Bonus Chapter

❝Just say you won't let go❞

Ifrah felt like fainting.

Her surroundings were closing in on her and the fact that she was surrounded by so many people— ladies to be exact, along with the imam, was worsening her already jumbled up state.

She didn't want to be here.

“Ifrah beta,” her mother's voice snapped her out of the little panic mode she had went to and she slightly raised her head to see that the room had gone quiet and all the women were now staring at her in anticipation. Her eyebrows creased together in confusion before her mother placed her warm hand on her cold one in a gentle manner and whispered in her ear.

“The imam has asked the question, sweetheart.”

Oh.

Right.

Ifrah had forgotten that she had to repeat the dreaded words three freaking times before she officially became that idiot's wife. Just the thought of him brought tears of sorrow but she swallowed them down and said the words for the third and last time that day, sealing her fate.

“I do.”

The room erupted into a series of congratulatory remarks and Ifrah felt her mother kiss the side of her head through the netted dupatta before all of the hands raised to pray for the newly weds. But she didn't feel happy at all. Ifrah wanted to run away from there. Her eyes shone like crystals due to the unshed tears when everyone was finished and her gaze raised up to see her father standing in the doorway, a fond, watery smile on his face.

Oh yes, baba will understand. He will let me slip away from here, maybe even help me with the money to fly to another country.

Right?

All of her hopeful thoughts went down the drain when she watched her father embrace the imam on his way out and she couldn't help the scowl that appeared on her face. Her mother was now guiding the ladies to the main hall and she was standing there, throwing daggers at no one in particular. The only thought playing in her mind right now was;

I'm surrounded by traitors.

“What's with the expression?”

Ifrah's head whipped to the side to see the girl she least wanted to meet standing there with a small smile on her lips. Her scowl deepened. Sarah Zia was the only person she could label with the word 'hate' in her life after that man.

Who was now (unfortunately) her husband.

She quickly masked her expression into one of an indifference before asking; “What do you mean?”

The raven haired girl bit her lip and came closer. “You were glaring at the poor, innocent old imam just now.” Ifrah's eyes rounded slightly as she continued. “Is marrying my cousin that horrible?”

Her light hazel eyes stared right into her soft brown ones before she looked away.

She couldn't deny the fact that Sarah was really pretty, in that magazine-worthy-face kind of sense. And that shouldn't bother Ifrah, but it did. As always.

“I wasn't glaring at anyone.” Ifrah completely dodged her question. “It's just very hot in here.”

“It's the middle of December.” Sarah pointed out with a hint of tease in her voice before; “But I know it'll soon get actually hot, when you see your groom.”

The chestnut haired girl looked at her in bafflement for making that remark and her jaw went slightly agape when the other girl leaned in to say;

“He's looking out of this world handsome in the white sherwani. I'm feeling slightly jealous right now, not gonna lie.”

She was too bold for Ifrah's liking.

Sarah left with a wink as Ifrah's father came to stand before her and her attention went to him.

“Let's get you to the main hall, everyone is waiting there to see the lady of the day.”

A second passed before the poor girl burst into tears; the reality of the situation finally crashing down on her. She actually belonged to that gadha now! Uzair Raheem's expression melted into a panic one when he watched her precious daughter bawling her eyes out and he quickly hugged her close, her hands coming up to clutch the lapels of his suit jacket.

Where was his wife when he needed her the most? He wasn't a fan of handling crying women, for God's sake!

“Why are you crying, meri jaan? Your makeup will be ruined.”

“You don't even know what an eyeliner is, baba.” she accused through her tears and her father pursed his lips.

“Isn't that what they all say in the movies when the bride is crying?” he asked, genuinely confused.

Ifrah's heart melted and she let out an uncontrollable giggle at her father's cuteness.

But then she remembered that she wouldn't be seeing him everyday like she's used to and the tears came back once again. Poor man stood there patting her head for a while, careful not to ruin her perfectly styled hair at the nape of her neck by accidentally tilting her floral pin. When he saw that she wasn't going to stop any time soon, he gently pried her hands away from his suit and moved her at arm's length.

“You're supposed to cry when you will be leaving with Aayan later tonight. Abhi tou na ansoo zaya kro meray aur apnay.” (Don't waste your tears along with mine for now.) he said in a low voice, and she looked up to see his eyes glistening.

Ifrah's heart broke.

“I don't wanna go with him.” she whispered with a sniffle, trying to wipe the tears away by lightly dabbing her cheeks. Her mother will kill her if she saw her ruining her makeup like this.

Her father's eyes widened slightly. “What? You're married, Ifrah. He's your husband. I know you're scared but you've known him all your life. It will all be okay.”

“He's an idiot.” she voiced out her frustration. Uzair let out a gasp.

“Ifrah!” his tone was of disbelief. “Where are your manners? You have to respect him, he's not just a friend now.”

Ifrah's burning eyes snapped up to stare at his father, but she didn't look him straight in the eyes. She knew it was disrespectful to do so.

“Bharr mein jaye respect. Ap ko mujh se zra si bhi mohabbat hoti na, tou mujhy us khotay ke hwaly na karty.”

(To hell with respect. If you'd loved me even a bit, you wouldn't have given me away to that donkey.)

Her father's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds before; “Okay.” he cleared his throat. “I've never asked you to filter your mouth around me ever, and frankly, I never felt the need to because you've never used any stupid language. But I'm really taken off guard today. Khota?” his voiced turned low.

“Is that the best you can come up with?”

Ifrah's mouth dropped open in bewilderment at her father's words and she watched as he grinned at her before brushing a single strand out of her face with fondness.

“Baba— ”

“Stop.” he cut her off. “I'm well aware of the lack of communication between you two for the past nine years. And I also know that you weren't the sweetest of friends before that, too. But it doesn't change the fact that you do have a lot of fun memories with him, don't you?”

The chestnut haired girl didn't reply. Her throat was clogged up due to emotions and she hated that he was right. She did have a very large number of happy moments with her supposed best friend.

“So, for the sake of those memories, try to give him a chance. I don't know what happened between you two, but if you've become his wife today, even after nine years of not talking and seeing each other, it must be a sign of some sorts, right?”

Ifrah was left speechless. Her father brought her in his embrace once again and whispered in her right ear.

“Allah creates us in pairs, my love. You were meant to end up with him all along. I'd advise you to let go of your anger towards him and just give him a chance. It will take some time but in the end, it will be okay. I promise.”

“You sound too sure.” she mumbled into his chest and was replied with a lighthearted chuckle.

“It's because I'm your father.”

She kept quiet and they both stood there in each other's arms before the scary loud voice of Ifrah's mother reached their ears.

