Zehnaseeb ✓

e i g h t

[Enjoy!]

"Hey, I'm going to meet my brother." I sat up on the bed and watched him fix his tie in the mirror.

"Is he not coming to the Walimah in the evening?" He questioned.

"Bro, I'm missing him right now."

He looked at me through the mirror. "Okay, call him here."

How do I politely tell him that I don't want to be with his bhabhi. "Okay, I'll see." I hugged my knees and put my head on them. Nothing had ever happened the way I wanted anyways.

"I'll be back before four o'clock." He kissed my forehead and went downstairs. Gosh, he might not be romantic but he's cute.

I took a shower, got ready and went downstairs. The men of the house had left. Azaan's mother was feeding his sister-in-law while she denied eating anymore. I rolled my eyes at the extra care. I sat on the dining table, a seat away from bhabhi and called for a lemon juice. Bhabhi whined not wanting to eat more. I trotted to the kitchen, swigged the lemon juice and springed out of the house.

I texted Azaan.

Sawera: At a beauty spa, pick me up in six hours.

~~~

I unzipped the garment bag and took my dress out.

The Walimah was held at seven o'clock in the back of the mansion, in a large function room. It was just four o'clock and all the preparations had finished, most guests had also arrived. I didn't know the function was going to be that big until Palwasha told me that half of the guests had arrived. Half meant two-hundred.

Let's say that it was smaller than a typical Pakistani ceremony, but whenever my mind traveled to what Azaan said in the morning, I prayed for the function to end as soon as possible.

The Walimah was going to be broadcasted.

Not just videotaped, as I had initially thought, but a live broadcast.

Incidentally, I was not afraid of being surrounded by cameras. I was just conscious about my weight. All the parties I went to two weeks before getting married had not helped the already growing number on the weighing scale.

I cussed myself before I quickly flung my evening wear on and rushed outside. Azaan was on a call, I patted on his shoulder and turned around to show him my bare back. I motioned him to zip the back of my dress.

He stopped in the middle of his sentence.

"Azaan!" I whisper-shouted. "I'm getting late, the assistants will be here in no time!"

He gently bobbed up and stood in front of me, his eyebrows snapped together. He looked all calm. The slight worry in his eyes was definitely not because of the time shortage. He looked at my breast. I looked down at myself and realized what he was doing.

"Bro, it's backless. Hurry up, please." I turned around.

"Hello?" The person on the other line queried whether Azaan was still on the line or not. "Sorry, sir? Can you hear me? Hello?"

"Yeah, hold on." Azaan reluctantly looked at me and put a finger below the fabric on my shoulder.

"And strapless." I added.

He turned me around. "Go wear a full one." He spoke in a low voice.

"The fuck is a full one?" I whispered. "That won't look good on this dress! Zip it up!"

"Sawera, go change into a complete one, you're not wearing this." He declared. walking away with the phone in his hand. "We'll find another alternative, Alexander." He spoke on the phone, walking to the couch.