Fated

Ch. 24

'In a week? Malik are you serious? How can we arrange everything in a week?' My mother asked my father the next day as we gathered together for breakfast.

'It's a wedding, not a joke' She added, shaking her head in disagreement.

'Look it's just a suggestion...Abbas and I talked yesterday and he said if we can perform their Nikkah at the mosque' My father looked at me as I set the food on the table.

'We can do reception later and we'll invite all the guests there' He tried to convince my mother.

'What do you think Maya?' Papa asked me for my opinion as I sat down to eat.

'Why are you asking Maya...this is not possible...it's the first wedding in our house, I want to invite everyone and do all the events properly' Mama spoke on my behalf.

'The sooner the wedding is concluded the better it is...I don't see any problem with this...Maya will be going next door Nosheen' Papa attempted to persuade her but she kept resisting the idea.

'Maya...you need to talk to Zain...tell him to talk to his parents' Mama glared at me, waiting for my response.

'I will be seeing him today, I will talk to him' I informed them. I personally didn't understand the rush for marriage myself but I wanted to talk to Zain first and find out why he was rushing. First he brought his parents to my house and now he wanted to marry me in a weeks' time.

'Good, he is a sensible boy...he will talk to his parents' My mother finally seemed to relax a bit. Little did she know, the idea of getting married in a week probably belonged to none other than the devil himself.

Zain had texted me informing me that he'll be coming over in the afternoon to take me out and since he was always on time, I decided to get ready in advance so I am ready by the time he arrives.

'Someone is looking good' Ramsha stood near my bedroom door glancing at me as I finished getting ready. I opt for a crème colored dress with silver embroidery.

'He kept looking at you yesterday after you guys returned from Sana's house' Ramsha mentioned.

'And you kept looking at him too' She giggled and walked towards me.

'I can't believe he wants to get married in a week' I looked at her.

'What's so hard to believe? He can't stay away from you any longer' She winked and ran away before I could throw something at her.

Minutes later, my phone rang and Zain's name appeared on my screen.

'Hello,' I answered nervously.

'Hi...ready?' Was his voice always his deep?

'Maya' He said, pulling me back from whatever thoughts I was thinking about him.

'Yes...I am' I answered.

'I'll be there in five minutes' I heard him say. The time seemed to pass slower than usual as soon as the call ended.

Finally, the bell rang and I anxiously walked to the door to answer it. I opened the door and saw him standing with a bouquet of roses in his hands, topped with a hint of a smile. I couldn't help but return the smile.

'Thank you' I thanked him for the flowers and invited him inside so he can talk to my parents before leaving. My mother was impressed with the way he promised to look after me and said that he'll bring me home safely.

'Thank you for trusting me, it's very important that we talk to each other as I am sure everything is very rushed for her' Zain said to my father before heading out the door as I followed. Once we got outside the house, he walked to his car and opened the passenger door for me.