Chapter 4 RAY 4

Yizam, Ashraf, and Rayyen were enjoying a dinner provided by the large Abdullah family. They deliberately gathered at a corner table, engaging in conversation with each other. They discussed topics related to the upcoming wedding and other matters concerning family and work.

While they were engrossed in their conversation, Marwa and Riana approached from behind. Marwa was carrying Ciara and approached Ashraf, who had just finished his meal.

"Have you eaten?" Ashraf asked Marwa, taking Ciara from her arms. "Let me take care of Ciara. You can rest for a bit."

Marwa nodded and handed over their daughter, then pulled a chair and sat next to Ashraf. Meanwhile, Riana remained standing, gazing at Rayyen as he finished his meal.

"So, your wedding is set after Eid al-Adha?" Yizam confirmed.

After a discussion with the core family members a few minutes ago, it was decided that Rayyen and Riana's wedding would take place in three months. The event was planned to be grand, as Rayyen's parents wanted the wedding ceremony and reception to be held at two different venues.

"Yes. There are a few things I need to take care of, especially since Riana has a mountain of deadlines," Rayyen replied, glancing at his future bride.

"Yes, Yizam. Since I am transitioning to replace Abi's position, there are many responsibilities I need to handle first," Riana added.

Rayyen nodded in agreement. After Ahmed's imprisonment, all the responsibilities and work to manage the Aslan Group were slowly handed over to Riana. Although she had a basic understanding from her business management studies in college, leading a large company was still not easy.

For that reason, with the approval of the board of directors, both Ashraf and Rayyen stepped in to help Riana gradually manage the company. She started learning to fix and manage everything within the company until she was confident to handle the job on her own.

"Besides, there are some legal issues with clients that I need to resolve. Not to mention other problems waiting to be tackled. That's why we are considering having the wedding three months from now," Rayyen explained.

Yizam nodded his head. Rayyen thought he would understand, but apparently, there was room for his nemesis to mock.

"It seems like your life is always full of problems, Ray. It never ends," Yizam teased.

Rayyen didn't immediately respond. He chose to take a sip of water first before replying, "Well, what can I do? It's the nature of my work. Besides, we're human, and life is always filled with various problems, whether it's family, work, or others. If you want a worry-free life, you might as well be an onde-onde."

Marwa, who was sitting next to Rayyen, immediately pinched her cousin-in-law's waist. One could only imagine the expression on her face.

"It's your habit, really!"

"Habit? How so?" Rayyen innocently asked. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"That proposal earlier with all those rhymes. Really, that's just how you are."

"I did that to ease the tension, Marwa. Besides, all of you looked so serious earlier. I'm the one getting married, but all of you are the ones acting so serious."

"If it were me, I wouldn't be so sure about marrying Riana," Marwa retorted.

"But the Fatihah ceremony is still tomorrow, right?" Ashraf intervened, trying to mediate the banter between Rayyen and his wife. He knew well that once those two started debating, neither would back down, especially Marwa.

"Yes," Rayyen nodded. "Mommy and Kak Raima will come and present the rings for Riana."

After spending hours chatting, it was time for Rayyen and his family to leave. Before departing, the fair-skinned man approached Riana to bid farewell.

"I'll be going now. Just saying goodbye, as I have to leave for Yogyakarta for two to three days tomorrow. Are you okay with being alone for a while?"

Riana nodded. Despite being officially engaged, she still felt shy at times.

"I'll be fine. It's usually how it is when you're away, right, Kak? Just make sure to take care."

Rayyen nodded. He knew Riana's personality well. Shy and sometimes reserved in speaking. If it wasn't for him initiating the conversation, Riana would often remain silent.

"I'm serious, Riana. If you miss me, don't hesitate to call. Long-distance relationships can be difficult, but let's not let distance be a problem between us."

"Kak, cut it out!" Riana retorted playfully at Rayyen's banter.

"I'm serious, Riana. If you miss me, just call. Alright, take care. See you next week."

***

This morning, before heading to the Aslan Group building, Riana parked her car in the Sentra Medika hospital parking lot. Upon Alissa's suggestion, she was going to undergo a pre-marital check-up before the wedding.

Once she arrived at the hospital lobby, Riana headed straight to Alissa's practice room on the second floor. However, just as she was about to enter the elevator, two men appeared from behind, and one of them called Riana's name.

"Abang Al..." Riana replied after turning to the source of the voice. There stood Alfatih, smiling at her. "It's been a while since we last met."

Alfatih nodded, realizing that he couldn't remember the last time he saw Riana. He missed Marwa's aqiqah event because he had to perform surgery on a patient with heart disease.

