■5■

"We are leaving tomorrow and you still haven't asked Uncle."

Badiya was laying across on her bed with her hair creating a halo around her face. She was still in her pajamas and called her newly made friend the first thing after freshing up. Hasifa and Badiya had become good friends in the past week, constantly talking on the phone or going out to see places and having lunch before she came back to Islamabad.

The Shah's had already gone to their ancestral village Saliabad to have the preparations started and Badiya and her family is going to leave tomorrow. Badiya wanted the only two friends she had to be at her engagement but Armeena couldn't come due to some family affairs. And now, Hasifa was hesitating since she hasn't been around her family alot and felt like she would intrude in their intimate function since only immidiate family was invited.

"Yaar, Baba will have no problem allowing me. It's just that-"

"Then what's the problem? Start packing and I'll book the next flight's ticket for you and mail you the details."

"Diya, there's no need for that. I don't know if I should come to your family function."

"Mama! Dekhain na Hasifa aanay se mana kar rahi because she thinks she'll be intruding." (See, Hasifa is denying to come....)

Badiya whined to her mom who just entered her room with a whole lot of things followed by a maid and extended her phone to her.

"Hasifa beta, mujhe bohot acha lagega agr ap aa jayain gi tou. Meri bohot help ho jaye gi kiuke Diya k final trials or salon treatments baaqi hain or in mohtarma ko akela nahi trust kiya ja skta. Please come beta. I'll personally call Iqbal Bhai." Sameena Hussain took the phone from Badiya and said after saying her salam.

"Jee, Aunty." Hasifa finally gave in after Mrs. Hussain's request.

"Thankyou, Beta." She gave the phone back to Badiya and went to her wardrobe to start her packing as she had completed her own and her husband's packing and checked on Waliya and Umer's suitcases as well. Badiya was worse than her teenager siblings and cannot be trusted with clothes and accessories especially since it was her own engagement.

Badiya bid Hasifa goodbye after booking the earliest flight which was going to take off in an hour and a half which means Hasifa will reach Islamabad in two and a half hours.

Badiya went to pick up Hasifa from the airport and they both had lunch at Badiya's home with her family and then they both left for the boutique and went to the salon after that. Badiya faced the misery of going through numerous treatments but Hasifa and Waliya made it bearable for her. They were both now laying in her bed talking about random stuff staring up at the ceiling when Badiya called her name.

"Hasifa?"

"Hmm."

"I don't think I am ready for this." Badiya says moving her neck to face Hasifa.

"What do you mean?" Hasifa copied Badiya's movement and asked with a frown.

"I am not sure about this engagement." Badiya started and looked back at the ceiling.

"I mean he thinks I am a child and I guess I am. And he hates me. He's always scolding me for everything and he puts these restrictions on me. I feel like he's always trying to make me feel miserable because I have done something bad to him and he hates me because of it. My thoughts are just so scattered." Badiya said still looking at the ceiling unblinking.

"Diya, you told me he was the one who asked for your hand in marriage and convinced your father. And according to everything you have told me, you always did something extremely stupid for which he scolded you. And all his restrictions always turned out to be good for you." Hasifa turned on her side and said in a soft tone. She could understand where Diya was coming from but that ignorant friend of hers couldn't see the way Shehryar looked at her like she was the centre of his universe. And all his actions screamed he was just being protective of her.

"But he's so boring. He always seems so quiet and he just...he always tries to stare me down and...and he also once beat up my cousin and caused a rift between us." Badiya said with a pout. She does that alot.

"Well, some people don't talk alot but he always pays attention to what you're saying. And that cousin of yours was trying to ask about inappropriate things from you-"

"He just asked if I had started wearing bras already since my strap was showing."

"Exactly. He deserved what Sherry did. And about staring, are you really blind? Can't you see the way he looks at you?" Hasifa said exasperated.

"Like he wants to kill me?" Badiya looked at her friend confused.

"Like he loves you, idiot."

Badiya first looked at Hasifa dumbfounded the rolled her eyes.

"You're crazy."

"No, he is crazy for you. Can't you see whatever he does shows how much he cares for you. And ofcourse, he loves you that's why he wants to marry you." Hasifa tried to make Badiya understand her point of you.

"You mean he doesn't want to marry me to take revenge from me?" Badiya asked stupidly. She is good at reading people but maybe she turns blind around Shehryar.

