Chapter 42: Proposal.

*

"And perhaps

My 

heart craves

for 

what is not 

meant 

to be 

mine"

-2am-

*

Aanabia stared at the mirror in awe. Beautiful. She looked beautiful. She had on a black cotton kurti that reached her ankles with a maroon hijab. She had put on Nivea's strawberry chap-stick that colored her lips, a beautiful hue of red.

"You look amazing, Api" Nahal told her, smiling at her in the mirror.

"Thank you" Aanabia muttered, looking down at her hands. Yes, the answer would; a thousand times be, a yes. But am I ready?

"You will do fine. Relax Api" She smiled up at Nahal before she heard voices downstairs. Nahal smiled at her before rushing to the door and peering out. Aanabia looked back down at her hands which were clenched together on her lap. Nervous.

"They are here. But I only saw Qaidah aunty, Zaiha aunty and Yazdan's grandparents. The boys or the girls are not with them" Nahal told her and she exhaled a deep breath. At least they are not there.

"Come on, let us go meet them"

"Now?" Aanabia questioned and Nahal nodded, standing by the door. Aanabia sighed and stood up before walking to the door with careful steps. Now or never, Aanabia. Do it!

The two girls walked downstairs, with smiles on their faces. Aanabia could literally feel her heart ramming against her rib in her chest. Ya Qalb, Calm down.

"As salaam alaikum"

-

Yazdan stared at the wall in the living room with a frown.

"Any more staring and you would cast a hole in there" sassed Kayan and Yazdan frowned deeper.

"Why could I not go with them?" at his question, Kayan, Yahyah and Amyrah raised amused eyebrows while Kulthum and the twins began laughing hysterically.

"You are worse than me" muttered Kayan and Yazdan heaved a sigh. He leaned onto the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.

The siblings, Yahyah and Amyrah were seated in the living room of the Rashad House while the elders of the family went to the Sadaf House with the proposal. The siblings were enjoying seeing Yazdan in misery. It was a rare sight to see Yazdan Zaeef so...... flustered. Nervous.

"Ah. Yahyah, you are next" the sentence caused Yahyah to jerk up straight in his seat. Yazdan looked over to his best friend with an apologetic look. Kayan smiled at him, oblivious of the internal battle of Yahyah Rashad.

"Not yet." Or anytime soon. He thought dejectedly. Cheer up Yahyah. Yazdan is getting married.

"Oh well. Get married whenever you want to. Don't rush into it" Kayan advised and Amyrah let out a small laugh at his. He shot his wife a playful look. Yahyah smiled at them. This is what I want. Love. Is it so hard to love me?

"Guys, why don't we watch a movie and feast on sweets while we wait?" suggested Kulthum, already getting up. Yahyah shrugged and leaned back onto the couch he was sitting on beside Yazdan.

"What movie?" questioned Amyrah, getting up from beside her husband. Kulthum was already in the kitchen looking for food.

"Hindi"

"English"

"KOREAN!"

"Why don't we just watch news instead?" sassed Safwah when they had a battle of which movie to watch. Everyone glared at him.

"If its Hindi, what movie then?" questioned Kayan.

"If it is English, then what movie?" questioned Amyrah. Everyone got into a thinking mode. Just decide already! Please don't let it be some sappy cringy crying mo-

"Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" You know what, forget it.

"Let's just watch the reruns of Supernatural" Suggested Yahyah and everyone agreed to it.

Kulthum placed trays of savories on the coffee table just as the first episode of season 10 of Supernatural began.

"I have watched this" groaned Amyrah and everyone glared at her. She shrugged. Bhabhi I tell you. Yahyah's eyes were trained on the TV while his mind wandered other places. Why did she do what she did? What is fate playing at?

The first episode ended and so did the second one, and the third. By the time the seventh one ended, the elders were home. Yahyah watched Yazdan squirm in anxiety for an answer. He is so whipped. He chuckled lightly before his laugh died down when he realized his best friend is going in a family with the woman who broke his heart. Not the right time, Yahyah. Not the right time. Dwell on it later.

