39. 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒖𝒚? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆? 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒔!

Hassan held Zayd, lifting him into the air with a swoop, making Zayad giggle and babble.

I leaned against the doorway, watching them quietly. My two favorite boys, looking absolutely adorable in their matching thobes. I knew I had to get a picture, even though Hassan always grumbles about it. "Just live in the moment, babe," he always says, trying to dodge the camera but always failing. Now he just lets it happen.

As I walked into the room, they both turned to look at me, and I couldn't help but notice how similar their faces were—one with the grown-up features of a man and the other with the softer features of a baby. It was like seeing a little version of Hassan right next to the real thing. As the months have passed, Zayd has completely taken on his dad's looks, letting go of the features he inherited from me when he was born. I mean, I carried him for nine months, and now he's basically a clone of Hassan.

Hassan loves to remind me of this every chance he gets, teasing me about how our son is his mini-me. I pretend to be annoyed, but honestly, I don't mind at all. I love that our little one is a tiny version of him.

"Ready?" Hassan asked, rising from his seat and walking over to me. Little Zayd, with his short, pudgy hands, was already reaching out, eager to be held. I smiled, scooping him up from his father's arms, showering his face with kisses before nestling him close to my chest.

"I am. Let's go" I replied, my voice brimming with excitement. I had always known this day would come, but now that it was here, I couldn't contain my excitement.

Hassan chuckled at my obvious enthusiasm, grabbing his car keys and   duffel bag from the table. We walked out of the house together, with him locking the door behind us. Ever the gentleman, he opened the backseat door for me, patiently waiting as I carefully strapped Zayd into his baby seat. Once Zayd was secure, Hassan took his place in the driver's seat, placing his bag in the passenger seat   and the car hummed to life as he turned the key in the ignition.

"So just to clarify," he began in a playful tone, "you're not going to give me any attention today? And you're dragging Zayd into this torture too?"

"Hassan, stop making it sound like that," I responded, laughing as I rolled my eyes at his exaggerated words.

"What? Am I wrong? You couldn't even wait until the afternoon—it's literally 11 a.m. I feel so unwanted. I need some love too, you know. Is that too much to ask?" he continued, laying on the theatrics thick.

I couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "You made plans with your friends first, didn't you?"

He turned slightly, shooting me a mock glare before breaking into a soft laugh. "First off, I did not make plans. I was forced into it. And you could have easily bailed me out, but instead, you went along with it"

I burst into laughter, recalling the look on Hassan's face when Sam had asked him if he was free to play tennis. Without missing a beat, I had chimed in that Hassan had nothing on his schedule for the day. It was only later that I found out he dreaded the idea, still not having mastered the sport and was dreading embarrassing himself on the court.

"Oh well," I teased, "I didn't know you were scared of tiny balls flying at you at incredibly high speeds."

He groaned loudly as we got closer to our destination, making me laugh out loud again. The short drive was filled with small talk and Zayd's adorable babbles. Before long, we pulled into the driveway, a few cars in the driveway.

We got out of the car and headed to the front door. Before we could even knock, the door swung open. Ayesha stood there, letting out a big sigh of relief when she saw me.

"Bestie! I thought you'd never get here. What took you so long?" she asked, stepping outside and closing the door behind her.

"Hassan, thanks for bringing her, again," she added with an overly sweet smile.

Hassan just laughed it off, then reached out and took Zayd from my arms, kissing his chubby cheeks. "I'll see you later, twin," he said, handing Zayd over to Ayesha.

I walked him back to the car, watching as he reluctantly got into the driver's seat, a small pout on his face.

"Baby, don't worry. You'll get used to it soon," I reassured him, reaching out to gently rub his cheek. He leaned into my hand, enjoying the touch.

"Alright, alright. I'm already running late. I'll text you when I get there and when I leave, okay?" He strapped himself in and grabbed my hand, kissing it three times.

"Okay. Fi aminaAllah, I love you," I said softly, feeling my cheeks warm up with a blush. It's crazy how he still makes me blush like this.

"I love you more, Nur," he replied softly. I stepped back, watching as he drove off, then turned to join Ayesha and Zayd.

"Finally. I thought you were going to take a nap on the driveway. Now, come help me keep the aunties distracted," Ayesha said with an exaggerated sigh as she opened the door and led the way inside.

"Ayesha! Get in here already!" Aunt Zainab called out from the kitchen as I followed her into the living room.

Stepping into the room, I was greeted by the familiar buzz of family chatter. The living room was packed with relatives, a mix from both my side and Ayesha's. Faces lit up as I walked in, and I took a moment to greet everyone warmly. After making my rounds, I followed Ayesha into the kitchen, where the aroma of freshly made samosas filled the air. My mom and Aunt Zainab were busy at the counter, their hands expertly folding the pastry dough.

"Assalamu Alaikum!" I called out cheerfully, giving each of them a side hug.

"Wa alaikum salam, my daughter," Aunt Zainab replied with a smile, though her tone quickly turned exasperated. "Will you please talk to your cousin? She keeps running off when we're trying to make arrangements for the wedding! As if she's not the one who accepted the proposal!"

Ayesha rolled her eyes but kept quiet as Aunt Zainab continued to fuss.

Yes, you heard right—Ayesha is getting married, Allahuma barikk. The news was as much a surprise to me as it was to everyone else, and the way she revealed it to me still makes me chuckle. I can't help but think back to how it all unfolded just last week.

