Falling Innocently

Chapter 11 -Engagement

"Yes Wali, I had time to read books while helping my best friend plan her Nikkah and being a good wife," she said sarcastically.

Waliya laughed, not rising to the bait. "Jeez, sabr, Asmaa. Calm down, have some water and make sure you add extra sugar."

"Shush," Asmaa laughed. "Alhamdulillah you are truly smiling now. And not some forced smiles, as if there is a stick stuck to your back."

"Wow, Asmaa, truly you are poetic," the bitter words drip sarcastically from Waliya's delicate mouth.

Asmaa just laughed at her. "Keep smiling Wals, your in laws love you to bits and pieces and everything in between. I can just see the love shining in their eyes. I mean, how many of his family members have gotten up here to come and speak to you?"

Waliya nodded and smiled –genuinely this time. "Jazakallah, Asmaa."

"Have you forgotten your other friends?" Raeesa joked as she walked up to Waliya, with Nabeelah and Jade and Christina following behind her. As Waliya looked up, she unconsciously whispered, "Subhanallah." She was truly astounded by her friends' beauty. Individually, they stood out and all looked amazing, but together, they were truly a sight to behold. Yet, before she decided to tell them just how breathtaking they were, Waliya answered Raeesa's question.

"Hardly, you all are just taking up the attention in the garden." They blushed from Waliya's comment, but still thanked her. Modesty is after all an innate characteristic of a woman. "Yeah well, it is a rose's duty to compliment the thorns on her stem," Jade said grinning at her beautiful friend.

Waliya rolled her eyes and beckoned them all closer. "I am no rose, Wallah, I am so simple."

"Yeah, yet I bet if he had to walk in right now with all of us on this stage, his eyes will only ever be for you!" Asmaa said sarcastically.

"Exactly! And why shouldn't he be attracted to his beautiful bride?" an older voice said behind them. Simultaneously, they all turned to face the aging aunty. If they had to be a mechanical robot, with a single functioning system, at that moment they would have been perfect. Their hearts were thundering out a disjointed beat in sync, while fear struck out at their hearts. This wasn't the time and place to be typical girls and gossip with your bride-to-be best friend.

"We were –"

"We didn't mean it –"

"It's not what –"

"No! We aren't –"

"Ahh!"

"Wali –"

In one voice, they all tried to explain to a grinning aunty what they actually meant and what it sounded like. The aunty crossed her arms over her chest and smirked up at the red-faced, ashamed and scared girls. It was cruel of her to make them sweat that way, but it was so much of fun to play a little prank on the girl's family. She had seen the way the girls had cuddle up around the future bride trying to calm her and pacify her, so it was her simple curiosity that had made her go and listen in on their conversation. It didn't take much for her to see how nervous and worried the future bride was from far back in the garden. Then, with her arms still crossed she eyed the future bride, Waliya –if she remembered correctly. "Wahida, please explain," she said and dropped the grin.

Purposefully, she had called the girl's name incorrectly. "It is Waliya," Waliya said, correcting the aunty politely.

"Jee, Jee, as you say Wasilah," the aunty said.

"Uhm, these are my friends. They just came to, uh, keep me lively and cheery. They came to give me some company," Waliya said nervously.

The slightly dark skninned aunty laughed. "Lighten up Waliya!" she said smiling at her. "Aahil is absolutely mad about you. And he and everyone else find you an absolute beauty. I am so grateful to Allah that he has chosen someone like you. May Allah make your marriage to one another easy and a smooth ride into Jannah In Shaa Allah," she said smiling.

"Ameen!" the girls echoed.

She turned to walk away, the stopped and faced the girls. "By the way, I am aunty Jubbie."

As Aunty Jubbie disappeared, the girls stared at one another in awe and then simply laughed. Then, Raeesa looked at her watched and nodded to Nabeelah. They signaled to the other girls to move, and slowly, slowly they left Waliya once again alone on the stage.

The fake smile was once again plastered on Waliya's face as she stared at everyone else and posed for photographs with everyone who asked. Suddenly, without any warning, the nazms that were playing in the background stopped and everyone made a clear path to Waliya.

Waliya stared at the path as if at any second giant spiders would sprout out of the ground and reach for her. Yet, despite her scary (and hilarious) thoughts, it was only Aahil and his family walking towards her. Aahil wore a simple black kurta, with black All Stars and some black thin jacket over his kurta.

His attire was simple and not even bold, but yet Waliya was astounded. He was breathtakingly handsome. At that second, she managed to look at her friends and gave them a discreet nod. They knew exactly what it meant: take photos of the couple. It was something they had discussed before time. However, unlike Jade and Tina who wished for it to litter all over Facebook and Instagram, Waliya just wanted a copy of them for something to look at in twenty years' time and remind herself of what their relationship was like before it was even a relationship. In reply, her friends simply grinned and clicked away like mad.

A second, matching high back chair was beside Waliya for Aahil to sit on. Then, somehow, her family was surrounding her and Aahil was seated beside her. She couldn't even remember what it was her family and his spoke about, or if she answered, or what she was asked, but she just remembered staring at his face and arms and thinking, "Wallah, I am the luckiest girl alive. Alhamdulilah."

_+_+_+_+_+

Anarkali -either a floor length dress with a fitted bodice and then flares out from beneath the bust with skinny pants of the same material underneath. Or else, the dress comes just slightly above the ankles. In all cases, the end is not only flaring, but also has a bunch of layers to give it a princess feel. *picture on the side*