|| S H A N Z E ||

I sat silently on my bed and looked at the clock. Anytime mom would come in the room with my cousins to drag me out of my room for my Nikkah. The mere thought of Nikkah with the devil of my dreams were making me shiver. The whole night I spent tossing and turning around on my bed because of today. I just got one hour sleep with a lot of difficultly.

I just hoped I wasn't the only bride in this whole world who didn't catch sleep before Nikkah or had dark circles under her eyes on the day of Nikkah. I sighed and rubbed my hands on my face but stopped when I felt something cold on my face. I pulled my hands away from my face and noticed the same ring which Zeeshan gave me two days before.

I was so glad to know no one knew I was out with Zeeshan before our Nikkah or else. I looked at the ring and carefully observed every little detail on it. I sighed and dropped my hands beside me and closed my eyes.

"Today is my Nikkah...," I whispered in exhaustion then quickly sat up with a jerk.

"Oh my God! Today is my Nikkah! My Nikkah! And what I am doing here. I should hide somewhere till my Nikkah ends. But where should I hide?" I asked myself, crazily like a crazy bride.

I hid my face in my hands and fell back on my bed. Just four hours more then I would be Mrs. Zeeshan Khan. Dejectedly, I stood up and went to the washroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth.

"Oh Allah help me today!" I mumbled and quickly took shower and changed into my comfortable clothes.

When I exited from the washroom and entered in my room, mom was already in my room along with my cousins. Mom looked at me with a smile and pulled me in a hug.

"I can't believe my baby is grown up and is going to marry in four hours. I remember the day when I held you for the first time in my arms, the day when you took your first step, the day when I watched you going to your school on the first day and the day when you took position in your school. And now see I am going to hand my daughter to her partner, to her other half," Mom whispered and kissed on my head.

"Oh beautiful angels, stop being so emotional!"

We pulled away when we heard Hasan voice and looked at the door where he was standing with his usual smile. He came forward and stood in front of us.

"Tears don't suit you," Hasan said but kept his eyes on me.

"We are not emotional, son. It's called having mother and daughter time," Mom chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"OK if you say," Hasan said with a wink which made mom rolled her eyes at his cheesiness.

"Girls, take my daughter and make sure she looks breathtaking angel for her husband would be," Mom ordered my cousins who giggled.

Mom took Hasan out of my room with her and left me with my cousins. They all made me sit on my bed and started decorating me or should I say painting me. They all attacked on my face with different kinds of makeup tools and on my nails with red nail-paint and on my hairs with a straightener.

Once they all were done, they looked at me from head to toe and squealed in happiness and excitement.

"Shanze, go and quickly change into your Nikkah dress. And I think we all should also start getting ready," One of my cousin said looking at the clock.

I nodded my head and they all went out of my room to get ready. I locked my room door and quickly changed into my Nikkah dress. Once I done, I unlocked the door and walked to the mirror to see how I was looking.

I gasped in mirror and tried to see if that was really or someone else. My Nikkah dress was a white colour frock which reached till my knees and white little-loose-fitted-trousers. My frock had embroidery around it's neck and on around the cuffs of my sleeves.

I looked on my vanity and picked up the red bangles. I wore them in my both hands then I wore my gold earrings which dad gifted me when I took first position in board exams.

Suddenly, Hasan appeared behind me and looked at me through mirror. He smiled at me with emotions running in his eyes then looked down at my vanity. He picked up a fragile necklace which he gifted me and placed it on my neck. He moved my hairs and helped me wearing it.

"My best friend is going to marry!" He whispered with a smile and quickly looked away from me.

He moved to my bed and picked my white colour dupatta and came back to me. He put it on my head and looked at me with sad smile.

"Stop being so emotional. Tears don't suit you," I shot his words back at him and pressed my lips together to hold my sobs.

"I am not a girl who cry on her best friend wedding. I pray you get every happiness with your husband," He said and kissed on my head.

I smiled and pinned my dupatta on my head. I stared at us through the mirror and thought about my new life with Zeeshan after our Nikkah.

"Mashaa Allah!" I turned around and saw mom standing near the door with tears trying to come out of her eyes.

"Oh! No, no, no! Not in front of me! Please don't cry," Hasan said to mom and went near her and hugged her.

"I am mother. How can I control my tears?" Mom asked him and wiped her tears before they slipped through her eyes.

She came to me and stood in front of me. I didn't know how many Surah she recited then blew over me to keep the evil eyes and souls away from me.

"Now evil eyes will not effect my daughter," Mom said and kissed on my forehead.

"Let's go! Everyone is waiting for you," Mom said.

"Wait! Let me wear my shoes," I said and quickly sat on my bed to wear my heels.

Before I slipped my feet in my heels, Hasan kneeled down in front of me and put my both feet on his knee and slipped my feet in heels.

"Thank you," I whispered with a smile.

"If Hasan treats his best friend like this then imagine how will he treat his wife. Whoever, she is, must be very lucky to have you as a life partner," Mom said.

"Must be," He whispered in a low voice with a small smile and stood up.

He helped me to stand up and took me out of my room. Mom and Hasan both help me to balance myself and took me down to the living room where dad and my grandparents were waiting for me.

"Mashaa Allah!" Grandma whispered and kissed on my forehead.

Grandpa and dad also kissed on my forehead and hugged me. Dad was looking emotional and her eyes were also wet but he held on his tears.

