THIRD PERSON'S POV.

It was a day to her wedding and Zara was seated in her room, lost in the labyrinth of her thoughts, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her shirt. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Nana strode in, carrying a large paper bag. Without a word. She tossed the bag onto Zara's lap.

"Wear this and head out to the backyard of the main building," Nana instructed sharply, her voice leaving no room for arguments.

Zara opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, Nana had already turned on her heel and left, slamming the door behind her. The abruptness of it all left Zara momentarily stunned. She looked down at the bag with one eyebrow raised curiosity piqued. With a resigned sigh, she decided to go along with whatever Nana had planned.

Opening the bag and aggressively throwing out the paper rubbish on top, Zara found a beautiful pink dress with short sleeves and a trailing hem. It was exquisite, the kind of dress she had not worn in a while. She took off the outfit she had been lazing around in all day, slipped on the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress hugged her curves perfectly, accentuating her figure, especially her ample hips.

Unconsciously, a smile spread across her face. She had not smiled that brightly in what felt like forever and certainly hadn't felt that pretty in ages.

Zara tied the matching veil around her head and slipped on the white Hermes flats that came in the bag together with the dress. With a final glance at the mirror, she sighed and made her way out of the room, heading to the backyard as instructed.

The sight that greeted her took her breath away, literally. The backyard was transformed into a magical setting that matched her outfit perfectly. The space was adorned with colourful drapes and fairy lights that twinkle like stars in the evening light. A huge banner hung prominently, with "Welcome to Zara's Henna Party" written beautifully and boldly in cursive handwriting.

To her left, there was a food and refreshment bar, laden with an array of delicious treats and drinks. To her right, a doughnut wall stood, each doughnut looking more tempting than the last. Everything was arranged so beautifully, the attention to detail, making it evident that a lot of effort had gone into the decorations.

Zara felt like a Barbie as she stood there, taking it all in. Then Nana appeared, dressed in an off-white, off-shoulder maxi dress, draping an arm over her shoulders. The height difference between them was striking; Nana was so tall that Zara barely reached her shoulders. They shared a smile, a silent understanding passing between them.

"Come on, let's go,' Nana said, leading her deeper into the backyard.

They passed a group of girls, some of Zara's not so close friends and cousins, including Fatoo, Amina, Zainab and several others, seated comfortably on the dardumas, traditional mats. Henna artists were also busy mixing red and black henna paste nearby, preparing for the evening's festivities.

Zara's heart welled with happiness. Despite her reservations for this marriage, that moment felt special to her. Her friends had gone to great lengths to make the day possible and memorable, unlike her first wedding, which had been a stark contrast to the joy she felt at that moment.

As they approached the rest of the friend group, Fatoo looked up and grinned. "Look at you, Zara! Kinyi kyau sosai, wallahi."

Zara twirled playfully, the dress flaring out around her. "Thank you, Fatoo. I still can't believe you all did this for me."

Zara had suspected something was going on with her friends. They acted off and weird which was normally Amina's job, but they were all doing it. With all the suspicion, she thought they were hiding something important from her, what she never expected was a henna party.

Amina who had been sitting quietly admiring Zara's dress spoke. "Of course, we did. You deserve this and even more. And jama'a kunga ass. Excuse my french. Cut some for me." everybody that heard the last statement burst into laughter. Leave Amina to exaggerate everything.

After the laughing session was over, Zainab, the ever so lively one jumped up and hugged Zara. "And now let's get some henna done! This is going to be the best night ever." Just as Zainab said that, her phone began to ring and it was her husband. She turned the phone so they could see the caller ID which made them all mutter some "awws" at the way she saved the name. "You all can go ahead and start. I'll be right back. Mijina yana neman babyn shi."

They all sat down on the mats and the different henna artists began to do their work. The detailed designs slowly took shape on their hands and feet, each pattern more beautiful than the last. Laughter and chatter filled the air as they reminisced about old times and shared hopes for the future.

Despite the undercurrent of tension from some maternal cousins who were not thrilled about Zara marrying into such a wealthy and influential family and Asma who had been forced by her aunt, Madam Aliya to attend, Zara felt a sense of peace. The forced smiles and whispers of disapproval could not dampen her mood that night.

"You know," Fatoo said, her voice light, "I remember when we used to dream about moments like this back when we were in school. Who knew it would actually happen?"

Zara laughed softly. "Yes, and look at me now. About to get married...again."

Amina chimed in, "But this time, it's different. You have us, we weren't here last time and now we are going to make sure it's worth it."

Zara nodded, her eyes misting over slightly. "Thank you, all of you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Nana, who had been overseeing the event with a watchful eye, came over and handed Zara a glass of juice. "Drink this. You need to stay hydrated. And please shut that your smelly mouth and stop thanking us. We know we are the best." it would not have been Nana without the usual nasty remarks. That's just what makes her, Nana.

Zara took the glass gratefully while glaring at Nana. "Thank you, Nana. I have to thank you."

Nana smiled softly this time around. "Anything for the amarya. Now, enjoy your night."

Zara, seated on a table while others were on mats, was looking at her friends who were beside her. She had a smile on her face, thinking of what she would have done without them and how she would cope if they had not been there for her like the last time she got married with no preparation. She was still in thought when someone clears their throat. Zara looked up and it was Asma. The smile she had on disappeared into a blank look.

"Look at you. All pretty and glowing." Asma said bitterly. "Enjoy the moment all you can because when i am done with you, you would not even remember your name."

Zara scoffed at that. "You take your silly little threats elsewhere."

"I don't know what charm you used on Ya Ashraf to make him want you this bad but I assure you, it won't last for long. And I'd advise you to watch your back and sleep with one eye open." Asma said.

Zara hissed a long hiss that gained the attention of her friends and Zainab. "Dallcan get out. I don't have time for your rubbish neither do I have time for the so-called Ya Ashraf. But since we are on that topic, i'd like to say one thing," Zara flips her veil dramatically, something she had seen Amina doing. "I'm marrying him and not you, woooooo." She stuck her tongue out and looked Asma straight in the eyes. The latter was infuriated by that action that she simply stormed off.

Zainab and the others who were watching burst out laughing because they never expected such behaviour from their friend. "Wonders shall never end," Nana said, shaking her head. "A head on top of a table." Amina completed the saying.

As the evening progressed, the atmosphere grew more vibrant, completely forgetting a human being named Asma even exists. Music played softly in the background, and the scent of Bakhoor filled the air. The henna artists worked their magic, turning everyone's hands and feet into their canvases of art. Some had washed off their henna as it had dried while some were just getting theirs done.

Zara could her cousins, the ones that hate her with every fibre of their being, the feeling is mutual and the ones that were just there to see if she was truly going to marry THE Ashraf Suleiman Abbas. They all tried to mask their feelings behind polite smiles, but Zara couldn't give two damns and chose to focus on the positive. She was surrounded by friends who loved her and for that night, she allowed herself to forget about the past and the future just this once and enjoy the present. 

~*~

I'll just leave this here and come back after a month or two because the turnout is very low and it's not motivating. 

Don't forget to vote, comment and share sha. 

HINT: secrets are about to unfold.

With love and wickedness, Minaarfo🎀