Zara's POV

We walk downstairs together, the brightest blush colouring my cheeks. We're holding hands, and it feels amazing, but I'm being as shy as ever. We're going to have breakfast with our family, and my nerves are going crazy. I've known this family for several years, they were always my second family, but now everything is different.

When we enter the dining room, everyone stands up to greet us happily. Hafsa comes running to us, and attacks us with a bear hug. She hugs us both tight, kissing us both on our cheeks. I laugh at her excitement.

'Bhai, Bhabhi! It feels so damn good calling you that, Zara! How are you both?' She asks us, after breaking the hug and grinning at us. She examines me from head to toe, before winking at me.

I blush as Zaid holds me slightly closer. He has no shame at all, in front of his parents and sister. I'm not complaining, though. At all.

"We're great, Hafsa. How are you?" Zaid asks his sister, smiling.

I nod, giving her a small smile too. 'Yeah, we're fine Hafsa. How long have you been awake?'

She shrugs. "A while. Me and Mum have been going over the schedule for today." Her eyes are filled with excitement and mischief. I'm definitely going to be questioned by Hafsa later on, about last night.

Aunty and Uncle come to us and hug us both.

"Zara, how are you, dear?" Uncle asks me as we both take a seat at the dining table.

'I'm good, Uncle, thank you. How are you?' I reply, smiling.

"I've never been better, my son has made me the happiest father in the world by marrying you. Let me tell you a little secret now, me and my wife have always thought that you and Zaid would be perfect for each other." He grins at me, his eyes crinkling.

My cheeks heat up at his words, and also, at Zaid's hand on my leg. I chuckle, knowing that my cheeks must be bright red at this moment.

'Really?' I reply, smiling.

Aunty and Uncle nod, excited. "Yes!"

I take a look at the food on the dining table, and my eyes widen. There's everything. Every breakfast food I love. There's way too much food, how on earth did Aunty make all this so early in the morning?! The dining table is covered with pancakes, waffles, toast, French toast, paratha, croissants, strawberry jam, Nutella, coffee, tea, orange juice, apple juice, and so much more.

There's too much to eat. I don't think I'll be able to eat much right now anyway, as my cramps are returning.

Zaid slowly turns to me and whispers, "What do you want to eat, love?"

I turn to smile at him, and hear aww's from Hafsa and Aunty. 'Pancakes and Nutella will be great,' I reply, quietly.

He grins and places the food onto my plate. My eyes widen when I notice that he's placed four pancakes into my plate, and lots of Nutella.

"I won't be able to eat that much," I say, laughing quietly.

He smiles at me. 'Eat as much as you want, darling. It's your own home.'

I blush, nodding. "And what do you want to eat?" I whisper to him.

Aunty, Uncle and Hafsa are watching us with small smiles on their faces.

'I usually only drink coffee in the mornings,' he says, the smile not leaving his lips.

God, he looks so handsome this morning.

I shake my head. "Only coffee isn't good for you, Zaid. You have to eat."

He grins. 'Okay, wifey. I'll have a piece of French toast.'

I nod, my cheeks heating up. I place the food onto his plate for him.

Wifey. I'm suddenly reminded of our business trip to London together, when we were pretending to be married in front of those two annoying girls.

We start to eat, and a couple of minutes later, I lean in close to Zaid and whisper. "Remember our London trip, when you called me 'wifey'? When we were pretending to be married?"

He turns to me with several emotions in his beautiful eyes. He nods. 'How can I ever forget that?'

My heart skips a beat when I see him recalling the same memory. That had been a crazy situation, but it had been so funny. Back then, we were pretending that we were married, and now, we really are. It still feels way too good to be true.

Finally being married to Zaid, I realise how much I love him, how much I've always loved him. It's always been only him. I feel like I have every happiness in the world, now that he's at my side.

Aunty, Uncle and Hafsa talk happily to us, and I give short replies as I'm so shy today. I feel Zaid place his hand on my knee under the table, and I turn to glance at him. He smiles his beautiful smile, which makes my heart skip a beat. He's so handsome, and I can't believe that he's all mine. My husband.

