Part 7 -Tying the knot
Aishah (RA) narrated that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said, "Any woman who marries without the permission of her guardian, then her marriage is void (he repeated it three times)", and he added, "So, if he consummated the marriage with her, she is entitled to the dowry because of what he has attained from her. And if they differ, then the Sultan is the guardian of the one who does not have one."
~Sunan Abu Dawud
Four months after Maleeha spoke to her parents, telling them she agreed to marry Zaakir, she was marrying him. Although, they had a somewhat civil conversation between them where they discussed the Nikkah nothing after that simple conversation went as smoothly between them. The only thing that they seemed to be in agreement was with the amount of people they wanted at the Nikkah, the reception and the Walimah.
Zaakir and Maleeha both said that they didn't want anything fancy, and nothing big. Both sets of parents nodded their heads, but as the weeks inched closer, Maleeha noticed how many wedding invitations went out, how long her mother sat on the phone arguing and arranging things. Whenever Maleeha offered to help, her mother disagreed and sent her away, reminding her that she told her mother that she and Nurunissa could do as they pleased with the wedding and every other ceremony, as long Maleeha got to choose her own outfits, and that they stuck to what she and Zaakir wanted.
Their mothers seemed to be ignoring the fact that they both wanted something small, intimate and not flashy. They did not want to pretend for hours that they were actually in love, and that they wanted to be together.
However much Maleeha wanted to ignore the fact that she was going to marry the ugly lizard, she couldn't. To her utter surprise, she was selected to be the intern at his company along with Pooja, but she was cursed to be the one to actually work with him. She had made him vow that he chose her based of her worth, not because he felt like he had to apologise to her and that by allowing her to intern by him, would give her all the credibility that she would need to succeed.
Four days before the wedding, she was called into his office. With as much attitude as she could muster, she walked into his office. Maleeha would never admit it to him, or anyone else for that matter, but she was actually afraid of him calling her into his office. She never quite antagonised him at the office, and she kept the relationship between them professional and clear cut. "Assalaamu alaykum," she greeted as she walked in.
He returned her greeting. "Take a seat," he told her as he shuffled in a cabinet he had in the far corner in the office. "I just need to find this one folder and then I can talk to you."
Maleeha sat and twiddled her fingers, round and round until she got bored of waiting for him. "Which folder?" she asked him with slight attitude, her nerves were getting the better of her.
He told her the name as he kept his head inside the cupboard searching.
"Oh," she said coolly as she got up and went to the cupboard. "It's in the blue folder." She reached him and asked him to give her a bit of space so she could search without touching him. She bent down, and rifled through the lowest shelf so she could within seconds she got up with a grin and handed it over to him.
"Casey and Cecil!" she smirked.
He rolled his eyes at her, and then motioned for her to sit, once again. "Let's talk," he said seriously.
She cringed and pulled a face.
He chuckled as he caught her in the act. "Look, it is nothing serious. Well, it kind of is. Seeing as we are getting married," he pulled a face and she laughed at him. "In four days, it would be more preferable for me to place you elsewhere within the company so that when the news comes out that I married you, it will not seem as if you were favoured. Your reputation will be saved that way," he added quickly.
Maleeha stared him, eyes wide as she tried to process what he said. She knew what he said, but it didn't make sense to her that he worried about her reputation. How could someone so heartless be worried about her? She didn't understand. "Uh, sure, yeah, that's cool," she stammered out. "It makes sense, I guess," she added as she tried to tie it all up in her mind.
She turned in her chair and was about to step out of, but he called her back. "Maleeha," he said softly. She looked at him. "The Nikkah changes nothing between us."
Maleeha nodded. "Except that I can actually smack you for being stupid," she added like a smart mouth and walked out of his office with a satisfied grin.
***
They had just returned to Zaakir's -their -place. It was nearly eleven o'clock at night, and Maleeha was beyond tired. Her feet hurt and she felt sluggish. Her black abaya was heavily embroidered and it made her feel worse. What annoyed her more was the fact that she had dinosaurs doing back flips on trampolines in her stomach. And although she had agreed to marry him, she wasn't ready for a relationship between them.
She disliked him.
Signing the Nikkah contract had not resolved any of their issues between them, nor had it suddenly poured buckets of love in her heart. Their Nikkah had made it -at that point -Halaal for them to touch one another and that is as far as Maleeha wanted it to go to.
"Hey, Maleeha!" Zaakir shouted, gaining her attention after he showed her their place. "Listen, this is where you are sleeping tonight. I couldn't clean out the other bedroom without arousing suspicion in my parents. For tonight, you can sleep on the floor."
Maleeha was so shocked that it felt as if her eyes nearly fell out of her head.
