Part 75 – Lemon Peels & Burnt Meringues

Well helloooo stranger! 🙋🏻 Remember me? Then again, how could you forget me😏

Yes, I am extremely late and even more sorry! 😔 my sincerest apologies for going awol😭😭😭 life just gets in the way sometimes 🙈

The plan is to be back on track with regular posts from now 😉 inshallah I can keep to my word 💖 (say Ameen).

Now please enjoy the long, much awaited post. 🙆🏻 lots more to happen over the next few posts so stay tuned 😉 don’t disappear just yet. It’s going to be a fun and exciting ride to the end! 💃🏻

Don’t forget to show me some love 😘💖

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The sun peeked in through the shimmery curtains, bright ray’s striking on the floors and hitting my feet that remained uncovered by the covers on the bed.

I stretched out my hand and reached for Ayaaz beside me, only to be met with an empty left side of the bed. Squinting at the light surrounding me, I stretched for my phone and yanked it off the charger before gazing at the screen.

 
8am and his already out of bed? What type of holiday does he think this is??? 

 
I headed into the bathroom and after a refreshing shower, I made my way downstairs in search of my hubby dearest.

 
‘Ayaaz?’ I called out to him, hearing nothing except my own echo. ‘Babes?’

 
Sighing in defeat, I settled into the couch and switched on last nights episode of Suits. Season 6 was back with a bang, and most importantly, Mike Ross got a better haircut… Even though it’s because his in jail.

 
Drooling over Mike’s dreamy eyes and Harvey Spector’s classiness, I didn’t hear Ayaaz come in until I felt his hands cover my eyes from behind.

 
‘I know it’s you, love.’ I said to him, tilting my head back to look at him upside down as a smile stretched on my face.

 
‘How did you know it was me?’ He said with a pout of defeat.

 
‘Well, firstly, because you smell like… You! And I can recognize your scent every single time.’ I said teasingly as I grazed my fingers on his arms, taking in a deep breath of his scent.

 
‘Ooh is it?’ He teased back.

 
‘Aha… And secondly, because you’re the only other person in the house.’ I said with a laugh as it was the most obvious reason for me guessing it’s him. ‘Where did you go?’

 
‘I was in the garden actually.’ Ayaaz said as he sat beside me. ‘I went to bring you this.’ He stretched out his hand with bright pink and red roses and handed them to me.

 
‘Awwww, I love them!’ I gushed, grabbing them from him and instantly smelling them. ‘I didn’t even know the roses were blooming in our garden.’

 
‘Yeah, I saw them and had to bring them just for you, love. I know how much you love flowers.’ Ayaaz said with a smile, kissing my forehead softly.

 
‘Thank you!’ I said, kissing his cheek. ‘Let’s go eat something, I’m starving.’

 
We settled into the kitchen, working around each other as I made some scrambled eggs, sausages and baked beans while Ayaaz popped some toast in the toaster and made coffee too.

 
Skillfully placing spoonfuls of baked beans on my toast, I dug in and devoured every bite. Baked beans and toast was enough for me, I didn’t need sausages or eggs.

 
‘What’s the plans for today?’ I asked Ayaaz. ‘It’s so weird that we’re at home together after so long.’ I chuckled before he could answer.

 
‘The plan is to take you wherever you want to go, my love.’ Ayaaz said with a smile. ‘We can go shopping, or for a long drive, or whatever else you want to do.’

 
Excitement grew within me and I leaped forward on Ayaaz and hugged him.

 
‘Shopping, shopping, shopping!’ I said excitedly. Ayaaz laughed and agreed to go shopping before we headed upstairs to get dressed.

 

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‘How’s this one?’ I said, twirling the dress in front of Ayaaz.

 
‘That looks nice, but I don’t think a scarf would be appropriate with that.’ Ayaaz said and I nodded in agreement.

 
The dress was blue with thin strappy sleeves, and while an inner would work fine, the dress was actually much more fitting when I put it on, emphasizing each hump and bump, making it inappropriate. I was searching for something modest instead.

 
I left the shop empty handed and looked for another store to find an outfit for Moe’s proposal.

 
‘What about an abaya?’ I asked Ayaaz, giving it some thought. ‘A dress with a scarf and an abaya in kind of similar. I might as well wear an abaya.’ I said to him as my thoughts took over.

 
Hearing nothing from Ayaaz, I turned to look if he’s still listening to me. I was met with a smiling Ayaaz as he gazed at me.

 
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked him, stopping in the middle of the store.

 
‘That would be amazing and I would be very proud of you.’ Ayaaz said in a soft voice, just above a whisper. I instantly smiled and his eyes sparkled with pride. The small steps we have been taking everyday leads to bigger ones, and the look in both our eyes as we shopped for abayas instead showed that we both just realized how far we’ve come.

