Light Upon Light

#46 Pre Absha Nikkah

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Hola people. Here's the first of the double update this long weekend. In sha Allah the second one will be up in the next two days. I wanted to post both chapters on the same day, but it is so rude to keep you all waiting for such a long time. Forgive me for the slow updates but I hardly find time to write these days.

Sorry if the chapter is not on par with my usual standards. Enjoy

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# 46 Pre Absha Nikkah

That blazer of Zaid's had become a frustrating problem for me. Every time I saw it hanging in the dressing room my fingers twitched to rip it to shreds. Even as I managed to squeeze in a bit of time for studying, I was distracted. I wanted to return it. But there was no way I could do so from the bus stop or from school. He was here almost every day, helping out with the wedding preparations. Despite the fact, I couldn't possibly give the blazer back without drawing my family's notice, nor could ask him to come upstairs for a bit without raising a few eyebrows.

'Juni have you seen the upholstery samples for Shoaib's couch?' Samir asked as he strode into my room. All I heard was a muted mumble.

'Juni!' He shook my shoulder finally drawing my full attention.

'What's wrong with you? I've been asking you about the samples about three times now,' he said, frown creasing his fair brow.

Sighing I leaned back in my chair and said, 'I need a favor.' Gnawing my lips I watched him shake his irritation away and raise a brow in question.

'Can you please return Zaid's blazer to him?'

Eyebrows arched up as far as they could go and jaw hanging loose, Samir's flabbergasted face was comical. I didn't know whether to laugh or hide. The thoughts in his head were racing a mile a minute as he tried to make sense of my absurd request, I could see it in his eyes.

'Why do you have his blazer in the first place Juni? Are you going back to-,'raising my hand, I cut him off before he could voice those silly ideas.

'Chill Samir. I'll tell you what happened. Just please don't let anyone else know. That Di knows what happened is embarrassing enough.'

In silence he sat on the spare chair near my study table and crossed his arms. He had set his expression tight, giving an air of no nonsense welcome. I studied his sharp features. The straight nose that we both got from Mom, his neatly parted hair which wasn't wavy like mine, thick eyebrows without arches and Mom's eyes. He had thin lips like Mom too. Out of all three of us, perhaps he resembled Mom the most.

'Are you going to begin anytime soon? I've got stuff to do,' he said, drawing me out of my thoughts.

Sighing I went into narrative mode. By the time I finished recalling everything Samir had his lips pressed tight to keep his smile at bay. I glared at him, daring him to laugh at me.

'You should have been careful,' he said, tone soft and eyes an inky pool of concern.

'Well someone wasted my time that day with silly questions. I barely gathered my stuff and rushed to school,' I pointed out with a smirk. He flicked my head. I messed up his hair. He pulled me in for a hug and I accepted the comfort.

So my dear sweet brother discreetly returned that accursed blazer to Zaid along with the thank you note that I commanded him not to read.

Two weeks into December and the frenzy of wedding preparations in Ashiana only increased. There were interior decorators and carpenters and painters doing their thing with Bhai's room. Murshida Bi had double responsibility now with both the weddings being a month apart. Our relatives from different parts of the world started arriving. Caterers, decorators and other contractors came and went everyday.