Enjoy 🌹
It's edited, but please point out any mistakes so I can easily correct them :)
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Hooriya's POV:
Three words. All it took was three simple words and I was now someone's wife. I wasn't sad, I wasn't crying, hell I wasn't even angry, everything inside of me had just gone numb. By trying to save someone else's life, I'd destroyed my own. I was still shocked at how Suleiman had declared me as his wife as if he owned me. Just thinking about that murderous look in his eyes when he lunged at that guy sends chills down my spine. He looked like an untamed beast.
It is surprising how easily I agreed to this bizarre marriage in the first place. It all seemed to pass in a blur; someone putting a dupatta over my head, the maulvi coming in along with the same man I'd first seen at the airport stepping out of the car, and then finally the dreaded question came.
"Hooriya Binte Jalal Khan kya apko Suleiman Ali Shah wald Usman Ali Shah haq meher 5,000,0000 (50 million Pakistani rupees) sey ye nikkah Qabool hai?" (Hooriya, daughter of Jalal Khan do you take Suleiman Ali Shah son of Usman Ali Shah as your husband with the haq meher (basically an obligatory sum of money given to the wife in case of a divorce or once during the husband's lifetime, do your own research though please because I'm not claiming this to be 100% accurate) of 5,000,0000,)
I looked up to find Suleiman intently staring at me. For some unexplainable reason that only gods knows the answer to, I slightly blushed. What the hell, Hooriya!?!? Pagal tou nahi hogai tum kahin? Kya bakwas soch rahi ho? (Have you lost your mind? What nonsense are you thinking about?) I looked away almost immediately, but then it struck me! Marriage! These people were getting me freaking married! What will baba and mama think? Scratch that, how angry will they be when they find out what a drama I've made out of my life in a matter of hours , after all marriage is no joke.
I heard a throat clear and looked up to find an impatient Suleiman looking at me with narrowed eyes. He mouthed "Your family" to me and it was as if I was struck by lightning. As unreasonable as the whole situation was, the one thing I always trusted was my guts, and my guts were flying red flags all over that Yousef guy. The way he openly checked me out told me more than I wanted to know. He's clearly not someone to be messed with, and if a man like Suleiman could be this cautious around him, then he's definitely bad news.
"Qabool hai (I accept)"
"Qabool hai (I accept)"
"Qabool hai (I accept)"
And that is how I sealed my fate.
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"Hooriya Api!" I turned around to see an excited Mansha pounce on me and hug me to the literal point of breaking my bones.
"Mansha...I...can't...breathe," She payed absolutely no heed to what I just said as her grip tightened around me. I felt Bilal pull onto my arm and release me from Mansha's hold. Mansha pouted.
"Oh come on, it's been years since I last saw her, gale tou laga ney dein kam as kam (Atleast let me hug her)," I smiled looking at her adorable expression and then turned towards Bilal who had a cheeky grin on his face. He winked at Mansha making her huff in anger.
"You're not the only one meeting her after 3 years, but at least I know the difference between hugging and suffocating," And soon, the bickering started. That is why these two are my favourite cousins, as well as being the only ones. But their bickering can get slightly annoying at times.
"Acha ab chalein hum? Chachu aur Aala hamara intezaar kar rahe hoon gein. Bila waja Yahan time zaya karne ki zarurat nahi hai (Okay now can we go? Uncle and aunty must be waiting for us. Don't waste time here), you can continue once we're home, now get going," I started walking towards the car with Bilal and Mansha trailing behind. Once I reached the driver's side, I turned to face Bilal and held out my hand. He looked puzzled at first but then it finally seemed to click. He handed over the car keys and moved towards the passenger seat.
