3 January 2020

Hey guys! How are you all? Happy new year! This is my new year's gift to you all, I hope you like it. ;)

"Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering." - Nicole Krauss, The History of Love

Alayna's POV

At seven that evening, I'm all ready and dolled up for my walima. The best hair and makeup teams in the city came home and got me ready. They worked to perfection, and have transformed me into a real princess. I can't find a single fault with their work, I'm absolutely in love with my walima look. And dress. I actually can't decide which dress is more prettier; this one, or my wedding dress. They're both absolutely perfect.

Everyone's headed out to the wedding venue, to make sure that everything is perfect, which I know it will be. Me and Zayan are alone at home, and we too will be going soon. He's getting ready in a different room, and I'm waiting for him in our room.

I glance into the full-length mirror and smile softly when I see my reflection. I love how I'm looking. I hope Zayan does, too. I blush at the thought of him. I really hope he also thinks I look nice.

I'm wearing the most gorgeous white ballgown which is fully embroidered in silver and white. The dress is mainly made out of satin, lace and net of the best quality. The sleeves are full, and they're made out of white lace. This dress is a mixture of a Western and Pakistani dress. The style and colour are Western, and the full embroidery makes it Pakistani. The dress is perfectly fitted from the top, and then it flows beautifully from the waist.

I gently touch the stunning silver embroidery on my waist, and smile. The dress really is absolutely perfect. I'm awestruck by it. It's my first time seeing the dress, and I can't stop staring at it. It's fit for a princess. For royalty. I feel like royalty in this dress, and I don't think I'll ever want to take it off.

The dress has dozens of white silk buttons at the back, from the top of the back of my neck, down to the waist. It was impossible to fasten them myself.

My makeup is soft, but stunning. My base is perfect, as is my contour and light blush. The makeup artist has applied a dazzling highlight to my cheekbones, nose, under my eyebrows and on my cupid's bow. It goes perfectly with the colour of my dress. My eyes have been coloured with a soft but smokey brown and silver eyeshadows, and my lips have been painted a lovely pinkish nude. The lovely makeup brings out all my best features.

For my jewellery, I've gone simple. I'm wearing small diamond studs from Tiffany's, a thin diamond bracelet and a matching thin necklace.

My veil is beautiful and a matching white, and it's been set at the top back section of my head. My thick, long black hair has been styled in loose waves, and it falls over my left shoulder. It looks very glossy and shiny.

My dress has the biggest train I've ever seen. It must be several metres long, and it gives the dress it's perfect look. I twirl around slightly and smile when I see how big the train is. It's perfect.

I'm wearing a pair of white Jimmy Choo's under the dress, but it's not like they're visible as the dress reaches the ground.

I pick up my phone from the bed to read my many new messages, when there's a gentle knock on my bedroom door. A few seconds later, the door opens.

I turn towards the door, and I blush softly when I see Zayan standing in the doorway. He looks awestruck. Shocked. His mouth falls open when he sees me turn to face him, and I see his gaze travel head to toe. I blush harder, biting my lip slightly.

'Good, you're ready! We're getting late, Zayan,' I say, taking a step towards him. I'm trying to look anywhere but at him, because the way he's looking at me right now is doing crazy things to me.

And he looks damn hot. He looks sexy. He's wearing a perfectly fitted light grey three-piece suit, with a silver tie. He looks like a model. How he ever agreed to marry me is beyond me. He's every girl's dream guy. And he's mine, for some crazy reason.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm dreaming. Because there's no way this can be true, right?

"Alayna," he says, clearing his throat. He's still staring at me intensely.

'Yes?' I whisper, my cheeks bright pink.

"You look beautiful. Perfect. You look like an angel," he says, smiling at me.

I flush, glancing towards the ground with a silly smile on my lips. 'Really?' I ask, loving his compliments.

The corners of his eyes crease as his grin widens. He walks to me and gently, questioningly, grabs my hand. "Really. I'm the luckiest man in the world."

I playfully hit his chest and shake my head, frowning at him. 'Now that's just crazy.'

"It's true. You're beautiful," he says, making me blush harder.

'You're not too bad yourself,' I tease him lightly.

He raises an eyebrow, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Really, now?" He murmurs quietly, staring intensely at my face.