“Uzair, Ifrah! What are you guys doing?”

Both father and daughter tore away from each other with panicked expressions as Amina walked towards them with an angry scowl.

“The guests are waiting in the hall and you guys have opened a soap opera over here. What is this behaviour, Uzair sahab?” she directed her glare at her husband who just sheepishly scratched his head. Her light hazel eyes caught her daughter's face in the next moment and a horrified gasp escaped her lips.

“What have you done to your face?!” she screeched, making Ifrah clench her teeth in fear.

Her head whipped back to her husband. “One job,” she said through barely controlled fury. “You had only one job, to simply escort your daughter to the front hall on her special day. Ap se ye bhi nahi ho saka. She looks like a raccoon for crying out loud!”

“Raccoons are... cute?” Uzair offered helplessly and the chestnut haired girl barely managed to hide her laugh with a cough. Amina simply slapped his arm, hard.

“Stop fooling around!” she chided. Then turning to her daughter, she said; “Stop showing your bateesi, young lady. We have to take care of the mess you've created.”

She grabbed her by the arm before pulling her in the direction of the door at the end of the large room where she'd gotten ready. Ifrah turned her head to pass her father a soft smile and he smiled back before both women disappeared into the room.

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Aayan's lips were glued into a well practiced polite smile as he glanced around the hall from the stage. He raised his hand to scratch his neck where the collar was grazing his skin as subtly as possible before heaving out a sigh. The right side of the hall was filled with men, sitting around the round tables while the left was occupied by ladies and most of them (especially the younger ones) were staring at him with googly eyes.

Someone please shoot me.

Where was she?! He's been standing here for God knows how long and there was still no sign of that stupid woman!

He turned his head to the right and stared at his friend Faisal who was typing away on his cell phone. Aayan's jaw clenched. Here he was, standing in the most uncomfortable outfit in the whole fücking world waiting for his idiot of a wife to appear so that the day can progress and they just get it over with, while his best friend was grinning like a lunatic, probably flirting with one of his new flings instead of providing him with moral support.

The world was seriously lacking decent friends nowadays.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Aayan asked with a sickly sweet smile but his friend didn't catch the sarcasm in his words and peeled away his gaze from the phone screen to return the fake smile with his genuine one.

“Yep.”

This idiot!

“Well, good for you.”

“Mhm.” Faisal replied distractedly. Aayan couldn't take it anymore. He scooted closer to his best friend and jammed his elbow to his side, making him yelp in pain as his phone dropped to the stage floor.

“What was that for?!” he exclaimed.

Hush fell upon the hall in that instant and he realized that he'd been too loud. Aayan was staring at him with big innocent eyes as he narrowed his own and turned to face the guests.

“It's nothing,” Faisal laughed while bending down to pick up his phone. “Just the usual best friend talk.”

People gave him wry looks for a few seconds before returning to their previous chatters. The hall was once again filled with voices as he faced his best friend with a scowl.

“Why did you do that?”

Aayan glared back. “Because you're being a shïtty friend. You're supposed to support me here, not flirt with a random girl through texts!”

Faisal scoffed out a chuckle.

“Flirt? I'm not flirting! I was chatting with my sister, you brainless duck!”

“I told you to not call me a duck!” Aayan said in an annoyed tone. “And what's so funny that you're smiling like a psycho over your sister's texts? Thorri haya kar, at least us bichari unknown bandi ki back pe usay behan tou na bol.”

(Have some shame, don't call the poor unknown girl your sister behind her back at least.)

Faisal's jaw could hit the floor if he'd been in some cartoon after hearing his words.

“I'm not lying! She's been sending me memes, alright? Look for yourself.”

He shoved the phone in Aayan's face and smiled tightly when he saw that he'd proved him wrong. The raven haired guy passed him a guilty look.

“I thought— uh... okay.” he snapped his mouth shut and turned his head in the other direction to avoid his eyes. Faisal was going to let him be but caught the movement near the entrance of the hall and his eyes widened. His hand shot out to shake Aayan like crazy.

“Oye, your bride is here.” he whisper shouted, making the other guy match his wide-eyed look before Aayan looked in the direction of the door.

Aayan could feel his breathing coming to a halt at the sight in front of him. Everything and everyone else had melted away as he watched his childhood friend making her way to him in that white lehnga. It was heavily embroidered except for the dupatta, which was made of net but its edges matched the dress. Her chestnut hair were tied into a bun with a few tendrils left loose at the front to brush her face. His eyes were shamelessly taking her in from head to toe and after his stopped breathing, he realized that his soul could leave him any moment too when his gaze landed on the small line of exposed skin where her blouse ended. It was not even inappropriately exposed, just a decent difference between the top and the lehnga but Aayan's brain cells burst none the less.

Figuratively of course.

“Fück,” he muttered in a daze and earned a kick at his shin from Faisal which brought him back to earth and he gulped in some air. He really stopped breathing for a while.

“Ae khotay,” his best friend's chiding voice made him glare at him as he continued. “Ja ke hath pakarr uska, bakwas baad mein kareen.” (Go and grab her hand, you can utter nonsense later.)

Aayan's eyes landed on Ifrah once again and they widened when he realized that her father was waiting near the stage for him to grab her hand and pull her on the stage. Muttering some colorful words under his breath, he descended the little steps of the stage and stood before them. Uzair passed him a warm smile which he returned with an awkward one if his own before hugging his now father-in-law briefly. His stupid heart was in an overdrive when he took Ifrah's hand in his own and noticed that it was as cold as ice.

Shït. Was she chilling in a refrigerator all this time?

It was shaking too, and he squeezed it unknowingly to provide some support as her father leaned over to whisper in his ear.

“Don't make me regret this, okay? You're holding my world right now.”

It was the moment Aayan realized how big of a responsibility has landed on his shoulders. This wasn't just a marriage between two childhood friends turned enemies, it meant much more meaningful to their parents who've been buddies since their school days. His caramel brown eyes involuntarily darted towards the direction of the table where his own parents were sitting and he gulped when he saw his mother staring at them with adoration in her eyes. He was doing this for her.

“You don't have to worry, uncle Uzair.” he mumbled with a soft smile and Ifrah's father patted him on the back before stepping away. Aayan tugged on his wife's hand and they both made their way on the stage as the hall filled with 'aws' from the ladies when he helped her with her lehnga.

Just two seconds in and I'm already her servant.

He thought sourly while stepping behind her and Faisal gave them a full blown grin. He wanted to smack it off his face. What the fück was he showing his teeth for? Aayan watched as his stupid friend complimented Ifrah and she ducked her head with a small smile, muttering a polite 'thank you'.

