And as I stepped into the elegantly decorated hall a hush travelled around; it wasn’t something I wasn’t used to, so I ignored the staring eyes and scanned the place in search of my parents. I sighted them standing by the drinks stand with her parents, their cold gazes found mine and I cast them all a defiant look, I wasn’t sorry, I wanted them to know that.
Our glare-off came to an end when my cousins suddenly crowded me, each one saying something different at once, and before I could say a word I felt a sharp pain on my arm caused by a pinch Sunaina had delivered, knowing how aggressive my cousins could be, I backed away from them. Low-key aggressive, yes, but aggressive nonetheless.
“What took you so long, jerk?”. Sunaina hissed under her breath.
I merely smiled at her as I regarded her wearily, her smooth face foundation tempting me. I reached for her nose subtly but she backed away waving her hands.
“You’ll ruin my make-up”. She shrieked.
That was the plan of course, but she didn’t need to know that.
“And I’ll ruin that smug smirk of yours if that happens”. Came a lazy voice from God-knows-where; Dayyan.
The others laughed as he walked to her, wrapped his hand around her waist and kissed her head.
“Get a room will you?”. Kam said shaking her head.
“No one’s asking you to look, Kamila”. Dayyan said, his hands still securely wrapped around his wife’s waist, his darkening eyes telling us all what he intended to do to her later on.
`
“Yeah? You’re doing it right in front of us”. Samila, Kam’s twin stepped up for her sister.
Sunaina rolled her eyes but said nothing, the wash of the red on her cheeks probably being the reason why.
Waleed draped his hands over my shoulder lazily while the other held a flute of champagne. I don’t see them all in months, and when I do see them I remember just how problematic they can get. Nonetheless I smiled at him, unlike most of my cousins he and I bore great resemblance to each other, at times one was mistaken for the other.
“Dayyan, seems like we could excuse you both at the moment”. He said smirking. “I hear the walls of the house are quite thick, and….sound proof”.
Dayyan laughed, his arms only pulled Sunaina closer to his chest.
Sam whistled quietly.
“Interesting, if he can’t have her now then he may at least have her closer”. She said earning a high-five from her twin.
Sunaina was all red now; all she did was roll her eyes at us all. As if it ever stopped anyone from teasing.
“Oh well, you both soothe yourselves”. Kam said. “I can’t wait to see Hayfa, I wonder what she’s wearing, I bet she’ll look exquisite”.
I cleared my throat quietly but said nothing. I was suddenly feeling very….uncomfortable, and seeing Zarah and Hussein walking towards me didn’t make me feel better.
“She looks good in everything”. Sunaina said smiling brightly.
“I bet she will look rather ravishing”. Waleed said and laughed. He withdrew his hand from my shoulders only to nudge me playfully.
“Ravishing huh”. Zarah said as they joined the small crowd, a sickening smirk plastered on her face.
“Quite a wrong choice of word, brother, especially when her husband-to-be is standing so close”. Hussein spoke lazily, his expression being one of complete boredom. “There’s no respect anymore, what wretched times we live in”.
Zarah tutted while Waleed rolled his eyes.
Knowing Zarah and Hussein were quite sensitive about their resemblance since they got married, he said;
“You guys twins or something?”.
The others laughed and exchanged fist bumps. Hussein chuckled humorlessly before he stuck his middle finger out at Waleed who merely smirked at him lazily.
“I can’t believe Yashall and Shaiyar missed this”. Sunaina said referring to more family members who were vacationing in….
“Where are they again?”. I asked her.
She seemed to think it through for a while before shrugging.
“Not here, I suppose”. She replied and I nodded.
“They’re never around those two, honestly I….”. Zarah begun saying but stopped when Aunt Yasmin’s authoritative voice cut in as she walked up to us.
“Enough of your chit chat, or at least you can carry on without Haidar”. She said.
Her dark make up made her look like the typical villain in a child’s nightmare. She may have been my mother’s younger sister as well Kam and Sam’s mother but I didn’t have the slightest affection for her, she was always cold and distant, even to her children. And like always, she brought her frostiness with her, I watched the smiles on my cousin’s faces fade away slowly as did the warmth in their eyes.
She swirled the rich red liquid in the glass she had in her hand before taking a small sip.
