My Emir ✅

Chapter 42- Couture

 

         Zayn leisurely paced about in the hotel room he and Mariya shared, while he was on a call with Fareed. They were also getting ready for the program. He had called to check if everything was going on well on their end. He got fortunate news.
   Having hosted the event on her own was quite stressful for Fareeda, so they had helped her in making sure the show would roll away without a hitch. Specifically, Eskander was with the IT team.
   He ended the call with Fareed, and then sat on the king-size bed in the suite, to fix the cuffs of his kaftan. It was exclusively sewn by Fareeda. He had to admit that it was splendid. Especially, the embroidery design.
   He fished out his perfume from their suitcase on the bed and squirted out some here and there.
  He placed it back and adjusted his watch on his wrist.
  Zayn was set to leave, but he wasn't sure Mariya was ready. She has been in the bathroom for longer than necessary.

    The door to the bathroom clicked open. Zayn turned to her intending to commend her for successfully taking long to get ready. She deserved an award for that.
   All the words he had planned to say got stuck at the tip of his tongue when he veered around to look at her.
   The woman was after his poor heart. Something in him wanted to ditch the program and have her all to himself. She looked ethereal, and he wanted to be selfish and hide her from the world.
    She wore a baby blue silk Abaya. It had a plain silk inner dress, with a silk robe that was retouched with glittery designs. It came with a veil, that was draped to fit her preferences. Her makeup was minimal, just like the effort she had made to blow his mind away. She didn't seem to be aware of the effect she had on him.

    " Maa Shaa Allah," he finally found his tongue. " You keep reminding me every day that I'm a lucky man."
   He could swear that he saw her blush.

   She gently shut the door behind her and advanced toward him.
  " That you are," she praised.

   He pulled her closer by her wrist and placed a kiss on her forehead.

   " Let's get going," she prompted after he had pulled back. " We wouldn't want to be late."

   " Says the person who takes ages to get ready." He threw at her, picking up their phones from the nightstand.
   He took her hand once again, leading her out of the room.

   " Oh, you are coming at me now?" She returned.

   Zayn closed the door behind them once they got out.

    Emraan, Haseeb, Sayida, Saratu, and Nazeera were already lingering in the corridor. Their rooms were adjacent to each other's, so it would be easy for them to reach one another.

   " See, they've started bickering again." Emraan referred to Mariya and Zayn.

   They laughed.

    Mariya noticed that the men wore the same design of kaftan, with colour differences. It was the same with the women's Abaya. She made a mental note to thank Fareeda for the clothes.

   " Where's Ameer?" Zayn asked. He knew Eskander was waiting for them outside, where a limo was to drop them off at their designated destination.

  " He's with Hajia Laura," Nazeera replied, linking her arms with Emraan's.

   " Let's get going before Eskander snaps," Haseeb announced.

   They all headed to the elevator, ready for the expedition. The Red carpet event would commence in less than an hour.

    The limo pulled up at the marquee of Tulip Hotel roughly fifteen minutes into the ride. They could hear the bustling of the event even from inside the vehicle. They braced themselves for what was to come. They had to show off an unaffected grace.
    One by one, they stepped out of the vehicle. Immediately, cameras were turned on them. Each of the reporters at the event wanted to capture the moment. The blinding flashes did nothing to deter their classiness. Although this was new to Sayida, she pulled it off quite well.
   Zayn held Mariya close to him as they walked down a barred aisle with their friends, where the actual event was held. They smiled flawlessly at the cameras, producing the perfect pictures for the following day's entertainment news.
   Already, they could spot some popular faces at the event, blending into the glamourous atmosphere.
   They all dressed to kill.