What they could have been

Chapter 29

"Oh my gosh! You're getting married!"

"Who's the unlucky guy?"

A woman around Hadarah's age and a man a few years younger came hurtling towards her, Ashar and Emmet. They both had bronze skin, dark hair and wore eager grins on their faces.

"Ashar, Emmet, allow me to introduce you to my favourite cousins. This is Layla and her younger brother Zayd." Hadarah gestured to them and smirked amusedly.

"Hi!" Layla waved.

"Sup?" Zayd mock saluted.

"Hey." Emmet smiled at them while Ashar waved awkwardly.

"So which one of you is marrying my cousin?" Zayd asked, his eyes flicking between them.

Ashar raised his hand and all eyes landed on him. He shifted on his feet nervously. Hadarah placed a comforting hand on his arm and smiled at him reassuringly. Then she looked at her cousins.

"This is my fiancé, Ashar Faiyaz."

"You're cute." Layla sighed dreamily.

Hadarah gave her a warning look.

"Perfect for Hadarah," she continued.

"Where are the others?"

"Talking to your parents and gossiping in the sitting room. Possibly eating snacks and drinking tea. You know, the usual."

"Huh. I should probably go and say hi."

They went to greet the rest of the cousins, aunts and uncles. After many hugs, kisses and embarrassing comments, all the cousins left for the drawing room. The girls sat on one side and the guys on the other.

"Are you sure you want to marry our sister?" Zayd asked Ashar.

Ashar's eyes met Hadarah's and he smiled. "Yeah."

"Seriously man, think about it carefully. Hadarah's mind is always in the clouds. She sleeps way too much, eats chocolate obsessively and doesn't exercise at all. It's almost impossible to tear her away from a book. Need I carry on?"

Ashar's smile widened as he kept his gaze on Hadarah. "You forgot to mention that she's a hard worker, a brilliant cook, a loyal companion, selfless, kind, compassionate and fun. Yes, she can be childish and attention-seeking sometimes but I love that about her."

The girls awed and the guys cheered. Hadarah blushed and looked at the floor.

"Okay, you men do whatever it is that you do. We'll be leaving now." Layla stood up and all the girls followed. They left for Hadarah's bedroom.

"So, Hadarah, now that we're all alone tell us everything!"

She looked warily at all her cousins eager faces. There were six of them but they were watching her like vultures circling their next meal.

"Umm, what do you want to know?"

"How did he propose?"

"Have you two kissed?"

"What's he like?"

The questions were thrown at her and she sat on her bed before she collapsed. "Woah, slow down. He proposed on my birthday. Made me wear a dress that matched his suit and gave me pink roses. We danced to a song Emmet played on his guitar and then he went down on one knee and presented the ring."

"Show us the dress!"

"Show us the ring!"

Hadarah lifted her left hand and the ring glistened in the sunlight streaming through the window. Her ears were blasted by their squeals and screams. Wincing and covering her ears, she made her way to her wardrobe and took a deep breath. She opened the wardrobe and took out the dress, turning to her cousins.