Epilogue

•Te Quero Pa' Mi 💏

An hour later, Najmah found herself alone in an office again. What she had to wait for, she had no idea. The room was dimmed, illuminated only by an overhead lamp.

She closed her eyes and vowed to never forget what that moment felt like. The heart flutters, the joy, the happiness, she was definitely going to remember every second of it.

Najmah was right on the edge, standing on a thrilling and amazing precipice of happiness, where thoughts of a flawless and perfect evening that would lead to a happy union flickered through her mind.

She felt like Dorothy, gazing down at Emerald city for the first time, like Wendy rising up in the air after tasting her first pinch of pixie dust, like Cinderella, stepping out of her carriage to meet her prince charming.

That feeling, she would cherish and savor every moment of it, and when she found herself alone, she would remember what it felt like and smile to herself because she was lucky to experience such feelings again.

Not every woman was lucky enough to experience the feeling of being a new bride all over again. Admittedly, the first had ended up in a confused state, but it had paved the way for a unique experience and feeling for her, leading her to the only man who was able to make her love unconditionally.

Najmah opened her eyes, relishing in the bubble of warmth she found herself. Feeling the sensation of prying eyes boring into her skull, she turned around, her gaze clashing with the intruder's.

{••}

Aslan stood on the other side of the door, watching her through the glass sliding door. His onyx eyes were warm and filled with intense emotions as his lips lifted up into a smile that was reserved only for her; a broad open smile that made his dimples come out to play.

Her heart constricted with unexpected emotions, her own smile coming easily as he walked through the door, coming to stand a few inches away from her, their gazes consuming each other.

Their eyes finally met, and his lips parted when he saw the raw emotions swirling in her orbs. She need not utter a word, he felt exactly what she felt if not more. Her face was the mirror of her mind and her eyes without speaking confessed the feelings of her heart. The same could be said for him as he took her henna-d hands in his, brushing a strand of hair that had escaped from her veil away from her face.

"You look beautiful," he uttered, his voice laced with tenderness. "Absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you. You don't look bad yourself," Najmah smiled, her expression mirroring his.

He moved to kiss her lips but stopped and opted for her forehead instead, seeing the lipstick smeared on her lips.

"It's matte," she chuckled, pecking him on the lips softly.

"Well in that case," his eyes glinted with mischief as he puckered his lips. "That's not enough, I need more."

"By Allah," she threw her head back and laughed heartily, punching his shoulder playfully when she recovered. "I can't with you."

"Me neither," he wiggled his eyebrows, resisting the urge to kiss her lips. Her hearty laughter was enough to turn his bones to liquid.

"There are people waiting for us," she shook her head, pecking his cheek. "This should be enough for now, and besides we don't want you having any lipstick on right?"

"I thought you said it was matte," he pouted.

"Did I?" she tilted her chin thoughtfully. "I don't remember doing so." Her lips broke into a smile when he shook his head, smiling at her playfulness.

"Could you get any more beautiful?" he cupped her face in his palms, stroking her chin with his thumb. "I am one lucky man for having you in my life. Am I too selfish for feeling grateful that you didn't marry the other guy?"

"No, you're not," she chuckled. "And his name is Fahad. I'm the selfish one for feeling grateful that your fiancée died before you got married."

"Perhaps we are selfish," she added when he glared at her for mentioning her ex's name. "But at least we are selfish for wanting each other, and that to me is not selfishness at all, it is love."

"I know that marriage life is full of hurdles, and I can't promise you that I would be the perfect husband, but I promise to be there with you through thick and thin, to love and cherish you and to always make you smile," he said, kissing the soft skin on her knuckles.

"Marriage is full of obstacles, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather overcome those obstacles with other than you," she responded with equal fervour.

"Are you ready for this?" he questioned, jerking his head towards the door.

"Yeah," she affirmed. "Let's do this."

{••}

"Is it too late to hitch that ride to Puerto Rico?" Najmah whispered to Aslan when they were done with the civil marriage formalities.

"Lale would hunt us down," he whispered back, smiling ruefully.

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"Congratulations," Hanifa yelled, wrapping her arms around Najmah's neck. "You are now officially Mrs Sadek junior."

"I was already Mrs Sadek junior," Najmah responded with a cocky grin.

"That's not what she said nine months ago," Lale teased, bumping her shoulder with Hanifa's.

"I know right," Hanifa responded, raising her hand up for a high five.

"Now, now, now, ladies," Aslan placed his hand on Najmah's shoulder. "Enough teasing, she was and she still is Mrs Sadek junior."

