Hope y'all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this chapter. We have made a lot of progress, Alhamdulillah and I would like to tell you guys that it wouldn't have been possible without the support.

And of course, my sister had a huge role in this. You can say, both of us practically wrote the story together.

Okay okay, sorry to hold you back. Enjoy!

HER POV:

"Oh come on! You should've told her off in that ordering voice of yours! I'm pretty sure she'd scurry away without a word." I advised between laughter. Iris nodded in agreement with that jolly grin on her face. "You got it. Next time, I'll be sure to do that!" She said.

I put the shopping bags down as I rummaged through my handbag for the key. "No one's home?" Iris questioned, leaning towards the door. I shook my head, not bothering to look up. "The workers are on holiday. Abi told me that he would probably be too far away from the door to open it for us." I explained, holding out the key with a victorious smile. "Besides, I'd hate to bother him." I added.

Iris nodded knowingly as she leaned further on the door knob. Before I could insert the key, the door knob turned under Iris's weight and flew open. Iris stumbled inside, startled by the sudden jolt. "God! I didn't know it was open!" She turned to me, a startled look on her face. I frowned. "It was supposed to be locked. I wonder why it's open?" I wondered, mostly to myself.

Iris straightened her posture and dusted off her flapper and baggy shirt. "Well. We'll figure it out once we go inside." She stated, picking up the shopping bags that fell as she stumbled. Both of us slowly crept inside as if we were in a horror movie. Tiptoeing, Iris and I reached the stairs that led to my room.

Before I could take another step, Iris stopped me. I looked at the arm she had pulled out in front of me to halt me in my tracks and then looked at her. "What's wrong?" I asked. Iris turned to me with a deadpan expression. "I hear something." She mumbled, trying to sound as dramatic as possible. My eyes flew open and I put a hand over my mouth to muffle my gasp.

I decided to play along.

"What? No one was supposed to be at home!" I gasped, looking at the door of the living room. Iris motioned me to follow her and I obeyed. Both of us stood outside the living room in a matter of minutes. We could hear voices coming from inside. "Did your dad inform you about any guests today?" Iris questioned, returning to her normal self. It meant our little play was over.

I shook my head. "Nope. I have no clue who's inside." I told her, leaning my ear against the door to hear the voices properly. Iris did the same. Both of us tried to make out the words when we gave up.

"Ugh! This door is sound proof. I can't hear a thing!" Iris grumbled.

"I have an idea." I said.

Iris looked up at me. I shot her a smirk before slowly turning the knob of the door. Iris's confused expression changed into horror. "You'll get caught!" She gasped with a whisper, realizing what I dared to do. "Shh!" I hissed, putting a finger over my lips. Iris shrunk back, clasping her hand over her mouth to muffle the little sound she made.

She then leaned in closer as I pushed the door a little. The living room was larger than most rooms in the house. I was sure the door would be too far away for anyone to notice. Both of us were bending as if in rukoo' and leaning our ears once again with the little space between the door in an attempt to know what was going on.

A wide smile spread on both of our faces as we accomplished our little goal. I gave Iris a thumbs up and she returned it. We could hear the little giggles and chuckles of people from the room clearly.

"Mashallah. Waqqar's a very hard working and pious boy. I have come to like him very much." I recongnized Abi's voice.

I froze in my spot, a look of astonishment covered my face. Iris looked at me with the same look. "Waqqar's here?" She breathed lowly. For a moment, I was rooted to the ground unable to move. Snapping out of it, I immediately turned to peek inside again. I could see Abi's back towards our direction. The people who were sitting in front of him weren't that visible.

I searched as hard as I could until I stopped. There he was. Sitting on the sofa beside a man in his late thirties. He had his hands around a cup of tea and was wearing a gentle smile. That was the only thing which got me distracted from the whole situation in there.

"His mom's here too!" Iris whispered, pointing towards a woman. I frowned. I couldn't see her face since she wore the niqab but something about her just seemed so familiar. I stayed quiet not wanting to say something I wasn't sure about.

"Jazakumullah. I'm just so honored to finally meet you, Mr. Albasha. You helped us in a time of troubles. May Allah bless you for that." The woman was the one who spoke. Though we couldn't see her face, I just stared at her in awe. "Isn't she so cool?" Iris remarked, as if spelling out my thoughts. I nodded in agreement.

