And do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah indeed none lose hope in the mercy of Allah expect the most ungrateful people.

~The Quran, Chapter 12, verse 87

***

Everyone were sheading tears looking at Aahana who was the charm of the family. Aahana was the girl who loved being the child of the family and everyone did treat her that way. She loved getting pampered by her uncle and aunts and even they loved pampering her. She was the life of her cousins and the best sister to her brother. Her parents couldn't believe that the loud noisy girl that kept them engrossed would no longer be with them.

Aahana was sitting with her husband behind her meeting everyone from her family. Aafia walked towards Aahana and hugged her tight crying out loudly. No one uttered any word but just stood there looking the love between the two cousins. Rida stood at the corner looking at the emotional scene in front of her, her own eyes shedding tears. She knew that girls have to leave the house one day and every girl is prepared for it until the actual day. She couldn't take the sight anymore because she never did like this. With a heavy heart she walked away from there, in an open space where she could stop her tears.

She stood there thinking about her family. Her parent's fights never killed the dream of a happy marriage in Rida's heart, instead it made her crave for it more. She might not like how her parents fought and there were even some days when she wanted to run away from her family but she resisted that. And now when she thought of leaving her family, she shivered.

"Thinking about your time?" Rida turned around to see Safa standing besides her smiling at her with a raised eyebrow. Rida smiled at her and shook her head trying to avoid eye contact with her.

"The day I was getting married, all I wanted was to run away, because I hardly knew who Saif was." Safa whispered and Rida turned to Safa who was smiling bitterly lost in her own thought. "But see how stupid was I to even think of running away from such a beautiful blessing." She said turning towards Rida with a sweet smile making Rida to smile.

"Every girls gets sad thinking of leaving her parent's house, but that sadness vanishes when you have a husband who loves you to the core." Safa said and Rida nodded her head. Looking at Safa, a quick Dua escaped Rida's mouth to keep their family always happy and smiling.

"Don't worry, even your time will come. At least you have known your partner before time." Safa said with a sly smile, making Rida to look at her in confusion. She raised her eyebrow at Safa and she just shrugged at her. Safa turned around to walk inside when Rida's mind clicked. She ran after her and narrowed her eyes at Safa making her giggle.

"Just kidding." Safa said and Rida nodded her head. Since it was the last rituals and there were only family members, everyone had mixed. The niqaabi's had their niqaab's on. Safa walked towards Saif and stood besides him. He turned to her and gave her a smile which Safa reciprocated. Rida looked at the couple in awe. They might have gone through the worst but they are together, and that was all that mattered.

Just as she was turning towards the bride, who was about leave since the rituals and the meetup was over, her gaze fell on Rehan. She stood there thinking about him. Even though people thought they would end up together, she knew it was impossible.

He was far away from the expectation she had from her would be husband. She knew he was successful and Masha Allah an amazing person at heart too, but she still found it impossible to even think of starting a family with him. He was not the person to feel deep thoughts of every small thing and she was that. She felt a thousand of emotions at one. He might feel there is no reason to cry, but just for that thing Rida will feel her heart breaking, tears flowing from her eyes. She wanted someone who could understand that side of her. The side which was deep with emotions. The side which was hidden to everyone.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Rehan's eyes fell on her. He waved at her bringing her back from her thoughts. She smiled at him and he actioned her asking what was wrong. She shook her head and he smiled at her, turning his attention to Kaif who was whispering something to him and just as he turned away, Rida smiled walking towards Aafia, because at that very moment she had it confirmed that he would never be the kind of perfect she want in her life.

***

"I feel so tired." Faiza mumbled plopping herself on the bed. After Aahana had departure to her new house, everyone were in tears. Rida was forced by Aafia to come to their house again, but Rida politely denied explaining her that it wouldn't be good. After making her agree, she was now in her bed with Faiza, who was planning to stay the night in her room, lost in her thoughts.

"What are you thinking?" Faiza asked turning towards Rida while she turned to her sister. Faiza waited for Rida to speak but when she did not, she raised her eyebrow and Rida shook her head smiling at her.

"Nothing, just thinking how a girl's life changes after marriage." Rida said and Faiza nodded her head yawning.

"Why is it that we girls have to be the one who have to leave their parent's house?" Faiza asked and Rida was quick to shrug her shoulder because she herself didn't knew the answer to it. Whenever she asked her mother, she would just say that it was how it is going on and when Rida would ask any more question her mother would shrug her off.

Rida glanced at her sister who was now seeping, slightly snoring making Rida to smile her. She slowly moved her hand in her hair, utangling her hair that were in knot. Patting her cheek, she turned to the other side and closed her eyes trying to sleep, but sleep was far away from her.

After tossing and turning on her bed for almost half an hour, she took here phone and checked the time. sighing she got up and wrapping her hijab walked to her balcony, accepting the cold freeze that was coming her way. She sat down on the chair and started reading a book. She was so engrossed in her book that she hardly noticed the time. A message from WhatsApp made her check the time. Getting up knowing it was almost time to pray fajr, she did her ablution and prayed Tahajjud.

After she had done praying, she sat down on the mat when she heard the adhaan for fajr go. After the adhaan, she got up and started waking Faiza up. She groaned in her sleep but finally woke up.

"Faiza, it's time for fajr." Rida said and Faiza nodded her head and as lazy as she was, she got up with her eyes closed and started walking towards the washroom, banging her head in between making Rida to laugh out loud. Faiza glared at her sister and closed the washroom door with a bang while Rida was still laughing. After Faiza came out still glaring at her sister, they both stood to pray.

