Forced

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After that one meeting, things started to roll forward at a very fast pace. Event after event happen, and Kiran found herself fitting into her new, soon-to-be family as if she was one of them.

She and Jannat were like sisters and the other girl came over for sleepovers every time Kiran's dad was away for business. Their bond had grown quite strong and their relationship flowed naturally. Surprisingly, they had a lot in common. Very few moments were left empty between them, mostly there was always something to talk about and laugh over.

Kiran was beginning to learn new things. She knew for definite that the Aziz family were practising. Religion seeped out of every action they did. Even when they were having sleepovers or they were busy doing some laughing and joking around, Jannat and Hoor refused to miss their prayer. It was surprising to see two teenage girls, dropping everything just so they could hurry onto a prayer mat and turn to their Lord. It raised the level of respect Kiran had for them, though she was still shocked. It was not like their parents knew. They could miss a prayer every now and then.

When she mentioned this to Jannat, the other girl shook her head, looking a little sad.

"I don't read for my parents," she had said, "I read for God. And God is watching me all the time."

That was the end of it. Kian never questioned them again. She had always thought religious families were extreme and forceful, but that did not seem to be the case here. It was all freewill and choice.

The mention of Haroon was brought up quite a few time. Kiran wanted to know as much as she could about her soon-to-be husband. She had no intention of ending in a marriage like her mother. She tried to be subtle about the topic, but in truth, she engraved every word about him into her head.

He seemed to be a nice guy from what she had heard. He loved his parents, messed around with his sisters, was still studying, Islamic and National Curriculum, was good at reciting the holy book (Qiraat), loved parrots and had one called Gobby.

In one of the sleepovers, Jannat dared Kiran to prank her brother. Kiran refused straight away. She had no courage to speak to him, even pretending to be someone else. Her heart took to speeding at the mere mention of it. Jannat, though, was persistent and Kiran gave in after a few moments of argument.

She rolled her eyes as Jannat bounced on her feet in excitement. Taking the phone from her, she pressed it to her ear, heart beating as the it rang. Biting her lip, she glared at Jannat who had a huge smile stretched on her face.

After the sixth ring, he picked it up. There was silence for a moment, filled in with the sound of her frantic heart.

"Hello?" it was a low male's voice.

Kiran chickened out at the sound of it. She handed the phone straight back to Jannat and sat down trying to catch up with the beats of her heart. Jannat looked disappointed. She disconnected the phone and sat down beside her.

"Coward." she muttered under her breath, nudging Kiran who scowled at her.

After a moment, both of the girls had burst out laughing, though what they found funny was a mystery.

After three weeks, she finally met Haroon, face-to-face. Their nikah ceremony was small, and only immediate family was called. Kiran's father was furious when Mr Aziz refused to have the wedding guests mixed.

"What about the family izat(respect)? Everybody's going to think we've gone back in time?" Kiran had heard her father bellow at the much more calmer man.

She had stood outside the door listening, feeling frightened. It was the night before the wedding.

"There is no such thing as losing respect, when you respect the opinions of others," Mr Aziz's voice had been calm and cool, "What respect is there if you cannot act open the teachings of the holy prophet(S.A.W)."