“Or perhaps you can mingle, I’m sure there’re guests to be conversed with”. She said.
Saying nothing more, the others begun to disperse and I wished I could go with them. And when I alone was left with her, she offered me a tightlipped smile before saying:
“Come with me”.
I nodded and followed her as she lead me to were the elders had settled down looking anything but pleased.
“Good evening”. I said to them.
My parents, her parents, Hussein’s parents, and Zarah’s parents were there while the others were out there handling one group of guests or another. My mum gestured at a chair.
I didn’t want to sit with them but I did nonetheless after muttering a “Thank you”.
“You were late”. Uncle Abdulrahman said.
I knew better than to try to argue with them, they were lethal business people who used their very calculative brains to get to where they were today.
“I was”. I agreed.
“You didn’t want to come, is that it?”. Aunt Atina said.
I chose to say nothing, they all knew I didn’t want to be here, why make me say it again?
“Is that it?”. She asked again.
I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
“Yes, I didn’t want to come. I do not want to be here, and I’d very much appreciate it if all your arrangements were canceled”. I replied.
“They will not be canceled”. She said simply.
“I am not ready for this”. I told them.
“You’re not ready for what? You’re not ready to meet Hayfa?”. Uncle Abdulrahman said.
Once again I chose to say nothing.
“Listen Haidar, this arrangement that you despise so much, it had been made since you were born. I’d advise you against ruining it”. He said. “And as for Hayfa, she doesn’t have a in this either”.
“She has lived her whole life training to be your wife”. Aunt Atina said, she was supposed to be Hayfa’s mother yet she seemed so unaffected by the fact that her daughter had been subjected to such a miserable life.
I felt my blood in my veins.
“And you think that’s right?”. I asked her.
They all seemed shocked for a second, but they recovered quickly. Aunt Atina dragged in a deep before saying;
“Hayfa will be making her entrance in a short time, and you will be standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting to take her hand when she gets here”.
The words go to hell were at the tip of my tongue but I forced them back. I took a deep breath to calm myself, I let my eyes move around the hall uninterestedly, I found that there weren’t many unfamiliar faces, everyone present was either family or business associates. There was no such thing as friendship for the Kassems.
“Where are her mates from school?”. I asked.
They seemed uninterested in my question thus I didn’t get a reply.
“They weren’t invited?”. I asked Aunt Atina directly.
She raised her glass to her lips and took a small sip of wine.
“No. They’re not fit to mingle with us”. She replied.
That was it, I had had my fill of their……I had had enough of them for the evening.
“Excuse me”. I said as I pushed my seat back and stood up. And just as I was about to walk away, the lights dimmed and the lime light settled at the top of the stairs, and she stepped into it.
She stood there bathed in the soft golden hue of the limelight, she was dressed in a long red gown, the smooth fabric glistened ever so slightly as it absorbed the lights causing her to look almost ethereal. My gaze raked over her form slowly, from her shoes to her dress; how it fitted her perfectly, how the snug sleeves trailed down her hands, her face; the delicate features, from her wide almond shaped eyes to the soft curve of her nose, to her lips; small but full. And the golden veil wrapped loosely around her hair, she was…..beautiful.She was beautiful but I could see feel the nervousness oozing off her from where I stood, I could see the uncertainty in her eyes as she begun descending the stairs slowly, the quiet sounds of her heels clacking against the tiled steps were all that could be heard as the hall had hushed completely. I recalled what Aunt Atina had said and I began making my way towards the staircase. ‘Do you think her dress is a Versace?’. ‘Look at those shoes….’.
