We were smothered with kisses and hugs by our respective families as soon as we got out of the airport. Me, Riya and Mrs.Rose bid goodbye and got in our cars with our respective families and drove out of the airport. My family was excited to have me back.
It feels like ages being together with my family as we have our breakfast together. Mom and Ma have prepared my favorite dishes as they feed me lovingly. We talk a lot. Basically, I am the one sharing my experiences of my trip excitingly as they all listen to me happily.
After an hour or so I go to sleep before assuring Ziya that I will open all my bags of gifts after I wake up. I jump on my bed feeling its soft mattress against my palms. 'Oh how I missed my bed' I sigh as I lay my head on the pillow and soon doze off to sleep.
I groan as I feel the blanket being pulled off of me, "Hey let me sleep" I whine in protest stuffing my face in my pillow. I hear a sound of someone chuckling and giggling beside me. "Bhai, Ziya please let me sleep." "Common teddy you have been sleeping for the whole day. Its already time for Maghrib (evening prayers)." I hear Reyhan bhai speak. I wake up with sudden realization startling both of them.
"Whoa! Api, easy there. You woke up as if you have suddenly seen a ghost." Ziya laughs out. "Ziya, I did not pray for the whole day. Why didn't you wake me up early?" I complain making her roll her eyes. "Mom and dad's orders. And besides you were really tired so we thought of giving you some slack." She replies back. I realize my prayers have been inconsistent since my trip to New York.
"Common teddy get freshen up and perform your prayers. We are waiting for you in the living room." Bhai says making me sprint inside the bathroom. I perform my ablution and offer my prayers. I was still folding my prayer mat when Ziya enters my room. "Api Common now, all of them are waiting for you in the living room. Please open the gifts and show us the pictures." She smiles sheepishly at me containing her excitement. " I am coming. Did you on the laptop and fixed the projector?" I ask her. "All done. Common now." She replies happily pulling me towards the door.
I can see my beautiful family gathered in the hall. They smile lovingly as soon as their gaze land on mine. "Had a good sleep?" Dad asks. I nod smiling at him. "Uh... Api, bags..." I hear Ziya say eying the bags as I take a seat. Everyone laugh at her impatience. I open the bags and handover the gifts to all of them. Ziya is super happy to have all her things mentioned on her list and especially her stuffed toys. Later, I show them all the photos from our trip, to Khristina's birthday party. I introduce them to her family members and explain how we formed our friendship.
"Api, her brother is so hot! Ya Allah, I so want him to be my brother in law." Ziya whispers in my ear as she gawks at the photo. I snap my head in her direction as I look at her unbelievably. "Astaghfirullah! Ziya stop sputtering nonsense. You do know that is impossible and he is a christian for God's sake.." I give her an exasperating look. She smiles mischievously at me shrugging her shoulders, "So what, he is a human after all and that too a very rare hot specimen" I shake my head implausibly at her. "You clearly have lost your sense in my absence. Don't worry, now that I'm back, I will help you in gaining your sense back." I pat her knee playfully. She huffs and turns her head away from me making me chuckle at her puerility.
Later, we all have our dinner together before we all retire to our rooms calling it a night. I had got messages from Khristina asking about my journey and my well being. I reply to her texts and doze off to sleep.
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It has been months since I am back from New York. I got busy with my finals. Me and Khristina often talked to each other. I would also ask her about Anastasia and the babies. Sometimes Anastasia too talked to me but mostly she was busy with her work and family. I never dare to ask her about her brother. I dreaded to talk or hear anything about him. Those dark brown eyes haunt me in my dreams.
I don't know how oddly those beautiful brown eyes soothe me whenever I suffer from nightmares. Those eyes pull me out from the dark abyss. When an extreme form of asphyxiation descends over my throat, I glimpse his towering shadow with gleaming dark brown eyes. It approaches me rapidly and snatches me into it's clutches. Yet, somehow I feel a sense of security within its grasp as it carries me to safety.
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"Are you serious?"I snap at Riya. She is being unbelievable. "Calm down Addie. It's not a big deal, every girl has to go through this." Riya says trying to mollify my anger. "Not a big deal? How could you say that? Not a big deal huh!" I scoff as I cry. I know I am being unreasonable for getting angry on her, while it is not even her mistake.
"Shhh......please don't cry. I know it's hard for you dear, but please try to understand your parents too..." She says, wiping my tears. "I don't wanna get married. Can't you feel this? This...this engagement....this marriage everything is wrong. I am not getting a good feeling about this marriage....I don't know how to say but, I get creepy vibes from him....I don't...Ah...I just don't feel safe whenever he is around me." I try to explain her waving my hands in the air.
