Chapter 1 The Wedding
Mira adjusted the edge of her dress for the third time, staring at her reflection like it might suddenly make her feel less out of place.
“You’ve been doing that since we got here,” Zara said, a quiet laugh in her voice as she fixed her scarf. “Relax. It’s just a wedding, not an interview.”
Mira exhaled softly, a small smile forming. “It’s Aisha’s wedding. It’s different.”
And it was.
The hall was warm with light and voices, filled with the kind of happiness that made everything feel softer. People moved around in colors and laughter, families greeting each other, cameras flashing every few seconds.
Aisha had always talked about this day every detail, every flower, every moment. And now she was finally here, glowing in a way Mira had never seen before.
“Come on,” Zara nudged her gently. “Let’s go greet the bride before she forgets you exist.”
Mira shook her head, smiling. “She could never.”
They made their way through the crowd, careful not to step on anyone’s dress or interrupt conversations. When they finally reached Aisha, she pulled Mira into a tight hug.
“You came,” Aisha said softly, like it mattered more than everything else happening around her.
“Of course I did,” Mira replied. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
For a moment, everything felt simple. Just two friends standing in the middle of a day they had once imagined together.
Then Zara cleared her throat dramatically. “Hi, I’m here too, by the way.”
They all laughed, and the moment shifted into something lighter.
“Stay close, okay?” Aisha said. “After the nikah, we’ll sit together.”
Mira nodded, stepping back as more people came forward to greet the bride.
“Let’s get seats before everything fills up,” Zara said, already looking around.
Mira followed her, but her attention drifted without her meaning it.
That’s when she saw him.
He wasn’t doing anything special. Just standing a little away from the crowd, talking to someone, his expression calm, almost distant compared to everyone else.
There was something about him.
Maybe it was how he wasn’t trying to be noticed.
Or how he seemed completely comfortable being quiet in a room full of noise.
Mira looked away quickly, like she had no reason to be looking in the first place.
“Who?” Zara’s voice came immediately.
Mira frowned. “What?”
“You just looked at someone and then acted like you didn’t. Who is it?”
“No one,” Mira said, a little too quickly.
Zara followed her earlier line of sight anyway. “Oh.”
Mira didn’t turn back, but she could feel it Zara had found him.
“Okay,” Zara said slowly, a small smile in her voice. “Not bad.”
“Zara,” Mira warned quietly.
“I didn’t say anything,” she replied, raising her hands slightly. “But you noticed him first.”
Mira didn’t respond.
She didn’t want to admit it not even to herself but something about that moment stayed with her.
It didn’t feel like anything big.
Just a glance.
Just a stranger in a crowded room.
Across the hall, Raihan glanced up briefly, his eyes moving through the room without intention
and for the smallest second, they met hers.
Mira looked away immediately.
She sat down beside Zara, trying to focus on everything else the ceremony, the voices, the quiet that slowly settled as it began.
The imam’s voice filled the hall, calm and steady.
This was the moment that mattered.
Mira kept her eyes forward, hands resting in her lap, listening like she was supposed to.
She didn’t look at him again.
At least… not obviously.
