"believe in the unbelievable power of your spirit - afra."

Sulaaymaan had walked hurriedly into the kitchen , shooting glances from over his shoulder at the crowd of men cheerfully engaged in some silly chats.

"Mama , are you alright ? You've been in the kitchen for so long. Go ahead and enjoy with the ladies."

Queen Basmah carefully positioned the tea pot over a serving tray alongside a few cups.

"Aw c'mon ! It's my only son's wedding today. Of course I'm not tired. "

Sulaaymaan snaked an arm around his mother's waist and side hugged her.

"You still need to take it easy."

Queen Basmah waved a hand and began to assemble some cakes and cookies , hardly looking at him.

"Don't worry. You relax."

"But you still need to spend some time with Afra's family. And later we'll be having your brothers and sisters over."

Her eyes lit up and a slow , but wide smile formed over her lips.

"I'm excited !"

She sang and patted Sulaaymaan's face as she moved across the kitchen to pull out another serving tray.

When she turned around — dusting her hands — her eyes narrowed at him. 

"You're still here ? My boy , get going. The people out there are waiting for the groom."

She shooed him away and Sulaaymaan heftily turned around to leave only to be stopped by her.

"Oops , sorry. It slipped my mind that you have to take this with you."

Sulaaymaan smiled naughtily at her and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I was waiting for you to realise what you had forgotten." 

She shook her head and waved him away. 

"Bye mama. Have a good time."

"You too lover boy."

He rolled his eyes , looked over his shoulders and pulled his tongue out at her.

It was something he didn't want to accept , but his mother never really glowed as much as she did today. In all his childhood and teenage years he had accomplished fairly a lot of recognition for being academically competitive and active in sports and athletics.

He pouted.

But he had never found her glow as much as she did today.

It was a happy bright day , with everyone spreading positivity and warmth. In his entire life , he may have never been in the company of people who spoke so much about themselves — regardless of how tragic , emotional , embarrassing and nostalgic they were — unlike everyone he had always been in the vicinity of.

The house roared with bickering , loud chanting and excessive laughter that made Sulaaymaan sort of have mixed feelings about.

It wasn't that he did not appreciate the company he was serving. Rather it was difficult for him to get along with so many of them since he wasn't quite used to such a lot of people at once.

Not to mention , he was drawn away by how the house felt like it was vibrating under his feet.

Faaris had been a very cheerful , happy-go-lucky sort of man. And he supposingly got along wonderfully well with Mr Alexander and his brother-in-laws , Victor and Franklin. And then there were these young men — Derek and Gabriel — who made him feel unwelcoming. Their gazes that followed every move of his — ranging from grabbing a glass of juice to smiling to shifting in his seat — made him feel stingy and unwanted.

Nonetheless , that didn't lower the respect and love he held in his heart for them.

They still might not be okay with who or how he was. Not everybody would instantly be alright with new people joining their families.

He tightened his grip on the serving tray and proceeded forward.

Just as he made his way into the hall — the cheerful surrounding making him feel optimistic — Alexander's eyes fell over him . He took to his feet and loudly announced his arrival.

"Here's the groom ! Let's give him a standing ovation."

Sulaaymaan opened his mouth to protest yet everyone had already stood up. As they all chapped louder and louder , Sulaaymaan awkwardly attempted to smile to show his appreciation.

"Thank you so — "

Before he could finish , the tray from his hands was snatched by Faaris and he was caught in the middle of Alexander and Franklin , with Victor behind him.

"Young man , it's your birthday today. How come we weren't told about it ?"

Alexander questioned , his arm around Sulaaymaan's shoulders.

"Erm , I don't know how but I somehow forgot to mention it ."

He smiled as Alexander patted his back.

"Ah ! no problem at all. We still did get  you some presents."

Sulaaymaan smiled gratefully.

They went silent for a minute while walking around the hall causally.

"So , happy that you've got the woman of your dreams ?"

Sulaaymaan turned around to face Victor , who smiled crookedly.

"Yes Alhumdulillah , I'm lucky to have been honoured to have her as wife."

Alexander nodded sincerely and patted his back again.  Out of the corner of his eyes , he found Faaris sitting with Derek and Gabriel , indulged in some serious conversation. One could easily figure out the tension in that space when Faaris seemed like he was lecturing the both.

"So , when do you plan to give me grandkids ?"

Sulaaymaan stumbled and thankfully with the help of Franklin's support , he balanced himself.