I swallow, shaking my head furiously. 'You look... fat.' That's a lie. It's definitely a lie. He doesn't have an inch of fat on himself. He's muscular, hard and not at all fat. He has the most impressive body, that much I can tell even when he's wearing his suit.

He laughs loudly, tracing my wrist gently with his thumb. It sends a current shooting up my arm and through my entire body. The strongest, weird but amazing ticklish sensation is building up in the pit of my stomach. His mere touch drives me crazy.

'I'm fat, am I?' He asks, amusedly.

I bite my lower lip nervously, nodding. "Yes, Dr. Zayan. You're fat. I've seen much better," I lie. I'm not a good liar at all.

He surprises me by pulling gently on my arm. My body crashes into his, and I place my hands on his shoulders to steady myself. My heartbeat is going crazy at our proximity. I've never felt closer to him than I do at this moment. I can feel his gaze on my face. On me.

'I make you nervous,' he says gently, his voice husky.

I tremble slightly when I feel his hands on my waist. We're in a very compromising position right now. If anyone was to walk in...

No one's home except the both of us.

I shake my head, not daring to look at him. "N-no." My voice shakes as I stare at his chest.

'You shouldn't feel nervous around me, Alayna,' he whispers, his voice caring and soft.

I lift my gaze to meet his eyes, and right away I'm lost. His blue-brown depths are filled with various emotions which I cannot decipher, but I can recognise one of them clearly. Happiness.

My heart warms at the happiness in his eyes and the small smile on his lips. He's perfect. I've never seen a man who's so handsome, so perfect and so amazing. He's the luckiest when it comes to looks, but he also has the best personality. Zayan's extremely caring and protective, he's very trustworthy, he would do anything for those close to him, and he has the biggest heart. Although he has a huge ego, I like that about him. Of course he would have a massive ego, having accomplished as much as he has at his age. He hasn't turned thirty yet, and he's one of the best doctors and surgeons in the country.

I can't help but smile back at him. My heart does somersaults in my chest when his grin widens. He really is perfect.

'Ready to go?' I whisper, my voice trembling.

"I'm ready when you are, wifey," he says, his voice content.

'Wifey'. This word sounds surreal coming from him, but I love it every time he says it.

I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

********

'The bride and groom are just about to make their entrance! So, if everyone will take a seat at their tables please! Let's have a huge round of applause for the newly wedded couple!' I hear Usman Bhai's voice over the microphone. His voice booms through the entire hall as the great double doors open.

"May I?" Zayan asks, grinning over at me. He extends his arm, and I happily take it. I hold his arm gently as we make our biggest entrance, in front of the world on our reception.

The guests all break into a huge round of applause and cheering when me and Zayan enter the hall. I'm feeling very nervous in front of the 10,000 guests or however many there are.

"Are you okay, Alayna?" He whispers softly.

I look towards him, nodding slightly. 'I didn't know so many people would be invited. It looks like Uncle invited the whole city!'

He nods, looking around. "Neither did I. I'm sorry, Alayna."

I shake my head, holding onto his arm tighter. 'No, no. It's absolutely fine. Anyway, they don't make me more nervous than you do,' I blurt. Oh god, did I seriously just say that out loud?

I feel Zayan's body shake with laughter. "I make you more nervous then everyone here?" He's definitely amused.

'I didn't say that,' I mutter, my face bright red.

"And I don't think anyone else can make you blush this way, either," he adds.

That makes me blush even harder. 'Zayan!'

"This beautiful blush is only mine, Alayna," he says seriously.

My heartbeat quickens as I look over at Zayan. He's staring right back at me.

'Really?' I whisper as we continue to walk down the aisle. I'm not aware of anything else right now. Only Zayan. Nothing and no one else matters at this moment. It's only me and him.

"Yes. Thank you, Alayna, for marrying me and making me the luckiest man in the world." His voice is full of surety and honesty.

I don't respond to that, but I have a soft smile on my lips the entire time we're walking down the aisle. I feel like I have everything right now. Everything I'd ever want or need. I don't know what exactly this is that I feel towards Zayan, but I do know that I'd never, ever feel this way towards anyone else. Not in a million years.

