Accepting You

Chapter Twenty Eight

Yusuf steadily picked up the pen. 

His eyes grazed over the conditions of his marriage and the vows of love printed on the thick sheet before he repeated his signature on the nikkah certificate.

"That's it," the Imam stated.

"That's it?" Yusuf's parroted.

Yusuf was a trainee solicitor, so he was no stranger to how quickly things could be concluded and settled with a signature, but today was different. This time, his signature signalled a start, not a stop.

"That's it," the Imam repeated with a wide smile. "You've signed your nikkah and legal certificate. The mahr's been paid. You and Asiya are married and free to do as you like."

"You hear that, bro?" Dawood jumped on Yusuf's back, nearly tackling him to the ground. "You're married! You're married!" he sang as he rubbed his knuckle on Yusuf's head.

"To you or Asiya?" Adam drawled as he pulled Dawood off Yusuf.

"Congratulations, Yusuf," Asiya's dad beamed as he lifted Yusuf onto his feet and embraced him. "Barakallahu lakuma wa baraka alaikuma wa jama'a baynakuma fi khair."

"Welcome to the family," Farooq said, patting Yusuf on his shoulder.

"Thank you," Yusuf said.

Handshakes and backslaps with congratulations and thank yous were completed quickly. 

Yusuf's nikkah had been small. 

Barely any of his external family members had been invited, and he didn't have many friends. Asiya's guest list naturally outweighed his own.

"We'll wait for the girls to finish," Asiya's dad chuckled. "I'm sure they have instructions."

"Welcome to married life, bro," Adam sniggered as he elbowed him in his side.

Yusuf grinned and patiently tucked his hands into his pocket while he waited for the squeals and chatter to die down on the other side of the curtain.

"Let go of her, Aminah!" Yusuf heard Kulthum bark. "She shouldn't be hugging you! She should be hugging Yusuf! Open the curtains!"

Yusuf didn't have time to prepare. The curtains pulled apart like Kulthum's words had been a click of a finger.

The women flooded into the men's side like water breaking through a dam.

Aminah handed her baby to her husband, and Asiya's dad wove his hands around Asiya's mum. Asiya's friends scurried forward with mini cameras to capture his and Asiya's first moments.

Yusuf barely saw Asiya shyly step forward before his mum and aunt squashed him with a hug.

"Congratulations, beta," his mum cooed as she stroked his face.

"Your bride looks gorgeous," aunt Zulaihat winked before she moved out of the way, restoring Yusuf's view of Asiya.

Asiya gave Yusuf an awkward wave. "Hello."

Yusuf stared at Asiya. Now that he was allowed to shamelessly look at Asiya, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

Kulthum held her camera and moved around them like a whirlpool collecting and combining sand, leaves, and rocks with its movements, encouraging him and Asiya to move closer together.

Yusuf didn't want to.

He wanted to memorise the image of Asiya, to absorb her picture into his mind until his memory was soaked with it, so when he closed his eyes, she would be all he saw.