HALF HER DEEN

10.

The radiant morning light streamed through the partly opened window of Hassan's bedroom, casting a warm glow as I stirred from my light slumber, accompanied by the smell of sizzling eggs. Our day began with the ritual of Al Ghusl, followed by the dawn prayer, Fajr.

And let me tell you , fear of Allah made me compose myself in prayer when i heard Hassan's recitation.

His melodious voice carried out into the quiet dawn and filled me with tranquility and peace. The words of Allah sounded so beautiful as he recited them in prayer.

After we prayed, we went back to bed. Normally it would take more to wake me up but my subconscious knew this wasn't any normal day. This was my first actual day as a wife.

Glancing to my side, I noticed the empty space on the bed, figuring that Hassan must be downstairs, making breakfast. A smile graced my lips as memories of the previous day's events replayed in my mind.

Walking downstairs together , we started taking pictures , ranging from goofy ones to perfectly composed ones with both our families.

An hour later, we bid farewell , it was as emotional as it could be.

My father kissing me numerous times on my forehead with tears in his eyes, My mother giving me a bone crushing hug and praying for me. My cousins enveloping me in a group hug, Ayeesha discreetly wiping her eyes.

The one goodbye that left me feeling uneasy for a few minutes was Aboubacar's. He just gave me a fist bump with a straight face. I mean we argue most of the time but I was expecting a more heartfelt farewell. Because even though he was a pain in the butt, we were really close. So imagine how i felt when he gave me this bland goodbye.

But that didn't last long as I had given him a small smile after the awkward goodbye , trying to hide the hurt and turned to enter the car but things didn't go as planned because as I was about to enter the car, Aboubacarr burst out in tears giving me a bear hug from behind resulting in me also tearing up while our relatives and in-laws laughed at us, hassan included.

He let go of me smiling while mumbling, "Thank God you're leaving, that was just for show by the way "

"Yeah Ofcourse " I replied rolling my eyes sniffing, with a bigger smile.

"I love you bro" I said giving him a proper hug.

"I love you too sis, If you ever need someone to talk to , you know who not to call" he said cheekily.

I burst out into laughter giving him a shove as I finally entered Hassan's car giving everyone a wave goodbye.

Hassan drove us to a beautiful house in a gated community, showcasing breathtaking architecture. The mansion, predominantly crafted from wood and glass, had a sleek and modern aesthetic.

We went inside hand in hand and It was so warm and welcoming, I felt like curling up and going to sleep right there and then, especially in the master bedroom with its king-sized bed and tasteful black and brown interior.

As Hassan gave me a tour, my attention was drawn to a surprise on the bed – rose petals arranged in a heart shape with our initials, H and H, at its center.

I was so focused on looking around the room that I didn't see or hear hassan come behind me so when he wrapped his arms around me from behind , I jumped slightly making him chuckle lightly. He laid his head on my shoulder and nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck.

He turned me to him by my waist and reached down to my chin and took off the pin holding my hijab, my Niqab followed shortly after. I reached up to remove my undercap and head tie that was holding my hair in a low bun.