AN INDIAN GIRLS SACRIFICE

Chapter 22

After Zayaan and his mother leaves, my Ammi has the hairdresser and the make up artist sent in. My bhabhi comes up and helps me get dressed. I'm told not to leave my room until Zayaan and his family leave the house.

This suppose to be an exciting day for any girl but I sit here and all I feel is numbness. A stabbing pain in my heart, a pounding headache, piercing eyes from all the crying that happened after my Ammi left the room.

My brother's and my bhabhi came to see how I was doing, my brother's haven't spoken to my parent's since the fight, they haven't even spoken to Zayaan.

I ask my brother's to forgive my parent's and to speak to them but they refuse, they know very well that they will not call off this engagement but they are adamant on having my parent's agree to their demands.

Zafar checks if we can go downstairs, he comes back and tells us that the Malik's and all the other guests are gone so we can also leave to the hotel.

We go downstairs, Zafar and Fawaaz bhai go in one car and I jump in with Zuhair bhai and bhabhi. We get to the hotel, Zuhair bhai opens the door for me and helps me out of the car.

Zayaan and his family are already inside, Zuhair bhai messages Mahek to let her know we outside, my brother's walk me in although they probably wanted to help me run away.

Mahek and Fathima take me to the stage, Zayaan joins me shortly after. We sitting here a good few minutes and he hasn't said anything to me or even looked at me.

Imaan and Mahek come check on us, Imaan tells me to look at Aahil, Zayaan hears her and turns to look at me, Aahil is wearing my favourite suit, I bought him a suit and he hated the style so he never ever wore it.

I looked at him and automatically my face was plastered with a huge smile, my eyes lit up and my heart yearned to be with him.

"It's strange how you light up when you see Aahil but when you see me there's no emotion."

"Well I am not close to you as I am with Aahil, once again he is my best friends, I know him for my whole life, I know you for a week, you can't expect the same relationship."

"Then lets make this work so we can have that relationship."

I don't answer him, I look at all the guests infront of us, I look at my siblings sitting at their table despondently and then I look at Aahil who is sitting there with a smile on his face but I can see how fake it is.

My Abba comes to the stage and welcomes all the guest, he asks my Ammi, my siblings and bhabhi and Zayaan's family to come on stage so we can exchange rings.

Bhabhi comes to me with Zayaan's ring and Tabassum brings my ring. I put the ring on his finger and he puts the ring on mine. The families congratulate each other, well at least the parents do, my brother's walked off the stage.

When everyone got out of my face, I look at Aahil's seat and he was not there, I scan the hall and don't see him anywhere.

Uncle Umar and Aunty Ayesha come up to the stage to congratulate us, then Mubashir bhai and Fehmida bhabhi, Mubashir bhai hugs me and tells me that he left a letter with Fawaaz bhai, It's from Aahil.

The other guest all come one by one to congratulate us, Zayaan looks happy and so do our parent's. I still don't feel any emotions towards Zayaan or this relationship.

When everyone was done greeting us this lady comes on stage and calls me bhabhi, I look at her confused but think maybe she is Zayaan's cousin so I ask her who she is.

"I'm Zayaan's elder sister Nafeesa and this is my husband Sameer, I heard so much about you, it's so nice to finally meet."

"Nice to meet you too, I'm sorry, I'm just shocked no one mentioned you, until now I never knew you exist."

"Hey bro, what's this I'm hearing, you never told your fiancé about me."

"I never really thought about it."

She accepted his excuse and left the stage, if he was my brother I would kill him if he didn't tell his fiancé about me.

I was getting tired so I signaled Fawaaz bhai, some of the guests were leaving so it didn't look rude if we left, well that's what I thought.

Fawaaz bhai came to get me from the stage, Zayaan looked at me weirdly, like he was questioning what I was doing.

"You seriously leaving before your guests?"

"Well it's just your parent's and sisters, my parent's and siblings and a few of my cousin's and one or two people I don't know."

I got up from my seat and made my way to the door, bhabhi told my parent's we were leaving. When I got home I changed into pj's and got into bed, I looked at the time, it was 1am.

I had the most brutal day and I survived it, I didn't think I had the will power to survive such a day. I heard the front door open and close a few times, I figured the rest were probably getting home.

Bhabhi said she would check on me once she changed so she came by, she sat with me a little but went back to her room because Zuhair bhai kept calling her. I heard a knock on the door, thinking it was bhabhi who came back.

"Did Zuhair bhai want something stupid so you came back?" I say nonchalantly.

"It's me Zayaan," he says while entering the room. "Already in bed hey."

"Did you want something? It's quite late so I would like to get some sleep."

"I came to see how you doing, I know you not happy about marrying me and I know I'm a jerk and what I did was unacceptable, I hope you find it in you to forgive me and I hope you know I love you."

"I forgave you a long time ago, look I know I've been harsh on you especially after you told me about this girl but I guess we have to move on in life, we engaged now and soon we will be married and we can't start a life together hating each other or holding grudges. It's not who I am, I don't know how to be a hater."

"So what you saying?"

"I guess what I'm saying is that I don't hate you and I want us to forget this fight and the incident that lead to it and let's move on."

"So we cool then, you and I can start fresh."

"Yeah we cool," I smile.

I can't deal with daily drama, it's tiresome to be angry at someone everyday that is why I took a decision to forget everything and move on. Zayaan leaves the room, I put the side lamp off, laying in bed all I can think about is Aahil, Where did he go? I wonder what's in his letter, Fawaaz bhai said he was instructed to give it to me tomorrow morning.