The relationship between a husband and a wife is so special, like no other. It's such a beautiful relationship, and it changes everything, of course in a good way. I've known Zaid for years, but since yesterday evening, since our Nikah, everything's changed. I've never felt happier in my life.

I eat as much as I can, which isn't much, because I'm all jittery and excited. I'm too happy to eat right now, as crazy as that sounds. Me and Zaid sit with our family for a short while after breakfast, talking about our wedding and today's walima function. We also talk about a popular Pakistani wedding custom in which the bride returns to her parents' home the day after the walima, to spend the day, and sometimes night too, there.

Zaid bursts into a coughing fit when Aunty informs him of the tradition. Uncle laughs, slapping him on the back. When he stops coughing, he turns to me, shocked. 'What custom is that? I haven't heard of it.'

I blush, looking into my lap and playing with the many rings on my fingers.

"Zaid beta, don't you remember this custom in your cousin Sabah's wedding? It's only for one day," Aunty replies, grinning at me and Hafsa.

'Zara, really?' He asks, turning to me. He looks sad.

I nod, biting my lip to control my silly grin. My cheeks burn brighter. "Yes."

'Don't worry, bhai! Zara's going tomorrow, not today! We're going to stay with her tomorrow night,' Hafsa says, winking at me.

I hide my face in my hands, my cheeks now bright scarlet.

He shakes his head. "Why will you stay with her?"

'Because she's my best friend, duh. She was my best friend before she was your wife. So stop sulking now!' Hafsa says, crossing her arms and trying to give her brother an intimidating look. She's too cute to look scary, though.

Zaid turns to me again, signalling to me to say something. What am I meant to say?! I bite my lip again, smiling.

"Zaid, you look like you're in shock!" Aunty teases him.

'Why didn't you tell me about this custom before? I had no idea!'

Oh, god.

Hafsa smirks, winking at me.

"Fine, sometimes the groom goes with the bride, too. So you can go with Zara to her parents' home, if you wish," Aunty finally says, laughing.

'Really?' He asks, raising an eyebrow. He's uncertain.

Hafsa nods, chuckling. "Yes, bhai! Although I wanted to stay with Zara and the girls tomorrow evening!"

'I'll go with her. Is that okay, Zara?' He turns to me, begging with his eyes. The expression on his face right now is adorable.

I shrug. "Erm, sure. I mean, you can come with me if you want. I don't mind."

Aunty, Uncle and Hafsa start laughing at Zaid's expression, and I join in too. He's too damn cute for his own good.

He nods, his eyes brightening with happiness.

We sit together for about half an hour, talking about everything and anything.

"Zara dear, you should go and take some rest before the makeup artist and hairdressers arrive at 4pm. Get some rest, you too Zaid. It's going to be a busy evening, and we need to sort out some things for the walima," Aunty says, smiling at us.

I nod, smiling back at her.

'Yes, and I should go and check on the venue. It needs to be perfect for tonight,' Uncle says, standing up.

"I'm going to go and get my clothes ironed and ready for later, and then I'm going to sleep for a short while too," Hafsa says, grinning.

Me and Zaid head back to our room shortly after. Zaid locks the door after we enter, and leads me to the sofa, holding my hand. We sit together and he holds me close to his side, in his strong arms. I snuggle closer to him, resting my head on his broad shoulder. I feel him place a gentle kiss at the top of my head.

I sigh with contentment, enjoying the feel of being close to my husband.

'Zaid?' I whisper, a few seconds later. My cheeks tint pink.

"Yes, meri jaan?" He whispers back, gently.

I turn to face him, taking my head off his shoulder and gazing at his handsomeness.

Whenever I look into his eyes, I lose myself for a moment. His eyes are so beautiful. They're sparkling and filled with various emotions, the strongest happiness and love.

I giggle quietly, remembering something. He smiles.

'Do you remember my interview?' I ask, a grin on my lips.

His lips curve into a breath-taking smile, and he nods. "How can I ever forget that? My whole life changed after that moment."

My heart skips a beat and I feel the butterflies at the pit of my stomach. 'I can't believe that happened, and now, here we are. Did you ever think, in a million years, that this would happen?' My voice is a quiet whisper.

