The new home was as beautiful as the person making it beautiful. It's been a month since they shifted to their house, and their love was just getting to new peaks every passing day. She was living in happiness and in peace. There was no place for fear or terror.
The two of them visit Aaryan's parents every week but Mary had not seen her mother for more than a month. She wanted to meet her, but Aaryan would not allow her to go into that house. His reasons were all valid. Matthew was silent for the month, and she knew it because he hadn't done anything. Maybe he had accepted the defeat or maybe he was planning on something big.
There was a hope that Matthew would not kill their mother as she wasn't a Muslim but this hope kills her every single time. Her mother was sick, and she was still a disbeliever. If she died like this, she would be thrown into hell, Mary would not be able to do anything for her and she wouldn't see her ever again
But in the hopelessness, there was always one light
Aaryan and Mary prayed for the guidance of her mother every day after every prayer. Mary knew her Lord The Magnificent and The Guide to the right path, would listen to her. She believed in Him, and she knew that her Lord would never let her prayers go unanswered. Either He will provide her with it or will bless her with something much better than what she asked for.
•••
Mary was sleeping, and she was smiling. Maybe because she was having a good dream, or more accurately, it could be her husband who was casually playing with her hair. "Hey, wake up," Aaryan said, softly. Mary opened her eyes, glanced at him, and then at the clock saying three,
"There are still 2 hours left in Fajr. Why are you waking me up?" She asked, closing her eyes again. "There is something I want to introduce you to." Her eyes opened, and there was no visible person in the room. Just for a brief moment, she felt afraid. "Whom?" She asked. "It's not whom. It's what," he said, and she was afraid now. Like it could be a ghost somewhere in the home. Back in the days, she didn't even believe in ghosts, but now she knew that the Jinns are real.
"It's nothing like that, Diamond." Aaryan might have read her frightened face. "Then?" Mary asked, sitting up. "Go and make the Wudu." He made no sense at that moment because she just told him that there were still two hours left in the Fajr prayer. "Why?"
"No questions. Go and come back fast" She nodded her confused face and followed his words
When Mary came back, Aaryan was standing on the prayer mat, and there was her mat beside him. "Mary, today we are going to pray Tahajjud" His voice felt so calm and so happy while saying the word "Tahajjud?"
"It is not an obligatory prayer but a Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). It's also called the night prayer" Why did Aaryan look like he was about to cry? There should be something so special and again so beautiful about this prayer, and she said, "Let's pray" abruptly.
Mary had now memorized the Salah and she could pray on her very own.
As they started the prayer, Mary got him. She knew what was so special and so beautiful about this prayer because the moment she said 'Allahu Akbar' her tears started to fall. It was an overwhelming feeling, one she had never felt before. That one prayer felt the world to her. She could feel the power in the entire room. Mary didn't even remember that Aaryan was standing next to her because she could feel the presence of Allah Subhanu Wa Ta'ala, right in front of her and everywhere. Her feelings and the level of gratefulness was impossible to be explained in words
She was just crying the entire time, and after saying Salam, their eyes met. She found Aaryan crying as well, and then they smiled. "Thank you." Mary wiped her tears, but there were so many of them and she was unable to remove them all. "I am blessed to have you," she said, still trying to stop herself from crying. Aaryan gently took her face in his hand and kissed her forehead "I am blessed to have you" he said and then rested his forehead on hers "I can never thank Allah Subhanu Wa Ta'ala enough for blessing me with you" She felt his tear on her cheeks
Mary ought to never miss that prayer ever again. Because every new thing she learned about Tahajjud just made her feel a step more in love with it. They were blessed with prayer. Every day, when it was time, the two of them woke up even before the alarm, and they would spend half of the night in prayer. Aaryan used to recite the Surahs from the Holy Quran and she would just fall asleep on his shoulder because of how peaceful it was.
•••
Their life was peacefully amazing, and calmly relaxing.
Not only was Aaryan fulfilling his responsibilities with perfection, but all of his friends were equally respectful to her. Sometimes they would tease the two of them a little but they never crossed the line. In fact, they were some of the best people.
A few days ago, Taha said something to Aaryan, leaving him stunned and angry.
He likes his sister
There was absolutely nothing wrong with it because Taha was an amazing man in terms of everything, and he was a perfect match for a girl like Amara, but it was about his sister, and Aaryan was so protective of her. There was nothing like dating or even talking to each other between the two of them. Amara didn't know about Taha's feelings. Taha told Aaryan that when he saw Amara at their Nikkah ceremony, he fell in love. This sentence containing the word love in it was what made Aaryan almost punch him because he was talking about his sister. At first, he was furious but with time, he felt it was not that bad, and Mary was the one who helped him to change his mind. So the friends decided to avoid even talking about it and keep this thing on hold for now
But she knew, she would make Aaryan agree with her somehow because he never rejects her
Well, this was the time to prove it actually.
