Zayan POV
The cake-cutting ceremony was finally over.
Alhamdulillah.
I had survived.
Barely.
Unfortunately...
The guests had not.
Because now every relative in existence wanted photographs.
Again.
I was beginning to suspect they had taken enough pictures to fill an entire museum.
As soon as the photographer left...
I stepped away from the crowd.
Just for a minute.
One minute.
That was all I wanted.
Peace.
Silence.
Sanity.
"You held her hand."
I closed my eyes.
Daniyal.
Of course.
I should have known.
"Go away."
"No."
"Daniyal."
"Zayan."
I hated him.
Genuinely.
As a friend.
As a human being.
As a witness to my suffering.
Daniyal folded his arms.
Entirely too pleased with himself.
"You know what I noticed?"
"No."
"You didn't let go."
I immediately looked at him.
"What?"
"You heard me."
I frowned.
"She was wearing heels."
Daniyal nodded.
"Sure."
"The dress was heavy."
"Of course."
"She could have fallen."
"Naturally."
His grin widened with every excuse.
I regretted knowing him.
Before I could threaten him properly...
Rayyan appeared.
The traitor.
The absolute traitor.
"Oh good."
Daniyal smiled.
"He's here."
"No."
I pointed toward both of them.
"No."
Rayyan looked delighted.
"You know what Mumma just told me?"
I immediately felt concerned.
Very concerned.
Nothing good ever followed that sentence.
"What?"
"She said—"
His smile became evil.
Dangerously evil.
"—that you and bhabhi looked cute."
I nearly walked away.
Immediately.
Unfortunately...
The idiots followed.
Across the hall...
My gaze shifted accidentally.
Entirely accidentally.
Toward Roohi.
She was standing with her parents.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Looking happier than she had all evening.
The sight should not have affected me.
And yet...
For some reason...
It did.
A group of guests approached her.
Relatives.
Family friends.
People I vaguely recognized.
One of the men smiled at her.
Talked to her.
Laughed at something she said.
And immediately...
Something inside me became irritated.
Annoying.
Unreasonable.
Completely irrational.
I frowned.
Why was he standing so close?
"Uh oh."
I froze.
Daniyal's voice.
Again.
"What now?"
His smile widened.
"You made that face."
"What face?"
"That face."
I stared.
He stared back.
Neither of us blinked.
Unfortunately...
I already knew where this conversation was heading.
"You know..."
Daniyal lowered his voice.
"I think you're becoming possessive."
I nearly choked.
"No."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You absolutely are."
"I'm not."
"You looked ready to arrest that poor man for speaking to her."
I looked away.
Because arguing only encouraged him.
The worst part?
Rayyan agreed.
"I saw it too."
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
"Both of you are impossible."
Daniyal looked proud.
Rayyan looked proud.
I wanted new friends.
New family too, while I was at it.
Before either of them could continue...
mumma appeared.
Alhamdulillah.
Salvation.
Finally.
"Zayan."
I looked toward Mumma.
"Ji?"
She pointed toward the stage.
"Go sit beside your wife."
The words were simple.
The effect was not.
Daniyal immediately looked away to hide his laughter.
Rayyan failed completely.
"Mumma."
"What?"
"I was sitting beside her."
"Then do it again."
I stared.
She stared back.
Neither of us moved.
The terrifying thing about Aleena Khan?
She always won.
Always.
Five minutes later...
I was back on the stage.
Exactly where she wanted me.
Roohi looked surprised.
Only slightly.
But enough for me to notice.
Her honey-hazel eyes met mine briefly.
Then immediately looked away.
For some reason...
The sight made the corner of my mouth twitch.
A dangerous habit.
One I was developing far too often lately.
And somewhere deep inside...
A realization quietly settled.
One I refused to acknowledge.
One I absolutely intended to ignore.
Because the moment I acknowledged it...
Everything would become far more complicated.
And Zayan Khan preferred simple things.
Unfortunately...
Roohi Zayan Khan seemed determined to ruin that plan.
The stage was somehow even worse the second time.
The first time, there had been photographs.
The second time...
There were relatives.
A dangerous species.
Very dangerous.
Especially the aunties.
The moment I sat down beside Roohi...
Three aunties appeared.
Immediately.
As if they had been waiting.
Watching.
Planning.
"Allahumma Barik."
One of them smiled.
"You both look beautiful together."
I nodded politely.
Roohi smiled.
Politely.
The second aunty wasn't finished.
"Such a handsome couple."
I looked away.
Roohi suddenly seemed very interested in the flowers.
The third aunty smiled knowingly.
The kind of smile that should honestly be illegal.
"May Allah always keep you together."
For some reason...
The words settled strangely in my chest.
A few moments later, the aunties finally left.
Alhamdulillah.
Freedom.
Brief freedom.
Roohi released a small breath.
As if she had survived an interrogation.
I almost laughed.
Almost.
"You look terrified."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
Roohi immediately looked toward me.
"What?"
"You look terrified."
Her eyes widened.
"I do not."
"You do."
"I don't."
"You do."
"I don't."
I raised an eyebrow.
She looked away.
Which was basically a confession.
A small smile appeared on my face.
Barely there.
Gone almost immediately.
But unfortunately...
Roohi noticed.
For a second...
She simply stared.
As if she couldn't believe it.
Then her lips curved into a tiny smile too.
And suddenly...
The atmosphere felt lighter.
Easier.
Comfortable.
Comfortable?
That was new.
Before I could think about it further...
The host announced another round of photographs.
Of course.
Because apparently photographs never ended.
Guests continued approaching.
One after another.
One after another.
One after another.
At some point I stopped remembering names.
Then I noticed something.
Roohi was tired.
Very tired.
Not complaining.
Not saying anything.
But tired.
The heavy dress.
The heels.
The endless guests.
It was obvious.
She shifted slightly.
Then again.
Trying to hide her discomfort.
Failing.
Without thinking, I leaned closer.
"Are you okay?"
The question surprised both of us.
Including me.
Especially me.
Roohi blinked.
Then nodded quickly.
"Yes."
A lie.
A very obvious lie.
I sighed.
Then quietly handed her the glass of water that had been sitting beside me.
"Drink."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Oh."
For a moment she simply stared.
Then accepted it.
"Thank you."
The smile she gave afterward was small.
Soft.
Genuine.
And for some reason...
That simple smile felt more satisfying than surviving the entire reception.
A dangerous realization.
Very dangerous.
Across the hall...
Daniyal was watching.
Unfortunately.
The idiot immediately grinned.
I pretended not to see him.
The idiot waved.
I looked away.
The idiot looked even happier.
I genuinely needed better friends.
As another group of guests approached the stage...
Roohi shifted slightly closer.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
Just enough that the edge of her sleeve brushed mine.
Accidentally.
Probably.
Neither of us moved away immediately.
And somewhere in the middle of the crowded reception hall...
Surrounded by relatives, cameras, and endless congratulations...
Zayan Khan realized he no longer disliked sitting beside his wife.
Which was becoming a very serious problem.
To Be Continued... 🖤💍✨
Write a comment ...