Just as they both were done praying, Faiza was about to jump on the bed but Rida handed her the Quran, reminding her that it had been so long that they did not read the holy book. Faiza nodded her head with a pout and sat down both lost in reading the Quran. After half an hour both got up, while Faiza jumped on the bed again and dozed off. Rida was still sleep deprived, so she made her way downstairs to see her mother making breakfast while her father was sitting on the dining table engrossed in his cell phone. She said her salaam and asked her mom if there was something that she could help her with. Her mom nodded her head and asked her look at the milk that would boil at any moment. She nodded her head and stood there looking at the milk not once breaking her eye contact.

"Rida." She looked up to see why her dad had called her and the moment she looked down she saw that the milk had boiled and was now all over the gas stove. Shocked she hurriedly switched the gas off and looked at her mother who was glaring at her.

"I was paying attention to it only, but then dad called and the moment I looked up it happened." Rida explained herself to her mom who told her move away and started cleaning the mess without speaking a word.

"I can clean that." Rida said from behind her mother waiting for her reaction but when she just banged the stove she knew it was better to be out of the place rather than increasing her anger. She walked out glaring at her father who was now no where in sight. She peeped in her parents room to se him, getting his clothes out. Sighing to herself she walked back to her room not wanting to blame her father by arguing while he pretend to be innocent.

Rida walked back to her room, to see Faiza not sleeping anymore and the entire room to be a complete mess. She rolled at her sister and started mumbling since she couldn't even keep the bed clean after sleeping for the entire night. She walked towards her bed and started cleaning the entire mess. After fifteen minutes, she was done with the cleaning, exhausted she sat down the bed catching her breath.

"Already tired?" She looked up to see her mother enter the room. She shook her head, still catching her breath. Her mother sat besides her and handed her the cup of coffee she had brought for her daughter. Rida gladly accepted it with a smile on her face. She waited for the coffee to be normal before she could drink it when she noticed that her mom was staring at her. She understood that she had something to speak about. She turned towards her mother, who gave her an questioning look. Rida raised her eyebrow and her mother smiled at her daughter's understanding nature. She took her hand in her hand and took a deep breath.

"Do you like someone?" Rida was caught off guard by the sudden question her mother had come up with. She thought that her mom was just testing her so with a smile, she shook her head and replied with a no.

"We have a proposal for you." Rida did not give away any reaction, instead waited for her mother to complete everything she had in to say.

"He are my best friend's aunt's son, his name is Sufyan and he is 26 years old. I have known their family from a long time and I know if you get married in that family you will be happy. They don't mind if you work after marriage too. Dad agrees to this proposal. He did not even think before saying yes since he knew the family already now its all upto you, if you agree then we will ask them for a year so that we get time to prepare for the marriage." Rida looked at her mother who was looking at her, with hopeful eyes and a smile on her face. She couldn't speak due to the lump in her throat. Clearing her throat she replied,

"I don't know, see whatever you and dad think." With that she left the room, and walked to Faiza to see her getting ready for college. Faiza looked at her sister who sat down on the bed without commenting anything on her. She understood that something was off. Faiza walked towards her and sat down besides her.

"What's wrong?" Rida looked up at Faiza when she heard her voice, she shook her head not wanting to discuss the topic with anyone.

"You can me whenever you feel like speaking about it." Faiza said and walked out of the room making Rida to smile.

Rida lost in thoughts, started thinking of the time when she use to be a teen girl and would wish to get married soon but now when she was getting proposal she was not interested. She didn't knew how she should react to this situation. She knew her parents always would want the best for her but the proposal did not fit right in her heart. She groaned realising that she couldn't even pray ishetaakar as it was that time of the month for her.

Without thinking anything else, she pulled out her phone and messaged Rehan about it. She wanted some advice, someone who could guide her to the right part and she knew Aafia could do that but she did not wanted to burden her when her cousin just got married. She waited for Rehan's messages.

'Think and do whatever your heart and mind tells you'

She read the message and groaned. This was not what she wanted without messaging anything she wrapped her hijab and informing her mom that she was leaving for Aafia's place, she walked out of the house. She started walking down the lane her mind drifting out most of the time.

She reached Aafia's place and rung the bell to be only greeted by Aafia's mother. She said her salaam and after asking about Aafia she walked to her room. She looked at her who was sleeping peacefully. Rida rolled her eyes and started pulling the comforter off from Aafia making her groan. After a lot of struggle finally she got up and sat in Indian position on her bed glaring at Rida.

"I did to speak to you." Rida said without wasting any more time making Aafia to raise her eyebrow at her with worried eyes. Rida told Aafia about the proposal and she couldn't help burst into tears. Aafia comforted her advising her not too cry.

"Say no the, if that's what your heart is guiding you to then say no. Don't stress yourself on this." Aafia said Rida thought back to it.

"Don't start with your family relation thing, its your decision at last and you got the freedom to say no." She said and Rida looked at Aafia slightly nodding her head but still in doubt.

"I guess yes." She said and Aafia shrugged her shoulder.

"It was this simple, you simply wasted your tears for no good reason." Aafia said slapping Rida on her cheek making Rida to grin at her.

"But know that you will now get a lot of proposals so better be ready for it and don't cry every time." Aafia said and looked at Rida.

Rida nodded her head agreeing to what Aafia told her. She knew what Aafia was saying was right and now she was slowly accepting it. She was now ready to face it if not now then at some point in life she had to get married so why not prepare oneself by now itself?