25 March 2020

Hey, guys! I hope you're all well with the current situation in the world. Make sure you're all washing your hands properly and regularly, and that you're keeping safe. I hope the situation isn't too bad where you are? Make sure to stay at home. Love you all!

"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness - and call it love - true love." - True Love

Alayna's POV

We have lunch in the luxurious restaurant of the hotel we're staying in, before we head out to roam the city.

'This hotel's so gorgeous,' I tell Zayan, smiling.

He glances at me and nods, his eyes filled with contentment. "It is. It's one of my favourite hotels in the world," he replies.

'Mine too. Definitely,' I say with a laugh. Then I add, 'I would love to try that swimming pool one day. The private one, of course.' There's an indoor swimming pool, which can be privately hired by anyone. It's so cool. And it's absolutely beautiful.

Zayan's eyes darken, and he swallows. "Would you, now?"

I nod. 'Wouldn't you want to?' I ask him.

He nods. "Of course. Shall we give it a go?" He asks with a wink.

My cheeks turn bright pink as I playfully hit his arm. 'No, thank you,' I say, a delicious shiver running down my spine.

That's a lie. I would love to try the pool with him.

What's wrong with me?!

After that kiss...

He still hasn't addressed the kiss even once. Does he regret it?

********

Zayan gives me a tour of the beautiful city of Venice that afternoon. We visit many of the famous tourist attractions, and we take lots of pictures of the city.

'Alayna? Come here,' he says, holding out his phone to take a selfie. I blush bright red as I stand close to him. He gently wraps an arm around my shoulders. We both smile, looking at the camera. He takes several photos, and then shows them to me. They turn out great. And yes, I'm blushing in each one.

When it starts to turn dark outside, we roam the streets of Venice. Zayan takes my hand, holding it in his. We walk peacefully, hand in hand, enjoying each other's company. Holding his hand feels natural. Like my hand was meant to be in his. He doesn't let go of my hand once that whole evening.

'Alayna, it's great being here with you. I've never had so much fun, than I have in this past week and a half with you in Italy,' Zayan says to me, staring into my eyes.

My hair flies with the soft breeze, and I give him a soft smile. My heart pounds at his words. "Zayan, I can definitely say the same. I've had so much fun here with you, and I'm gonna miss it so much. Thank you for this."

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and he gives me his breath taking grin. 'Thank you, Alayna.'

I frown at him, confused. "What are you thanking me for? You planned this whole trip!"

'Thank you for marrying me, for coming into my life. For bringing your craziness into my life,' he whispers.

My heart skips a beat, and I feel my eyes water up slightly. "You don't need to thank me for anything, Zayan. You know, we were both annoyed at our parents when we found out that they had arranged our marriage. But they knew that it was for the best. Right?"

He nods earnestly. 'That's very true. You're opening up to me.'

I blush. "You're my husband."

The grin he gives me takes my breath away. 'I am, wifey.'

I laugh softly. "I'm hungry. Let's go and eat."

I tighten my hold on his hand and lead him to the limo, which will take us to one of the best restaurants in the country.

********

The rest of our days in Italy breeze by, and before we know it, it's our last night in Venice.

I lay in bed beside Zayan, reminiscing our perfect trip. He made it every bit amazing for me. I've never been so happy in my entire life. I'd never thought that Zayan would do so much for me. That he would make everything perfect for me. And that I'd be crazy for him.

'Zayan?' I whisper, turning to face him.

"Yes, Alayna?" He's wide awake. He gazes into my eyes, and I'm lost.

I blush slightly, placing a hand on his chest. I feel his heart rate increase under my touch.

'You're an amazing guy. Thank you so much for the perfect honeymoon,' I whisper, tears filling my eyes.

He smiles sadly. "I don't want to go back. I want to stay here with you, forever."

His words make me laugh, and cry. A tear spills out of my eyes, and he quickly wipes it away. 'Why are you crying, Alayna? Did I say something wrong?'

I shake my head furiously, staring into his dazzling, beautiful eyes. "You always say the right things. And I don't know. I'm going to miss Italy, and you."

'We can stay here, I promise. And why are you going to miss me?' He chuckles.

I shrug. I don't even know what I'm saying. I've gone crazy. "I don't know. I'm going to miss.. this, I guess?"

He places a gentle hand on my cheek, caressing it softly. 'I'm going to miss being alone with you, too.'

