Lost and Found

Chapter 40

Khadija

The function was almost at its end by now, Rafia and I were in the bridal room where I was wrapping a long shawl around me before leaving the hall. Wali and the rest of our family members were waiting for us. Picking my clutch while Rafia called Laraib for helping her with other bags we both walked towards the door.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Rafia winked at me as she stepped out and hold the door for me, the question was enough to make my mouth dry, my hands turned cold and I looked at her with wide eyes. When I was unable to answer for good few seconds, concern replaced her teasing expression. "Come inside." she said in a rushed tone dragging me back in the bridal room and once she was sure that no one could hear us, she turned back to me. "I am going to be pretty blunt about this, have you both consummated the marriage or not?" She asked in a sudden calm voice intently looking at my expression which were screaming the answer, I was looking anywhere but her. Suddenly I could feel the temperature of the room rising. "Khadija?" Her voice turned into a whisper.

"I...I..." My eyes filled with tears and I couldn't speak.

"Are you even happy with this marriage or not?" she hold my arms and made me look at her, though her voice was lace with concern but there was an edge in it too.

"Obviously I am!" I quickly said. Because I am, I have never been this satisfied.

"Then?" She questioned again, her eyes not leaving my face but suddenly realization dawn in her eyes, "It's Adnan, isn't it?" And I looked away.

Tears were spilling down my cheeks, I feel ashamed and I was infuriated by myself.

"You are punishing Wali bhai like this," she sighed. "He hasn't even tried?" and my looks deceived me again.

How should I tell her that I failed.

 "Ya Allah!" she slumped on the arm chair.

"Rafi! I tried. I tried so hard on giving up the memory but I couldn't! Every time I try to forget it, every single time his deceitful face come in front of my eyes, how stupidly I gave up on his words! Every time I think about this the memory of that morning rushed back to me, how he left me the next morning and didn't return for two days! I called everyone but I couldn't reach him and when he finally came back it was like I was invisible to him again!" I was crying by now. Quickly Rafia was back on her feet, wrapping her arms around me she was whispering soothing words.

"Wali bhai isn't like that jerk!" She whispered then she took me by arms again and looked me into the eyes, "Honey I know what you have been through was hell and there is no word I can say which will make it vanish but don't do this to yourself, don't do this to Wali bhai, he loves you in ways I can't tell, you know that guy has you in his mind every minute of the day that it made me envy of what you guys have," she smiled at me and I felt my lips curve into one too, "Let him heal your scar, let him hold you, let him love you, Allah has chosen you for him and if you'll back out you will just punish him for something he is not guilty of." She wrapped her arms around me again.

"Oho! You guys are having your sismance hour while Wali bhai is dying from waiting!" We both jumped as Laraib entered the room exclaiming at us but she soon went silent as she looked at us. "I... Is everything okay?" she bit her lips.

"Yeah! It's just she is going and you know she is married!" Rafia dramatically waved her hands, "She is leaving all of us! Oh Allah!" She wiped the tears and I suppress the urge to laugh on how she was covering our tracks, "It's just my hormones!"

"You are weird! No not even weird! You are psycho! It's not your hormones. It's your brain!" Laraib growled and went out of the bridal room and Rafia burst into fits of laughter.