A Vow Of Love (Book #2) (Completed)

Chapter 28: A Bollywood Moment

TARIQ FALED

My palms were sweating and there was a steady thumping in my ears which I assumed was my heart going crazy. I rubbed my palms together as I sat on the living room couch where the nikah was going to take place. My white and gold sherwani made me uncomfortable and I wondered how the Indian grooms managed to spend hours in it. The only reason I'd worn it was because I knew Eman wanted me to and like I'd said before, every breath I took now was to make her happy.

Mama and Fahad sat on either side of me, the former's hand on my knee as if she could feel the nerves eating at my insides. The sheikh was sitting in the same armchair I had sat on when I had asked Kabir for his daughter's hand in marriage, his gaze fixed on the paper in his hand.

It hadn't been difficult to get the nikah papers made in such short notice. I didn't think it was a secret that when you have enough money, you could get anything done for the right price. This was one of the rare times I was glad that I had the wealth and influence to get things done whenever and however I wanted them.

I glanced at the living room door, waiting for both Eman and my sister to show up. Alina had yet to arrive. I wasn't sure that she would come at all. I had called her to apologize. She said that she accpected my apology and would be here on Saturday with Warda but my sister was unpredictable. For all I knew, she had been lying about forgiving me.

I blew out a breath as I pushed thoughts of her out of my head. Even if she didn't show up tonight, I would still get married to Eman. And even if Warda didn't see me getting married, I would have a wife and she would have to leave me alone.

Scanning the room, I tried to calm myself down. I focused on my friends who were scattered around the room. Jace was leaning against the window, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a purple kurta and a white dhoti. Ahvi should have been on his arm but she had gone to get Eman. Jace offered me a smile when he found me looking at him and I dipped my chin slightly in a subtle nod.

I dragged my gaze away from him, focusing on Ren now. He was standing behind the couch Eman was supposed to sit on, right across from me. He held a tablet in his hand and Warren's face blinked at me from the screen. Ren wore a red kurta with a white dhoti while Warren wore a red shirt since he couldn't find a kurta last minute.

Jace would have worn a red kurta too since he was my brother, too but he had chosen to match with his girlfriend. He also mentioned that he was Eman's brother and would wear the color her family had been assigned. I wasn't offended. I was flattered that he was so protective of Em, that my soon-to-be wife who didn't have a biological brother, had brothers in the form of mine who were willing to fight for her.

I was pulled out of my thought when murmur sounded outside the living room. A moment later, Ahvi walked into the room, twisting behind her as she bent at her waist to fix something. I realized it was Eman's lehenga. She picked it up as my bride took another step forward, appearing in the doorway.

At Eman's insistence, the guys and I sometimes watched Bollywood movies on guys' night when we were all huddled in Ren's living area after dinner. And in those movies, whenever the man looked at the woman he was bound to falling in love with, time seemed to slow down, an invisible breeze blew their hair into their faces, and somewhere in the distance, music began playing from an unknown source.

When Eman walked into the room, followed by her sisters, I could have sworn my heart stalled in my chest. Time slowed down as I got to my feet, my knees quaking. There was nothing more beautiful in this world than the woman who'd just entered the room. A strand of my hair fell into my face as if an invisible breeze had blown it askew but I couldn't bring myself to push it back.