Hisham keenly watched his wife remove her bridal makeup.He had been patiently watching her for the past fifteen minutes and couldn't believe that she was still not yet done.How many layers of that thing had they even applied to her face?It was simply horrible.

"Are you almost done Zulekha?" he asked hoping that she would say yes.

"Nope,not even close."

"Oh,okay," he replied, slightly disappointed.

This was not how he had imagined their wedding night to be.He had planned out some romantic moments for both of them, hoping to properly kickstart their marriage.But here he was now, in their honeymoon suite,sitting alone on the large luxurious bed watching his wife remove layers of "cake" off her face.

What a lucky man he was.

"How much longer do you think you will take habibty?" he asked again impatiently.

"Hisham,i will tell you when i am done okay and why do you keep asking me that?"

"I wanted to us pray Isha together,like as a couple,"he said shyly rubbing his neck.Just the thought of her praying behind him or beside him made his heart flutter.It was a new feeling all together.

"Sorry Hisham but i want to remove all my makeup and it will take a while.Why dont you just pray your Isha Salah?I will offer mine after i am done," she said without even looking at him.

Hisham sighed.Guess he would just have to pray alone.Maybe they could pray Fajr together,In Sha Allah.

"You know you dont have to put all that makeup on again.I will always find you beautiful regardless," he said as he stood up to go make wudhu.

"I know."

Hisham mentally gagged at her reply.So much for trying.Maybe they were both just tired and needed rest.Tomorrow would be a new day.A new day for them as a couple.Alhamdullilah.

"By the way Hisham, where are we going for our honeymoon?"asked Zulekha starting up a conversation for the first time since they had came into the suite.

A conversation Hisham was going to dread.

"Ive booked us a cabin in the countryside habibty.Its a beautiful place MashAllah.You will love it.It will only be you and me," said Hisham grinning.

He had booked the cabin with much difficulty but in the end he had succeeded by the help of a close friend.It was a small and cosy cabin, just the right romantic getaway they both needed or so he thought.

"Is this a joke?A cabin?What are we scouts?" asked Zulekha, her face all red from irritation.

Hisham let out a laugh.She wasnt angry, was she?

"Hisham,i want to go to Maldives, so you better take me there.I dont want to go to some lousy cabin," she said her voice rising.

Hisham was shocked.Maldives?Was this woman even serious?

"I cant afford to take you there,"he said running his hand through his hair in frustration.Wow,and to think this was just day one of their marriage.

"What do you mean by you can't afford to take me there?You are a Hosseini.Your father is a billionaire."

"Yes, my father is a billionaire but i work for my father.I earn a salary Zulekha and i spent all my savings in buying the dream house you wanted," he shouted back.

"I dont care,talk to your father.He threw us a big wedding right?Now he can send us on our honeymoon as well," she said as she broke down in tears.

Hisham rushed and embraced his wife.He had promised to keep her happy and he also wanted this marriage to work and if Maldives is what she wanted then he would do whatever it took to take her there.

He sighed,as he hugged her tighter.The last thing he had expected was to ask his father for money to go on his own honeymoon.

Married life sucked already and he made a mental note to tell Yasir about it.

To tell him not to make the same mistake.

Ever.

*****

Yasir gently moved the swing with his leg as he listened to the workers clear up the garden after the Walima.Alhamdullilah everything had turned out well and soon everything would be back to normal in the Hosseini mansion.Well,everything apart from Hisham.He would miss his brother alot but he was happy that he had begun a new chapter in his life.

"Here you go habibi," said his mother as she placed a warm cup of coffee in his hands.

Yasir circled both his hands around the warm cup gratefully.It was quite cold outside and this was just what he needed.

"JazakAllah Mama,but how do you always know what i need?"

He heard his mother chuckle as she sat beside him.

"I am your mother,i will always know what my son needs," she replied.

They both quietly sipped on their coffees both of them lost in their own thoughts.

"Mama, are there any stars in the sky tonight?" he asked eagerly.

His mother smiled as memories of Yasir's childhood came flooding back.He had always been an inquisitive child and after he had come to know about stars, he would always force her to take him out every night and describe them to him.

She let out a small laugh as she remembered the one time he had gone back in sulking because she had refused to count all of them for him.

"Yes habibi,the sky if full of them tonight,"she replied.

"Please describe them to me Mama, if you dont mind."

She took his hand and slowly drew a star shape on his palm as she had always done when he was a kid.Yasir's enthusiasm for stars had made her read numerous books on constellations and she used tell him about them every single night.

"Yasir,do you ever feel bad that you cannot see them?" she asked sadly.His eagerness and enthusiasm to learn about things he could not see would sometimes break her heart.

"Of course not Mama,i get to imagine them and they are extremely beautiful in my imagination," he said smiling.

"But then you tend to imagine them how i describe them to you.Maybe you need to start imagining things in a different way my son."

Yasir frowned.

"What do you mean by that Mama?"

"What i mean is that you need someone who will help you imagine and see things in a totally different light.A woman.A wife," she said as she gently squeezed his hand.

"I dont need a woman for that and i have you right?You have always been there for me since i was small.Why would i need someone else now?" he asked frowning because he very well knew where the conversation was heading.

"And Mama you want me to get married so that she can describe stars to me?"

His mother laughed while Yasir looked in her direction confused.Hisham had taken after their mother.Both of them were mad.No doubt about it.

"You will understand what i am telling when you let a woman in there,"she said as she gently poked her finger near his heart.

"Well for one, i dont think there is a woman out there who fits thats description," he said.

Or was there?

"We will see Yasir.Its just a matter of time In Sha Allah," she said as she stood up to leave.

"In Sha Allah," whispered Yasir much to his own surprise.

Maybe there was someone out there who would see past his disability.Just maybe.

But then Allah had already written down his destiny and there was a someone out there who had waited long enough for him.

But had now stopped waiting.

Because t