Falling Innocently

Chapter 12 -Wedding Jitters

Chapter 12 –Wedding Jitters

The Messenger of Allah {S.A.W} said: “Souls are like crowds which gather together. The ones who met before get along well. The ones who did not meet before, cannot get along very well and separate.”

                                    -Bukhari

Waliya was stunned. Her very own prince charming was walking toward her, yet unlike every other Western fairytale, his eyes were downcast and he hadn’t looked up at her. His father and brothers followed in his example. It was only his mother and his sister in law and Aahil’s nephew that were looking at her. And the rest of the female guests, of course. Waliya tried not to freak out, but that was impossible. She was after all, in nature, a panic mechanic.

“Lower your gaze, lower your gaze,” she chanted under her breath to herself, but she found that she couldn’t even adhere to her own advice.

His black kurtha was simply …plain, yet she couldn’t help but stare as it hung of his huge frame. His kurtha wasn’t a glove on his body –tight and showing off his build –no, it was made for him. It fit him perfectly. It made his already broad shoulders look even broader, his lean arms looked longer and he looked taller. But Waliya saw none of this. She stared at the way he walked towards her –and that was it. His simple act of walking made her stare. She was amazed at his grace.

It was only later that her friend Jade explained all this to Waliya in the comfort of her room after the engagement. At that moment, Waliya glanced at Jade who had faked coughed. She was staring too long. With a slight tilt of her head, she nodded discreetly at Jade. “Alhamdulillah,” she whispered, and then like the perfect ride, she lowered her head.

“Waliya,” her future mother in law spoke. “Lift your head, dear.”

Waliya obeyed as her family surrounded her too. “Assalaamualaikum,” Waliya greeted the men.

“Wa’alaikumusalaam,” Aahil replied before anyone else. Within seconds, they echoed him. From her amazing vantage point, Asmaa noticed the slight colour in his cheeks, as he blushed. Asmaa found it truly endearing the way her best friend and Aahil were acting towards one another.

“Waliya, dear, lift your left hand,”Husna said. Lifting her hand, Waliya quickly looked at Aahil, just to find that he was already looking at her. She smiled and then in a second, a thin white gold band was slipped onto her finger. In the centre lay a diamond, glittering and sparkling, demanding attention against her skin.

“Subhanallah! This is beautiful!” she told them, and Asmaa watched the smile on Aahil’s face reach his eyes.

Nafeesa then passed Waliya’s ring for Aahil to her father, who slipped it on Aahil’s finger. It was done. It was official. Waliya was engaged to Aahil.

 

Waliya turned into her pillows that were surrounding her like a wall around a castle. Her thoughts of her engagement all dissipating like mist in the presence of the sun. “Aahh! I can’t help but think about my wedding in like, three days!” she said nervously.

“You lazy bum, get up and pack,” Asmaa said as she threw her some clothing.  “You need to have all your stuff packed.”

“She’s right, you know,” Jade threw in, annoyed that she had to be the one to pack away all Waliya’s accolades –trophies, certificates and the like. “Jeez, Wals, have you ever heard of dusting?”