"Shanze, this is our family dupatta which we give our daughter in law on her Nikkah and today I am giving this to you," She said and put the dupatta on my head.

Hasan took our pictures before we all walked out of the house and climbed in the car. Hasan request everyone to let me go with him to the mosque.

"Mahira went with my cousins?" I asked him and felt upset.

"Yes," He whispered with a sigh and glanced at before looking back at the road.

"I need my sister at this time," I whispered looking outside the window.

He grabbed my hand and put it on his knee and patted it.

"I can't do anything about your sister but I can help you to run away from your Nikkah," He said with a grin.

"Can I accept this offer?" I asked with a smile.

"Should I have to take a U-turn?" He asked with a smirk.

"What about my family and their image in society?" I asked him, slowly.

"Then I will marry you to keep their image," He said glancing at me which made me roll my eyes at him.

"Let's pray whatever is happening is good for everyone," I said with a smile.

He sighed and nodded his head with a smile. He moved my hand up to his lips kissed on my hand and intertwined our fingers.

"Get marry soon!" I told him.

"I wish I could," He whispered with a sigh.

I looked at him and observed his face which he was trying his best to keep straight but he could never fool me.

"Who is she?" I asked him.

"Someone who is not mine," He replied back in a whisper.

"Did you try to tell her about your feelings?" I asked him, slowly.

"How can you read me like this?" He dogged my question and asked me with a chuckle.

"I know you, Mr! I can read you like a magazine," I said with a smirk.

"Hate to break it to you but you can't read me like magazine nor you know me fully," He joked with a grin.

But his answer didn't settle well in my brain. Before I inquired about the girl he loved, he parked his car and climbed out. I looked around and noticed we reached the mosque. Hasan opened my door and helped me to climb out. After I climbed out, he locked the door behind me and took me inside the mosque. Mahira came to me and stood in front of me.

"What happened to your eyes?" I asked her and looked in her red and puffy eyes.

"I don't usually do eye makeup so....," She said looking away from me but I was her sister and I knew she was lying.

"Nikkah is about to start. Come quickly bride," My cousins came and cut our conversation.

I looked last time at Mahira who was looking tensed and uncomfortable. Mahira also looked at me and quickly walked away from me with a blank face.

"Don't spoil your day," Hasan whispered in my ear.

I smiled sadly and nodded my head. I pulled my feet out of heel and Hasan took them and put them in shoe-rack. My cousins took me with them and sat me down. My mother in law and Rania appi came and greeted me with a big smile.

"My new daughter is looking like an angel!" My mother in law said.

"A pure and innocent angel!" Hasan said coming with a veil in his hand.

"Agreed!" Raina appi said.

"We don't have much time. Let's start it with the name of Allah," Dad said and stood in front of me with mom.

My mom pulled the red dupatta down to hide my face. Hasan and my other few male cousins stood to hold the white cloth of piece like a veil in front of me. On the other side of the veil, Zeeshan would sit. Mahira and mom sat beside me on each side.

After two minutes later, my Nikkah started,

"Do you, Shanze Khan, accept Zeeshan Khan as your husband?"

I felt myself getting heat up and sweat started forming on my forehead. It was the moment when I felt dizzy and, suddenly, I wanted to run away from this Nikkah.

Why didn't I accept Hasan's offer?

I felt Mahira shifted uncomfortably beside me. I moved my eyes up and looked through my veil and saw Hasan looking at me and held his breath.

"I do!"

I whispered and felt a new kind of emotion running in me. A feeling which you get when you start a new life with your spouse and leave your old life behind in which you were alone.

Hasan looked down quickly when I whispered my answer. I also looked down at my hands and held myself together. I was asked the same question two more times which I answered the same 'I do!'.

Dad came and put my Nikkah papers in front of me for me to sign on it. I picked the pen with my shaking hands and let my tears fell on the papers. I signed on the papers with the shaking hands.

Dad took the papers and put his hand on my head while mom hugged me. Dad went on the other side of the veil where Zeeshan was. Mahira quickly stood up and went away.

I held my breath again when I heard Zeeshan was asked the question,

"Do you, Zeeshan Khan, accept Shanze Khan as your wife?"

"I do!"

His strong and cold voice came and echoed in my ears. He was also asked the same question two more times and he gave the same answer both times.

The veil between us was removed and the sounds of congratulation echoed. Mom helped me to stand up and my mother in law came to me with Zeeshan. Both of our mothers made us stood beside each other.

"Come on, Zeeshan dear, move her veil and look at your wife," My mother in law said.

Zeeshan slowly moved my veil up and put it on my head. I looked down shyly with pink cheeks. He put his hand under my chin and moved my head up. He leaned down and placed his lips on my forehead.

"Awwwwww...!!"

"Mashaa Allah!"

My cousins and elders awed at us which made me shy. Everyone congratulated us but Mahira didn't come. She was vanished in the crowed of mosque. Hasan came and stood in front of us.

"Congrats to both of you!"

He congratulated us with a smile but his eyes were wet like he cried before coming here.

"I pray the best for your future!" He said giving us his blessings and went away.

. . . . . . . . . .

Assalam-o-Alaikum! Hey!

So, how's the chapter? I know whatever is happening to our Hasan is not good.🤧

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Take care.
Till next time.

Allah Hafiz! Bye!