Zara's POV

"Come to bed with me."

Did I seriously just say that to Zaid?! I can't believe how crazy I am! I've never felt so mortified before in my entire life. Yes; not even when I spilt the coffee on him on my first day at work. And not even when I asked him for a kiss! Why is it that I always manage to embarrass myself when I'm with Zaid?! I'm not this clumsy and stupid with anyone else!

Hafsa bursts into a coughing fit as soon as I say that, and I know that Zaid smirks. I can't see him, because the power has gone off, but I just know it. I feel an arm slip around my waist, and I tense. Idiot. I elbow Zaid's side, but he doesn't budge.

'If you wanted that, Zara, you could have just said. It would be my pleasure,' he murmurs huskily.

"Guys! I'm still here! Zaid bhai, you're crazy! And Zara, what did you just say, babe?!" Hafsa asks, shocked. She can't be as shocked as I am, though.

'I-I didn't mean that. Zaid, you're crazy! Hafsa, I didn't mean that,' I mutter, embarrassed. I can't believe how stupid and crazy I am! I'm so glad that the lights are all off right now, because my cheeks are deep scarlet. Zaid tightens his grip slightly around my waist, I elbow him. But, of course, he doesn't budge. The idiot.

"Zara, you surprised me too! I know I'm unbelievably good-looking, charming and hot, but I can't believe you told me to come to bed with you," he whispers. Hafsa again says something, which I don't hear. I'm too busy elbowing Zaid, and blushing even harder. I know that he won't ever let me forget this.

'I didn't mean that! I meant, can you sleep in the same room as me and Hafsa, please?' I clarify myself, gaining a chuckle from Zaid.

"Yeah, I agree with Zara. Please, Zaid bhai. I feel scared too, please stay in the same room as us," Hafsa says.

'Oh, sure that's what you meant! But okay. Which room?' He's agreed? I don't know why I suddenly feel excited.

We decide to sleep in Zaid's room, as it is the largest in the apartment. Zaid leads us to his room. I haven't been in here in so long. I can't see a thing, because of the power cut, but as soon as I walk into this room, I start to feel nervous. It's not a bad nervousness, though. Just the thought that I will be sleeping in Zaid's room tonight makes me slightly nervous but also excited at the same time.

Zaid turns on the torchlight of his phone, so we can see the room. Just as I thought. His bedroom is sleek, simple and sophisticated. Right in the middle of the room, there is a huge bed which is much larger than king-sized, and it has white pillows and bedsheets. On the wall opposite the bed, there is a TV larger than any I've ever seen before (and yes, that includes also in shops). Zaid's bedroom holds a sense of masculinity and luxury. All the furniture, bedding, flooring and every item in the room is black or white. I love it, but I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight.

I'll definitely be up all night, thinking about Zaid sleeping in this bed the previous night.

Just as we have walked into the bedroom, there is first a luxurious seating area on our left, with black leather sofas and armchairs. We walk further into the room, and I hear Zaid close the door from behind me. I almost forgot that Hafsa is here, too. She goes and lays down on one side of the bed, the side furthest away from us. The side which leads to the balcony. I hesitantly walk to the other side of the bed, and sit down. It's definitely comfortable.

'I'll be sleeping right here, on this couch,' Zaid tells us. He walks over to the couch, which is very near to the bed, but is in an L-shape to the bed. There is a small bedside table in between the bed and the couch. And yes, Zaid is on the side closest to me. This makes me feel even more nervous.

"Erm, I need to get changed. I can't sleep wearing this," I mutter.

'Go and change in my bathroom, Zara. Here, take my phone with you. The torchlight is on.' He hands me his phone, and I thank him before going to the bathroom.

And I love the bathroom even more than the bedroom. The bathroom also screams extravagance and money. This bedroom and bathroom and this whole apartment can only belong to a CEO like Zaid. Damn, this bath. And this shower... Everything is sparkling white and beautiful. The bathroom alone is larger than my bedroom at home. I wouldn't mind taking a 10-hour long bath in this bathroom.

Hafsa's bedroom and en-suite bathroom are amazing, but Zaid's are something else. I wouldn't mind staying here.

I change into my maroon silk pyjamas and walk out of the bathroom. I go over to Zaid and hand him his phone. The torchlight is still on. When I thank him, I see him look me up and down, and smirk. What's that smirk for now?! Zaid and his smirks, I will never understand!

'Come here, I'm tired! I want to hug you!' I hear Hafsa say.

I chuckle, and go to the bed. I lay down next to Hafsa, pulling the covers over me. The same covers which Zaid had on last night. He hasn't washed them today. I can smell his aftershave, and it's driving me crazy. How am I supposed to sleep here for the whole night? I hug the covers to my body, and it feels as though I'm hugging Zaid.

I'm going crazy.

