Dawud.

Chapter 40: The Jealous Wife

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Jannah's P.O.V

"How did you do?" Dawud asked me excitedly. I shut the car door and strapped on my seat belt with ease.

"Either I passed with flying colors or I failed miserably," I replied, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Let's hope for the best, then." Dawud said quietly. There was a strange strain in his voice. I knew something was up.

"What's wrong?" I asked. His forehead was covered in beads of perspiration. "We have a four-month summer vacation!" I reminded him. Dawud completed his last exam yesterday, so the two of us were out of school until September.

"You're going to go berserk." He whispered. I chuckled nervously as he set the car in drive and pulled out of the university parking lot. "My cousin is back from London." He told me.

"You have a cousin from London?" I asked. Dawud nodded. "Is he—"

"She. Jannah, she's a girl." He corrected me, wiping the sweat from the bridge of his nose. A wave of concern washed over me. Dawud was so easy going and the second he was upset, it was incredibly easy to tell.

"You're scaring me." I blurted.

"Her name is Eman." He told me. I waited for him to go on. "She has a... crush on me."

I sighed a breath of relief. If we weren't married, that would've been an issue. "Well, that's cute!" I exclaimed. Dawud whipped his head in my direction, lush eyes filled with shock.

"What?" He pressed in disbelief.

"A little girl having a crush on you is the last thing I'd be worried about!" I explained with a smile. "How old is she?" I teased him, grinning when he turned left, entering a coffee drive-thru. "Ten? Eleven? Twelve?" He didn't answer. "Dawud, how old is she?" I repeated.

He grinned. "Hi, can I get a small coffee with one cream and one sugar? And—" Dawud faced me with a smirk. "Did you want anything, Jannah?" He whispered. I glared at him. "Sorry about that," he spoke to the speaker. "Could I also get a medium iced cappuccino for my beautiful wife?"

"Sure! Anything else?" The employee behind the speaker invited.

"Nah, that's all. Thank you!" He shouted a bit too loud. I couldn't help but laugh at his giddy demeanor. I loved it when he acted silly like this. I almost forgot about Eman. Dawud drove the car forward, stopping behind the vehicle in front of us. There was a long line of cars ahead, so I unbuckled my seat belt and positioned myself to face him. I couldn't help but notice how his green eyes contrasted against the tan of his skin. His lips were pulled up in a large smile as he slapped his hands against his knees happily.

"Tell me." I pleaded.

"Kiss me." He reasoned.

"Not unless you tell me." I replied back.

"Fine." He sighed, clearing his throat. "Twenty, just like me."

I gasped. "She's older than me?"

Dawud smiled with satisfaction. "There she is! My jealous wife is back!"

I huffed and turned away from him. "If you weren't so dreamy," I buckled my seat and continued, "I wouldn't have to be so jealous."

Dawud chuckled and grabbed ahold of my knee. "Hey, I get jealous too. I'm just not as good at showcasing it for everyone to see like you are." He spoke softly. "You don't realize it but every time we go out you catch the attention a bunch of men."

I looked up at him surprised. "Really?" He nodded. "Yeah, Muslim men love me." I gloated, playing with the end of my hijab.

"You mean Abdallah, your father and I?" He teased.

"Oh, you're so funny!" I exclaimed sarcastically. Dawud laughed and it warmed my heart. It almost made me forget about his cousin. Once we received our drinks, we drove home and decided to leave the topic for later that night.

At the apartment, Dawud tidied the place up while I cooked dinner. His parents were coming over and we wanted to keep the place looking as put together and immaculate as possible. He peeped his head into the kitchen a few times to see how I was doing.

"I'm trying not to turn the rice into pudding." I admitted, turned away from him in embarrassment. When I was younger, I never imagined that my husband would be a better cook than I was. It was embarrassing for me because since I was a child, my mom made me clean dishes, mop floors, wipe windows and scrub tiles. Insha'Allah you'll be an excellent wife, she'd say. I'd reply with, 'my husband is going to have to do all of those chores with me'. And she would scoff and mutter something close to 'Westernized women'. It was now that I wish I had spent a little more time in the kitchen with a spatula in hand than a mop. I glanced at Dawud, who was watching me from the doorway with a penetrating gaze. I suddenly grew hot and looked away as my cheeks tingled.

"Come here." He whispered. My heart softened just from the sound of his sweet, enticing and mesmerizing voice.

"I'm cooking." I squeaked.

Dawud snuck up from behind me and wrapped one arm around my belly and the other on my right hand. He swayed back and forth, humming happily. "Jannah, Jannah, Jannah." He sang, spinning me around. For a moment, I felt like a real princess. Dawud's beauty would make him the perfect prince, I knew that for sure. "I love you." He said in Arabic.

I giggled like a little school girl. He was everything I ever wanted and more, Alhamdullilah. "I love you." I replied in Arabic. Dawud raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I'm impressed." He admitted, kissing my temple. He then sniffed my hair, making me pull away from him.

"Don't be a creep!" I whined, putting on an oven mitt and taking a look at the rice cooking in the oven. It looked right, so I turned down the heat.

"If that's what you call creepy," He whispered with a smirk, "I can be a lot creepier."

"What the heck?" I blurted as he leaped forward. Before I knew it, we were running around the apartment laughing like fools. He chased me into the living area, the bedroom and the washroom. Once he caught me, his arms wrapped around my body and we stayed like this for some time. "Do you love me?" I asked him, although I already knew the answer.

"More than you'll ever know." He responded.

"Then do I have anything to worry about when it comes to that cousin of yours?" I questioned.

Dawud chuckled against me. "Absolutely not."

* A.N: Salam guys! I am so so so so sorry for keeping you guys waiting! Honestly, my only excuse is life. Alhamdullilah I completed my exams and graduated high school last friday so now I'll have a lot of free time... a.k.a a lot of DAWUD TIME!!!! I work from 8-4 every weekday though so please don't expect me to update every day haha.

See you guys soon Insha'Allah xx

- yourmuslimah