Our Stormy Ride

*36 °A December Getaway

Jamal

"I don't think I can move my limbs anymore," I hear Nadia say in a grumpy voice as she lies on the sofa, a few hours after our last guest had taken their leave.

The first day of Eid had arrived with much anticipation and excitement, bringing families and friends together to celebrate. It's been years since I last witnessed how the eid festivities are observed at home.
Nadia and I had attended the eid prayer before going to her parents' place to spend some time. They were grateful for the company, seeing as Zahra didn't want to come home for the short break. The rest of the day, we'd spent with mom, dad, Hafsah and Jahid, receiving family friends and relatives who'd come to visit.

Today, we finally hosted the eid party, and after much fussing from Nadia. Since it's our first ever, she'd wanted everything to be perfect, and to be able to carry out her role as a wife. Everyone had a good time, and the guests continued to troop in till nightfall. Nadia had made sure they left with smiles, and of course her baked cookies, which we'd spent the previous night wrapping in cute, little gift bags.

After rinsing off the soap suds from the last plate, I wipe it with a dish towel before placing the delicate ceramic in the cabinet, then join Nadia in the living room. Due to the long day we've both had, I'd banned her from stepping a foot in the kitchen when she'd insisted on taking care of the dishes.

She sits cross-legged with a plate of cookies as she sifts through the channels, dressed in a big cardigan and tights that show off her long legs.

"JazakAllahu khair for helping me, with everything." She presses a kiss on my cheek, the faint smell of chocolate and sugar on her breath.

"Alhamdulilah. We make a pretty good team." I run my fingers through her braids, suddenly missing her natural curls. As expected, she shivers from my touch and sighs softly. "You were brilliant today, your mom was beaming with pride throughout, and your dad couldn't stop smiling."

She grins, and her eyes sparkle with warmth and happiness, chasing away her weariness. "It was worth it. Most of the people who came by today were just visiting for the first time, so Alhamdulilah it went well, and it was a good opportunity to meet some of your coworkers." She picks up the plate of cookies, scrutinising each one before making her choice.

I chuckle under my breath, "What are you doing?"

"Looking for the one with the most chocolate chips," she replies with a big toothy grin, and bites into it.

"You'll still end up eating everything on the plate anyway. I've never met anyone who loves chocolate the way you do." I press a kiss to her temple, then another on her lips, savouring the taste of chocolate and sugar on it. I can feel her heartbeat racing as the kiss deepens till we're both out of breath, the TV playing in the background.

"Now that is much more addicting," she comments slyly when we break apart, snuggling close to me. "I wish we can spend an entire day like this. Do you really have to go to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah. We have a general meeting to prepare for on Wednesday, and since it's the end of the year, all the major shareholders are going to be present. Plus, we have the company audit report to take care of and everything has to be done by Friday, then I'll be all yours, in sha Allah."

Despite the workload, it's best we finish up before the holidays and the new year, seeing as we'll have to take on a new project by then. Stephen had wanted to push most of it to the next month, but I'd declined. I'd rather have it over with once and for all, than holding it off. With that out of the way, I'll have enough time to plan my surprise present for Nadia.

"In sha Allah," she replies, oblivious of my thoughts as she intertwines our fingers together. I stare down at her hands tattooed with deep red henna, the colour as dark as mahogany.