"It is a yes"

Yahyah watched as the simple Yes brought about chorus of happiness in the room. The boys yelled loudly causing the elders to flinch and laughter reverberated all around. Beautiful. He pulled Yazdan in a hug and felt his best friend's tears over his shoulder, soaking his cotton t-shirt.

"You are ruining my brand new t-shirt" he joked and Yazdan let out a small laugh, taking a step back. He could see the glow of happiness and joy on his bestfriend's face.

"I am happy for you" he told Yazdan who nodded at him. And he was. He deserves the world and I am glad it's Aanabia. 

"Thank you"

"Anything for you" he grinned and Yazdan laughed.

"I am sorry about-" Yahyah cut his sentence off with one of his own.

"When is the Nikah?" I cannot let the sorrows of my life shadow his happiness. Not today anyway.

"That........" Yazdan turned to his family.

"Nikah is something we did not decide on. It will be a family thing" replied Qaidah and Yazdan nodded.

"Why don't we invite them for dinner today?" questioned Zaiha and Yahyah, for once, felt the need to leave everything and go. Go faraway, get over her and come back. I need a break, Allah.

"Today would be hectic, tomorrow?" questioned Amyrah and the ladies nodded in agreement.

"Tomorrow it is"

Yahyah excused himself and threw a grin at the elders before walking upstairs to his room. Once in the safety of his room, he let the tears he had been holding back, fall freely. He locked the door and set down leaning on it. Why am I crying? Why am I hurt? Of course he knew the answer, he was just afraid to admit it. Afraid to say that somewhere deep down in his heart, he envied his best friend for having someone to love. For having someone by his side who equally loved him back. While he didn't. And maybe he was a tiny bit afraid. Afraid that this new change would separate the two, something he was not ready for. Physically, emotionally nor mentally. You have no right to envy him, Yahyah. He is blessed. You are too, just in some other way.

But no matter what he said to himself, nothing worked. The memories from the past haunted his mind. His father in the ICU, telling him to take care of his family. The broken family that left him scathed from head to toe. The one thing he wanted was a mother to love him, yet he couldn't get that during his childhood.

His father's funeral clouded his mind. The white Kafan, wrapped around his delicate body. What had I done to be placed in such a situation? His father's smiling face, the tying of the final knot of the kafan. It hit him hard. That he would never see the one man who stood by him his entire life. Alone. He felt alone. He had Yazdan, but he also had no one. Yazdan's family was his own, but also not. Alone, again. I stripped down my soul in front of her, and that was my mistake. He felt that with the dark past he has, the fact that even his mother left him with his father, that his father left him all alone, that he was different was enough to drive any woman away. And here I thought this one was different. Oh Allah. My prayers, I always prayed to you to not let my heart be attached to what is not mine. Why did this happen? Did I misinterpret my Istikhara answer?

"YAHYAH RASHAD!" he was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard yelling's outside. He frowned and stood up, wiping away the tears. He walked over to the bathroom and washed his face before throwing off his t-shirt into the hamper. He walked outside with a towel and opened the door.

"What?" Yazdan stood outside the door with a look of relief on his face.

"Nothing. I have been calling you for a while now" Yahyah nodded at Yazdan before turning back into the room. His head was pounding and he felt the blood rushing in his carotids by the neck and temple. I need sleep. He fell head first onto the bed and smiled in contentment. Sleep.

"Oh no no. You are not sleeping. We have to go shopping for mom and I am not, at any cost going alone" Said Yazdan as he got hold of Yahyah's hands and pulled him off the bed. The latter fell to the floor with a small thud.

"Migraine"

"You don't have migraine! Stop whining like a 90 year old grandma and get up!" Yahyah eyed his best friend from beneath his eyelashes. Let me sleep. My head is pounding.

"Fine" he muttered, getting up. He set on the bed and massaged his head before standing up. Taking his phone, wallet and a cardigan, he followed Yazdan out of the room. Reluctantly. This is going to be worth it. This is going to be worth it.

But will it? 

******

As Salaam Alaikum my beautiful Panda's! 

I am so sorry for not updating for so long. I had my finals which finished yesterday. I barely slept the night before so I slept yesterday. 😂

Anyway. I updated. 

Thank you so much for waiting patiently. 

Enjoy. 

| R - C - V |

xx, 

-Aalihha