His silence is his Pride (ON HOLD)

Chapter Eighteen ♥ "The Engagement"

                                                         

                                                Chapter Eighteen 

                                               "The Engagement"

                           وحبك يركض كالبرق بين عروقي ، ويضرب مثل القضاء ومثل القدر

♦Mάнŕă♦

After numerous considerations and receiving various advices, I finally came to the point where I reconciled between my heart and my brain. I had two options, either take the risk or leave it. My heart went with the former and my brain chose the latter. Uncle Saif’s theory about my behavior had been right. He suggested that my rejection to the whole matter of marriage was because I was afraid, afraid of being hurt. Before I called him yesterday, Hamad had already informed him about Zayed’s proposal and also consulted with him my future. And just like everybody else, uncle Saif too thought Zayed was the right guy for me.

But I still questioned my decision, their decision and Zayed’s decision as well. I tried to give myself reasons for his actions; that he might’ve secretly admired me, but some part of me rejected that thought, altogether. And today, at my engagement, I sat thinking back to uncle Saif’s words and how he had convinced me, both mentally and piously.

After talking to uncle Saif, I realized that there was no point to be mad now, since I just officially got engaged to the man minutes ago. I heard Hamad tell my mother that the men’s ceremony had just been over. My mother was extremely joyful. I won’t ever forget the look she had when my aunts congratulated her.

Deep in my thoughts, I was oblivious to the girls that were sitting around me, in our living-room, upstairs. Nouf, Ayesha, Alia and Sara, my cousins as well as close friends, had all come to congratulate me on this day. I might have been sitting with them, physically, but my soul was in an entirely different place and my thoughts undisciplined.

The girls were ‘trying’ to embarrass me, hoping they could make me blush in any way possible, but I was me, Mahra, nobody could abash me.

“You know that I have waited for this day for so long.” She stretched the ‘so’ word. “I always wished to exploit this amazing moment, where I hoped I’d see Mahra as shy as the other girls on their engagement but looking at her now I think I should give up on it.” Sara complained, making me smile lightly as I continued playing with the crystals of the unique traditional dress that Reem had dressed me in.

“What I don’t get is…” began Ayesha, helping herself with the sweets that were presented in front of us. “What especial did you do that drove this man so crazy?” asked Ayesha, a wicked smile on her lips. “I mean he’s only known you for a few months, hasn’t he?” I heard them all giggle.

“Yeah Mahra, which spell did you cast that he proposed to you so soon?” Nouf joined in.  I rolled my eyes at their efforts.

“C’mon just say it, did you batt your eye lashes or was it a dazzling smile that enchanted the man?”  Sara joined in making me turn to her with a raised eye-brow and the urge to fight back my smile.

“All I ever did was,” I spoke, at last. “Ignore him.”

And curse him; a voice said in my brain.