My cheeks turn a brighter shade of red. "Zayan?" I whisper.

'Yes?' His voice is soft yet husky.

"The other day... do you regret it?" The words tumble out of my mouth before I have time to stop them. Then, my mouth falls open in surprise. I'm such an idiot. Did I really just ask him that?

He swallows hard, continuing to gaze into my eyes. 'Do you think I regretted kissing you?'

I shake my head, and then shrug. "I don't know. I have no idea. You didn't even mention it, so I figured.." I trail off, embarrassedly.

I look into the distance, mortified. Why did I just ask him that? He probably thinks I'm a complete weirdo!

He stays silent for a few seconds, before he shakes his head. He swallows hard, before talking. 'I didn't regret it a single bit. And trust me, Alayna, that kiss hasn't left my mind for a single second. But I want you to be comfortable. I want to take things slowly with you, and show you how much you mean to me.'

My cheeks flush, and I bite my lip shyly. His gaze falls to my lips and his eyes darken. Does he think I wasn't comfortable when he kissed me? I was more than comfortable.

I bite my lip nervously, and his eyes darken. 'However, when you bite your lip like that...' he whispers, trailing off. He touches my bottom lip, freeing it. I feel the strongest current burn me and rush through my body at his feather-light touch. How does he have such a huge effect on me?

I breathe out a quiet sigh, not able to take my eyes off his perfect face. It's the only face I see in my dreams, in my daydreams, the only face I want to see at every time of the day. He means the world to me, he really does.

********

"Alayna, Zayan, we missed you both so much!" Aunty says for the twentieth time this afternoon. We reached home an hour and a half ago, took some rest in our room and now we're sitting with our family in the living room.

I give Aunty a gentle, shy smile. 'Aunty, we missed you too! I missed you all, especially Adnan!' I grin towards the little boy in Laiba's arms. He's awake, and he's staring at me with his beautiful, large brown eyes.

I hold my arms out for him, and he leans up towards me, grinning. Aww. He's the cutest.

Everyone laughs as I take him in my arms, holding him close. He's the most perfect boy. He's absolutely beautiful. He's now a spitting image of Laiba, who's absolutely stunning, of course.

"Hey, baby! I missed you so much!" I say, kissing his chubby cheeks. He continues to smile up at me, and it warms my heart. "You love me more than your uncle, don't you?" I whisper, nodding.

Everyone chuckles at my words. I peek a glance at my husband, who's staring at me with so much happiness in his eyes, it makes my heart ache.

'I think he does love you more than me,' Zayan says, chuckling.

"He does!" I say, grinning at Adnan.

'I agree, Alayna! Look how he's smiling at you!' Laiba says with a smile.

I nod. "And I love him the most," I whisper, hugging Adnan close to myself and kissing his forehead.

We all talk amongst ourselves for another few minutes, Usman Bhai and Uncle included, and we tell them about all the lovely places we visited in Italy.

The doorbell rings, and Hanna goes to answer it. She returns a few minutes later, and she doesn't look very happy at all. I'm very confused.

'Han, what's wrong?' I ask, as she takes a seat next to me.

Her glare is directed towards her brother. "Who invited her?" She mutters.

I'm very confused, but all my confusion is cleared when she enters the room.

Mariyah.

She's here, at my new home. At Zayan's home! She's here with Aliya and her family. My parents, Sara and Yusuf Bhai have arrived too.

I hand Adnan to Zayan, before I go and greet everyone.

I'm happy to see everyone, except Mariyah. Why is she here? Everyone seems confused seeing her here, but of course, Aunty and Uncle are too nice to say anything.

'Alayna! Gosh, I missed you! How are you?! You're glowing with happiness, sweetheart!' Mum says, hugging me tight.

I laugh, hugging her close. "I missed you too, Mum! I'm great, how are you?"

I then hug Dad, Yusuf Bhai, Sara and Aliya.

Aliya's eyes are twinkling with excitement as she wraps me in her warm, tightest hug. 'You look stunning, Alayna! Italy sure treated you well! How's Zayan treating you?!' She asks me in front of everyone.

My cheeks brighten as I bite my lip to control my grin. 'He's treating me well, Aliya. Come, sit down guys! How are you, Kabir Bhai?' I ask politely.