An unknown feeling burned in his chest at their exchange and his scowl deepened. This was going to be a long day.

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Ifrah smiled for the thousandth time as another woman took a selfie with her, sitting beside her on the sofa. She was getting tired of stretching her face muscles after every two seconds and acting all shy and reserved whenever some aunty came over to chat and congratulate them. God knows how far she was from those two words.

“Can you ask Aayan to turn his face here? I want a selfie with both of you.” the current aunty (whose name she didn't know) said and Ifrah felt her eyes going round slightly.

Ask him?

She turned her head to see her husband engrossed in a chat with a middle aged man and faced back to the woman eyeing her with literal stars in her eyes.

What the eff am I supposed to do?! Stop looking at me with those eyes, aunty jee!

“Um... He's... uh, occupied.” she smiled nervously, mentally praying that the woman would understand and leave. But who said luck was on her side today?

“Oh it's not like he's sealing a billion dollar deal, is he? Just tap his shoulder and he'd listen. It will only take a second.” aunty said.

Ifrah pursed her lips before turning to face him again. She didn't know why her heart was racing as she raised her hand to tap his shoulder but quickly retracted it. A not-so-subtle nudge from the aunty made her jerk forward and she ended up grabbing his arm for support before her face could slam into his side.

Is killing a guest allowed in weddings?!

Aayan's head snapped in her direction at the sudden contact and her breath got stuck in her throat when their eyes met. He seemed to recover from the trance before her because he asked with a tight lipped smile;

“What's up?”

Oh God. What an embarrassment! He can't just 'what's up' her like this!

The chestnut haired girl hastily moved back before stumbling for the correct words. “I... she... I mean—”

Pathetic. Utterly pathetic.

“Huh?” he asked with crunched brows and she swallowed in some air to gather herself and said;

“This aunty wants to take a selfie with us.”

The moment she finished her sentence, the woman beside her let out a dramatic gasp as she stood up from the sofa in fury, startling both of them.

“Aunty? Did you just call me aunty?!” she screeched, making them widen their eyes at her red face. She was practically fuming and for a second, Aayan thought that smoke would come out of her ears. What was wrong with calling her aunty?

“I can beat you in a marathon, just so you know, you disrespectful young lady!” she started in a loud voice and the hall went quiet. “Oh wait! Who am I calling young here? You're probably forty something old and trying to fool us all by the plastic surgery and botox you people do these days!”

Both of them were staring at the crazy woman with befuddled expressions as she went on and on about Ifrah's fake beauty and at one point, Aayan couldn't stop himself anymore and burst into a chuckle as his head whipped to Ifrah who was also facing him while giggling softly. They both remembered in that moment, how they used to behave exactly like now whenever there was a serious rebuking going on and the angry person would slip on his/her words which would end up in them laughing out loud despite the dangerous situation.

Some things never change.

Amina hurriedly made her way to the stage when she saw that the lady was creating a scene and coaxed her to accompany her out of the hall to get some fresh air. Aayan bit his lip from laughing out loud when he heard the woman's last words.

“Gandi auladain!”

“Ya Allah,” he heard Ifrah's silent exclamation and looked at his left to see her shoulders shaking uncontrollably as she covered her face with her hands. Apparently, he wasn't the only one dying of controlling the hysterics over here. When she calmed down, she looked at him and he froze. Ifrah's smile also melted away when she realized what was happening and she ducked her head while clearing her throat.

They were enemies, remember?

Aayan, too, faced away after awkwardly scratching his neck and cursed silently. What a fool he was!

Beside him, Ifrah groaned and he looked in the direction of another lady making her way over to the stage. A frown appeared on his face. They'd have to endure another one now. But before she could step up, Sarah appeared out of nowhere and stopped the woman in her tracks and told her something while taking her in the other direction. The raven haired beauty turned her head around for a brief second to toss a wink his way and he sighed.

He'd have to thank her later for the save.

Meanwhile, Ifrah's hands bunched up her lehnga in controlled anger as she watched Sarah sashay away from there. She absolutely hated that woman! Didn't she have manners? Who winks at someone else's husband while his bride is sitting right beside him?!

Wait a minute—

Husband? Wife?

A voice scoffed in her head. No need to take this arranged marriage on your brain, Ifrah. Nothing's changed.

She was busy having a mentally heated discussion when she felt someone take a seat beside her and seconds later, an arm draped around her shoulders. The very familiar scent of men's cologne engulfed her and she whirled her head to look at her favourite yet mischievous cousin.

Aka Shazain Sikandar.

“You're here.” she said dumbly as a genuine smile adorned her face and Shazain let out a chuckle before squeezing her close.

“Yep!” he stared at her face with fondness before leaning over to whisper; “Couldn't miss my sister's special day now, could I?”

“Thought you'd miss it because of that very important meeting you had.” she teased before; “And it's not a special day. Quite opposite of it actually.”

Her cousin 'tsked' while scrunching up his nose. “Yeah, I can guess. The groom matches a llama.”

Ifrah let out a laugh before slapping a hand over her lips and Shazain grinned at her boyishly. His dark eyes lifted across her head to catch her husband's caramel ones and he smirked. Aayan's current expression was hilarious (at least to Shaizan, it was). He was looking at him like he was minutes away from snatching Ifrah from him and running away like a caveman.

Hai he jangli.

Shazain thought with an amused grin which boiled Aayan further but his cousin snapped him out of the staring contest.

“What are you doing?” she asked with furrowed brows and his dark eyes fell back on her face.

“Nothing. You're looking absolutely gorgeous, by the way. I didn't know you had it in you.” his compliment turned into teasing at the end and Ifrah scowled at him before punching his arm.

“Shut up. I've always been pretty, thanks to my parents.”

“I love your confidence, chuchu.”

Her scowl deepened at the stupid nickname. “Don't call me that.”

Shaizan had the nerve to look confused. “What? Chuchu? But it's cute.”

“Munh na turrwa lena apna.” (Don't let your face get bashed.)

“Tameez se. I'm older than you.”

Ifrah was going to make a comeback but he shot up all of a sudden and bent down to press a brotherly kiss on her forehead, completely catching her off guard.

“It was nice chatting with you, chuchu. But I have to go and find someone who can giggle at my flirtatious remarks so that I don't get bored.”

With that, he was walking away from the stage with a small smile playing across his lips. The ladies in the hall melted at his sight and Ifrah couldn't help but feel a little proud of being his cousin. Shazain was really a sight to behold. With his midnight black hair ruffled up in all directions and the black sherwani which had top two buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he was surely going to break a lot of hearts tonight when the girls would realize that he was only being nice by replying to their words and didn't have any actual interest in them.