"Go to sleep, girls. I'm right here, if you need anything then just wake me up."

I look towards Zaid who is on the couch, and he takes his shirt off.

'What are you doing?!' I screech, making Hafsa jump.

I see Zaid smirk. Is he planning on leaving that torchlight on? I hope so, because otherwise I'll feel scared. The power hasn't come back on yet.

"Taking off my shirt," he replies, smirking. He stands up and walks to his closet. Damn.

He's shirtless right now.

And I'm telling you now, he has amazing back muscles. And shoulder muscles. And everything. I think I'm about to die.

'Put that back on now!' I mutter loudly.

I hear him laugh from the other side of the room. I can't look away from him. He isn't facing me, but that view is damn amazing. I'm sure that I would have fainted by now if he was facing me.

Hafsa is laughing her head off at me. "Zaid bhai!"

Hafsa, hold me. I'm about to faint. And die. Of heart failure.

When Zaid turns to face us, I grab the duvet and pull it over my face. He is now laughing crazily at my reaction, as is Hafsa.

A few seconds later, Hafsa nudges me. 'It's safe now, babe. The coast is clear.'

I slowly lift the covers off my face and turn to shoot Zaid a death glare. He just smirks in response.

How crazy is Zaid?! He just took off his shirt in front of me, like it was no big deal. My cheeks are still burning.

"Goodnight, Zara," I hear him say, smiling mischievously. He is now laying on the sofa, but he is facing in our direction. I turn around and face Hafsa, who has an excited look in her eyes. I ignore it. I don't even want to know what she's up to right now.

'Goodnight, Zaid. Please leave the torchlight on,' I say to him. He nods.

********

I keep tossing and turning that night. I can't sleep. It's nearly 1am now, and I am wide awake. Zaid's scent isn't letting me sleep. I turn scarlet again, realising that I have Zaid's bedcovers over my body. Hafsa and Zaid must have fallen asleep ages ago. It's just me who can't sleep. They have no reason to still be awake. Whereas me...I have every reason to be awake.

A few seconds later, I hear Hafsa whisper "Zara? Are you awake?"

I'm surprised that she's still awake. 'Hafsa? Yeah, I'm awake. I thought you were asleep!' I whisper, not wanting to wake Zaid up. I look over in his direction. I can't see much, but his eyes are closed. And he looks very handsome. He's asleep.

"I'm awake, I can't sleep. I'm thinking of something," Hafsa responds, thoughtfully.

'At 1am? What's so important, that you can't fall asleep?' I reply, laughing quietly.

"I think, no..I'm sure that you're gonna get married before me, so can I ask you?" She asks.

Oh no. She's about to ask something silly. I just know it. I know my best friend so well...

'Yeah, sure,' I reply, whispering.

"You know...after marriage, when you.....you know," she whispers.

'When you what?' I ask.

"When you consummate your marriage... will you do it on the first night?" She asks me. I burst out into a coughing fit. What?! She pats me clumsily on the back. If Zaid wakes up....

I turn to her after calming down, and give her a look. 'Why are you asking me this?' I can't help but laugh.

She shrugs. "I just want to know. Will you on the first night? On your wedding night?"

'How am I supposed to know, Hafsa?! I guess only time will tell!' I again start laughing, thinking about it.

"No, tell me," she says.

I roll my eyes. 'Well, Hafsa, I guess if I am feeling comfortable with my husband, if I like him, then...yeah, probably. I mean, it's important. If I'm on my period at the time, though, then that's a different story. I don't know if I will on the first night. I mean, maybe, but it depends on my husband also.'

She smirks. "Babe, your husband won't be able to wait. As soon as your Nikah has happened, he will want to take you to his bedroom. He won't even want to sit through the rest of the ceremony or dinner party!"

I blush. 'You're crazy, Hafsa!'

"I know, but I can't wait to see my nephews and nieces!" She says, excitedly. I smile.

'Same, Hafsa! I can't wait to see my nephews and nieces either!' I whisper a bit too loudly.

She chuckles. "You're going to get married before me. I just know it. You'll get married very soon, babe!"

I roll my eyes. 'Well, let's see what happens!'

I turn to face the other way. My eyes fall on Zaid, who is laying on the sofa with his eyes closed. And I see it. HE IS JUST LAYING ON THE SOFA WITH HIS EYES CLOSED, DAMN HIM. HE HAS A SMIRK ON HIS FACE, WHICH WASN'T THERE A COUPLE OF MINUTES AGO. He's awake. I know he is.

"I needed to ask something else. This was the main question," Hafsa whispers, not too quietly.

'Ask tomorrow, Hafsa. I'm going to sleep,' I answer. No freaking way. He's awake!

"Do you think it will hurt a lot?" Hafsa asks me. I KNEW IT. I glance at Zaid again, who looks even more amused than before.