When he seemed to regain his composure back , he gulped and straightened his attire ignoring all eyes fixed at him.

"Are you alright ?"

Alexander asked with a worried look , his eyes examining him from head to toe.

Franklin crossed his arms and shot Alexander a rather hard gaze.

"How do you expect him to be alright when you just asked him about kids ?"

Sulaaymaan smiled shakily and kept his head low.

"Hey ! That's bound to happen."

"But you have no right to ask him that just as early."

Alexander sighed and mumbled an apology.

"Okay I'm sorry. Shouldn't really have asked that."

Sulaaymaan smiled.

"Please don't apologize. It's alright."

"Should we get going and eat some cake ?"

Franklin suggested , pointing a finger at the three men seated on the couch.

"Or I feel like they'll finish the whole thing !"

Sulaaymaan laughed because it really did come off like that. Faaris looked like he hadn't eaten in a while , Derek seemed to be taking smaller bites and not ingesting much but it was unbelievably his second helping already. As for Gabriel , he had three plates protectively harboured in his territory.

"Oh yes , let's let going."

Afra wondered what it was like downstairs.

In her room , it had taken her a long time to convince the party that it wasn't a problem for her to escort Mahreen alongwith the Triplets to their room.

However , it had resulted to be some argument until Inaya stood by her side and convinced the crowd that it was going to be alright as long as she was alright with it.

Mahreen and the triplets didn't take very long to know each other. As a matter of fact , Afra didn't think anyone could've mingled as quickly as they had. She had been — in every aspect — worried for the kids. 

When they had been seated in the masjid — exchanging quick greetings and love — she was not ignorant of the suspicious glances all the four of them exchanged once in a while.

Similarity , the Queen was a very humble woman and she linked extremely well with Mariam and the sisters — Elsa and Valerie.

Her girls — Inaya , Hafsa , Sarah and Samantha — were very well celebrating with some juice. Had it not been for the small request Kat and Dandelion had proposed , she'd probably have been drowned in a sea of mocking and unquestionable taunting.

Afra was very patiently tolerating — though she could feel herself not appreciating it very much with her head starting to pound — until the topic of children came up.

Luckily for her , that is precisely when the triplets had come to her.

They were such lifesavers.

And here she was — walking down the hallways — with them all holding her train and unknowingly making life easier for her.

"Ukhti , you do know the way right ?"

Afra smiled over her shoulder , nodding.

"Of course baby. I do know all the ways mostly Alhumdulillah."

She gazed at them one last moment by pausing in her steps. What she found fairly interesting was that , in her excitement , Jazz was happily accompanying the girls and her cute smile seemed to be stuck on. 

Afra truly felt happy looking at her.

She continued on just as they had realized that Afra had paused.

Now that wasn't the only situation making her feel absolutely fluttering with happiness. There was this boisterous laugh echoing from the men's side and without giving the girls much idea about it , she had cautiously peeked down from the railing. It had taken her a minute to get to Sulaaymaan who was sheepishly mingling with everyone.

After looking at him for a few seconds , she instantly moved away and began to walk.  Being alone left her to ponder over one thought that didn't quite give her much peace.

What did she feel for Sulaaymaan ?

She likesld him ; not in the romantic way. It was a pleasurable feeling , but not love. Or was it ?

Love has been aptly described as a racing heart , stomach filled with butterflies , a mind which stops working and the feeling of always missing the person.

Was that really how it was ?

She didn't feel it.

And that was why she was frustrated to the point that she wanted to pull her hair.

It was going to take her a lot of time to come to a conclusion.

She walked down the hallway , climbed a set of stairs and took to her right , stopping a few steps before the doors with the large crown.

"Okay girls , we're here !"

She exclaimed and carefully turned around. The girls let go of the train and she herself adjusted it behind her.

"Oh , you remembered ukhti !"

Kat shrieked , leaving the girls behind and running to Afra. She hugged her legs and looked up with a pleasant grin.

"Of course I did !"

Afra bellowed at her and Kat's smile grew wider.

She then returned to her gang who was pretty enchantingly explaining the layout of their rooms to their guest.

Afra stepped aside as they moved towards the door and that's when Mahreen let out a scream. She gasped and examined the diamond laden crown.

Afra had been awaiting that response. Although Mahreen was known to be dramatic , Afra agreed on her expression just this once since she herself had once gone through that phase.

She crossed her arms and stepped backwards. Her eyes followed each child and she watched them all ramble over the monstrous piece before moving in the room and shutting the doors.