“If you wanted to marry him instead of me, you'd have saved us all the trouble and said so.”

Aayan's voice laced with irritation reached her ears and she turned to look at him with a glare. “Excuse me?”

Her husband rolled his eyes and moved closer so that the guests don't find anything suspicious going on between them. Like an argument.

“You heard me. Why did you agree to this marriage when you obviously like him?”

Ifrah couldn't believe the nerve of this man!

“I don't like him like that, okay?” she gritted out.

Aayan scoffed. “Yeah, and I'm a llama.”

An uncontrollable chuckle left her lips when she heard his words because a few minutes ago, Shazain had compared him to the exact animal. But her husband didn't know that, and his eyes turned into slits.

“You can't even get sarcasm now? And here I thought that your brain must've developed a bit after all these years.”

“You ull— ” she started in fury but a voice interfered and they both turned their heads to look at Ifrah's mother.

“Shut it, both of you. You're way past the bickering stage.” she chided with a tight lipped smile and they both hung their heads in shame. “Now get up and follow me. We have to take pictures.”

“For what?” Aayan couldn't help but ask and Amina gave him a look of utter disbelief.

“You sure you passed the university exam, boy? Hurry up!”

She threw one last look at both of them before going to talk with a female photographer who was waiting some feet away. Ifrah sighed heavily as she watched Aayan get up. She thought he was going to leave by himself but her eyes rounded in surprise when he turned to her and offered her his hand.

“Can't let the guests know about our inner bitterness.” he muttered with a fake smile and she fluttered her lashes instead of rewarding him with a glare before grabbing his outstretched hand. For the second time, Aayan noticed that her hands were freezing but he didn't say anything and instead, lead her down the stage to follow his mother-in-law.

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

“Smile a bit more, ma'am. No need to be shy.”

Ifrah mentally dived into a well before stretching her lips into what she thought was a decent smile.

“You look like a serial killer now.”

Aayan's comment from where he was standing on her right, watching the photoshoot taking place, made her smile turn into a scowl just as the photographer clicked the picture and she let out a loud sigh.

“Mr. Abdullah, I'd suggest you to keep your immature remarks to yourself. Please.” Mariam (the photographer) said to him with a disapproving frown and he innocently made a shushing gesture by putting his left index finger on his lips.

Mariam wasn't fazed. And Ifrah slightly smirked to herself because she was the only girl who wasn't staring at Aayan with dreamy eyes tonight. This girl really took her job seriously.

“Okay, I guess that's enough solo pics for both of you. Now, we'll move on to the couple shots.” Mariam informed them before calling over someone to bring her a glass of water. Meanwhile, Ifrah and Aayan shot thunder bolts to each other through their glares.

But they soon masked it with neutral expressions when the photographer returned and gestured for them to stand closer together.

“Do you want me to tell which pose to make or are you guys going to do it yourself?” she asked.

Both of them blinked at her like she'd spoken alien language and she breathed in deeply.

“Right,” she muttered under her breath before; “Alright! Face each other, we'll start with the basic one. Put your hand on your wife's waist, Mr. Abdullah.”

“My what where?” Aayan asked incredulously, seemingly horrified of the image Mariam had described just now. Well, Ifrah's red face told the same story.

“Your hand,” she repeated slowly, as if talking to a child. “On your wife's waist.”

“Is it really necessary?” he asked with an irritated expression. “Solo pics are enough for us. We're going to see each other for the rest of our lives anyway.”

Ifrah's heart stuttered unknowingly when she heard 'rest of our lives' but she quickly pushed the thought away.

The photographer looked ready to chuck something at him. Taking another deep breath, she said; “Don't make it hard for me. I love my job, but you're making me second guess my life decisions, Mr. Abdullah. Please, cooperate.”

Aayan wanted to scream a 'Fück this shït, I'm out!' but controlled himself when his eyes caught Amina standing near the entrance of this separated hall, chatting away with his mother. He inhaled heavily before doing as she'd said and his hands found their way on his wife's waist.

He didn't look at her at all but it still wasn't enough to ignore the idiotic beating of his heart and it annoyed him to no end.

He hated weddings. Especially this one.

“Did you two marry the air around yourselves? Stop looking to your surroundings and face each other!” Mariam cried out in frustration and they both complied out of fear.

Ifrah's face coloured when her light hazel eyes clashed with his caramel ones and her grip on his upper arms tightened a bit. A sudden wave of amusement washed over Aayan at her reaction and he smiled knowingly.

“Are you feeling... bothered?” he mumbled with mischief dancing in his orbs and watched as Ifrah frowned at him.

“No. Not at all. I'm a mature adult who knows that this is only a photoshoot and nothing else. Couldn't say the same about you, though.” she replied, making him chuckle.

“Is that so? Why are you gripping my arms like you're going to fall, then?” he cocked a brow and she flushed red before removing her hands.

Aayan felt low-key dissapointed because he was enjoying making her uncomfortable, so he pulled her in to carry on with his teasing and his wife's hand landed on his chest due to the sudden jerky movement as she stared at him with wide eyes.

“What the eff do you think you're doing?” she asked with a glare.

“I just realized that maybe the idea of this shoot wasn't that bad. I can annoy the hell out of you and you can't even make any jabs back.” he grinned smugly.

“You're delusional if you think that your closeness affects me.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I never actually said that.”

Ifrah wanted to hit his head on one of the floor to ceiling pillars around the hall.

“Amazing!”

Mariam's voice snapped them out of the bubble and they both looked at her to see her smiling from ear to ear.

“Just carry on with your talk, and I'll take the pictures. I knew there was some chemistry between the two of you!”

While Ifrah felt her jaw hang open, Aayan smirked evilly and tilted his head to look at her again, a single strand of his raven hair falling over his eyes and Ifrah felt her breath hitch.

“See? It was so easy. We will be finished in no time.”

He twirled one of her perfectly curled strand of hair in his fingers as the photographer clicked away the pictures and Ifrah stared at him with shock. But she quickly shook it away and a more determined feeling overcame her.

Two could play this game.

Her hands went around his neck and she mentally gave herself a pat on the back when she saw his eyes widen in surprise but his expression soon morphed into a mischievous one as he pulled her insanely closer and watched her face redden once again. His thumb accidentally grazed the exposed skin around her waist and they both froze.

“I-I'm sorry!” he exclaimed before removing his hands altogether. Ifrah's face was on fire as she took some steps away from him and fell into a coughing fit.

Mariam who was watching the little scenario through the lens of her camera, smirked to herself before masking it with a worried look and went to Ifrah.

