Another long one... make sure to do anything important before reading :) Also let me know your thoughts on these longer chapters <3

❀❀❀

38

"Haye! Be careful, do not stain my bathroom, Saima!" Mama scolded from my room as I washed off the Mehndi. As annoying as it was, I had my arms and feet wrapped in saran wrap all night. To ensure that the color payoff is good. It was Fajr time, and I had to remove the Mehndi so I could pray. Everyone was awake as we started to get ready for the day. To say I was nervous was an understatement. The Nikah will be after Jummah prayer, so I have 10 hours until I'm married. After washing off all the Mehndi, I walked into my room to find Mama on my bed.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, drying my hands,

"Downstairs, you should go back to bed after Fajr" I nodded; she got off the bed and dangled the charm bracelet,

"What's this?" Mama teased, gently placing it back in the box.

I blushed, "It's from Zayn," I tried to say as casually as possible,

"He's a good boy; I can't see myself letting you get married to anyone but him," She said, kissing my forehead, "Pray and then sleep" I nodded and began to pray.

❀❀

"Psh Saima, wake up."

"Arwa, get some water to splash on her face."

"She's going to be late for her wedding."

Slowly fluttering open my eyes, I looked around to see many people staring at me,

"Finally!" Zara exclaimed,

"Wake up. You need to eat, and then we need to get you ready," Bhabi said, getting up,

"5 more minutes," I groaned, shoving my face into my pillow,

"Haye! Not five more minutes Saima, get up; we already let you sleep in. You missed breakfast. It's nearly lunch!" Mama exclaimed, walking away while mumbling something about how it's a miracle I'm getting married.

I slowly got up, using the bathroom, and then headed down for breakfast,

To my surprise, I see Nayla Nani on the breakfast stool eating Paan,

I looked like a zombie some impression I'm making she already hates me,

Smoothing down my clothes and running my fingers through my knotted hair, "Assalumualikum Nani," I said, going over and taking a seat beside her. On the table, lots of Parathas, Baji's, and all other breakfast foods were lined up, but truthfully I wasn't hungry, and I felt like I would puke any second. So I opted for a Banana.

"Waalikumsalam beta, I hope you guys had a fun night after the Gaye Holud," She said with a suspicious tone in her voice,

"Ji, we did; we missed you though, are you feeling better now?" After dinner, Nani complained about a headache, so we called Baba, and he had picked her up and took her back to Aunty Asma's house where she was staying.

"Alhamdulillah, yes, Zayn Beta had made me some soup; he cooks just like his mother," She said with a sad tone in her voice.

I nodded, "Your Mother in Law was an amazing woman," Nani said on the verge of tears as she talked about her daughter,

"Do you know how she died?" She asked, a demanding tone in her voice; I froze technically I wasn't supposed to know,

"Uhm Bhabi said something about -"

"Her husband killing her," She finished; I hesitantly nodded,

"So, you see my reason for being so worried about my Zayn marrying you?" I guess that made sense, so I slowly nodded, "But Nani-"

She cut me off,
 "He had called me one night, I believe a couple of days after your accident; it was just another call; he made sure to check up on me every other day, so nothing was out of the ordinary. Of course, from your Asma Aunty, I heard that Layla Bhabi's daughter had nearly died due to her boss and was now stuck in the hospital with Amnesia. I had asked how you were doing, and immediately, the tone in his voice changed. The second he said your name, he sounded happy. A type of happy that I hadn't heard since his mother and Kulsum died. He rambled for god knows how long about how strong you were and how kind you were towards Fatima and Rukaiya. I was curious as to why he was taking so much about this girl? Then he confided in me, saying he wanted to consider you for marriage; I was extremely hesitant. He then voiced his concerns about whether he would be like this dad or worth your time? I told him to do Istikhara and make dua. Days later, he called me back saying he told your Brother, who told him to wait since you were recovering. Weeks later, he had called me saying you accepted the proposal that day; he was off the moon so excited. I know not everyone is like his bastard father, but I urge you, Saima, don't hurt him; he's been through way too much."

I took a moment to process, letting all this new information sit. I tried not to "Aw" at all the kind things he said about me as it was inappropriate when his grandmother was pleading to me not to hurt her grandchild.

I placed my hand on her hand and looked straight into her eyes, "Nani, I promise you with all that I am Inshallah I will never hurt him intentionally or to the extent of his father. Please believe me when I say this, I would never try to hurt him."

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she hugged me. She nodded, "Now go get ready; a bride can't be late" She kissed my forehead and got up, walking away.