When we reach the stage, all our close family and friends come to meet us happily. They all congratulate us, and tell us that we make the most beautiful couple in the world. I thank them all politely. I shed a few tears when I see Mum, Dad, Sara and Yusuf Bhai, but it's only because I missed them. I've never felt happier in my entire life. With Zayan by my side, I know that I'll always be happy.

Nothing and no one can ruin my happiness.

The reception flies by, and it's just as amazing as all my other wedding functions. I have lots of fun with my whole family, and mostly with Zayan. He's making me laugh the entire time, and whenever I look at him I catch him staring right back at me.

At the end of the night, it's time for our first dance. One of my favourite songs of all-time plays as we start to dance. 'Hero' by Enrique Iglesias.

Zayan holds me close as we start to gently sway to the music. Everyone's silent as they watch us dance.

Would you dance, if I asked you to dance?

Or would you run, and never look back?

Would you cry, if you saw me crying?

And would you save my soul tonight?

Would you tremble, if I touched your lips?

Or would you laugh? Oh, please tell me this,

Now would you die, for the one you love?

Hold me in your arms, tonight.

I can be your hero, baby,

I can kiss away the pain.

I will stand by you forever,

You can take my breath away.

I don't realise when I have tears in my eyes as the song ends. Zayan stares at me for a few moments, before he gives me his handsome smile and takes his hand to my face. He wipes away a stray tear, and I lean into his hand.

'Alayna-' he starts, but he's interrupted by Hanna and Aliya who come rushing to us.

"Alayna, it's time for your photo shoot! Alone! Zayan Bhai, yours is later. And both of you will have your photos taken together when we return home," Hanna says, pulling me away from Zayan's arms.

I wonder what he was about to say to me. I have no idea. I was loving the feel of being in his arms a little too much..

I have my photo shoot alone firstly, and it lasts about half an hour as the photographer takes hundreds and hundreds of photos of me, making me do several poses. He takes photos of me standing up, sitting down, looking towards the ground, staring to my side. I'm exhausted by the time my photo shoot is over.

After my photo shoot, it's time for Zayan's. His doesn't take as long as mine, because he's a natural I guess.

After his photo shoot, we head home after saying goodbye to our family and friends. Hanna drives with us, as she has to help with my huge dress.

Thankfully, there's no traffic on the way home, so it's just over midnight that we reach. Me and Zayan are whisked away to a side room right away for our personal photo shoot.

This one takes at least an hour, as we have at least a thousand photos taken of us. In one picture, Zayan's hands are on my waist, and my hands are on his shoulders. We're staring into each others' eyes. This photo turns out perfect. It's one of my favourites.

In another photo, Zayan is told to hold me gently by my waist as he kisses my forehead. When the photographer tells him to do this, my whole body turns beet red and I start giggling nervously.

'You two are naturals, both photogenic. The photos are turning out perfect,' the photographer reassures.

I peek up at Zayan through under my eyelashes, and I burst out into another fit of laughter. The photographer continues to click photos, as Zayan starts laughing too.

Zayan stares at me questioningly, and I nod shyly. He pulls me close gently by my waist, and he presses an ever-so-gentle kiss to my forehead. I close my eyes, holding onto him tightly as I savour the feeling.

A few seconds later, he pulls back and stares into my eyes. My legs feel like jelly, due to the intense way he's looking at me. He's staring at me like he could eat me or something!

Zayan realises that my legs are about to give way, and he holds me up, his handsome smile not leaving his face for a single second.

In another of my favourite photos, Zayan twirls me around like in a dance. We're both laughing in this picture, and I'm no longer feeling so nervous. He's doing his best to make me feel as comfortable as possible.

I shock Zayan in one photo, as I glare at him and grab his collars. I have a fake angry expression on my face, while he has his signature smirk. Then, I burst out laughing and so does he.

'Zayan, I'm tired,' I groan, resting my head on his shoulder. When I realise what I've done, my mouth falls open in shock and I quickly step away.

He laughs, shaking his head at me. The photographer tells us that our photo shoot is over, and that he'll start working on our photo albums right away. He also tells us that every picture turned out perfect, and that we will surely love the photos. We thank him, before we both decide to retire to bed.

'Han, please help me with my dress? I'm so tired,' I say to my best friend.

