Author's POV

Hana was massaging her temples when Rumaan entered after changing.

"What happened, jaan?" he asked, walking toward her.

"Headache," she replied shortly. He sat beside her.

"Come here," Maan said, guiding her to lay her head on his lap. He ran his fingers gently over her temples.

"Something’s bothering you, isn’t it?" he asked after a while. Hana opened her eyes and looked at him, nodding.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"Your daughter."

"Which one?"

"Obviously, it’s Dua. My Maham never gives me trouble," she said, sitting up on the bed. They both settled on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"What did she do now?" he asked. Hana rested her head on his shoulder.

"You know, today she ruined Momin's work papers, just because he wasn’t paying attention to her. How could she do that? Didn’t she think of all his hard work?" Hana complained.

"She’s a kid, Hana. She’s only eighteen," he defended his daughter.

"You’re defending her wrongdoings, Maan, just like Momin does. Why can’t you see she’s becoming more rebellious every day?" she sat up straight. "I don’t know why Momin always forgives her mistakes. He doesn’t even let me scold her… And look, after all this, he took her to a movie with Maham and Rafay. Why doesn’t he show anger? Why is he always forgiving?" she asked in an upset tone. Deep down, she was afraid Momin would end up hurt. When Hana said she would make him her son, she meant it. And now, seeing how much Momin loved Dua, she worried for her son. No one in the family could deny how deeply Momin loved Dua, though no one spoke of it openly.

"Just like you. And it’s good that Momin forgives our daughter for her immaturity," he said, and Hana glared at him.

"Don’t be selfish, Maan. What about Momin? If Dua breaks him? We all know he’s head over heels in love with her. She’s wrapped him around her little finger. She’s too careless to care about it," Hana said. Maan narrowed his eyes at her words.

"You know, Hana, my Dua isn’t bad at heart. She’s as pure and innocent as you were at her age. She’s just immature. She’ll learn with time," he said, lying back on the bed. Hana stared at him.

"You don’t understand me, Maan. If she continues like this, with her immaturity, she will break him. And then she’ll be the one to break most. Don’t forget, your Dua is also head over heels for him," Hana said, looking into his eyes. He held her arms, pulling her closer.

"We can’t control their lives, Hana. You try every time to guide her, but Momin never allows anyone to scold her. So he will be the one to keep her on the right path. I trust him with my daughter."

"Then let them marry," she said, hope gleaming in her eyes. Maan glared at her.

"Don’t bring up this topic. You know I won’t let either of them marry before graduation. No matter how well we know them, we have to wait until they are mature enough to take this step with an open heart and confident mind."

Hana lowered her head onto his chest. She knew why he always said that. He didn’t want his children to go through the inner conflict of the heart and mind that he once endured. He wanted them to make decisions with clarity, maturity, and confidence—not in the heat of the moment or confusion.

"Now, what are you thinking?" he asked, brushing her hair away. She looked into his eyes and smiled before laying beside him, wrapping her arms around him.

"How much you love our children… You are the best father and the best husband," Hana said, grinning before kissing him on the cheek. He smirked.

"Then this best husband deserves something… for being the best," he teased with a smirk.

"You will never change, will you?" Hana shook her head, smiling.

"Aahan. Never."

"But you should. We are parents of grown-up children now."

"Even if we become grandparents of grown-up grandchildren, my love and passion for you will never change. It will remain until death do us apart," he confessed, his eyes filled with love. Hana smiled, murmuring close to his lips:

"I love you, Maan."

"I love you too, jaan-e-maan," he whispered, connecting their lips and pulling her close to feel their love once more.

Unaware of the chaos coming in their children’s lives—chaos that could destroy not one, not two, but three hearts—they remained in their cocoon of love.

---

Momin’s POV

We arrived at the theatre, and I bought tickets for all of us. Maham and Rafay came along, which honestly, I wasn’t pleased about. Maham and Rafay were good company, but… Dua and I being alone was something else entirely.

I looked to my side and smiled at my love, my life, pouting and cursing her siblings. My Dua was always adorable, but confident at the same time. She acted like a genius who knew everything, but I knew how innocent and naïve she truly was. No one knew her better than me—not even her parents. Though Hana aunty often caught her and scolded her to grow up, Dua always tricked her, which made her think she was clever. But here’s a secret…

I always stood behind Dua, pleading with Hana aunty, holding my hands out in front of her to stop scolding Dua. She would sigh in defeat, but never forget to give me an earful later.

I intertwined my fingers with Dua’s and whispered, "Don’t worry, they won’t spoil our ice cream date." She raised an eyebrow at me. I showed her the tickets. "I got us front-row seats near the door," I winked. She smiled widely, showing all her teeth. I chuckled.

"That’s why I love you so much. You always find a way to make me happy," she said, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, grinning as if she had won something huge. But for us, just spending time together was the real victory.

Maham and Rafay turned toward us for their tickets. I handed them over and pointed out their seats. Maham glanced at the tickets, then at Dua and me.