"Yes, how have you been? How's Mommy and Alana? It's been a long time since I last saw you guys," Alfatih replied. He had seen Marwa more often since she visited Ashraf at the hospital.

"Alana and Mommy are doing well, Thanks God. You should come over sometime. It's been a long time since you last visited."

Alfatih smiled. Since moving abroad, he hadn't visited Riana's house again. Back when they were neighbors, he used to visit Marwa's house almost every day. He still remembered how close he was to the Abdullah family.

"Sure, Insha Allah, I'll find time to visit. By the way, let me introduce you to Dr. Elfathan. He's a friend of mine and a neurologist practicing at this hospital as well."

Riana immediately shifted her gaze to the tall, sturdy man standing next to Alfatih. She nodded politely while greeting him, "Nice to meet you, Kak. I'm Riana."

"Elfathan," the man replied briefly.

"What brings you to the hospital? Are you here for a check-up or to meet Ashraf?" Alfatih asked, this being the first time he crossed paths with Marwa's younger sister.

"I'm here to see Kak Alissa. She recommended that I undergo a pre-marital check-up."

"Pre-marital check-up?"

Alfatih raised his eyebrows in surprise after hearing Riana's purpose for visiting the hospital this morning.

"You're getting married?" he asked, making sure. It had been a while since they met, and now he learned that Marwa's youngest sister was getting married.

"Yes, Abang," Riana nodded with a smile. "Insha Allah, the wedding will be in a few months. If you're not busy, don't forget to come."

Alfatih smiled. As someone who had known Marwa, Riana, and Alana for a long time, he was delighted to hear this good news.

"Insha Allah, if I have no surgical schedule, I will definitely come to your wedding."

"Alright then, I'll take your leave now. We'll chat again some other time."

"Okay, see you next time."

After a brief chat with Alfatih, Riana continued with her plan to visit Alissa's room for the examination. She was aware that this series of examinations would take quite some time.

Fortunately, when she arrived in front of the room, there was no patient waiting in line. The nurse on duty immediately invited Riana to enter and meet Alissa.

"Hello ."

Alissa, who had been focused on writing something at her desk, turned to look at Riana. She paused her work for a moment and welcomed Riana to take a seat.

"Kakak thought you wouldn't come."

"No way! We made an appointment. I chatted with Alfatih for a moment downstairs," Riana explained, taking a seat in front of Alissa's desk.

"Oh, did you meet Alfatih?"

Riana nodded once. "Yes, he was with Dr. Elfathan, I think. They seemed to be heading to the operating room."

"Okay, now let's go to the Lab. You need to check your blood type first."

At the hospital laboratory, Riana was guided by a nurse to have her blood type checked and undergo a test for thalassemia and hemophilia. These tests were necessary to determine whether there were any genetic diseases that could affect the health of the future baby when Riana became pregnant.

"You should have done this check-up with Rayyen. That way, you both would know if either of you has any genetic conditions or if you're both in good health," Alissa explained.

"Well, how would that work? Rayyen is in Yogyakarta for a few days," Riana replied.

Alissa smiled and gently patted Riana's shoulder. "It's okay, Na. When Rayyen returns and has the time, he can come for the check-up."

"Thanks God, as long as everything is fine."

"Don't worry. No need to be concerned. By the way, how do you feel after getting engaged to Rayyen? I never expected that you'd accept him in the end."

Riana gave a faint smile. Even she couldn't believe that she had accepted Rayyen's proposal. She had tried to suppress her feelings for him from the beginning, not wanting to fall in love with the lawyer.

"Maybe it's meant to be, Kak," Riana replied diplomatically.

"Thanks God. I pray that your relationship will last. I've known Rayyen since high school. He's always been very selective in finding a partner. He's a good and responsible man. That's why I'm sure that, God willing, Rayyen will take good care of you."

"Ameen. Thank you for your prayers, Kak. I hope our relationship will meet your expectations," Riana prayed. "So, what else do I need to check after this, Kak?" she asked enthusiastically.

"After this, we'll check for infectious diseases and genetic diseases. Finally, we'll conduct imaging examinations, such as ultrasound and X-rays for your lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and other vital parts of your body."

Riana nodded, understanding the procedures. She patiently followed every instruction, going through each procedure one by one until they were all done. After that, she decided to head to the Aslan Group building in central Jakarta.

****

After the Khitbah ceremony held a few days ago by the Abdullah and Maliq families, tonight was the Fatihah ceremony. Once again, the event took place at Riana's residence and proceeded smoothly and solemnly.

