by Emma Easter
As soon as Leila saw Zainah, she began to weep again. “Zainah, do something!” she cried out.
Zainah shut her eyes as Leila’s weeping suddenly broke into her self-imposed numbness. Indescribable pain settled in her chest as she thought about Faizan and the fact that she would never see him again. Her feet couldn’t carry her any longer, and she staggered.
Her mother held her hand and steadied her. “Are you okay, Zainah?”
Zainah glared at her. She wanted to scream and ask her mother if she looked okay, but she stopped herself. There was no use. Even her own mother thought they were doing the right thing by giving her away to a random man.
They finished dressing her up, and her mother asked her to turn around so she could look at herself in the mirror. She flatly refused. Leila also refused to look when she was asked to.
“Suit yourself,” her mother said.
Someone came to tell them it was time for the brides to come out, and Zainah momentarily shut her eyes. Panic began to overtake her and she prayed for peace. She would not deny the Lord. They could force her to marry a strange man as they didn’t really need her agreement to marry her away. But they would never get her to deny her faith. If God intended for her die as a martyr now, then so be it.
The women led her and Leila outside together. Her father’s men surrounded them, making sure she or Leila didn’t try to escape. There were two huge canopies some distance away that housed the guests. Zainah’s heart raced wildly as she was led toward the canopies. She shut her eyes briefly and muttered a prayer for help and calm. The tempo of the music increased as she entered one of the canopies and a loud cheer arose from the guests.
Her father appeared with two men in embroidered kaftans. Zainah immediately knew they were the grooms. They came near, and one of the men, much older than she even imagined, assessed her closely, as though he were inspecting a horse he was about to purchase. Her heart rate increased rapidly and she began to pray even more earnestly.
The women around her began to dance and her mother whispered in her ear, “Dance, Zainah!”
She ignored her mother. She stood in front of the crowd and immediately zoned out as people danced around her and Leila. Leila stood still beside her. Soon, they were left in front of the crowd. The man who had inspected her closely came to stand next to her. Their community imam, who looked much older than how she remembered him, walked under the canopy. He came to stand in front of her and the man she was to marry. Leila stood a foot away with the old man she was to wed.
Zainah bit her bottom lip, trying not to cry. Lord, this cannot be happening.
But it was. The imam started the wedding rites and she knew then that all her prayers for deliverance were not going to be answered. She would be married to the old man standing beside her in a matter of minutes. She would never see Faizan again and they would never have the chance to be together.
A soft murmur arose from the crowd, but she ignored it. The imam stopped speaking and frowned. Her eyes suddenly widened as a loud cry pierced the air followed by an ear-splitting bang that sounded eerily like a gunshot.
People began to scream, and Zainah turned around. Her heart jumped in fear as she saw half a dozen armed men enter the canopy. People took to their heels, screaming.
One of the armed men, who was wearing dark glasses, shouted, “Stop that wedding now!” He pointed his gun at the imam, who was now cowering. The armed man approached her and she swallowed. He said to her, “You are safe,” and then stared menacingly at her husband-to-be. “Leave this place now or you will be shot!” He turned and said the same thing to the man that was supposed to wed Leila. Both men ran away with the imam.
The canopy was empty now, except for her, Leila, and the armed men. Zainah gazed at the men, wondering if they were angels sent from God to deliver her and Leila. But they looked too brutal to be angels. Everything felt surreal, as though she were in a dream. Her heart drummed as she looked at them in dread and haltingly asked, “Who are you?”
“We were sent by a friend called Jake,” the man in the dark glasses answered.
Zainah shook her head, confused. She said in a trembling voice, “I don’t know anyone called Jake.”
“He told me to tell you he is Faizan’s friend.”
Zainah’s jaw dropped and then without thinking, she cried out, and hugged the man tightly. He looked taken aback when she drew back. She smiled at him as all her fear vanished.
Leila followed her example and hugged the man. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
Zainah beamed and her heart soared. “Is Faizan here?” she asked excitedly, looking around her, wondering if Faizan would appear at any minute.
“No,” the man said. “We need to go now.”
Zainah nodded, ecstatic and slightly disappointed at the same time. She quickly followed the men. They led her and Leila to a black SUV. When she got in, she gasped in shock and exclaimed, “Miriam! What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story,” Miriam answered, hugging her and then Leila.
The driver immediately started the car and zoomed off. Only the man in the dark shades got into the car. He sat in the passenger’s seat beside the driver.
Zainah looked behind her and saw the other men were piling into another SUV. She turned around and she and Leila fell into Miriam’s arms again. They both wept loudly with relief and did not stop until they were far away from Nira.
*****
Faizan sat in front of his computer, tapping his feet and waiting impatiently for Zainah’s call. A week before, when Jake had called him with news that Zainah was about to be married to some guy in her community, he had been speechless at first. And then he’d blurted out, “It can’t be Zainah! She isn’t free to get married, and she wouldn’t marry someone else even if she was.”
Jake had told him on the phone that she and her friend Leila were going to be forced to marry men they didn’t know and convert to Islam. He had gone into a rage similar to the kind he used to have before he’d come to Christ. He’d wanted the men who were trying to force her to get married dead.
“Jake, I know you can help. You have to send men now and invade that place. Get her out of there even if you have to kill in order to do so.”
“I can’t do that,” Jake had said. “We are not allowed to interfere with—”
Faizan had cut in. “Please. I won’t ask you for anything else. Please do this one favor for me.”
For almost a minute, Jake had said nothing, and then he spoke. “Okay. I’ll help. But you will owe me… and when it’s the right time, I’ll collect.”
Faizan nodded. “Yes. I agree. Just please get Zainah out. And her friend Leila too.” He felt the Spirit’s conviction and said, “Please don’t kill anyone, though. I take back what I said.”
