Loving a Princess

34. Now it was different.

"Aliyah! So good to see you again!" Umniyah said, hugging me. After she pulled away, she hugged my mum and Asiyah.

We had flown over for my engagement to the country Farshad lived in. The function was held at Farshad's house, and it was a ladies' only function, which was why dad, Arif and Asif didn't need to attend. And as for Asiyah, she had a short break from her university which coincided with my engagement date, so she came along for it.

As I stepped into Farshad's house, I took in my surroundings. Their house was not very big, but it wasn't small. It was just a perfect house and I liked it very much. It had a very cosy feel to it, and I loved the simple and homely interior decor. Everything about their house was just very nice and I loved it.

Honestly, Umniyah didn't need to worry about me being able to adjust, because this house could be perfect for me. Yet again, maybe Farshad had to move out after marriage. Nothing mattered, whether we stayed here, or separately, as long as I would have Farshad. That would be enough for me.

Umniyah led us to the living room, and as I expected, the place was filled with the invited ladies. After she had made sure that mum and Asiyah were seated comfortably, she took me to a couch and made me sit there, and she sat next to me.

"Can you imagine, Al? You won't just be my best friend now. You'll also be my sister-in-law!" Umniyah whispered to me.

"I know right! But Umniyah, JazakAllah. You know, of course Allah made everything work out, but you were His means for making things work out. All this is happening thanks to you," I said, thanking Umniyah.

"You're welcome. Alhamdulillah, but you're right, ultimately, it's all Allah's doing. I'm just His means," Umniyah replied.

As the two of us continued whisper-chatting, people came and congratulated me. I knew none of them since none of the ladies present here were related to me. None of my relatives lived in this country, anyway. But my attention was drawn to a very pretty girl who was approaching me. She looked about Asiyah's age, and her features were completely like Umniyah's. She resembled Umniyah in almost every way, except for her eyes. Umniyah had dark eyes, but she had light brown eyes. Her eyes were so familiar. Because they were just like Farshad's.

"Umniyah, is she your sister, Ruqaiyah?" I asked.

"Yeah. She looks like me, right? Everyone can tell we're sisters!" Umniyah said.

"Yeah, you do look alike. And I even recognised Muhammad as your brother when I saw him at my graduation for the first time," I said.

"Of course you did. How could you not when he looks just like, you know who! He looks a lot like Farshad!" Umniyah teased.

"Shut up, Umni," I said, blushing. These days, even when Farshad's name would be mentioned, it would get me blushing.

"Oooh, Aliyah, you've turned into a tomato!" Umniyah teased.

Before I could reply, a throat cleared next to us. I looked up to see Ruqaiyah standing in front of me with a big smile.

"Assalamualaykum," she greeted, shyly.

"Wa'alaykumsalaam. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm okay, you?" She replied.

"Great, Alhamdulillah," I answered.

"Come on, Ruqs. Stop acting so awkward around Al. She's your sister-in-law to be! And of course she'll be doing great, she's getting engaged to the man she -" Umniyah ranted, and I nudged her sharply before she could finish that sentence.

Ruqaiyah laughed awkwardly. "You're probably used to Umniyah's antics by now. My sister just says whatever comes into her mind," she said.

"You're right," I replied. "But she's right, don't feel awkward around me. I'm pretty much just like her."