BOUND

PART 2

As Faris entered the room, he found Afira was sitting on his bed, her back pressed against the headrest. She swallowed her tears and immediately wiped her face, trying not to embarrass herself in front of Faris but her nerves were not helping her. Her makeup had been ruined and her mascara was dripping all over her cheeks.

Faris never thought that on his wedding night, his wife would welcome him with a tearful face and with a dreadful mood, but then he also never imagined that his marriage would take place like this. If Afira was crying, he had nothing to complain about, the circumstance was so unusual that it would make any sane person demented.

Faris tried to visualize by putting himself in her shoes. This is the moment that a girl dreamed all her life, a moment she wanted everything to be perfect, but unfortunately for Afira the most important night of her life became her worst.

Instead of starting a new chapter of her life with someone she loved, Afira was consigned to a guy who was a total stranger to her. Instead of getting warm farewell from her family, she got their grieving. Instead of being welcomed in a fancy and well decorated room, Afira was sent to Faris's bedroom which was minimalistic to say the least. She had been stripped off all the desires which every girl yearn for.

Faris saw dinner tray placed over the coffee table beside his bed. It was covered with aluminum foil. He grabbed a swivel writing chair and sat on the other side of the coffee table.

"Are you alright?" Faris broke the silence between them but Afira didn't reply. "Is there anything I can do?" Faris asked and again no response came from Afira. Faris then uncovered the aluminum foil over the dinner tray to find variety of dishes made by his cook.

"It's looking delicious and I am starving, would you care to join?" Faris asked but Afira didn't twitch a muscle.

"You should eat something, just a little, you haven't eaten anything in the reception," Faris tried to convince her, but instead of answering, Afira turned her head away from Faris. It was not going to be an easy night indeed.

"You know what, I am not feeling hungry anymore," Faris put his plate down and called his cook to take away the dinner tray. Once their cook was gone, Faris dragged the coffee table to the corner, so that there would be no obstruction between him and Afira, and then he pulled the swivel chair close to her.

"Ms. Afira," he addressed her in a formal manner. "I understand that you must be feeling very disturbed right now, but if you try to see it from my perspective, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Whatever happens it happens for the best, maybe the person you were getting legally involved with wasn't right for you."

"Secondly, you don't have to worry about our marriage either. Just because we are in Nikkah, and we have to share a room doesn't mean that I've been imposed upon you. When it comes to taking decision for your life, you are still in the driving seat and everyone in this house will going to respect your wishes including me and my father. But if you want things to happen in your way, you have to start communicating first."

"Unfortunately, we don't have anyone in this house to whom you could relay your feelings and share your sorrows, and I assume that you'll stay reserve with my father, which only leaves you with one person: me. I can help make things easier if you try to confide in me and if you can't, then use me as a punching bag to vent out your frustration at least, I won't mind as long as you are communicating with me. I would understand if you don't want to consider me your husband, but can you consider me your friend at least?"

Afira finally responded by nodding.

"Much better!" Faris exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "So, we are making progress."