“You alright?” she asked while rubbing the bride's back. “Bring a glass of water, hurry up!”

The chestnut haired girl wanted to dig herself a grave as she took the glass from the young boy and brought it to her lips. She could see Aayan running an anxious hand through his hair from the corner of her eye and the redness on her cheeks deepened when the fleeting feel of his fingers attacked her senses once again.

Besharam admi!

She was taking the last sip when the photographer's voice reached her ears.

“Seeing your condition after only a brush of finger, I don't think you guys are gonna do anything tonight.”

Ifrah chocked on the water and it came spraying out of her mouth at Mariam's atrocious words. Aayan's eyes widened when he saw her face and took a step forward but Ifrah's loud exclamation stopped him.

“Do anything?! What do you mean do anything?! Stop talking nonsense!”

Poor girl was flustered out of her mind and Mariam barely controlled her laugh while inhaling deeply and muttered a 'sorry'.

She wasn't sorry at all.

“What?” Aayan asked in a confused tone but the girls ignored him.

“Let's get back to the shoot.” the photographer said. Ifrah shook her head.

“No. I think it's enough.” she said without glancing at her husband.

“But—” Mariam started.

“We can get more pics tomorrow at the valima. Thanks.”

With that, she turned around to go back in the main hall while Aayan exchanged an awkward look with the photographer. He quickly followed her and they both silently walked in the corridor before he spoke up.

“I didn't mean to… uh… what happened back in there. It was completely accidental.”

His wife kept walking with a neutral face. Aayan's eyes fell on her hands which were grabbing onto the lehnga to lift it up from the front so she could walk easily and he frowned. His eyes went back up to her face when they reached the hall entrance and widened when he saw her already staring at him.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” she said with a straight face. “And before you enter the hall, fix the birds nest on your head.”

Throwing one last disgusted look at his ruffled up hair, she went inside, leaving a rather bothered and irritated Aayan behind.

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I told him to fix his birds nest, lekin bonga shayd ja ke baal he utarwa raha ha!

(But I guess the fool is just removing his hair altogether!)

Ifrah thought with her irritation at peak as she smiled tightly at one of Aayan's friend who was standing near her. It'd been nearly half an hour since she came back in the hall and there was still no sign of her husband. He was such a son of a biscuit! And that too, the most unpopular one.

When she couldn't hold the annoyance anymore, she turned to his friend and asked; “Um, excuse me?”

The guy turned to her at her voice and smiled softly. “Yes? Do you need anything?”

“No, thanks for asking. I was just wondering where Aayan is?”

His smile turned mischievous in a second, making Ifrah regret asking him already. Boys!

“He will be back in a minute. Why? You missing him already?” Faisal asked with an innocent expression while the girl in question went red and ducked her head.

“No. Where is he, again?” she asked after getting rid of the redness.

“He went to— ” he stopped mid sentence when his eyes fell upon his best friend making his way to the stage. Ifrah followed his gaze and did a double take after taking in Aayan's attire.

He wasn't wearing his sherwani anymore. Instead, black dress pants and a white dress shirt with its top two buttons undone was adorning his body and Ifrah felt another blush rise up her neck when Aayan made eye contact with her while rolling up his sleeves.

Dang it! Why does he have to be blessed with such amazing genes?!

Wait, what? Shut up, brain!

Her husband completely ignored her flustered state and narrowed his eyes at Faisal who was smirking at him.

“Larrkiyon ne chat se kood jana hai agar tu aesy he show marta raha.” (The girls will jump off the roof if you keep showing off like this.) his best friend commented, making Aayan grin meaningfully.

“Kood jayen meri taraf se, jaan chorrain.”

Ifrah's irritated voice reached his ears and he turned to see her staring at a table. Following her gaze he found that all five of the young girls sitting there were staring at him with dreamy looks and they started giggling when they found that he was looking in their direction. A proud yet mischievous smile tugged at Aayan's full lips and he faced his wife.

“Are you jealous?” he asked her.

Ifrah's face heated up; she hadn't meant to say it out loud. She scowled at him to cover up her embarrassment and Aayan bent over a bit with a huge smile, completely taking her off guard.

“No need, babe. They're not the ones sharing the stage with me tonight.”

Babe?! What the actual biscuit?!

His caramel eyes were staring right into her light hazel ones as he made that statement in a low voice and moved his hand to brush back the loose curls framing her face. He watched as his wife's breathing came to a halt before letting out a smug smirk and straightened up to plop beside her on the sofa in the next moment. Ifrah snapped out of the sudden daze and whipped her head in his direction to see Aayan staring at the girl's table with a flirtatious grin. Hot, burning anger coursed through her veins when she also looked at the table and found that another girl had joined them; Sarah.

Of course! She could be the only one to have that kind of friends. And of course he's staring at her! What did she expect anyway?

A sudden urge to cry engulfed her as she rapidly blinked her eyes to keep the tears at bay. Ifrah was not going to make a fool out of herself tonight, simply because her husband is interested in someone else. Her gloomy thoughts came to a halt when she felt her right hand being grabbed by a warm and calloused one and she turned to see Aayan staring at his hand engulfing hers. Faisal was nowhere in sight now, they were both the only ones on the stage.

Ifrah's reaction to his gesture was almost involuntary as she tried to remove her hand from his grip but he didn't budge.

“What are you doing?” she asked with irritation lacing her tone. Aayan tilted his head slightly to stare at her in response.

“Why are your hands so cold?” he asked instead, making her look at him with furrowed brows.

“Because it's December?” she offered in a confused voice, wondering why was he even asking such an absurd thing. Her husband gave her a straight look.

“There are heaters all over the hall. I thought your hands were cold because you came from the other one but clearly that's not the case.”

“I don't know. They always stay cold in winters even if I'm all cozied up in my blanket.” she shrugged at the end while he stared at her face, particularly her nose.

“And your nose is red too.” he pointed out, making Ifrah regard him with a bemused expression.

“Why— ”

He didn't let her finish and asked; “Are you sure you don't have a flu?”

Ifrah rolled her eyes but her heart did a flip at his attention none the less. “No. I think it's because of my dress. It's not particularly made to keep me warm, you know.”

Almost instinctively, Aayan's eyes swept over her dress in a quick manner before returning to her face and he cleared his throat, still not moving his hand from hers.

“Kyun pehna hai phir?” (Why are you wearing it then?) he mumbled under his breath but his wife still heard him and scowled.

“Dimag khrab ho gya tha mera, is liye.” (My brain wasn't functioning well, that's why.) she replied bitterly and snatched her hand from his grip before scooting away from him— when did he move closer anyway?— and turning her head in the other direction.