His smile broadens. "Yes. I always knew we were meant to be together. At first, I thought I was going crazy. But then it all started making sense. Why I would always be thinking about you, missing your laughter, your craziness, your beautiful smile. Because I fell in love with you months ago, Zara. Ages ago."

I blush, burying my face in the crook of his shoulder. 'Never in a million years would I have thought that Zaid Malik would be romantic.'

He chuckles, his body vibrating. "Really, Mrs. Malik?"

I nod, not lifting my head from his shoulder. I'm too comfortable here, I don't want to move.

'I was never a romantic guy, you're right. Before you returned to my life, you know what I was like. You changed everything, Zara. You turned my whole world upside down.'

I lift my head to look at him. He looks deep in thought, but he gives me a beautiful smile. I'm in love with his dimples. I'm in love with every part of him.

I take a hand up to his face and gently feel the dimple on his left cheek. He smiles deeper, holding me close in his arms.

"You have dimples," I say, blushing.

'Do you like them?' He asks.

I nod, shyly. "Good, because I like every part of you. I love every part of you." That's what I just thought about him! Crazy.

I lightly smack him on the chest and try to stand up, but he doesn't let me go. I end up falling back down, onto his lap.

His lips curve into his signature smirk, the one I love so much. 'Where do you think you're going, Mrs. Malik?'

"To...get my dress and jewellery ready for this evening," I whisper, blushing hard.

'You can do that later. And anyway, Hafsa has set everything up, inside the closet.' His eyes are trained on my lips, making me tremble.

"We should...get some sleep. As Aunty said, it's going to be a long evening," I whisper, trying to control my stupid hormones. My hormones are always going crazy around Zaid.

He grins. 'Okay, let's sleep. Here. On the sofa.'

My eyes widen and I shake my head. "T-there's no space here."

He smirks again. 'You can sleep here.' He points to his chest, making me blush harder. I smack him playfully on the chest.

"Zaid! You're crazy." I stand up, and make my way to the bed. He follows me, dimming the lights.

'Yes, baby. I'm crazy for you,' he replies, before going to his side of the bed.

I lay down in bed, pulling the covers over me.

'How's your pain now?' He asks softly.

My cheeks warm up even more. "It's better now, much better."

'Good. Will you be able to sleep in that dress?'

I nod, turning to face him. His hair looks messier than usual, and he looks so damn hot.

'Zara, you're so beautiful,' he whispers, staring into my eyes.

"Thank you," I whisper, smiling.

He hugs me close, holding me in his strong arms. 'Sleep, love. I won't let you sleep much tonight.'

What?! Idiot. I slap his arm playfully, blushing. "Zaid! You're unbelievable."

I close my eyes and hear his soft laughter. Then he kisses my forehead. I snuggle closer to him, loving his warm embrace.

I fall asleep within minutes, in my favourite place in the world.

********

We wake up about two hours later, and we head downstairs to have lunch with our family. Uncle is still at the venue, making sure that everything is done to perfection. Aunty and Hafsa have lunch with us, and then some of their relatives arrive.

After lunch, I head back upstairs to my room to shower and get my dress and accessories ready. The makeup and hair team will arrive in about two hours, and I want everything to be ready before then.

I go into my closet and take out my beautiful, stunning, absolutely gorgeous walima dress. It's peach coloured, and is a heavy, fully embroidered maxi dress with a huge train. Wow. This is my first time seeing my dress, and it's so perfect. I love the shade of peach, the intricate, heavy beading and the stunning style. The embroidery is gold and silver, and it's so intricate and so beautiful, I can't describe it in words. I don't even want to imagine how much this dress would have cost.

I feel scared to touch it, as I don't want to ruin it in any way. When I wear this, I'm going to feel like a princess. I already do. It's stunning, elegant and looks regal.

After obsessing over my perfect dress, I return to the closet to take out my shoes and jewellery. The shoes are Jimmy Choo's and they're gold. They also have intricate beading and are so stylish. I love them! The jewellery perfectly matches the embroidery on the dress. Hafsa and Aunty did an awesome job with this. I'm in love with every element of my outfit. It's all laid out on the bed and I take a picture of it on my phone, smiling.

I hear the bedroom door click, and I turn to see Zaid walking towards me. He has a gentle smile on his lips. "What do you think? You didn't agree to go walima dress shopping with us, but I hope it's okay?" He cocks an eyebrow, a smile on his lips.

