Chapter 18 #2
Auntie Ruqayyah, Nomaan’s mum and then various aunties stepped forward to take part in the ceremony and then her aunt called to her and all of Saleema and Nomaan’s cousin sisters to come and perform the same ritual, followed by any other guests who wished to join in.
It was a predominantly female-led tradition but lately there had been a shift, which saw some male relatives of the bride and groom join in, which is how Khalil and Shoaib were found in the mix, smearing henna on Saleema’s arm instead of her hand and pouring a generous amount of oil over Nomaan’s hair after stuffing their faces with enough sweetmeat that they couldn’t open their mouths without it falling out, much to some of the crowd’s amusement. Auntie Ruqayyah wasn’t best pleased.
Once the ceremony had wrapped up with a great deal of laughter and pictures, the guests moved as one towards the dining area, where the catering team were waiting to begin serving the food, while Nomaan and Saleema went back to the villa to get cleaned up to re-join the celebration afterwards.
After dinner, some of the chairs were moved to create a makeshift dance floor and Khalil and Haniya wasted no time in making use of it. The DJ played upbeat music which had people making their way to the dance floor and it wasn’t long before Haniya dragged Reshma and Zafar onto the dance floor.
They stood beside each other awkwardly, Zafar scrubbing his hand along the back of his neck, while Reshma pretended to adjust her dupatta, which was exactly where she’d pinned it earlier.
Aside from dancing with each other at their own wedding reception, Reshma hadn’t danced with Zafar since, and the idea of doing it now had her feeling as though her feet had been encased in ice blocks.
She couldn’t move. He appeared to be equally frozen in place and she knew they probably looked incredibly silly, but she still didn’t move.
Reshma felt an arm drop across her shoulder and turned to find Khalil standing next to her, though he kept his body moving in time with the music as he bellowed in her ear.
‘Allow me to introduce you. This is your husband, Zafar Saeed. You’re supposed to be dancing with him.
’ He pushed her forward, and in her ridiculous high heels, Reshma tottered across the short distance until she felt Zafar’s arms close around her waist. Her hands landed on his chest and she felt it rumble as he spoke to Khalil.
‘Easy, mate. She could have fallen.’ There was a terseness in his voice.
‘Nah. You’d never let that happen.’
Reshma looked over her shoulder as Khalil winked and then danced away from them. When she turned her head back, it was to find Zafar looking down at her, his arms still around her.
Gradually, she felt his body relax under her touch and then he began swaying in time with the music.
He moved his hands from her waist to her elbows before running his fingers from there to her wrists and then her hands.
He held them in his and raised them above her shoulders, bringing her body closer to his as he started moving his feet, making her move with the momentum.
It didn’t take Reshma long to start moving her own body in time with the music and before she knew it, they were dancing along to the fast-paced music which was energising everyone on the dance floor.
Her cousins took it in turns to join in before drifting away.
Reshma let the music take over her movements, her body undulating with the beat.
Zafar was in front of her once more and the smile he sent her way had heat going through her body.
As one, they took a step towards each other, coming close enough for her to put her hands on his shoulders and for him to place his at her hips as they moved in sync.
She moved her hands down and up his shoulders, feeling the muscles under his kurta twitch, and when she looked up at him, his eyes were zeroing in on her lips.
Instinctively, Reshma ran her tongue across her lips and Zafar’s nostrils flared as his gaze darkened.
She swallowed the dryness in her throat, rolling her lips in on themselves, and she was sure she heard a growl at the same time as she felt a rumble in his chest under her hands.
The volume of the music faded out and everyone around them gradually stopped moving.
She and Zafar did too, but they didn’t step away from each other immediately.
Reshma felt the tips of his fingers digging into her hips and she could hear that his breathing was ragged.
Her pulse seemed to be matching the pace and cadence of galloping horses and she felt warmth pool low in her belly as he continued to look at her.
The DJ announced that the henna artists had arrived and that dessert and drinks were available for whoever wished to partake.
The crowd slowly dissipated, and Reshma took a much-needed step away from Zafar to try to get her senses back under control. Though it had been a short period of time, the intensity she’d felt while on that dance floor with Zafar had her feeling like her adrenaline levels had probably tripled.
As she stepped away from the dance floor, Zafar followed behind her, though thankfully he maintained the gap she’d created. She needed time and space to process the sudden spike in desire she was feeling towards him, and with his closeness bombarding her senses, it was impossible to think straight.
Reshma got herself a drink while she watched Zafar make his way towards his grandmother, checking in with her and making sure she was all right.
Reshma decided to take some time out and rest her feet, taking her ice-cold glass of juice with her.
She’d not danced like that in so long, she’d forgotten how fun it was but also how tiring when one stopped.
She flopped down into a chair and in no time was joined by Haniya, her face shining after her exertion on the dance floor.
She held a glass of her own and drank deeply before sighing. ‘That was sooo good. I’m glad you dusted your dancing shoes off and joined us.’
‘You hardly gave me much of a choice.’ Reshma took a sip of her drink, relishing the cold sensation as it went down her throat.
‘Meh. How are things with you? Looking good from where I’m watching.’ Reshma knew Haniya was referring to the situation between her and Zafar.
It was looking good from Reshma’s perspective too, and that was what worried her a bit.
She couldn’t seem to shake off the feeling that it was either too good to be true or the other shoe was yet to drop.
Either way, she couldn’t bring herself to commit to the sense of joy fully.
A joy she’d been feeling over the past couple of days.
‘Did he grovel any more? Have you kissed and made up? What’s the deal? Spill.’
‘Take a breath, Niya. Your brain needs oxygen more than you think.’
‘Diversion tactics. You might as well tell me because I won’t rest until you do. And I won’t let you rest either.’
‘Jesus, you sound like you belong in a gang.’ She knew Haniya wouldn’t give up easily.
‘He didn’t grovel because he doesn’t need to.
I don’t want him to grovel. We’ve spoken a lot about a lot of things and that’s …
it’s helped us. We have a better understanding of each other.
It’s like you said, we never took the time out to connect and get to know each other before, so doing some of that has helped.
We’re nowhere near fixed , but I think we’re in a better place than we were. ’
‘You think?’
‘I know.’ Reshma said it with a sense of confidence she actually felt.
They were definitely in a better place. She just hoped that the momentum they’d found would keep going even when they got back home and they wouldn’t fall back into old patterns.
It was still early days, though, and given her history, she was afraid of hoping and having those hopes dashed.