Architect and Mrs Dantata

30: AMAL

My birthday, which is also the first day of our wedding programmes, starts with confetti. Like, literally, confetti sticks are popped right after Fajr by my friends and family. What surprises me most is that almighty Mahmud Muhammad is part of the entire thing.

"I'm not doing this next time." He says, noting the surprise on my face. "I was blackmailed by Alessia and I couldn't help it."

The culprit grins. "I never knew he could crack. I guess his career really means the world to him."

Just look at this small devil. There are lots of hugs, wishes and gifts. There are cakes too and I don't need anyone to tell me that the chocolate cake with so many toppings comes from Zayd. It's an exact remake of a cake I liked on Instagram lately and I know who baked it on his behalf.

Husna looks away when I face her. "Dan Allah leave me alone. He paid quite nicely and I couldn't say no to him."

I walk over and throw my arms around her. "I love you, Husna. Thank you."

She giggles and hugs me back. "I love you too, Amal. You're welcome."

My phone rings when I'm in Baba's embrace and I smile at the caller ID. I accept the call. "Sa'ed."

"Happy Birthday, Amal."

I lean against Baba and he holds me while he talks to Mama. "Thank you. There's this architect that has been sort of stalking me on IG. He got me a really nice cake and I can't wait to dig in."

He chuckles and God, my heart. "Well, he had to get it for you. He saw the post on his explore page and saw that you liked it so..."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm getting ready for work. I was hoping to drop you off at the office and then Sadiyah or Halima would pick you up after Jumm'ah. Your L'anniversarie De Mariage is today after all and the bride can't be late."

These people actually hid every detail from me for this long. "Sa'ed..."

"Don't even think about it. I'm still keeping my mouth shut. So, can I come over to get you so that I can drop you off at work?"

"I'd love that. I'll just go and get ready. Today is the last day of work for me this year." It took a lot of documentation to get such a long break. I'm going to make up for it with end of the year trips next year In Shaa Allah. Well, it's worth it. "I'm so happy."

"I'm happy for you too. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"No problem." I hang up and raise my head to look at the first man I fell in love with. He looks down at me and we smile at the same time. "I love you, Baba."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Zayd's coming to pick you up?"

I nod. "Yep. I'm going to get ready." I pout childishly. "Baba, they don't want to tell me what they've planned for me today."

He laughs. "It's for your own good, Amal." There's a devilish glint in his eyes. "But if you must know, it's beautiful and you can be rest assured that you'll love it."

I can't believe Baba has all the details and I don't. He laughs as I push away from him and I head up, Mahmud right behind me as he also has to be at the hospital for another busy day. He got a break for the wedding and I'm so happy. He deserves it. He walks past me as we approach our rooms, his hand brushing the small of my back. "Love you, Amal."

Is it just me or everything is sweeter this morning? "Love you too."

My room is a bit jam-packed, thanks to the extra suitcases and the extra bed that my friends share. Those who didn't fit into this room got one of the guest rooms and that room is much worse than this. I go through the usual routine of stripping, having a bath and then getting dressed. I ignore my phone that beeps repeatedly, alerting me of the hundreds of notifications I'll face later.