'I love it, Zaid. It's so beautiful,' I tell him, grinning.

"Really? You like it?"

I nod, grabbing his arms excitedly. 'I love it. It's perfect!'

"I'm glad you like it, baby. I chose the dress."

My eyes widen in shock. 'You chose this dress? That's not possible!'

He chuckles, nodding. 'Yep. Hafsa and Mum went with me, to the boutique, but I chose this dress.'

I hug him out of excitement. "I love it, Zaid! Honestly, it's...beautiful."

'Not as beautiful as you, darling.'

I breathe in his intoxicating, manly scent and sigh with happiness. When I break the hug, he has a grin on his face.

"Mum told me to go and spend time with my beautiful wife," he says, chuckling.

I blush. 'The makeup artist and hairdressers will be arriving in less than two hours.'

"There's plenty of time for them to arrive. So, what shall we do?" He winks at me.

I shrug. 'I don't know about you, but I'm going to go and take a long shower.'

His eyes darken and he grabs my wrist gently, pulling me into his hard, strong body.

"You're going to shower, alone?" His voice is a low whisper. He looks into my eyes, his darkening further.

I blush, looking down at his shirt. 'What do you mean?' I ask, biting my lip.

He touches my bottom lip gently, tugging it from between my teeth. "You're taking a shower alone?" He repeats, murmuring into my ear. I shiver.

'You need to take a shower too? You can go first, I don't mind,' I say, playfully.

He traces his fingers down my side, making me shiver. "Zara, you're killing me." He sounds like he's in pain.

'I didn't do anything,' I whisper, my cheeks crimson.

He gazes into my eyes, resting his forehead against mine.

"Go and take a shower, baby. I love you."

I blush, nodding. I grab another pair of clothes and rush into the bathroom to shower.

********

Zaid's POV

When Zara goes into the bathroom to shower, I take out my phone from my pocket, to distract myself. Nothing seems to work, though. I can hear the water running in the bathroom, and I don't know how I'm staying in control. I want her, so badly, but I know that nothing's possible yet. I can't do anything to hurt her, while she's in this condition. I need to be patient.

I know that if Zara wanted, I would wait months, years, to become intimate with her. I would do anything for her happiness. Anything in the world, no matter how difficult it was for me. But that doesn't change the fact that I want her desperately.

I reply to texts from my friends, including Aaron.

I smile, thinking back to breakfast. Zara has always been so amazing with my family. They love her so much, and so does she. Seeing her blushing at the dinner table, seeing the happiness in her eyes, it made me so happy.

I love her so, so much. I can't explain how much I love her, but I don't think it's possible to love someone as much as I love her. She means the world to me now. She is my world.

After recalling the beautiful memories of yesterday and this morning, I get up and go into my closet to get my outfit ready for this evening.

********

Hafsa and my female cousins don't let me see Zara before she's ready for the walima. They don't let me stay in the room, telling me to go to another room to get ready.

"You can't come in here before Zara's ready, bhai. Go and get ready in a different room. Your suit is in the guest room at the end of the corridor," my sister tells me, grinning at me.

I groan, and drag my feet into the guest room where my friends and male cousins are waiting for me. I wanted to stay with Zara, but the girls won't have it. I won't be able to see her for another two hours, as I know the girls will all take so long to get her ready.

********

Zara's POV

I blush crazily and don't say a single word when the girls kick Zaid out of our bedroom. The makeup artist (the same one who did my makeup for all my other functions) and hairdressers have arrived, and have set up in our room. Me and the rest of the girls will be getting ready in here.

Two hours later, I'm finally ready. I can't stop staring at myself in the full-length mirror. My dress is so beautiful, and I look amazing. I love the magic they did on my hair and makeup, which is done to absolute perfection. My base is perfect, and the contouring and blush is on point. The highlight on my cheekbones and cupids bow gives more dimension to my face, hitting the light perfectly. My eye makeup is a peach colour, and smoky on the corners. Peach glitter has also been used on my eyelids, and it looks so pretty. My lips have been painted a matching peach colour, and I love it.

