Zayan POV
After lunch, the shopping resumed.
Unfortunately.
The women still had stores to visit.
The reception still had details to finalize.
And I was still trapped.
Rayyan had disappeared somewhere.
Probably causing problems.
Daniyal was following Hania and Mumma with far more patience than any sane person should possess.
And I was standing near the railing outside a store, waiting.
Peacefully.
Until I heard laughter.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just genuine.
I looked up instinctively.
And found Roohi.
She was standing a few feet away with Hania.
Holding several shopping bags.
Trying—and failing—to balance them properly.
One bag slipped.
Then another.
Then another.
For a second she looked completely horrified.
As if the shopping bags had personally betrayed her.
Hania burst out laughing.
Roohi laughed too.
And then—
One of the bags nearly fell.
Without thinking, she quickly caught it against her chest.
Relieved.
Victorious.
Proud of herself.
The smile that appeared on her face after that was so genuine...
So effortless...
That for a moment...
Everything around me disappeared.
The noise.
The crowd.
The conversations.
Gone.
There was only that smile.
Bright.
Unfiltered.
Real.
A smile she wasn't forcing for relatives.
Or hiding behind politeness.
Just Roohi.
Being Roohi.
Something strange happened in my chest.
A brief pause.
A missed beat.
I looked away immediately.
Annoyed.
At myself.
At the situation.
At whatever that had been.
Beside me, Daniyal suddenly spoke.
"Uh oh."
I didn't look at him.
"What?"
"You have that look."
"I don't."
"You do."
I sighed.
Daniyal laughed.
"You know, most people stop staring when they get caught."
"I wasn't staring."
"You absolutely were."
I didn't answer.
Because arguing only encouraged him.
Unfortunately.
Silence encouraged him too.
Daniyal glanced toward Roohi again.
Then back at me.
And smiled.
The annoying kind.
The best-friend kind.
The kind that knew too much.
Before he could say anything else, Hania called his name from across the hall.
For once in my life...
I was grateful.
He left immediately.
Leaving me alone again.
I exhaled quietly.
Then looked up.
Just once.
Only once.
Roohi was still smiling about something Hania had said.
Completely unaware.
And for reasons I didn't want to examine...
I found myself thinking the same thing I'd thought before.
This house had changed.
And somehow...
Most of those changes began with her. (few minutes later...)
I should have looked away.
And this time...
Stayed looking away.
Instead, my gaze drifted back toward the group again.
A mistake.
A very avoidable mistake.
Hania had dragged Roohi into another store.
One of the reception boutiques.
The kind filled with dresses, jewelry, and enough glitter to blind people.
I stayed outside.
Naturally.
Because I valued my sanity.
A few minutes passed.
Then the curtain of one of the trial rooms moved.
I wasn't paying attention.
At least...
I thought I wasn't.
Until Hania suddenly gasped.
"Oh my God."
That caught everyone's attention.
Including mine.
I looked up.
And froze.
Roohi stood in front of the mirror.
Not in her reception dress.
Just a sample outfit the designer wanted her to try.
Simple.
Elegant.
Nothing extraordinary.
And yet...
For a second...
I forgot what I was thinking about.
The outfit wasn't the reason.
It was her expression.
She was staring at herself in the mirror like she genuinely couldn't believe it.
Like she still wasn't used to being the center of attention.
Like part of her expected someone else to step into the spotlight instead.
There was no arrogance.
No pride.
Just surprise.
Pure and honest.
And somehow...
That hit harder.
Something in my chest tightened unexpectedly.
A brief pause.
A strange silence.
The kind that only existed inside my own head.
Then Roohi laughed nervously and immediately looked away from the mirror.
As if she felt embarrassed for even looking.
The moment broke.
Just like that.
I looked away too.
Immediately.
Too late.
Far too late.
"Wow."
I closed my eyes.
Daniyal.
Of course.
I should have known.
"What?" I asked flatly.
He looked entirely too entertained.
"I don't think I've ever seen you speechless before."
"I wasn't speechless."
"You were staring at a wall for ten seconds."
"It wasn't ten seconds."
"It was twelve."
I hated him.
Genuinely.
As a friend.
As a human being.
As a witness to my suffering.
Daniyal folded his arms.
Then lowered his voice.
"You know..."
"No."
"I haven't said anything yet."
"You were about to."
He grinned.
The grin of a man who knew he was right.
And unfortunately...
He probably was.
Before he could continue, Roohi and Hania emerged from the store.
Hania was talking.
Roohi was laughing.
And for some reason...
The moment she reached the group, she instinctively looked toward us.
Toward me.
Our eyes met.
Only for a second.
Maybe less.
Then she looked away quickly.
And so did I.
Neither of us saying a word.
Neither of us understanding why that second felt longer than it should have.
Beside me, Daniyal made a sound suspiciously close to a laugh.
I considered pushing him off the nearest escalator.
Unfortunately...
There were witnesses.
mhmmm did you guys blush or feel a little butterflies in stomach?😝🦋
Write a comment ...