𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐓: 𝐀 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐫'𝐚𝐧

chapter 16

"Yeah, he said he would come tomorrow to pick me up." Salma and Aayat were standing in the kitchen. Salma was making dinner while Aayat leaned against the kitchen counter.

"That's great! You should pack your clothes before he arrives," Salma suggested, but Aayat remained unbothered.

"Ammi, not now! I’ll do the packing later, please!" she whined, causing Salma to giggle immediately.

"I'm just happy that you feel at home there. I knew Nayla would never disappoint me," Salma said proudly, flexing her confidence for her best friend. Aayat smiled in return.

---

The next day…

After praying Fajr, Aayat took a warm bath and emerged from the bathroom while Anaya was still busy praying. Her trance broke when her mobile buzzed.

Wrapping a towel around her hair, she moved towards her phone and picked it up.

"Aayat?" Sabeeha's voice came through, and Aayat recognized it instantly.

"Oh, is this your new number, Aapa?" she asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Yes, actually I called to see if you could come to the madarsa today," Sabeeha replied, and Aayat furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Yes, I can, but what happened?" she asked, bewildered.

"I have something to tell you," Sabeeha said, her tone slightly wavering.

"Hmm… but what is it about?" Aayat mumbled, sensing Sabeeha's concern.

"Just come, and then I’ll tell you," Sabeeha insisted from the other end, and Aayat nodded despite her confusion.

"Okay, but at what time?" Aayat inquired as she freed her hair from the towel.

"Umm, at 7 a.m.," Sabeeha replied after a moment.

"Okay, I’ll be there at 7, then," Aayat said, just as her phone started beeping. She noticed it was Ashar calling.

"Aapa, I have to hang up. Ashar is calling me. Allah Hafiz!" she hurriedly said before picking up his call.

"Who was that?" he questioned as soon as Aayat answered.

"It was my madarsa teacher, Sabeeha Aapa," she explained, and Ashar laughed upon hearing it.

"You still study at madarsa? Great, I didn’t know!" he chuckled, and Aayat frowned at his reaction.

"I teach there! Sabeeha Aapa 'was' my teacher," she emphasized the word 'was' for his understanding, and he hummed in response.

"Thank God! Otherwise, I thought I married a child!" he teased, laughing again. Aayat opened her mouth to say something but decided against it.

"Hmm, so why did you call?" she asked after a moment when his laughter subsided.

"Oh God! First, stop asking why I called. A husband can call his wife whenever he wants, and a good wife shouldn’t question it, right?" he said in a sweet tone. Aayat remained neutral; she still hadn’t forgiven him for what he did during the waleema night. She had faint fingerprints on her skin but decided not to mention it to anyone as it would only embarrass her.

"Hmm, okay, I won’t question it. So, how are you?" she asked, trying to be the obedient wife. After a while, she remembered that a wife should first ask about her husband's health and well-being before anything else as she settled onto the bed.

"I’m fine. I’ll be there at 7 a.m., so be ready, okay?" he announced, and Aayat was taken aback.

"Um, no! Please don’t come at 7 a.m.!" she requested.