IQRA

He had kissed my forehead and then gone to sleep on the couch

how lucky was i to have such a man in my life?

"Shumayll?" I called out in the darkness as i set on the bed

I could not sleep

There were sensations that i could not keep in and the darkness was not doing anything but provoking my fears

"Sh-Shumayll?" i called him and a moment later, i felt the bed dip

"What happened?' he asked me as he switched on the lights

"N-Nothing, i just could not sleep" i muttered and he smiled at me

"I couldn't either" he replied and i sighed, rubbing my forehead

"Insomnia?" he questioned and i shook my head

"I need medics to sleep" i muttered and he growled lowly

"No need for that though" I quickly said and he nodded

"You better not be taking them, Iqra, i am serious!" he said and i nodded

"I am not, i promise!" i said

he smiled slowly at me

"Come on" he said pulling my hand down on the bed

"What?" i asked him as i lay on my back, staring at the ceiling

"If we can't sleep, mind as well talk" he replied, dimming the lights

I sighed and turned to his side

his face was illuminated by the dim lights and i could see the sharp jawline and eyes from my position

heat radiated from his body as he he settled beside me, his legs making contact with mine

he was dressed in shorts and tees, very uncomfortable for him but he tried for me at least!

I on the other hand did not bother the least as i wore a long tees and leggings, the usual sleeping wear

His legs stretched out and his huge body taking up half the bed as i lay near him

our breaths synced and i could hear his heartbeat ferociously in sync with mine

i was glad we both had the effect

"Shumayll?" i said and he replied with a hmm

"I have been meaning to ask about this.........." i said and he replied with another hmm

"Wh-Why does daadi mah not very much like you?" i questioned

his body grew tense beside me

I put my hand on his arm without thinking

"Its fine if you don't want to........" i said and his body relaxed beside me

"Iqra, You will not like this but-" he said and turned to face me

his eyes held so much that it made me retreat and think who this man was

My Shumayll did not hold so much emotion in him

he was always happy

"What is it?" i questioned

his hands came over my face and traced my jaws and then lips to which i grew tense with

"Iqra, I am not normal" he replied and i stared at him

"What do you mean?" i asked him

"I- I am adopted in this family"

his words hit me like a tonne of bricks

adopted?

"What? quit joking Shumayll!" i said and he sighed pulling his hand away, my body reacting in a negative manner, wanting back his warmth

"I am not- I have an IQ of 198 and i am not an original Edris- i was adopted by Abba and ammi gladly accepted me" he whispered and i stared at him

"What?" i said again

i took my time taking in what he just admitted

Shumayll was adopted by uncle and aunt and he had an IQ of 198

"So where does you not being normal come in?" i questioned

"An IQ of 198 is abnormal Iqra, it's called knowing more than you should! my brain functions differently from others-" he said

I stared at him

"I am not exactly lying because my psychological reports say so- I used to skip school because students thought i was a geek without heavy glasses and teachers found it annoying to have a student who does high school level maths in year 3 in their classes- so i skipped-" he explained looking away from me, up at the ceiling

I scooted closer to him and lay my head beside him, staring at the ceiling

our hands slightly touching

"And?" i whispered

"And then came reality- i was adopted because my mother left me somewhere and abba found me and brought me home- Bhai and ammi accepted me but daadi mah had a bad time doing so" he said and i sighed

"Is that why she always downgrades you?" I questioned and he nodded

"When i was 8, i met Iqraam, he was 10- he was walking alongside the road i was walking on, both in our thoughts when we saw each other- i liked him and he offered me a piece of bread he had- i was grateful to him and then we became friends- we would always meet at the arena where races were held- he would race and i was his manager- i would take money from the people organising it- he always won- that was how we started the little shop of ours until abba found out-" he said, smiling slightly at the memory

"Abba asked us about what we wanted to do and then finally we became a team, working our way up to where we are" he said and i smiled

"Iqra-" he said after a moment of silence and i turned to face him, only to see him staring at me already

"Hmm?"

"That day when i saw you, I did not know that i would fall so bad for you-" he said and my heartbeat quickened

"I swear to Allah, Iqra i never had thought i would have a chance with you-" he said and i almost laughed

"Uhuh and why is that?" I questioned

I had never given myself any pride for who i was, according to me i was plain old Iqra- the girl with specs and nerdy space around her

"i don't know- maybe because you were always hiding behind Iqraam, i never understood you until the day i saw you dancing and jumping around the rain like a kid- that is my most cherished memory of you" he smiled warmly at me and i returned his gestures

we lay there, staring at each other until my eyelids began feeling heavy

I turned on my side and closed my eyes

slowly sleep consumed me

the last thing i heard were "Night Fluffy'