A Midsummer Weekend (The Extended Version)

16. The Meeting

"No, no Farah. I meant you should go sleep as soon as we leave", he said with so much concern I melted a bit inside.

"And...", he smiled and started to take his coat off, and loosened his tie.

What is he doing?, my eyes widened as he opened his top button, partially untucked his shirt and ruffled his hair.

"You're not the only one who looks tired. I am quite jet lagged too", he grinned.

I shamelessly stared at him. Not only was it so incredibly sweet of him to try to make me feel better about myself but he also did not look like a mess. He looked like a man who had come home to his wife after a hard day of honest work, ready to seek solace in her arms and comfort in her words of appreciation. And somehow he had managed to look even more handsome than before, making me forget my words and my heart beat uncontrollably.

"You ok?", he asked.

"Yes, just in SVT", I mumbled without thinking.

"SVT...that's something, something tachycardia. Right?"

"Supraventricular tachycardia. But, you know what tachycardia means?", I asked, surprised that he would know the medical term for a fast heart beat.

He laughed, "I've watched enough medical shows and my roommate's PhD in biomedical engineering is on some new pacemaker technology, so he talks about heart rhythm disorders all the time"

He paused, his gaze becoming heated again, adding fuel to the fire within me which was getting difficult to control by the minute.

His voice lowered and he whispered, "If it's any consolation, I'm in SVT too"

Just then we heard the tap water open in the bathroom and that seemed to break the trance we had both found ourselves in. Kamran closed his eyes, and raked his hands through his hair before speaking again in a lowered voice.

"Farah, let's not beat around the bush. You know why my family is here today. I want to marry you, I've wanted to for a while. And I hope that you feel the same way about me"

I did, every fiber in me wanted to marry him. And I had only ever thought about him as my husband. Yet, if I really reflected on it, that desire was based on one weekend more than four years ago. There was so much I didn't know about him, and so much that I felt he didn't know about me.

"I do Kamran. But all of this is so sudden. I've barely had time to think. Till two hours ago I thought you were marrying Maham"

"Did you really think I could have married someone else?", he asked softly.

I shook my head in honesty, "I didn't believe it, but Nano can be really convincing"

He chuckled, "I would hate to be on the wrong side of Nano"

The tap water shut off, and we both knew Komal could step out any time. Though, I could almost imagine her counting to 100 before opening the door to give us as much time as possible.

"Listen", Kamran said quickly, "I am sure you have questions for me. And you have every right to ask them before you say yes to this proposal. So if you're ok with it, I am going to ask Asad Uncle and Mariam Aunty if we could text each other, in a purely halal way"

"I'd love that", I replied, just as a beaming Komal exited the bathroom.

I washed my hands next, followed by Kamran. And while I stood next to Komal waiting for her brother, I couldn't help thanking her for everything, from her crazy schemes to get us together to always having our back.

"Oh you're very welcome", she said, and then suddenly started blushing herself, "I am kind of hoping you guys get married quickly, for my sake too"

I grabbed her arm before she could escape, "Wait a second. What does that mean?"