An Echoing Race.

Chapter Forty.

Dedicated to SkyCastles for the new cover ^.^

~ Can anyone guess why the story is called 'An Echoing Race?' Have a think and comment below if you can figure it out :)

E N J O Y !

#Chapter Forty#

Three months later.

"I want her home by ten."

"And please, try not to run into the media."

"Message me every hour so that I know where you are and what you're doing."

"Psst, Sameena, there's a little string coming out of your scarf come here so I can fix it."

At the last whisper of a voice, my eyes travelled from my dad and two disgruntled brothers to land on my best friend who was frantically waving me over. Mini sewing scissors were in her hand and she motioned for me to come forward again, rolling her eyes at the fact that I wasn't moving.

Well excuse me for not being able to escape the current outlining of guidelines that was underway!

I ignored her and focused back on the men in front of me. Even Salem was here for the hearing, smiling cheerfully as he listened intently whilst my father rained down rule after rule upon us.

"Do you both understand?"

Tariq, who was standing as still as a statue next to me, cleared his throat. "Yes 'amu. We will try not to get into any...trouble."

"Good." My father gave a curt nod.

Our nikah ceremony had finished an hour ago and yes, I was now married! It all felt too surreal for me and I think I'm still yet to comprehend the fact that I now shared a beautiful and - hopefully - unbreakable bond with someone who I was very much in love with. If there was even a trace of doubt before, the last three month swiftly cleared it away.

As soon as we had arrived home from the hall, Tariq requested to pray Maghreb together. When my father, brothers and Salem had jumped in to announce they needed to pray as well, he had blushed profusely before explaining that he wanted to pray alone with me. I was a little confused at his request - yes I was still in a daze - but they all seemed to get it. Baba nodded as a smile overcame his face and with an affectionate pat on the shoulder he left the room, gesturing for the others to follow.

Of course, the first thing I did was ask him why he wanted to pray with me alone.

He walked up to me, took one of my hands into his warm one and brought it up to his lips. "Because I want to start off our marriage with nothing but the remembrance of Allah. I want to thank Him for everything he has blessed me with. I have a loving, caring family, food on my table and a roof above my head, a job I'm passionate about and now, I've been blessed with a beautiful wife. He's finally answered my prayers Sameena but I want, no need, to show gratitude and to make one final dua; that He bestows his infinite love and mercy upon our marriage and that whatever may come our way, we battle it together with perseverance."

At his words, my knees had gone weak, my eyes had watered due to emotion and the only thing I could do was fling myself into his arms.

So it happened that the first thing we did together as husband and wife - alone - was pray. And I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Now though, Tariq and I were leaving for our first ever outing together but we were running late on our schedule as baba thought it fit to use twenty minutes of our time just explaining what we should and shouldn't do.

"You can go now," baba said, breaking me from my reverie.

"Ready?" Tariq asked, extending his hand.