Love Is Rarely A Choice!

New leaf.

After the long sparring Layla's belly grumbled with hunger so they showered before entering the kitchen that was now filled with groceries.

As they stood in the kitchen, Azeem and Layla began preparing dinner together. She chopped the vegetables while he seasoned the chicken.

"Are you sure you want to add that much salt?" she asked, glancing over at him.

"Trust me," he replied with a grin. "I know what I'm doing."

She rolled her eyes playfully and continued chopping. They worked together in comfortable silence, the only sounds coming from the sizzling pan and the rhythmic chopping of the knife.

After a while, he turned to her and said, "You know, i must admit,I love cooking with you. It's like we're a well-oiled machine."

She smiled and leaned over to look into the bowl of vegetable salad "I know what you mean. It's one of my favorite things to do together. Though this is our first time "

As they stood side by side at the kitchen counter, she measured out the flour and sugar while he cracked the eggs into a bowl.

"Do you think we should add some cinnamon to the batter?" she asked, glancing over at him.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that could be good. Let's give it a try."

They worked together, each taking turns mixing the batter and spooning it onto the griddle. As the pancakes began to cook, they chatted and laughed, enjoying each other's company.

After a while, he turned to her and said, "You know,for the record ,if those pancakes were to go wrong,you're the one to blame."

Layla gasped dramatically
"Pining the blame on me. Aren't you? Mr. Azeem."

"Of course, I can't stand my wife not liking my cooking. It will hurt my ego and I will bleed to death." Azeem responded to her in jest.

She smiled and leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "I feel the same way. Plus, i will take all the blame not to see my husband die"

They finished cooking the meals. Layla prepared the mat outside and infront of the cabin. They set all the food they cooked and some refreshments before they sat down to eat, savoring the sweet, delicious meal they had made together.

"Look at all the stars," she said, gazing up at the sky.

He followed her gaze and smiled. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Do you want to lay down and look at them?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, let's do that."

They packed back everything before they laid out a blanket, snuggling up close to each other. They looked up at the sky in silence, listening to the sounds of the night.

"Did you know that the stars we see tonight are actually millions of years old?" he said, breaking the silence.

"Really?" she said, turning to look at him.

He observed her beautiful face and her blue eyes that had the hue of green.
She was like the moon illuminating the darkness of the night, her radiance dousing the eclipse in his mind, filling it with her light.

He nodded. "It's true. The light from those stars has traveled millions of miles to reach us, so what we're seeing is actually the past."

"That's amazing," Layla said, looking back up at the sky. "It's hard to imagine something so far away."

They continued to look at the stars, pointing out different constellations and marveling at the beauty of the universe. As the night grew colder, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.