The cool morning breeze kissed my cheeks and my scarf swayed from side by side. The wide sky was clear with no moon and stars were scattered across it like tiny bulbs hung over our heads. It was a night of ending days of the month.

I was sitting in my balcony as usual after tahajjud prayer gazing at the beautiful starry sky, praising The Creator. It had always been my habit of waking up an hour before fajr starts, pray tahajjud, sit here in balcony and do my morning adhkar while looking over the sky for as long as I could remember. After I would be done I would go over my previous day and mentally tell Allah ta'ala whatever was happening in my life. It was a childish thing I had started when I was a kid and it stuck with me throughout my life.

There was just something in gazing up at the sky and talking to my Lord. I would feel so close like He is talking to me only, like He's giving me attention only when the whole world is soundly sleeping. The tranquility I would feel inside me couldn't be compared with any worldly thing.

"Haya!" My mum called from behind me startling me from my little bubble.

"Ji ammi?! Why did you wake up?" I whispered afraid of breaking the calm.

"I woke up to check up on you. Beta you should have kept sleeping today. You were so tired." She gently scolded me

" Ammi ji don't you know this time and place is actually the stress releaser for me. And I won't stop it for the world. Don't worry and go back to sleep I'll wake you up in a bit in shaa Allah." I replied laughing.

"Alright! Whatever you say. Are you cold though? Take a blanket or something with you yeah?" See my mum worries too much but she's a blessing!!

"No ammi ji you go sleep I'm comfortable."

Ushering her out I turned around towards my favourite scenery; the starry sky and thought about my whole day.

Yes indeed today was a big and tiring day of my life. A kind of like a gate to a new beginning for me. Today was my engagement to Mr. Zuhaib Ahmed. Today I finally wore his name's ring in my hand and was officially his fiance now.

Gazing down at the ring I admired its beauty. I have to admit Mr. Fiance had a great taste in jewelry. It was a delicate band with a large diamond in the middle surrounded by tiny diamonds which covered the rest of the band too. Although in my opinion it was too much exaggeration for just a simple engagement band, the beauty couldn't be denied.

Shameem aunty, my future mother in law, and Ghazala Aapi, my future sister in law, had come last Saturday to ask my parents to make our engagement official. What problem would my parents have! So they had agreed happily and then started long preparations of just simply an engagement. But Shameem aunty was adamant that since he's the only son of her four daughters she'll do everything grandly and my parents didn't have any problem with it too since I was the eldest of five children.

I still had objected here and there and no one had given heed to my protests. There was so much exaggeration in my point of view on a simple engagement. I knew although we weren't poor but we weren't exactly rich either just comfortable enough with our requirements and I didn't want to burden my parents.

But who listens to me?! No one!

A small wedding hall was booked down our lane for the engagement function. My clothes, a beautiful anarkali in cream and golden colour, together with jewelry was sent to me by them in the morning only.

By 4 pm my stupid cousin and best friend, Hamna, had finally come to do my make over and help me get ready.

"You could have come after an hour sweetheart. There was no hurry of course." I had said sarcastically

I had told her to come over since morning only but she being the lazy bones she is couldn't have. I didn't want any make up and had begged her to keep it simple only. Me myself didn't know the first letter of make up even.

After lots of jokes and pictures we were ready by 6 pm. There had been an emotional scene when I had come out of the room and mama had seen me and I had to assure her that its just an engagement and I'm not going anywhere today. We were then escorted to the engagement place with my fifteen year old brother, Aamir.

My future in laws had come just after Maghrib salah at 7 pm and the party had started. Shameem aunty had put the engagement ring in my hand. She had asked baba if Zuhaib himself can put it but my father, being the strict male in this regard, had denied. After that aunty and his sisters had feed me some sweets and had given me gifts. Bilquis had secretly given me a beautifully decorated basket saying its from someone special and I had handed it over to Hamna.

Everyone had come to congratulate me and give me well wishes and the refreshments were served.

Shortly after the guests started leaving and I was sent home right after the guests had left together with Marium and Maria, my two sweetheart sisters, and Asad while mama, baba and Aamir had stayed back to clear everything.

Reaching home I didn't have wasted time in changing and going to kitchen. I had fixed a light dinner for everyone before they come as we were full anyways and then proceeded for isha salah.

Mama baba had entered home just as I was folding my prayer mat. Seeing me my mum had embraced me again. According to her she just couldn't believe I had grown up this much and now was leaving their home soon. Helplessly I had looked over to baba, nodding and hiding his smile he had consoled and taken mama to their bedroom.

Dinner was done in a light atmosphere with everyone telling their version of today's events and soon after everyone had gone to sleep.

But for me! Well that was a different case. Whole day infact since last week when all this had started I had kept myself busy and didn't let my thoughts wander but in the silence of my room tonight I had properly pondered over everything.

I was engaged now! I never knew when his parents asked for my hand but I had always listened his name with my name. Shameem aunty's
"Haya is my daughter." Was old. Ghazala Aapi and all others had always treated me as one of them and sitting with those four sisters I had always felt like I'm one of them.

The eldest was Ghazala Aapi who was 27 now and married then Dua aapi who was 25 and was married as well then there was Zuhaib who was 24, Farah who was 22 and finally Bilquis who was same age as me, 18, and one of my closest friends.

They had always been like a family to me and like my own siblings I had always considered them my siblings too. The difference was with my siblings I was the eldest and was always looking after them while with them being the youngest I was always pampered.

But all that aside I was in a different kind of relation with them now. Up til now I had just never seen them in that light. Not even Zuhaib. We were neighbors too and his dad was my mum's cousin so we were like kinda family anyways.

I tried looking for any feelings inside my heart I might have developed over the years I had heard his name with me but it was blank. I realized although considering them a second family I just never saw myself as his bride or never developed any feelings towards him.

It was a strange realization which had kept me awake for the better part of night. Finally able to sleep for a couple hours I had woken up again now. Pouring my heart out to my Lord I was at peace now and was ready to face a new day. For I knew As Samee knows what's best for me.

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakutuh. So here's the first chapter. Please tell me how is it or if there was something confusing in it or any other error please because I'm sooo sleepy right now. So um yeah that's it.
Take care!