That Is How Her Life Is.

Is he my Prince Charming?

"Bhai! You want me to stay or shall i go?" Rifa asked in an innocent voice. Hakam threw a wicked glance at his sister. "What about you babhi?" Asked Rifa. At hearing the word 'babhi' both Zaina and Hakam quickly looked at Rifa as if she was a strange creature.
"Oh ohh! What? Guys! I'll get back to you in a while!" Said Rifa in a mock-serious tone.

"Riiiifa!" Said Zaina under her breathe and threw a please-don't-go look. Rifa winked at Zaina by humming a tone and moved to a comfortable distance to let them talk in private.

"You didn't reply for the Salam" Said Hakam to start a conversation. "Uh-umm.., Wa alaikumwassalam! Sorry" Zaina replied and then realized that she did reply. She felt herself flushing.
"How are you?" Asked Hakam.

'God this is awkward. I'm not at all feeling well. I feel like i have got a very bad high fever.' Zaina's heart wanted to say so. But her mind said the other wise, "Alhamdhulillah good! What about you?"

"Yeah! Alhamdhulillah, good!" Hakam said in a pleasing voice.

Zaina threw a confused look under eye at his tone of reply and made up her mind thinking that he would have been surprised by the question she asked in return.

"By the way, hope you know about me, and about you.., Ma had told me. And i was impressed that we are quite the same in most of the things....." Hakam told her in an informative way.

Zaina at a stretch looked at him. Hurt. She was really hurt and pissed with what he said. Because, no one really knew about Zaina's desires.

Her face suddenly changed into a deep emotional expression. She couldn't help herself control the change in her face. It was involuntary, and she looked as if she is going to cry.

Hakam panicked at her expression. He felt as if he was at fault.
"Zaina! Are you.... arryte? You look worried?" Hakam asked, his voice filled with concern.

He felt himself wanted to hug Zaina and say everything will be alright, whatever the problem is.
But the haram police striked against the idea.
He controlled himself in doing so.

He wanted Rifa to come and console Zaina. He was again referring to what he said and he didn't feel anything arrogant in that or he didn't even find it abusive. Hakam, as very much as he was concerned, he was confused too. But, then he understood something.
There is Something that Zaina is terribly upset with.

His mind at the moment was coming up with many thoughts like, maybe Zaina wasn't willing to marry him and so on.

"Zaina, are you willing not to marry me?" Asked Hakam. He knew that it was not the correct time to ask, but still he couldn't help.

Zaina felt herself stupid for making a big issue regarding a trival statement, and that too was a compliment.

What she thought was absolutely right. She feared that it might happen. Yes. The social-anxiety within her, overpowered her. A tear escaped from her eye. She quickly wiped it and tried her best to pretend normal.

Hakam let a huge sigh, by looking at Zaina, "Zaina, look at me, please. I wanna ask you something. You're making me feel really bad as if there is something really abusive in what I said, please lemme know. It's not only about your personal issue, infact it includes my attitude as well. Are you willing to marry me?"

Zaina, after much hesitation raised her head to see Hakam. And yes she felt warmth in looking at his concerned face. She wanted to bury her face under Hakam's arms and blurt out everything that was troubling her, the conflicts she had within herself and so on. But she couldn't. There was a haram veil between them. Yes. She wanted to marry him, but she couldn't find words to say.

At the first place she wanted to marry Hakam was, she prayed her isthihara prayers and she was confident with the decision that she was going to make.
She nodded her head in agreement.

   A smile appeared in Hakam's face and finally Zaina spoke in a cracky voice,
   " yes...., Hakam, I'm... willing to marry you! But.. I'm sorry... I.. Uh.. I really never exactly shared my desires with anyone and... Uh.. and when you said that you kinda knew what my likes and desires were... I uh.. really felt hurt! I know this is really trivial..., but, I never knew that ma would lie to you about this just to get me married. We are gonna live together inshallah, so i don't want to create just even a minor false image about me that makes you fall for me. I dunno.. I'm sorry! I shouldn't have cried...!" She said looking at Hakam, hurt.

"Zaina, I'm sorry! It's not good to say before nikah.., but I wanna say you this! I... Uh.. I love you!" Said Hakam in a sincere tone. He loved her. He really had fell for her. Love at the first sight. He felt that she wasn't ideal, and she wasn't typical either. But she was innocent. She was exactly the way he expected her to be. Zaina on hearing this felt herself changing into a tomato.
"Is he my Prince Charming?" Zaina thought to herself.
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