********

Everyone talks happily in the living room, and they all tease me and Zayan. A few minutes later, I excuse myself to go to the kitchen with Hanna and Laiba.

When we're in the kitchen, Hanna frowns at me. 'Why is she here? I hate that girl, Alayna. She's bad news, I'm telling you!'

"She's been staying at Aliya's house lately, and she didn't want to be at home alone I guess. I find it weird how she wants to become friends with me, suddenly," I say truthfully. Yes. Mariyah's made it clear that she wants to become my friend, as she's friends with Aliya. But I'm not so sure.

'Hanna's right, Alayna. And yes, it's weird how she suddenly wants to become your friend when she doesn't know you very well at all. Stay cautious, okay?' Laiba warns.

I nod, handing Laiba and Hanna a few cups and plates.

She was staring at Zayan the whole time, when she thought I wasn't looking. What's that all about?

I start to help Laiba to fry a few things, but she won't let me. Her and Hanna both make me return to the living room and 'chill'. Like I'll do that with a girl staring at my husband. It makes me feel very uneasy.

I go back into the living room and sit with Aliya, Mum and Aunty. Zayan's sitting with Armaan, Usman Bhai, Yusuf Bhai, Dad and Uncle, and he still has Adnan playing in his lap. Adnan's currently playing with Zayan's hand and specifically, with his wedding ring. It's so cute.

'It makes me so happy to see you so happy, Alayna,' Mum says to me with a gentle smile.

I return the smile. "Thanks, Mum!"

'Yes, Alayna! You're glowing, you look stunning,' Mariyah intercepts.

My eyes widen slightly at her compliment, but I'm polite. "Thank you, Mariyah. How have you been?" I ask her. I have to be nice. She's related to Aliya now.

She gives me a perfect grin, showing off her pearly whites. 'I've been good, thanks!'

From the corner of my eye, I can see Zayan staring at me. He looks calm, composed. He's probably recalling the time in Italy, when I got furious about Mariyah asking about Zayan. When he kissed me. Because that's definitely what I'm remembering right now..

"So tell us, Alayna, which places did you visit in Rome?" Yusuf Bhai asks me with a smile. I jump out of my thoughts.

I start to tell him and everyone else all about the beautiful city of Rome, and how much fun we had there.

Hanna and Laiba return to the living room with tea, coffee, juice and many snacks.

I glance towards Zayan again and smile when I see that Adnan has fallen asleep in his arms.

"Zayan, Adnan's asleep?" I ask softly.

Zayan nods, smiling. 'He is. He was pretty tired, he was very energetic and in a playful mood, it must have made him tired.'

"Laiba, I'll go and put him in his cot. He'll wake up here," I say to Laiba.

She nods and thanks me, smiling. 'Thanks, Alayna.'

I get up and walk towards Zayan, my heart racing when I see him staring at me with a hint of a smile on his lips. I take Adnan carefully from him, kissing the baby's forehead softly.

"I'll go with you. Make sure he's tucked in properly," Zayan mutters, but everyone seems to have heard him. Hanna, Laiba and Aliya burst into a laughing fit, while my cheeks burn bright red.

I frown at Zayan, blushing furiously. 'I'm sure I can tuck him in properly, Zayan,' I whisper to my husband.

He smirks, doesn't reply, and ignores me as he follows me out of the room.

********

I tuck Adnan in, making sure the blanket is properly and comfortably covering him, so he doesn't feel cold or warm. I smile at his innocent, beautiful sleeping form and can't help it when I lean in and gently kiss his forehead. I love him so much, he's the cutest.

I turn around and place my hands on my hips, raising an eyebrow at Zayan who's standing near me, looking thoughtful. He smirks at my expression.

'I'm more than capable of tucking Adnan in properly. Now tell me, why did you follow me upstairs in front of everyone?' I ask him, frowning.

"You're my wife," he simply replies.

My cheeks brighten slightly. 'Really, now? I didn't know that, thanks for letting me know.'

He smirks again.

"Did you need something?" I ask, looking at Adnan before walking towards the door. We're in Laiba and Usman Bhai's room. Adnan has his own room, but he sleeps in their room, in his cot.

He nods, taking a step towards me. I halt in my step. 'Yes?' I ask, looking everywhere but at him. You'd think that after our honeymoon, I wouldn't be blushing around Zayan. But the truth is, now I seem to blushing even more than I did before. I don't think I'll ever stop blushing around him.