It wasn’t long before we got to a table set for two; Aunt Sa’adiya smiled sweetly at me as she gestured at the seats.“There there, have a seat”. She said to me.“Thank you”. I said once more as Haidar held my seat out for me. He waited for me to settle down before he made his way around the table and sat down as well.“I’ll leave you two to talk”. Aunt Sa’adiya said. She offered me another smile before walking away confidently. The space in which we were seat seemed private, it was secluded from the rest of the hall and the lights here were dimmed considerably, I was thankful for that, that way he wouldn’t see how flushed she was. An awkward silence stretched between us for what seemed to be a lifetime, and I felt even fainter with every passing second, I felt my guts clench and I felt nauseous. I squirmed uncomfortably, I could no longer hide my restlessness, I felt as though I would pass out anytime soon. He seemed to notice and he let out a subtle sigh before saying:“Good eve
“What game are you trying to play, Haidar? I watched you throw that cold attitude at Hayfa throughout the evening”. My mother hissed. “What would you rather have me do? Pretend to be something I’m not?”. I asked her.“Don’t talk to your mother like that, Haidar”. Father chastised. I shook my head, I wasn’t exactly pleased at the moment.“No, it’s you who shouldn’t talk to me like this, both of you”. I said to them. “I believe we owe each other some level of respect seeing that I’m not a kid anymore”. “I beg your pardon”. Father said. I pried my gaze from my laptop screen and met his.“Just because I choose to avoid a scandal and get married to Hayfa doesn’t mean I can’t do what I want”. I said to him and his expression hardened. “We’re getting married in a week’s time, I beg of you to let me be till then”. He made to say something but I shook my head.“Don’t lecture me about my attitude, don’t talk to me about the party, don’t talk to me about the wedding, and don’t talk to m
HAYFA ABDULRAHMAN KASSEM ’S POV As I took my seat I caught sight of it; a blood red rose tucked in the locker compartment of my desk. A small smile crossed my lips on seeing it, it wasn’t the first I had received of recent, but like always I feared it would be the last. What I didn’t understand was why anyone would take interest in the almost invisible girl in school. Not that I blamed anyone for not noticing me, not at all. As a kid I had made myself as scarce and quiet as I could be, no one ever noticed me, and I was cool with it. Why? I, Hayfa Abdulrahman Kassem, have been betrothed to my cousin; the arrangements long concluded before I was born, thus, training to be the perfect wife and daughter in law was made my first and only priority. For twenty two years I have lived having not a single soul to call a friend, of course mother said it didn’t matter, but the feeling of loneliness was one I couldn’t shrug. The wedding is to take place after graduation, and graduation is
HAIDAR’S POV“Good morning sir. Shall I get you coffee?”. My secretary said as I walked into my office. I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary”. I replied as I walked to my seat. “Thank you”. She nodded. “I’ll be at my desk sir”. She said before she turned around and walked out closing the door quietly behind her. I set my keys and phone aside before I sat down and relaxed into the leather seat. As if yesterday’s discussion with mother wasn’t tiring enough, I received an invitation this morning saying my supposed ‘fiancée’ would be graduating soon. It would be my first time meeting her, it would be the first time I would be meeting the woman I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I didn’t want to meet her and I didn’t want the wedding, but of course, it didn’t matter. Preparations are in full swing and I can do nothing to stop it, I do not wish to drag her into the dark pit which is my life, neither do I wish to have anything to do with her, a cousin she was, yes
HAIDAR’S POV Zarah laughed. “Oh Hussein, you have a problem”. She drawled. “Alright alright”. He said raising his hand in surrender. “Well Haidar, we’ll leave now”. I nodded. “Thanks for dropping by”. I said as I made my way around the table. “Yup”. Zarah replied. Not much was said as I saw them off, I left orders with my secretary telling her I wanted no one else in my office, not even my parents, especially not them, with that I returned to my seat. Left to my solitude once more I turned on my laptop with the intention of getting to work, however, once it was connected to the Wi-Fi notifications began begun trooping in, I blinked as I caught sight of an article, it couldn’t be, I had to be mistaking, but of course I wasn’t.‘KASSEM WEDDING PART TWO’ More of its kind flowed in, and as much as I wanted to look away I couldn’t, I began scrolling. HAI-FA HAY-DAR Stupid articles like these were all
