Accepting You

Chapter Twenty Four

"Damn that rock is fat," Ruqayyah whistled.

Asiya tilted her hand sideways, and her friend's heads followed suit.

"The camera did not do its size justice. You could split that diamond into three and give Olivia and me a decent sized ring," Ruqayyah said, causing Asiya to laugh.

Asiya had met Ruqayyah at an ISoc event during her first year of university. The two were nervous freshers who had decided to hold each other's hands and hadn't let go of them since.

"I know right," Olivia nodded.

"Do they sell other Yusuf models online?" Ruqayyah asked.

Asiya laughed. "Sorry, I think he's one of a kind."

"Damn," Ruqayyah jokingly cursed. "He hasn't got any brothers?"

"He's an only child," Asiya giggled.

"I love this for you!" Olivia squealed as she skipped into the space beside Asiya and gave her a hug. "You're going to make a beautiful bride, and we will help you have the best wedding ever!"

"Yup, inshAllah," Ruqayyah said as she sat down.

"Thank you. Both of you," Asiya said as her head turned between her friends, capturing what could possibly be their final memory together.

Asiya met up with Olivia every Friday evening.

She and Ruqayyah could take spontaneous trips to the borough markets or make never-ending daisy chains while they chatted in the park after their Quran classes.

Asiya could prop her phone up against the wall, press some numbers, and have her sisters surrounding her for hours because she had the space in her single life to do so.

Once she was married, all that space Asiya currently split with her family and friends would need to be reshared, and it would probably result in them getting a thinner portion of her.

She and Yusuf would be living together, eating together, sleeping together.

Yusuf would physically be in Asiya's space. There was no way he wouldn't take away some of it.

"Right, what else is there to organise?" Aminah asked as she placed a tray with mugs of tea on the coffee table.

Asiya flicked through the wedding planner Olivia had gifted her, picked up her pen, and ran through her checklist. "The masjid's been booked for the nikkah and the garden for after. The decorators for the nikkah have been booked and paid. The caterer's sorted. I've contacted the lady about the cakes, mum has put out enquiries about a hall for the walima, my nikkah outfit is sorted, Olivia's kindly doing my makeup, mum has started looking at fabrics for the walima, dad said he'll sort out the food–"

"What about your mendhi?" Hannah interrupted.

"Oh." Asiya balanced her planner on the coffee table. "I hadn't considered that."

"It's not our tradition to have one," Asiya's mum said.

"Well, this wedding seems to be only about your traditions," aunt Hina jabbed.

"Well, it is Asiya's wedding," Aunt Zulaihat retorted, mockingly matching aunt Hina's disgruntled tone.

Aunt Zulaihat was Yusuf's dad's eldest sister. According to Yusuf, her contact with his family had been inconsistent since his father had passed, but Yusuf had reached out and made it clear to everyone that he wanted her to be involved.

She was Nigerian, so she could bond with Asiya's family over that, and she had experienced a relationship with Yusuf's family.

She was the perfect peacekeeper.