Just looking at her gave me a sense of inspiration and motivation. Her covered up body gave every man a message loud and clear. "Don't mess with me". I sighed dreamily. Mashallah. She looked so strong and...free. Especially in an environment like this, it was almost impossible for women to start the 'niqab'. She was so independent and strong.

"Alhamdulillah. I'm glad I did that. Otherwise I might not be sitting here drinking tea with you like this today." Abi's voice shook me out of my thoughts and I regained my senses. For a moment, I had forgotten that the boy whom I proposed marriage to was sitting in my house along with his family, drinking tea with my father!

A series of chuckles and 'Alhamdulillah' followed after Abi had made his little statement. It was a bit quiet for a moment and all we could hear was the clattering and clanking of teacups.

"I think it's time to talk about what we really came for." The man who was probably Waqqar's uncle, suddenly spoke up.

My heart beat increased and my palms got sweaty. Oh Allah! I could feel Iris getting attentive beside me. I clutched my hijab and started twirling it's hem in nervousness.

"Yes of course." Abi replied, turning to Waqqar and giving him a tight smile. Waqqar's uncle firmly nodded his head to Waqqar. Waqqar cleared his throat, placing his cup on the table. I could notice a little nervousness from him.

"So you want to marry my daughter?" Abi questioned with a raised eyebrow. Waqqar stiffened in his place.

I forgot how to breathe. I started chewing on my lips and stomping my foot on the ground a little impatiently. Iris turned to look at me with a bright smile that was enough to light up a room. "It's finally happening!" She whispered in joy. I shot her a scared look before turning back to look at them.

"Say yes, say yes, say yes." Iris was chanting soundlessly. I joined in with her. "Say yes, Waqqar. Say yes!" I figured I was a little too loud so I just shut up and let Iris do what she was best at.

Waqqar looked at the ground, making me flinch. At that moment, anyone who moved in the room, made me flinch.

"Yes, Mr. Albasha." Waqqar looked at Abi in the eyes, dead serious. "I would like to marry your daughter, Umme Romman."

From then on, whatever anyone said in the room wasn't audible. Iris and I were squealing with joy, a little lowly so that they wouldn't hear us. "I'm so happy for you, Romma!" Iris exclaimed and I quickly shut the door. "Shhh! They'll hear you!" I hissed, fighting the urge to squeal along with her.

"I don't care! You just got your happily ever after!" Iris enveloped me into a bear crushing hug but I didn't mind at all. I returned the hug, both of us jumping. "I'm so happy!!" I let out all the emotions that had been dwelling inside of me, finally giving in.

"Careful, they'll hear you."

Our heads shot up in the direction of the voice. As soon as my eyes fell on him, I stopped in my tracks and froze thinking for a second that he was a ghost. I could feel Iris freeze beside me. I narrowed my eyes. The man just smiled in return, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I'm not Waqqar." He said, sensing our confused states.

I furrowed my eyebrows deeper. He did look a lot like Waqqar, with the same eyes and hair which was longer. He was taller though and had an ease in his posture Waqqar usually didn't.

"I'm his older brother, Waqqas. Nice to meet you." He shot us a charming smile.

"Doesn't Waqqar live alone with his uncle and Aunt?" I found myself questioning. He nodded. "Oh yes. I'm just visiting." He replied, rubbing the back of his head just like Waqqar did. My mouth formed an 'o' as I nodded knowingly.

"So, which one of you is Romma?" He asked, smiling as he looked at both of us. That caught me off guard again. Why was he asking for me?

I suddenly got very nervous knowing that the charming guy in front of me was my possible soon to be husband's big brother. I had to make a lasting impression.

I lifted my hand in the air, putting a bright smile on my face. "That would be me." I said. For a moment, I saw a look of confusion and surprise cross his face but it didn't last long. He smiled back just as brightly. "Mashaa Allah. I heard so much about you. It's great finally meeting you." He told me.

I felt blood rush to my cheeks at his words. He was charming and he smiled just like Waqqar. I liked him already.

There was one tiny thing bothering me. Of course it was Waqqar who probably told him about me. But... What kind of stuff did he say?

Noticing my worried expression, Waqqas started laughing as if on cue. I looked up at him in surprise. "Don't worry. He praised you a lot." He smiled. "All good things. All good things." Relief washed over me. He turned to face Iris. "And who might you be?" He asked, smiling. I nudged Iris with a smirk.