My hair has been styled into a messy but super stylish side bun, and a few strands on the opposite side have been left out and curled, framing my face.

I'm in love with my walima look. It's so beautiful. My dress, makeup, hair, jewellery, everything is so perfect.

The girls keep complimenting me, saying how gorgeous I look. They take selfies with me and also full pictures of me in my dress. When they're all ready, they leave my room.

'We'll get going now, babe. We need to reach the venue. You look so gorgeous, Zara! You look absolutely perfect,' Hafsa says, for the thousandth time.

I smile, thanking her. "So do you, Hafsa! And thank you, baby." She looks so lovely, in her turquoise anarkali dress. She's a cutie.

She grins. 'Thanks, bhabhi. You and bhai reach the venue soon, too, okay?' She asks, winking at me. 'And make sure he doesn't ruin your lipstick!'

I groan, blushing and covering my face with my hands. "Hafsa, you idiot! Yeah, we'll reach soon."

She laughs, kissing me gently and carefully at the top of my head to make sure to not ruin my makeup. 'I'll see you in a bit!'

She leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

I stand up from my position on the side of the bed and walk to my dressing table. I take a seat in the chair in front of the mirror and glance into it, smiling. I look, and feel, like a real princess.

********

Zaid's POV

As soon as Hafsa tells me to go back into my room, I don't wait another second. It's been over two hours since I've seen Zara, and I can't wait any longer.

I walk to my bedroom and open the door quietly. As soon as I enter, I stop in my tracks, my entire body freezing at the sight in front of me. Zara is sitting in front of the dressing table, and she looks like an angel. She looks so beautiful, that it's unreal. She's the most beautiful angel in the entire world. My mouth falls open in shock when I see her beauty. Whenever I see her, I'm shocked by her beauty. She looks perfect.

"You look perfect, baby. You're so beautiful. You're gonna kill me one day, honestly," I say, walking towards my wife.

She notices me and turns to face me, smiling. She's perfection.

I stop in front of her, gazing at her beautiful face. She's blushing, looking down and biting her lip. It drives me even crazier. I gently kiss her on her forehead, letting my lips linger for a second. She smells amazing, too.

She holds my hand, and with her other one, she gently caresses my cheek. 'You don't look too bad yourself.' Her blush intensifies, and she looks towards the ground once more.

I close my eyes, enjoying her touch. It feels so good, I love it.

When I open my eyes, she's looking at my face, her eyes large and stunning. They're rimmed with black eyeliner, and it really suits her. Her hairstyle, makeup, everything, she looks so hot.  She always does.

I gently kiss her cheeks, and her eyes flutter shut. I glance at her every feature, kissing her whole face. She holds my hand tighter, biting her lip.

I'm unable to stop myself when I gently press my lips to hers. I kiss her softly, holding her in my arms. She tastes divine. I give her a long, sweet kiss, but it's gentle. It's not hard and strong as last night's kisses, but only because it's not the time. When I hear her moan into the kiss and she starts to kiss me back harder, I very reluctantly break the kiss, resting my forehead against hers. We can't continue right now, because we need to reach the venue.

'As much as I don't want to stop this, we're gonna have to stop now, baby. We don't want to be late for our walima, do we? Although, I wouldn't mind being late for it,' I murmur, winking.

Zara's cheeks brighten as she turns back to the dressing table to apply another coat of lipstick. When she's done, she turns back to face me. Then she giggles.

"What's wrong, love?" I ask, raising an eyebrow and laughing with her.

'There's lipstick...on the corner of your mouth. And how did it get on your cheek?' She giggles again, wiping away the lipstick gently from my lips.

"Leave it there," I tease.

She frowns, laughing. 'You want to go to our walima with lipstick on your lips?'

I nod, a smile playing on my lips.

She shakes her head, adjusting my tie. When she's done, she blushes hard and bites her lip.

'What's the reason behind that beautiful blush now, darling?' I ask, holding her by her waist.

She lowers her gaze, trying to control her smile. "Y-you look very handsome," she whispers quietly. She looks at what I'm wearing, and her cheeks turn brighter. I'm wearing a black three-piece suit, with a white shirt, black tie and black leather shoes.

