six.
2986 Words
♥️
Aaina.
"Ammi, I get it. But I'm not sure if it's a good idea. I want to wear the flower jewellery."
I insisted.
I knew the latest trends were different but at the same time, I wanted to look completely unique on my actual wedding day.
I did not want to be one of those brides who got dressed up for their Mehndis and then looked absolutely ordinary at the baraat event.
My mother shook her head, disagreeing with me.
"No, you don't know. There are going to be the best people of the country in that mehndi. I don't want you to look ordinary."
It was true. Tonight was going to be the first function of the wedding, the first major one anyway, I could not even contemplate the kind of guests that the Prime Minister might have invited.
And they were all going to be staring at me. Even the thought was scary.
"Ammi, she is marrying the Prime Minister's son. She could go in rags and still look extra ordinary."
Saira argued, her eyes still in awe of the flower jewellery that got delivered for tonight's function. My mother however smacked away her hand.
"Shut up."
She put the other necklace around my neck, the one that she had chosen. It was beautiful but at the same time, it was nothing compared to the flower one.
"Ugh. Fine, it's not like I have a say anyway." I agreed, grumbling.
My mother sighed, looking at the jewellery deliverer.
"Ye wala kar dain."
She mumbled, he nodded putting that box aside and packing the rest of stuff.
I was still trying on the jhumkas when my phone started to vibrate in my lap and I got up.
Zaydaan.
The caller I'd said.
I took a deep breath. We had not really talked on call after that day, but we had been exchanging texts.
Nothing too special, just a few exchanges of pleasantries.
"Hello?" I picked it up.
"Salam alaikum." He greeted. I bit my lip upon hearing his voice.
Everytime I heard him talk to me, my mind went more and more away from our very first exchange.
It was like a spell.
"Walaikum Assalam. How are you?" I asked, being as polite as I could be.
"I'm good. You?"
I'm not fine. I don't know you and tonight is our mehndi and I'm still freaked out about everything.
I don't know if you're genuinely nice to me or if you're simply acting a certain way.
I don't know if you care about me or not, I don't know if you care about how I am or how I look, I don't even know if you find me beautiful, I don't know anything about you.
And yet I will be signing those nikah papers tomorrow. I'm scared and I don't know who else to tell it all to.
My sister is already too burdened with my everyday rants, my friends think I'm the happiest bride alive and you? I don't know you enough to tell it all to you.
"I'm fine." I whispered, pushing back all my thoughts, not knowing what else to say.
"Are you busy?" He questioned me and I could understand why.
There was noise behind me, my mother, my sister, the jeweller, a few workers.
I walked towards the dining hall, sitting on a chair and entering the silence.
"I was picking jewellery, actually." I informed him.
"Alright, just wanted to check up on you."
Check up on me? My heart warmed at that but at the same time, it took me a few minutes to process it all.
"Thank you. What are you doing?"
I enquired.
"I'm in a cabinet meeting. We had a small break so I thought I'd call you."
He was a part of the Prime Minister' cabinet as the foreign minister. But it was the day of his mehndi. Was his father really holding a meeting on this day?
"Oh, okay. Thanks." I didn't question him about his plans.
Somehow, I felt awkward questioning him about things. Personal things.
"Ofcourse, I have to go now. I'll see you tonight."
He mumbled.
"Take care," I whispered.
"Good bye."
And he hung up the phone.
I smiled, putting my phone back in my pocket as I went outside.
"Who was that?" My sister threw a question at me the moment she saw me. Somehow, Saira observed everything.
"Ohh, everything okay?"
I nodded.
"Yeah, apparently he wanted to check up on me."
She smiled, patting my back.
"Seems like things are going to be okay, right?"
"I guess so."
And I hoped so.
Then why was my heart not sure?
"Aaina, you look stunning, MashaAllah. You are breathtaking, my dear." My mother in law gushed, smiling and kissing the side of my forehead.
I smiled against her, looking at the way she was carrying herself.
"Thank you, Aunty. You look lovely too."
She was wearing a beautiful blue dress with a pearl necklace. Even though she had a dupatta around her head and a shawl to cover up her shoulders, she still looked as regal as a first lady should.
She turned her head from my side to her son's.
Her son, who was going to be my husband. Her son who was wearing black at his own mehndi and still looking better than me.
I knew I was beautiful, I had been told that ever since I was little but how could I compete with him?
Even in his thick unruly beard, he looked like a million bucks.
"Zaydaan, beta, Where's your father?"
Zaydaan turned his attention back to his mother,
"He has gone to greet the COAS, Ahad is with him." He said back.
I stared at his heavy grown beard and his tired eyes. We hadn't really got any time to talk so far.
My family had been all over me at first and then his family had been around us too..
My mother was still whispering something in my ear when the first lady glanced at her.