She ignored me and returned the smile. "My name's Iris. Assalamualaikum!" She said, eager to make conversation. Waqqas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I don't want to pry or anything, but... You're a Muslim?" He asked. I was about to deny it when Iris put her hand over my shoulder to stop me. "Oh yes! I am A Muslim."

I turned to look at her in surprise. Waqqas just smiled again and turned to leave. "Well, it was great meeting you too Iris. I gotta go now. They might be wondering where I went." He told us walking over to the door. Both of us just waved after him.

After he was gone, Iris and I looked at each other for a few minutes. "What was that?" I asked her. "You're a Muslim now? You didn't tell me!" She looked nervous. "Well, not officially yet, but to be honest, I was planning to become one soon. I think I'm ready for it."

I smiled widely in happiness and was about to hug her but she still looked a little nervous so I decided to change the subject. I'll ask her later. "Well, Waqqar has a hunky bro huh?"

She grinned. "Oh yeah. He's sneaky though. He saw all of what we were doing out here." I just shrugged. "What if he tells Waqqar we were screaming like crazy evesdropping on them?" She asked. I bit my lip and facepalmed myself. "God! Why'd he have to run in on us?" I complained.

"Let's go before someone else comes out. Your Abi still doesn't know you're here." Iris suggested and I agreed.

With heavy hearts and the urge to peek through the door again, we walked up to my room. "What a day!" Iris plopped down on my bed placing the shopping bags on the floor. I hopped on the bed, grabbing my fluffy pillow and hugged it to my chest. "I still can't get over the fact that Waqqar actually agreed!" I exclaimed, sighing dreamily as I nuzzled my face into the pillow. Iris laughed beside me, patting me on the back.

"I already knew he would." She commented. I lifted my face to look at her. "How?". Iris just grinned in response. "It was obvious, Romma. He started admiring you so much when you started trying to become a better person." She explained.

The thought excited me. Waqqar admired me. Allah!

I shoved my face into the pillow again, a smile forcing it's way to my face. Iris chuckled. "I'm so happy for you, girl." She said. I nodded. "Me too. I'm happy for myself too." I sighed.

"So... What now?" I sat up and asked.

Iris shrugged. "Dunno. I don't really know how eastern weddings work." She admitted. I pursed my lips in thought. "If it were in my hands, I would jump into the room and yell, 'I say yes too! Let's get married!' in Waqqar's face." I let out a giggle at the thought. "But of course, you can't do that." Iris pointed out, laughing along.

"What if Waqqar responds and says, 'I agree. Let's get married now! I've been waiting my whole life, my princess!." Iris joined in, trying to mimik Waqqar in a deep manly voice.

Both of us burst into fits of laughter.

"Seriously though, what now? How are things gonna proceed?" I questioned, frowning. Iris elbowed me in the ribs. "Someone's feeling desperate." She teased. I shook my head in disbelief. "Come on! You can tease me later. Let's go down and check up on Abi again." I suggested.

"Yeah. Call him first. Pretend as if you don't know anything and tell him that you're home. Ask him where he is." Iris adviced, pointing at my phone. I nodded knowingly as I reached for the phone.

"Let's see. Pray he picks up. He doesn't usually when he's busy talking to someone." I said as I scrolled down my contacts. "Here it is!" I tapped on Abi's contact number and the call screen popped up. I put it on loud speaker so Iris could hear our conversation.

There were a few beeps before he picked up. Iris shot me a smile when she heard him say, "Salam, ya Binti (Oh my daughter)". She gave me a thumbs up. "Wa salam, Abi. Where are you?" I asked in English so that Iris would understand.

"Habibti, I'm busy with guests in the living room. You've returned?" He asked in his thick accent. "Na'am (yes), who's there?" I asked, winking at Iris.

"Why don't you come downstairs and meet them yourself?" Abi suggested. He said "Salam" before hanging up. I smiled at Iris. "Well. Looks like we're gonna make our great entrance." Iris chuckled. I nodded, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her out of bed. "Come on! What are we waiting for?!"

Both of us jolted downstairs. When we reached the door, I halted in my tracks. "Is my hijab alright? Do I have lipstick on my face? Is my dress okay?" I bombarded Iris with questions. Suddenly, I started feeling quite anxious. Iris patted me on the shoulder, comfortingly. "Don't worry, girl. You're gonna rock, in shaa Allah." She smiled.

I gulped, turning the knob of the door. I stepped in, Iris following me. It took a while for everyone to notice us. Waqqar was the first to catch me. His eyes widened a bit before a smile formed on his face. I just stared at him, before Iris nudged me. I regained my senses and let out a smile in return.

