Destined

05.

*Nora's POV*
"Noraaa, Nora wake up" Whispered Hafsa. I jolted awake, surprised by her voice. "W-where am I...?" I said rubbing my eyes. "In your husband's car." She teased me, smirking. I smacked her in the arm playfully, and laughed. "We're not married yet!" I giggled. Oh yeah, I just remembered I'm getting married to Omar in two weeks. Ugh! Why did I agree for it to be so soon! Hmm, should I tell Hafsa about this? I mean, she should know about it. After all, she's my best friend and I don't want to hide this from her.

"Umm, Hafsa..." I began. "Yes?" Said Hafsa. I wanted to get straight to the point, so I said, "My nikkah is in two weeks." The potato chip which she was about to eat fell from her fingers. "You're not serious, wait are you?!" She asked. I scratched the back of my head and told her that it was true. "Hold on, did Omar make you agree to this against your will?!" She said abruptly. "Actually, I agreed to it willingly..." I said. She took a moment to process what was going on, and then looked at me blankly for a second, which was followed by a teary smile. "I'm so happy for you Nora!" She cried, giving me a gentle hug.

"Oh, one more thing..." I said. "Yeah, what is it?" Hafsa replied. I was planing to tell her about the rumours about Omar but I quickly changed my mind when a thought popped up. A Quran hafiz, respectful and caring, genuine, thoughtful, and even someone willing to just allow my friend to drive me back to my house in his extremely expensive car, not worried about if it gets damaged but if I make it home safely. That was the type of person Omar was. You know what? From now on, I won't consider what he had done in his past, but instead, who he is now. Why? Because I trust him. I trust that Omar had changed and that he'd either stay that way or improve.

"You were saying?..." Hafsa said, which woke me from my thoughts. "Oh! Never mind." I told her. She then shrugged. We both noticed a sudden bright light, flashing from behind the car. "Who's car is that?" I said, peeking from my seat. "Oh...its mother and the rest..." I muttered under my breath. "Nora, you don't seem so happy that your family is here. Is there anything you wanna tell me?" She said worriedly, holding my hands. "N-no..." I replied, pulling myself back. "Nora, you can trust me." She said sternly. I let out a deep sigh and told her about my family issues. I didn't tell Hafsa about the rumours of Omar though, and I never planned to. Hafsa's eyes began to tear up. "I-Im so so sorry, I-I didn't even know what you were going through..." She weeped. "Girl listen, it's okay. I can deal with it for another two weeks until I move out and get married to Omar."

*Knock knock knock*
My mother was signalling for us to roll down the car window, so I did just that. Although, when I did, she let out a shriek, pointing at me and screaming "Monster!" Hafsa quickly said "No! This is Nora, your daughter!" Her saying that made her calm down a bit. My mother then turned her face to me. "NORA!! Will you for once wear some makeup?! Your ugly face scared the soul out of-" She stopped speaking once she realised Hafsa saw her say that. My mum smiled at my friend, telling her that she just mistook me as my brother, and because she is getting older, her eyesight isn't as good.

Honestly, not even the most gullible person in the world would think that what she said was true. "Hafsa! Hafsa, dear! It was her father. "Its freezing cold out here and its so late! Come on, we're going home." He said to her. "But-" Hafsa began. "No buts! Sweetheart, we just care about you." He said, gently grabbing onto her wrist. I waved goodbye, and she did the same.

After they drove off, my mother grabbed me by my ear, as she dragged me into our rusty shed. She locked the door, and began questioning me. "WHY DID YOU EMBARRASS ME IN FRONT OF HAFSA?!?! She shouted. Irfan was on a business trip, Amir was staying at his friend's house tonight, and my father was at Omar's to discuss things about the nikkah. Therefore, none of my family would they be able to help me. "NOW YOUR FRIEND IS GOING TO THINK OF ME BADLY!!!

Suddenly, there the door bell rang. My mother and I rushed to the door. It was Omar, and it seemed to be that he was hiding something in his hand, behind his back. "Oh how lovely it is to see you!!" My mother said cheerfully. "But why are you here so late at night?" She asked. "Well, I came here to get my car." Omar explained. "Ohh right." She said. "But I also came here to give Nora a little something." He smiled. Then, he handed me what he was hiding, which turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous bouquet of bright pink peonies. "Thankyou, Omar" I said, as he gave it to me. "You're welcome, Nora" He responded.

My mother's phone rang. She quickly answered then explained that she had to stay at Irfan's house to help take car of the kids with Zahra, his wife, because he had to stay at France longer after his flight got delayed until the following week. "I need to go right now." She sighed. After she left, Omar offered for me to stay at his house with his younger sister, Maryam for a week because I would be all alone at my house, which isn't very enjoyable nor is it safe. "But what about Amir? He's coming back tonight." I said. "Hold on, I'll call him."

*Amir's POV*
I was about to leave Omar's house when my phone began to rang. Who was calling me? Oh it was Nora. "What's up?" I said. She told me about what Omar suggested. Hmm, this could be the perfect plan for me to listen to their discussions about the marriage. I could also spy on Omar. Eventually, I would be able to convince that guy to not marry my sister. You see, I don't think that pathetic dude who has done so much wrong, marry my innocent sister. That's right. I'm pretty much Nora's only family member that cares for her. Anyways, I don't forgive Omar for what he had done. Not only to others, but to me as well. "Amir, why aren't you talking?" Nora said. "Oh! Um yeah, sure. Come over at Omar's. I'll also be here so yeah..." I said. "Okay, I'll see you then In'Sha'Allah!" She responded. "Yup." I said back. *Beep* The call ended just like that. Hmm, this following week is going to be very interesting.

*Omar's POV*
Nora hopped into my car, and the back seat to be exact. It seemed as if she liked the flowers I got her which was great. She kept on sniffing them, and then slightly smiled each time. It was a silent ride home, but we finally arrived.

To be continued...