"Oh, my," Lale fluttered her eyes, fanning herself dramatically. "Am I the only person feeling that? I need to leave this place, your romance is suffocating me."

"Don't worry," Najmah stuck her tongue out at her. "Who knows, perhaps your name will be the first to get erased from the soles of my shoe."

"Perhaps," Lale blushed, gazing at her feet as if they were now the most exciting things to her.

"Did I hear a new wedding on the way?" Afet questioned, interrupting the joyous moment. She strolled into the room with a smile, waving a marker at them.

Najmah went still, gazing back and forth between Aslan and Lale before dropping her gaze on Afet.

"Oh why the gloomy faces?" Afet rolled her eyes. "I thought it was a happy occasion, yeah?"

"Of course," Hanifa nodded unsurely.

"What are you doing here, Afet?" Aslan queried, his hands instinctively wrapping around Najmah's waist.

"That's harsh," she smacked her lips together. "Nothing more than I deserve, but I'm not here to pick a fight, I'm just here to celebrate with you. I don't want to miss the epic Sadek celebration."

"Thank you for coming," he nodded gruffly. "But you are not..."

"You are welcome to join us," Najmah smiled at her, squeezing Aslan's hand reassuringly.

He squeezed her hand in return, questioning her with his eyes if she was okay with that. She nodded back at him, returning her gaze back to Afet, who stood a feet away from them.

"Is it okay if I write my name then?" Afet quirked her eyebrow, a ghost of a smile dancing on her lips. "Who knows, I might be the next bride."

"Of course," Najmah nodded, her smile intact. She took off her right shoe and handed it to Afet, who wrote her name on the sole before returning the footwear back to her.

"Congratulations," she engulfed Najmah into an awkward hug. "I still don't like you, though." She whispered the last part, laughing softly.

"Yeah," Najmah returned the hug, feeling the awkwardness slip away as she too laughed at Afet's joke. "Neither do I."

"Frenemies then?" Afet wiggled her eyebrows.

"Definitely," Najmah chuckled, glancing over at Aslan who was buried in conversation with Umar.

"Okay," Lale clapped her hands together. "Move along people, there's a reception coming up, and guests are waiting already."

"How about that ride to the Island?" Aslan mouthed to Najmah as Lale ushered them out of the building.

"Too late," Najmah smirked at him.

{••}

The curious stares and whispers, Najmah would never get used to them. But that evening, she took exceptionally well to the scrutinizers, staring down at them openly for their rudeness.

A new bride was supposed to smile and look down, blush when complimented and thank the guests for attending but she wasn't exactly a new bride, they were just going through with the formalities so she saw no reason as to why she would pretend again.

The reception passed by in a blur, Najmah's feet were hurting from walking around the hall and greeting guests. Some were polite enough to fake their smiles towards her while some weren't, like Aslan's grandmother who sneered at her when she got closer to her.

Esra and Sebnem or Tweedledum and Tweedledee as Lale called them, criticized her for not wearing the maidenhood belt, but Afet came to the rescue, calling them out for being unnecessarily jealous.

The evening wasn't as Najmah had hoped for, but amidst the chaos of family drama and lack of full acceptance, she knew that she could never ask for more. Alas, what was life without a little drama?

{••}

"The evening went well," Najmah said swaying to the music playing in the background, her head on Aslan's chest.

They had slipped out of the banquet hall when they were done with their rounds, trying to get a moment of silence before the fireworks started.

"It did," he nodded, looking up at the sky as the guests below began the countdown before the fireworks started.

"I couldn't ask for anything more," she replied teary eyed, entwining their fingers together.

He turned her around to face him just when the first firework shot out to the sky, placing his lips on hers.

"Happy anniversary," he whispered into her lips when they broke off the kiss.

"Happy anniversary," she replied, tilting her head up, towards the night sky.

The noise of the people below were drowned out as they stared at the beautiful constellation of colors bursting in the night sky, listening to each others heartbeat.

Their marriage was one of the unusual type of arranged marriage where both bride and groom were caught unawares. Their first year of marriage had been a bit of a push and pull, with her mental condition and his secret that had almost ruined both of their lives.

Even when given the chance to turn back time, there was nothing he would change. Perhaps he would change the part where he had hurt and caused pain to her, but in her absence, he had learned to appreciate the love he had for her. And in that time, he was able to become a better person than he was before he had met her.

Holding her in his arms, he knew that he would never let her go. She was his personal North Star, the star that guided him back to his life.

The End 💖