Page 31 of First Comes Marriage
Reshma had been sitting at the table working when the doorbell had rung and Haniya had made her way inside, holding her laptop and a bag full of snacks. She’d harassed Reshma until she’d stopped working and now they were sitting on the sofa, trying to decide what to watch but struggling to choose. By the time they decided, the others would probably be back.
While Haniya had been flicking through the various titles on whichever streaming service she had moved on to, Reshma’s mind flicked through the events of the nightbefore. Namely, the way Zafar had sat there, calling himself a failure and then, in the next moment, not only had he physically supported her when she’d witnessed her father playing happy families in a unit she wasn’t a part of, Zafar had gone further than that and actually spoken up on her behalf against her father, rendering the other man speechless. Then he’d taken her hand and walked away from him without a backward glance.
Reshma hadn’t known how to react. She hadn’t known what to say or do in the face of such defence on her behalf. Especially from Zafar. It had touched her, no doubt about it, but it had also added to the tumult of feelings she was going through because of him.
There were so many different emotions and resulting contradictions to try to figure out. Reshma wondered how much of what was happening she could attribute to time and place. Was it being here – somewhere different and exciting, away from normal life – and the fact that she and Zafar were spending extensive periods of time around each other? Back at home in London, that had never been the case. People saw them as a couple here, whereas at home people saw them as Zafar and Reshma.
There was also the major factor of Zafar’s work to consider. At home, his work consumed him. That’s what he did with over ninety per cent of his time, maybe even ninety-five. Here he didn’t have that. But did that mean that when they got back, things would go back to how they were?
‘Hellooo? Earth to Reshma? Do you copy?’ Haniya threw popcorn at Reshma’s head with each word she spoke.
Reshma stuck a cushion in front of her face to shield herself. ‘Grow up, Niya! And you’re going to clean this mess up yourself.’
‘Well, it’s good to know you’re back with me and not away with the fairies. So,’ she closed her laptop and turned on the sofa to face her properly, her legs folded under her and her head resting on her hand as she propped her arm against the backrest. ‘Talk to Niya. What’s bothering you, child?’
Reshma groaned as she pressed the cushion onto her face, making it sound like a suppressed scream. ‘Am I that obvious?’ She lowered the cushion and stared at Haniya the bloodhound.
‘To me? Yes. To others …’ She shrugged her shoulders and tossed more popcorn into her mouth. ‘Uncle Ahsan? Or his family?’
‘Partly.’
‘O-K. And the rest of it …?’
Reshma blew out a breath through her mouth and her lips juddered with its force. ‘Zafar.’
‘Ah.’ Haniya moved the popcorn away and made her way to the kitchen, pulling two mugs out of the cabinet and setting them in front of the coffee machine.
She brought two steaming mugs back and took some chocolate-covered biscuits from her snack bag before settling in the same position and then eyeing Reshma with interest.
‘I’m ready now. Talk.’
Reshma burst out laughing. ‘You’re such a joker.’
‘What? I’m serious.’ Reshma wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. ‘Well, at least you don’t look as morose. Glad I could put a smile on your gorgeous face. Now, tell me what’s going on in that overactive imagination of yours.’
Reshma groaned again, but softly this time as she reached for a biscuit and her coffee.
‘So, you know how everyone seems to think that Zafar came here to surprise me?’
‘Uh, I was there. In fact, we travelled together, so I know he came to surprise you.’
Reshma shook her head as Haniya looked at her in confusion. ‘That’s not what it was. He was forced to come out here by his dad.’
She went on to tell a wide-eyed Haniya what she had discovered the morning after Zafar’s surprise arrival.
‘I sensed that there was something up with you that morning when we were getting our nails done, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I put it down to my own jet lag.’
‘Yeah, not quite.’
‘He didn’t want to come. Huh. But why?’
‘Because he wasn’t interested. His work and his commitments back home were more important to him than coming out here for a wedding with me.’ She experienced a wave of the old feelings of disappointment, though this time, in contrast, she also thought about his behaviour with her over the last few days.
Haniya frowned at that. ‘That’s not the impression I get.’
‘You asked why he didn’t want to come and thatisthe reason he didn’t want to come. Except now, it’s different.’
‘How so?’