"WHAT?" she yelled back at him. "The floor? The freaking floor? No ways," she said with raised eyebrows and a determined look.
She grabbed fistfuls of her long abaya train to avoid tripping even though she was wearing black All Stars as she walked around the room to the bed. "I will not sleep on the floor. Thank you very much."
He grunted at her stubborn look, her defiant look, but he tried to keep his temper under control. "I have never slept on the floor," he said calmly as he breathed heavily through his nose. "So, there is no way that I will start doing it now. And especially not for you!"
She scoffed, as if she couldn't believe his utter disrespect. "I don't care! I wasn't brought up sleeping on the floor either. I will not sleep on your dirty floors! You can sleep on it!" Her eyes were burning with lack of sleep, she was tired and moody, but most of all, she was emotional to a degree she did not understand. Her clothing and make up and jewellery added extra weight that she could not manage with at the moment. It all compounded on her and it made Maleeha twice as snappy as usual. "Look, whatever. I am going to shower and change," she told irritably as she walked to her bag and searched through to find her pyjamas. After she did, she hurried to the bathroom.
When she came out of the bathroom and re-entered the bedroom, she found him sitting on the corner of the bed in his own pyjamas. Many thoughts ran through her head, but she was too tired to thoroughly dissect them, as she ignored him and strolled to the opposite end of the bed and slid between the sheets. "MALEEHA!" he growled out annoyed. "That is my side of the bed."
She made herself comfortable in the pillows and bed, but she gave a satisfied sigh. "Yeah, well, I suppose you're sitting on my side then," she said calmly. "And I'm already comfortable now. Sleep well, I hope that the floor isn't too cold!"
He groaned. "You little witch!" he grumbled under his breath as he watched her fall asleep nearly immediately.
Her eyelashes fluttered, once, twice, thrice and then rested on her cheeks like an angel's wing. Her lips curled into a small smile and her hand arched underneath her head. Zaakir was amazed at how innocent she looked, nothing like the devil she acted liked and looked like while she was awake. He rolled his eyes at her and got off the bed and grabbed his laptop. Zaakir knew he wasn't going to be able to last with all the nonsense of a wedding. He knew he had to get out the house. He had agreed to marry her, and he had, but he was going to all that nonsensical functions afterwards. He was not going to be tortured that way, as it was, he was going to suffer his whole life with her. Unfortunately, he realised that he would have to take that annoying thing that he now called a wife, along with him wherever he went, or they would try to emotionally blackmail him into coming back home and suffer right along with her for those functions. Zaakir would not put it above his parents to manipulate him into returning for her.
Once he had his laptop, he planned everything out for their trip. All he needed was to go and withdraw the money from his bank account. Zaakir knew that without a doubt, he could take care of all her expenses, but he could also see that she was a proud child and she would not accept help from him.
He decided that in the morning he would explain his plan to her, and he would tell her to come with him. He knew that it would be a fight with her, but he steeled herself. She had a choice: she could come with him, or stay and face the horror of his actions.
"What on earth are you doing, Zaakir?" Maleeha asked irritably.
Abandoning the small suitcase on his bed half filled with clothing, he turned around irritably and glared at her. "What does it look like, dear wife?" he bit out sarcastically. "I am packing my bag. We are not going to be trussed up like some play dolls to impress some shit ass people I don't know or like," he added as he turned around and continued throwing in his t-shirts.
"Did you say 'we'?" she asked with her hands on her hips.
Frustrated, he turned around and sat on the bed, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Look, okay, I know that you are just as reluctant as I was about this marriage. Right?" he asked her.
She nodded, fire still gyrating in her eyes. "Obviously. Do I look like I even like you?"
He rolled his eyes. "No more than I like you. But that's not my point. They got the Nikkah done, right? Islamically we are married and you are my unwelcomed responsibility, even if I didn't want to. So, I know that if I leave you behind, my parents will use you to blackmail me to make me come home. Now, as much as I don't like you, I have to take you with me."
"You know," she said as she went and sat on his granite countertop. "I am not a ride and die type of girl."
"It's ride or die," he corrected her.
"I have questions. Like, where are we going? What are we going to do? Why are we going there? Does it have to be there? How long will we stay there? Where are we going to sleep? Is it safe to go? What are the risks? And will we have time to stop to eat?"
Despite not liking her much, Zaakir laughed. "I figured. You are one of those irritating girls because you use your brain," he said in mock horror.
"Whatever," Maleeha answered as she stared at him. "So what is the plan?"
"Well, firstly, like in the movies, we can't use credit cards or our phones. They will track it. You will need to get cash. As much money as you can get because we will need enough, for at least two weeks. Can you arrange that?" he asked as if he doubted she could do such a simple task.
