TARIQ FALED
"Ya Allah, please make her mine." I prayed, my hands raised in front of me, asking my Creator for the one thing I was sure of now. I wanted Eman and I was willing to wait for her, to pray for her. "Ya Allah, let her be mine in this lifetime, let her be my wife in this dunya and in Jannah."
Maybe it was because I'd seen her in pain and I felt it as my own. Maybe it was the Almighty putting the intention, the feeling in my heart. Whatever it was, here I was, on my prayer mat, asking him for the woman to be mine.
I hadn't seen her since her date at the museum. It had been three days, fourteen hours, and twenty-six minutes since I'd last seen her. I was counting, for God's sake. I was counting the days, the hours, and the minutes since I last saw her. It was driving me crazy. I was driving myself crazy.
But she was safe. She was fine and the thought relieved me. I didn't know if this was how love was supposed to be, if it took one look at her pained expression to feel your own heart shattering, if it was a punch to the gut to see her with another man who didn't treat her the way she deserved to be treated. But I knew I wanted to give her everything she wanted as long as it was within my resources.
I had never prayed for a woman before. I had never felt the need to turn to Allah SWT to grant her to me. But then again, I never expected myself to fall for Eman Hashim of all people. She was so different from me, it was comical that I would want her to be my wife.
Her values, her kindness, her love for others, were what attracted me to her. I liked the person she was. And I believed she would complete my Deen. With her smiles and her charm and her love, she would complete my family.
So, I prayed to Allah SWT for her. I knew He heard me. And I knew if Eman was the one for me, he would bring her to me. He was the one who had brought us into each other's life as acquaintances. He would also be the one who brought us closer together, until she was my spouse. I put my trust in Him. And I was at peace.
~.~.~.~
Gianna sat at the head of the table in the conference room when I entered. She had her legs crossed, her hands resting on the arms of her chair. Her gaze met mine as I walked in and I turned my eyes away from her.
"Good evening." I greeted her, keeping my eyes downcast as I pulled out a chair and took a seat. The guys had yet to come. I wished they would arrive quickly so I didn't have to spend more time than absolutely necessary with her alone.
"Good evening, Tariq. How are you?" She asked.
"I'm good, alhamdulillah. What about you?" I cringed inwardly. I wasn't the best at making small talk. I tried with my clients but it was hard.
"I'm in an exceptionally good mood this morning. I am excited to discuss this project with you guys," She replied, her voice full of cheer. I swallowed as thorns pricked at my skin and my heart. Her cheerful tone reminded me of Eman and how her had voice cracked in the parking lot when she had asked Ahvi to not take her to her house.
It had been four days, twenty-two hours, and three minutes since I'd last seen Eman. Every waking moment, I seemed to be thinking about her. I wanted to know if she was okay but I hadn't yet shared my intentions of pursuing her with Ahvi, so I didn't dare to approach her.
"Earth to Tariq?" A hand waved in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. I blinked rapidly as I straightened, glancing at Gianna who was looking at me with a confused look on her face. "Where'd you go?" She raised her eyebrows.
I averted my gaze as I shook my head, trying to get rid of my distracting thoughts. "No where." I cleared my throat as I added, "Do you want to tell me about the new project you're planning to work with us on?"
"Let the others come. Then we will talk about the project." She answered and I nodded. Fair enough. Thankfully, as if on cue, Ren walked into the conference room with Warren on his heel.
"Good evening, Gianna." He greeted her as he took a seat across from me.
"Ren." Gianna responded. As the others exchanged greetings, I couldn't help but notice that Jace was missing. I frowned, leaning slightly toward Warren who had taken a seat in the chair next to mine.
"Where's Hyde?" I asked, glancing over his shoulder as if I would see our friend standing at the door of the conference room.
"He's gone to the Hashims," Warren replied, his grey gaze meeting mine. I felt my shoulders tense at the mention of Eman's family.
"Why?" I whispered, hoping Gianna didn't take offence to us whispering. "What is he doing there?" I frowned.