Brain dead admi!

The only thing she liked about today was her lehnga because it was something she had wanted to wear all her life. But her stupid excuse of a husband had ruined that for her too. She was fine with not getting a compliment from him; it'd have been awkward anyway. But asking her a question as dumb as that simply meant that he wasn't even a least bit interested in her in any way or form.

'What about the concern he showed a few minutes ago?' A voice in her head asked and she glared at the table where Sarah was sitting.

He was just being a show off as always. Ifrah thought as she fumed with anger.

On the other hand, Aayan was cursing under his breath for saying such stupid thing. But his mind had went dead after taking in her dress for the hundredth time that night and he didn't think before the question escaped his lips. He was going to grab Ifrah's attention but the loud voice in the microphone stopped him, and everyone else for that matter. He looked over to see his best friend Faisal standing in the middle of the hall, mic in hand and his usual playful smile adorning his face.

“Ladies and gentlemen! I hope you've all been enjoying yourselves by sitting and doing nothing all this time.”

A wave of laughter went through the hall and he smirked while walking in a circle.

“Yeah, it's so boring here that you are laughing at a simple statement. But no worries, I'm here to provide some entertainment.” he stopped for a dramatic effect and Aayan rolled his eyes. “Who wants to dance?”

Loud hoots and whistles rumbled across the large room as the youngsters displayed their excitement on finally getting some action at the event and the elders just shook their heads at their kids' antics. Ifrah suddenly felt nervous all of a sudden because she had a slight idea where this was heading. Her fear was proved right when Faisal faced the stage and said;

“I will take that as a yes. But before we get the party started, don't you think the bride and groom should open the dance floor for us?”

Once again, the hall erupted into gleeful cheers and Ifrah's heart started beating rapidly. She hated attention. Especially when there were so many desi aunties in the crowd to judge you for every step even if they hadn't danced once in their lives. Panicked, she glanced at her side to see her husband wearing a 'what the fück' expression and realized that they were both on the same page at least.

“Give a big round of applause for the couple of the day!”

“Isky host ban'ny ka shauq tou mein baad mein nikalun ga.” she heard Aayan mutter under his breath before he stood up and offered her his hand.

“Aayan I— ” she was so flustered that making out a proper sentence seemed like a difficult task at the moment.

“Everyone's watching.” the raven haired guy whispered. “Trust me, I'm not thrilled myself.”

With that, he took her hand himself and pulled her up from the sofa. Guiding her to the centre of the hall in midst of the loud cheers and claps, he put a hand at the curve of her waist, right where the lehnga started and Ifrah gave him a wide eyed look.

“I can't do this. I haven't danced in years, Aayan!” she whisper–shouted. “Tell your friend to stop this craziness.”

“I can't do anything at the moment. I don't want to give people a shïtty excuse to talk about us just because we refused to dance.”

The curse word made Ifrah flinch and she regarded him with a glare. But soon her eyes caught a familiar person winking at her over Aayan's shoulder from across the hall and she watched with a puzzled face as Shazain whispered something in the DJ's ear. The latter nodded his head with a thumbs up and the lights went off as they stood under the spotlight.

The chestnut haired girl was positive that she could die of nerves right this second but her breath hitched when Aayan moved closer and said softly; “Relax, you're too stiff.”

“I can feel every single pair of eyes at me.” she mumbled back, her hands squeezing his arms in nervousness.

“Hey, look at me.” when she looked at him he said; “Yeah, just do this and it'll be over.”

Just as he said that, the sound of a guitar playing filled the hall and everyone went quiet. Ifrah inhaled sharply as the lyrics played out and she realised the song was Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur.

One of her favourites.

They both moved lightly to the song, seemingly lost in each other's eyes and there was no denying that she was feeling the fluttering of thousand butterflies in her stomach. Aayan's eyes were not still, they constantly kept moving across her face, as if he was taking in her features and making up for lost time. For a moment Ifrah wanted to believe it, but she knew that there was no chance of them getting back to the way they were before. Before that unfortunate night.

I knew I loved you then

But you'd never know

'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go

Aayan's heart constricted. It felt like the lyrics were written just for him.

I knew I needed you

But I never showed

I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old

He let go of her other hand and placed it on her waist too. Fück the dance, he just wanted to hold her in his arms. It might be the only chance he'll ever get to have her this close to him anyway. A smile tugged at his lips when Ifrah awkwardly moved her hands to clasp them around his neck but her eyes were screaming 'what the hell are you doing?!'

I'll wake you up with some breakfast in bed

“No, I won't.” he said in a low voice and his wife rolled her eyes. She didn't expect it in the first place.

I'll take the kids to school, wave them goodbye

“Ye bhi nahi karun ga.” (Won't do this too.) he whispered again but the way he was staring at her, made Ifrah think that he meant the complete opposite and a reluctant smile pulled across her lips.

“Na karna.” she replied while staring right in his eyes and he cocked a brow.

“You sure?” he asked

”Yes.” she jutted out her chin and a chuckle escaped him before he moved back to spin her around at the slightly upbeat part and pulled her in in such a way that their faces were just an inch apart as they kept swaying to the beat. He let go of her after some seconds and they both took some steps back from each other in a slow manner.

Ifrah's heart was racing because she knew these steps. After all, they both were each other's dancing partners in every other school function during childhood and Aayan always wanted to take part in the couple one.

I'm so in love with you

And I hope you know

Aayan literally glided across the small distance between them just as the verse started and grabbed her hands to lace their fingers with each other in front of their faces while starting to sway in a circle.

Darling your love is more than worth its weight in gold

His caramel brown eyes were swirling with so many emotions that it left Ifrah breathless and the butterflies in her tummy turned into a complete zoo. Aayan Abdullah was gorgeous to say the least, and she realised that she was once again falling for him.

Or maybe she never got back up in the first place.

We've come so far my dear, look how we've grown

I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old

Just say you won't let go

Aayan slowly moved their hands down before unlacing the fingers and found them at her waist once again. His heart was thumping so loud against his ribcage; he could literally hear it in his ears as Ifrah moved her own hands to wrap them around his neck. As the last verse started playing, he pulled her closer to rest his forehead against hers and felt his wife's grip tighten at the gesture.

I'm gonna love you 'till my lungs give out

I promise 'till death we part like in our vows

The world ceased to exist for the pair and the only thing that mattered at the moment was they were here, wrapped in each other's arms after staying apart for nine whole years and both thought how did they even manage that? Because the prospect of removing their selves from each other felt as if they were going to be deprived of fresh air to breathe. They closed their eyes at the same time to relish in the moment and kept moving lazily to the song.

