"Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu!" He then turns to his left followed by me,

"Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu!" After the taslim (concluding part of the salah) is over, he reads tasbeeh and makes du'a. I follow suit, adding my own set of prayers in the du'a, raising my hands at the level of my face and folding them into a crescent shape.

'Ya Allah, may your grace and blessings remain upon mankind. Give everyone the strength to bare with the difficulties they have been put into. Shower your rahmat upon my family, keep them hale and healthy. Please bestow peace and happiness in my Zaan's life. Fulfil every wish and desire of his. May he succeed in everything he puts his mind into. Take away all his pain, if he has any. Make our relationship stronger and may love blossom between us. Ameen. Summa'meen.'

I get up from the prayer mat, seeing he was already halfway out of the room. I smile at his retreating back. Today when he woke up late for Fajr, I asked him to lead me in Salah. He stared at me for a few seconds as if have descended from a different planet, then nodded. I jumped in happiness at that. Then he lead the entire prayer, his recitation so beautiful I had a hard time believing he has recently resumed reading namaz. But that's my Zaan, he never forgets once he learns something. And the basics of Salah were taught to us when we were kids.

The feeling of contentment consumes me, as if all the rose plants in the garden have flowered all at once. The pure joy and satisfaction, of a kid yearning for a rainbow and then when it suddenly begins raining, the look of astonishment and joy on his face resembling mine. The smile remains on my face all through my day.

I decide to read a book before I go down for breakfast. Sameer asked me to meet him at the stables today. I love horses and luckily Dawer is home to one of the most beautiful breeds. My bucket list has a mention about learning horse riding and I plan on crossing that wish before I leave Dawer. And I will make sure nobody stops me this time with the excuse that I am too small to handle a horse.

After breakfast, I rush towards the stables where all the horses are kept, I spot Sameer there in his cowboy appearance.

"Hi there Mr.Cowboy, can I introduce myself to these beauties here?"

"Hello! Noor ji, ofcourse you can. Who am I to stop a beauty from interacting with another?" He grins and I just shake my head at his flirty nature. He was always like that. Infact, Zaan beat him up once for calling me 'hoor'. In his words, no guy should use such precious words for me.

"Hey you! I am Noor Sajid Durrani. Nice to meet you Stanley." Their names have been placated around their neck in a small chain. I slowly run my hand across it's back and it's tail raises slightly as it snorts. I squeal.

"Does that mean she likes my touch?'

"Yep! She does. Who wouldn't? Would you like me to teach you the basics of riding a horse. I will also reveal some secrets about handling Stanley."

"Sure, I would love to hear."

And for the next half an hour or so, he explains to me everything about how a beginner should handle a horse. By now, I should be able to start.

"Sammy, I want to ride it now. I am sure the weather is clear for the next few hours and I can see vast stretches of open land here."

"Yes Noor ji. But you can't ride it alone. You have no practical experience of handling a horse. I will climb behind you to make sure things don't head south. How about that?"

"If that's what will get me on it's back, then I don't mind."

" No thanks! I appreciate your help but now that I am here I can give my wife the practical knowledge of handling horses."

Sameer seems shocked at the revelation that Zaan is my husband. I shrug, I don't mind as long as I get my much-awaited horse ride. Sameer just nods and walks towards other horses.

Zaan walks towards Stanley, running his hands slowly and appreciatively on her back. She instantly bends towards him, as if recognising his scent. Goodness, even this horse is all over my Zaan. Should have chosen a different one.

"Zaan, I need to get on its back." I want his eyes back on me, isn't he giving her too much attention? He doesn't look at me, just nods his head. Ugh, this man!

He holds my hand and helps me up the saddle. Stanley neighs slowly. Zaan is quick to rub her sides again, "Hey, Stan! Easy there baby." Baby? He never called me that! Maybe I can still choose another one from the stall. She is not that beautiful after all.