After drawing in a sigh , she turned around , gathered the majority of her gown and began to walk almost uneasily.

Along the way — a point came — where she felt a pang of hurt in her abdomen. It was barely a week since her minor operation had been carried out. Occasionally the pain would return and it would squeeze the air out of her. It didn't happen much as time passed.

But it felt like it was returning.

"Ya Allah ! Not now please."

Sighing she took more softer steps and tried to not put too much pressure on her injury.

With her hands holding the gown , she positioned her feet carefully on each step as she descended to the first floor.

Surprisingly , she had moved quite a long way. Now when she looked around , there were only a few steps.

"Oh Alhumdulillah , that was pretty easy. Thank you Allah."

Even the loud chanting from the bottom of the stairs returned louder than before. Feeling proud that she had walked such a long distance in quite some time , she smiled contently and hopped in circles.

What she had missed from her gaze was that Sulaaymaan had been climbing the stairs , carrying the tray that Queen Basmah had forgotten.

When Afra relaxed and suddenly got reminded of the pain that seized her , she winced and bent low on her knees.

"Are you okay ?"

She shrieked and instantly stepped back , closing her eyes and moving as far away as possible.

"Hey , it's alright. It's just me."

He spoke barely audibly and stood frozen to his spot , worriedly flickering his gaze between her abdomen and face.

"Oh , it's you."

She sighed and held a hand at her abdomen , her eyes darting over it to analyze it for any bleeding.

"Is it hurting you ? The cut ?"

He gestured with his eyes and looked up at her.

"No no , it's not that bad. I just felt like it was starting to bleed."

His gaze lingered over where her hand lay but when she didn't move move her hand , he sighed and looked back at her.

"What are you doing up here ?"

She pushed away some of the bangs from her eyes and briefly cast a glance at him.

"Um , I came to give this to mama. She had to take this with her but I guess she forgot somehow."

Afra's eyes flickered to the tray in his hand and she dropped her gaze.

"Oh don't worry. I'll take it now that I'm here anyway."

His expression softened as she came nearer and carefully took ahold of the tray , her fingers overlapping over his.

"Erm , can I say something ?"

Afra was so engrossed in handling the tray that she didn't seem to take notice of the adorable look in his eyes.

"Sure. Go ahead."

With his gaze fixed over her head as she struggled with the tray and her gown , his lips broadened with a smile.

"You're looking beautiful. Ma Shaa Allah."

Had it not been for his hands over the tray , she'd dropped it the instant her eyes widened at him.

She had never stepped without her Hijaab in front of any man. Although they were married and he was her husband , her heart hadn't embraced the fact yet. All afternoon she had contemplating on how she would draw her veil away when they'd meet at last.

However it had all unexpectedly happened within the blink of an eye.

Her face was uncovered. The dress she had worn hugged her body , a little too much than her preference while her hair freely cascaded down her shoulders and back.

At this stage , she wanted to disappear in thin air. The nervousness that had begun to make her feel shaky under his gaze made her shiver in place.

In order to rest her frenzy heart , she diverted her gaze away from him.    However just as she had began to find her anxiousness under control , he had taken a step closer and she could feel his towering height befall over her like a shadow.

"Thank you so much for accepting me as your husband. Even if it means it's going to be temporary , these memories that we'll build together will be enough to help me grow in life."

He murmured and she hesitantly nodded , pursing her lips tight.

She didn't meet his eyes but the proximity they shared and the words he had uttered rested deep into her heart.

Having absolutely no idea of what she to do in the moment , she slowly met his gaze and found them watery.

"Why.... are you crying ?"

He smiled again , shaking his head this time.

"These are happy tears."

When the words slipped out his mouth , a tear that dropped to his cheek made her look at him kindly. In a way she had never regarded him before.

"Anyhow , you get going. They must be waiting for you. However where were you coming back from ?"

She pointed towards the other hallway.

"I had gone to drop the triplets and Mahreen to their room."

She murmured , her eyes following the movements of her fingers nervously.

Sulaaymaan nodded.

"That was nice of you. Would you like to go ahead and call mama ? I'll wait here."

She gazed at him through her lashes and nodded slowly.

With his eyes stuck to her , she moved aside and attempted to walk as fast as she could in the gown.

His tears spoke of some harsh reality.

He was already mad in the feeling.

And she had barely figured out hers.

« Assalaamualaikum Princesses ❤.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. ❤.

I love you all so very much. ❤❤❤ .

Take care ,
Me ;) »