Anisa's POV:
The room was silent.
Ali stood in front of the mirror, wearing his black Shalwar Kameez with sleeves folded to his elbows. He brushed his silky hair and pulled his bangs back. I tried to avoid looking at him, but I couldn't ignore him. There was a moment of interaction between us when I walked over to the mirror to tie my hair.
"I'm not done yet." Ali said, not looking at me. He was scowling at his own reflection in the mirror and I could sense the dark aura from him. "You've been brushing your hair for the past ten minutes." I told him. "They're going to fall off if you brush them any longer."
He did not enjoy the little joke I made when he shot me a glare. "I told you; I'm not done yet." he said and started brushing again. Even though I was feeling a bit intimidated by him, because honestly I had never seen him so angry, I picked up some courage and started talking.
"If you're angry about something else, don't take it out on me." my tone was soft. I didn't want him to refuse going to the dinner at the last minute so I tried to sound gentle. His scowl deepened but he didn't look at me.
"I'm not angry about something else." he said.
"Is it because of something I did then?" I inquired, genuinely concerned. He paused for a minute but then shook his head. "No."
I sighed. "Then stop talking like that. You were so rude to Usman back there and I felt really embarrassed." at that, he stopped his hands and put the brush on the dresser and looked at me. His eyes glowed red and I could see that he had turned red as well.
I gulped.
"If you're so worried about Usman then you can go to the dinner with him. Heck, you can go marry him too. I don't give a sh*t about what he thinks." he exploded, making me take a step back.
Things were finally making sense and the pieces were starting to fit the puzzle. I didn't want to get my hopes high or anything but it felt like...like… Ali was jealous.
At that moment, I didn't know what to do. If I didn't assure him, he might refuse to go to the dinner and if I did, I had no clue how to do it. Was there even something between us that he would get jealous? Uptil then, I was taking this marriage thing just a contract between our fathers. But if Ali was jealous, what did I mean to him to assure him or console him?
"I can't go with Usman and neither can I marry him." I finally spoke up. "Because, right now, you're my husband. Not him." I felt a bit nervous as I said that. It was the first time I had emphasized on our relationship.
My words seemed to hit Ali like a bullet and he looked up at me. The tint of blush on his cheeks didn't escape me and I bit my lip.
Oh Allah! That was hard.
"You say that but at the same time you laugh and open up to him like he's a long lost friend of yours or something." Ali sulked as he said that. The look on his face made my heart skip a beat.
He looked so cute!
I shook my thoughts out of the gutter and cleared my throat.
"I wouldn't have if someone wouldn't have left me alone in the house with him. I couldn't tell him to go away. And besides, he really is a nice guy." I turned the tables on him and he just huffed. "Of course he's a nice guy. You'll like any person who's not me."
Suddenly, he froze. He looked like he regretted saying that. To divert my attention, he picked up the brush and handed it to me.
"Here you can have it. I'm waiting for you in the car. Don't be late."
And he ran away. Like literally. For a while, I was stunned and I didn't know how to react. But slowly, a smile spread on my face and I started laughing. So much that tears collected at the brim of my eyes and I clutched my stomach.
It took me a few minutes to regain my senses and continue tying my hair into a nice, round bun. Reminding myself that Ali was waiting in the car, I put on my emerald earnings and my necklace. I fixed my hijab with two pins and walked downstairs, my heels making a loud noise as I took a step.
I saw the car waiting right outside the gate for me. Once I was close enough, I could see Ali typing away on his phone. I knocked on the car window which made him look up.
"Unlock the door." I mouthed towards him and he pressed a button on the right of the steering wheel.
The doors unlocked and I got in the car, bringing my matching bag along. The car was warm and the seats were comfortable. I straightened my clothes to avoid ruining the ironing. Turning around to face Ali, I frowned when I saw a shocked look on his face. The phone in his hand had been long placed on the dashboard.
"Is something on my face?" I quickly felt myself, trying to find the reason behind Ali's strange reaction. He shook his head. "No, you have nothing on your face." that made me cock an eyebrow at him.
I had to admit, under the moonlight, Ali's eyes shone brighter and his hair glowed. When my eyes traveled to his folded sleeves, I noticed his biceps. His chest looked oh so broad in the black Kameez and I would be lying if I said he looked any less than Zayn Malik. (Not the best reference though, lol)
As if answering my unasked question, he opened his mouth to reply. "I've never seen you wear lipstick before," he said. "Your lips look really nice."
