He got up, picked up his towel, and headed towards the washroom door.
A faint worry trailed behind his steps, but he chose to cast it aside.
The one who mattered most to him was beside him, peacefully asleep at his desk.
He was a docile man when it came to her.
After a while, he returned with a towel draped around his neck, secretly hoping she would still be asleep.
A small chuckle escaped him as he stepped closer.
She had begun to drool. It was such an funny sight.
Gently, he closed the book before carefully lifting her head and slipping a small pillow beneath it.
And then...he simply stared.
Completely oblivious to everything else.
Before he realised it himself, his fingers had already begun moving towards her face. The tips of his fingers gently brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.
His lips parted in quiet awe.
The time was now 4 a.m. It was also time for Fajr prayer. But he didn't wake her.
The freshly painted nails on her fingers told him everything he needed to know. She wasn't obliged to pray.
He never voiced it aloud.
He simply knew.
A grin found its way onto his lips before he whispered,
"Sleep a little longer... for me."
...
Ariya's eyes shot open as though she had woken from a nightmare.
Instantly, she looked around and spotted a figure sleeping beside the desk, facing the opposite direction.
Right then-
She came to her senses.
This wasn't her room.
Her gaze swiftly shifted towards the clock resting on the desk.
6 a.m.
Then...
The person sleeping beside her was none other than her husband. He knew she had been in his room.
After all, a small blanket had been draped over her.
Slowly, yet quickly, she got to her feet, making sure she didn't make a single sound.
Holding her breath, she tiptoed towards the door before practically sprinting back to her own room in a panic.
The moment she shut the door behind her, she tried to catch her breath, internally screaming.
She had been caught red-handed.
What was she supposed to say to him this morning?
She stumbled towards her bed with a frustrated groan.
Suddenly-
Her eyes fell upon a familiar book resting on her table.
Nur Hayaati?
Haider had intentionally placed the book on her table.
She picked it up and pressed it tightly against her chest. Her face told a different story.
She was flustered. Agitated.
...
As usual, he prepared breakfast.
Waffles drizzled with maple syrup.
He appeared to be in an unusually good mood, unlike the woman hiding behind her bedroom door, fear still clinging to her.
Summoning every ounce of courage, she finally stepped outside and wordlessly took her seat.
She didn't even have the courage to look at him. After all, she had spent the entire morning tossing and turning in bed.
Haider spared her a glance, secretly hiding the small grin threatening to appear on his lips.
He was content.
Leisurely, he took his seat.
He made no mention of the previous night and simply continued eating his breakfast.
To Ariya, his silence was far more suffocating than if he had questioned her about it.
Gathering her resolve, she finally parted her lips.
"Th-thank you... for the book."
He maintained his silence.
The faint smile never left his face as he calmly spread butter across a slice of toast.
Ariya stole a cautious glance at him before biting her lip.
"I can lend you more of them... if you'd like."
The reply caught her completely off guard.
It wasn't what she had expected at all.
Unprepared for such an answer, she could only utter the first words that came to mind.
"...Yes. Thank you..."
Ariya chewed her food, it was difficult to swallow. She was the culprit that broke into his room and guilt was washing over her.
Why do I do things like this!?
"I was planning to walk to work today, the doctor told me I've been sitting too long on my chair."
He abruptly started a conversation.
"Oh...yeah you have been working a lot these days."
He nodded "You can take my car to your university."
"No! I will walk too."
He blinked and Ariya lowered herself on her chair.
"It's only a 10 minutes walk..."
"You don't have to, it might be inconvenient."
Ariya shook her head, this was her way of redeeming herself for her selfish deeds.
"It would be nice to walk."
Haider's lips curved once more, stretching into a beaming smile.
"Yeah, the weather is good afterall."