The Sifriti Jinn

Chapter Three

     "Wakey wakey habibti!" Aman poked my sides playfully.

     I groaned and checked the time on my phone. It was barely five in the morning. It wasn't even time for fajr! "Leave me alone Aman."

     "Wake up so that we can watch the sun rise. It's almost time."

     "Sunrise is by six thirty-five. Please let me sleep." I turned away and put a pillow over my head.

     "Trust me it'll be worth it." he said, pulling the pillow from my head. As if that wasn't enough, he dragged the duvet off.

     "If it isn't worth it, just know I won't forgive you for cutting my beauty sleep off." I said seriously.

     Aman shook his head and laughed. "You're always so grumpy in the morning."

     "Whatever!" I got up and yawned. Aman pushed the sliding door open and I walked out after him, letting him close it behind me.

     It was still dark outside except for the moon and stars that shone brightly in the sky. It was a beautiful sight and I absolutely loved it. I went to take a seat at the lounge chairs beside the hot tub but Aman stopped me.

     "Not there. Let's sit on the beach."

     We sat down on the sand and I laid my head on his shoulder. "Aman, can I sleep for five minutes?"

     "Sleepy head. I'll wake you when it's time for fajr so that we can pray before the sunrise." Aman answered.

     I snuggled into him and he held me so lovingly. He rubbed my back gently and I closed my eyes. I sniffed his shirt then took a deep inhale, intoxicating myself with the smell of his cologne. My husband smelled so good I could sniff him all day.

     After a while, he patted  my back and I opened my eyes slowly.

     "It's time for fajr." Aman said. He got up and held his hand out to me. I took it and got up, then we walked into the suite together.

     I waited for him to perform ablution before going into the en-suite to perform mine. By the time I came out, he had already spread the mats to face the qibla.

     I stood behind him and let him lead the prayers. After saying our salams and reciting the morning azkars, we went back out to the beach.

     We watched as the sun rose until it became a big ball of yellow. It was magnificent. Words couldn't describe how beautiful it was. Allah truly is the greatest. No human could do that.
I wanted to take a picture of the sunrise but my phone was on the nightstand.

     "I wish I could take a photo of the sunrise." I said to Aman.

     "What's stopping you?" he asked.

     "I don't want to miss any second of this." I answered and he shook his head, then got up.

     He came back with my phone and handed it to me. "Take all the pictures you want. It's not everyday you get to see a sunrise this beautiful."

     I took several pictures of the sunrise and they were all beautiful. "Let's try something Aman."

     "What's that?"

     I got up and switched my camera to the front camera and set the timer. Then I kept it on the table in front of the suite and supported it with a glass.

     "What are you doing, weirdo?" Aman laughed.

     "Watch and see." I pressed capture and ran to where Aman was standing, then held his hand. After ten seconds, I heard the shutter sound. I walked back to the table to see how the picture looked. It was perfect and was going to be used as my lock-screen.

     "Do you like it?" I asked, handing the phone to Aman.

"Oooouuu! Habibti is also a bad-ass photographer."

"Of course duh!" I rolled my eyes playfully and took my phone back.

"Don't forget to drop the pictures to my phone when we go back inside."

"Nooooo. You're going to have to pay for the photos." I said, shaking my head like a five year old.

Aman lay down on the sand and I put my head on his chest. "How much do you want habibti?"

"Definitely not money. You'll give me massages after I have my bath. "

"Just massages?" he asked. Even though I wasn't looking at him, I knew he arched a brow.

"Just massages."

We lay in silence after that and just enjoyed each other's company. The sound of the waves hitting the shore and our feet were like music to my ears. The water was cold but not too cold to make us leave.

     "What do you want for breakfast?" Aman asked, drawing random patterns on my back.

     "I don't know. What do you want?"

     "Pancakes, eggs, sausages, baked beans and coffee." he answered.

     "I'll have the same but instead of pancakes-" Aman cut me off with a silly smile on his face.

     "You'll have waffles."

     "Stop acting like you know me." I playfully hit his belly.

     "I know you too well, baby."

     "I want to go shower. Want to join me?" Aman smirked.

     "No, I'll pass." I pushed him to the side and got up. "You'll shower after me." I stuck my tongue out and ran into the suite.

     ***

     After breakfast, Aman and I toured the resort and took pictures. We met other honeymooners and even played games with them. When it was time for prayers we went back to our suite to pray, then continued our games with the others. We spent the whole day playing couple games and it was time to retire for the night. We prayed isha together and I sat down on the mat even after finishing our prayers.

     "Do you want to sit outside on the beach for a while before we go to sleep?" Aman asked me.

     "Sure." I removed my prayer dress and put on another hijab over my head, then went outside to sit with Aman while we watched the waves.

     Everywhere was quiet except for the sound of the waves crashing upon the beach. It was dark out but I could see the waves and shadows that surrounded us. What I didn't see was the shadow that lurked behind a palm tree.