"Where are your seats?" she asked. I bit my lips.

"Maham, we’ll be nearby. Don’t worry. Go take your seat," Dua said politely.

"But Dua…"

"Maham Aapi, let’s go… the movie is about to start," Rafay said, holding Maham’s hand and guiding her away. I sighed in relief. I didn’t like tricking Maham, but I would do anything for Dua.

Rafay glanced back, smirking. "Enjoy the movie," he winked before walking away with Maham. I looked at Dua, already gazing at me.

"Your brother’s too clever for his age."

"I know… after all, he’s my brother," she said arrogantly, making me chuckle.

We took our seats. "I don’t want to watch the movie, you know that, right?" she asked. I nodded.

"We’ll sneak out after a few minutes," I said. She rested her head on my shoulder.

About twenty minutes passed, but Dua started wiggling and making faces, trying to get out of there. Maham’s occasional glances made her impatient.

"I’m telling you, Momin, take me out of here now. Look how suspiciously she’s staring at us," Dua whispered, glaring at her sister. She loved her sister, but when it came to me, she was fiercely protective.

After a few more minutes, I held her hand, and we slowly sneaked out of the theatre.

"Yay!" Dua jumped, throwing her fist in the air. I laughed along with her.

We went to a nearby store and got our ice cream, leaning against the car.

"Um… it’s so yummy," Dua moaned, licking her lips. My heartbeat quickened, and I took a deep breath, forgetting my own ice cream. She glanced at me, then at my hand, and back again, smirking. She moved closer and bit her lips.

"You know, I won’t mind if you tell me what’s running through your head… even if it’s something inappropriate," she teased, licking her ice cream with a wide smirk. I felt sweat forming on my forehead and ears heating up.

Ya Allah! This girl really knows how to drive me crazy. Please give me patience.

"Uh… nothing like… that," I stuttered like a schoolboy in front of his crush and took a bite of my ice cream. Dua burst into laughter. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"This is bad, Dua," I said, shaking my head with a smile.

"Everything’s fair in love and war," she giggled, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"For now, I guess this is enough," she said, biting her lips.

"I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you," the words slipped out before I could stop them. I looked away, feeling awkward, but Dua always made even awkward moments funny. She giggled and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I want to taste your ice cream," she said, taking mine and giving me hers. We always did this—it made us feel closer than ever.

"I can’t wait to make you mine, Momin," I heard her whisper.

"Me too, Momin ki Dua," I replied, placing a kiss on her crown. I loved her too much to ever imagine a life without her. She was my everything.

***********

Dua's POV

After our cute, love-filled ice cream date and some heartfelt conversations, we went back to the theatre. As we reached outside, we saw everyone walking out. Maham and Rafay came toward us. I noticed Maham’s eyes turn moist, and she quickly looked away.

“What happened, Maham?” I asked with concern.

“No… nothing,” she said, still avoiding my gaze. I stared at her for a couple of seconds, then shrugged. She always became emotional over small things. Maybe the movie was too sentimental.

“How was the movie?” I asked. Rafay gave me a knowing look, and I instantly bit my tongue. I heard Momin mutter beside me, “Great.”

“You don’t know? Don’t tell me you guys sneaked out of the theatre again?” Rafay asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Momin was right—he was far too smart for his age.

“You know, we’re getting late. Let’s go,” I tried to divert his attention.

“No, no! First tell us—where did you two go? What did you do? How many ice creams and chocolates did you buy for Dua Api, Momin Bhai?” Rafay bombarded us with questions. I looked at Momin, pouting, while he glared at me.

“If you don’t want to waste our time here and miss the dinner I’m planning at your favorite restaurant, then you can continue chit-chatting with her,” Momin said firmly. Rafay’s eyes widened.

“No, no, no, Momin Bhai! We can go now. I’m already dying of hunger.”

Both Rafay and I let out a breath of relief. He was truly a pain in the neck sometimes.

---

“Dua, wake up!”

“Please, let me sleep, Maham.”

“It’s 8:30, Dua.”

“And soon it’ll be 9:00. What’s the big deal?”

I heard the knock on the door, followed by someone’s footsteps.

“Good morning, girls.”

Momin.

My lips curled into a content smile, though I remained nestled in my cozy bed.

“Maham, today is your result day, right?” Momin asked.

“Yes,” Maham replied in a low tone.

“So, aren’t you getting late?”

“Yes, I am. But Dua…” Maham trailed off.

“Let her sleep. Let’s go—I’ll drop you, and we can have breakfast on the way.”

No way!

“I’m up! I’m up!” I jumped out of bed, glancing at Momin and Maham. Momin bit his lip, and I knew him well enough to recognize he was trying hard to suppress his laugh, while Maham rolled her eyes. I glared at both of them, then walked to Momin and smacked his chest.

“I’ll deal with you later,” I warned, before rushing into my walk-in closet—not without hearing his laugh behind me.

★★★★