Roots Of Togetherness

The sharp sting of cold water splashing on my face jolted me awake. Or maybe it was Hala's impatient tapping on my arm that did it.

"Hadi, get up! You're making me late again!" Her voice was half scolding, half exasperated, but still carried that soft warmth I knew so well. I groaned, rubbing my eyes, the remnants of sleep stubbornly clinging to me.

She stood there, hair dripping wet from the shower, droplets sliding down her cheeks and pooling on the pillow as she leaned over me. The damp strands framed her face in a way that made her look both annoyed and adorable - a messy, chaotic beauty in the early morning light filtering through the window.

"Do you realize it's already 7:50?!" she said, urgency rising in her tone. I blinked, realizing how late we'd run. I had been sleeping like a rock while she had to rush through her morning routine.

I sat up, voice still thick with sleep, "I thought you said your lecture starts at 9?"

"That's what I thought too," she said, pulling a face that mixed frustration and amusement. "But no, there's a quiz today. So now it's a mad dash."

I scrambled out of bed, the floor cold under my feet, and tried to catch up with her as she moved toward the door. "Wait, wait, I'll get ready faster-"

"No time," she said, already dressed in her university clothes. "Come on!"

We moved quickly, the familiar rhythm of our mornings-the clatter of dishes being put away, the distant hum of the television downstairs, and the faint smell of chai brewing-echoed through the walls. I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder, while Hala brushed her damp hair back hurriedly.

Then we were downstairs.

And suddenly, she stopped. Just stood there.

I blinked, confused. She walked past the living room, heading straight into the kitchen, leaving me standing dumbfounded in the hallway.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked, trying to keep up.

She looked over her shoulder, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "I was just kidding," she said, laughing softly. "It's only 7, not 7:50."

I stared at her, caught between relief and mock annoyance. "So all that chaos was for nothing?"

She giggled, running from there before I could do anything.

I sulked, ruffling my hair. Man, I was having such a good sleep. The dream was so good too-like I was literally driving my BMW, windows down, music blasting.

I huffed, following Hala into the kitchen.

Alright, since this feels like one of those drama scenes where the main guy suddenly turns to the camera and spills everything, let me introduce myself properly.

Hello. I'm Hadi. Twenty-five years old, married to the wonderfully chaotic Hala for two years now. I live with my parents-Ghazia Malik and Jamal Malik-in a traditional joint family setup here in Pakistan. Yeah, you heard that right. It's not always easy, but it's home.

I've got two younger siblings-Sameer, who's currently drowning in assignments and chai at university, and Amina, who's just a year younger than him and somehow manages to be both sweet and savage in the same breath. She thinks I'm too serious. I think she watches too many reels.

Technically, I'm a software engineer. That means I spend most of my day staring at code, debugging things that were working perfectly fine yesterday, and drinking way too much tea. I work remotely most days, which sounds relaxing until you live in a house with people who think "he's home" means "he's available for every errand ever."