❀❀

As I dabbled on some eyeshadow, the pit of nervousness in my stomach continued to grow. Everyone had said it was expected, but I still hated it. Questions were running through my head. What was I supposed to say to him after? Do I hug him or shake his hand? What about after the Nikah? As the seconds went by, it seemed like my anxiety was getting worse by the second.

"Stop stressing, Saima, everything will be fine," Bhabi said as she took out my dress from the closet. I had always wanted to wear white for my wedding - like a princess. So I had settled on this beautiful white princess gown, just like the ones you'd see on "Say Yes to the Dress." The dress was a beautiful off white with a 3D floral print. The little jewels glimmered in the light. It wasn't too poofy either, which made it perfect for walking in."What if I say something stupid? Or what do I even do?" I rambled, I don't think my makeup will even last, I was sweating profusely.

Bhabi laughed at my discomfort, "You will be fine, trust me once everything is done, it'll feel normal. If it helps, he's just as nervous as you; your Brother was texting me saying he went completely crazy and started cleaning everything."

I scrunched up my face, "Cleaning, why cleaning?"

"When you're nervous, what do you do?"

"I cook," I answered.

She nodded, "So he cleans; you guys really are the perfect match, Mashallah," She teased, Knowing that he was nervous was slightly reassuring, "What time is it?" I asked; I had put my phone away as looking at my phone made me even more nervous with all the "Congratulations," In the group chat, Fatima, Zara and Rukaiya were holding a countdown, that scared the crap out of me.

She looked at my phone, "12:13" she was quiet for a second, "Aw!! Saima, what Bracelet did Zayn give you," She asked; I pointed towards the little Pandora box on my vanity. I made sure to have it in front of me in case I forget to put it on.

She opened the box and examined the Bracelet, "Aw, that's adorable," She squealed, "What is?" Muskan asked while curling her hair,

"Zayn had gotten her a charm bracelet," Bhabi squealed; they all started to tease me about how "Head over heels" he is or how he's the "Rahul to my Anjali" at some point, I tuned them out and continued trying to make my eyeliner even.

❀❀

As I walked down the stairs, one hand holding my dress the other onto a teary-eyed Mama, I looked down at the people waiting for me at the end of the stairs. Baba had tears in his eyes, Zara already had mascara running down her face, Bhabi stared at me in joy as she murmured something into Maryam's ear, and Bhai stood there trying not to cry. My family, my amazing, wonderful family.

All my cousins and friends were already at the Masjid, I was the last one to arrive. I was already feeling emotional, and I knew that I'd be a sobbing mess by the end of today, but for now, I tried to hold it in. As I looped my arm around Baba's and headed to the car, I couldn't help but feel like puking. I mumbled my Dua'as throughout the silent car ride. Once we got to the Masjid, my heart felt like it was going to explode. So many emotions are running through me—excitement, sadness, nervousness. My heart was pounding.

Once we had walked, Baba and Bhai went their separate ways to the men's side. I gripped onto Mama and Zara's hands as we entered the women's side. A very thin divider segregated both rooms. There was a stage with two chairs at the front of the room, a tiny table, and a mic. In the room, only my close female friends and family, in total on the female's side, maybe twenty people. Nervously, I was led to the stage where I took a seat beside Mama. Through the divider, I could see a faint shadow of Zayn; looking away, the Imam had begun his sermon, so I tried to pay attention. But the Marriage contract in front of me, waiting for my signature, was staring right at me.

The imam went over the details of my Mehr, and then it was time. My hands were sweating like crazy as Mama kept wiping her tears. Everything went by a blur until it was my time to speak; I was in a daze, "Say it, Saima," Mama whispered,

"Qubool Hai," I whispered, on the verge of tears

"Again, Saima come on two more times," Mama whispered,

"Qubool Hai, ... Qubool Hai," I finished,

Mama then handed me the pen. A paper and pen have never seemed so daunting. "Sign it." So I did.Mabrooks and congratulations were heard across the room, the Imam finished off with a recitation, and it was now time for me to see my husband.Husband.

I was led to a room where I took a seat; it was nicely decorated, although you could tell it's an office. I sat on the chair all alone until the door finally opened.

"Assalamualikum," He mumbled, taking a seat across from me,

"Waalikumsalam," I whispered, my head still down, fiddling with the bracelet.
"I see you're wearing the bracelet; I hope you like it," He said

Oh god, this was so weird, Man up Saima Man up,

I lifted my head and looked him in the eyes; he seemed shocked by the sudden boldness,

"I love it, thank you," I said, stuttering it out; oh well, there goes the boldness, 

He smirked, "You look very beautiful" I started to blush; I was not expecting that,

"Thanks, Uhm you too," I said, mentally slapping myself after realizing what I said,He laughed,

"Thanks," He extended his hand, "You ready to eat?"

