Better Late Than Never

49

"The wedding was beautiful." Ayra adjusted the longer end of her veil which rested on her left shoulder. "Intimate and classy, just how Aneesa and Mahmoud wanted it."

Ayman nodded, turning to look at her with a small smile she returned. "It was...Did you have fun?"

Ayra nodded, smiling a little wider. "I did. You certainly had fun too, especially with the men."

He chuckled, looking away. "Well, they weren't taking no for an answer and I was willing to step out of my safety zone for a little while so..." He shrugged again. "We made the most of it."

Ayra looked away too, at the well-kept lawn. "You really did."

It was long after the wedding reception had been brought to a close. It was also about two hours since Aneesa had been conveyed by the female members of the Fayad family to her new home. Tears had been shed and there had been a lot of Duas, the highlight of the night – for Ayman – being Ayra's decision to sleep over at Ibtihaj and Adil's place at Ibtihaj's request.

While he would have preferred to have her at his parents' place where he could have her all to himself for a while, Ayman told himself to be content with Ayra being in the vicinity and not all the way back in Plum Boulevard.

It had taken him a lot of coaxing and being on good behaviour for Ibtihaj to let him into the house, and it had taken much more to be 'allowed' to step out onto the back patio with Ayra so they could sit and talk while Ibtihaj and Adil munched on snacks in the kitchen.

The back patio chairs were much more comfortable than they had once been and the compound was calm and quiet; something Ayra and Ayman loved very much as they talked. The bottles of yoghurt he had gotten for them sat on the top of the table between them, each one half empty with a straw folded beneath the closed lid.

"I imagined us in Aneesa and Mahmoud's shoes today." Ayra nervously began when the silence stretched for a little longer. "I imagined myself as the bride and you as the groom." Warmth rose to her cheeks and she lowered her gaze to her hands. "And it was nice."

Ayman, surprise written all over his face, turned to look at her. In his chest, his heart raced. "Are you serious?"

Ayra nodded, staring at her hands for a moment longer before she gathered courage and turned her head his way. "I am. That's crazy, right?"

He shook his head. "No." Not when he'd done the same thing. "I pictured exactly what you did."

It was Ayra's turn to be surprised. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "I am."

"Oh wow."

He chuckled at that. "I'm sure I should be the one saying 'Oh wow' but yeah. Like you, it was nice and I prayed for the best for us, just like I always do."

Her heart warmed. "I always pray for the best for us too. It brings peace and joy, and it makes me appreciate you more."

"It's the same on this end." He swallowed, his nerves popping up little by little. "Is this is the first time you're thinking about us getting married or...?"

Ayra shook her head. Giving into the urge that rose, she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her drawn up legs. She let out a soft chuckle. "It's not. As crazy as it'll seem as I was the one who said we should take things slow, I have been thinking of how married life with you would be. I think about it more than I can actually tell you."

Her cheeks stained with even more colour. "I know the festivities we've had and all the ones we have lined up plays a role in why I think about marrying you but...I think it's something I'm considering doing soon. I just...I just want to talk about it with certain people like Ummi, Baba, and Dr Zainab, and I want to pray about it too. I want to be sure of what I want and when I am sure of that, I want to know the steps I want to take to get to that point. You do understand, right?"