"Duh, I'll draw the money from my account."
He groaned. "Oi, Miss-I-am-dumb-as-shit, we can't do that. It will immediately alert your father and mine that something is up! You see, your parents still track your account. You need to get it some other way."
"Don't insult me, you ugly lizard! You need to speak clearly."
"Ya Allah, please do not punish me this way!" he cried out dramatically.
"Shut up, old man," she said as she grabbed her phone and began dialling.
"Who are you calling?" he asked.
"I am getting the money," she said defensively and left the room. She walked outside on his balcony and waited for the call to be answered on the other end.
"Leah?"
"Oh, thank you for answering!" she cried happily. "Hector, I need a massive favour from you! Please!"
"Leah? Do you realise the time?" he asked, and only then did she realise his voice was thick with sleep.
"Oh gosh! I am sorry Hector, but I really need your help. It's very important," she said and he could hear the desperation.
He straightened up immediately and wiped the sleep put of his face as he pushed back the hair on his face. "Leah, you just got married yesterday. Did that ...man lay a hand on you? Because I don't care, I will hit him for even laying a finger on you."
She laughed. "No, Hector, he didn't hit me. He is just as reluctant as I to be married. He has some way of letting us avoid public eye now that our parents are happy to have us Islamically married."
"Thank God!" he said calm that she was safe. "What do you need Leah?"
She sighed. "Hect, this is embarrassing. But I need cash. As much as I can get. Him and I are running away for a while -and no!" she interjected when she heard him laughing. "Before you even begin making assumptions, he and I do not love one another. We will not be able to love one another. Please, just help me organise cash. Ask the group -tell them you want to get me a wedding present or something. I promise I'll pay back the money as soon as I can. But you can't transfer anything. My parents must not be able to track us."
He groaned. "You are making no sense at all, weirdo. What is the plan?"
She took a deep breath. "A roadtrip. He and I are going on a road trip."
"Okay. So, no electronics?" Hector asked.
"No, little stalker of mine. No electronics or technology, I presume. Except that I am taking my iPod with."
Hector laughed. "You will make sure to break every little rule, right?"
"Shut up!" she said embarrassed.
"How will I keep in contact with you to know that you are okay?"
Dejectedly, she answered. "I don't know, Hector. What I'll do is that I'll memorise your number and maybe call you from a payphone. But you can't tell anyone where I am, or where I've gone."
"Okay."
"Promise me," she insisted.
"I promise, Leah. And I'll get you the cash as soon as possible. What time must I get it to you?"
Confused, she turned around and hit her forehead. "I'll ask him now."
She started walking and yelled for Zaakir. "Hey! Idiot!"
Laughingly, Hector spoke to her. "Are you that averse to calling out his name?"
"What do you mean?" she asked as she yelled for him again, three steps from the bedroom door. "Idiot! Ugly lizard!" Stepping into the room, she faced him with a bored look. "What time are we leaving?"
Zaakir tried to hide his panting by giving Maleeha a disinterested look. When she refused to tell him who she was going to talk to, it intrigued him, it struck a chord in him that he didn't know he had. He couldn't name the unknown feeling in his gut, but he wanted to know who she was talking to. Then, as she spoke to a guy named Hector, he felt that same intriguing feeling, the desire to know, he wanted to know more about Hector. But more than that, he suddenly regretted asking her to get the cash. He knew he would have more than enough for both of them. Besides, he was wealthy and handsome beyond compare, and she was still just a student at university. It was crystal clear that she did not have a lot of money, but he knew she was a proud person and would insist on paying for a lot of those things. He didn't want to make her doubly uncomfortable. Then, he heard how comfortable she spoke to 'Hector' and he wanted to leave but yet he remained. When he heard that she was going to ask him a question, he ran as fast as he could to the room not wanting her to catch him snooping on the conversation. "After Zuhr, that way they will see us and not suspect anything. We will leave at about half past two."
She raised an eyebrow, but whispered a 'thanks' and then answered Hector. "Hector, we'll leave, according to the lizard, at half past two tomorrow."
"Okay, Leah. Don't stress okay? I'll get you the money before then."
"Thank you, I owe you big time."
"Yes, weirdo. But good luck on your trip, be safe."
"Thanks, Hector. I'll see you tomorrow."
When she cut the call, she found Zaakir's eyes on her with obvious distaste. "What? See something that you like?" she asked annoyed at the look he was giving her.
He laughed humourlessly. "More like something I completely dislike. Something I am stuck with for the rest of my life."
"Whatever. You're a jealous lizard."
