Always Her

VIII

♪♫ Har dafa wahi,

Jaadu hota hai tu jo mile,

Ho... sab sanwar jaata hai,

Yaara andar mere,

Ek lamhe mein kitni,

Yaadein ban jaati hain,

Main itna hasti hoon,

Aankhein bhar aati hain...♪♫

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The next morning Inaya woke up in an amazing mood which elevated when Noor barged into their room to wake Ahana up and get ready for the day with both of them.

By the time they got ready, Zain and Aarav were ready and waiting for them in the living area of the suite. All of them decided to have a quick brunch at a nearby café and then they can head towards the mall.

Last night Noor gushed about all the things they were going to do—shopping and shopping and then some more shopping. And that's exactly what they did.

They went to multiple malls, Ahana being her, shopped for all the people close to her because apparently, she doesn't like to shop unnecessarily while Noor's case was totally the opposite—she bought everything that she liked. Inaya didn't love shopping like Noor, so she only bought things that she loved and were practical. Zain and Aarav were obviously trailing behind them without a word.

"Can we go to the gaming zone, please?" Noor asked.

Inaya and Ahana chuckled and looked at each other. "Sure. Let's go!"

In the gaming zone, they played every game possible—air hockey, bowling, indoor basketball and many more. It was evening when they were playing to their hearts' content, so they went to a restaurant.

They decided to visit the nearby local market after the evening snacks.

◅▫▻

"Why are we here? Why's there such a long line?" Inaya asked but her friends only smiled at her.

"Just because." Ahana shrugged.

"That's not an answer!"

"Doesn't matter, that's all the answer you're getting for now."

Inaya huffed and turned to Zain with hopeful eyes while he just pressed a kiss on her temples. "I'm sorry, amore, but I'm not allowed to tell you."

"Here," Ahana handed Inaya a few pieces of paper, a small smile playing on her lips. "As promised."

Confused, she looked at them. "No way." She breathed while inspecting them closely and finally let out a squeal. She jumped and took Ahana in a bear hug and swayed them side to side. "These... thank you, thank you, thank you."

She heard Ahana chuckle and broke the hug. "I can't believe this. A concert! That too of Shawn Mendes'. This is one of the best days of my life."

"Come 'on, let's go!" Ahana said and lead the way towards the line waiting to enter the concert hall while Aarav and Zain followed her.

She started to follow them when Noor came and started walking beside her. "How did you convince Ahana to a concert is beyond me? She hates crowded places."

Inaya laughed at Noor's comment. "That's a secret."

Noor whined. "Don't whine, Noor baby, you're not getting an answer out of me."

"Ahana is rubbing off on you!" Noor cried out dramatically while Inaya only shook her head at her best friend.

When they reached the others Noor walked towards Aarav while Inaya stood before Zain, facing him, grinning. "I'm so excited, Zain."

He grinned at her. "I know, amore. You've wanted to come here for a long time now."

"How do you know that?"

"Ahana told us all when we were planning this trip."

Inaya looked over her shoulder to look at Ahana who was busy taking Noor and Aarav's pictures. "She's a sweetheart." She murmured.

"I doubt that!" Zain disagreed.

"Hey!" She looked back at him and exclaimed with a chuckle.

"What!?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Have you seen her? She is practically Satan's daughter."

"She isn't!" she again looked over her shoulder to see Ahana scolding Noor and Aarav to pose properly and then again faced Zain. "Okay, she can be at times but you can't deny that she also takes care of people around her."

"You can tell me whatever you want, amore, but I still think she is Satan's daughter."

She was about to say something when Noor interrupted. "Let's take a group picture."

All of them stood together, while Noor handed the phone to Zain, he took a few pictures and then gave the phone back to Noor. He took out his phone and asked Inaya if she wanted to take a picture with him to which she agreed. She curled against his side and placed her hand on his chest while he slid his hand around her waist.

After that, they started to move towards the concert hall as the doors opened and everyone began to filter into the hall. Zain handed the tickets to the ticket attendant. Once they were scanned, they walked into the hall.

"Anyone wants a drink?" Aarav asked them and moved towards the concession stand with Noor after everyone told him their preferences.

Zain guided her and Ahana towards their seats, which were on the mezzanine level, center and gave the perfect view.

"Whoa! These are great seats." She told Zain.

"I agree, but all the credit goes to Satan's daughter. She arranged the tickets." He teased.

Inaya playfully glared at him. "Don't call her that."

"As you say." He grinned.

Noor and Aarav returned after a few minutes with their drinks and took their seats after giving everyone their drinks.

Soon there was an announcement and Shaw Mendes made his entry.

The entire place erupted in cheers—Inaya and Noor hopped off their seats and started cheering with their hands up in the air.

Inaya dragged Zain and Ahana out of their seats and Noor did the same with Aarav. Both Zain and Ahana were on her either side while Noor and Aarav were standing beside Ahana.

Inaya glanced at Ahana, her eyes glistening, just as the cord of "Señorita" started to play. She side-hugged Ahana. "Thank you, Ana. Thank you so much."

Ahana tightened her hold. "Don't mention it. Enjoy!"

Zain wrapped his arm around her, keeping her close after Ahana pulled away from the hug. She leaned into his embrace while he pressed a kiss on her temple.