Zayan POV
The peace lasted exactly twelve minutes.
Twelve.
I know because I counted.
After that, Mumma's voice echoed through the entire house.
"Ladies will arrive tomorrow morning!"
A pause.
"Nobody touch the reception decorations!"
Another pause.
"Rayyan!"
Then—
"RAYYAN!"
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The sound of chaos.
Right on schedule.
Across the room, Roohi looked up from where she was arranging her shopping bags.
"What did he do now?"
I didn't even look away from my phone.
"Existing."
That earned a laugh.
A quiet one.
The kind she tried to hide.
Unsuccessfully.
Before either of us could say anything else, the bedroom door flew open.
Rayyan entered dramatically.
As always.
"Emergency."
"No," I said immediately.
"I haven't even spoken."
"You don't need to."
He looked offended.
Roohi was already trying not to smile.
"The reception stage design has become a battlefield."
I sighed.
"What happened?"
"Mumma likes one design."
"Okay."
"Hania likes another."
"Okay."
"Daniyal accidentally agreed with Hania."
I immediately understood.
Roohi blinked.
"Why is that a problem?"
Rayyan stared.
Then pointed dramatically.
"Because Mumma noticed."
Roohi covered her mouth, laughing.
I looked away before the sound affected me more than it should.
"You're useless," I informed Rayyan.
"I try my best."
"No, you don't."
"Fair."
Twenty minutes later...
The entire family had somehow gathered in the living room.
Samples covered every surface.
Flowers.
Fabric.
Invitation designs.
Decoration catalogs.
Enough material to organize three receptions.
Not one.
Mumma stood in the center like a commander preparing for war.
Hania sat beside her.
Daniyal was pretending not to support every opinion Hania had.
Failing miserably.
Rayyan was eating snacks.
Of course.
And Roohi...
Roohi was listening quietly.
Watching everyone.
Smiling occasionally.
The more I observed her, the more I noticed something.
She wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
Not like before.
The nervousness was still there.
But smaller now.
Less visible.
Like she was slowly finding her place.
The realization settled unexpectedly.
A few weeks ago she had been a stranger.
Now Mumma asked for her opinion.
Rayyan annoyed her daily.
Hania dragged her everywhere.
And somehow...
Everyone acted as if she had always belonged here.
Including me.
The thought caught me off guard.
"Roohi?"
Mumma's voice pulled me back.
Roohi looked up.
"Ji?"
"What flowers do you like?"
The poor girl looked completely alarmed.
As if she'd been asked to solve advanced mathematics.
"I..."
She glanced around.
Then softly said,
"White flowers? for reception"
The room went silent.
For a second.
Then Hania nodded.
"Actually, that's pretty."
Daniyal agreed immediately.
"Very elegant."
Mumma smiled.
And just like that...
The decision was made.
Roohi looked genuinely surprised.
As if she hadn't expected anyone to listen.
Across the room, her eyes met mine briefly.
Only for a second.
But there was a small smile there.
A happy one.
And before I could stop myself...
I returned it.
Not fully.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But enough.
Unfortunately.
Daniyal noticed.
His grin appeared instantly.
I immediately looked away.
Too late.
Far too late.
Because somewhere across the room...
My best friend had just found new material to torture me with.
And I knew with absolute certainty...
I was never hearing the end of it.
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