Silent Ties: Fusion Of Hearts

Chapter 18

Azlan's POV:

My mother called me out as I was lost in thinking. She inquired whether I had decided. I replied, "Mom, I adore Zia. She's amazing, and our personalities click. She's adorable." After hearing my response, she smiled broadly and said, "We also loved her, and her parents were liberal. We wanted your response; otherwise, I would have said yes today". She appeared to be more excited than I was. I informed her that Zia had expressed a desire to delay the wedding for a few months due to personal reasons. My mother nodded at me, saying that her parents had also discussed it. We talked about it for a long time, and my mother decided to speak with them tomorrow.

I couldn't stop picturing my future with her, which kept me restless all night. I'm very excited, and I hope she agrees. I hope she found me likable because I was honest and genuine in my responses. Although my face is pretty friendly when shaved, I look immature; I know I look aloof when I wear a beard, but I do look mature. I decided to stop clean shaving after turning 21 because I believed that maintaining a beard gave me a more mature and serious appearance, which I thought was important for establishing myself. I had to do that to establish myself, and it was beneficial to me.

Zia's POV:

They replied yes, and my mother hurriedly called me to her room to share the news. It is now up to me. She began to advise me that although I may take my time about it, I should respond as soon as possible because they might be waiting. I had already decided on my responses after the meeting, so I didn't have to give it any thought. I told my mother that I didn't have any issues with him and that they could talk later since I liked him. My father assured me throughout supper that Azlan was the correct choice and that their family was doing well.

The next day at noon, my parents sat me down and revealed that they would finalize our engagement decision within two weeks, citing the need for timely arrangements. I was perplexed as I had no idea they would choose to get me engaged so quickly. "What about my plan to wait?" I questioned them. "We only made our decision yesterday, so why is an engagement taking place already?" In response, they said, "We understand that you won't have time to return after this visit, so we are asking you to become engaged instead of getting married straight immediately. Once you fulfill your dream, you can get married afterward. When will we all get together for something like this? They returned to India for vacations as well. This is a win-win scenario". While I understood their intentions, the suddenness of the decision felt overwhelming. I asked for some time, but my mother kept praising Azlan and his family throughout the day, ignoring my request. I'm not sure where Dad obtained a comprehensive history of their family, so he joined me in pestering. I was about to lose my cool until Ifra sent his medical report. I completely forgot about it, but he remembered, and I ended up saying yes to my parents after sending mine. How could I possibly refuse him? His attentiveness is truly remarkable, my goodness.

Azlan's POV:

For some reason, everything went so well that in just one week, I was going to get engaged. My parents were quite busy getting everything ready, and everyone was overjoyed. Nazma Khala was grinning from ear to ear, telling me how I was getting hitched after attending Asif's wedding, and she wouldn't stop teasing me. Every time I tried to help them, they all commented on how eager I was. I proposed to my mother that we could do the engagement at our farmhouse villa. We can go there a week before calling her family and begin preparing together, which may alleviate our burdens. Mom loved my suggestion and asked Zunaira Aunty over the phone. They discussed it, and a swift decision was made on that as well. Her family joined us as we prepared to go and packed our suitcases. I proposed this not just to lighten the load but also because I wanted to see her. We were about to get engaged, and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her because I knew she would leave a few days later. She didn't respond to my question yet, and I wanted to know her more.

Zia's POV:

Since coming here, I've been receiving a lot of surprises. A Muslim wedding does not include this kind of ceremony because the engagement consists primarily of reciting a dua and the bride receives a gift from the groom's parents. While we don't exchange rings traditionally, the groom's parents may choose to give the bride a ring as a sign of acceptance and goodwill. In Islamic tradition, an engagement is akin to asking her hand in marriage. However, the man is not allowed to place the ring on his fiancée's hand since until the nikah is completed, he is still a stranger. So, even though it's a quick ceremony, there wasn't a need for us to be together for it. However, my mother mentioned that she would like us to do it together because it can help us get to know one another. Anyway, it may provide me with an opportunity to give away my valuable collection to him.