Zara Khan is a dreamer with a heart full of kindness and a smile that lights up any room. Adopted into a loving family, she's spent her life proving she belongs, despite the whispers of relatives who see her as an outsider. Zara has always believed...
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Zain sat in Zara's living room, surrounded by his parents, Zara's parents, and a stack of wedding planning materials. The conversation flowed around him, filled with discussions of potential dates, venues, and guest lists. But Zain's attention kept drifting away.
He wasn't particularly interested in the details of floral arrangements or seating charts. His mind wandered to Zara, who was still at work and running late.
The sky outside had turned a dark shade of grey, and rain lashed against the windows. The storm had started suddenly, catching everyone off guard. The storm wasn't in the weather forecast today but then again the London weather was always very unpredictable. Zara's parents exchanged worried glances as the downpour intensified.
"I hope she's okay," Zara's mother murmured, checking her phone for the third time in the past few minutes. "She's been working so hard lately. I'll call her."
She dialled Zara's number and spoke into the phone, her voice steady but tinged with concern. "Zara, where are you?"
Zain perked up in his seat at the mention of Zara. Though he tried to appear uninterested, his attention sharpened as he listened to her mother's side of the conversation.
"Zara, sweetheart, the storm's getting worse. It's not safe to come home right now. Stay at the office until it calms down and I'll tell your papa to send a driver for you when it does, okay?"
Zara's mother paused, listening to her daughter's response. Her brow furrowed, and she sighed softly. "Did you have lunch at least? You skipped breakfast this morning, and now with this storm, you won't be able to have dinner for a while."
Zain's jaw tightened slightly as he overheard. He heard Alex complaining before that Zara would always rush out in the mornings and skip breakfast, and now it seemed she hadn't eaten all day. That bothered him more than he cared to admit.
After Zara's mother hung up the phone, she turned to Zara's father with a frown. "She didn't eat lunch either," she said, worry lacing her tone. "With all the work she's been doing, I'm afraid she's going to make herself sick. She'll be starving by the time she gets home."
Zain's mother gave a sympathetic smile. "Poor thing, she's been working so hard with the wedding planning and everything else on top of it."
The conversation continued around the group even after dinner, the adults diving back into discussions of wedding dates and logistics. Zain remained quiet, his focus half on his phone and half on the storm outside. He scrolled through emails, but none of it really registered. His mind kept wandering back to Zara.
Finally, about an hour and a half after the phone call, the rain began to ease. The sound against the windows was softer now, more of a drizzle than a downpour. Zain sat up a little straighter, his phone forgotten in his hand.
