RIDE OF A LIFETIME [COMPLETED✅]

Chapter 33

Ziyad

"Okay, let me warm the water then." I say to Amma leaving her room to warm some water for tea, just then my phone rings. I put the tea cups on the coffee table to bring out my phone and check who it was, 'Ya Hafiz'.
     Wait wait wait, I feel myself getting overwhelmed. Does this mean she has made her decision? Today is the day,the day she makes her decision. Has she already decided? I sprint back to the bedroom and sit beside Amma before answering the call.

"Hello...Assalam alaykum." I inhale sharply.

"Wa alaykum salaam, my brother!" His voice exclaimed happily somewhat soothing my pounding heart. "A thousand congratulations to you my brother! To all of us" he laughed.

"W..what do you mean?" I put the phone on speaker for Amma to hear.

"She said Yes! We just talked and alhamdulillah she said yes!'

I drop the phone on the bed beside Amma and immediately go down in sujood.

Thank you ya rabb! Thank you! Thank you!

I kept repeating. Again and again until I felt Amma's hand on my back.

"Thank you, insha Allah I will come over to say hi later." He says before she hangs up.

"Allah ya muku albarka! May Allah bless this union and make it khayr for the both of you." She pats my back and I finally get up, enveloping her in a hug. I couldn't even phrase anything, I was too happy to talk, I didn't even know what to say! I just kept hugging her and I think the silence said enough.
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Hidaya

"Adda Ziyad is here!" Yusra exclaimed running into the living room.

"Zo kiji..." mama pulls her hand gently. "He is now your sisters husband to be so call him Yaya Ziyad kinji?" She nods in response.

"Adda you are going to marry him?" She looks at me, her innocent eyes gleaming with excitement, I smile and nod 'yes'. "Wait....so that means you love him?"

    My eyes widen as her question takes me by surprise. Mama laughs before pulling her along.

"Muje sarkin surutu. Give them some space to talk." They walk inside and I wrap my veil over my shoulders before going outside to meet him.

     His Zanna Bukar was the first thing that caught my eyes as he stood by his car talking on the phone. He was wearing an army green kaftan with gold embroidery, looking super neat as usual. His black wrist watch glimmering as the sun streaks flowed over it. He looks over to me and our eyes met. He mutters something before hanging up and putting the phone in his pocket, his eyes never leaving mine. His lips curl into a smile as he majestically makes his way over to me. I stood the, feet rooted into the ground. I manage to smile at him too ignoring the fluttery feeling in my stomach and heart.
      Five steps away from me, his rich woody cologne serenades through my olfactory senses marking his presence. He scans my face for a bit, then looks away smiling as he runs his hand over his dark stubble. He looks up with a sigh and mutters something before meeting my eyes again.

"You said yes." He beamed.

"I said yes." I flashed a toothy smile.

He lets out a shaky breath pinching the bridge of his nose. "You said yes" he repeated and we both laugh with a sigh, a sigh of relief from both sides.

"What happens now?" I fiddle with the clothing tag on my veil.

"Take a walk with me." He gestures to the gate with his head as his hands sink into his pockets.

     He holds the door open for me and follows after, we begin walking side by side around the neighborhood. Occasionally smiling, we got comfortable with the silence, looking at the beautiful sky and the trees as we walked by. Children by the sidewalk playing, even the birds seemed to be chirping louder and more beautiful than ever.

"Is next month okay with you?" He queried and i immensely understood what he was referring to.

"It depends on what yaya and the elders decide but....I'm okay with it too." I answer looking down at the grass carpet as we kept walking.

"That won't be a problem, whatever you want just name it and I'll make it happen." I feel his eyes looking at me but I don't acknowledge. "If it were up to me I'd make you mine today, but I know you need time to plan and whatnot." He ended and i sheepishly smiled.

"Next month it is then...insha Allah." I look away.

He pauses in his steps and I look back at him.
"Hayati..."

"Yeah?" I searched his eyes to get an idea of what he wanted to say but nothing could have prepared for what he said next.

"You don't marry someone you can live with...." He pauses and i gave him a confused look not quite sure what he meant "You marry someone you can't live without, and for me that's you Hidaya. I want to make you mine."

I feel my heart skip a beat.

"I know you've already said yes....I mean that's why we're here. But I want to ask you myself...my heart constantly begs for your companionship, your love, your presence, will you grant me that? Will you be mine?"

      In that moment, everything felt like a trance, like I was in a different reality where everything was perfect. This moment, the feeling, the person, it felt like a beautiful dream I would never want to wake up from.

I nod my head "I would be happy to."

There we were, the man I thought I'd never love again, beautifully falling for him. And nothing felt better.

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