"Zoya, guess who's here?"

Her mother walked into her room, a giant smile gracing her features. Zoya and Naimat, who were sitting on the bed with their arms filled with henna, looked up in curiosity.

From behind her mother emerged an overly enthusiastic young lady wearing a pink hijab paired with a black abaya. She rushed over to the bed with her arms wide open.

"Amira!"

Zoya sprung up from the bed almost forgetting the wet designs on her arms ready to embrace her beloved cousin.

"Zoya you have henna on yourself!" Naimat's reflexes kicked in and she managed to pull Zoya back without smudging her own masterpiece. Zoya's mother shook her head at her daughter's antics and left the room to check on the rest of their relatives who would be staying over the night before Zoya's wedding.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Zoya giggled at her own stupidity. "It's so good to see you after so long Amira! I can't believe you're finally here." Amira was Zoya's second best friend. She was Zoya's only cousin who happened to be of a similar age out of her many relatives.

This was a result of Zoya's mother being the youngest out of six and her having many older cousins. Since Zoya didn't have a sister of her own and Amira had no other siblings, they had been like sisters since birth with Amira just being a year older. They'd all lived together in a huge family house until the age of ten but late, work caused them all to gradually move to separate states.

Zoya would only get to meet Amira and her other cousins once a year on Eid-ul-Fitr and they always had an annual week-long stay over which would be the highlight of each Eid. Now Amira was here before Eid and Zoya couldn't have been happier.

"I'm so happy to be here Zoe. I can't believe you're getting married!" Amira exclaimed taking off her abaya and hijab as there were only females in the house. "I can't believe it either, Zoe's getting married before the both of us who knew it would be this way."

Naimat was like a part of the family, so she had gotten close with Amira throughout the years. The three of them would always joke about how Amira was the most likely to get married the earliest however the tables had turned.

"I know right, I'm still out here waiting for the right guy and you both have already found your Prince Charming. I heard they're both best friends, do they happen to have a third best friend who you could link me up with?" Amira winked at the blushing girls.

"They do have a third best friend..." Naimat glanced at Zoya who picked up where she was going with this and smiled cheekily.

"Really? Will he be at the wedding?" Amira's eyebrows perked in interest. If there was a third best friend, surely he would be like them in nature and maybe she could also find the right guy for herself.

"Of course he will, he is Zoya's brother after all," Naimat replied in between of fits of giggle. Zoya tried her best to hold back her laughter.

Amira's excitement died down as her face reddened. Zoya's brother. Wasn't it Bila-

"No!" She covered her face in embarrassment, groaning at her friends. She'd completely forgotten Bilal was the third best friend. Her own cousin. "You got me Naimat. Shut up!"

Amira's blush deepened with a fluttering sensation in her body. Zoya cried out into fits of laughter while poor Amira sat unsettled. Amira bit her lower lip, trying to contain herself. Amira's first ever crush was Bilal and even though she tried very hard to get over him, whenever she visited Zoya, she found her heart fluttering for a certain someone in the room.

Naimat was aware about Amira's feelings but Zoya was unwarned. Apparently, Amira found it awkward to share it with Zoya considering she was Bilal's sister. Naimat giggled it off and told Zoya to shut up after which they chattered about Zoya's wedding outfit and what makeup combination would go with it.

----

"Have you contacted the Imam yet? Or the masjid caretakers? Is everything ready for tomorrow?" It seemed as if Zoya's mother was more concerned for tomorrow's ceremony than Zoya herself. She was constantly in contact with her husband and Bilal over the phone as they were staying in another relative's house for that night due to all their close female relations sleeping at their house.

A reassuring aunt patted her on the shoulder, "Mariam you're acting like you're the one getting married. You should be enjoying this night, your daughter is the star tomorrow."

"I know, I just want everything to be right. She's my only daughter and I'm sure preparing for Bilal won't be the same." Mariam Malik gazed fondly at her daughter who was doing face masks with her friends in the balcony.

This day had been hectic for Zoya with all the beauty preparations and guests, now she was just unwinding before her big day. First, a beautician had been in for mani-pedis, facials and waxing. They had also called in a masseuse for massage therapy earlier as Zoya had been experiencing some stiffness in her joints. They ended the day by calling in a henna artist to fill the hands for all the women who wanted it.