HAYFA’S POV I rushed upstairs to my room, pushed the door open and walked in before I shut the rest of the world behind me. I rushed to my bed and collapsed on it, it was only then that I let the stinging tears streak down my cheeks. Painful sobs choked me and at that moment I felt like I would die. I shuddered at the thought of having to get married from someone who had the cursed Kassem blood running through his veins. I cursed the day I was born. I found myself wishing I could simply disappear, I wished I could run away and never look back, I wished things were different. Mother had invited all the family members and friends to my graduation party, even business associates would be there yet not a single soul from school was invited, none at all. They just needed an excuse to throw an extravagant party as the trailer before the real thing happened; the wedding. It hurt to know that I was just a pawn in their game, and I could do nothing but play along , I could do nothing bu
HAYFA’S POV Today’s the party, everything’s set, and my dress fits perfectly. Mother took her time and did my makeup herself, she kept talking about Haidar and I was almost dizzy and nauseous from anxiety. Every step I took down the stairs which lead into the event hall felt like torture, every breath I took sort to choke me, my body trembled so bad I feared I would faint. The lights soon went dim and my heart almost leapt out of my chest when the limelight suddenly came on and settled upon me, silence traveled all over the hall like wind would, the only sound that could be heard were the clacking sounds of my heels against the marble floors. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, it felt as though I would melt under their scrutiny. My eyes darted around in search of nothing in particular, I didn’t know what I sort to find but as my gaze landed on a familiar face everything seemed to come a halt. ~~ HAIDAR’S POV I glanced at my phone when it beeped for the hundredth time, I had re
“What game are you trying to play, Haidar? I watched you throw that cold attitude at Hayfa throughout the evening”. My mother hissed. “What would you rather have me do? Pretend to be something I’m not?”. I asked her.“Don’t talk to your mother like that, Haidar”. Father chastised. I shook my head, I wasn’t exactly pleased at the moment.“No, it’s you who shouldn’t talk to me like this, both of you”. I said to them. “I believe we owe each other some level of respect seeing that I’m not a kid anymore”. “I beg your pardon”. Father said. I pried my gaze from my laptop screen and met his.“Just because I choose to avoid a scandal and get married to Hayfa doesn’t mean I can’t do what I want”. I said to him and his expression hardened. “We’re getting married in a week’s time, I beg of you to let me be till then”. He made to say something but I shook my head.“Don’t lecture me about my attitude, don’t talk to me about the party, don’t talk to me about the wedding, and don’t talk to m
It wasn’t long before we got to a table set for two; Aunt Sa’adiya smiled sweetly at me as she gestured at the seats.“There there, have a seat”. She said to me.“Thank you”. I said once more as Haidar held my seat out for me. He waited for me to settle down before he made his way around the table and sat down as well.“I’ll leave you two to talk”. Aunt Sa’adiya said. She offered me another smile before walking away confidently. The space in which we were seat seemed private, it was secluded from the rest of the hall and the lights here were dimmed considerably, I was thankful for that, that way he wouldn’t see how flushed she was. An awkward silence stretched between us for what seemed to be a lifetime, and I felt even fainter with every passing second, I felt my guts clench and I felt nauseous. I squirmed uncomfortably, I could no longer hide my restlessness, I felt as though I would pass out anytime soon. He seemed to notice and he let out a subtle sigh before saying:“Good eve
She stood there bathed in the soft golden hue of the limelight, she was dressed in a long red gown, the smooth fabric glistened ever so slightly as it absorbed the lights causing her to look almost ethereal. My gaze raked over her form slowly, from her shoes to her dress; how it fitted her perfectly, how the snug sleeves trailed down her hands, her face; the delicate features, from her wide almond shaped eyes to the soft curve of her nose, to her lips; small but full. And the golden veil wrapped loosely around her hair, she was…..beautiful.She was beautiful but I could see feel the nervousness oozing off her from where I stood, I could see the uncertainty in her eyes as she begun descending the stairs slowly, the quiet sounds of her heels clacking against the tiled steps were all that could be heard as the hall had hushed completely. I recalled what Aunt Atina had said and I began making my way towards the staircase. ‘Do you think her dress is a Versace?’. ‘Look at those shoes….’.
