Untainted: The Purest

Chapter 4–The Reception

—In the Car—

"I didn't compliment you still. Did I?" He said keeping his eyes on the road.

"No, you didn't. All you were concerned about is the lipstick." She said with a pout looking elsewhere.

"Well then. You look like an Angel. Amazing would be an understatement. You look wonderful. Perfect." He said taking in all her appearance one more time.

She blushed with a low chuckle.

•••

—Reception Venue—

Umeed's family was already there when they arrived at the venue. They all joyously welcomed the couple. The decoration was grand and magnificent but with a limited number of people. She pulled her ghunghat (veil) over her face to cover it completely before walking in.

As they walked in everyone kept talking and greeting Abdul Ahad but his eyes were looking around until they saw one familiar face, Mumtaz.

She gracefully moved to them and glanced at their happy faces. "Come." She said leading them to the stage. Umeed couldn't take her eyes off Mumtaz. She looked gorgeous. Everything about her screamed attention and compliments.

Her lustrous, shiny hair falling off her shoulders, those beautiful eyes confined under thick lashes, full lips widened in smile, the peach lehenga wrapped around her fair skin, and contrasting jewellery, could make anyone go crazy. Most of all, the elegance in her movements. She was flawless.

Umeed stood nowhere in comparison with her. She was outstanding. "Hello Umeed. Make yourself comfortable. Should I get something for you?" She asked in her all silvery voice.

Umeed shook her head in a negative. All she needed was Abdul Ahad beside her. And he was there.

"Wonderful, isn't she?" Ahad teased sensing Umeed's discomfort.

She looked at him through the veil of netted dupatta and said, "You said I AM wonderful. Don't use the same word for her. I don't like it." She said with equal intensity. His eyes widened at her sharp reply.

As guests kept coming, he kept greeting them and stayed there for some time. As he went on greeting several people. A tall, fair woman wearing a short, tight fitting dress, ending just above her knees walked to them and greeted Umeed.

Umeed slightly lifted her veil and answered her greetings with a smile. She looked pitifully at Umeed and then Ahad. "So... this is your choice?" She asked Ahad in the same tone. "I thought you had better taste Mr. Shaikh."

He smirked and said, "I thought the same thing about your husband. Reminding of husband, is it still Mr. Jehlani or..."

"What the hell do you mean?" She hissed. "How dare you talk to me like that?"

"I won't glorify your nonsense with a response. You better leave before I display your cards to everyone." He said in a warning tone. The woman's face paled and she left quietly.

Ahad could feel the blood rushing through his veins and his breaths stead fasting. Umeed placed a hand on his and whispered "Calm down" with a reassuring smile.

His anger instantly calmed down with this simple gesture or maybe he was pretending because he didn't want Umeed to freak out. "Are you angry?" He asked her after inhaling a sharp breath.

"I'm not angry. I just sympathise with her. She is so proud of her looks, education or family background. But all these things could not get her good manners and moral values which are a foundation of a healthy life. What's the use then? What's the difference between her and any other uneducated person?" Umeed said calmly which satisfied Ahad.

"Assalamualaikum. Mubarak! (Congratulations!)" They looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall muscular man wearing a black Jodhpuri suit walk towards them with a smile, followed by a beautiful woman in a beautiful flowy black gown. They looked so perfect. She was so graceful in her moves, and had such confidence in her features like she was a Queen of some empire. Her hair were tied in a messy bun and few perms kissing her face.

She carefully held the gown and walked towards Umeed, handed her a bouquet and congratulated her.

"Umeed this is my friend, Shahmeer Zamán Khan and that's his wife, Myra. He is the owner of the Automobile industry around the country." Abdul Ahad introduced them and Umeed greeted them with a smile. "Even though he was not generous enough to invite me at his wedding, I'm a very good, forgiving friend." Abdul Ahad smirked.

"Nor did you." Shahmeer playfully hit his shoulder and Umeed looked on. Hardly ever did she see Ahad so calm and happy. It was either with her or Mumtaz. This friend must be really special.

After a while, Mumtaz came there, greeted them and took them with her.

After a few minutes, Abdul Ahad said, “Angel I have to see off a few guests. You must have some time with your family. They are leaving tomorrow." Saying this, he walked down the stage and soon, she was surrounded by her family. They were ecstatic about it.

Her parents gave her blessings of a happy life and her sisters chatted with her. She properly replied to everything they talked but her eyes kept glancing at Abdul Ahad who was now smoking sitting on a distant couch with Mumtaz and his other friends. She felt an unknown restlessness in that moment. Even though he kept giving brief looks every now and then to make her comfortable but he wasn't here with her.

"Do not be afraid; your fate cannot be snatched from you; it is a gift from Allah.” her elder sister said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes Asma Api. I hope so." She said with a weak smile.

•••

After most of the guests left, they both walked up to the aisle and Mumtaz said, "Uncle it's late night. Let me drop you back to the Hotel.”

As Mumtaz stood there longer, Umeed happened to have a closer look at her and she saw the exact same Pearl pendant that Ahad bought for her hanging in Mumtaz's neck. Umeed subconsciously touched her pendant in shock and wanted to ask Mumtaz about it but it seemed ill mannered. She contained herself and let it pass. Her family, her husband was here. They wouldn't like it.

She never liked judging someone because when we start judging someone, we stop loving them. Slowly but eventually we stop having good thoughts about them, we stop trusting them and she didn't want to embitter her heart towards that one person who is Abdul Ahad's family.

They all said good byes and departed from her.

•••

The drive home was a tiring one. Umeed removed the veil of her head and adjusted it on a side of her shoulder and rested her head back.

