𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

52

Arsalan POV:

Seeing that guy near her again has my blood boiling. I shouldn’t have invited him. Now, as I watch her laughing because of him, I feel like punching him in the face. He didn’t take my warning seriously.

Feeling my stare, Airah looks around, and when her eyes find mine, she smiles. It’s the sweetest smile, the one she usually reserves just for me, but now she’s using it in front of Umar. No one has the right to look at her when she’s smiling like that.

I start heading towards them, my steps quickening with every second that passes. Airah notices and stands up quickly, excusing herself. Umar’s eyes follow her, even when she turns and jogs towards me. He doesn’t look away, and I catch the smile forming on his face—a smile I want to punch off. When she reaches me and grabs my bicep, his eyes meet mine. His face hardens, and the smile fades away.

"Took you long enough," Airah says. I look at her, and she looks happy—that’s enough for me. I place my hand on her waist and kiss her forehead. When I glance back at where Umar was sitting earlier, I see that it’s empty. Good. He better not appear in my sight ever again.

"Wait just a second here, my love. I'll be right back," I say, and she nods. I step onto the porch and look around—not for Umar. He’s not worth my time and energy. I’m looking for my uncle, Hiba’s father. My father had mentioned that he wanted to witness the nikah, so I’ve planned to host it in the living room, which is spacious enough for everyone.

I find my uncle and my father-in-law talking with some of their cousins. After excusing them, I take both of them aside and explain the plan. They nod in approval, and we head into the house together. I lead the imam to the couch, which everyone has now cleared. My father sits on one couch with my mother standing beside him. Hiba and Ziya sit on the couch opposite the imam, with Ziya's mother standing behind him. Iqra stands with Raza on the side and Yasir standing besides both of them. Everyone gathers around, witnessing the moment.

A small hand curls around my bicep, and I glance down to see Airah. I pull her close to my side and kiss her forehead, feeling her warmth as we stand together.

Airah POV:

The event ended about three hours ago, and it was so sweet watching Ziya kiss Hiba's forehead and hug her tightly after their nikah. I actually cried seeing them like that.

"I still wish we had a start like that," I say while taking off my jewelry. Arsalan is lying on the bed in a casual black shirt and trousers, his arm covering his eyes.

"Not that again, my love," he laughs. I've been saying this to him a lot since the nikah today.

"But don't you think that—" I start, but Arsalan cuts me off mid-sentence.

"I think it was very iconic," he says, sitting up and looking at me. "It's a great story to tell my grandkids when they ask me how I met their grandma."

I laugh. "You're already dreaming of grandkids." I playfully slap his shoulder as I open the closet to pick out a nightdress. "It's too early, Arsalan."

"I don't think so," he replies.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night," I shrug.

"What did you just say?" he asks, sounding amused.

"Nothing," I say, turning around to face him with a smile. He side-eyes me before lying down again.

"Come to bed quickly. I need to sleep," he says, covering his eyes with his arm again.

A while later, when I exit the bathroom, he's already asleep. Morning Arsalan looks dashing, but asleep Arsalan looks almost like a teddy bear. I lie on the bed beside him, noticing how his features soften, how relaxed his shoulders are, and how long his eyelashes are. How do guys always have such long eyelashes? I tousle his hair and turn off the lamp when my phone rings. I smile when I see it's Alana calling. I slowly get up and leave the room, not wanting to wake Arsalan.

"Hi!" Alana's voice comes from the other end.

"Hi, how are you?" I ask, walking to the back of the house where there's a swimming pool. I sit on one of the benches near it.

"I'm fine. Did I wake you up?" she asks.

"No, you didn't. Did I tell you it was my cousin's wedding today?"

"Yeah, you did, but you didn't send me the photos."

"Wait, I'll do it now." I quickly send her the photos and put the phone back to my ear.

"Oh my god! You look really beautiful!" she exclaims.

I murmur a thank you. "How are you feeling?" She asks.

"Yeah, great. Sometimes the hormones just work up."

"But it'll be worth it. I wish I could be there to hold my niece or nephew, whichever it is."

"Why don't you take leave for a few days?" I suggest.

"My supervisor is a devil, but I'll try," she says with a sigh.

We talk back and forth. I tell her everything that happened since our last call, and she tells me about her day, like how she accidentally dropped her coffee on her supervisor and almost got fired. When the call ends, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest. I hadn't realized how much I missed talking to her like this.

After a while, I head back to my room. Arsalan is still asleep, so I slowly lift the covers and lie down. He grumbles and pulls me closer, and despite the storm of thoughts in my head, I manage to fall asleep next to him.

Arsalan POV:

The sound of my phone ringing pulls me out of my sleep. I pick it up and see it's Tariq calling. What the heck is wrong with this guy, calling me in the middle of the night? I swear I'm going to kill him if it's something useless.

“What happened, Tariq?” I say, rubbing my eyes.

“Please come to your father's room quickly,” his voice is trembling. He’s panicking, I realize.

“What happened, Arsalan?” Airah’s voice comes from behind me just as I stand up and rush towards the door.

Airah POV:

I stand in front of my father-in-law's room, feeling helpless. Arsalan told me to wait outside with Iqra and my grandmother. Inside, his father was having trouble breathing. I watch as Saad rushes into the room, and I hug my grandmother tightly; she’s been crying nonstop.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine, Amma,” Hiba says, standing beside her and trying to reassure her.

Fifteen minutes later, Arsalan steps out of the room. I quickly stand up and run to him. He looks distraught, his shoulders tense and his face pale.

“What happened, darling?” I ask, gently cupping his face in my hands. He shakes his head, his eyes filling with tears.

“My father…” His voice breaks, and he gulps, struggling to continue. “He passed away.”

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