Halaal Love

Chapter 15

Habibah's POV

For days after that encounter I have stop myself from thinking about the marriage as well as talk about it. Mum has tried to encourage me to talk with her about my plans for the wedding but I often use my old excuse of studying. I feel bad for doing so, but I can't say anything. I'm pretty shaken by his answer. I thought maybe he'd wait until my graduation.

But even though so, I keep on thinking about my attitude and his feelings. I hope he's not dishearten, since I've refused every invitation of his mother to choose for the wedding dress and decoration as well as the venue-though today my mom totally forces me to come and threats me that if I won't she'd shut down the internet, so I have to go either willingly or unwillingly.

By the time when a horn comes into my ear, I quickly run down the stairs with my bag on my wrist. The girl twins already opened the door and comes in the guy that I've been... well, waiting and not waiting for. Soon mum comes out and he leads the both of us towards the car's door, opening it for mum and I. We both lower our gaze for the sake of Allah while we whisper Salaam to each other. He shuts the door gently and runs to the driver seat. Apparently, Aunty Marwa is also here. This is going to be interesting as well as dreadful.

•••

When we arrive at our first destination: Gala Boutique, everyone start questioning me.

"What size?"

"Which colour?"

"This or that? Why that!?"

Each and everytime I choose a dress, either Aunty Marwa disapproves, or mum. So I tell them to choose one for me and I'll go with it. A few minutes later, they come to me with a dress that looks like those Disney Princesses' dress. The one that's so huge and European style. I swear I almost feel like ripping my insides. How am I suppose to wear a dress that won't even fit on me?

"It's okay you can have diet."Aunty Marwa says. Okay... Diet works hard for me and I'm sure I'm not that overweight and I'm not even planning to be anorexic, let's face it!

"Aunty, why don't we go to the shop next to this shop? It's Islamic and has good fashion style."I suggest calmly. I'm really freaking inside because I have to wear long dresses and I'm not that comfortable with long dresses. Especially the wedding dresses.

Among like the whole store, only a single dress catch my eyes. It's so beautiful and simple! It isn't exactly like those wedding gowns, but it's a dress. I hope my mum and Aunty Marwa would agree to this. I flip the price tag and beam happily. Thank goodness it's less than a thousand riyals. I run towards mum and Aunty Marwa, holding the dress on my hand and beaming like a kid who just got a huge lollipop.

"Can we buy this? This is so beautiful!"I encourage with a plea. They examine the dress carefully like the detectives and FBI(s) in CSI series.

"This is too simple, habibi."Aunty Marwa smiles in reply.

"It's okay aunty... It's not about simple or not, it's the shari'ah that matters."I smile at her encouragingly. We finally agree on buying the dress and also buying for Omar.

After we gst the dresses, we head towards out last destination: Fancy Life. It's a kind of organization that organizes events and stuffs like that. Well, it's the finest in the city which explains the huge cost they can give. Instead of planning what will the building be, the theme etc, I decide to leave the shop and go to the book store next to it.

I head to the islamic section and find someone standing right in front of the shelf that I want to see. From the appearance, I can already tell that he resembles Omar-or maybe he is Omar. The figure turns around and I suddenly stun. It is Omar. It feels like the whole oxygen in earth has suddenly gone. I gaze down before our eyes can meet and leave him to go to the novels section.

Thankfully I can avoid him and finds another series of The Mortal Instruments: City of Glass. Without even a second thought, I run to the cashier to pay for the book as well as an Islamic book made by one of the Sheikhs. A compilation from Hadith At-tarmidzi.

Waiting for the mums to finish their shopping, I take a seat on one of the empty benches and begin to read the book that I just bought.

"Can I sit here?"A voice asks. My head snaps up to see a man. Well, he looks pretty much like a south east asian person, but I don't know him.

"Sure."I stand up and leave the bench. It's better to leave the bench and find another one than rejecting the person which seems impolite. Luckily there's a bench, even though there's a little girl sitting on it, I don't really care. As long as it's not a man.

"Hi."I greet the kid as I sit down. "What's your name?"

"Sara."she replies without looking at me.

"Where's your mommy?"A shrug of shoulders reply my question. I become quiet. Maybe she just doesn't want to talk. A few minutes later when I'm taken away into the universe of The Mortal Instruments, Omar approaches to say that mum and Aunty Marwa is waiting in the car already, though I tell him that I will come later, since I have to find the mum of the kid...

"Just wait... I have to find her mum first."I tell Omar slowly. He nods his head and kneels down in front of the kid.

"Let's find your mommy. Maybe she's waiting for you somewhere."The little girl nods her head and stands up, her little hand wraps around Omar's hand as they walk towards the Candy Land first ans he gives her a lollipop for a treat. The three of us walk to the Customer Service to tell that kindly please inform the customers if they lost their kid. We wait for about half an hour before a young woman comes to us and Sara immediately runs to the woman who is already in tears.

"Jazakallah Habibti. May Allah bless your relationship with your husband."Sara's mum hugs me and smiles politely, thanking me continuously. I smile at what she says. Though I can see that Omar's tensed after what she says. I don't blame him though. That's just shocking to me too as it is shocking to him.