, but he quickly dodged it with a chuckle, making her hit thin air.

“Calm down, Jackie Chan. I was only playing around.” he said between his chuckles while Ifrah breathed heavily.

“I hate you!”

“Ouch.”

The chestnut haired girl clenched her jaw at his nonchalant behaviour before massaging her temple with two fingers to calm down her nerves. Aayan bit his bottom lip and gave out a sigh while slowly lying down on the floor. He propped the side of his head in his right palm and faced her.

“Acha sorry. Let's chat.” he tried to play it cool. Ifrah rewarded him with a death stare.

“I don't have anything to chat with you.” she said with narrowed eyes.

“Oh come on! I don't like you that much, too, but what else are we supposed to do? We're all alone on an island, babe. I'm bored.” he pouted at the end, making Ifrah's heart to go into a frenzy.

Why does he affect me that much?

She thought with a slight tremble in her clenched fists but took in a deep breath and pulled up her strong girl mask. Ifrah threw him an unimpressed look while sitting cross-legged and said; “I really don't know what to talk about.”

Aayan was glad that she was at least trying to play along (even if she was glaring at him), and he smiled slightly.

“Why don't you start by telling me about your weird uneasiness with shirtless men?” he said teasingly, making Ifrah to clench her jaw, before elaborating. “I mean, I remember you used to be like this back when we were fourteen. But I thought you'd be okay with it now.”

Ifrah chanted the words 'calm down' in her head over and over again. She wasn't going to give up that easily. So, with a deep breath, she replied;

“Some things don't change, they stick with us forever. And unfortunately for me, this is the thing.”

He gave her a slow nod before asking with creased brows; “Is it because of a bad experience or something?”

When his wife's face burned red and she ducked her head, he knew his hunch was correct.

“Oh shït,” he exclaimed with wide eyes, dread flaring in his chest. “Was it something horrible? Like... like... ”

Damn it! He couldn't even use the word which was playing in his mind.

“Astagfirullah, no.” Ifrah's voice snapped him out of the dark hole his mind had went to and he stared at her with a scowl.

But something close to relief washed over him.

“Then what?”

Ifrah could fall in a hole at this moment. It was such an embarrassing story, but he wasn't going to back out. She faced him again after clearing her throat and started.

“Um... you remember uncle Maqsood?” Aayan's crunched up face was answer enough, and she rolled her eyes before explaining. “That middle aged man who used to be our neighbour back in Lahore? He had this weird moustache and bushy brows, and he used to water his plants every day, early in the morning.”

A bulb clicked in Aayan's head and he snapped his fingers. “Oh haan! The football-belly uncle. I remember him now.”

This man.

Ifrah's lips were twitching at the sides to lift into a smile but she kept them in control and continued. “Yeah, that one. Well, as I said, he used to water his plants everyday. I was thirteen, I guess, when me and my friend were playing shuttlecock out in the neighborhood and she hit it a little too hard so it went in uncle Maqsood's front garden.”

“Fück, that is intense.” he remarked sarcastically, making Ifrah to pass him a glare. She ignored him.

“Because I have a natural tendency to attract trouble— ”

“No lie there, babe.”

“ —I offered to go and grab it. I thought it was going to be easy, he wasn't out yet, and I just had to pick it up from the grass. But I was so wrong.”

Aayan's left hand flew up to his mouth as a dramatic gesture and she scowled at him.

“If you keep being like this, I won't continue.”

“Sorry!” he said cheekily before giving her a nod to keep talking.

“So, I had grabbed the shuttlecock, and just when I straightened up, I saw him standing right in front of me.” she shuddered as the image from all those years ago replayed in her mind. “The part which made me scream was that... he... uh... ” she blushed a bright shade of red, making Aayan's heart to beat like crazy.

“What?” he asked in anticipation.

“He was shirtless.” she managed it out with great difficulty. “And his chest was so hairy, oh my gosh!”

Ifrah buried her face in her hands as Aayan shot up straight with a loud; “What the fück?!”

“And he was only wearing a piece of cloth as pants!” she cried out before again burying her face in the palm of her hands. A beat of silence passed before Aayan burst out laughing like a maniac.

He couldn't believe it, out of all the things!

“It's called a lungi, Ifrah!”

“I don't care! It was still only a piece of cloth which wasn't stitched! And he was standing there in it like he owned the world or something!”

Aayan's deep laughter was making her own to bubble out from her mouth but she immediately slapped a hand over her lips to control it.

“Oh my God,” he wheezed while rubbing the heel of his palms in his eyes to wipe the tears. He stared at her with a grin so large, that she actually thought his face will snap into two.

“That's why you're uncomfortable?” he asked, amused beyond words.

Ifrah narrowed her eyes. “Yes, it was traumatic, okay? That image burns my eyes to this day.”

“Not your fault.” he chuckled. “I would've had the same reaction, because, no offense to that man, he was pretty scary.”

Ifrah only nodded her head with a sigh and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. Aayan's voice made her look up at him as he said;

“Waisy mein hota tou bgair sochay seedha un ke football jaisy pait mein laat maarta. I don't do well with jump scares like that.” (If I would've been in your place, I would've kicked him straight in his footbal-like stomach without thinking.)

She couldn't control the laugh this time, and it tumbled out of her mouth as she imagined a thirteen years old Aayan kicking uncle Maqsood in the stomach and him flying away to the moon like a cartoon.

Aayan's chuckle died down when he heard her laugh, and the nostalgia hit him like a train.

It had been so long since he heard her laugh like that; completely carefree and unaware of how pretty she looked whenever she threw her head back to give out a full blown chortle.

His chest tightened. He had missed it.

He had missed her.

When did their friendship drift apart? Sure they spent most of their time arguing over petty things, but that doesn't mean they weren't close.

They were aware of every little thing about each other; from secrets to certain gestures which only they understood.

“Ya Allah,” her voice brought him back from their childhood memories and he stared at her as she wiped her eyes. “You're such a boy.”

Aayan cocked a brow. “I am.”

“Anyways,” she leaned back on her uninjured hand and looked at him. “Are you still feeling bored?” she asked.

The raven haired man's full lips lifted up in a lazy smile and he lied back down on the floor.

“No, but I'm enjoying this.” he told her.

Her heart fluttered at the soft look in his eyes and she ducked her head before replying in a quiet voice; “Me too.”

“Then let's keep talking, shall we?” he offered, and she nodded her head after thinking over it for a bit.

And they spent the night just like that; talking about anything and everything, sometimes recalling their childhood memories and falling into uncontrollable chuckles and giggles. For the first time in a long time, they didn't end the day with an argument.

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N O T E

Who the eff is cutting onions over here?! They're so adorable OMG

Fun fact; the author's nick name matches hers ^^ but is pronounced differently. If you've watched Ye Dil Mera drama, you'll know how to pronounce it 😂

BTW, I've added this chapter to my fave list. Anybody got a problem with that? *points gun at you guys* No? That's what I thought. 😌

Have a blessed day! ❤