In a flash, he is behind me on her back. And she doesn't even neigh. That attention seeking bitch. Stop it Noorie, don't be jealous of a horse now. Just enjoy the ride. But still can't help but pout at all the attention she is getting. I hold her leash slowly, Zaan bending closer towards me to show me how to hold it properly.

"Don't grip it so tightly, just enough to be able to direct her", he whispers and my mind is clouded with his scent. I can't think straight or even listen to his instructions for that matter. I can only feel his body pressed against mine, the hardness of his chest against my soft back. His gentle breathing causing a tornado of emotions within me. I close my eyes, in a bid to savour this moment. Who knows, if I will ever get to feel it again.

"Noor, where are you lost? Just pull the leash slightly and Stan will start running", I furrow my eyebrows at her nickname.

Mujhe to sirf Noor bolte hain. Ise kyun nickname denge? ( He only calls me with my name and has given her a nickname!)

Nevertheless, I follow his instructions and Stanley raises her forelimbs for a while producing a neighing sound again, pushing me more into Zaan's body. I can feel the contours of his abs this time, heat rising on my cheeks. I can feel something flip in my stomach and my breath hitches when he puts my flying hair behind my ear.

Stanley begins moving and gradually her speed increases. I can feel anxiety and excitement coursing through my body in equal measures making it all the more adventurous. Zaan places his large, callous hands on mine, pulling and and pushing the leash as and when needed. In that way, I can also learn how to control the leash. He is a pro at it and Stanley seems to have too much obedience for him. He has that effect over animals also.

This right here is a perfect moment, with me on a horseback wrapped in Zaan's protective embrace and the wind rushing past us with greenery in the surroundings. I gently place my head on his shoulder closing my eyes to feel the electricity coursing through me deeper. How I wish this could last forever. I can hear Zaan inhaling deeply, his lips slightly touching the shell of my ear due to the movements of Stanley. I open my eyes, grasping the beauty of nature and hungrily storing it in my memory.

(Exclude the seaside )

Stanley again increases her speed when Zaan pulls the leash a little tighter than the last time. They have beautiful coordination working as if they have been doing just that all their life. It's admiring to watch. We have come far away from the cottage, the trees and bushes around are getting thicker meaning we might have entered forest area. There is a deep forest in the outskirts of Dawer. I have heard few people still reside here in the forest.

"Zaan, don't you think we are going deeper into the forest?"

"Don't worry, I am familiar with these tracts. We won't be lost."

"If you say so" I face the front again only to hear a loud thunderous sound. I flinch hiding more into Zaan's arms unconsciously. I can feel him raising his head to see the sky getting darker. The next second rain starts pouring so fast I am afraid we will fall down due to the impact. It is hitting me right in my eyes, so I close them trying to block the torrential downpour.

"Noor, we have to stop somewhere. The rain is hitting right in my face and I can't see things properly to get us back home. Just look around for a small Hut or something."

I nod turning my head towards right and left to see if something can provide us shelter for a while. After a few minutes I spot a brown coloured housetop at the far right corner.

"Zaan, look at the right. I think we can stop there for a while."

He slowly directs Stanley to the right and she gradually stops right before the hut.

Zaan jumps down first and then pulls me down holding my waist. He then ties Stanley's leash to the nearest tree such that the rain doesn't hit her. I am shivering by the time we walk through the open door of the hut. It looks like it has been abandoned recently. There is a small cottage at one end. A small shelf in the wall that is empty. There is some cut grass at one corner and a chula (traditional stove) beside it which contain a few innumerable wood blocks.

Zaan goes towards it trying to light fire in the woods and that's when I notice the lining of his abs through the see through shirt now. He is all wet. He will catch cold this way.

I remove my dupatta (stole) from my shoulders and squeeze it to remove all the water from it. I squeeze it again and jerk it in the air. I then proceed towards his crouched frame and wrap the dupatta around his head trying to soak the water from his hair.

He stops what he is doing and jerks away my hands, when he turns around I gasp at the rage in his eyes. They have turned red due to anger and his clenched jaw is telling the story of his loathe.

" Stay away from me. I hate your presence close to me"