“Someone was saying that they haven't danced in years.” Aayan spoke after a moment, his eyes still closed. Ifrah smiled softly.

“I wasn't lying.” she said.

Her husband opened his eyes at the same time she did and raised a brow. “Jhooti.”

Ifrah pulled the hair at the nape of his neck, making him hiss. “Shut up.”

“Baal kyun kheench rahi ho, pagal?” (Why are you pulling my hair, idiot?) he pulled his head away a little bit to give her a narrowed look and she mirrored his expression.

“Pagal tum khud ho gy.”

Aayan glared at her now.

“Why are you being a witch all of a sudden?” he asked irritatingly. His wife looked at him in bafflement.

“Because you're calling me all these stupid names!” she fumed. Aayan was going to make a comeback but someone interrupted their little 'moment'.

“Okay, lovebirds. Enough PDA.” Faisal's overly amused voice fell upon their ears and they turned their heads to see him standing quite close to them. Ifrah realised in that moment the song had finished a while ago and they were giving the guests a very embarrassing show.

Her face burned up in an instant and she hastily stepped away from her husband's arms, making his face fall in subtle disappointment but he quickly masked it with indifference. A beat passed before the hall erupted into loud claps and wolf whistles. Ifrah was nervously looking around when her eyes fell upon an elderly lady who was shaking her head in disappointment and dread washed over her.

Now they'd be talked about all evening, specifically how both of them are— to put it mildly— shameless.

She was so lost in her horrid thoughts that she jumped when Aayan grasped her hand to go back to the stage and crunched his brows at her reaction. The girl just ducked her head and let him guide her to their sofa, mentally wishing for the ground to open up and swallow her alive as an upbeat song started playing and the floor was taken up by a dance group.

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The event had finally ended with a lot of teary hugs and kisses from the bride's side and Ifrah was now sitting in the backseat of the car, sniffling constantly while waiting for Aayan to come too. She raised her head a bit to see him embracing her father through the window and nodding his head to whatever Uzair said and her heart clenched. This was it, she was officially going to be living with that gadha now.

A fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks and she covered her face with her hands as her husband finally opened the car door and sat in beside her. He heaved out a deep sigh before glancing at her and his eyes widened.

“Shït. What's wrong?” he asked.

Ifrah wanted to bang his face on the steering wheel at the stupid question.

“Zindagi khatam ho gai hai meri.” (My life has ended.) she spat out with hot tears running down her face and he furrowed his brows.

“What?” he asked incredulously.

“Munh na lago mery!” her sudden outburst startled him and he watched with round eyes as his wife went back to sobbing into her palms.

What the fück was this woman going on about?

Snapping out of the shock, he straightened up in his seat and said; “Mar ke bhi tumhary munh ke qareeb na jaun mein.”

She didn't reply and Aayan thought that they were done but a sudden pain shot up his right foot when Ifrah slammed her own heel cladded one on it and he let out a loud cry.

“What the fück!” he bent over to cradle his throbbing foot and whipped his head to see her wiping her eyes with a tissue. When she felt his eyes on her, she threw him a look so dark that Aayan seriously felt scared for a second.

So, he swallowed down the insult which was threatening to come out of his mouth and scooted further away from her. The driver chose that moment to enter the car and the raven haired guy felt his hands getting sweaty all of a sudden. He didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous. So, he took out his phone and tried to distract himself.

A few minutes passed in an awkward silence when Aayan felt Ifrah sniffle beside him and he looked at her from the corner of his eye as she searched around for something. He watched as she moved forward a bit and said to the driver;

“Um… do you have any tissue paper?”

She was embarrassed: Aayan could tell from the tone of her voice and he pursed his lips when the driver shook his head in negative. She slumped back and lightly dabbed her cheeks with her hands and her husband let out a breath before taking out his handkerchief. He extended it in front of her face and she looked at him in surprise.

Aayan couldn't help the laugh that tumbled out of him at her condition. She looked like a panda!

But it died down when her lower lip started to wobble and he cursed under his breath.

“Sorry.” he muttered. “Do you want me to help with it? You'll make it worse without a mirror.”

Ifrah blinked at him in shock for some seconds before clearing her throat and nodding her head. She moved slightly to fully face him and he started cleaning the blackness smudged on her face with utmost care. Her heart was beating strongly against her ribcage at his concentration and closeness and she breathed in relief when he was done. Aayan's hand moved to her dupatta next and he set it from where it had moved back a bit before looking straight in her eyes.

Her breath was stuck in her throat as she stared in his caramel pools of eyes and he moved back after a moment, leaving her feeling flustered.

“T-thanks.” she mumbled before slapping herself mentally. Way to make a fool of yourself by stuttering!

He didn't say anything and the air turned awkward once again as the car continued on its way to Aayan's house. They were going to be alone because their parents thought that it'd be great if they get some time to catch up after all these years. Bullshït was what Aayan named it. He couldn't believe that Ifrah's parents were still okay with letting his parents stay at their house as if they were still in college and having a sleepover.

His thoughts drifted off to another department when he glanced at Ifrah once again and his eyes widened at the images appearing in his mind. He hastily shook them off.

Satak raha hun mein.

Distract yourself, fast! He cleared his throat which caught his wife's attention and he thought for a moment before asking;

“Why didn't you apply henna on your hands?”

He really wanted to know because it was bothering him a bit, much to his surprise. He thought henna was a crucial part of weddings because he has never seen a bride without it.

Ifrah held her hands out to stare at them before looking at him. “I'm allergic to it.”

His eyebrows creased together at the information. “Really?”

“Yeah, my skin is sensitive to a lot of things. I don't know.” she shrugged.

“You're allergic to cold too, then?”

She looked at him and saw his humourous expression before rolling her eyes. They reached the house in that moment and both of them froze momentarily. Aayan was the first one to snap out of it and he got out while Ifrah turned to open her door. She was surprised to find him already standing there and he helped her with her lehnga. She looked over the street to her house and found it plunged in darkness; means their parents were still at the venue.

Turning back around, Ifrah followed Aayan into the three story house as he went to switch on the lights. She stood awkwardly in middle of the hallway while he came back from the kitchen and said;

“You can go upstairs and change.”

“Which room?” her voice was barely above a whisper but he heard it due to the deadly silence around them and rolled his bottom lip in his mouth. His mind was in a frenzy now that they were actually all alone and his heart thumped stupidly.

“Mine.” he replied, his voice sounding rough to his ears and watched as redness creeped up his wife's neck.

Damn it! He was going insane.