I took his hand, weaving our fingers together; although the smell of food was nauseating, I nodded, and we walked out—hand in hand.

❀❀ 

The divider was now gone, well not entirely. We were seated on the stage, and the partition was moved back as the women ate on one side while the men on the other. There was a big plate full of Biryani, Kebabs, Chicken, and so much more. I felt like I would puke. If this weren't my wedding, then I'm sure I would be devouring all this food. My hand was still wrapped in his as it rests under the table. Neither of us had let go. We were waiting for the Imam to finish another speech before we began eating.

"You know I didn't peg you for the shy bride," He said, whispering into my ear,

"Shut up and pay attention," I murmured as he chuckled,

"How can I pay attention with you beside me looking all pretty?" He teased; I ignored his comment and tried to pay attention. Keyword tried.

Eventually, everyone began to eat, and Mama had come to sit beside me while Nayla Nani took a seat beside Zayn. Mama began to feed me, but I refused; I felt so nauseous.

"Saima eat" Mama demanded, waving a piece of chicken in front of my face,

"Mama, I don't feel well," I murmured; she looked at me concerned for a moment,

"You'll feel worse if you don't eat," She insisted; I shook my head; she then turned to Zayn,

"Habibi, please make sure your wife eats," She said, sounding exhausted; he nodded, "Of course, Aunty," Mama interrupted him, "Beta, I'm no longer your Aunty, call me Ammi" She laughed,

"Of course Au- Ammi, I'll make sure she eats, go enjoy the party," He said, Mama looked at the both of us and nodded, kissing me on the forehead and whispering something to Zayn, he nodded, and she walked away.

He then grabbed a spoon and picked up some Kebab, hovering it over my face. I shook my head; he looked at me and pouted, "Please, for me?" I bit my lip; how could I say no to that? Giving up, I took that bite of kebab. His smile was huge, "One more?"

I shook my head, "Nope!" he then began to pout, and I gave in. That went on until my plate was halfway gone.

"You need to eat too!" I insisted, shoving the spoon in his mouth, getting it all over him. I laughed at the sight of rice all over his face,

"Jeez, is she already being bossy?" Bhai asked, taking a seat beside Zayn shoving a samosa in his mouth; as Bhabi took a seat beside me, a huge smirk on her face,

"I'm not bossy," I insisted, grabbing another spoonful of rice and feeding my husband a little too aggressively. "Sorry," I said with a sheepish smile as he started to choke on the rice.

Bhai and Bhai stared at us frightened, "Uhm Mabrook guys," Bhai said, slowly walking away; Bhabi threw me a wink and walked away.

Since this was just the Nikah, after everyone was done eating and greeting us, it was time for us to leave. All the nervousness from before had subsided, but now it's like it was all back and 10x worse. As I walked out of the Masjid, with Baba and the rest of my family behind us, I got hear Mama's cries as Bhabi tried to comfort her. As we walked closer to the decorated car, I could hear Bhai lecturing Zayn,

"If you ever hurt her, I will kill you; If you ever look at her in the wrong way, I will kill you, If you-"

"That's enough, Omar," Baba said, trying not to laugh, as he held onto my arm, Mama then went up to him, "Take care of her please, she may seem tough, but she's fragile. Be careful," Mama said through her tears. God, if I wasn't crying before, I sure was now.

He nodded, "I promise Ammi, I will take care of her-" After that, I semi zoned out; I was focussing too hard on trying not to cry, so I tuned out everything.

Bhabi helped me get into the Limo; Fatima Rukaiya, Asma Aunty, and Nayla Nani all were seated. I took a seat beside Nani, and Zayn sat across from me.

"That's the worst of it, Habibti, no more crying," Nani said as she wiped my tears, "Back in my day, we'd leave the country and see our families once every year, you'll see them soon, and you can call them" I nodded, it's not like I was dying. Wiping the tears, I looked up to see Zayn staring at me attentively; smiling at him, I looked towards the twins, who looked like they were about to die in this serious atmosphere. I could tell they were both waiting to crack a joke.

"So... I think the Biryani needed more spice."

