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

Chapter 30: Muh Dikhai

TARIQ FALED

Eman was sitting on my bed when I walked into the room, her dupatta acting as a veil, covering her face. Her hijab was draped over the back of one of the chairs by the window. I looked at it once, swallowing nervously before I turned to her again.

The guys and Ahvi had come to my house with Eman and I. They'd sat in the living room with me while Ahvi took Em to my room and she got ready for muh dikhai. It was another tradition in desi marriages where the husband brought his wife a gift on the first night and she showed him her face for the first time as a married couple.

I tightened my grip around the box in my hand as I made my way over to the bed. Eman didn't move or look at me. She sat still, her head bowed and her hands fisted in her lap. I wondered if she felt the tension thickening the air in the room as well. I wondered if she felt her skin buzzing with nervous energy too.

And as I sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under my weight, I realized that I could just ask her. I could talk to her without any reservations now, for however long I wanted to.

"Em?" I hesitated before speaking. Eman didn't answer right away. The only indication she gave that she heard me was her hands falling away from her lap as if she was readying herself for something. I rubbed the back of my neck, wondering what I was supposed to do next.

In my nervousness, I'd forgotten what Nikhat had explained to me after dinner. She'd told me what to do during muh dikhai but now, I couldn't remember anything she'd said.

"Lift my veil, Tariq," Eman said after a few minutes as if sensing my confusion. I flushed with embarrassment for having forgotten such a simple instruction.

I didn't say a word as I leaned forward to put Eman's gift on the nightstand before facing her again. My hands shook slightly as I reached for her veil and with my heart roaring in my chest, slowly lifted it up. I stopped when I could see Eman's face, not daring to go any further even though I knew that I could now see her without her hijab, could admire every aspect of her beauty.

Em's eyes rose to meet mine from underneath her lashes and once again I was caught off-guard by how beautiful she was. A small blush stole into her cheeks and she smiled softly.

"Hey." I whispered, unable to find my voice. She tilted her head to the side slightly as her smile widened, "Hey."

I held her veil in the air, staring at her in awe and wonder and so much gratitude in my heart, unable to move or say anything else. Gently, Em brought her hands up and placed them over mine. My breath hitched in my throat at the touch as she pulled her veil back inch by agonizing inch until her hair came into view.

The fact that she was touching my hands combined with her being bared to me fully now had me lacking. I had to blink several times to register what I was seeing, to formulate what I was feeling.

I didn't let go of her veil even when she placed it on her shoulder and she didn't let go of my hands. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths as she watched me watch her. Her hair was parted in the middle, flowing down her shoulders in soft waves. It was a honey brown color like her eyes and as I watched her, a strand fell forward, brushing against her nose ring.

"So?" Eman asked, raising her eyebrows at me as she finally let go of my hands. I pulled mine away from her veil, too, trying to find words to explain to her how incredibly breathtaking I found her.

"Will you believe me if I tell you that I don't have any words to describe you?" I smiled, trying to hide the flush that was slowly creeping up my neck. Em narrowed her eyes on me as she straightened a little, her veil falling off her body completely.