Riyaadh's Story

Chapter 4

He was driving directly beneath the glare of the bright sun, dropping the visor down before he switched to fourth gear. "I can't drive a manual car."

He looked to the side, surprised to hear her talk. They had been quiet for most of the drive to the hall and he didn't think she would actually break it. "Hmm?"

"I can't drive manual." She admitted again, watching him shift gears between fourth to third as he started to slow down once again. "I got my license with an automatic. Driving manual stressed me out."

"My cousin Talha bribed his instructor into giving him a manual license on an automatic car."

Saudah's eyes widened, "You can do that? I mean I still bought my license but I didn't think you could do that."

"He's..." Riyaadh struggled for a euphemism to describe his cousin, "He's interesting."

"Sounds like it." She adjusted the collar of her deep navy dress, irritated at the way it chafed against the skin of her neck. "Did you buy yours?" she asked, curiously.

"Nope," he turned to look at her, smiling at the disbelief on her face. "And I got it first time round, too."

"Now you're just showing off." She clicked her tongue, turning the other cheek to look out the window, entirely ignorant to the way he smiled at her theatrics.

"Maybe." He mumbled, turning back to look at the road, finally reaching the highway. He couldn't deny the fact that Saudah looked beautiful in her dress. He was struck dumb when she walked out of her cousin's bedroom in that navy creation. He never favoured the colour but, there and then, he knew that the colour navy was made just for her. She balanced on delicate looking heels, carrying a matching clutch as her only accessory along with the wedding ring he had given her the day before. But it was her face that truly did it for him- her lips were coated in deep, deep, deep red lipstick that he was sure she felt shy to wear.

She really was very beautiful but...

His mind still pulled to the woman before her.

Their ride to the Walimah reception was much different. He was much younger. He had barely turned 19 when he married her, much to everyone's surprise. Farhana was older than him by two and a half years and no one knew a thing about her. She didn't even have a family.

She was alone and she loved him for giving her what she had wanted for such a long time.

He had given her something to call her own. She didn't care that the wedding dress she wore was some cheap creation from the middle of town neither did she care about the fact that she towered over him in her heels. She was just happy to be with him. He remembered her laughing...

God, she laughed so much. He was so madly in love with Farhana's laugh.

He wasn't sure how she did it but she had sneaked a giant slab of chocolate into her bag, feeding him little blocks as they drove and when they had gotten to the hall, she actually looked surprised to see the entire slab gone. She waited for him to open her door, hugging him closely to her- entirely ignorant to the eyes on them. He was never into public affection but Farhana made it easy to forget. She hugged him as if she had never wanted to let go- craving his touch as she pressed herself as close to him as possible. He could still remember the way she smelled- like red roses and baby powder.

"Riyaadh!"

"What?" he looked to Saudah, startled at her loud yell.

"You missed the turn-off." She replied, cautiously. It was odd watching him- watching the expressions on his face as his thoughts changed direction from one to the next. Yet throughout it all, his grip had only tightened closer and closer around the steering wheel, till his knuckles were so white that she could no longer see the skin above it.