"Assalamualaikum." It came out as a whisper, hardly audible. Abi stood up from his chair and walked up to me. "Waalaykumusalaam." Everyone chorused. I stared at my feet, feeling their gazes burning right through me. Suddenly, I wished I'd done more to make my appearance look better. Like wearing that cool scarf I wore at prom. But Waqqar had already seen it. Oh well. Too late now. I didn't dare look up. "Here she is." Abi spoke up, breaking the awkward silence which filled the room.

"Meet my daughter, Umme Romman Albasha." I could sense pride in Abi's voice as he introduced me. And I felt my heart swell with love for him.

"Ma shaa Allah." The woman in the veil was the first to speak up. Hearing her loving voice, I felt courage build up in me and I looked up at her. She was sitting separately in a small one chaired sofa while the other three men sat together in another couch.

I could see that she was smiling. Her eyes expressed everything. She motioned me to come and sit beside her. "Please sit with us, girls."

Iris looked suddenly like she wanted to go back outside. I grabbed her hand and introduced her before she could sneak away. "Um, we just came back from shopping. This is my best friend, Iris."

All eyes turned to Iris who looked scared now. 'A-assalamualaikum." She said in a shaky voice. Nadia Aunty was surprised. "Oh, honey, waalaykumusalaam. So nice to meet you. I didn't know you were a Muslim too."

"She just converted some time ago." I said proudly. Iris laughed uneasily. "Yes, um, I'm sorry... This is a private affair. Maybe I should leave-"

"It's quite alright, my child." Abi said kindly. "You are welcome here. I'm thrilled to have a new Muslim in my house." I pulled a nervous Iris along with me to Nadia Aunty's side. Waqqar grinned at us, nodding at Iris. His brother just glanced at us in interest and that charming smile before looking back to Abi.

"Well," Abi smiled at his guests. "Now that my daughter is here, I think we can get to our main course. Binti," He looked at me. "I'm sure you can guess why they are here?"

I gulped and nodded. Abi continued speaking: "I can assure you my daughter is one of a kind. She is my pride and joy and a striving Muslimah. I'm sure Waqqar here can attest to that."

Waqqar looked embarrassed and his brother nudged him playfully. He slowly looked up at me and said with a smile " I can. That's why I want to marry her."

My throat suddenly caught and my heart almost stopped. He shot me a half-grin and his eyes were glowing. I stared back at him and at that moment, I felt tears fill my eyes. I quickly looked down at my hands and bit my lip. Iris put a hand on my shoulder.

"Umm Roman." Nadeem Uncle said gently. "I know that you suggested Waqqar's proposal to your father. But I would like to ask you; Is this proposal acceptable to you?"

Was Waqqar acceptable to me? After all I did to get him? I stared at him in disbelief. Then I looked at Waqqar and met his eyes. He was staring at me closely, one hand at the back of his neck. He was super nervous and looked scared. As if I was going to say no.

A tear fell down my cheek. Ha! As if!

I grinned bright and wide and nodded fast. "Yes." My voice shook and more tears fell and I looked straight at Waqqar. "Yes, yes, yes!"

There was a delightful vibe in the room and everyone laughed and smiled. Waqqar heaved a sigh in relief and leaned back in his chair. His brother clapped him on the shoulder. Iris squealed as low as she could and threw her arms around me. Nadia Aunty moved over and took my hand and kissed it. Her brown eyes, just like Meena's, were shining.

"Alhamdulillah!" Uncle Nadeem said happily. "May Allah shower us with His endless mercy." Everyone said Ameen. Then Nadeem Uncle turned to Abi. "I hope I'm not being  too forward, but I want this lovely young couple to be together as soon as possible. Would it be alright if we set a date for the wedding?"

My jaw dropped. Wedding! My wedding! My and Waqqar's wedding! Oh Allah! I looked to Iris in panic and excitement and she giggled.

"It is fine." Abi said. " They both got over with University. It's best to do it soon. Whatever they want to study later, they can do so together." He winked at me and I turned pink. He was enjoying my embarrassment. "Is next week alright with you?"

Next week! I gasped. That was way too soon. But wasn't that what I wanted? To be together with Waqqar already. I was tired and sick of not being able to touch him or cuddle him... Oh, get a hold of yourself Romma. I tried to relax. Too much excitement was not too good for me.