Rigmarole Of Patience | TBH Trilogy 3 | Sequel |

06 ● Glitter

Just pain.
All pain.

The evening felt less tough on Jannat. Instead as soon as she woke up this morning, she felt like a burden would be lifted off her shoulder. A burden of constantly waiting for a miracle to happen. For him to notice her. For everything to work out the way she wishes to be.

The hustle and bustle around the house was evident when she heard her younger step sister banging at the bathroom door.

“It’s seven. Hurry up!”

The last thing that she would want to care about is getting ready. Why need to get ready when she didn't care how she looked? Heck! It's 2025 and she hasn't met the guy she is going to get engaged to. It is a small intimate function. Within an hour the groom's family will be here. She did not feel nervous. She didn't know anyone.

“Yeah yeah.” She had just woken up from her afternoon nap, feeling heavenly to sleep after lunch even though her sister, Ziah, warned to not take it. She pressed her palms to her cheeks, trying to compress the heavy swollen cheeks that might make her look puffy. She came out wiping her face in a towel. She had already taken a shower this morning.

“I told you. I told you sleeping will make it worse.”

“I can't survive without afternoon naps. I am sorry. I live for it.”

“I can see that.”

“Why would you lie about the time to me? It's not seven. It's a quarter left to six. I didn't sleep for an hour, Ziah.”

“Appi, you have less than an hour to get ready. Please start away. I need to take a shower.” One thing, Jannat had consciously noticed is the efforts that her family were putting in small details. She dropped the towel in the bed and walked towards her balcony. Opening the door, she stood outside to witness the beautiful beige and ivory decoration made outside in the yard. The soft beam lights that were still to be put on. The sunset sneaked in those white curtains. White blossoms stand at both the sides in a curved way with a backdrop. Jannat & Subhan. She breathed in.

“Subhan it is then?” Two white chairs were kept in between, with tenderness and hope. A hope to be fulfilled and a desire to hold. She came inside and yelled at Ziah. “Who did the decoration? It's amazing!”

“Of course Mummy and I.” Ziah yelled back from the shower. She wore the dark brown outfit that was laid down on the bed by her sister. The embellished work of zardozi and sequence shine out in enhancing corners as well as in the boat neck area. The fit felt lighter than how heavy she expected it to be.

Brown wasn't the colour she wanted to wear today. She wanted to wear the lightest shade of blue. The kind of blue that appears before turning grey. People call it pastel but if she could tell people about it, she would say; it's the blue that the sky is painted the brightest before the evening dusk appears. But they wouldn't understand, call it muted and washed out. Tell her that the colour doesn't suit her complexion, rather toned her down. She would tell them, it was the beautiful beginning she wanted to have but today she didn't have an option. She had a choice but not too many options.