Forever Yours

Chapter 9

Zaim looked at Sara's happiness and instantly felt guilty. He knew the moment she would know the truth she would be angry and all the three will have to face her wrath but right now all he needed was to calm her down and inform her about the important thing that his son had decided.

"Sara," He called out to her walking towards and taking a seat besides her. He caught hold of her hand, slightly caressing it before glancing at his son whose eyes were toned at his mother with guilt. "They want the nikaah to be done tomorrow." He informed and she looked at him with unbelievable eyes. She glanced at Saim and he nodded his head, avoiding looking at her.

"That's- How is that possible!" Sara exclaimed and Saim was ready to speak, the plan he was all set with but his father bet him up, " It's just a nikaah and we can still plan a grand reception for them, right?"

Saim looked at his father perplexed. This wasn't the plan. He didn't even remember the reception party let alone have one. But as he noticed his mother's thinking face, he kept mum waiting for her to speak.

"Okay," She nodded her head making Saim to heave deeply in relief, "But we would have to talk to everyone about this before going further." She said referring to their entire family, a consent they followed.

Zaim nodded his head, telling her that he would take care of it silently letting his son know that he would handle the situation. He knew he was taking a risk with his intuition but he also knew there was no other way. If Allah forbid he was proven wrong, everything would go down the hill and he prayed nothing but the best for his son.

***

Yusra sat leaning onto the window gazing outside. Her mind was all messed up but if she tried finding answers to those questions all she found was an empty path. She didn't understand what was going on. Things suddenly seemed to have fasten up. Even though their wedding wasn't going to be a grant feast, the house was being decorated with lights. She hadn't have any glimpses of Hana for the day, and from her aunt she had come to know that she was out hunting for a dress for her wedding.

The thought of getting married made her stomach drop. Back when she was a teen, she always dreamed about getting married. She didn't want a grand wedding but she always dreamed about a loving spouse and now as she looked around she knew her dream was crushed just like the rest of them.

As she was getting up, to go do her prayer of the time her eyes fell onto the henna filled hands. They weren't like any other brides, heavy but the design was simple that made her hands full. Getting up, she walked inside the washroom removing the dried henna off from her hand before placing them into the cold water that made her shiver. Using her nails, she started scratching her hands in an attempt to remove the henna, her eyes burning with tears eventually falling onto her palms. She washed off as much as she could before doing her ablution.

Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she wrapped a hijab around her head not caring about the henna that had strained the hijab.

She stood in front of her Lord, weeping her out. She knew her Lord would never abandon her and she could always talk to Him about anything, her only companion during her toughest time. She sat on the mat, hours long, not knowing what she was supposed to be doing.

Tomorrow by this time she might already become the daughter-in-law of this house. Her nightmare was just a day away of becoming true. She would call Baseer her husband, the one who was the sole reason of her being a light sleeper. She didn't knew if he had already landed or no and even if he had reached, he had made no attempts to meet her for which she was grateful. She wanted to be away from him as much as possible before tomorrow.

Just as she laid on the prayer mat, the door cracked open making her turn her gaze. She looked up to find her aunt walking in holding some paper. She sat up straight, before her aunt shoved the paper in her lap asking her to sign. Of course she wanted to know what the papers carried, so she started reading it to only suck in a breath with her eyes burning with tears. She looked up at her aunt with her eyes filled with tears before glancing down signing onto the property papers that mention about her transferring her parents house and property to Baseer. As she signed, she felt the tears falling onto her father's name before she wiped it off. Once she had signed the paper, her aunt took away the papers, leaving her alone, just like every other day.

She wanted someone to let her burden off her chest, someone who she could cling and cry her heart out but she knew she had done the damage herself. When there were people trying to help her out of the trials, she had pushed them all away and now she stood at the edge, wanting to get rid of all this.

She was done with her Asr salah, now doing the Tasbeeh, when for the second time in the day the door of her room opened but the person wasn't the same.

Yusra stared at Hana, who looked above her shoulder, before entering the room and locking it behind her. She came and sat down onto the prayer mat, the two now sharing a little space together. She caught hold of her hand, playing with her fingers not uttering a word for a good one minute.

"How are you feeling?" Hana questioned after the heavy silence and Yusra smiled with her eyes filled with tears, nodding her head while whispering, "Alhamdulillah."

Hana gazed at her, searching for something in her eyes, some hesitation for this marriage, but all she found in there was void. Her eyes told so much yet hid so much more.

"Fariha appi came in the morning while I was leaving," Hana spoke and Yusra felt her heartbeat accelerate in fear. After she had told Fariha about her marriage, she had yelled at her before completly avoiding her. The whole day at work, she had ignored her and that was the reason she hadn't been to café today. "She fought with mamma and dad." Hana informed and Yusra sighed not surprised at the news. She knew her friend all too well. When Fariha had known about the first slap she had received she had barged into the house and threatened her aunt to sew her.

"Mamma didn't allow her upstairs but appi said that she will be here tomorrow anyhow." Hana said and Yusra nodded her head smiling softly at her cousin, tightening her hold onto her but her smile faded away when she pulled away her hands.

Yusra looked at her empty hands, the void once again filling her before glancing at Hana who pulled out a bracelet from her Jean pocket making Yusra to hold her breath. She was very familiar with that gold piece, a piece that once belonged to her mother. She gazed at Hana who was now putting onto her hand, several questions in her mind.

"When mamma sold everything, I went back to the goldsmith with the cash I had collected from my pocket money and this was the only jewelery I could buy from it. I don't know what she did with your gold, but this is the least I can give you for the years you have had in this house."

Yusra engulfed Hana in a hug upon hearing her, unable to word out her emotions. The tears that she had been holding flew out of her eyes falling onto her cousin's shoulder and she too felt wetness on her shoulder. Pulling away she wiped off Hana's tears, before taking her in for another hug.

"This is the best thing Hana. Thank you for giving it to me." Yusra thanked her whole heartedly, rubbing her back in an attempt to stop her from crying while her own tears fell freely.

She closed her eyes, letting the hug fill in the emptiness she felt the entire day. She knew the first time when Hana had stood up for her, she would do anything for her cousin and just for her she had endured it all. Maybe she didn't had to, but she was glad she had. Because with some people being her nightmares around she had found her happiness in her cousin and her best friend.