"I wanted.... something," he says.

I frown. 'Yes, what did you want?' I ask in confusion.

He walks towards me and stops inches away. There are only inches in between us. My heart starts to thump loudly in my chest, threatening to escape.

"I wanted... to tell you something," he whispers huskily.

I swallow hard, my legs trembling. My breath catches in my throat when I realise how close his face is to mine.

'W-what did you need to tell me?' I ask, my voice shaking.

He leans in towards my ear, his warm, minty breath hitting my earlobe. I shiver. "Alayna..." he trails off.

'Y-yes?' My voice comes out as a squeak.

He stares into my eyes, his filled with various emotions that I cannot decipher.

His lips touch my earlobe, and I shiver, grabbing his arm. What is he doing?

"I wanted to say that... you looked hot downstairs, when you were jealous," he whispers, before starting to laugh.

What?!

That's what he needed to tell me? That's why he followed me upstairs?!

'What?' I mutter, annoyed.

He smirks. "Mariyah."

'I'm not jealous of that girl, and you know that,' I argue.

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Really?"

I nod. 'Really.'

"Then, you wouldn't care if I talked to her downstairs?" He says, smirking.

I feel the anger rise in my body, but I can't become weak in front of him. 'Go. Talk to her,' I mutter. I'm definitely jealous. I can't even lie to myself. Even though Zayan's told me that he doesn't feel anything towards her. He showed me that he only cares for me. But still, why do I get angry when I hear her name? And she's nice enough to me.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want my beautiful wife to mind, do I?" He says, teasingly. Why does it sound like he's only teasing me? But if he wants to talk to her, he can. I'm not stopping him. Yet.

'Zayan?' I sing, a grin playing on my lips.

Confusion fills his face. "Yes?"

'You're not jealous of Armaan, are you?' I sing.

His face falls, and a stony expression appears on it. "No. Why would I be jealous of him? Who is he?"

'He's my friend, and he's Aliya's brother. Then you wouldn't care if I talked to him downstairs, would you? He's a nice guy!'

"Is he, now? He's a nice guy?" Zayan says, angry.

I nod innocently. 'He is.' It's the truth.

'Then go. Talk to him. I don't care,' he says, his voice cold and emotionless.

Two can play at this game. Who does he think he is, saying that I'm jealous of Mariyah? If he talks to her, I'm talking to Armaan. And Armaan's actually my friend.

"Thanks, hubby," I say, pulling his cheek gently before leaving the room and heading downstairs. He stays upstairs for a few minutes, before joining me and our families downstairs.

********

When Zayan returns to the living room, I'm sitting with Aliya and her family. Everyone else is busy talking on the other side of the room. Aunty and Uncle are showing everyone Zayan's mehndi film. Our wedding film is ready, and I'm planning on watching it soon. Our wedding album is ready, too.

I'm sitting with Aliya, Kabir Bhai, Mariyah and Armaan. I smirk at Zayan as he walks into the room. He surprises me by coming to sit right with us. I frown at him discreetly, but he ignores me.

'Alayna, you look great! You both do! Did you enjoy Italy?' Armaan asks both me and Zayan.

I give him my signature smile, and Zayan looks pissed. "Thank you, Armaan! Yes, we loved Italy! It's such a beautiful country. And Zayan made the trip perfect. How has your work been?"

'It's been alright, thanks for asking. It's been pretty busy, but it's been okay. Are you planning on going back to work soon?' He asks.

I look towards Zayan who doesn't speak a single word. Mariyah's staring at him, but his gaze I trained on me.

I shrug. "I mean, probably! It's my job, and I'm going back sometime. Maybe in a week or two?" I say, unsure.

He nods. 'Okay. Have you seen your wedding album?' He asks me.

I shake my head. "Not yet! Erm.. no. I haven't seen it yet. Han, hand me that album after you're done looking at it?" I say to my best friend.

She looks at me and grins. 'Alayna, I'm dying looking at your pictures! You looked so damn gorgeous on your wedding day. On your walima too. And on all your functions! The prettiest bride in the whole world.'

"Aww, thank you! Did the pictures turn out well? I hope so! Oh wow," I mumble, distracted. On the large screen, I see Zayan, in his mehndi outfit. Damn. He definitely made the most handsome groom in the world. So hot. Damn.

