Naina (Al-Ameen Family #4)

Kaleidoscope

IT'S A BIG DAY FOR NAINA AND ARMAAN! ENJOY!!

After Armaan left, I called Sanam. It took more than 30 minutes to get her to calm down but she agreed without hesitation to be my witness. Of course I was asking her to keep this a secret from her husband, and I wasn't sure if she wanted to do that. But she assured me, this was something she would do for me without question.

I still needed one more witness. I didn't have a wali ( a male parental figure) so I needed someone who could represent that for me. A part of my heart ached when I realized I had no one to fit that role in my life. I wanted to ask Namrata but I couldn't involve her in this just yet.

Without filling my head with more doubt, I called up Hasan.

After the formalities were out of the way, I dropped the bombshell on him.

"I am getting my nikah done tomorrow."

"Oh wow..." he sounded surprised to say the least. "Can I ask to whom?"

"Of course," I chuckled nervously. "It's Armaan Al-Ameen, he's a junior on the Indian cricket team, I'm not sure if you follow cricket."

"I do," he said simply. "That's an interesting choice."

"Yeah, I know... Hasan, I wanted to ask you to be a witness for me. I don't really have any family but you've become the little brother I've never had. And I trust you'll be able to keep this private for me," my breath hitched as I waited for his answer.

"I think I'm older than you."

That made me scoff incredulously. "That's all you got from my sentence?"

"Of course I'll be your witness Naina. I would be honoured to. I'll make up some excuse and come. Let me know when and where."

"Thank you Hasan. See you tomorrow."

Sanam showed up the next morning with a bag and a hair curler in her arms. She told me she had a brand new dress that would be perfect for me. For the millionth time in my life, Sanam rescued me from a fashion disaster.

After shaving and scrubbing every inch of myself that I could reach, Sanam helped me put it on carefully, avoiding my injuries as best she could.

It was a lightweight, chiffon, white gharara suit, with a light gold border. It was understated, yet pretty. She helped me get ready quickly. I put on my jewelry while she pinned the dupatta down on my head tightly like a veil. The dupatta was sheer enough that I could see easily out of it but anyone else would have to look closely to see my face under it.

We drove to the mosque together. This mosque was gorgeous, basking in the bright sunlight from it's vast windows. The walls were covered in beautiful blue tiles, a mix of Arabic and Mediterranean architecture, and the colours reflected wildly around us in the sun.

I felt like I was in a kaleidoscope and it made it all feel the more fantastical.

There were six white chairs facing the front of the room, with a few chairs in front of those presumably for the imaam (priest) . Armaan was sitting on one of the middle chairs, with Ali and Nazeeha sitting on the chairs beside him. Hasan was sitting on one of the chairs on my side, talking to Armaan.

I'm shocked to say the least seeing Nazeeha and Ali and I think so was Sanam. But I don't have the opportunity to react. Sanam sits me down, fixing my dress and everything before sitting down beside me. Nazeeha walks over.

"Salam... Naina," her smile is gracious and warm.

"Salam Nazeeha. Thank you for coming," I said earnestly. She gave my shoulder a squeeze before going to sit down.