Today Mary was extremely happy and she even made his favorite chickpea rice for him– she just wanted to make him agree on something
"We will go shopping today" Mary announced at the breakfast table and the rice fell from his hand "But we went shopping last week" he said, startled "But I want to buy a new hijab" of course, she was obsessed with them and what Muslim girl won't be? Aaryan shifted his plate to the side and folded his arms over the table. "You got fifty hijabs in the closet, Diamond," He accused, probably because he never counted them. "I only have twenty." She was ready to defend her hijabs from her husband. "Are twenty not enough?" There are no number of hijabs that are considered enough number of hijabs "Nope, Sweetheart. They are not" and that was just her trick to win over him every single time. Aaryan fell by that word, in the context of hands and heart
"Mary–"
"Pretty please." She blinked her eyes pretty. Aaryan sat back in the chair, gasping for air "Finished the breakfast and be outside in ten minutes" He said, breathing, and then it was the fastest she had ever eaten
•••
"What about this one?" Asked Mary, standing in front of Aaryan while showing him the lightest shades of pink she found "Isn't this the same as the last one?" Aaryan said something completely obnoxious "That was Marvelous, and this is a Shimmering blush." she said in anger, "Diamond, these two are literally the same". Aaryan was being impossible to deal with right now– maybe it was the other way around– "No! They are completely different. Can't you see how light this one is in the shade?" Mary said, shrugging the Marvelous hijab in her hand, "Do you want both?" He said, trying to get away "No, I don't want both. Tell me which one looks more pretty?" Mary was not, not even an inch sorry for putting Aaryan in this situation "But they are the same" he whined "Okay, if you are forcing me to do it then okay, I will have both" She was getting better with the ticks and Aaryan said "Thank you, Ya Rabb" looking up at the sky as if he had encountered a difficult of the most difficult situations
"We will have these two and that rose red" Mary said to the recipient who was just laughing silently at the couple "Do you need anything else, Mam?" She asked politely. Mary looked back at Aaryan. "Nope," he answered for her, and she rolled her eyes.
"Are you that happy?" Aaryan asked, "Yep, absolutely," she said, lightly jumping on her feet. "Coffee?" He asked as they walked out of the shop
"Yep, absolutely," and they started to walk to the cafeteria.
Mary's speed was way faster than his because she was just so happy to get new hijabs. "Slow down, Diamond," he said, pulling her back, gently and then again. "Yep, absolutely." Mary was just flying in happiness
As they took a few steps ahead, Aaryan suddenly stopped. Mary turned around to check, and he was looking at a child who was standing alone. "Hey, do you need any help?" Aaryan asked the child. The child looked at him for a minute, and in a voice filled with respect, the little boy said, "I do not want to disturb you, Sir, but I can not find my guardians." The first thing Aaryan got was his accent.
"Are you Pakistani?" He asked, and the kid smiled brightly and nodded his head. "Yes." The same smile appeared on Aaryan's lips. He then sat on his legs. "What is your name?" Aaryan asked, trying to make the child relax but the child never looked anxious. "Ali Haider," he smiled again. "And what are the names of your guardians?" The child was about to answer when someone called "Ali!" It was a girl and she appeared really pretty to Mary. She had Hazel hair and brown eyes. There was a man with her, too, and he looked dangerous, "Izzy, Seb!" Said the child and ran to them.
"Where did you go, Champ?" The cold guy appeared worried "I was just looking at the sceneries of the mountain range from my country there and I forgot that I was zoned out and when I came back to my senses I could not find you" he completed, trying his best to explain and the boy looked even cute while explaining "Let's go get it" Said the man and the child nodded with a smile on.
The dangerous-looking man was now staring at them with his dark eyes, and Mary was afraid, but Aaryan was smiling at him. "Sebastian?" He asked "Aaryan?" Aaryan knew this guy?
"Hey, How are you doing?" Aaryan moved forward and shook hands with that man. "I'm well. How about you?" The man with wavy brown hair asked in a deep voice "Fine. What's up?" Aaryan asked
"Just shopping with my wife, Isabell. What about you?"
"Just shopping with my wife, Mary," he replied, and the man laughed. Mary didn't know this man but she never thought that he could ever smile. The man's wife moved forward and shook hands with her. "Nice to meet you, Mary," she said with a pretty smile. "Nice to meet you too, Isabell," She said to her warmly.
The child was still in the back, standing silently "What are you doing with a Pakistani child?" Asked Aaryan "Well it's a long story," he said mysteriously and looked at his wife receiving a strange smile "Well, okay," said Aaryan, still looking at the child "Okay, then we will get going," Sebastian said "See you around" And after one more firm handshake, they exchanged a couple of more sentences and then the family walked in opposite directions. Isabell waved a hand at her.
She waved back and then quickly turned to Aaryan
"Who was him?"
"Sebastian Lightwood. He was a friend from a fellow band called Marshmallow" It was shocking and she stopped walking "I'm sorry but your friend looks nothing like being in a band, especially with the name of Marshmallow" She said, genuinely, making him laugh "Well, he has changed now" it might make sense because it had to be this way
"Where were you going?" She asked completely forgetting it "Coffee" he reminded and then she yelled again "Yep"