It's very distracting. I can't take my eyes off the large TV screen on the wall, where Zayan's sitting on his mehndi stage. The photographer must have been doing his photo shoot at that moment, because he's posing in different ways. So sexy.

It hurts.

Zayan coughs, distracting me. I jump out of my trance, and look towards him. He smirks. Damn, he just saw me checking him out.

I glare at him, remembering what he said to me upstairs.

'Armaan! Mariyah! Do you guys want to see my wedding pictures?' I say, just as Hanna hands me the album. My cheeks heat up when I realise that it's the album of the photoshoot me and Zayan did on our Nikah and walima. It's our personal album.

"Sure!" They both say in unison.

I glance at Zayan who's seated opposite me, and I open the album. On the first page, there's a full-length picture of me and Zayan standing together after our Nikah. He's standing a few steps ahead of me, and he's holding my hand, looking back towards me. I, obviously, am blushing like crazy while my gaze is trained to the ground. It's actually such a lovely picture. It brings back the most amazing memories.

On the next page, there's another picture of me and Zayan after our Nikah. In this picture, he's standing beside me, and we're both facing each other. His hands are on my waist, and mine are on his shoulders. We're staring into each others' eyes.

My cheeks heat up, and I can feel Zayan's eyes on me. God, he looks so damn good in the picture. In his sherwani.

'You guys made the perfect couple,' Mariyah says after a few seconds. She clears her throat, before throwing us both a smile.

"Yes, Mariyah's right. You both looked amazing. Especially you, Alayna. The most beautiful bride in the world," Armaan says, giving me a friendly smile.

I smile back at him. 'Thanks, guys.'

Zayan looks annoyed again, and he's staring right at me.

I turn the page of the album. On the next page, there's a picture of me and Zayan on our walima. I laugh when I see which picture it is. It's a picture of me glaring at Zayan, while he's raising an eyebrow at me. I'm pulling his tie, and again, his hands are on my waist. My cheeks burn bright scarlet, and I quickly shut the album.

'You looked like an angel, Alayna,' Armaan says. Aliya nods. "The most beautiful angel," she adds.

I blush furiously as I thank them. "You guys are too nice," I tell them.

********

'Alayna? Armaan?' Mariyah whispers to us, a few seconds later. I'm still seated with them two, Aliya, Kabir Bhai and Zayan at the other side of the room.

"Yes?" Me and Armaan reply in unison.

'Is it true that when you were both younger, you'd decided that if you were both single by the age of 28, you'd marry each other?' She asks us, quietly. There's pin drop silence at our side of the room right after she asks us that. What?! I can't believe she just asked that. In front of Zayan.

I'm so glad everyone on the other side of the room can't hear us.

Oh, god.

Armaan glances at me, and I don't know what to say. He looks shocked, too.

Zayan, on the other hand, looks furious. He's glaring at me.

'Mariyah, who told you that?' Armaan finally says.

Aliya adds, "It's a bit weird to ask that now that Alayna's married, don't you think?"

'You must have mentioned it sometime, Armaan. Someone did, anyway!' Mariyah says with a smile. 'Is it true?' She asks again.

I sigh. "Armaan said that once, as a joke. Probably when I was like eighteen. Years ago. I laughed it off and agreed. But life has other plans!" I laugh.

Zayan doesn't look like he's in a joking mood at all, though.

'That's cute!' Mariyah says, giggling.

I close my eyes and lean back into the sofa, groaning internally. Zayan's not very happy at all right now. I can't believe Mariyah would just randomly ask something like that? Is she crazy? Or did she ask on purpose?

Thankfully, Aliya and Armaan quickly change the topic of conversation. They start talking about our wedding, and how much fun it was.

Around five minutes later, Zayan stands up. 'I'll be right back,' he mutters, leaving the room.

Oh, great.

********

Hey, guys! It's been ages, I know. And I'm sorry! I've been quite busy lately, and I didn't find the time to update for you all. I hope you liked the chapter, though! Let me know what you thought of it!

What was your favourite moment in this chapter? Zayan's not very happy, what do you think will happen next?

What's Mariyah up to?

Don't forget to vote and comment if you liked the chapter! It means a lot to me! And please point out any mistakes in this chapter because it's unedited and I'm sure there will be plenty of mistakes in it!

Question: How are you keeping busy in this quarantine?

Bye guys! And please stay healthy and safe! Love you all!