I had walked into our favorite little café, Zayd snug in his carrier. As soon as I entered, I spotted Ayesha at a corner table, casually nibbling on a croissant like it was any other day.

That was far from the truth.

"You took forever," Ayesha teased as soon as I sat down. Her eyes softened as she glanced down at the sleeping Zayd, cooing at him before looking back up at me with an expectant smile.

"I'm sorry for being late," I apologized, feeling a bit guilty. "There was just so much to do, and I slept in late, forgive me?"

"Yeah, yeah," she waved me off with a grin, clearly not bothered.

"So, what have you been up to?" I asked, just as the waitress came over to take my order. Ayesha wait for me to order before she responded.

"Oh, nothing much," she replied casually. "Just exhausted from the long hours at the hospital. Same old, same old."

"Well, don't you think you should ask for—"

"By the way," she cut me off, her tone suddenly nonchalant, "my supervisor, the one I've secretly had a crush on for the past year, asked me to marry him."

I blinked, trying to process her words. My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to form a coherent sentence, my eyes wide with shock. Meanwhile, Ayesha just sat there, inspecting her croissant as if it held the answers to the universe.

"W-what? How—?" I finally managed to stammer.

"I thought it was just me pining over him," she continued, not even pausing for my reaction, "but it turns out it wasn't one-sided. He feels the same way, and he's going to meet my parents in a few days to officially propose. I don't even know how to act or behave. It only happened yesterday, and I know I shouldn't get my hopes up because nothing is guaranteed until the Nikkah, but I can't believe this is finally happening, y'know?"

"Wait—" I tried to interject, but she was on a roll.

"There was a point where I even thought he hated me," she said, her words spilling out faster now. "He would hardly talk to me, which was weird because I report to him almost every day. But then, out of the blue, he asked me to stay back after our group meeting and told me his intentions. I had to try so hard not to jump up and down the hallway while we talked."

Ayesha kept gushing, completely ignoring my attempts to speak. I sat there, still reeling from the bombshell she had just dropped, while she continued to spill every detail.

"Ayesha!" I finally said, raising my voice a bit to get her attention.

She stopped mid-sentence, looking at me sheepishly before motioning for me to go ahead and speak.

"Who is this guy? What's his name? I need all the details!" I demanded, starting off in a calm tone, but I couldn't contain my excitement as the reality of the situation hit me. My best friend was getting married! "Oh my God, this is already so exciting to even think about!" I added, my voice rising with enthusiasm.

Ayesha smiled, clearly amused by my reaction, but I could see the same excitement reflected in her eyes. The fact that this was really happening, that she was on the verge of such a big step, made it all feel so real and thrilling.

"So his name is Saleem"—

"We're going up to my room now," Ayesha blurted out as she grabbed my hand, quickly pulling me out of the kitchen. I barely had time to catch Aunt Zainab's plea to "talk some sense into her" before we were halfway up the stairs.

We finally reached her room—a place I'd spent countless nights over the years. After laying Zayd down on his back with his head slightly elevated, Ayesha turned to me with a frustrated groan. "My mom is driving me nuts" she exclaimed.

"What'd she do now?" I asked, amused. Aunt Zainab and Ayesha always seemed to be at odds with each other, especially when it came to big events like this.

"I thought this was my wedding! But she and the aunties keep trying to take over everything!" Ayesha huffed, clearly exasperated.

"But didn't you see the exact same thing happen with my wedding? Are you really that surprised?" I replied with a knowing smile. "Just decide on a few non-negotiables and let them handle the rest. It's their wedding and our marriage, remember?"

It was true—I didn't have much say in the preparations for my wedding, no matter how small or simple I wanted it. But I made sure to stand firm on certain things that were important to me. I refused to compromise on removing my niqab, the design of my dress, or the size of the guest list. Luckily, Baba was there to support my decisions and stood strong with me, ensuring that I didn't have to fight those battles alone.

She let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing her face. "I guess I should just choose my battles, huh?"

"Yes, habibti," I agreed gently.

She looked at me with a mix of admiration and amusement. "When did you get so wise?"

"Girl, hush," I teased, waving off the compliment. "Moving on—how is Saleem?" I asked, unable to hide the smirk on my face as I watched her cheeks flush red, a shy smile creeping across her lips.

"Where do I start? He's been sending me flowers every day since I accepted his proposal—how cute is that? It feels like I'm dreaming, but I know this is real, and I'm so happy, Halimah," she said, her voice trembling with emotion before she broke down into happy tears.

Without hesitation, I pulled her into a tight hug, trying to keep my own tears at bay as my eyes welled up with happiness for her.

Ayesha finally pulled away, sniffing and wiping her face, a wide smile breaking through the remainder of her tears. She let out a small laugh, the sound full of relief and pure joy.

I couldn't help but smile back, feeling a warmth in my heart at seeing her so happy. It wasn't that long ago when she had broken down, worried she might never find her other half. Now, she's living in the reality of our answered prayers. Allah's timing is truly the best timing. He knows what's best for us, and we should put our trust in Him to guide our lives, because His way is always the perfect way. We just need to have patience that he will come through for us.

O believers! Seek comfort in patience and prayer. Allah is truly with those who are patient.

~

Ayesha is getting married! How do we feel about this chapter? (Forget the fact that I haven't updated in nearly four weeks)

Thank you for reading 💗

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