"Shut your mouth and start packing clothing. We need the bags packed in the car by the time our parents get here tomorrow morning," he told her as he turned his attention to his own packing.
"How do you know that they will come here tomorrow?" she asked him. His absolute certainty in the fact made her feel uncertain and certainly annoyed her to no end.
He scoffed. "Do you think our parents are stupid? They got us both to agree to the Nikkah, but they know that there is a chance that either one of us will try to squirm our way out of it. Now, I know that they will come and check up on us to see that we are both 'okay' and together. So, if we are here in the morning and even if we are acting hostile to one another, it is obvious that we have no intention of embarrassing either one of them. Which will get them off of our cases giving us enough time to run away before the Walimah after Maghrib."
"Hmm," she muttered and then turned around, "impressive."
He heard that but, to his and her surprise, he said nothing.
When morning came, Maleeha woke up and made her fajr salaah glad to see that Zaakir had already left the floor and gone to the Masjid to make salaah. She smiled and made up the bed and the one on the floor that Zaakir slept on before she went into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee before settling down on the sofa in the lounge. The sofa was soft and felt like bed of feathers that she sunk into, and Maleeha was a little sad that she was leaving so soon.
"I don't like taking kitchen utensils out of the kitchen," Zaakir said irritably.
"Assalaamu Alaikum to you too," she muttered sarcastically.
"Wa'alaikumusalaam," he replied without a trace of hostility and joined her on the sofa.
"I just want to check with you, what clothing should I have with me?"
"Like I am some fashion expert. But a few pairs of jeans, some loose fitting t-shirts that are cool to travel in. Something to make salaah in and well, that is all I can think of," he answered.
She nodded and smiled at him. "Thanks. So, where are we going? Which car are we using on the trip? And how long are we going to be staying? And did you know that you missed out on one of the most vital things? Pyjamas!"
He sighed, but internally he was truly amused at her antics. "Whatever, just make sure you are packed and ready and that you have all the lady things you need."
She huffed. "Lady things!" she hissed under her breath, but nevertheless finished her mug of coffee before calmly walking to the bedroom in her long cotton baby blue pyjama pants with a fairly long short sleeve top that matched the pants. She knew that in the bag that her mother and sister packed for her, there was some stringy and skimpy lace pyjama that was meant to entice Zaakir. Her bridal pyjama set they called it. She rolled her eyes, she was being unnecessarily mean about it. It was a fairly decent lace nighty that reached her knees in a soft baby pink colour. The back was halfway backless with some strings that decorated it in a criss-cross fashion. It even had a long matching silk gown to go with it. But it didn't matter to her, nor him, because they hadn't married for love.
After Maleeha checked everything, she went and had a shower knowing that soon enough her parents and Zaakir's would be arriving at his apartment. She dressed herself in a dark pair of jeans and a loose and thin turquoise top with a matching scarf. When she came out of the room, Zaakir gave her a dirty look.
"Thanks for taking so long. They said that they will join us for breakfast -their treat," he told her irritably.
"Fine," she said annoyed and went to make herself decent, which was a light sweep of lip balm and eye liner.
True to their word, both sets of parents arrived at his apartment at ten o' clock with obviously surprised smiles that both of their children lived to see another day. However, they hid their surprise quickly and Zaakir forced them out of the apartment and into the cars. Maleeha's parents took them to a well known place for breakfast that happened to be a small shop that suited their somewhat large company. It served one of the best breakfasts. It was a large platter for one. Two fried eggs with a small serving of baked beans, mushrooms, a slice of fried tomato, two sausages and three pieces of macon with two slices of toast.
Even though this breakfast was something that Maleeha often had with her parents, she could never finish it and yet her parents always ordered it for her. After she had eaten what she could, her platter sat with her beans untouched, a few mushrooms, her tomato and all of her macon and one sausage. Zaakir eyed her with noticeable odium, she supposed it was at her wastage, but it was something that she could not avoid. She had quite loudly protested at it and yet no one paid her heed. She said that she could never finish that amount of food.
Maleeha looked up at him with pleading eyes as he sat across her with that angry look on his face. She didn't want to sit with the half full plate. "Pass it to me," he sighed and then ate it with a slice of toast that his mother had left over.
"Thank you," she said with a huge smile at him.
Their brief interaction was witnessed by both sets of parents with smiles on their faces. To them it seemed like one night of being forced together was a good thing. But it wasn't. It hadn't truly brought them any closer. It was a forced issue, something that made Maleeha fear the trip with him.
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A/N: Hey guys! Please follow me for little tidbits that I share as messages. Also, last update for a while. But, you can find me on Instagram as @TheAuthorNabeelah where I share awesome comments that make my day, quotes from my fav books and sneak peeks!