She nods, smiling at me. "Okay, let's go!"

Hanna helps me get out of my huge, perfect dress, and hangs it up into my closet. She tells me to get a good night's sleep, and to sleep as long as we both want. She leaves a couple minutes later, saying she's going to bed too because she's exhausted.

I take a quick, hot shower, removing all my makeup and brushing my teeth. Then, I dry myself off and change into a navy silk nightgown. It's a very comfy one, long and reaching the ground. It doesn't have sleeves, but it does have a matching lace cover-up.

I look into the mirror after I've changed into the nightgown, and I smile to myself. It doesn't have sleeves, but it's fine. It'll do. The colour actually suits me, and right now I'm too tired to think about anything else. Like the neckline, which is lower than I prefer.

However, when I open the bathroom door and take a step into the bedroom, Zayan's expression makes all the tiredness vanish. His eyes light up as his gaze travels over my whole body, before his lips break into a smirk.

I blush deep scarlet, and I bite my lip nervously. Zayan clears his throat and stands up, walking towards me.

'Alayna, your beauty never fails to shock me. You look... amazing,' he says, his eyes travelling over my body again.

"Thank you," I mumble shyly, trying to control my grin.

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, holding my hand. 'Let's go to bed.'

I burst into a coughing fit, my cheeks burning. He realises what he's said a few seconds later, and he looks very amused. "Alayna, I meant let's go to sleep. Unless you'd prefer something else?"

My mouth falls open in shock and I hit his chest, hard. He laughs at my shock and embarrassment. He's really enjoying this. 'What else would I prefer?! You're crazy!' I mumble, just about able to get the words out.

"Well, Alayna, what else would you prefer? Perhaps you'd like if we, you know.. had-" I quickly place my right hand over his mouth to silence him, my cheeks as red as the wedding dress I wore yesterday.

'Let's go to bed. To sleep!' I say quickly, pulling his arm and dragging him into bed.

I can hear his laughter from behind me as I face away from him when we get into bed. A few seconds later, he taps me gently on the shoulder. "I meant perhaps you'd like if we had a movie marathon!" He teases.

I roll my eyes, my cheeks blazing. 'Sure, sure! I'm not talking to you now!'

"You're not talking to me? What did you think I meant?" He asks, amused.

I shake my head. 'I'm naraz.'

He laughs, but quickly covers it up with a cough. "And why is my beautiful wife naraz with me?" He asks, his voice soft and gentle.

I blush, his words warming my whole body. 'Because you.... argh!' I mutter, unable to tell him why.

"I'm sorry, really. I won't say anything like that again, I promise," he says, and this time he sounds sincere.

Feeling guilty, I slowly turn to face him. We have about half a metre space in between us. 'You won't?' I ask, my eyes wide.

He shakes his head. "No, I promise."

My heartbeat quickening, I gently hold his hand which is placed in between us, and lace my fingers in between his. I don't know where I found the courage from, but I'm loving the feeling of my hand in his. He stares at me for a few seconds with a smile on his lips, before he takes my hand and gently places a kiss on my knuckles.

I swallow, closing my eyes and not letting go of his hand. 'I'm not naraz, I was joking.'

He smiles, staring at our hands. "I know you're not naraz. You can never be mad at me."

How does he know me so well? In such a short amount of time, he's gotten to know me so well. He's right. I can never be mad at him for long. Maybe for a few seconds, but when I see his handsome and adorable face, it tugs at my heart. I couldn't be mad at him even if I tried.

"Yes, I do know you very well Alayna. I know when you're confused, when you're angry, when you're annoyed. And right now, you're happy. And confused." He looks into my eyes.

I frown. 'Is this a doctor thing? Being able to read people's expressions? Because if it is, then I guess I'm not a good doctor at all!' I say, chuckling.

He smirks, shaking his head. "You're a great doctor, Alayna. But no, this isn't a doctor thing. It's only with you. You're like an open book."

'That's not a good thing,' I mumble, embarrassedly. If he can read me, if he knows how I'm feeling, what I'm thinking, does that mean he can tell when I'm checking him out? Oh god.

He chuckles at me. "I love that blush."

My heart skips a beat, or a thousand. Zayan looks confused for a second, at himself, as he looks behind me at the wall. Then he composes himself and grins at me. 'When shall we go on our honeymoon?'

