Hearts On Fire

21: Royal Cousins

As he said, they entered through the back door and walked silently as though they were there as robber. He texted Faruk that they could come in and then they dispersed to their respective chambers. Fatima Zarah wanted to take a quick shower, but she knew that won't be possible, considering how their guest had already arrived. She quickly washed up and got into her dress, dabbing a little powder onto her face as quickly as she can. She wanted to have a white lipstick on her lips, but then before she was able to decide on what to choose between her own tons of lipsticks, the door to her room got turned and Al-mustapha walked inside.

He walked to where she sat down on the vanity stool and looked at the lipsticks she had laid out, unable to choose. Should it be nude? Maroon? Red? Or one sort of an alien colour? She quickly shook the though off and looked up at him through the mirror. "Which one do you think I should wear? I want nothing on my lips but the white liquid one but considering we're having a walima I figured out I should wear something colourful, don't you think?"

He took his eyes off from her through the mirror and scanned through the lipsticks. He could remember, on their nikkah day she had a red lipstick on and it was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. He knew beauty when he saw one, and he surely screamed beauty on that day. He picked the red lipstick in his hand and looked closely at it.

"If you wear this, will it look like it did on the nikkah day?" He wanted to say our wedding day, but something choked up his throat and he found himself saying Nikkah day. She was silent for a while and she turned away from the mirror, facing him as he stood infront of her.

"Yes, I think it will." She answered. And the next thing he did surprised not just her, but him. He squatted down until he was on the same level as her and he opened the lipstick while staring into her eyes.

"Can I?" He held it up in the air and motioned at her lips, she was reluctant at first before she nodded her head at him, as slowly as she could ever do.

Like a flick of a wand, Al-mustapha began applying the lipstick on her lips even though he didn't know how to. He had never even noticed that girls applied lipsticks but on Fatima Zarah. Her eyes were fixed intently on his face as he fixed his on her slightly opened lips. When he was done, he smiled genuinely at his handiwork and turned her to look at her reflection through the mirror.

"How does it look? No off edges, everything is fine, right?" She beamed at him through the mirror and nodded her head before she stood up.

"Yes, everything is okay, you're more good than I am when it comes to lipsticks then. I can never apply it this perfectly, myself. Can we?" She motioned for the door at him as they wrapped her veil over her shoulder, with one last look of herself through the mirror, she turned to him and he entwined their hands without a second thought.

They walked to the main living room in utmost silence, even though she could feel the erratic beat of her heart. Al-mustapha wanted so bad to take one more look at her red lips but he was against it, because he couldn't forget what she told him and what he had always urged her not to forget. He can't easily forget the rules he set himself.

From the number of shoes they saw in the main entrance, Fatima Zarah felt as her intestines churned. She squeezed his hand softly and he nodded his head at her, as if giving her an unknown strength she didn't know she needed. They walked into the living, forget about the living room being the longest, biggest and most beautiful living room Fatima Zarah had ever seen, they had filled it to the point that some of them were in the dining area while some sitting on the carpet, she silently shuddered.

"Good afternoon, Yarima!" The men chorused at the same time and he fought so hard to smile at all of them while he answered their greeting.

"Good afternoon, Yarima!" It was time for the ladies, and he did as he did for the men, answering with so much aplomb accompanied with a smile on his lips.