The next morning, Aisha woke up with a slight headache from all the crying she'd done the previous night. She had prayed her tahajjud and fajr prayers before going to sleep, feeling a sense of relief for not missing them. Turning her head, she looked at Omar, who was still sleeping, facing away from her. His hair was disheveled, and she felt an urge to run her fingers through it, to set it right. But she held back, knowing she didn’t want to risk angering him so early in the day.
Reflecting on the previous night, Aisha remembered the concern he had shown for her,guilt visible in his eyes as he watched her cry, looking so vulnerable. Yet, a part of her questioned his sincerity. He had rarely shown concern for her before. In fact, he'd often seemed indifferent, rarely updating her about his whereabouts in the early days of their marriage. It was only a few months ago, when he went on his first business trip after their wedding, that he had informed her of his plans. Since then, it had become routine for him to let her know when he would be home from work or any other place he visited.
That, along with his phone being off, was the only indication to Aisha that something was amiss, which worried her even more. She had tried calling Faraaz as well, but he hadn’t picked up either.
Getting out of bed, she moved on with her morning routine. As she was preparing tea, Omar rushed into the kitchen, looking hurried. “I have to leave right now; something urgent has come up,” he said, quickly fixing his tie and running his hand through his hair.
Aisha watched him in silence, concerned. “At least have breakfast,” she murmured quietly.
“I can’t. I’ll just take this apple” he replied picking up an apple from the fruit basket before heading out the door without another word.
Aisha sighed, thinking to herself, Why does this man never rest? She shook her head and took a sip of her tea, settling into the quiet.
Omar had received an early call from Ansaar, asking if he could meet him at a hotel for assistance. Omar couldn’t refuse and quickly reassured Ansaar, “I’ll be there soon, Uncle.”
When he arrived at the hotel lobby, he saw Ansaar and his daughter, Sara, standing with their luggage. Omar greeted them warmly, “Good morning, Uncle. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, dear. I’m so sorry to have called you so suddenly,” Ansaar replied, sounding apologetic. He went on to explain his dilemma: Sara had a business meeting in London, but with her aunt out of town, there was no one he felt comfortable leaving her with. “I called you because I trust you,” Ansaar added.
Omar nodded, understanding the concern. He suggested, “If you don’t mind, Sara can stay at our apartment. It’ll be more comfortable than staying here alone.”
Sara tried to assure her father, “I’ll be fine here, Dad. I don’t want to bother Omar and his wife.” But her father’s resolve didn’t budge. Ultimately, she agreed, though still hesitant.
They dropped Ansaar at the airport and made their way to Omar’s apartment. On their way up, Sara said, “Thank you, Omar. I tried stopping my father from involving you, but he insisted.”
“Come on, Sara. We’re friends. If it were me who needed help, I’m sure you would do the same for me,” Omar smiled reassuringly, then took her bag out before ringing the doorbell.
He usually didn’t ring the bell. He had keys and would walk in whenever without causing Aisha the trouble of opening the door for him. But since he wasn’t alone and knew how modest Aisha was, he decided to alert her about having a visitor.
Aisha opened the door slightly after wrapping a hijab around her head, peeking outside to see who it was, knowing that if it were Omar, he wouldn’t ring the bell. They usually didn’t have uninvited guests, so she was taking precautions.
Omar came into view first. She pulled the door open, and before she could ask why he would ring the bell when he never did it before, she saw a woman standing beside her husband. Aisha immediately fell silent, unable to utter anything. The woman looked strikingly beautiful, wearing a floor-length floral dress with a warm smile on her face. She glanced at the bag by her side,then looked into Omar's eyes as if asking, What is this?
"Let us in, Aisha,” Omar said gently, and Aisha quickly stepped aside.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Please come in,” she quickly offered, trying to smile at the unknown guest while stepping aside to let them in, not realizing she was blocking the entrance until Omar pointed it out.
As they settled in, Aisha brought out two glasses of water, setting them on the table. Omar introduced them, “Aisha, this is Sara Ansaar Shaikh.We went to the same university and have been good friends. Sara, meet my wife, Aisha.” Omar explained Sara’s unexpected stay,also explained who Ansaar Sheikh was to him and Aisha responded kindly, “Please don’t think of it as a bother. You’re always welcome here.”
“Alright. Now that this is settled, I’ll head to the office. Sara, please make yourself at home. Aisha will show you to the guest room.” Saying this, Omar got up from the couch, ready to leave.
When Aisha quickly said, “Omar, lunch is almost ready. Have it before you leave,” he considered her suggestion, knowing she would pack his lunch otherwise.
Omar thought for a moment and then nodded. “Fine. I’ll also ago freshen up then.”
Aisha directed Sara to the guest room, thanking Allah in her mind for never having shifted to the guest room, or else explaining it to Sara and then evacuating the room would have been awkward and quite a hassle.
“Sara, you can freshen up and then come down for lunch. It’s almost ready. Call for me if you need anything,” Aisha told Sara before leaving her alone to settle in.
Aisha walked into the kitchen. She had almost prepared lunch by now, just needing to cut veggies for the salad before finishing up.
When Sara came down, she was delighted by the spread on the dining table. “Wow, Aisha! This looks amazing. It’s been ages since I’ve had such a feast!” she exclaimed, eyeing the assortment of Indian dishes, from naan and butter chicken to mutton kebabs and pulao.
That was when Omar walked in as well. Even he couldn’t help but smile at the table and the aroma wafting through the air.
Aisha laughed at Sara’s excitement and said, “I don’t usually prepare so many dishes. But today, I don’t know why, I felt like making a nice big lunch. But now I think I know why—it must be because you were supposed to come. Alhumdulillah!”
As they ate, Sara shared stories about her fashion boutique, and Aisha listened, clearly impressed. Just as they were finishing, Aisha went to the kitchen and returned with a plate of gulab jamun.
“Oh my, gulab jamun!” Sara exclaimed with delight. “Aisha, I absolutely love these!”
Omar chuckled looking at her acting like a kid, Sara teased him, “Omar, you’re one lucky man! I can see why you’ve gained a few pounds.” Both women laughed.
Omar snickered at her remark,playfully glaring at Aisha for laughing at him. He replied to Sara in a disdainful voice, “I’m not fat, you chicken!”
“Shut up!” Sara playfully hit his arm for calling her chicken.
Aisha smiled as she watched the playful banter between her husband and his friend. She had never seen Omar so jovial with anyone except Iqra, and she loved seeing him smile.
“I’m so full! This was the best lunch I’ve had in days. Thank you so much, Aisha!” Sara said, starting to collect the empty dishes from the table.
“What are you doing? Leave those; I’ll handle them,” Aisha insisted, holding Sara’s hand to stop her from working.
“Omar, tell your sweet wife I need to be useful, or I’ll feel bad for making her work extra while I sit here doing nothing,” Sara said indirectly to Aisha through Omar, then laughed at his response.
“That’s up to you two to decide. I don’t want to be a part of this. I’m getting late. Bye-bye!” Omar said, leaving for office.
Aisha relented and let Sara help her with the cleanup. Afterward, they both decided to take a nap.
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