"Who does that?! You think he is so petty that he would do that?"

"Well, it's a possibility." Badiya shrugged not wanting to believe that Shehryar might love her.

"Oh Allah! Just notice the way he looks at you and behaves when he's around you next time without putting on your 'Shehryar is a brute' glasses, okay?"

They both went to sleep after that because they were supposed to leave early tomorrow.

~

"Kuch garbar chal rahi hai, Diya." (There is somehing going on, Diya.)

The Hussain's reached the pushtaini Shah haveli around noon and were welcomed by the beat of drums and showers of flower petals with the villagers dancing along with Wali and most of his cousins. The air had festive feels to it and it was a festival for the villagers as Shehryar was going to be given the title of the Shah of the village and the villagers already loved him. He had spent a huge amout of his childhood in this village with these very villagers and he had done so much for the development of his ancestral village in every field.

Now, Badiya was sitting in the lounge on the second story as all the relatives were staying there. Shehyar was already situated in the master bedroom and they both were not allowed to see each other so Badiya was living on the ground floor in a room adjacent to Bi Jaan. Badiya was scared to meet her but was pleasantly surprised when Bi Jaan embraced her and welcomed her with love. It was a first for her. They were all planning things for tomorrow as it was Shehryar's "coronation" and their engagement but Wali came in and sat down beside Badiya stating with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?" Badiya asked with a frown.

"Well, I was passing by the mehmaan khana and I heard the elders having a discussion with the sarpanch." He said like he was a detective trying to solve a mystery.

"Obviously, I wasn't evesdropping. I just heard it by mistake." He added looking at Hasifa, who was sitting on the other side of Badiya, trying not to make his image worse.

"And what were they saying?"

"They were talking about a custom of some sort. Looks like there won't be an engagement." Wali continued, telling her what he had caught onto from the discussion he heard "by mistake".

"What?"

"Really!"

These two were the reactions of Hasifa and Badiya. One being shocked and the latter being relieved.

"Chalo yeh tou achha ho gaya." (Atleast something good happened.) Badiya said excitedly. She was relieved for the most part that she'll not be bounded to a control freak who she had annoyed all her life but there was a part of her which was hurt. She supressed that part of her and grabbed Hasifa's hand dragging her up with herself.

"We'll confirm the news from Baba. Come." She went towards the living room in search of her father and Wali followed her leaving her siblings and cousins behind.

"Oye pagal larki!" (Hey, you crazy girl!)

~

"Bi Jaan, they are too young." Kaleem Shah said in a distressed tone.

They were sitting in the main bethak as the sarpanch had left leaving them all in a frenzy. The sarpanch had come with a few villagers accompanying him presenting something that had not occured in any of their minds. He told them that in the past hundreds of years, there hadn't been an unmarried man given the title of the Shah as it is believed that a family man is more stable and wise and also there needs to be a woman beside the Shah who'll become the Beghum. The Beghum is an essential part of their culture since the love, care and understanding of a women can never be present in a man. Since Shehryar was unmarried and will be announced as the Shah tomorrow, it will break their life-long tradition. They might have compensated on this if Badiya was not present but since his bride was already chosen, there was no excuse left.

"Badr, kya umer hai apki?" (Badr, how old are you?) Bi Jaan asked Shehryar who was sitting beside Bi Jaan on her takht posh as everyone else were seated on the sofas.

"Chhabees." (Twenty-six.)

"You were a father of two kids in his age, Kaleem. He is not a child. I know my Badr is responsible enough to handle the duties of a husband and a father. We will have a small nikkah instead of their engagement tomorrow and then have the Walima as soon as it can be arranged." Bi Jaan said with finality in her tone but ofcourse, Mir Hussain was concerned for her daughter.

"Badiya is still studying, Bi Jaan. She is not ready for marriage yet. It'll hinder her studies."

"I did my bachelors and masters after my marriage. And education is not confined to a few years, it goes on life-long. And no girl is ready for marriage, it slowly comes with time. She'll be happy, my Badr will keep her happy, right?" Bi Jaan looked at Shehryar who nodded in affirmation.

Shehryar had mixed feelings about this. He was ecstatic to make Badiya officially his but he was a little wary about Badiya's reaction to all this. She hadn't even greeted her when they met a few hours ago and then they were not allowed to see each other after that. He will definitely keep her happy- atleast try his best- but the situation between them was a little tight.