Zoya had an overwhelming amount of henna done obviously with the patterns reaching up to her elbows. Her feet however is where she drew the line, the last time she had henna done on her feet, she was traumatized. It had taken two hours to complete and once Zoya was done she forgot about the wet design all over her feet and wore her favourite white fluffy slippers. It ended with a scolding from her mom and a fifteen-year-old Zoya crying over her ruined slippers. Since then, she knew she couldn't trust herself with that sort of responsibility again.

"Zoe remember the time when you thought that Felix from our karate class was stalking you? All because he took the same route as you every day coming home for a week." Naimat suddenly remembered this nostalgic and highly embarrassing event from Zoya's life.

"No, not this story again." Zoya buried her head in her lap as Amira urged Naimat to continue at seeing her cousin's embarrassment.

"Zoe confronted him about it very dramatically at the belt-receiving ceremony the next week," Naimat cackled trying her best to tell the story without laughing, "She—she went on a rant in front of everyone and ended it with 'I understand that you're obsessed with me but please leave me alone'. Naimat mocked a teenage Zoya's voice which made Zoya look up with furrowed eyebrows.

"I don't talk like that—!"

"It turned out he was staying at his grandma's for the week!" Naimat guffawed unable to breathe properly. "Poor guy stood there speechless while Zoe humiliated him and could only squeak out his reason after the damage was done." Amira joined in on the laughter as Zoya flushed at that memory.

"He never came back to Karate after that, he was probably too mortified," Naimat concluded dramatically. "He didn't come back to Karate because he moved to another state." Zoya nudged Naimat.

"Whatever you say," she tapped Zoya's nose affectionately. "You've always been an attraction for awkward situations Zoe, that's what makes your life so entertaining."

"Especially with males," Amira added, "However she doesn't seem to be doing so bad with Zaib, considering that they're getting married tomorrow."

"Yeah well, Zaib is just different," Zoya softly stated, thinking of her man to be.

"Ooo, Zoya's in love," Amira teased. Zoya just shifted her gaze shyly. She had just told Zaib she was in love with him a few weeks ago. Every day had been perfect since then.

Being in love was like floating but with the most heavy, wholesome feeling in her. Love made her breathe-less every time she thought of him. It made her feel dizzy like she would just fall any second and not be able to get up. It was a very powerful and consuming feeling like it would overshadow every other emotion she felt. True love had changed her, but she couldn't get enough of it.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Naimat's voice reeled Zoya out of her dream-like state. She paused at the question and then thought about it.

"Who wouldn't be nervous in this situation? I've saved myself all my life for this moment. All those questions we used to have about marriage as teenagers are going to be answered. To be honest, this still feels like a dream. I feel like I'll wake up any second now with only the lasting emotions and memory."

What Zoya said hit hard for Naimat and Amira. It was true, all their lives they'd been told all these different things about marriage. They'd been told to protect themselves from all the attractions and to save everything for their husbands. They had been given all these promises of things they could do once they'd gotten married. Now the time was approaching.

"Zoe," Naimat's voice cracked as she held her best friend's hand fondly, "I'm so proud of you." Naimat's voice held a mixture of love and sadness as she continued.

"You've come such a long way from that scared, confused girl I met. You used to tell me how you dreaded the future, how you didn't think you were cut out for this world. Now all I see in front of me is a strong woman who has managed to overcome all these obstacles." Both girls' eyes glazed over in tenderness as they gripped each other's hands.

"I see a woman who taught me to always have faith in Allah and look at the positives in life. There are more obstacles to come in this life," Naimat wiped away a stray tear from Zoya's cheek.

"Marriage itself brings many problems. But I know you will conquer them. You're my dearest friend and it'll be hard to share you with Zaib now," she laughed between her tears and added, "But I know that he's the right guy for you and he will give you the happiness you deserve."

Soon the two girls were engulfing each other in a tight hug as they both cried their eyes out. Despite being best friends, they hardly let themselves cry in front of each other. Every time they did, it would become a whole emotional fiasco. But this time it felt right. They had been through so much together for all these years and now that they were getting married, things would change. However, both of them were eager to hold onto this friendship above everything else and with that intention, only Allah would be able to break them apart.

