The whims of her bewildered heart.

Chapter seven

Aisha looked around in exasperation, trying to find something that would 'suit' her best friend. This was the eighth boutique they had entered within the spam of four hours and yet ilham hadn't got anything.

Days passed almost too quickly and a month flew by. There was only a week left before ilham ties the knot. Aisha spent almost all her time with ilham and was more than happy as she succeeded in dodging the person she wanted to.

"Ilham. This?" Aisha asked showing her a beautiful salmon pink dress that had an grey embroidery running over the hem. Ilham looked at it and her eyes shone.

"It's..." a smile appeared but ilham covered it and frowned and mumbled "I don't like it" causing Aisha to lose the little amount of patience that was left in her.

"You know what? Do it by yourself! I'm soo done! I've been helping you for the past five hours and all you do is complain!" Aisha exclaimed and slammed the dress on the table. Ilham broke into a grin and side hugged her friend.

"Oh lord! I was just joking. Calm your pants sweetie" ilham said giggling and Aisha glared at her.

"The dress is stunning. I'll take that" ilham told the sales assistant. She then turn towards Aisha and asked "are you getting something?"

Aisha shook her head and stood by the exit waiting for ilham to pay for the dress. Once she had done so the two girls walked towards the food court and slumped down in their seats. Aisha let out a small sigh and so did ilham. After literally four hours they had sat and their legs were killing,

"I'm starving" Aisha whined and ilham nodded.

"What shall we get?" She asked sitting up straight. Aisha pointed towards the krespy Kreme donut shop and ilham rolled her eyes. She saw it coming. She knew what her best friend would want and made her way to the donut bakery and placed their order. Aisha sat there scrolling through the phone until her donuts arrived once they did she only took a bite and she was done. Nauseous feeling hit her and she dropped her donut. Ilham frowned and raised her eyebrows in question but Aisha just shrugged and forcefully continued eating.

"Oh I'm sol full!" Aisha groaned as the made their way towards home in the car and ilham nodded in agreement. Aisha tightened her abaya around her stomach and sighed. She nudged ilham and pointed towards her belly.

"It's a baby donut!" She exclaimed and ilham grinned.

"Oh my god! You did dirty with a donut! Bad Aisha!" Ilham gasped and burst out laughing along with Aisha.

Once they reached ilhams house. Aisha and ilham showed ilhams mum to clothes and everything that they had bought. They sat there for sometime until Aisha had to pray and left for ilhams room and ilham followed. Aisha prayed and lied on the bed scrolling through her instagram until ilham was praying. While doing so her fingers stopped as she saw Sara's new post. It was Hamza and Amir and...imran. Her heart did a back flip and she closed her eyes and reminded herself that she was over him and that she should lower her gaze. She scrolled down faster hoping the picture would disappear into thin air.

"Okay I think I have got almost all of the things I had needed" ilham said ticking off things from her wedding planning book.

"Your make up" Asian pointed out and she shot her a grateful book.

"Yes that" she said and wrote it in the book.

"Excited aren't you?" Aisha asked after a few minutes of observing her best friend who was almost not in the right state of mind. She was nervous, giddy, excited and impatient. Aisha could see that she couldn't wait for next week.

"I think so" the bride replied, pink spreading across her cheeks. She dropped the pen in the book and shut it. "It's like I do want the day to come and yet I want it too!" She exclaimed and lied down next to Aisha.

"Someone's totally smitten" Aisha teased and ilham blushed further.

"Let your time come" ilham mumbled and Aisha let out a hearty laugh.

"Not in the foreseeable future" Aisha replied and ilham rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't lie! I'm pretty sure when he comes he'll swipe you off your feet and you'd beg him not to let you down!" Ilham taunted Aisha who rolled her eyes,

"You know I do not believe in all that." Aisha stated. "Swipe you off your feet? That's impossible! Marriage only puts you further into the ground"

"Oh allah! Show her what love can do" ilham prayed loudly and Aisha made a chocking noise as ilhams sister yelled out an 'ameen' From outside the room. Aisha shot ilham a glare and she grinned.

Aisha threw her hijab and abaya on lazily and bid goodbye to ilham who was still on bed and carried her belongings and left the room. She walked downstairs and greeted those present there and slid out of the house.

Aisha decided to go to the masjid as she felt uneasy the past few weeks. She sent her driver home as she wanted to walk back home since the weather was quite good. Aisha slid off her shoes and placed them on the shoe rack and entered into the women's side of the masjid. She prayed two rakahs of nafl and sat there doing dhikr for sometime. She recited the Quran until the adhaan for magrib went off. More women entered into the masjid after the adhan and together they read their salah.

"Assalamu Alaikum warahmathullahi wabarakathuhu! Ummah!" Aisha greteted a old lady whom she knew because she visited the masjid frequently.The old woman looked at her and smiled. She put her hand out gesturing Aisha to put her hand on hers and Aisha kept hers on the lady's hand. She kissed Aisha's hand and smiled yet again at her.

"Walaikum Salam warahmathullahi wabarakathuhu dear" the lady replied.

"How are you?" Aisha asked as the two of them made their way out.

"By Allah's mercy and grace good my dear and you?" She asked.

"Alhamdhulillah" Aisha replied with a smile.

Aisha helped the lady in taking her shoes and wore her own. She walked out with the old lady and informed her about her best friends wedding.

"Mashallah! Make allah grant her a wonderful life ahead Ameen!" The women said and Aisha murmured an 'Ameen'.

Aisha helped the women walk by wrapping her arms around the lady's shoulder and holding her hand.

"Soon In Shaa Allah, Allah will bless you with a man who is better than you in character because you need to be treated in the best ways" the lady stated and Aisha smiled.

"In Shaa Allah" she replied.

Aisha honestly hated complements. They made her cringe and uncomfortable. She usually gets tongue tied and does not respond when one complements her. She knew she was more than what people spoke about her. She had her own sins and flaws that her lord hid from people.

'Oh Allah! Do not hold me accountable for what they say about me. And make me better than whom they think I am. Oh Allah! It is only you who knows me like no other so have mercy upon me, guide me and forgive me for what they know not' Aisha silently made dua as she walked the lady towards the gate.

"Ummah, who are you here with" Aisha asked as she looked around.

"My husband" the lady replied with a smile.

As if on cue an old man from the men's side emerged and he was looking or more like searching for his wife. Aisha smiled as the old lady waved at him at him enthusiastically. The man came towards his wife and took her hands in his. Aisha's heart melted as he placed a kiss on her forehead and the lady blushed.

"Who's this young maiden here?" The man questioned

"This is Aisha, I know her from the masjid" the lady replied

"Assalamu Alaikum warahmathullahi wabarakathuhu" Aisha greeted the man and he replied.

"Okay ummah I'll get going then" Aisha stated and said her greetings.

With that she walked to her home her thoughts on the lovely old couple she met.