The next morning...
Gus Azzam was stunned at the door of Ning Azzahra's apartment. The man hesitated for a moment to press the bell. Azzam stood in front of the door for a few moments. It was as if there was doubt in his heart.
"Do I have to go in to meet Abi and Umi Ning Zahra inside"? the man asked himself.
Confusion seemed to come over him.
To maintain the dignity of his parents, Gus Azzam rushed from Surabaya to meet his wife's family. However, his heart could not accept Azzahra as his real wife because the man could not forget and let go of Salsa.
"Azzam has to bear such a heavy burden, Umi..., Abi, by being the son of the Islamic boarding school you manage. Azzam must always monitor his behavior and actions so as not to tarnish the good name of the Islamic boarding school." For a moment, he thought Azzam had not yet found a way out. The man mumbled about Umi and Abinya.
A moment later, the man took a deep breath and tried to steady his heart. Slowly, Azzam's fingers pressed the doorbell in front of him.
"Tet.. tet... All for Umi and Abi, Azzam did it this time. Azzam is just looking after your faces, umi, abi." While talking to himself, the man finally made a decision,
Footsteps were heard approaching the door, and the man remained silent, waiting. Not long after, the door was opened from the inside, and... a beautiful, fresh-looking face greeted the man from behind the door. A moment of silence fell between the two.
"Assalamu alaikum..." After being able to control himself, Gus Azzam finally said hello.
"Wa alaikum salam, come in Gus Azzam... There are Abi, Umi, and Bro Zizan inside". Azzahra nervously returned her husband's greeting.
"Thank you..." in a low voice, Gus Azzam answered.
Azzahra waited until her husband came inside, then slowly closed the door. From inside, Gus Zizan could be seen looking at the girl's interaction with her husband with a sparkling gaze.
"Gus Zizan..." politely, Azzam approached his brother-in-law. Zizan smiled and nodded his head. The two men shook hands.
"Abi and Umi are talking inside; come in..." Gus Zizan told him where Umi and Abi were.
"Okay, bro... Azzam will meet Abi and Mum first." After asking permission from his brother-in-law, Azzam rushed to his two in-laws. Azzahra's older brother still tries to protect his brother-in-law's face in front of his parents.
Azzahra didn't follow where her husband went, but the girl went to the pantry to make a drink for her husband. Even though they had never positioned themselves as a real husband and wife couple, the girl still carried out her obligations as a good wife.
************
A few moments later.
„Azzam.. how are Nyai Hamidah and Kiyai Latif, son..? It's been a while; Abi hasn't met them..." While enjoying coffee, Kiyai Ameer asked his son-in-law.
"Thank God, Abi and Umi are fine, as Umi Camelia and Abi Ameer always pray for," after putting the coffee cup on the table, Gus Azzam answered his in-laws' question,
"Thank God... that's everything we hoped for. Oh yes... by the way, how is your work, Azzam? Can't you divide your time so that you and your wife can arrange a schedule to meet?"
Suddenly, Kiyai Ameer asked something unexpected. Hearing that question, Gus Azzam felt nervous for a moment. Nyai Camelia smiled at her husband's question. Meanwhile, Azzahra lowered her face as if she didn't want to hear an answer from the man who had married her.
"Abi... don't control Zizan and Zahra's lives. "They are adults now; they know what needs to be done immediately and what needs to be postponed." To neutralize the atmosphere, Gus Zizan interrupted the conversation. The young man seemed to care about his younger sister's feelings.
"You know what, Zizan... Even if you don't get married, you're advising your sister." Nyai Camelia responded to her daughter's words.
"That's not what Zizan Umi meant. We also have to understand that Azzam has his own dreams for his family. For example, if you want to own property in the name of himself and his wife, without relying on the great names of Kiyai Latif and Nyai Hamidah..." Kiyai Latif's first son responded directly.
Azzahra was still silent and had no intention of interrupting the conversation. It sounded like Gus Zizan was trying to cover up his sister's marriage situation. However, for Azzahra, those words were like sarcasm. Even if it were possible, the girl wanted to leave the conversation.
"Abi..., umi. What Zizan said is true. "But in the future, Azzam will try to arrange a time to meet with Ning Zahra Abi." Unexpectedly, it turned out that Gus Azzam responded well to his mother-in-law's questions.
Azzahra breathed a sigh of relief, because her husband was able to cooperate. Even though when his family members weren't around, Gus Azzam's attitude seemed apathetic towards him, but this time the man could play the play well. On the other hand, Gus Zizan didn't seem to like hearing the answer from his brother-in-law. The man hopes a lot for Azzahra's happiness, not being forced to enter into a pseudo-marriage.
"Let's just have breakfast together first. Earlier, Umi and Azzahra had cooked a simple meal. Moreover, we also have to immediately prepare to return to East Java..." Feeling that she had already prepared the food, Umi Camelia suddenly interrupted the conversation.
The family was planning to return to East Java this afternoon, because Gus Zizan would return to Egypt the next day.
"That's right... come on Azzam, let's eat together. Abi is sure, you haven't had time for breakfast either, right...?" Quickly, Kiyai Ameer invited his son-in-law to breakfast.
„Okay, abi.."
Umi Camelia and Azzahra rushed to prepare eating utensils for them. The three men smiled when Azzahra and her mother placed plates and spoons in front of them. Without being asked, Azzahra took rice for her husband and then for her brother. Nyai Camelia smiled at her daughter's agility, and the woman also got rice for her husband.
***********
The atmosphere in Azzahra's apartment was quiet again. The girl's parents and her older sibling have returned to Surabaya. Azzahra and Gus Azzam lived in the apartment room. The two of them were silent, confused about what they were going to do.
"Do I have to carry out my role as a husband to Ning Zahra, as my parents and my in-laws hope...?" In his heart, Gus Azzam asked himself.
The messages and advice given by his two in-laws really made an impression on the man's heart, how a husband should look after and protect his wife well. The man glanced to the side, and saw Azzahra intertwining her hands while bowing her head downwards. Like the man, Azzahra also felt confused about what to do with her husband.
"I have to convince myself, and start living my true role. I can think about Salsa matters at another time. "Actually, Azzahra is very beautiful, her beauty even exceeds Salsa's beauty..." Azzam finally realized that his wife looked beautiful.
Without thinking, Gus Azzam shifted his sitting position closer to Azzahra. The girl was seen holding her breath, and suddenly Gus Azzam's hand grabbed Azzahra's hand. The girl felt confused, and raised her face upwards. The two pairs of eyes met each other, and the man brought his face closer to the girl's face.
"Cup.., mmmpph.." suddenly Azzahra was shocked, because the man's lips had touched her lips without asking for her consent.
The girl held her breath, and didn't know what she was going to do. Gus Azzam's hand suddenly touched the back of the girl's head, then pushed Azzahra's head forward to bring them closer. Not long after, Gus Azzam's tongue entered his wife's lips. With her chest pounding, Azzahra resigned herself to her husband's treatment. The two lips pressed together, sipping each other for a moment. And when he realized that his wife was almost out of breath, Gus Azzam slowly broke the kiss,
**********