"You really shouldn't have stopped me. I really would have shown her her place. I know things about her that-”

"Allah says cover the faults of others and I will cover your faults on the day of judgement. And it is not wise to respond to insult with another insult." She said. “Allah has commanded us to avoid hurting others even with our tongue or hands.”

He huffed. "Not everyone is deserving of your kindness Angel."

"I know. But that wouldn't stop me from being kind." She said with a smile and tried to change the topic to distract him. "It was a nice occasion.” Umeed said removing the mang tika, then earrings and removing more of her jewellery one by one and putting them in the purse. He found it odd. “Your cousin was looking beautiful.” She said honestly.

“Yeah it was her Walima (Reception) dress.”

“She is married?” Umeed gasped.

“Yes. So, did you like everything? The food, decorations?” he asked and Umeed clearly understood he was dodging the topic.

“Yeah everything except the people.” She said casually.

He chuckled. “Just now you asked me not to worry about it.”

“I’m not worried Ahad. It’s just that… Back at my place, we respected people for their knowledge, kinship, age or experiences but look here. People respect the other person just as much as they can benefit from them. Apart from that… I had predicted more people. I thought you had more friends."

"I have many associates. There are many people I'm familiar with. But that doesn't make them my friends. That they would be happy in my happiness." He said with a sad smile. "Mumtaz is the only family I have got."

She gathered some courage and placed a hand on his and said, "It was in the past Ahad. Now I am your family."

He looked at her with a smile of content and replied, "I know."

"What else do you know about me?" She asked looking at him with an unfathomable expression.

"What?" He asked uncertainly.

"I mean what have you talked to me about me or yourself in these two days."

"We have all the life to talk." He shook his head.

"Yeah. But 'now' is not a bad time to get started. Right?" She replied.

"Yes. It is. So, tell me what you want to know..." Abdul Ahad asked her.

"Umm..." she placed her finger under her chin like in deep thought and said, "Let's start from the 'start.' Tell me about your parents, native place, school, college, first job-"

"Ok let’s Skip that." He interrupted and she saw how his features hardened, his hands stiffened his grip around the steering wheel.

"What? Then what remains? And why won't you tell me anything about you?" She asked with all her right.

His voice became stern and emotionless. "Listen Umeed, do not bring this up unless you want bitterness and arguments between us." He called her 'Umeed' instead of Angel but she wasn't smart enough to take the hint and be quiet.

"So, your family... they are alive. And you know where." She stated, not asked.

"You're doing it again." His tone was harsher and louder this time.

She went silent after that. Not that she didn't want to know. But she loved him dearly. Anything that hurt him maybe wasn't worth knowing. Love is truly blind. It makes your lover perfect and flawless. Love is always patient and kind. It is never judgmental, jealous, proud or stubborn or selfish. It wouldn't give her any pleasure in scathing Ahad's wounds or shaming him. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.

Three things can’t be long hidden, the sun, the moon and the truth. We just have to be patient. Fate never promises to tell us everything quickly and right away but it does disclose everything we yearn to know, slowly like the layers of an onion.

"That means there's nothing we can talk about?" She said slowly.

"Nah. We can talk about you." He tried to make up for raising his voice.

"Nothing so interesting." She shook her head but found him staring at her with a smile.

"Incidents and events in a person's life shape him the way he is. A person is a product of his environment. And 'nothing' definitely doesn't yield something as amazing as you Angel." He sounded so impressed.

She heaved a sigh. "Just drive." She spoke looking at her lap.

She wasn't angry... just didn't want to talk anymore afraid that she would ask or say something to his dislike.

•••

Umeed walked out of the washroom wearing a mint coloured cotton kurta with her hairs dripping and a towel caressing them. She went to pull aside the tossed heals and recollected the dupatta she threw on the bed when they came in. "It was so warm. And that jewellery was so heavy." She grumbled struggling with the pendant as it stuck within her hairs.

"Come here." He said patting the corner of bed.

Umeed walked to him. His expression was unreadable. "Angel are you angry?" He asked as she sat beside him.

"No. Why would I be angry?" She shook her head politely.

"That I spoke rudely to you in the car." He reminded her.

"No Ahad. I'm not angry. It's just that... anger is a result of being fake. When we have a façade and someone tells otherwise, maybe the truth, we get angry. Falsehood creates this... this stoppage inside us. I want you to counteract life as you are, the real you. The prophet (pbuh) says, A strong man isn't the one who can overpower others in a combat but rather the one who can conquer himself when he is angry."

He had no answer and he was dazed by it. She just called him fake, false, hiding behind the walls, incapable of facing life and here he was. Why wasn't he angry? Doesn't he have self-respect? Shouldn't he react? Or least defend his actions? But he was spellbound. He was imprisoned by the wits and beauty of this amazing woman and he just couldn't.

He rather pulled her onto his lap and quietly started helping her with the stuck pendant. Sometimes you just need to breathe and let some things pass. He thought with a smile pulling her hair front and started separating the remaining hairs from it.

After a minute, she felt an electrifying sensation pass through every nerve and fibre in her body. "W... What are you doing?" She breathed.

"I told you I just lose my senses when I see you with moist hairs." He said huskily, his lips still exploring her back. She closed her eyes and tried to silence her racing heart as his huge hands travelled to her shoulders and unhooked few buttons of her top to go deeper. She subconsciously clutched her hands into fists on her lap and didn't move.

He gently reclined her back and now she was lying on the bed, his face inches away from her. "Only if you want." He whispered looking into her eyes. His dark eyes held emotions like his entire world was waiting, holding its breath. She asked herself, ‘Am I ready for this?’

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