This makes me turn completely red. I bite my lip nervously, shrugging. "Honeymoon?"

'Alayna, like I told you before, I won't touch you unless you want me to. Until you're fully comfortable with me, until you're ready, I won't do anything. It's my promise. But we'll still go on our honeymoon. Just think of it as a small trip after our marriage, the two of us alone. Think of it as a trip for us to get to know each other better,' he reassures.

I feel a huge weight lift off my chest, as I look away blushing. "We'll go whenever you want us to go."

'I want to go right now. Tomorrow.'

I giggle, shaking my head. 'Be patient, hubby. We just got married, I want to spend time with our whole family too. And you do know that tomorrow, as tradition, I'm going to Mum's house?'

He looks very confused. "Of course you can go to Aunty's home whenever you want, Alayna. Whenever you want."

'I might stay the night. It's tradition for the bride to visit her old home soon after marriage, sometimes the day of the walima and sometimes the day after.'

"You.. you're going to stay?" He asks softly, his face falling.

I shrug. 'Maybe. I'm not sure yet! It's okay, right?' I ask Zayan.

He nods, smiling at me. "Of course it's okay, Alayna."

I stare at him for a few seconds. He looks sad for some reason. I smirk. 'Zayan?' I sing.

He glances at me, the smallest smirk appearing on his full lips. "Yes, Alayna?"

'Are you going to miss me?' I ask.

The tiniest hint of pink appears on Zayan's cheeks, and it makes me smile. He nods. "Yes. I'm going to miss you."

I raise an eyebrow, staring at my handsome husband. 'Well, perhaps... perhaps you'd like to come with me, then?' I ask slowly.

His eyes light up and he holds onto my hand tighter. "I.. I can come with you?" He asks me.

'If you want to! I mean, I don't want to force you or anything!' I say, teasing.

He nods quickly. "I want to go with you. This might sound silly as it's just our walima night, but I've become used to you now."

My heart aches and I feel a foreign, giddy feeling overcome me. His words mean the absolute world to me. I never before thought it was possible for someone like me, but I'm in fear of losing my heart to Zayan. My loud, fast heartbeat rings in my ears.

I'm afraid.

Actually, I'm terrified. Because of what's happening. I have no idea what's going on, I have no idea how Zayan has managed to change me in such a short amount of time. How he's.. made me feel things I had no idea were even possible to feel.

I stare at him for a few seconds, confused as hell. I'd like nothing more than for someone to explain to me, what's going on with me. Why my heart starts to go crazy every time I see him. Why I start blushing whenever he's around. Why I'm enjoying his closeness so much. Why I want him even closer.

I close my eyes shut tight, not understanding anything that's happening to me. For some reason, right now I don't want to know what's going on inside my heart. I'm afraid.

'Zayan, when do I go back to work?' I ask, wanting to change the topic.

"When do you want to go back?" He asks me.

I shrug. 'I don't mind. I love working at the hospital. But I want to spend some time with my new family, of course.'

He nods, smiling. "Of course. You can have a month off. Or even longer. It's completely up to you. How long do you want to go on our honeymoon for? And where do you want to go?" He asks.

There he is, asking about our honeymoon again. My cheeks heat up and I bite my lip. 'It's up to you.'

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Tell me! You must have always had a dream honeymoon destination. Where do you want to go?"

I think for a few seconds, before grinning. 'I've always wanted to go to Italy. Rome, Venice, Milan... I've been before, but I want to go again.'

"Then Italy it is! I assure you, you'll love it loads. You'll have so much fun!"

I know I will. With Zayan by my side, I'll love it loads. I'll have lots of fun with him, no matter where I go.

'Really? We can go to Italy?' I ask, beaming at him.

He returns the smile with one of his dazzling ones. "Of course we can! I'll book the tickets tonight, for the weekend. So don't worry, you can spend as much time as you want with everyone for the next five days. After that, the next three weeks are only mine." I've never seen Zayan so happy before, and it warms my heart.

'Three weeks?' I ask, confused.

He nods. "Italy, for three weeks! We can go for longer if you want."

I shake my head, blushing. 'No, no. Zayan, we shouldn't go for so long. We just got married, and I want to spend some time with Aunty and Uncle too. What will everyone think if we go for so long?' I ask.