"I'll go greet his wife then, come bhabhi,"
My mother nodded, standing up from her seat as well.
It was weird.
Life worked in such an unexpectable way. I was getting married, even if it wasn't my own choice, I was still going to be someone else's.
Would I be the same person then? Or would I be different?
"Sorry, madam. Aap allowed nahi hain."
(You're not allowed)
There were three to four people around the stage, who only allowed people present on the list to come up.
Apparently, my friends were not on that list.
"I said no. We are not given the orders,"
I glanced at my old friends, waving at them.
"Aaina!! Hey!!" She said out loud.
I turned to Zaydaan.
"Umm, they're my friends."
Zaydaan nodded, without looking at me.
"Azeem! Uper aane do."
It didn't take Mrhwish long to come and hug me, she gushed all over me, drooling at the dress and jewellery.
"Hi, you look so pretty. Hi, congratulations." Talia said to the both of us.
"Hello." Hareem only greeted Zaydaan, staring at him like he was some sort of God.
"I love your makeup, you pretty b***h, where did-" Before Mehwish could start her abusive rant, I gave her a look.
Did she not realise that we were in the presence of a foreign minister who also happened to be my future husband?
"Ssh, This is Talia, Hareem and Mehwish. We are friends since school."
I introduced them to my fiance. He gave them a polite smile.
"Good to meet you all. Have you had starters yet?" He questioned.
They shook their heads.
"Oh no, we just arrived."
"Why don't you go and sit at your tables, the waiters will serve you."
I didn't know if this was his way of getting rid of them or if it was his way of being nice to them.
"Oh okay, sure. Thanks!"
"Bye, Aaina. You look so great."
"Thanks for being here guys."
As the girls left, I felt him staring at me. At first, his gaze had been uncomfortable, cold..but now, after that phone call, there was just something about his gaze that made me flushed.
I could feel my neck heating up.
I knew he was about to say something but instead, I felt him speaking to someone on his side.
"Sir, wo sab milna chah rahe hain, ek ek kar ke bula lein uper? Pictures ke liye?"
A man in a blue suit questioned him. I knew that the whole picture taking ceremony was important in this family. I understood that.
Presenting an image to not only the country, but the whole world was important.
"Ofcourse, send them."
He had answered.
I looked at the grand Hall, the people, the way they stared at us, the way they talked to each other, the way my mother and his mother were talking to another woman, laughing.
I could see several judges, barristers, ministers, even a few famous actors.
I could spot the Prime Minister, sitting under a Gazibo with the chief of army staff and my father.
"Is there anything prepared?" I heard him question me.
I frowned.
Did he mean the dances? I knew their side of the family, their cousins had prepared several dances. I didn't know much about mine.
"I wouldn't know, nobody told me." I answered back honestly.
He chuckled.
"The same way nobody told you the truth behind our marriage."
He whispered. I looked at him with wide eyes.
What did he mean by that? What truth? Was there something that I didn't know? Was that it?
I could feel my heartbeat getting a little fast, panic rising inside of me.
It wasn't until he put a hand on mine that I looked at him again.
"You look like you're going to faint." He stated, eyes twinkling with a certain amusement.
"It's a joke," He clarified.
I sighed out loud.
"You scared me." I told him.
And truly, he did.
Even the thought of something going horrible in this already awkward relationship made me want to barf.
What if he hadn't apologised? What if he was still giving me those 'lessons' What if he wasn't as kind as he was now?
What would I have done then?
I would probably be having a nervous breakdown right now then.
I heard him lean in, closer to my ear as the music got a little loud.
"So I don't scare you anymore, hmm?"
I smiled at him.
"Not as much." I admitted.
We were once again interrupted by a voice.
"Zaydaan Ziagil." I looked up, only to see a guy in a kurta.
Zaydaan stood up, hugging him.
"Taufeeq Ghafoor." He said, as if his name meant something. I only had a slight idea of who he is.
"How are you brother? Congratulations." They exchanged pleasantries and then Zaydaan looked at me, I stood up.
"This is the son of our Army chief. And my very good friend."
"Hello." I greeted him.
That's why his face looked so familiar.
As he left, another middle aged man entered the stage along with a woman, she looked like his wife.
"Salam, bhabhi. Mubarak ho bauhat bauhat."
I heard him congratulate me. Was this going to be a thing now? Would they all start calling a girl much younger than them, bhabhi?
"Thank you." I said back politely.
"This is Murad Khan. He's our minister of education." Zaydaan informed me.
Another man came up after him, my cheeks hurt from smiling at all these photographs.
Apparently, they had invited about a thousand people for mehndi and walima.
Baraat, however would remain an intimate event with only close relatives and friends.
I was so thankful for that. I didn't want a thousand people to see me cry at my rukhsati.
"This is Andleeb Shah. She's our defense minister."