 
After a delicious early supper at Spur, Ayaaz and I went home and cuddled for a movie after praying esha. We settled on watching an old but hilarious movie, Cheaper By The Dozen, just for laughs. After a full day of my hubby by my side, I fell asleep on his chest before the movie ended with a wide smile on my face.

 
I woke up before dawn the next morning, a magical feeling flowing through me as I realized I was tucked in my bed. The smile on me was still there as I saw Ayaaz fast asleep next to me.

 
Sigh… I could get used to having him around all the time…

 

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‘What do you think I should make for the braai tonight?’ I asked Ayaaz as we headed downstairs. ‘I already picked out this gourmet potato salad and some nachos, I just can’t decided on which dessert to make.’

 
We were having a braai at Ayaaz’s house tonight and we were all invited. I was excited to see Sumz and Ayesha after so many days, and I missed the warm hugs of my parents and the teasing of Sumz parents. I missed my in laws too as we haven’t visited in a few days. Tonight was going to be fun and we even decided to stay over and have a swim in the pool tomorrow too.

 
‘Hmmm… Anything you make will taste delicious, babes.’ Ayaaz said as he stopped at the kitchen island, kissed my cheek and opened up the fridge.

 
Despite the slight blush on my cheeks, I still frowned and placed my hands on my hips as I waited for him to turn around.

 
His lips on a can of Coke, taking his first sip while his other hand closed the fridge door, Ayaaz finally looked in my direction and stopped in his tracks.

 
‘Aaahhh!’ He said with satisfaction after the ice cold Coke. With a smirk on his face he looked at me and raised his eyebrows, asking me what, as he took another sip.

 
‘I asked you to help me pick a dessert!’ I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

 
‘But I said – ‘

 
‘I know what you said!’ I flicked my hand. ‘You like anything I make, I know, but I can’t make anything and everything so help me pick.’ I pouted.

 
Ayaaz placed his Coke on the counter and walked towards me. He turned me around and placed my back to his chest, resting his chin on my shoulder while I continued to pout.

 
‘Okay, my love. What are the options?’ He said sweetly.

 
I immediately smiled then showed him that I was deciding between my famous cheesecake with a crushed pineapples variation, sweet but tangy lemon meringue shots, or chocolate ferrero mousse.

 
‘Hmmm… Tough call.’ He said with thought. ‘But I would say the lemon meringue. Something different would be nice.’

 
‘I thought that too… But I’m scared it will flop. It seems hard because I’ve never made it before.’

 
‘Argh, it’s just dessert. It can’t be that hard.’ Ayaaz said with a smirk.

 
‘Oh really? Just dessert?’

 
‘Yeah, desserts are so easy. Just mix it up, put it in a piping bag, make it look fancy and everyone thinks you’ve done so much work.’ He smirked.

 
‘Oh Mr Smarty Pants, if you’re so smart then why don’t you make the dessert?’ I challenged him.

 
‘Challenge accepted.’ He said with a smirk.

 
‘I’ll do the salads while you make the desserts, just in case you burn my kitchen down.’ I said with a smirk of my own as we both got to work.

 
25 minutes later…

 
‘Okay, I’m done with the base.’ Ayaaz said with a smug look, chuffed at his accomplishment.

 
‘Geez, well done Smarty Pants, it took you 25 minutes to make the easiest part.’ I said before I burst out laughing at him.

 
He rolled his eyes and ignored my comment as he began to place the ingredients in a saucepan for the lemon filling.

 
‘Sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, corn flour aaaand lemon zest… What’s lemon zest?’ Ayaaz asked in confusion, stopping to look at me.

 
‘Don’t you know what’s zest?’ I asked, hiding my laugh behind my fingers.

 
‘No.’ Ayaaz pouted.

 
‘It’s the peel of the lemon.’ I said with an eye roll and he instantly smiled, jumping for the lemons before I finished my sentence. ‘You need to grate it with – ‘

 
‘Shush, I know what to do.’ Ayaaz cut me off. I rolled my eyes and left him, plating up my gourmet potato salad before sprinkling some fresh coriander on top.

 
‘STOP!’ I screamed, just as I turned around, making him freeze mid action. ‘What on earth are you doing?????’ I hurried to his side, moving the bubbling lemony filling to the side while pushing Ayaaz’s lemon peeled hands away.

 
‘What? You said lemon zest is lemon peels and they ask for the zest of two lemons! That’s what I’m putting in!’ Ayaaz said in surprise, putting his hands filled with huge strips and chunks of lemon peel.

 
‘You have to grate it!’ I shouted, face palming myself. ‘You can’t just put lemon peel chunks in there, who’s going to eat a lemon peel?’ I said as I crossed my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow at him.

 
‘Errr, no one?’ Ayaaz said and I couldn’t help but laugh at his confused expression.

 
‘So, desserts are still so easy huh?’ I questioned.