"It's final. Shehryar and Diya are getting married tomorrow."

"What?!"

Badiya, Hasifa and Wali yelled simultaneously. They entered the living room and heard Bi Jaan announce shocking them.

"Diya beta...-"

"What is all this, Baba? What is Bi Jaan saying?" Badiya walked towards her father and asked him in a terrified tone.

Her father sat her down beside him and explained everything the sarpanch had told them and what Bi Jaan had decided.

"But I don't want to get married...so soon." Badiya sad in a low tone and added after she saw the glare on Shehryar's face.

"As much as I understand Badiya's concern, we cannot deny the fact that it makes perfect sense to get the kids married instead of engaged." Kaleem Shah started after deeply thinking the situation through.

"The traditions are sacred to our people and also the new generation is very fast and modern. We wouldn't want our children to do haram things thinking it's fine because they are engaged as engagement doesn't really have an Islamic value."

Badiya's cheeks turned into tomatoes when she understood what Kaleem Shah was insinuating. Shehryar's ears also turned a little pink but this thought now crossed his mind as well. He will still be as good as a stranger to Badiya with no legal rights on her if they get engaged. His father is right, he should directly get married to her. Whereas Badiya was having a completely different chain of thoughts.

'Doing things with him?! Ew, no. He's all tall and handsome but...ew, no.' She thought. All this time the only thought going in her head was that he'll try to take all the control of her life as he is a control freak and she'll be bored to death as well because he's not a very talkative person and her mouth also gets sealed in his presence. But her mind didn't go that way.

'He's not a romantic person, is he?' She shuddered inwardly.

"I think we should respect our ancestral traditions." Shehyar broke the prolonged silence and Wali wiggled his brows at his brother who shot a glare at him.

"Badiya, apko koi aitraaz?" (Badiya, do you have any objection?) Bi Jaan asked Badiya who looked horrified at the mention of marriage.

"Ye-yes. I am not-" Badiya took a deep breath and prepared to say no to the marriage but Shehryar cut her off.

"Can I talk to you, Badiya, alone before you decide?" He asked and then took her outside after the permission was granted.

~

"You have an objection to our marriage?"

They were now on the terrace standing near the railing as Badiya looked over the gardens and Shehryar stood facing her.

"Uh-yes. I am not ready yet." Badiya said after mustering up some courage.

"We both know that is not the truth. Tell me what's bothering you." Shehryar took a step closer to her and folded his arms over his chest to stop himself from tucking the strands of her hair floating in the light breeze behind her ear.

"I'll try my best to help you but I can't do that when I don't know what's wrong." Shehryar said after Badiya kept silent even after a few minutes had passed.

"I am scared."

Shehryar's eyebrows marred into a frown after hearing that.

"Scared of what?"

"Scared of living with you. You are so bossy and...and you always order me around. You scold me for the smallest things and you are never happy no matter what I do. You don't even hear me out and never pay heed to what I am feeling. I don't want to have such a toxic relation with my husband. Spouses are supposed to be equals and you never treat me like one." Her dam finally broke and she voiced out almost all of her fears to him. She was scared of being intimate with him as well now but she cannot tell him that.

"I...I didn't know you felt that way." Shehryar was genuinely surprised. He never realised she didn't like his controlling ways and always thought that Badiya just wanted to annoy him for fun. He does go over-board with her, doesn't he? But it's hard when he is so possessive of her. He'll have to work on this maybe.

"Well, now you know." The sassy Badiya was back.

"We can work on this. I...I didn't realise I behaved that way but I promise to change it. Just tell me when I become over-bearing. Anything else?"

Badiya blushed deep red on her newly found other concerns. Badiya shook her head in denial.

"Sure?"

"Hmm." She nodded her head without looking at him.

"So, I've been carrying this ring for so long waiting patiently but I guess there is no engagement tomorrow also." Shehryar took out a velvet ring box from the pocket of his grey kameez.



"It would feel so out of place by not being on your finger. May I?" Shehryar said cheekily with a small smile and forwarded his hand.

Badiya took a deep breath and turned towards him placing her hand in his. Her hand looked so tiny in his large one but it looked perfect to him.

He kissed her hand after sliding the ring on her finger.



Author's Note

So, nikkah eh? 🌚💀

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