"Mr. Hashim called him, asked him to come over to explain to him what happened at the museum since Eman couldn't speak about it without crying." He explained. Anger buzzed in my ears once more at the thought of the incident at the museum. "He wanted all of us there but only Ahvi and Jace could make it since we had this meeting tonight. I asked Jace to go since he was the closest with Eman." He added.
I nodded as I straightened but I felt myself regretting agreeing to this meeting all of a sudden. Never before had I wanted to end a meeting before it even began. I didn't mind working. I could work throughout the day and night if I was asked to but right now, I wanted to be at the Hashims'.
"Gianna, Tariq informed me that you were here to discuss another project you wanted to work on with us?" Ren asked, bringing me back in the conference room. I scratched my eyebrow, trying to focus on the conversation here than the one that must be taking place at the Hashims' at this very moment.
"Yes. I loved the graphics Ahvi provided us with the last time, so I wanted to propose another deal. I want to work with you for the marketing and advertisement of my new line of products." She responded and once again, it took me longer than usual to comprehend her words.
It was as if my body was in the room with my client and friends but my mind was a few miles away with Eman Hashim. I didn't know what was going on there and it was killing me.
"Are you okay?" Warren whispered in my ear, his hand covering mine. It was then that I realized that I was fidgeting.
"Y-yes." I stuttered. Clearing my throat, I reached for the bottled water in front of me. I opened it and chugged it down, ignoring whatever Gianna was saying. I had lost track of the conversation completely now. Was Mr. Hashim going to break Eman's engagement with Shariq? Was he going to force her to marry him?
Ahvi had told us about the crisis with the Hashims'. After Eman had left, she told us about the money problem that her best friend's family would face if they decided to call off this engagement. Of course, she had Eman's consent for sharing her story with us. I didn't think Ahvi would tell anyone her secrets otherwise, even at the cost of her own life.
"What do you think, Tariq?" Ren's voice snapped me back to the present. I looked at him, my eyebrows raised and confusion invading my expression.
"Huh?" I tried to remember what they had been talking about but I couldn't. I had lost track of the conversation completely at this point.
"Tariq, are you alright? You look a little worried." Gianna was the one who spoke this time. I tried to maintain my composure but the need to know what was going on at Eman's house overrode all other needs at the moment.
"I need some fresh air. I'm not feeling too great," I said, getting out of my seat. I wiped my hands on my pants. I hated to put my disheveled self on display but I couldn't bring myself to care. If this engagement didn't get called off for some reason, I didn't know what I would do.
"If you're not feeling up to it, you can go outside for some fresh air. I can talk to the guys about the project." Gianna offered me a smile. I barely heard her as I nodded and walked out of the conference room, my heart in my mouth and sweat beading on my eyebrows.
I made my way straight to the elevators, pressing the button several times as I waited it to arrive. I blew out a breath, trying to get rid of the nervous energy inside me by moving my arms back and forth. I didn't know what my life had come to but I knew there was no going back.
I hadn't told my mother about my intentions yet but I knew she would be happy for me when I did. She was still persistent about getting me married and I would do as she wanted me to do. I would marry a woman. But the woman would be my choice.
On the elevator ride to the garage, I tried to come up with a way to propose my intentions to Mr. Hashim. He treated me as his son. I knew he liked me. But I didn't know if he liked me enough to give his daughter to me, let me take care of her for the rest of our lives.
I sent a prayer to the heavens as I got in my car and pulled out of the garage. As I headed toward the Hashims' house, I practiced my proposal. I would ask him for his daughter's hand in marriage. I didn't care about the money he owed to Shariq's parents. I would pay them off for Eman. But I needed her to be mine.
I dialed my mother's number and waited for her to pick up. "Assalamualaikum, Mama." I greeted her as soon as she picked up the phone. Once she had answered, I said, "Mama, I know you want me to settle down. What if I told you I have a woman in mind?"
My mother's response came after a short pause. I pursed my lips as I focused on the road, hoping to not come across any red lights.
"What are you planning to do, Tariq? I know you wouldn't call me if you didn't have a plan of action." My mother responded. I smiled because she knew me too well. Even though I tried to hide myself from the world, my mother saw right through the mask.
"I am headed to her house right now. To ask her father for her hand in marriage." I announced. "So, what do you think?"