He shakes his head, grinning. "They won't think anything, and trust me, they'll be very happy."

'Okay, two weeks. We'll go for two weeks,' I say, biting my lip.

His gaze lowers to my lips, and his eyes darken slightly. He swallows, nodding. "Sure, if that's what you want. I'm going to give you the best time in Italy, I promise."

My blush brightens. 'I know you will. Now sleep, it's late!'

He nods, the smile still on his beautiful lips. "Okay. Goodnight, wifey."

'Goodnight, Zayan,' I whisper, switching off my bedside lamp and closing my eyes. I fall asleep soon after, holding my husband's hand.

********

When I wake up to the sound of an alarm for Fajr, the first thing I notice is the heavy weight on my stomach. Sleepily, I rub my eyes with my free, right hand before turning over.

I blush furiously when I see Zayan fast asleep with his head on my pillow, his face inches away from mine. He looks flawless even when he's asleep. He has the longest eyelashes I've ever seen. Any girl would be envious of them.

He's facing towards me, and I'm on my back. The heavy weight on my stomach is his arm. He's holding me close, his arm on my stomach and he's holding my hand. My heartbeat quickens as I continue to stare at him, not daring to move in case he wakes up and sees us in such a compromising position. How did we ever get into this position? He's literally hugging me while he's sleeping, and I didn't even notice. However, one thing is for sure. I got an amazing night's sleep last night.

The alarm goes off again, and I manage to turn it off. I need to wake him up for Fajr.

'Zayan, it's Fajr time,' I whisper, shyly.

He doesn't budge. He's fast asleep, surely in dreamland.

I try to untangle my hand from his, but he groans and holds me closer. This time, my entire body is pressed against his. He's snoring quietly, his warm breath fanning my earlobe. It sends a delicious tingle up my spine.

"Zayan, wake up!" I say, slightly louder. I try to get up, but he won't have it. He hugs me with both arms, his face planted in the crook of my shoulder. I feel my entire body turn to jelly, as I've never felt more aware of him.

'Sleep,' he murmurs sleepily, adjusting himself slightly so he's even closer to me. Our bodies are pressed together, and my heart's going crazy. There's no way he can't feel my racing heart right now. I can hear it loud and clear, it's threatening to escape.

I bite my lip shyly, taking my free hand to his dark brown mop. I slowly and gently massage his head, and he sighs with content. A few seconds later, he opens his eyes. I didn't realise that I'd been staring at him. When he opens his eyes, his gaze bores into mine. We're still tangled together, and my hand is in his hair.

My mouth falls open in shock when I realise that he's woken up. My face turns beet red, and I try to untangle myself from him, reluctantly.

His signature smirk makes its way onto his lips as he holds me tighter, not moving a single inch.

'Zayan,' I whisper, my face burning with embarrassment.

"Yes, Alayna? Good morning," he says to me, his smirk widening.

I clear my throat, before pulling my hand away from his hair. 'It's time for Fajr,' I whisper.

"It is," he says, continuing to stare at me in that sexy way. Sexy?! I've lost it.

'You look hot, wifey,' he whispers, winking at me before sitting up.

My mouth hangs open in shock. I look down towards myself and curse internally when I see that my cover-up is nowhere to be seen. It's probably lost under the duvet somewhere. The nightgown I'm wearing definitely has a low neckline, and although it's full-length, half of my legs are bare and uncovered right now.

I quickly sit up, fishing under the covers for my cover-up. I find it with trembling fingers and hastily put it on.

"You're crazy! Get up, we don't want to be late for Fajr," I mumble, embarrassed as hell. I jump out of bed and run into the bathroom, Zayan's laughter loud behind me.

********

Hey, guys! How was it? Sorry for the late update, but it's finally here! I don't like this chapter much, my updates are always better than this! I hope it was okay though!

Zayan and Alayna are cute, right?

What was your favourite part of this chapter? And what do you think will happen next?

Don't forget to vote and comment if you liked the chapter! And please point out any grammatical errors because I'm sure there will be plenty in this chapter. Thank you for reading and being patient with me always!

Question: What are your favourite girls' names? And boys' names?

Bye guys!!