Tied to you

chapter 8: am i ready?

yaay! we reached 160 votes with 1.6k views, thank you so much to those whoever read and vote. my kind request to all the silent readers, vote and comment so that i know that there are people who are appreciating my effort, and so i can carry on writing with a good heart and spirit with enthusiasm.

anyways here is an update, enjoy reading and don't forget to

vote, vote and comment :)

think we can have 30 votes on this chapter before the next update?

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there was soft music playing in the background as i was seated on the plush cream sofa. my heart beat was erratic and i was sweating even with the a/c on. according to meera, these were the symptoms of the bride flu. like seriously.

"the groom has arrived" asma squealed as she came over to me and hugged me tightly. she was more excited about this wedding than i was. the tight hug wasn't strangling me, the fact that the groom has arrived was actually choking me because my heart was in my throat.

"okay asma, get yourself off of from her, her soon to be husband will be jealous otherwise" amira said as she chuckled.

"okay now seriously girls behave"jihan said entering the hall as all my cousins moved to the side giggling. i held meera's hand not letting her leave my side as i was feeling nervous.

"why the hell are you acting like a baby, he is your fiance, you shouldn't feel nervous around him."she said as she forcibly pulled away, mouthing a 'relax'.

"wait till your wedding" i muttered as she chuckled. i heard footsteps approaching as all the girls who were following the niqab wore it and the started giggling. many of my male cousins entered along with my aunts and then my uncles and finally my father with him and some relatives from his side. i looked down immediately as i felt many gazes on me. someone crawled up to me and then i saw ilham and for the first time my nervousness vanished. i smiled and lifted her up as she smiled touching my face.

"hello baby, how are you?" i was so lost in playing with her that for a moment i forgot it was my engagement until someone coughed forcibly and i saw amira pointing in front of me. then i looked up and my heart was in my throat again as i saw many unknown faces smiling.

"jannat the groom is here honey" my dad told trying to hold back his laughter and then i noticed that even the others were trying to hold back their laughs too. i sighed. i made a fool out of myself again, i should've played with her later but she is so cute and impossibly irresistible.

"please laugh, its good for health" i said and the whole living room erupted in laughter but only one person didn't laugh, i looked at aabid and saw him smiling but when our eyes met, he looked away and took on a stern expression.

after the the fatiha and ring exchange was done all the guest got busy talking and laughing. the usual desi drama was going on but seeing my father and sister happy, i was feeling happy too. ilham was resting in my laps as she drank on her milk bottle quietly. she is just four. i feel so sad for her, her mother died when she was only a year old. i felt the sofa on the other end dip and then i saw him sitting there looking exhausted. someone is really not into ceremonies or parties. i looked away at ilham and started to get up as suddenly the air around us grew tense.

"wait" his voice stopped me and i looked back to see him bearing the same stern expression.

"sit, i need to talk to you" he ordered. i narrowed my eyes at him.

"you know something called 'politeness' exists in this world" he rolled his eyes as i walked away.

"sit, please" his voice made me go back as i sat far away at the other end.

"i know mustafa uncle won't force you into this but i am asking it still, were you forced into this marriage?" his eyebrows furrowed, he actually looked cute. ya allah what the hell am i thinking.

"you know you can stare at me as much you want after marriage but answer these questions please." he said smugly smirking at me. oh fudge, i was caught. focus jannat, focus. he is just a ugly troll.

"no"

"good" i got up again.

"i don't understand what's the hurry and be careful with her" he said pointing at ilham who was now resting her head on my shoulders, her bottle lost somewhere, not again.

"okay i need to ask somethings more" i huffed and sat down again.

"okay so basically i had no intentions on marrying you or anyone else but then after mustafa uncle insisted, i realized that i needed to adopt ilham and so in a way this marriage was beneficial for now she will be adopted by us."

"i'm fine with you marrying me, but you have to promise me something" he said sternly.

"what" i asked barely above a whisper.

"you'll take care of my sister just like a mother" mashallah he was really a good and caring brother. i nodded my head and got away from there with ilham. jihan wanted to spend some time with her, so i let ilham be under her care, meanwhile i walked in my room going unnoticed by the others for the first time today. i walked inside and looked at the dressing table mirror with random colored stones adorning the rim of the mirror. i looked at my face and pointed at it and asked only one question.

"are you ready?" clearly marriage wasn't a joke, and it was coming with new responsibilities. i can't be myself anymore. i can't be the lazy person and wake up late. i had to be a responsible sister-in-law, cut that, i had to be a mother and ilham's best friend. i had to embrace all my problems along with my husband's. well i guess there is no use now, allah has shown me the path to marriage for a reason. maybe to heal my own heart or maybe to fix another broken soul , or just maybe because i had to light up someone's childhood and little do i know that it won't be easy but i will give in my best. so the answer to my own question to myself is 'yes'.