Aaliyah and Sultan had gone to pay a visit to Aaliyah's brother in Birmingham, they sat and chatted for the day, catching up and Hamza made sure that they were well fed.
"We should go now. If it gets dark, it'll be difficult to get home. Thank you for the hospitality bhai," Aaliyah stood up to wish her goodbyes and looked at Sultan to do the same.
"Aaliyah, why not stay the night? You'll be going back to a one room flat anyway, if you stay here you'll live in more peace for a while."
Aaliyah seemed to stiffen, her voice stern. "This is your naseeb, and that is mine. Allah has given me what he has given me, and it is enough, I don't want to have to have this conversation again. Sultan, let's go. "
"Aaliyah, I was just speaking out of love, don't take it the wrong way, at least say goodbye properly." Sultan got up from his seat and said his goodbyes, and so did Aaliyah. Whilst Aaliyah hugged Hamza, he whispered in her ear, "What harm would it do if you stayed the night?".
"Hamza, I don't want to talk on this matter."
She pulled away and walked towards Sultan, who seemed to be contemplating something. They walked outside, without uttering another word, the distance between them as they walked was near to none.
Sultan opened the door of the passenger seat for Aaliyah. He closed it as she got in, gently, and then proceeded to get into the drivers seat. The moon shone in the night sky. Its silver glow created lights in the ocean of clouds. It watched them, mirroring their silence as they drove home.
"He was right, you know." Sultan broke the silence with his voice. Aaliyah's eyes left the view outside to look at her moon.
"Who?" She watched him with a gaze that could move mountains.
"Your brother, We only have one room that we call our home, I don't even have a proper job -" the frustration was clear in his voice. Sultan's expression reminded her of the depths of the ocean and the darkness of the sky at night. Still, yet hurt. A soft kind of hurt, the kind that makes you stand outside in the rain and stare into nothingness. The kind that has you sitting in the most amazing place but not paying attention. The kind where your silence speaks more than your words could ever articulate.
"Does that matter? Does it matter whether we have a lot or a little? Sultan he may be my brother, but I am not just his sister, I am also your wife. I am your wife before I am anything to anyone else, and our naseeb is ours, we can't change that, and we don't need to. Whatever happens will happen for the better, and I'll be there for you, and you'll be there for me."