Too Little, Too Late

13

The clock read 3:51AM when Ayra slipped out of bed, being careful enough to not wake Ibtihaj. The mini bridal shower which had only the both of them in attendance had ended at exactly 2AM so Ayra ran on barely two hours of sleep but she didn't mind. She was finally getting married so there was nothing better.

Dressed in one of the cotton pyjama sets she wasn't taking to the new home she'd share with Ibrahim, she stepped into the bathroom and proceeded to make wudhoo. The marble topped vanity was unusually bare and the rack only held two bathrobes and two towels; one for her and the other for her best friend. Everything else was gone and she knew that once the wedding was over, get family would only put in the essentials alongside mini bottles of whatever was needed for when she ever wanted to come home to spend the night or a weekend.

When she finished, she took in her reflection while wearing a small smile on her face. Her hair was loosely packed back with curled tendrils framing her face. Her skin glowed even better under the bright lighting of the bathroom space. Her dimples were as deep as ever and although she had dark circles, her eyes were brighter than they'd ever been. She was the perfect definition of an excited, happy, and content bride and she loved it with all of her heart. She knew the nerves were going to return in a few hours but like she'd been telling herself, they were for greater good.

Once she left the bathroom, she spread out her prayer mat and then put on a hijab. She prayed Tahajjud and elongated her last sujood, thanking Allah repeatedly for giving her the one thing she'd always wanted and then praying for her and Ibrahim to always be happy. She prayed for her parents to not miss her too much and to have fun like the teenagers they once were.

She prayed for Ibtihaj and her parents – Falilat and Al-Amin – to always be happy and blessed as they'd done so much for her. She prayed for the Hexad squad too; for them to always be friends and for Allah to bless them as they'd been the ones to help bring the wedding ideas she had to life alongside every other vendor. She then prayed for the Fahads to be loving, welcoming, and perfect; just like she'd always imagined them to be. She ended the Duas by asking Allah to make the wedding ceremonies go seamlessly just like the henna party had gone. She didn't want anything to wrong.

By the time she completed the entire prayer, it was almost 4:30AM and Ibtihaj was still fast asleep with glitter on her cheeks and a letter B shaped balloon on the left side of her head. Smiling at the sight, Ayra removed her hijab and folded her prayer mat. She put both aside and then put on her slippers before leaving the room as quietly as possible. The house, once she was out of her room, was buzzing and there was so much going on. Last minute fixtures were put in place under the professional eyes of Iris and Kim, and then there were the aromas that came together as one heavenly scent.

Overnight, the duplex had been decorated with a lot of flowers in shapes and colours, string lights, and drapes. The railings of the stairs and the upper floor now had flowers on them, string lights in-between. Ayra knew if she headed down she'd be unable to recognise both living rooms. The Nikkah was to take place in the main living room and then she and Ibrahim would move to the second living room for photos. As excited as she was to see what it looked like now that both spaces were decorated, she had something to do first.

So she walked forward until she got to her parents' room door. Knocking once, she let herself in and smiled at the sight. Muhsin was putting up his ironed outfits for the day while Salama burned incense in front of Ayra's gown. Both of them smiled back at her and Salama put the burner away before she fully faced her daughter.

"The bride is finally awake."

"Don't be dramatic, Ummi." Ayra crossed the space between them and gladly stepped into the older one's embrace. "I barely slept though."