I grin at her nervousness. 'Why, thank you Mrs. Malik! I know I look very handsome this evening, even more so than usual! You have to admit, I'm irresistible.' I tease her.

She rolls her eyes, slapping me on my arm. "You're not irresistible. You're crazy. Just crazy. And you have a huge ego!"

I chuckle, pressing a kiss to her forehead. I love teasing Zara, I've always loved it. I love seeing her adorable reactions.

'Again, baby, thank you! I'll take that as a compliment. Now, shall we go?' I hold my hand out for Zara to take.

She smiles and blushes, taking my hand. We walk out of our home, hand-in-hand, and I help her into my car. My newest car.

I make sure that she's comfortably seated in the passenger seat, before making my way to the driver's seat. The weather tonight is great, romantic even. I grin, starting my car.

********

Zara's POV

The walima goes by smoothly, and it's lots of fun. The wedding venue is decorated perfectly, it's absolutely beautiful, matching my peach dress. There are well over 5000 guests tonight, but I don't even mind that. I'm having too much fun, and I'm too happy, too think about anything.

I hear guests continuously complimenting me and Zaid, talking about how beautiful my dress is, how pretty I'm looking, how great we look together as a couple. I'm so happy tonight, I can't put it into words.

I'm especially happy when I meet my friends and parents. They're extremely happy, too, seeing how happy I am. Ayesha, Maryam, Hafsa and Layla, as well as my female cousins, tease me throughout the party. They ask me about my wedding night, and I'm blushing like crazy the whole time.

Zaid is at my side through the majority of the night, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Of course, he's not there when the girls are questioning me, but he's with me for the rest of the time. He holds my hand the entire time we're on stage, and through our beautiful photography session. He keeps asking me how I am, if I have any pain, but I feel amazing. I've never felt better in my whole life. He also keeps telling me, over and over, that I'm beautiful. Every time he says it, my heart soars. I love him, so much.

When it's finally time for dinner, I sit at the table with Zaid, Hafsa, Ayesha, Maryam and both of our parents. The food is all delicious, perfect, just like everything else. There's everything. We eat with our relatives, everyone enjoying and talking happily.

After dinner, it's time to cut the cake. We have a huge, five-tiered cake covered with white icing and decorated with small, intricate white flowers. Each tier is a different flavour, including vanilla, chocolate, carrot, lemon and raspberry. The cake tastes amazing, and it looks beautiful too.

At the end of the night, we have another photo session, this time with both of our families. We spend some time together, before deciding to call it a night after all the guests have finally left.

I'm exhausted by the time we're back in the car, making our way back home. I'm falling asleep in the car, but I try my best to stay awake.

When we reach home, me and Zaid say a tired 'goodnight' to Aunty, Uncle and Hafsa, before making our way to our bedroom. When we reach our room, I head straight into the closet and take out a new nightgown to wear. It's not too revealing, and it reaches below my knees. It's black, and made mostly out of lace.

I go into the bathroom and quickly change, removing my makeup and brushing through my hair, taking out any tangles. I'm too tired to do anything right now, I just want to sleep.

When I go back into the bedroom, Zaid is ready, wearing a black t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms. I see him look at me intensely, and his eyes darken with...what? His t-shirt is tight, showing off his muscles. I swallow, walking over to the bed and climbing in.

He climbs in too, holding his arm out for me. Blushing, I lay closer to him, on his arm. He wraps his other arm around my waist, holding me closer. I feel him kiss my forehead, and I snuggle closer to him, loving his warmth and comfortable embrace. I hug him, tiredness overcoming me. I'm asleep within minutes, my face against Zaid's chest and my head on his arm. This is perfection.

********

Hi, guys! I finally updated! I'm so sorry for updating late, I've been sick this last week or so, that's why this chapter is a few days late! I've had the worst fever and cold, and I haven't been able to get out of bed.

How did you guys find this chapter? I hope it was okay? It's unedited, so I apologise for any grammatical mistakes. And I wrote most of the chapter late at night, too.

What was your favourite moment in this chapter? Let me know!

Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed the chapter, and also, let me know what you want to read about in the upcoming chapters! There's not too many chapters left in this book now!

I love you guys, thank you SO much for all your love and support. It means so much to me! Bye! ❤️ x