Zainudin stared at Rafa, his only son, in bewilderment. Rafa looked beaming as he gazed at the photo of Naura that Zainudin had held out to him. What confused him even more was how readily his son accepted his offer to marry the woman in the photo without thinking twice.
"Raf, are you seriously willing to accept Naura as your wife? You know what Naura's behavior is like, right? She's not a righteous woman like the one you said you wanted," Khumaira, his mother, said. The woman, now wearing a large cream-colored hijab, reminded Rafa to think everything through carefully one more time.
Rafa nodded firmly. Without the slightest hesitation, he looked seriously at both of his parents. "Yes, I want to marry Naura. I don't care how bad she is right now."
"Raf, you'd better think about it first. Umi's afraid that—"
"Umi, don't judge someone by their appearance alone. Didn't Allah say in His word that the end is better for you than the beginning? It's possible, isn't it, that someone whose behavior is bad today could become good in the future, and vice versa. If Abah and Umi don't believe that, it's the same as not believing in Allah's decree for the future."
Khumaira and Zainudin exchanged glances. They knew forcing Rafa to reconsider his decision was impossible. Their son had a strong will.
"Besides, I know Naura better than you do. Even though she's arrogant, proud, and likes to do whatever she wants, there's another side to her that makes me believe she's the right destined match for me," he continued.
"But, Raf, marriage isn't easy. It takes cooperation and love for the household you build later to be peaceful. And as for Naura, you don't even know whether she's willing to be matched with you, do you?" Khumaira tried to convince him.
Rafa smiled when he heard the concern in Umi's voice.
"Insya Allah, Rafa will do his best to guide Naura well. As for whether she wants to marry me or not, we'll see tomorrow."
After that, Zainudin and Khumaira could no longer stop Rafa. They could only hope Allah would give their son the best.
When the serious conversation ended, Rafa rose from his seat. "It's late. I'm going to bed. Maybe tomorrow I'll take care of my resignation letter and move to Indonesia. Umi and Abi should get some rest too." After saying that, Rafa walked away, leaving his parents bewildered by his behavior.
Zainudin shrugged when his wife cast him a questioning look, signaling that he had no idea what had come over Rafa either.
"You saw it too, right, Abi? It's been so long since we've seen Rafa this excited about going back to Indonesia. Is it really true that our son has liked Naura all this time?" Khumaira murmured speculatively.
"Who knows? Abi only hopes for the best for Rafa. I hope his love doesn't lead him to make the wrong decision."
"Amen."
"Hey, what's your name? Are you new here?"
Rafa looked at a boy his age who was now standing with his hands on his hips. Several of the boy's friends followed behind him—about five in all, two boys and three girls.
Intimidated by the sharp stare of the person in front of him, Rafa lowered his head timidly. He had always struggled to adjust to new places. That's why Rafa hated having to move. Today was his first day at the school, and Rafa didn't have any friends yet.
"What, now you're just going to stand there? Can't you talk? Are you scared of us?" a short-haired girl chimed in.
"What a nerd," another one added, before they all burst out laughing.
Naura, the prettiest girl and owner of the sharp eyes, had been leaning back with her arms crossed over her chest, watching Rafa the whole time. At last, Naura decided to approach. She tried to stop her friends' teasing when she saw Rafa lower his head even further. At first, Naura had only intended to introduce herself to the new student who was also her new neighbor. But because she was too embarrassed to approach him directly, she had told all her friends to introduce themselves first.
"Enough! Why are you teasing him? I didn't tell you to do that," Naura said to her four friends. They all fell silent at once.
Then she turned her gaze to Rafa. "Since you're new here, starting tomorrow, you have to do everything I say. Don't even think about arguing with me, or I won't be your friend," Naura declared before walking away and leaving Rafa there.
Rafa could only stare blankly at Naura's behavior. She was his new neighbor. Her house stood directly across from Rafa's. That sharp-eyed girl had always managed to leave him speechless, even at their very first meeting. And now, why did they have to attend the same school?
Rafa smiled as memories of his childhood with Naura flashed through his mind. He picked up the photo of a woman wearing a sexy outfit with her back exposed. She was still just as beautiful as she had been back then—more beautiful, even. Without realizing it, Rafa smiled again.
He could hardly wait for tomorrow, when he would meet this woman. He was curious to see her reaction after they had been apart for so many years. Rafa never expected that Allah was still listening to the hope he had once voiced in his heart.
"Wow... so it's true. The prayers of the oppressed are answered quickly. Well... even if I had to wait this long, I'm still curious to see your reaction when we meet again." Rafa smiled once more.
Only a few days ago, Rafa had intended to accept Ustaz Hamdan's suggestion that he pursue ta'aruf. But Allah had answered all his hopes first, in the blink of an eye.
People say a destined match is a mystery. The couple who are in love now may not necessarily become husband and wife. And two people who once meant nothing to each other may end up together if Allah wills it.
A long time ago, Rafa had never dreamed he could have Naura. He didn't dare hope to have her as his girlfriend, let alone his wife. A man like him would never suit Naura, who was used to standing out and being adored by countless men. He himself had been far too cowardly.
But it seemed Allah was taking his side in this reunion. If Rafa had once been too afraid to approach Naura, this time he would be the one to try to win her over. Rafa would do his best to become Naura's ideal type.
Besides, the Rafa of today was no longer the Rafa of the past—that nerd who couldn't do anything, not even confess his feelings. You could say this was his chance to turn the tables and repay Naura for all the cruel treatment she'd given him back then. Even though he knew his efforts to make Naura notice him would take a long time, and that he risked being hurt by her rejection.
"I'll make sure you're tied to me for the rest of your life," Rafa murmured, a wicked smile curling across his lips.