The boutique where Inaya was looking for a wedding dress was fairly crowded. That was only natural—the boutique was quite famous in the city. Salma looked the most enthusiastic as she picked out several dresses for her future daughter-in-law. Alfiq, on the other hand, had been frowning ever since he entered the boutique.
The man showed absolutely no enthusiasm for the wedding day that millions of people dreamed of. To Alfiq, his wedding was nothing more than a formality—a change in status from single to married, no more and no less.
“MasyaAllah, you look so beautiful, sweetheart!” Salma exclaimed, her eyes shining with admiration at the girl who had just stepped out of the fitting room.
Hearing her gasp of admiration, Inaya only smiled shyly. The dress her future mother-in-law had chosen for her was simply too luxurious and elegant.
“What do you think, Fiq? Isn’t she beautiful?” Salma asked her only son.
Alfiq cast a brief glance at Inaya, who looked graceful in her white dress. He merely cleared his throat, hiding the admiration that had somehow taken root in his mind.
“Um, don’t you think this dress is a little too much for me?” Inaya protested, already struggling with the dress she was wearing.
“The dress suits you perfectly, sweetheart. Trust Umi—you’ll be the most beautiful queen on Earth.”
“Pfft!”
Alfiq quickly changed his previously blank expression into one of laughter, trying to hold it in. He immediately returned his face to its usual blank state. He didn’t want Umi to tease him for laughing at his future wife, who was feeling overheated in her dress.
“Why don’t you make Mas Alfiq choose an outfit too, Umi?” Inaya asked, trying to mess with her future husband, who had been laughing at her.
“Oh, that’s true. Hurry up and change, Fiq. You need to look handsome too.”
“I don’t want to, Umi. Besides, I look good in any style of clothes.”
“That’s just an excuse, Umi. Mas Alfiq doesn’t want to deal with the hassle.” Inaya kept egging on her future mother-in-law.
Realizing that Inaya was teasing him, Alfiq could only glare at her in annoyance. He was never able to argue with Umi. To Alfiq, anything Umi said was an order that couldn’t be disobeyed—including his arranged match with Inaya, which was also his mother’s command.
After they finished looking for wedding clothes, Inaya took Umi and her future husband to her favorite pecel lele stall. Alfiq looked busy studying the menu. He had no idea what kind of food Inaya liked.
As a man, his pride was far too great. There was no way he could ask what the woman liked to eat in front of Umi. He might end up getting a long lecture at home for not knowing something so trivial.
“I’ll just have chicken, Mas.” Inaya took the initiative so Alfiq wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of asking her.
Alfiq stared at his future wife for a moment. Could this woman read minds?
“I can.”
Alfiq was stunned by Inaya’s response, as though she had truly guessed what he was thinking. Incredible.
“You’re ordering chicken at a pecel lele stall? How’s that, sweetheart?” Salma teased Inaya.
“Hehe, I don’t like catfish, Umi,” Inaya explained frankly.
Alfiq immediately reached for the phone in his pants pocket and opened his notes app. He made sure to include the date and time, then typed, “Inaya doesn’t like catfish.” He didn’t want the woman named Inaya to cause him trouble someday because he tended to forget little things.
“Fiq, stop playing on your phone all the time. Try getting to know Ina.”
“Yes, Umi.”
“Yes, talk to her. Don’t be so stiff just because you’re a man.” Salma found her son absolutely adorable.
“Um, why don’t you like catfish, kid...”