As soon as I settled into the Land Cruiser, memories flooded my brain as I looked around at the interior. (Refer to the first chapter to know why the inside of a land Cruiser is giving her such memories)
A few minutes ago:
As the car finally stopped in front of McDonalds, I was just about to open the door when I heard him call me. Not wanting to face the product of the sin I had just committed a while ago, I slammed the door shut on his face and rushed inside the restaurant. After the Maulvi had declared us as husband and wife and left, I immediately told Suleiman to take me back. I was worried that Mansha and Bilal would get there before I would and I was in no mood to come up with an excuse. The severity of the situation dawned on me as I realised that I was now a married woman; someone's wife. I may have spent most of my life living and studying abroad, but deep down I was still a very conservative woman. I knew the importance of marriage and its value in our religion. But what about my parents? My brother? Will they so easily be able to overlook the fact that I am now the wife of a man who might possibly be a criminal?
"Hoori Api? Startled, I looked up to find Bilal giving me a quizzical look, indicating that I had completely zoned out. I just excused myself saying its jetlag and started the car.
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2 weeks later:
"Aala, (It is a title I use for my own aunt - referring to my mother's sister), apko kisi cheez mein maadat ki zarurat hai kya? (Aunty, do you need help with anything?)" I asked Aala, Bilal and Mansha's mother and also my Khala (Mother's sister), as I entered the kitchen and looked around. It smelled heavenly in here.
"Nahi beta, tum iss sub ki fikr na karo mai kar loon gi. Tum bus mujhe ye batao ke name register karwalia tum ne? (No child, don't worry about all this, I'll handle it. You just tell me, did you get your name registered?" She asked while continuing to add more and more spices to her legendary chicken biryani (A famous Pakistani rice dish).I replied with a yes and was about to go and try to help her when Mansha burst inside looking straight at me with narrowed eyes.
"Ap abhi tak tayyar hi nahi huein!?!? Mehmen aane hi wale hoonge! Jaldi sey jaen aur kuch acha sa pehnay, (You're still not ready yet!?!? The guests will be arriving soon, quickly go and put on something beautiful) I want you to leave a good first impression on my friend. Haye Allah, she's so excited to meet you! And I'm sure you'll love her just as much as I do once you meet her, so with that said, hurry up and get ready!" She grabbed my hand and practically pushed me towards my room. Only when she was certain I'd picked out "good" clothes and was going to get ready did she finally leave. I smile thinking what a sweetheart she is.
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As I was giving my face a light touch-up, I heard the doorbell ring. They must be here. And by "they" I mean Usman Uncle and his family, who I vaguely remember meeting from my childhood. My father, Yaqub Chachu and Usman Uncle used to be batch mates back when they were in the army and from what I've heard, my baba (term used for father) once saved Usman Uncle's life by taking a bullet for him. I suppose that's what caused their already strong bond to transform into an indestructible one. Later on, my father retired from the army and started his own business in the UK, my Chachu, as well, started his own business. Usman Uncle, being the son of a Nawab (an extremely rich man of sorts), was forced to take over his father's business as he was the only son. Even though they all went to completely different paths, they are still as close as they used to be. Their children didn't get the same privilege though; namely me and Umar, my brother. Living abroad does have its disadvantages; all I know is that he has one daughter and two sons.
When I heard loud, booming voices coming from downstairs, I quickly packed up what little makeup I'd used and headed for the stairs.
(Her dress ^^)
As I went downstairs and entered the living room (In Pakistani culture guests are typically taken to the drawing room and close family and friends to the more private and personal areas of the house, so this should give an insight as to how close they really are) the sight in front of me had my eyeballs practically dangling from my eyes.
My husband was here.
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Why hello there! Weren't expecting an update so early? Well, so wasn't I until just a few mins ago hehe :)
Also, I'm trying to be as realistic as I can be with the setting. This story is hugely based on my own experiences, excluding the romance of course, so I can say it's pretty much what you'd normally expect in such situations in real life.
Please, please, please just give me one teeny, tiny comment on whether or not this is going well, because I'm really starting to lose my motivation...but no worries!!! I shall still continue this.
Till next time mi amigos,
K