Delving Deeper

[EIGHT]

NUR

My heart feels like it might emanate out of my chest. I stare at Kabir, wide-eyed. Oh my. HE KNOWS! How does he know?

And that obviously makes me think ‘It makes sense!’ because since I did get married, there had to have been two witnesses.

If one is Kabir so who is─?

Layla? But what about─?

I watch Mama pull Kabir close and whisper something in his ear. He shakes his head at her.

Everything inside me is dying to know what they’re talking about. Could Mama also know?

“Will you ever decide to open your damned mouth?” This, coming from Fahad. Yeah, that’s how he disrespects his older brother. And obviously it’s over a girl.

“Language,” Dad reprimands with a look at Fahad.

He rolls his eyes. “Oh please. As if you were a golden boy.”

Dad seems to control his anger.

“Ugh.” Mama finally bursts out. “Can you guys, for once, not speak?”

Trust me Mom, I’m as tired of the male species as you are. I really need a female to talk to about the mayhem in my life. How did I end up here?

Kabir says, “Nur,”

I just go ballistic in my head. Kabir can be sweet and all that but when he’s angry . . . oh boy, is he angry.

I’m just able to bob my head once, refusing to meet his eye.

“Did you make the p*****t?”

I look left and right, only to find everyone staring, looking as confused as I feel. “p*****t . . .?”

He widens his eyes at me as if to say ‘just play along’. Oh no! We’re going to lie to our family! I shake my head at him.

Lying is just unacceptable. Especially to your family.

I should just go ahead and tell─

“Turkey,” Kabir looks like he’s about to strangle me. “You applied for that trip to turkey? Did you make the p*****t for it?”

“You’re going to turkey?”

“With whose permission, missy?” Dad asks with an edge to his voice.

I nod in a daze. “Turkey. Yeah, I’m going to turkey.”

That sounds so convincing.

Aaban bhai seizes me by my shoulder, forcing me to look at him. “Don’t lie to us, Nur. I can see right through you.”

I want to tell him ‘I didn’t want to lie. Kabir’s making me’ but I don’t. I just stand like a statue, too afraid of what my parents and brothers would think if they knew I married someone behind their back.

I don’t think I can tolerate such disappointment. I’ve always been the responsible, smart child. I make reasonable decisions.

This one is by far the best.

I wet my lips, not knowing how to respond when he’s literally intimidating me with his fiery eyes.

“I don’t know what happened,” That’s all I can get out of my too-tight throat.

My hands tremble with the dawning realization. Married. Ahyan was talking about a divorce too, wasn’t he?

Poor me. Divorced at 18.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Nur, so help me God if you don’t speak up, I’m . . .”

“Okay okay.” I bring up my hands. “First you have to promise something.”

His eyes narrow into slits.

“Promise you won’t be angry.”

“Bro,” Fahad says somewhere from the back, a warning note in his voice. “Don’t promise her anything. If she has done something wrong, I’m going to lock her in the playroom myself.”

I look back, sticking my tongue out at him and Aaban bhai stands in my way before I do something incredibly stupid. Like start a catfight.

“Fahad,” he says, not looking at him which makes me beyond happy. “You stay out of this.”

I see Fahad’s jaw clenched and he huffs, flopping on the sofa like a child throwing a fit.

To me, he says: “I promise you, love. Just don’t lie.”

Easier said than done. I don’t get why I’m in this situation. Why should I face my brothers’ wrath even though I haven’t even done anything wrong?

With a deep breath and eyes closed, I say, “I got married.”

Complete silence. It’s so quiet that I can hear the blinking of eyes and the chirping of birds outside.

Fahad is the one to break the silence. He doubles up with laughter, pointing a finger at me the entire time.

“Wow, Nur. Here you had us all tensed up and it was all over a dream?”

“A dream?” I echo in disbelief.

Fine. It’s my fault for sharing too much with everyone. They all know how much I wanted to get married young. It was my No. 1 dream.

With a flick of his finger, Aaban Bhai makes me look at him. The intensity in his eyes rocks me. I am so dead.

“You’re not lying,” he says after a minute of studying me.

I swallow and shake my head.

“But . . . you can’t.” He says, looking at Dad. I swear a silent conversation goes on between them. “You’ve already been promised to someone.”

Uh? Could you maybe have told me that before I married an arrogant, mean jackass?

“Yusuf,” Mama says, her voice barely a whisper.

If eyes could be as wide as the sky, that’s how mine are right now. “You guys hid that from me?!”

“Oh, come on guys,” Fahad drawls with his dirty mouth. “Can’t you see? She’s obviously daydreaming.”

Kabir is the one to shout at him this time. Rightfully so.

“Guys,” I say. “I think I’m going be sick.”