Fatihah is a ceremony where only the immediate family members from both sides are present to read the Al-Fatihah prayer. This symbolizes that the woman has officially accepted the marriage proposal. Interestingly, the groom is not allowed to attend this event. Thus, the act of placing the ring on Riana's finger was represented by Eliza and Raima.

"Thanks God... I can't wait to see you and Rayyen officially become husband and wife," Eliza whispered after placing the diamond ring on Riana's finger.

Rayyen had actually prepared the Cushion-shaped diamond ring from Buccellati for a very long time. Initially, he intended to gift this ring to Riana on her birthday. However, since she accepted his marriage proposal some time ago, Rayyen thought that for her birthday, he might buy a gift in a different form.

"Yeah, Na..." Raima chimed in. "I can't wait to see you and Rayyen getting married. It'll be nice to have a partner to chat and share with. When you're with Rayyen, it's not just arguments."

Riana chuckled at Raima's remark. Rayyen is actually not bad, but he's a bit mischievous with people around him.

"Just pray for us, sis. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly until the big day."

"Amen..." Eliza and Raima immediately echoed the prayer that Riana offered.

After some chit-chat, discussing plans for preparing the wedding reception, the Maliq family finally excused themselves. Rayyen's parents promised to visit again with the extended family when they present the dowry a few days before the wedding ceremony.

Entering her room, Riana intended to change into her sleepwear. Glancing briefly at her phone, lying casually on the bed, she saw Rayyen's name clearly displayed there. It was evident that the handsome man had made several voice calls followed by a series of intentionally sent text messages.

"Not even a minute had passed when Riana responded, and her phone rang again. It could be guessed that the caller was none other than Rayyen.

"Good evening, future husband. Did I hear that right?" Rayyen asked to confirm. "You must have taken the wrong medicine," he teased.

"Seriously? As if I would be so careless. Is it that bad that you don't like it? Well then, I take back what I said earlier."

"No, please don't!" Rayyen protested. He seemed a bit indecisive. "It's actually nice to be called that way. Why would you take it back? Oh, by the way, how was the Fatihah event just now? Everything went smoothly, right?"

"Thanks God, it went well," Riana replied briefly. For some reason, she was always a bit reserved when speaking.

"So, how about the ring? Do you like it?"

Unconsciously, Riana nodded. To be honest, she was extremely happy wearing the ring that Rayyen had chosen for her. "Thanks God, I love it. It's just my style. How did you know I liked this kind of ring?"

"In this world, what don't I know about you?" Rayyen teased.

Little did Riana know that when Rayyen bought the ring, he even sought help from Marwa. He even invited his cousin-in-law to personally help pick the ring that would suit Riana's taste.

"Yeah... Yeah... Yeah, anyway, thank you, Rayyen. By the way, how's your work there? Is it finished?"

"Yeah, I might be able to return to Jakarta tomorrow afternoon. Why? Do you miss me already?" Rayyen teased Riana once again. Ah, but every chance he got, he enjoyed teasing his future wife.

"Miss you? No, not at all. It's just normal. Besides, Riana needs you here to help with reviewing the work at the office that I've been working on for the past few days."

"Why don't you ask Ashraf to review it?"

"Ashraf seems to be busy with the hospital. So, I'll just wait for you, Rayyen."

"Okay, once I'm in Jakarta, I'll help you check it right away."

"Thank you. Nahnu nantadziruka bis sobri, Rayyen." (*Thank you. I'll patiently await your arrival, dear brother.)

"Afwan, Humaira. La syukra 'alaa waajib." (*You're welcome, Humaira. No need to thank me. It's my duty to help you.)

Riana smiled again. Rayyen's attentiveness always amazed her. She was so grateful that God had brought her a good, polite, and friendly man like Rayyen.

"Well then, let's rest now. It's already late at night."

Riana thought that after ending the phone call earlier, Rayyen wouldn't disturb her again. But just as she was about to close her eyes, her phone rang once more. When she checked, there were several more text messages from Rayyen.

Rayyen: [Sorry, but I forgot to remind you, don't forget to dream about me]

Riana shook her head. Why does he always send these sometimes pointless text messages?

Riana: [Sure, I'll ask God to let me dream about you, Rayyen. Goodnight. Don't forget to hug your pillow]

Rayyen: [I don't want to hug the pillow, Riana. I'd rather hug you while rolling around]

Riana laughed again. She didn't know what else to reply to make that guy on the other end stop with his cheesy lines.

Riana: [Seriously, come on, stop it. Let's rest. Tomorrow, Rayyen has to wake up early, right?]

Rayyen: [Alright, I'm going to sleep now. See you the day after tomorrow.]