38| Nawal

"Oh my God!" I yelled in pure horror as I held up my clothes for the walima. Mom had personally chosen my clothes for today and only told me that it was a saree so I would stand out amongst the crowd. I had never worn a saree before and I hadn't even seen my own saree until now. She had taken my measurements and given it to the tailor so he could sew the saree and blouse accordingly but he definitely messed up.

As a Muslim, I wasn't going to wear a cropped blouse of course and aunty understood that so she had taken my full measurements but this blouse still seemed too short. Other than the length, the neckline from the front and back looked too low but I hadn't tried it on yet so I wouldn't know. Rest aside, the saree was absolutely beautiful. It was a very pale shade of pink, since pink was the theme decided by Rumaisa bhabhi for the walima, and had heavy embroidery, sequins and beads all over it. The blouse was even more filled, with no space empty of embellishments which made the saree look even prettier. I could only wish that it would fit me right.

"Jaan, what's wrong?" He must've heard my cry of help from the washroom where he was getting ready for the function. Unlike the rest of the functions, the walima wasn't set at night but in the early evening at four. His suit was grey with a white dress shirt since men wouldn't want to wear pink, as their set mentality, so they could wear grey which was the second themed color.

"This blouse..." Instead of saying anything, I just held it up high in front of him and he shrugged because, of course, he wouldn't know anything. I rolled my eyes.

"Just dress up and check the fit." He stood up in front of the mirror, fixing his collars and cuffs. He was ready except his suit jacket and I only had to put my clothes on as I had already done my hair and makeup. None of the clothing pieces had to be pulled overhead so it wouldn't be an issue.

I went into the bathroom, didn't bother locking the door, and getting out my clothes before sliding into the underskirt of the saree and putting my arms through the blouse of the saree and fastening the line of hooks in the back to tie it. For extra measure and detail, the blouse had two strings in the back that pulled the two opposite corners of the neckline together, forming a tear drop ship. I tied the strings in a butterfly knot and let it be. The blouse was a little short on my stomach but it could be easily covered my tying the saree a little higher on the waist.

"Ahad, I don't know how to wear a saree..." I bit my lip in thought and he just walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"You think I can help with that, jaan?" He gave me a look that said he thought I was dumb and I slapped him in the chest.

"You idiot, I'm not asking for help from you. Please go bring mom, I can't go outside looking like this." Part of my waist was still exposed and I did not want to risk any of the men of the house seeing me like this. He nodded in understanding and went out, closing the door behind him.

I gathered the pins required and set them aside as I pulled at the front neckline to keep held high and not expose even a small part of my cleavage. That wouldn't be an issue when I put the saree on as part of the material will go over my shoulder, passing over my chest as well.

Mom had also dressed up in her baby pink shalwar kameez suit with her dupatta resting on her neck and part of it sitting over her head. She asked Ahad to leave the room so she could help me out comfortably.

"Beta, you should've put your hair up in a bun. It would look better that way, do you want me to help?" I had decided that initially too but left them open when I looked at the neckline in the back.

"Mom, I would but the neckline from the back is sort of low..." I cautiously told her, not wanting to offend her as she was the one who had got the saree for me. She just chuckled. "It's not low, Nawal, you're just wearing a saree for the first time that's why you think so. It's perfectly fine. Don't feel uncomfortable, okay? Be confident!" She encouraged me with a grin and a fist pump, making me laugh at her cute behavior.

"I'll put them up, thank you for your help." She nodded at me and left the room. I stood up in front of the mirror and twisted my hair before wrapping them around, making an elegant updo at the back. It wasn't too big and I decided to put glittered pins to hold it in place so my hair wouldn't look too plain. I left some hair strands open in the front to curtain my face.

"Are you planning to kill me today?" Ahad said as he stood above me– as I wore my heels on the edge of the bed– with his hands on his hips and eyebrows furrowed together, making me chuckle.

"Maybe," I smirked though I was struggling to hide the blush on my cheeks. "Let's go now." He held out his arm for me to link with and walked us both downstairs.

Mom and dad had already left for the hall in their own car so I locked the house door while Ahad turned on the ignition of the car. Maybe I was just paranoid but I felt like I would trip and fall at any moment in this saree and the heels I was wearing.

