Amidst The Wedding Chaos

Four

Aayan wasn't talking to me.

It shouldn't have bothered me, it really shouldn't have. In fact, I should've prayed shukranay ke nifl that he was finally leaving me alone. But I admitted I didn't really like it all that much. The way he'd frowned at me and shook his head before he walked away after I'd found my heels was stuck in my head. He'd even said that I was always thinking the worst of him and I'd blamed him so much that I automatically assumed that anything wrong in my life was his doing.

Partially true. But it had... hurt. But I deserved it, too. For a brief moment at night, once I'd laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling long enough, I thought I could go and apologize to him, then immediately threw that thought out the window.

He'd never apologized for any of his mistakes in the past. Why should I?

"You're too silent. Something's bothering you, isn't it?" Her voice snapped me out of my reverie. Kanwal side-eyed me, half in concern and half in suspicion. I just shook my head like all the other times when someone asked what was up with me. Of course, everyone noticed. It was my sister's wedding and I had naturally been excited, but now I was barely speaking.

She kept staring at me but chose to stay silent until... The light over our heads started flickering before going out and I gasped. I hated the dark, so, so much. And though the light had already gone off thrice today— for ten, seven, and fifteen minutes respectively. I ended up frightened every time.

The fear had largely to do with scary stories that quite literally haunted me since childhood, and the one time I'd accidentally ended up locked in the bathroom with the lights off.

I immediately felt Kanwal by my side as she hooked my arm with hers and whispered reassurances to me until the light was back on in a minute.

Just that minute was long enough to send my heart hammering.

"Light jalayein ge yeh hamare ghar ki!" Someone yelled out, sounding very much like my mother's sister. Beside me, Kanwal snickered, causing me to laugh as well before we both clamped our hands over our mouths to shut up.

And again, as evening dawned upon us, we started dressing up for the mehndi function which was another simple function set to happen in the lawn next door. What I found funny was how none of us had mehndi on yet. Maimoona Appi's mehndi would be done tonight, while the rest of us would get it done tomorrow in the morning.

I slid on the few churiyan on my wrist, leaving space for the gajrey to go on as well. Kanwal did the same before she handed over her paranda to me to weave through her hair into a braid, then did the same with my hair.

We looked more like sisters than Maimoona Appi and I did. I hugged her, crushing her to myself. "I know you don't have any sisters but I promise to dance the hardest I ever have on your wedding."

She chuckled and squeezed me even tighter. "And I know that you have a sister but I, too, promise to dance the hardest I ever have on your wedding— unless I trip and fall, which is very likely." We both laughed at her words because it was very much possible for her to fall. She'd fallen so many times in her life that everyone who knew her was surprised that she hadn't broken any bones yet.

From meeting when we were five to sticking together until we were twenty five with many more years of friendship together, Insha Allah.

"Let's go now." She slid her arm through mine as we walked out of the room, instantly taken by my mother who muttered 'Masha Allah' over us and gave us her well wishes.