His Little Neighbour

thirteen

A week before the wedding.

Murat was terrified would be an understatement. He stood on the porch of his neighbour's door, his was heart pounding hard just by thinking about what is going to happen in a few minutes. The result might not even be favouring him, but he's going to do this anyway. Otherwise, his subconscious would never let him live in peace for the rest of his life.

His hand seemed to freeze as it went near the calling bell. With determination, he finally rang the bell and waited for them to open the door. His heart was beating at a fast pace as he stood there, questioning his choices.

Meher, the youngest Baig daughter opened the door for him and she gasped in surprise, a wide smile formed on her lips as she lets him in.

"Mama, papa. Murat bhai is here." She hollered excitedly whilst running upstairs. He took slow steps towards the living room.

"Assalamualaikum, uncle and auntie." He greeted them both with a polite smile. Malaika and Arsalaan stood up from the sofa in surprise.

"Walaikum Assalam, Murat... You could have called us before coming, I'd have made something to eat." Malaika began to panic but Arsalaan held her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze.

Murat understood how deeply in love they were both. He could practically see it in their eyes. A corner of his heart ached unknowingly thinking about his past. He thought he had it once; whatever they both have right now. But what a fool he had been. His throat felt dry as he stared at them guiltily.

"I wanted to talk something important." He said with fear in his voice.

His to-be in-laws looked taken aback and confused.

"Is everything okay?" Arsalaan questioned him with a puzzled look on his face.

"Can you also call Mashal, please? I want to confess something to her and you all. I hope I have the permission to do that," his words did nothing but panic them more. Malaika walked upstairs to probably call Mashal.

He took a deep breath and looked down at his shoes. He couldn't get himself to meet any of their eyes. And to think that he was almost going to hide this biggest truth and marry their daughter made him feel like the worst possible human. He felt his heart pounding hard against his ribcage.

"She's here," Arsalaan's cold voice snapped him back to reality. He could already see the worrying look on his to-be father-in-law's face. He didn't blame him at all.

But Murat forgot everything for a second as he recognised that familiar floral scent lingering in the air. He lifted his head and glanced at her, their eyes gets locked. His breath hitched at the raw beauty in front of him. Her face was devoid of any makeup and she wore a simple salwar kameez but still, she looked so breathtakingly enchanting. A tint of redness appeared on her face as she looked away. Although, she looked distant.

Meher passed them both teasing glances, oblivious of the tension in the room.

"Well, please be seated." Arsalaan cleared his throat and signed him to sit on the sofa. Indirectly telling him not to ogle at his daughter.

Murat wanted the earth to swallow him down already. It was embarrassing and awkward. With a nervous smile, he walked ahead and sat on the smaller sofa while Mashal sat in between both her parents in the four-seater one. Meher sat on the handrest of the same sofa. They all faced him eagerly, wanting to know why was he there.

"Murat, beta... You're scaring us. What is it?" Malaika asked him quizzically.

He gulped, feeling very intimidated. All four pairs of eyes were on him.