She frowns knitting her eyebrows resting her hands on her hips. "And why do you feel that? Don't you think you are over thinking now? You do know that uncle and aunt won't tie you with such type of person. And you yourself said that they have thoroughly investigated his background. He is a good looking guy. Though not as handsome as certain hottie from New York....." She trails off trying to lighten my mood. "Riya, I am serious here." I chastise. "Just chill out. Everything will be fine. He is a good guy okay. You just don't want to get married, that's why you are trying to find excuses." I gape at her giving her a confounding look. I thought she will understand me.
"I just need some time alone Riya." I speak as I don't know what to say to her anymore. "Okay, but get ready soon. The guests are about to arrive for the engagement party." She sighs, closing the door behind me.
I walk up to the dressing table as I look in the mirror at my crying form. "No one is gonna believe me." I shake my head as I cry more, reminiscing the day this drama started.
"Api....Hurry up...The guests have arrived." I heard Ziya whisper yell at me. "Coming....God you are behaving as if they are coming for my proposal" I groaned. "Ah! at last. Come lets go they are already here." Ziya said as I opened the door. I saw Mom, Dad, Ma and Pa talking to three other people which I was guessing were the guests.
"Assalamualaikum" Me and Ziya greeted in unison. "Walaikumassalam" Came their reply as we took our seats beside our parents. "Mashallah! Your daughters are beautiful. I am impressed with my son's choice." I heard the woman say. Confused, I snapped my head towards my parents.
Dad and Pa give me a 'we will talk to you later' look, as Dad introduced them to us. "Adiva, Ziya, meet Mr.khalid Fayad and Mrs.Bilkis Fayad and he is their son Aman Fayad." We both smile at them and I find the guy smiling creepily at me. I try to hide my annoying look and focus my attention somewhere else.
Later, they all had a chat for sometime before the dinner was served. As we all sat across the dining table having our dinner, I found someone's gaze on me. I looked up while eating and true to my thoughts, I saw the guy checking me out. Trying not to be rude, I gave him a small smile while giving him a quick glance. 'Hmm...He is good looking. I can say that. But why is he staring at me creepily?' I thought while looking back at my plate.
"Adiva, we need to talk to you. Come." Dad motioned me towards their room as soon as the guests took their leave. "Whats going on? What was the lady trying to say? " I bombarded them with questions as soon as we entered their room. "And Dad, that guy was so creepy. He was continuously staring at me as if I was a piece of meat. Didn't you notice? How could you let him stare at me? " I continued my rant. "Calm down young lady, let's sit down first okay? Then we will answer all your questions." Dad said gripping my shoulders making me sit on the bed. I huffed in annoyance as I interluded for their answers. "Adiva dear, you do know that, we will always look for the best for all the three of you." Dad said taking my hand in his as Mom, Ma and Pa took their seats across me. I nodded my head. "Yes dad, we trust you. But, what does that have to do with this?"
"They had come for your proposal." Wait, did I hear him right? "Wait....Wait...Come again.."
"Yes dear, you heard him right." Mom confirmed. I looked at them with wide eyes as mom continued excitingly. "They first saw you when we had been to Mahira's wedding in Chandigarh. The boy liked you instantly. Hence, they contacted us through your uncle and proposed us for your marriage."
"But Mom, Dad I am just 19yrs old. I don't want to get married so soon. " I tried to reason out. "I know honey, but we won't be getting good proposals every time. Besides, Aman is really a good guy. If he wanted to, he could have tried to lure you in his trap without letting anyone of us know. But he didn't do that. Like a good gentleman he is, he came with his parents for your proposal. And don't worry Jaan, I have already gone through his background check. He is a good guy. Besides, he has his own business flourishing in Dubai." Dad continued on praising him.
"I know you didn't see him properly as you were busy sulking in your own self. So, have a proper look. He really is a good looking guy." Mom said passing the photo in my hand. "Why should I see it when I don't wanna get married? Pa, why don't you say anything to dad?" I said getting annoyed.
"Sweetheart, try to understand....." "No! I am not gonna marry and that's my final decision." I cut him mid sentence as I angrily got up from the bed stomping my foot.
"Enough!" Dad bellowed, giving me a pointed glare. "You young lady are getting married and that's final. Get ready, you will be engaged in two days. Layla, Khadija bhabhi, start preparing for the engagement." I look at mom with teary eyes and run out of their room. I was about to dash towards my room when I heard Pa speak," You didn't have to do that Ahsan. She is not ready." "You know I can't do that. You very well know the situation. And you know why we are doing this." I was confused when I heard dad's voice speak. Why are they talking in a cryptic manner? Nonetheless, I ran towards my room teary eyed. I cried the whole night to sleep.
"Addie, Common now, all the people have arrived already." "Yeah Api, hurry up." I hear Riya and Ziya calling through the door, bringing me back from that day's memory. I quickly wipe my tears, fix my makeup and adjust my dupatta. Plastering a fake smile on my face I open the door. "Wow Api, look at you...You look so beautiful." Ziya gushes as she hugs me. "I agree" Riya says, as she hugs me too.