 
‘Yes, I was just unfamiliar with the terminology that’s all.’ He said with a smirk as he added the grated lemon zest into the mixture and left it to cool once it was done.

 
‘If you say so… Let’s see your end result.’ I said with a smirk just as he began piping the lemon mixture on top of the biscuit bases.

 
‘See, it’s looking good already.’ He smirked back as he finished the last glass. ‘Time for the meringue.’

 
I watched as he separated the egg whites from the yellow and began beating it.

 
‘Just a tip, the meringue is ready if you turn it above your head and it doesn’t fall out.’ I said as I said at the island and watched him work.

 
‘Are you serious, or are you messing with me?’ He asked with a raised eyebrow.

 
‘I’m dead serious, babes. I wouldn’t want you to ruin the dessert and all your hard work.’ I said honestly.

 
‘After a bit of beating, Ayaaz picked up the bowl to turn it upside down.’

 
‘Ayaaz, it needs a lot more. Don’t turn it upside down.’ I warned him.

 
‘No, it looks stiff.’ He argued as he raised the bowl above his tall frame.

 
‘Ayaaz, you’re going to spill it. Don’t turn it over!’ I told him.

 
‘No, you just want to make my dessert look bad.’ He said before he tipped the bowl over and the slightly fluffy egg whites came sliding down his face and neck.

 
Covered in egg whites, I couldn’t help but notice the frown lines on his forehead and I burst out laughing yet again. Giving in to his defeat, Ayaaz laughed too, pulling me against him and rubbing his fluffy nose over mine.

 
‘Heyyyy, don’t make me dirty.’ I whined, trying to push him away, but with no success.

 
We cleaned up and finally got down to piping the meringue on top. After Ayaaz burnt the first few meringues black, and when he set the frill of my apron alight, I grabbed the blow torch from him and completed the dessert with ease, glaring at him because of the burn on my apron.

 
‘Do you still thinks desserts are easy?’ I questioned him as we packed it onto a tray.

 
‘No… But don’t mention my dessert skills to anyone.’ He said with a frown. ‘I’ll deny it.’

 

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‘Reeeeeeeezzzz!’ Sumz screeched before I fully stepped into the house. Ayaaz and I just arrived at his house and everyone was already here.

 
‘Suuuuuuummmzzzzz!’ I screamed back, jumping into her arms and hugging her with all my life.

 
‘Heyy, why don’t I get hugs like that?’ Ayaaz frowned at me as he came and stood beside us.

 
‘Oh please, we all know you get more than hugs.’ Sumz said with a flick of her hand.

 
My cheeks flamed and Ayaaz nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

 
‘Errr, I’m gonna go out these down and find the guys.’ Ayaaz said, scurrying off.

 
Sumz and I burst out laughing and the heat on my face reduced. I ran forward to hug my parents and Sumz parents, Ayesha, Aaliyah, Moe, Zak and Ahmed before we all finally settled into the upstairs lounge while the guys chilled on the pool deck.

 
Sumz, Ayesha, Aaliyah and I spoke and joked and had a great time before Ayesha went downstairs to help and Aaliyah went to see what Ebrahim was up to.

 
‘So, uhm, Reez…’ Sumz spoke nervously. ‘I wanted to ask… While we’re alone…’

 
‘You want to ask about Moosa, don’t you?’ I said with a smirk as I stuck my tongue out at her when she blushed.

 
‘Yeah, fine…’ She groaned in acceptance. ‘Did Ayaaz speak to him as yet?’

 
‘Nope, he didn’t. But he will, I promise. His waiting for Moosa to come to Johannesburg. Last I heard, he said his coming next week. Maybe he will speak to him then, inshallah.’ I said with a smile, squeezing her hand with assurance.

 
‘Okay, Ameen. Thank you!’ She squealed.

 
‘My pleasure! Besides, I would do anything to make sure you marry someone as righteous as him. His a great guy and you guys would make great babies.’ I teased and she blushed again. ‘Moosa and you will get married if Allah wills, and I’ll be your maid of honour.’

 
‘Who’s Moosa?’

 
Our jokes got interrupted when a stern voice echoed through the room. Staring wide-eyed as we were confronted, Sumz and I remained silent.

 
‘I asked, who’s Moosa?’

 

 

Author- S

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Aaand there you have it! 💃🏻 Another long post that I truly hope you enjoyed! Just a bit of banter to get the ball rolling 😉 Once again, I’m truly sorry for disappearing and I hope to make it up to you all soon 💖

Don’t forget to leave me some love 💖 Who do you think walked in? 🙈 Will Sumz story have to end before it even begins? Let me know your thoughts 😉

Pictures for today’s post are below!

Until next time…

Much love 😘

Xoxo

Roses for Reez

Reez dressing modestly

Reez decisions 💖

Ayaaz’s meringue mess