Ahad liked driving with one hand or he just experienced enough to casually let his other hand rest but I couldn't stop myself and reached over to his free hand and intertwined our fingers. A small smile graced his lips as he squeezed our hands tighter together without looking at me once while I couldn't look away from him. I often found myself looking at him, in disbelief of him being my husband, the one made for me only.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm afraid I'll have to park the car and then we would never reach the walima." I grinned wide at his words before turning my head over to my window, still holding his hand in mine.

He parked the car in the parking lot of the venue and gestured for me to stay seated before he got out and held out my door open for me and his hand for me to grab onto.

"We're most certainly late, Ahad." I worriedly told him and he shrugged it off like it wasn't his own sister's walima that he was late for. We were swarmed by guests when we entered and I was struggling with who to greet first. Ahad left my hand and escaped as most guests were females. At the end, I just let Zoha Appi and Sarah lead me to the table they were sitting at. Both the ladies were expecting their first child, making me think of my own situation. It would be easier to just tell someone and let them guide me but as close as I was to Zoha Appi, she was still Ahad's sister so I wasn't sure if I was comfortable letting her know first. When she got distracted by mama talking to her, I took Sarah's hand and took her to the washroom as it was the only discreet place that came to my mind.

"Woah, will you at least tell me why you dragged me here? The looks we got embarrassed me so much." She complained and I let go of her hand.

"To the point, okay? I think I'm pregnant." Very straightforward. Within seconds, I saw her face light up before it morphed into confusion as she folded her arms to her chest.

"Okay, and why do you look so... disappointed?" She looked at me incredulously and I didn't blame her. I just told her I could be becoming a mother with the saddest face.

"I think its too early and I'm not sure if I'm ready and what if Ahad doesn't-" I stopped when she held her hand out, signaling for me to shut up.

"Hold your horses, friend. Too early? I'm sure you've got at least three aunties who have asked you about a child. Secondly, 'not ready' isn't a thing. You're not going to get your child tomorrow, there are months left for you to prepare. Lastly, did you just mention Ahad bhai? Girl, that dude loves you, you can stop with the negative thoughts already." She placed both her hands on my shoulders, really trying to convince me.

"Now let's go, everyone will be wondering where we disappeared off to, Mama-to-be." She said with a smug smile, causing me to look away with a blush. "I'm not even sure yet." I playfully rolled my eyes and wrapped my arm around her shoulder and left the washroom.

"Where did you both go?" Mama angrily whispered at us through gritted teeth and I quickly thought of an excuse. There was no way I would tell her what we actually talked about. "Mama, Sarah was feeling a little sick so I went along with her. Sorry." I apologetically said and she shook her head a little and walked away.

"I was looking for you. Come on, they're taking pictures." Ahad came over to me and took me to the stage. I sat down on my brother's side while Ahad sat on his sister's side as the photographer clicked several pictures before Ahad and I switched positions for the rest of the photos. Our families got up on the stage too and we took turns with the pictures as the families of the bride and groom.

***

As tradition, bhai and bhabhi returned to the Iftikhar house with us and as much as I loved my in laws, I couldn't wait to get back to our own place. I had a test to take and it couldn't be done in a crowded house and I wouldn't like anyone to find out before I told them myself.

It was still quite early in the night so everyone decided to sit around and talk after we got out of our fancy clothes. I picked out the first outfit I saw in the bag which was an all-white shalwar kameez suit with a colorful dupatta. Ahad brought out a pack of cards to play but Zoha Appi and I opted out because she was too tired so she went up to her room and I was feeling lazy so I just watched as they played. Eventually, I felt my eyelids getting heavy and started dozing off to sleep, right on the couch. My head must've fallen on Ahad's shoulder beside me as he gently shook me awake.

"You should go sleep in the room. I'll come with you." He put down his cards, upside down so no one would see before taking me to our room. I was thankful for his support because I was certain I would've collapsed if I walked by myself.

"It's barely nine, jaan." Yet, he turned on the air conditioner and pulled up a blanket over me before leaving and shutting the door behind him. I was too tired to answer him so I just snuggled into the blanket and slept.

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(A.N): Please vote and comment <3

Ab to karlo, kahani hi khatam hone wali hai 😭