Sweet Haram.

¥ Seven ¥

I sit on my praying mat using my rosery. I hear the front door open, indicating my dear husband just got back from the mosque.

He always comes back before 7am but never before 6:56am. It's like he's waiting outside.

His gentle steps getting louder has he got closer.

"Crap!" he curses when something tumbles down the stairs, probably his phone. Finally after much mumbling he finally comes upstairs and knocks on my door.

I turn and look at him.
"Mallika the house looks dusty, didn't you say you hired the maid?" he asks.

"Yes I did".
"Then why is the house dusty, dirty and unkept?".

When he was watching his anime yesterday he didn't notice it until now? Just to bug me.
"Well she came the first three days but then she told me she had an emergency and she needed her pay in advance so I gave it to her".

His mouth hangs open probably thinking of a way to make it sound like I did something wrong.

"How much is her pay?"
"30k".

He nods, continously like he was trying to grasp the situation. "So..... You gave a maid 30k in advance and she didn't come back since then?"

If he wasn't paying attention then how did he know she didn't come back since then?
"Don't look surprised that I know, who would come back after receiving such generous charity. She doesn't do much and she's supposed to get 30k? There's not much to do for her when there's a security guard outside to handle many things and yet she gets paid more than he does".

"Actually Ammi handles the maids back home".

"Oh really?" he asks and I nod "Well, pray and go back to sleep, you need it".

He sounded off but I nod anyway and watch him enter his bedroom shaking his head.

What does he want from me?

.

The vibration continues.
I groan and pick up my phone.

Come out now.

Was the only thing I heard before the call was ended, I check and see Dahir's name. Was he outside the gate or the compound.

I lazily get up and enter the bathroom to brush my teeth. I can't believe he's waking me by 8am.

I come out and find him walking around with a hose watering the flowers, I think he'd choose those flowers over me.
"Yes?" I ask standing beside him.

He ignores me and continues.
"Dahir? You asked me to come out? Isn't there a gardener that can do this?"

"Now that I'm doing it did I drop dead?" he looks at me carefully "Are you okay wearing that?" he asks looking at my short night gown.

I nod "Of course".

.

I should have lied!
Even if it meant faking an illness.

I stand in front of the gas cooker stirring the stew while he sat on the stool by the kitchen island working on some documents. He's the one cooking but I do all the difficult tasks.

"Why are we making this much of it? This could last us a month".

"That's the point. I can't keep asking Fayza to make it for me now that she's a married woman, her husband may find it offensive".

I never thought there'd be a day that I'd hear Hanif's name linked with another woman apart from me.

"Make sure it doesn't burn".
I nod.
"Don't worry we're almost done".

.

I think Dahir and I have different meanings of almost done. Now I have to dust while he sits and inspects it.

"Can I just use a spray and rag?" I ask holding a bucket of water and detergent.

"But how will you rinse the rag, you'll just be cleaning with a dirty rag which makes no sense at all".
I huff "But it's also effective".

"Really?" he tilts his head daring me. "Okay, next week we'll try your own way".

"Next week?" I gasp.
"Since you were so nice to pay the maid in advance you'll finish her work for this month and it's not like you're doing anything to keep yourself busy".

"But----"
"Come on get to it, I still have alot of things to take care of".

.

"Really?" he asks looking at my Closet. "You can't clean even your Closet? Seriously?"

I turn my head shamefully, I didn't know the cleaning included my room. "I was desperately looking for my night gown last night and I was so sleepy I guess I messed up the place"

He smiles. His first smile, first ever and that honestly probably made my week.
"It seems you've forgotten you met me in the laundry room last night and asked me to pass it to you... Without even ironing it".

I smile embarrassed.
"Well Mallika this is not your parents house so please help me help you so you can help me".

I just stare at him like he made no sense at all. "Yes?" I ask unsure.

"Anyway, I promised Ma I'd escort her to the market but I hope you're done by the time I get back, please?"

I nod. "I promise".
He nods and jogs upstairs.

.

Dahir's POV.

I lean on the car waiting for Ma to finally decide which jewelries she wants, she's obsessed with them. The most shocking thing is she wears them at home, that's why she's always looking like she's going to a wedding. Probably because my dad married my mum at the same time men swarmed her.

In the peak of her beauty and I'll admit not because she's my mum but she's really beautiful, you'd never think she has a son as old as I am.

I finally send Anwar the PDF before putting my phone back in my pocket. I raise my head and make eye contact with a girl, she winks at me.

I smile at her amusedly.
She turns around laughing with some girls in the car.

There was something about her that interested me, was it her smile? I did something I have not done in 6years, I approached her.

I knock on the window.
She turns and looks at me alarmed. She opens the door and comes out shamefully.

"I'm so sorry, my sister and I were just joking".
I smile "It's okay, everyone jokes around once in a while".

"I know, we were just bored. I feel ashamed that I let them talk me into doing it".
"Well it made my day so thank you".

She looks at me, realising what I was doing.
"So there's no problem here?"

"None at all but you can just give me your number instead of an apology".
She blushes "That's nothing compared to a heart felt apology".

"I'm a humble person, I never ask for too much, just what I can handle".

She smiles.

I think for a moment I forgot I was married.

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