“And then she grabbed my fingers and tried to stand!”“Really?”“Yup. I think you have a daughter eager to explore the world,” Moonbeam was all smiles.“Well, I think she takes it from her mom,” Zayed smiled at her.Moonbeam rolled her eyes at him.“You don’t have to be so modest, I know you want to say it.”“She came from good genes,” Zayed said smugly.“There, there,” Moonbeam laughed, “How did that make you feel? Proud, right?”“Damn, right,” Zayed said, feeling his heart swell. His heart was full and light at the same time. There was one thing he looked forward to every time he woke up each day- it was the thought that he had a daughter and an amazing woman as her mother. The two of them as a pair made life worth all of its inconveniences. No that he mattered anyways. He had them, and so he had it all.“Penny for your thoughts?” Moonbeam a

“You need a vacation. I don’t believe that I’m saying this but you need a vacation,” Malik walked into his brothers office, Zayed ahead of him.“I don’t need a vacation. You need one. Considering all the hours you’ve been putting in. Didn’t you just get married? Three months ago?” Zayed whirled on his brother, his eyes narrowing.“I own this company. I can take a vacation whenever I want to. You, on the other hand, you look like crap. You might drop if you don’t slow down, old man.”“You forget that you’re older than me, Abdulmalik,” Zayed retorted.“I’m starting to doubt that considering I look more healthy than you do,” Malik pointed out.Zayed sat down with a plop and a sigh.“Okay, what is this all about?”“You’ve been putting in more hours and still looking after Star. You don’t have time for yourself.”Zayed nodded.“That is because I have responsi

Moonbeam walked into the mall, her thoughts far away. It was the weekend and she had to do some shopping to replenish the groceries at  Zayed’s place.She had been there for two days now- his persuasion and the obvious fact that it was spacious enough for Star, who was getting better to walk around. She was deep in thoughts, not concentrating when she bumped into someone, her bag falling. Bending down, she picked it, straightening up with an apology on her face when she saw the face of the person she bumped into. She groaned internally, cursing her bad luck. Was her life about to become one of those movies where you start to get your life back together and the past hits you smack dab in the face? “Moon,” he said. “Ben,” she bristled. “It’s been ages,” he said, smiling. Moonbeam wished she could wear

Zayed looked up, as his brother walked in, a scowl on his face. “Why do you look like someone spat in your bean curd?” Malik asked. Zayed shook his head.“Where did you get that line from?” “Mulan. A cartoon. But that’s not the point. Why do you look gloomy and sad?” “I’m not,” Zayed argued even though he knew his expression betrayed him. “Yes, you do. You’ve been one grouchy bear all week.” Zayed knew better than to argue. Arguing only meant that his brother was right and he was trying to deny. He had learnt this a long time ago. So he said nothing and waited for what he knew would follow. “Did you have a fight with Moonbeam?” Aha. He knew his brother had been itching all week to ask but did not know how to go about it. A

Zayed held her hand as they walked into the house his brother and Genie had just entered. He had a million questions but right now, he was content. Her hand in his, a promise to give it one more shot made him happy.He had known that he wanted something more with her but he had no idea how happy it would make him. And this, this was more than he expected. He wanted to tell her how happy she made him feel, how she made the world feel alright but he knew that he had to take it slow. He could tell that she still held her fears in her other hand- her fingers lightly closed into a fist.So, if he had to take months, more to show her that he was serious about the way he felt for her, he would do it. Show her that she had someone who was willing to care for her, protect her.  Zayed looked at her and she smiled at him. That single act alone made his heart skip and he, in that moment realized something. He was in love with