A Page Left Blank

Chapter 27: The Grand Reveal

Unwilling to discuss anything related to his life, Ahmed diverted the topic and said, "Forget about me, Afreen. You tell me how you feel about Hilal's proposal."

"No Ahmed, before we get there, you listen to me," Afreen redirected his diversion. "I think you need to talk to Mamma, probably tell her how you liked Rufaida, and the only reason you couldn't make your move was because you feared backlash from her. And by the time you mustered the courage to, you believed the assumption that she's about to get married and now you're left hurting. You say you've closed the chapter but the wound is still fresh and your thoughts are making you go crazy. Just talk to Mamma, Ahmed, I think you need to vent it out and address this matter instead of accumulating it so much within that it becomes a mountain in front of you, blocking you from reaching your blessings."

"Ridiculous," Ahmed laughed, as if what his twin just proposed was a hilarious joke.

"Ahmed," Afreen sighed, "Life can't be lived nursing a broken heart. You got to do something to fix it."

"Afreen," Ahmed reminded, "Finally you've received a proposal that is promising and worth the wait, I'm positive about it, and at this juncture, you cannot expect me to shift everyone's energy to something pointless. This house has waited for years to see you get your happiness, and now when we're finally walking towards it, you certainly cannot expect me to ruin it, not for something that's not mine to begin with."

"Ahmed," Afreen pleaded, "My happiness will never be complete seeing you unhappy."

"Is this supposed to be a secretive approval to Hilal's proposal?" Ahmed grinned, shifting out from his sullen mood.

Afreen bit her lip, a smile making its way to her lips. How she wished Tam or her favourite cousin, Anabya, was here, she couldn't wait to have a girl talk with them. There were so many things playing on her mind that she couldn't discuss with Ahmed, he just wouldn't get it.

"I wanted to ask you," Afreen initiated, "Was it Hilal who actually proposed this, what exactly did he tell you?"

"Of course it was him," Ahmed confirmed. "I never saw it coming."

"Me too," Afreen agreed. She had known him through Ahmed, but such an idea had never crossed her mind.

"He said, he was driving back home but changed his mind and made his way to Zaika to meet me. He's already spoken to his family, and they're all looking forward to this, they just need our approval to initiate things. How do you feel about it, Aaf?"

"But why me..." Afreen trailed off, still in a state of shock regarding this. She did not underestimate her worth, and she knew she had accumulated enough lessons from the past to become a decent wife if marriage was written for her the second time. She was aware that life wasn't supposed to be perfect and while she had her set of shortcomings, she also admitted that Allah had nurtured in her characteristics that may be an answer to some man's prayers. But as confident as she was, she still couldn't wrap her mind around the idea that Hilal, by choice, wanted to marry her. As narrow-minded as it may sound, the fact that he had never been married before while Afreen was a divorcee still stood its ground, and it made her wonder why would he choose to be with her when he had so many options available.

As if understanding his sister's train of thoughts, Ahmed comforted, "Why not you, Aaf? Trust me, Hilal is like a brother to me, and while I do think we can't find you someone better than him, he's going to be the one more blessed if Allah has written you for him. Of course, you're super annoying, but you bake some amazing cakes and give pretty good advice if need be, so I guess you could say he's fortunate."

Afreen's eyes glazed over at Ahmed's words, her soul thanking him for the reassurance she needed so desperately. What Ahmed said was subtle yet so soothing, and it was what Afreen needed to know at the moment. That just because Hilal was an amazing human, his goodness didn't outweigh hers, she was amazing in her own way and her past needed to be left where it belonged. She could carry the lessons she learned from everything she went through, but that did not mean she also had to bear the trauma lifelong.