"Steph! You need to wake up. We have plans today."
Steph sat up, stretching before rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"What plans?" she said though the door.
"Today would have been the day you met your El Farahn family as a married couple. As we have no husband for you to do that with, we are going to have to do it on our own."
Steph groaned. "Do we have to?" She could just imagine the torment of facing relatives who would judge her harshly for the decision she had made.
Elora opened her door then, her expression brooking no argument. "Yes, we do. You should have thought of the repercussions before you ran off."
"Great," Steph said, not moving.
She could still smell the ocean on her skin, the slight scent of the sunscreen Mehdi had rubbed on her back still lingering on her bedding. She secretly hoped housekeeping didn't change the sheets while they were gone. She wanted another chance to breathe it in.
"Come on then, let's get going," Elora said impatiently.
"Okay, okay. Let me just take a quick shower and I'll be ready to go."
Elora grunted something incoherent before closing the door behind her, clearly grumpy about having to face her family in the wake of Steph's actions. Still, Steph knew her mother would be by her side, and that was what really mattered.
Reluctantly, Steph shed her clothing and stepped into a hot shower. It was nothing compared to the one she had experienced in Mehdi's palace, but it still got the job done. She took a little extra time to enjoy the hot water on her tense shoulders before stepping out and dressing, braiding her hair to keep it in place.
When she stepped out into the living room, she found her parents ready to go, her father looking a little worse for wear.
"Are you all right, Dad?"
Jerry sniffed, but with one glance at her mother he stood a little straighter.
"Just a little jet lag. Nothing some fresh air can't help."
Steph nodded. She could see he wasn't terribly thrilled about this outing either.
The three of them made their way out onto the street and hailed a cab, which drove them to the northern part of the city. There, the car pulled up in front of a large, teal-colored house.
"Here you are," the driver said.
Elora paid the man before exiting the vehicle, and they all stood in front of the building, preparing themselves for a taxing afternoon. Steph had been surprised to see that she had slept into the afternoon, but she was grateful. Sunset would come all the faster for it.
They walked up to the front door and rang the bell, and a young girl opened it almost immediately.
"You're here! I'm Beyah. I'm your cousin!"
The young girl's enthusiasm was infectious, and Steph found a smile for her even as her stomach twisted into a nervous lump.
"Come in, come in!" Beyah said, grabbing Steph's hand and pulling her inside.
Her two cousins from her wedding day were there, along with their husbands and several children. There were a few other people Steph didn't know, and while she was introduced to everyone, she almost immediately forgot their names.
Shivika watched as they came into the kitchen, her eyes searching for and not finding the husband who should have been there.
"What is this? Where is your new husband? He would insult us by not joining you for this ceremonial meeting?"
Steph glanced at her mother, who nodded, which was in no way reassuring.
"There was no wedding," Steph blurted out, and the room went silent.
Steph allowed her family to absorb that information. It felt so strange to have a room full of strangers so heavily invested in her marital status. She defiantly made eye contact with everyone in the room, though it was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do.
"And why not?" Shivika asked.
Everyone continued to stare at Steph, who looked around with as much solemnity as she could muster.
"It turns out an arranged marriage isn't in my future. I'm going to marry for love."
The room burst with noise at that moment, the whole family beginning to argue. Steph could hardly hear a word anyone was saying. Then she felt a tug on her hand. Beyah was looking up at her with wide, brown eyes.
"I think that's brilliant," she said, beaming.
Steph patted her hand. "Thanks, Beyah. Now we just have to convince everyone else that it is, too."
"We will," Beyah said, still smiling.
Once the commotion died down, Steph's mother cleared her throat.
"I understand that this is unprecedented. However, after speaking with Steph and the groom, it became clear that this was the best possible decision."
"She saw the groom before the ceremony?" an uncle said.
"I did," Steph said. "He is a lovely man who happens to be in love with someone else."
There was another uproar at that statement. Elora put her fingers in her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Everyone stared at her in stunned silence.
"Now listen, you lot. Steph has another love interest, and the man happens to be one of the most influential men in the country, so pipe down. The whole point of this is to ensure a safe and happy future for my daughter. While she would have had that with Sadiq, there's a chance she can still have it with another man."
"How do you know that? Why are you being so vague?"
Elora glanced at Steph and gave her a small smile before addressing the rest of the room. "I'm sure we'll all be back together celebrating soon. Until then, why don't we enjoy the meal that's been prepared and try to get to know one another better? After all, this is the first time we're meeting as a family, and Steph's first time in El Farah. You don't want her to think we're all a bunch of uptight matrons, do you?"
There was a lower level of grumbling at this statement. Then Anouk stepped forward, holding out a glass of rose-colored wine.
"Here you go, Steph. Sounds like you could use a bit of a drink. If, after you have a sip, you'd like to share with us what happened, we'd be more than happy to hear it."
Steph looked at the glass before taking it from her cousin's fingertips, lifting it up to the room at large. Automatically, everyone raised a glass.
"To family," she said, lifting her cup and taking a sip.
Several people smiled at that.
"To family!" they agreed, drinking liberally.
Beyah had a soda that she used for the toast, and she sipped it delicately as she proceeded to hang on to Steph's hand the rest of the time. Person after person approached her, telling her their own stories and how they were related. Steph realized she was going to need to draw a chart to figure it all out as she gave them bits and pieces of her own failed engagement story, not bringing Mehdi up though they demanded to know who it was she would really be marrying.
It was going to be a long afternoon.
SEVENTEEN
Mehdi
Mehdi shifted when he heard footsteps enter his bedroom.
There could only be one reason someone was in his room, and when he opened his eyes he found Kalin rummaging around the immaculately organized closet, preparing a ceremonial outfit for him.
"Kalin, remind me why you are doing that again," Mehdi said, his voice creaky with first use.
Kalin nodded as he brought over a white tunic and matching pants, laying them out on the bed.
"You had planned to visit a session of parliament today, sir. Would you like to cancel?"
Mehdi considered it. His whole world had been upended when he met Steph, but the truth was that there was a long time to wait before sunset, and it would be better to stay busy, lest he think about standing on that beach alone.
"I would not. Thank you for your help. I can take it from here."
"Very good, sir. Shall I call the car for you?"
"Please," Mehdi said, and Kalin bowed and exited the room.
Mehdi wished he could drive himself around, but pomp and circumstance were important to the people of El Farah. He thought about buying a jeep and driving to Steph, the two of them escaping to the north and enjoying the forests there together.
It was a wonderful thought, albeit an impossible one. Mehdi knew how often duty won out over the heart, and to believe otherwise would be foolish.
Still, he had to hope.
Stripping down, he took a quick shower before changing into his clothing for the day. As he exited his room, he decided to make a stop at the family chapel before heading over to the session.
The chapel was only a few doors down from the master bedroom, and Mehdi anointed his wrist with holy water as he approached a seat near the front. Before sitting, he lit an incense stick and used it to light two white candles in front of a framed photograph.
"Hello, Mother. Hello, Father," he said, bowing to the picture of his parents.