Intekhaab✔️

Chapter 10 - Intezaar (انتظار)

The wedding day was decided, a week after Laiba's convocation. But just to announce that this was official the families held an engagement ceremony, which was today.

Dressed in a heavily embroided, pistachio green gharara with a matching kameez, that fit her body perfectly, enhancing her her figure yet keeping it modest, Laiba sat infront of the mirror. Her friends applied little makeup on her highlighting her beautiful features, they kept it minimal and only used concealer, mascara, kohl and a tinted lipgloss and dusted her face with some highlighter just to add some glow.
Once satisfied with her makeup her friends called Falak to approve of the look. At first glance Falak approved straight away, the smile on her face screamed approval. Her friends then left the room to let the mother daughter have their moment.

Falaks hair was left in its natural form. The short bob/ long Afro look was looking cute on her.
Falak picked up the pastel pink dupatta studded with pearl like beads around the bordering embroidery and placed it on Laiba's head and kissed her temple.
Causing Laiba to close her eyes feeling her mother's happiness. She opened her eyes to see a now teary eyed Falak.
"My baby" Falak said kissing her again.

When Falak moved back a little Laibas dupatta slipped of her head. The short hair didn't make it easy to set the dupatta with pins. So she just had to keep readjusting it instead. She draped the dupatta over her shoulders and covered her head slightly, this kept it balanced now.

A little while later her friends and some of her distant cousins came in again to take her down. Just before leaving the room she finally glanced at the mirror, she liked what she saw and a smile crept up to her lips and her dimples made an appearance.

She ascended the stairs to the terrace, where the engagement was being held, it was the biggest place in her house and was best to accommodate this amount of guests. When she entered the terrace the mumbling crowd was clouded in silence, everyone turned to admire her. She smiled back at everyone enjoying the compliments she was getting. Smilingly she walked upto the florally decorated takhat where Asher, Zaakir, Falak and between them all Arif sat. Seeing her approach them two people stood up in admiration. One was Asher who looked at her with pride. And the other was Arif who looked at her mesmerised, feeling proud of himself.

Qirat and Zaakir also stood up. Coming forward they placed a hand on her head blessing her and she smiled at them, liking the adoration. She wasn't the shy bride but it felt like she didn't have much to say right now so she just nodded at the compliments and when her face turned to Arif she nodded at him too and gave him an awkward smile, as in saying salam. He nodded and smiled back with a glint in his eyes.

She was sat down with Falak on her left side and Qirat on her right. Arif sat next to Qirat and an extremely goofy Bilal sat beside him. After a bit of talking around the engagement ceremony began. Qirat brought out a beautiful silver ring with a small diamond placed in the middle of it and placed it on Laiba's finger. Falak brought out a flat silver band ring and placed it on Arifs finger and like that it was official. Soon the two ladies left to help serve food to the guests.

And now Bilal saw his chance. "Han tho bhae Laiba.." before he could complete Laiba interrupted, "bhabi bulaya karo beta abh se" she said sounding authoritative over him.

This didn't go unnoticed by Arif, he loved it!
"Aur beta mujhe tang karne ka tho tum socho hi na..kam ki baat pe athe hein! In sab me se woh kon hai?" Laiba asked with a cheeky smile whilst bouncing her eyebrows up and down. Looking front and back from the group of Bilals maternal cousins.

"Kon?" Arif asked, trying to be part of the conversation. But was simply being ignored by the duo.

Laiba wiggled her eyebrows at Bilal again.
"Batao na!"