And as I stepped into the elegantly decorated hall a hush travelled around; it wasn’t something I wasn’t used to, so I ignored the staring eyes and scanned the place in search of my parents. I sighted them standing by the drinks stand with her parents, their cold gazes found mine and I cast them all a defiant look, I wasn’t sorry, I wanted them to know that. Our glare-off came to an end when my cousins suddenly crowded me, each one saying something different at once, and before I could say a word I felt a sharp pain on my arm caused by a pinch Sunaina had delivered, knowing how aggressive my cousins could be, I backed away from them. Low-key aggressive, yes, but aggressive nonetheless. “What took you so long, jerk?”. Sunaina hissed under her breath. I merely smiled at her as I regarded her wearily, her smooth face foundation tempting me. I reached for her nose subtly but she backed away waving her hands. “You’ll ruin my make-up”. She shrieked. That was the plan of course, but sh
HAYFA’S POV Today’s the party, everything’s set, and my dress fits perfectly. Mother took her time and did my makeup herself, she kept talking about Haidar and I was almost dizzy and nauseous from anxiety. Every step I took down the stairs which lead into the event hall felt like torture, every breath I took sort to choke me, my body trembled so bad I feared I would faint. The lights soon went dim and my heart almost leapt out of my chest when the limelight suddenly came on and settled upon me, silence traveled all over the hall like wind would, the only sound that could be heard were the clacking sounds of my heels against the marble floors. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, it felt as though I would melt under their scrutiny. My eyes darted around in search of nothing in particular, I didn’t know what I sort to find but as my gaze landed on a familiar face everything seemed to come a halt. ~~ HAIDAR’S POV I glanced at my phone when it beeped for the hundredth time, I had re
HAYFA’S POV I rushed upstairs to my room, pushed the door open and walked in before I shut the rest of the world behind me. I rushed to my bed and collapsed on it, it was only then that I let the stinging tears streak down my cheeks. Painful sobs choked me and at that moment I felt like I would die. I shuddered at the thought of having to get married from someone who had the cursed Kassem blood running through his veins. I cursed the day I was born. I found myself wishing I could simply disappear, I wished I could run away and never look back, I wished things were different. Mother had invited all the family members and friends to my graduation party, even business associates would be there yet not a single soul from school was invited, none at all. They just needed an excuse to throw an extravagant party as the trailer before the real thing happened; the wedding. It hurt to know that I was just a pawn in their game, and I could do nothing but play along , I could do nothing bu
HAIDAR’S POV Zarah laughed. “Oh Hussein, you have a problem”. She drawled. “Alright alright”. He said raising his hand in surrender. “Well Haidar, we’ll leave now”. I nodded. “Thanks for dropping by”. I said as I made my way around the table. “Yup”. Zarah replied. Not much was said as I saw them off, I left orders with my secretary telling her I wanted no one else in my office, not even my parents, especially not them, with that I returned to my seat. Left to my solitude once more I turned on my laptop with the intention of getting to work, however, once it was connected to the Wi-Fi notifications began begun trooping in, I blinked as I caught sight of an article, it couldn’t be, I had to be mistaking, but of course I wasn’t.‘KASSEM WEDDING PART TWO’ More of its kind flowed in, and as much as I wanted to look away I couldn’t, I began scrolling. HAI-FA HAY-DAR Stupid articles like these were all
HAIDAR’S POV“Good morning sir. Shall I get you coffee?”. My secretary said as I walked into my office. I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary”. I replied as I walked to my seat. “Thank you”. She nodded. “I’ll be at my desk sir”. She said before she turned around and walked out closing the door quietly behind her. I set my keys and phone aside before I sat down and relaxed into the leather seat. As if yesterday’s discussion with mother wasn’t tiring enough, I received an invitation this morning saying my supposed ‘fiancée’ would be graduating soon. It would be my first time meeting her, it would be the first time I would be meeting the woman I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I didn’t want to meet her and I didn’t want the wedding, but of course, it didn’t matter. Preparations are in full swing and I can do nothing to stop it, I do not wish to drag her into the dark pit which is my life, neither do I wish to have anything to do with her, a cousin she was, yes
HAYFA ABDULRAHMAN KASSEM ’S POV As I took my seat I caught sight of it; a blood red rose tucked in the locker compartment of my desk. A small smile crossed my lips on seeing it, it wasn’t the first I had received of recent, but like always I feared it would be the last. What I didn’t understand was why anyone would take interest in the almost invisible girl in school. Not that I blamed anyone for not noticing me, not at all. As a kid I had made myself as scarce and quiet as I could be, no one ever noticed me, and I was cool with it. Why? I, Hayfa Abdulrahman Kassem, have been betrothed to my cousin; the arrangements long concluded before I was born, thus, training to be the perfect wife and daughter in law was made my first and only priority. For twenty two years I have lived having not a single soul to call a friend, of course mother said it didn’t matter, but the feeling of loneliness was one I couldn’t shrug. The wedding is to take place after graduation, and graduation is