"Common now let's get you engaged." Riya says smiling at me as we walk towards the living room. My parents had kept an intimate engagement party at the groom's family's insistence. They wanted to have a small party. Dad agreed on only one condition, that there will be a grand wedding bash. I am least interested in any of those things, as I am just following their orders like a robot. I am made to sit beside the groom as we enter the living room.
No sooner the engagement ceremony commences and as we exchange the rings, I realize Aman holding my hand longer then necessary as he caresses the back of my hand with the pad of his thumb making me slither. I shiver as I feel disgusted and abruptly withdraw my hand to see him giving me a sly evil smirk. His eyes giving me an evil look. My eyes widen as I realize something. 'Those eyes!!...I have seen them somewhere. I don't know where....But I am sure I have seen those green eyes somewhere'. I look away from him as fear creeps in my body. I sense a queasy feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I detest his presence. I just want to get over with this soon. I again plaster fake smile at everyone congratulating me.
Suddenly I my mind reminds me something, 'Yes! they remind me of the eyes I see in my nightmares. Could he be? No...No...No this can't be. I am just overthinking and they are just my nightmares they can't be true. I am just overthinking and taking everything around me in a negative way. No! I should be positive maybe, then I can see everything good around me. After all they are just nightmares. I can't let them percolate my thoughts.' I shake my head shrugging of the negative feeling.
"You look gorgeous pretty face." I get startled as I hear Aman whisper in my ear. "Umm....Thanks I guess." I reply turning away from him. God I so badly loath that endearment. It feels as if thousands of spiders are crawling up on me. 'Pretty face' that endearment... I hear in my nightmares too.....Am I overthinking or is it just a coincidence? Ughh....I groan internally. Maybe I am just overthinking due to all the negative energy I have piled up since the last two days. Yeah that's right! I am just overthinking.
The next one hour I ignore him as much as possible keeping myself busy talking to the guests. The guests start to leave soon after the dinner. I am more than happy to get over with this. I heave a sigh of relief as soon as Aman and his family take their leave.
"We have fixed your wedding date two days after your graduation." Dad announces. "Dad, at least let me enjoy some of my freedom. Don't you think it's too soon?" I reason out nervously. Dad smiles at me, "The groom's family want to have the wedding as soon as possible as Aman has to return back to Dubai. He is quite a busy person."
'I don't understand what's wrong with these people. If he is such a busy person he can go back to Dubai and return before the wedding. What's so hurry?' I wander.
"Anyways, I am going to sleep. Shab bakhair(Goodnight)." I wave at them walking towards my room.
"Api, I want to sleep with you today." Ziya declares.
"Okay come" I say smiling at her. She hugs me sideways as we walk towards my room.
Ziya cuddles me as we sleep. "Api, Do you like Aman?" She asks resting her head on her palms. I am completely caught off guard by her question. "Where did that come from Ziya? Let's sleep okay." I try to evade her question.
"I know you don't like him. Even I don't like him." She says winking at me as I look at her completely stupefied. "Why did you ask when you know?" I am curious now. "Nothing, I just wanted to confirm." She shrugs her shoulder. "I don't know Api, I get bad vibes from him. God knows what our parents saw in him, that they are so ready to marry you off to him."
'Thank God at least Ziya noticed besides me. Or else, I was thinking of me being paranoid.'
"I don't know Ziya. Just pray to God that we soon get out of this predicament." I say her. "Hmm" Se hums in response as she hugs me tightly. I kiss her forehead as she smiles at me.
The next morning I try calling Reyhan bhai but his phone went on voicemail. "Bhai. I miss you...When will you be back from your business trip?" I message him. It has been a week since he had to leave abruptly when we got the news that one of our factories had been caught in a dangerous wild fire. Thank God there were no major casualties. Just some minor injuries to the workers working in their night shift. Bhai left two days before Aman's family had come for the proposal. Had he been there I would have not been facing this.The factory is based in one of the very remote areas where you hardly get a phone network making us more difficult to contact him. A lone tear escapes my eye as I think about it.
It was something after one hour that I received back his message. "I miss you too my teddy. I don't know when this will be over. Was too busy with the meetings hence did not see your call. After successfully finding the network I am able to message you. I don't know whether I will be there for your wedding or not. But I'll try my best to at least be present for your wedding.....Give my greetings to our parents and tell Ziya I miss her too..." I cry reading his message. Reyhan bhai is our moral support and our shadow. He is not here with me when I need him the most.
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Astaghfirullah- May God forbid
Jaan- Love
Mashallah- God has willed it.
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Hey my lovely guys....How are you all? I hope you all are fine and staying safe. I was busy these past few days hence couldn't update on time......
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Until then goodbye....