He told me once again as a gorgeous woman, clad in a pink abaya stepped up on the stage.
As she left, a young man in his early thirties stepped up on stage. I knew who he was, infact I had attended a seminar with him as the chief guest.
"Ali Tareen, he's a part of the PM's cabinet, minister of Information."
I nodded, knowingly.
As the picture got shot, I looked down from the stage.
Where the hell was my sister? She was probably out there talking to some cute guy. I knew it.
As I waited for another person to come up on the stage, I realised it was Ahad. His brother.
"Bhai wo, zara baat sunain.." He trailed off, walking in a hurry as he demanded his brother's attention.
Infact, he looked slightly panicked too. He glanced at me. I noticed that he had shaved off his beard for tonight.
I had never really seen any of his pictures without the beard.
I had hardly talked to him in all these days. His only impression had been slightly horrible to me. He was sarcastic and he took joy in making me uncomfortable on our first meeting.
"How are you, Aaina? I didn't really get to talk to you before." He conversated.
"I'm good," I was a little reserved but the way he was acting so far, it seemed like he wasn't so bad.
"You look stunning, my brother is a lucky man." He complimented.
"Thank you." I mumbled.
"Yeah, can I steal him away for a minute?" I nodded.
Who was I to tell him to stay or leave? If Ahad wanted to take his brother away, then why not?
"Bhai, wo actually-" Zaydaan was about to move to the side when all of a sudden, a beautiful girl in a green dress appeared on the stage.
She looked at my fiance with a smile.
"Zaydaan."
"Mina." He greeted back with a blank voice. The same voice that he had used on me on our first meeting.
"Hello." She looked at me. I shook her hand.
"She's General Ashfaq's daughter. Minal Ashfaq." Zaydaan turned to look at me.
Infact, I observed that he had actually gotten a little more close to me after seeing her.
"Minal, this is Aaina, my beautiful fiance."
He hadn't told me how I looked the whole night, yet he said it in front of her.
Either, she was his ex girlfriend or someone he wanted to show off to.
Still, hearing him call me beautiful was enough to put a smile on my face.
"It's nice to meet you, how are you?"
Her graceful demeanour actually made me cautious. Why were these army brats filled with class?
"I'm good."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you." I muttered back.
"I'll go now,"
She announced. Nobody really stopped her as she stepped off the stage and went back to sit on the sofa. Ahad walked by her side.
I was still stood in my heels, my back actually hurting from standing for too long.
"You can sit, you've been standing for a while now." Zaydaan said from beside me, I nodded.
"Yeah,"
I had barely just sat when Zaydaan started to conversate with me.
"She was the General's daughter that I was supposed to marry." He informed.
"Oh.."
It didn't really make me feel anything. I didn't feel jealous or threatened even.
"Thankfully, God had better plans for me."
I chuckled.
But were they better plans for me too? Only time could tell.
As our relatives arrived on stage one by one, giving us their blessings and clicking pictures, I realised how tired I had started to feel.
And hungry. I felt hungry seeing all these people getting dinner served to them.
"Did you eat today?" I heard him pop a question.
"I had breakfast, yes."
"That was in the morning, it's night time." He stated.
"I don't like eating in front of people."
I didn't know why I admitted that in front of him.
"Meher. Dinner."
Had he really just ignored what I had said to him?
As a few waiters put dinner on the table in front of us, they also served it on our separate plates.
"I just-" I tried to say something.
I couldn't just eat in front of a thousand people. It was weird.
Before I could even get words out of my mouth, I watched him drag his chair opposite to me.
I frowned.
He placed his chair exactly in front of me, his back turned towards the guests.
I realised he had done it for me.
"Better? Now nobody has to watch you eat." He commented.
"Except you." I said back.
"I think I have the right now."
Did he? Did he have the right? Did I feel like he had it? Or was I only feeling it because I was marrying him?
"Everyone's gonna see your back turned towards them."
He shrugged, as if he didn't really care.
"I'm waiting, eat." I still hesitated.
"Don't you think I have the right then?" He enquired.
"No, I-" He raised his eyes.
"No?"
"I mean, I-"
He sighed, picking up a tiny piece of tikka with a fork. He put it near my lips.
"Eat," He said again.
I ate.
"Thank you."
He nodded.
After the first bite, I started to eat on my own. I ate things that wouldn't cause any mess, dry things but I ate nonetheless.
And I ate with a smile on my face.
We were almost done with dinner when he glanced at me again.
"You can be shy in front of the whole world, but you can't be shy in front of me."
His words spread warmth inside of me.
Where was this Zaydaan on our first meeting?
"I'm not shy." I said shyly and he burst into laughter.
He liked to tease me, it seemed.
"So do I have the right?" He asked me again and I knew I couldn't say no.
"Yes, you do.
- Writer