I froze in my place as blood rushed to my cheeks. He looked like he didn't know what he had just said. It made me feel paranoid that he was checking me out. And my lips?! I turned around to avoid his gaze and looked out the window. "You didn't have to point that out." I mumbled, my hands shaking. Realizing what he had said, instead of changing the topic, he continued.
"It's true, Anisa. You look really beautiful." that made me look back at him and I thought he was being serious for a second. Before I could get nervous all over again, I reminded myself about last time he had tried to intimidate me. I put my nose high in the air and showed some sass.
"Oh really?"
He nodded, looking dead serious. I had already decided that I wasn't going to let his words fool me because he was just toying with me. He thought that he could trap me in his charms the same way he did to the other girls at school but I wasn't stupid. I wasn't going to let him get to me.
"I'm serious." he went on but I folded my arms over my chest and looked away from him.
"It makes me want to kiss you."
My heart stopped and my eyes grew into two big footballs. I slowly turned to look at him, my face burning a deep crimson red. I was sure my face matched the color of my lipstick then. My eyes met his intense gaze and I gulped.
I told myself that he would suddenly start laughing any moment now and that I should be prepared for everything. But that moment never came. Instead, my heart beat sped up and I felt my stomach do summersaults.
"You're kidding me… Right?"
Suddenly, he let out a sigh and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, ruining his hairstyle that he had worked so hard on. His bangs fell over his eyes and he looked back at the steering wheel. "Just… just forget it." He started the car, the engine roaring to life and pressed on the accelerator. All the while, I just watched him like a dummy, not knowing what to say or do.
Was he being serious? For real?
It seemed like it was the only question that was running through my mind.
As much as I was confused, I hated myself for feeling giddy. Something about what he said made me feel special. And I had to admit it, it was a great feeling. At that point, I was afraid that if Ali had leaned in, I would've actually—
Get your mind out of the gutter, Anisa!
I facepalmed myself mentally before cursing under my breath. Ali drove silently and he looked like he had a lot in mind. It made me wonder; was I really looking that pretty? Did I appeal to him? To the guy who could get any girl he liked?
My school was filled with girls with a beautiful figure and pretty blond and blue eyes. As far as I could remember, Ali would flirt with them but he never crossed the line. I knew he had that much dignity and respect for Islam.
But saying that he wanted to kiss me? I was not expecting that!
The drive ended and those thoughts were still swirling in my mind. As soon as Ali stopped the car, I took the chance and got out of the car in an instant. The house in front of me was glowing with beautiful lights but it was the last thing on my mind.
"You're forgetting me, Anisa." I heard him call from behind. I looked back and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry,"
Once he was standing beside me, I started walking and he followed. Everything was going fine until the tension rose up again. And at that moment, Ali just had to go on and say something weird again.
"About what I said in the car…" he started and I bit my lip. He hit the arrow on the target when he touched the topic I was dreading the most. "I just want to clarify," I didn't look back at him as he continued slowly. "I wasn't joking around. I really meant it when I said I wanted—"
"Okay! That's enough! You don't have to say the full sentence!" My face was burning with embarrassment and I had my hands held up in the air with my face looking away. My eyes were shut as I didn't want to face Ali head on.
"I understand what you want to say!"
Ali gave me a serious look, which didn't suit him at all. He looked like a totally different person. "Are you offended by what I said?" he questioned which made my hands fall back to my sides and my face lifted up to look at him.
I fidgeted nervously, unsure of how to answer. "What kind of question is that?" I mumbled under my breath with a voice that cracked. Ali narrowed his eyes at me. "It's a question like any other question. You just have to answer in yes or no."
I took a deep breath. "If you're asking if I'm okay with us… Uhh… you know…" My voice broke as I spoke. "With us kissing," I said the last word in a whisper to which Ali nodded, confirming that I guessed correctly.
Before I could finish my sentence, I threw my hands up in the air with exasperation. "Oh my God, Ali! What kind of questions are you asking me?" I bursted out, startling him too.
"I don't want to have this conversation with you of all people! And if you're toying with me, then please stop. It may be a daily routine for you to flirt with girls but this is new to me and I don't know how to react!" Finally letting out my emotions, I turned back on my heels.
"Now, please, can we go to dinner? Asma baji is waiting for us." I practically pleaded to him. He looked shocked, stunned, amazed—you name it. But when he finally escaped his trance, his lips curled up into an amused smile.
"Let's go." he gave up and started walking again.