❀❀

Once we had gotten home, I went inside, ready to get out of my dress. I was old. All my necessities were dropped off earlier; the rest of my things were at the apartment - which we would be moving into on Monday. As I headed upstairs with Aunty Asma by my side helping me up, I could hear the commotion from downstairs as Zayn was bombarded with questions by the rest of his family. Thankfully, no one out of the ordinary was here, so I wouldn't have to deal with greeting people and all of that. But I would be dealing with that after the reception since everyone was flying out for that.

As I walked into his room, shutting the door behind me. The room was very spacious; a king-size bed sat in the middle of the room, a sleek black dresser with moving boxes neatly place beside it, a closet, and a bathroom connected. As I walked past the dresser, I see a tiny photo frame. It looked to be fairly recent; Zayn stood in the middle, his arm wrapped around his, who I'm assuming mother and sister. His mother was absolutely beautiful, she had the same hazel eyes as Zayn, sharp cheekbones, and long black hair poked out of her hijab. His sister was adorable; she looked to be maybe 8 or 9 in this picture. Her hair was tied up in 2 pigtails, her rosy cheeks glimmered, and her smile was just as adorable as Zayns. Setting down the picture, I headed to the bathroom, eager to get out of this dress.

When I looked into the mirror, staring into my reflection, I let out a little shriek. I looked like a mess, a horrifying mess. Makeup smudged, mascara all over, and hijab lopsided. By looking at me, you'd think I survived a zombie apocalypse - not recently married. Taking off all the makeup and changing it to a comfortable Kameez, I fixed my hair. My curls were so frizzy, combing out the knots and letting it out. My hair had been in a bun for way too long. I realized I'd have to wear a hijab inside since Uncle was home, so I went to grab a hijab.

I didn't expect to see Zayn standing in front of the dresser organizing his hair products, a concentrated look on his face as he lined up all the bottles by height. I cleared my throat, causing him to jump. He turned around and looked at me, I was confused about why he was staring so intently at me, and then I realized-

I quickly covered my hair with my hands; he gave me an even weirder look, "You do realize we're married; I can see your hair now," He stated bluntly,

I rolled my eyes, "Still, it's weird," I said, giving up and letting my curls fall. No male besides my Dad, Brother, and maybe some little cousins have seen my hair in over a decade. I turned around and took a seat on the ground, scavenging through my suitcase, trying to find a scarf that matched my baby pink Kameez. When I finally found the right one, I got up and tried to find my velvet scrunchie, I recall placing it on the dresser, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Zayn have you-" I turned around to see the fool playing with the scrunchie, his eyebrows furrowed as he stretched it out,

He looked up at me, "May I?" He asked, holding up the scrunchie; I nodded, still confused at what he was about to do. He got up and stood behind me, completely towering over my short 5'4 frame. He was standing mere inches away from me, my heart thumping in my chest.

"Ponytail or Bun?" He asked quietly, 

"Ponytail," I mumbled, fiddling with my fingers trying to stay calm.

He gently grabbed my hair and made a ponytail. Not a low ponytail or a high one but just the right height, he gently looped the scrunchie around my hair, again not making it too light or too loose. Once he was done, I stepped away and turned around, so I was facing him,

"Thank you," I mumbled, looking into his eyes, praying that I still wasn't red, and I stepped away, entering the bathroom to tie up my scarf. "When you're done, Fupi said to go down for dinner," He said, standing by the door as I wrapped the scarf.

He paused, "Wait, let's pray the two rakah'a sunnah prayer," He said, grabbing two prayer mats. So we prayed; a comfortable silence enveloped us. Once we were done, I got up, putting the mat on top of the dresser.

I turned around, "Let's go?" As I walked past him, I said he took my hand without saying anything and walked with me.

❀❀

"So Bhabi," Rukaiya said, a smirk on her face as she stretched out the word "Bhabi."

"Yes, love," I replied, tugging a piece of roti. We were all seated at the dinner table, I wasn't hungry, but Nani and Aunty insisted I ate even a little bit.

"Nothing," She replied, continuing eating; when no one was looking, she gave me a wink.

"Stop bothering Saima; she's had a long day," Aunty Asma said, scolding the girls. Shortly after dinner, we had dessert and chatted for a bit before Zayn, and I headed up. I was so ready to sleep. With a yawn, I entered the room, throwing off my scarf.

"You can use the bathroom; I'll go to the hall," He said, gathering his clothes; with a nod, I went to the bathroom, trying not to fall asleep while I brushed my teeth. After I finished, he still wasn't back, so I jumped onto the bed, snuggling into the pillow and letting sleep take over.

❀❀❀