Street stalls.
Ning Azzahra was seen writing the food and drink menu ordered together with Zaidan. Without getting bored, the man continued to stare at the girl himself. Feeling someone staring at her for a long time, Ning Azzahra lifted her face up and came face to face with the man. The man had not expected this beforehand, and Zaidan looked a little nervous, smiling at the girl.
"Zaid... what did you do to me? Why have you been looking at me like that?" Without feeling embarrassed, Ning Azzahra asked the man in front of her.
"He.. he.. he.., I'm sorry if I offended Zahra. I like beauty, and in front of me, there is something beautiful, so I enjoy it. Didn't I do anything wrong..." The man even shamelessly teased the girl.
"Halah... you're stupid, Zaid. "It's not polite, you know, and it can also result in adultery if you do it too often." Ning Azzahra teased Zaidan again.
"Hempphh... okay... astaghfirullah..." To relieve the girl, Zaidan said istighfar. Zaidan called the food stall waiter when he saw Ning Azzahra had written their ordered menu. A man came over to their seats and took their order notes.
While waiting for the waiter to deliver their food, Ning Azzahra looked at the main road in front of them. The traffic tonight looked crowded, and the spotlights seemed to dazzle the eyes that looked at him. Just for a moment, the girl was enjoying the beauty of the night, suddenly...
'Zahra... isn't that across the road the man who came out of your room? Who is he over there with?" Zaidan's voice startled Ning Azzahra, especially as it offended the man who had left her room.
In fact, only Gus Azzam ever entered and rested in his room because Ning Azzahra always tried to maintain a good name for himself and his family.
"Where is Zaid... why don't I see him." Feeling like she didn't see what Zaidan meant, Ning Azzahra asked Zaidan back.
"In front of the Zahra bus stop... a car covered their togetherness, so it couldn't be seen. Now look in front of the bus stop..." Zaidan clarified the place he meant,
Ning Azzahra immediately directed her eyes to the place Zaidan was referring to, and what she saw shocked the girl. Without being able to control it, Ning Azzahra's heart suddenly started beating fast when she saw what was in front of her. Not knowing shame, Gus Azzam was seen pulling the hand of a young girl closer to him. Not long after, Gus Azzam hugged the girl tightly.
"Gus Azzam..." Ning Azzahra's lips hissed without realizing it, saying her husband's name.
Seeing this, Zaidan's brow furrowed because he thought there was something strange between Azzahra and that man. Moreover, Azzahra's face looked pale.
"Zahra... what is happening to you? Your face suddenly turned pale, Zahra. Was it because you saw the man hugging the woman on the highway? And what relationship does that man have with you that you seem worried about him?" To confirm his doubts, Zaidan, without hesitation, asked Azzahra.
Hearing Zaidan's series of questions, Azzahra felt nervous again for a moment.
"It's impossible, isn't it, if I tell Zaidan the truth. "Moreover, Gus Azzam doesn't consider me his wife; he doesn't even know any shame in hugging a girl who isn't his mate." Ning Azzahra was talking to herself in her heart, and her face looked dazed.
"Azzahra... don't scare me, Zahra. Why does your expression look like you're confused?" From the front, Zaidan raised his palm and moved it up and down in front of the girl's face.
"Mmmmpphh... it's nothing, Zaid. Let's ignore the guy; maybe he has something to do with that girl. Or maybe the girl is his girlfriend, I don't know." To cover up her confusion, Azzahra tried to divert attention.
Luckily, the food stall waiter had arrived with a tray containing their order. Zaidan helped the waiter lower the drinks and placed Azzahra's order first, followed by the food he ordered.
"Just forget what we just discussed, Zahra. Let's eat first because I'm sure you're starving, aren't you." Realizing that Azzahra had just come from East Java, Zaidan invited the girl to eat.
"Okay, Zaid..." The two people immediately read the prayer to eat, and then both began to enjoy the dishes served.
**********
At 23.00 a.m., Gus Azzam returned to Ning Azzahra's apartment. Even though they weren't yet living life like a married couple, it couldn't be denied that the girl felt anxious. Ning Azzahra tried to close her eyes to fall asleep, but her mind couldn't move away from the man who had married her.
"Gus Azzam... where are you now? Are you returning to my apartment tonight or Abi and Umi's boarding school...?" the girl asked herself.
"Then... who is that girl? Why is she so close to Gus Azzam. Are the two of them in a relationship, and because of this marriage, they got into trouble?" Suddenly, Ning Azzahra's mind remembered her husband, who was with a girl.
A few moments ago, in front of Zaidan, Ning Azzahra couldn't say anything. Even when Zaidan asked about the man, Ning Azzahra had to shift the focus of the conversation.
"I shouldn't be jealous of what I saw because we are not like ordinary married couples. But... do I have to do something despicable by denying this marriage?" For a moment, Ning Azzahra was struck by doubt.
Under any circumstances, especially during marriage, the girl felt aware that her marriage to Gus Azzam was legal, both in the eyes of government and religious law. So, even though the two of them have not had a honeymoon after the wedding, they are a legal couple.
"I can't join in like Gus Azzam. However, my marriage to him is official and has the blessing of both our families. "Gus Azzam's status is my husband, and whether we like it or not, we are still husband and wife before death or divorce separates us." Suddenly, Ning Azzahra remembered the agreement made in front of the headman.
"It would be a big sin if I betrayed Abi, Umi, and other religious scholars. I could lose the blessings and blessings of marriage, and maybe I will never get forgiveness from Allah. Astaghfirullahal adziim.." Ning Azzahra immediately said istighfar while rubbing her face with her palms. On the girl's face, she clearly regretted what had happened to her husband.
Because she regretted what she did with Gus Azzam, the girl felt she had committed a big sin. For a moment, fear came over him, not fear of the world in front of him, but fear of eternal life in the afterlife.
"To end this sin, I had to try to get close to Gus Azzam, even when the man didn't want me. "For the sake of Umi and Abi's happiness, I have to carry out my role without caring about my pride." To reduce imagined sins, Ning Azzahra made a promise to herself.
After making the promise, the girl slowly became calmer. In bed, Ning Azzahra was finally able to close her eyes.