"I love you Naimat," Zoya bawled with her arms still around her friend. "I love you too Zoya," Naimat bawled back.

"Do you guys—need a tissue?" Amira sat unmoving, taking in everything that had just happened in front of her. She had gotten a bit emotional in between but she wasn't a very sentimental person overall, nor was she good at comforting people who were crying. Usually, she just awkwardly sat there trying to decide what to do and this was one of those times.

Naimat grabbed the tissue box with one hand, passing it to Zoya first and both girls wiped their moist skin.

"You do have a talent for interrupting emotional moments." Zoya shook her head, making fun of Amira who giggled with a smirk.

"That's me," Amira winked for the second time.

"Come on girls it's already ten pm, you have to get to bed. We're going to the salon at eight tomorrow morning so you have to get your beauty sleep." Zoya's mother hushed them out of the balcony and shut the large doors, blocking the cool breeze from entering.

-----

Zoya lay in bed, her dark locks spread across the pillow, with her arms resting on her abdomen. She looked up at the glowing stickers on her ceiling, when her phone began to vibrate noisily under her head.

She quickly grabbed it, anxious the room would get disturbed. Her gaze softened as she saw her father's name pop up. She received the call with an anxious heart.

"Baba..." she muttered and heard a little chuckle from the other end.

"You're still up Zoya?" He sighed. She remained quiet, waiting for her father's reason of calling.

"My girl will be a wife tomorrow," he stated with pride. "Zoya, years ago, when you were only twelve, your mother and I used to watch you and feel shaken by the thought of you leaving our home. A daughter always leaves an imprint on her house and goes away to turn some other man's house into her home." Zoya listened carefully to her father's vulnerable words.

"I always expected the best from you even though it was unfair. I remember when you failed your geography test and were scared to show me. You hid that test for weeks, thinking I would feel utterly disappointed. And later you came to me at night with your test in hand, crying." Zoya's head flooded with the memories of that distressing week.

"Yeah, but you didn't say anything to me and gave me a smile," she reminisced. Her father chuckled. "Did you know, your teacher had called me the day you received your test?"

Zoya's face lost its color.

"What—" she gasped.

"I waited Zoe. I wanted to prove to myself that you weren't perfect but you were also never someone who'd lie." Zoya suddenly felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry for tha—" Her father interrupted her with another wholesome chuckle. "That was decades ago Zoya." And Zoya broke into a giggle as well.

"But I need you to know, that I'm always waiting. You are my greatest pride. But that doesn't mean you are perfect. You will make mistakes and learn. And while you learn, I'll be here always to protect and love you," his voice cracked.

Zoya's heart wavered and her lip trembled.

"I love you more baba."

"That's impossible but I'll take it."

And he shut the call.

Her father meant an entire universe for her.

Next to her, her mother snored slightly, deeply sleeping after a long day. This would be the last night she could sleep with her mother, still a proper part of her family. Once she was married, she would only return home as a guest.

This was weird to think about—she wouldn't just be her dad's daughter anymore. She would be her husband's wife. Zaib would become her Mehram. And she would become his.

Starting tomorrow, she would share a life with someone she had just met six months ago. It was funny how a stranger had just come into her life and now he was the most important person to her. From tomorrow, she would be eating, sleeping and living with Zaib.

They would share everything.

He had probably cleared half his closet for her already. As well as his sink. And drawers. Just a few feet away sat her last suitcase that was to be sent to his house.

The last time she had to share a room with someone was when she was nine with Bilal. She had shared beds during sleepovers before and occasionally with her mother but she hadn't shared a bed with a guy yet. She always slept on the left side of the bed, what if Zaib did too? One of them would have to change that. She also moved a lot in her sleep, often resulting in her stealing the other person's blanket or causing them to end up at the corner of the bed.

These seemed like little things but it's something every human grows up with. Everyone has their own quirks and habits, what if she disturbed Zaib with hers? What if they just didn't work well together? How could you know for sure that you would be okay living with someone who you've only ever met publicly?

This was so overwhelming for her. Everything was going to change. But she had her love for him and over everything she had Allah. And Allah was always enough.