Faizan had waited anxiously for hours to hear back from Jake. When Jake called and told him they had retrieved Zainah and Leila and they were safely on their way to the women’s camp, he finally breathed a huge sigh of relief. Jake promised Faizan would be able to speak with her soon. Today was the day they had decided he would speak with Zainah on Skype. He could hardly hold back his excitement and impatience.
He glanced at his wristwatch and saw it was a few minutes past two o’clock. Jake had told him the call would be at two. He looked at his computer again. “Come on! Ring now!”
He jumped when the doorbell rang. “Who is it?” he said angrily.
He ignored the bell and continued to tap his feet, wondering why he hadn’t gotten Zainah’s call. Maybe something is wrong with the connection, he thought.
Someone banged on his door and he groaned. Why can’t this person, whoever it was, just go away? He wanted to call out and tell whoever was at the door to stop disturbing him and go away, but he sighed loudly and stood up. The sooner he got rid of the person, the better. He walked to the door with his ears still perked up so he wouldn’t miss Zainah’s call. He would just tell whoever had come to visit that this wasn’t a good time.<
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He unlocked the door quickly and glanced back at his computer before turning around again. And then his eyes bulged as he stared at the woman standing before him.
It can’t be. Either I am dreaming or it isn’t her.
She screamed and fell into his arms, and he knew he wasn’t dreaming. And it was definitely her.
“Zainah,” he croaked as he held her tight. “How come you are here?”
She laughed and pulled back to look at him. “Your friend Jake made it happen. I asked him not to say anything so I could surprise you.” She pointed at the car on the other side of the road. Jake stuck his face out of the window and waved at him. He waved back and then focused on Zainah again. His heart raced madly as he gazed at her in wonder. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he’d seen her. He hugged her tightly this time. “I can’t believe you are here,” he said, his voice choked with emotion.
She laughed again and pulled back. The smile dropped from her face and her eyes searched his. The look of love in them took his breath away. His gaze moved to her lips, and he had to summon up all the willpower he had to stop himself from taking her in his arms and kissing her. But the way she was staring at him now didn’t help at all.
Her eyes shifted to his lips and he knew he was in trouble. If she didn’t stop looking at him like that, he wouldn’t be able to control himself any… He gasped when she suddenly pulled him close and kissed him.
Everything around him disappeared, and time seemed to stop as he fervently returned her kiss. His hands tightened around her and he trembled with pleasure as he kissed her with everything in him, relishing her lips. He’d dreamed of doing this for so long, he couldn’t believe it was actually happening. His dream had come true.
He kissed her nose, her hair, her chin, and then her lips again. Nothing else around him mattered, and he saw nothing and no one, except for her. And then, he suddenly came to his senses, and immediately pulled away from her.
He looked down in shame and confusion and said, “Zainah, you know this is wrong.” He looked at her and sighed. “There is nothing more I want than to keep kissing you, but what about your vow of chastity? You know you can’t break your vow to God.”
Zainah giggled and he frowned. “What’s funny?” he asked, smiling in spite of himself.
“I don’t have to keep that vow anymore,” she said to him.
“I don’t understand.”
She began to tell him about her dreams; the ones about him. She told him why she had made the vow and ended with the dream she’d had shortly after he’d left the women’s camp. The Lord had told her that he’d never asked her to make that vow and had showed her they were meant to be together.
After she’d finished, he shook his head in wonder, and then the reality of all she’d told him dawned on him. He whooped, “That means we can get married!” He turned around and then realized they were still outside the house. “I’m so sorry, Zainah. I didn’t even invite you in.” He pulled her into the house and sat her down on the couch. He sat beside her and gazed at her as his heart overflowed with love for her and gratitude to God. “I can’t believe you are here,” he said again. “Most of all, we can be together.” He folded her in his arms and kissed her again. The kiss became more and more passionate, and he knew he had to stop now. It took everything in him, but he finally managed to pull back from her.
“We have to get married as soon as possible to avoid a disaster,” he said huskily as he trembled with unmet desire.
She nodded. Her eyes were glazed with desire, and he sighed deeply. He took her hand and kissed it, and then shifted to the end of the couch. He looked at her and said soberly, “Will you marry me, Zainah?”
She nodded. “Of course I’ll marry you. I wish I could marry you right now.”
He gazed longingly at her but resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her again. He knew if he did, they wouldn’t stop until they had gone all the way. And that would be wrong.
“I love you, Zainah.”
“I love you too, Faizan. More than life itself. I’m glad I finally found you.”
“Found me?” he asked curiously.
“I’ve been trying to find you. That was why I left the women’s camp and ended up in my community.” She told him everything that had happened from the day she’d left the camp up until the day she was rescued by Jake’s men.
He couldn’t resist taking her hand in his. “I can’t believe you went through all that for me. I will love you forever.” He beamed at her. He couldn’t help but lift his voice silently in thanksgiving to the Lord who had blessed him with such a beautiful and loving woman. She had saved his life and then changed it completely by bringing the gospel to him. Now she’d agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. He would devote his life to her, thanking her every day for everything she’d done for him, for loving him relentlessly.
The story continues in …
Falling In Love
Book Four of The Sisters of Rosefield Series
Also by Emma Easter
The Sisters of Rosefield Series
Book One: Love Is Enough
Book Two: Quest For Love
Book Three: Love Means Everything
Book Four: Falling In Love
Book Five: Love Will Prevail
Book Six: Blessed With Love
About the Author
Emma Easter is a rising star in the genre of Christian contemporary romance. She specializes in writing wholesome, inspirational love stories. Her faith-based works appeal to fans of character-driven novels with interesting plot twists.
Emma grew up in a Christian household and now enjoys sharing her faith through her writing. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her loving husband and three young children.
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EmmaEaster.com
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