Ifrah's hands were shaking with nerves and she quickly moved her feet to the stairs, wanting to get out of there as fast as she could. When she was finally in his room, she closed the door behind her before leaning over it and closed her eyes.

Why the eff did I ask which room to go to?! Of course it would be his!

Opening her eyes, she glanced around and when they settled on the queen sized bed, they became as wide as saucers. The mattress was covered with rose petals placed in the form of a heart and candles were covering the whole floor on both sides of it in all sizes.

“What the— ” her words caught off as she stepped towards it and saw a note perched on the foot of the bed. 'For Aayan' it said and curiosity flamed inside her. Whoever arranged all this was thinking that Aayan would enter the room first but sadly he/she was wrong.

Ifrah picked up the paper before unfolding it and reading its contents. She felt her body flush with embarrassment and her eyes went wide before she crunched up the chit and walked to the corner of the room where the dustbin was placed. Throwing the note rather forcibly in the basket, she thought it was better if she hadn't read it in the first place. But then Aayan would've and it'd been more horrifying.

Shaking her head with a scowl etched on her face, she located her bag on the sofa seat and took out her nightwear before entering the bathroom.

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Ifrah was gathering up the covers from the bed so that the petals don't fall to the floor when Aayan entered the room and raised a brow when he saw her. She put the bunched up sheet on the floor which contained the petals and looked at him while flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.

The guy felt his heart stutter at seeing her face devoid of makeup and thought that she looked better this way. More fresh and innocent.

“Do you have extra sheets?” she asked him while moving around and collecting the unlit candles from the floor, missing his downcast expression.

What the hell are you depressed for, fool?! Were you expecting her to throw herself at you the moment you'll enter?!

The voice in his head screamed and he shook his head before moving towards his closet. He took out a new sheet from the bottom drawer and gave it to her. Ifrah started setting it and he was going to enter the bathroom but her voice stopped him.

“Why did you… uh… changed out of your sherwani?”

Her eyes were focused on the sheet in front of her and he cocked an amused brow. “It was making my neck all itchy.”

When she finally looked at him, he stretched his neck to show the redness there and watched her bite her lower lip, making his mind go blank.

“Oh. It's good that you changed, then.” she muttered while getting on the bed and fluffing the pillows. Aayan continued to stare at her in a confused manner for some seconds before shrugging and going in the bathroom.

The lights were off when he came out and placed his clothes on the sofa seat before moving towards his bed. The lamp on his side was on and he could see a wall of pillows made on the centre and he scowled.

“Where the hell am I supposed to rest my head?” he asked the sleeping form of her stupid wife and she removed her arm from her face.

“On the mattress…?” she offered in a bored tone and he clenched his jaw.

“Give me my pillow.” he thrust his hand forward.

“What do you mean your pillow? Bring one from the other room.” she said with narrowed eyes.

“O bibi,” he climbed on the bed on his knees and Ifrah felt her eyes widen at the sudden movement. “Ye mera sarhana hai bachpan se.” (This is my pillow since childhood.) he pointed to the pillow under her head.

'That's why it's so soft.' thought Ifrah.

“You have to let go of your childhood at some point.” saying that, she rolled over and faced away from him. Aayan inhaled sharply before snatching the pillow from under her head, making it fall with a light thud on the mattress and she let out a disbelieving scream.

“Tumhara masla kya hai?!”

(What is your problem?!)

She shot up straight and glared at him as he settled on the bed with a content look on his face.

“So jao.” (Go to sleep.) he said instead and she boiled with anger.

“Ullu ka patha.” she muttered under her breath and lied back down without a pillow.

“Bakri.”

“Mota bhainsa.”

“Bandar ki ammi.”

“What did you just say?!”

No reply. He just smiled with his eyes closed but she couldn't see him in the dark. So, Ifrah hit his leg with her foot and his eyes flew open. She closed her own, feeling satisfied with herself but it was short lived. Because the next moment, she felt the pillows which were placed between them press against her side and her eyes snapped back open.

Aayan was lying completely horizontal on the bed and pushing on the pillows with his feet. Ifrah felt herself slipping on the bed with the force and soon she was dangling at the edge.

“Aayan— ” her words were followed by a scream as she fell down the bed and her husband's laugh boomed across the dark room.

She groaned as she sat on the floor and rubbed her aching back before standing up and glaring at Aayan who was now peacefully lying on the bed. Ifrah grabbed a pillow and slammed it on his face with full force, making him yell out a 'what the fück' and moved towards the door as he sat up straight and glared at her.

“Mein tumhari ammi ko btaun gi ye sab subha.” (I will tell your mother all this in the morning.) she threatened him with a deathly glare and he scoffed.

“Mein tou dar gya jesy.” (As if I'm scared.) he mocked and she opened the room door, which made his face fall.

“Where are you going?” he asked and Ifrah threw him a murderous look.

“To sleep in another room, away from an idiot like you!”

She shut the door with a bang behind her and Aayan blinked at it for some seconds. After thinking about the pros and cons of her sleeping in another room, he decided that it was better if they spent the night apart if they wanted to sleep peacefully because the consequences of sleeping in the same room were quite obvious.

And besides, he could deal with his mother's wrath in the morning. Right now, he was just glad to have his room to himself and he lied down with a small smile.

And that's how they spent their wedding night, ladies and gentlemen.

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N O T E

Assalam o alaikum warahmatulahi wabarakatuhu!

I'm finally back, my loves!

I've been lazy as eff for the past few weeks and didn't feel like writing or reading at all. The time when I disappeared from the face of social media was because I suddenly felt too overwhelmed and wanted to have some 'Me Time'. (We all need that tbh)

I hope this 11k words long one shot will make it up for it lmao XD

My wattpad is filled to the brim with notifications from all the new readers' comments and it's really difficult to reach out every single one of you who've been leaving such loving reviews so I just wanna say a big fat THANK YOU here for showing your support and love for my work, I never thought I'd receive this much tbh 🤧 I love every single one of you, old AND new ❤️

SB has reached 2k votes and nearly 20k reads...

My dumb writing would make this far, I never knew 😭

Hope you enjoyed it and sorry if there were any mistakes, I proofread it but I have four eyes so yeah 😂

Anyways, here is the mental picture of how Ifrah and Aayan reacted to that auntie's words:

Any favourite scene from the chapter? I'd love to know :)

P.s the song is attached if you wanna dive into the feels

Now I'm gonna start working on WR (I'm soooo excited for it) but I'm not promising the day I'll update because I don't wanna disappoint anyone. Just hope that the updates start in next week, I've been stretching it for far too long 😂

Have a nice day and as always,

Stay blessed ❤️