Hafsa nudges me, to answer.

'I don't know, Hafsa,' I whisper. Why does this always happen to me!? I always manage to embarrass myself completely in front of Zaid. Why is he still awake?

He definitely heard everything.

Yep.

"I'm scared. That's why I don't want to get married anytime soon," Hafsa whispers to me.

I groan loudly, pulling the covers over my face. Ground, please swallow me whole. Now.

"Zara, you know...the amount of pain will be influenced by several factors, though-" Hafsa starts, but I break her off.

'NO! I mean, I'll be back in a few minutes. Go to sleep. I'm gonna get some water.' I jump out of the bed and start walking towards the door, when I trip over an edge of the rug and fall. Face first. Onto the sleeping form of Zaid. My face lands on his hard stomach. Shit.

I can't embarrass myself further. I want to go home and not see Zaid's face again.

No, that's not true. But I can't believe I just fell on him.

I hear him groan and open his eyes, rubbing them lazily. Idiot! Liar! You were awake that whole time, listening to me and Hafsa!

'I'm so sorry, I was going to the kitchen and I tripped,' I mutter, mortified.

Hafsa is sitting up in bed, laughing her head off. This all happened because of her!

Zaid sits up and raises his eyebrow at me, rubbing his chest. "You woke me up, painfully."

I roll my eyes. 'You were awake, you liar!' I whisper quietly, glaring at him.

He smirks. I move back, rubbing my head. 'You hurt my head!' His stomach was damn hard. Like a brick wall! He definitely exercises a lot. He is very toned and muscular.

"You hurt my stomach!" He answers, smirking.

'Ugh! Shut up!' I stand up angrily, only to fall back onto him, tripping over the same part of the rug. Damn rug! This time, my whole body hurls forward, landing on top of him.

'What is going on?!' Hafsa asks from behind us, laughing her head off.

I glance at Zaid, who is now underneath me. Just in case you've forgotten. He is under me, and he has a very mischievous and naughty look on his face. He holds me by the waist to steady me, to ensure that I don't plant my face on top of his. How many embarrassing situations have I been in today!? First, when I told Zaid to come to bed with me. Then, the conversation I had with Hafsa, which Zaid overheard as he was clearly awake. And now this! Why?!

"I didn't know you want me so badly, Zara," he whispers into my ear. I tense. This guy is gonna get a punch in the arm very soon. Or something else. And it will hurt.

Why is my heart beating so fast right now? Can't it just calm down? Zaid can definitely feel it, too.

'I told you, I was heading to the kitchen!'

"But you lost your way, and woke me up." He smirks.

I growl, shooting him the dirtiest glare I can muster. He just laughs.

I get off him carefully this time, making sure not to fall back on top of him. I then glare at him one last time, before walking to the door.

'I'm going to sleep!' I hear Hafsa from behind me.

"Don't you want a coffee? I'm going to make myself one," I tell her.

She chuckles and shakes her head. 'Nah, I'm tired. You're crazy, about to make coffee at 1am! You won't be able to sleep all night!'

I shrug. I won't be able to sleep anyway, so I might as well make the coffee. "I'll fall asleep straight after drinking the coffee." Lies. I definitely won't be able to. Not with Zaid here.

'You know what? I want a coffee, too. So I'll help you make it,' Zaid says, sitting up. I frown at him. How did I know that he would follow me downstairs?

Hafsa shrugs, lying back down on the bed. "Have fun, guys! Goodnight!"

I smile at her and leave the room, Zaid following me.

When I reach the kitchen, I laugh as I realise something. The power is off, as is the electricity right now. That's why none of us can charge our phones at the moment, either.

I turn to Zaid, who has just realised the same thing. He shrugs. He takes out a bottle of fresh orange juice from the fridge and throws it to me. I smile. Orange juice is my favourite.

He grabs a bottle for himself, too, and comes over to me. I open the bottle, and drink some juice. Delicious.

'Very interesting conversation you had with Hafsa back there,' he says with a smirk.

My eyes widen in shock. I knew that he was awake, but I didn't think that he would mention it! This is Zaid Malik we are talking about, though. He has no shame.

"What do you mean?" I ask, feigning innocence.

He raises an eyebrow at me. 'I'll tell you what I mean. Your talk about the wedding night, and about how much it would-'

"Okay! Shut up," I shout, looking down towards the floor. My cheeks couldn't be any redder.

He laughs. 'You're cute, blushing like that.' Of course, I blush even harder, smiling. Why am I smiling?! I'm supposed to be mad at him for overhearing my conversation with Hafsa!

This makes him smile. 'Always keep smiling this and stay happy, okay? Forget about Hamza, forget about everything and just be happy.'

My heart constricts at his words. I look up at him and give him a small, shy smile. "You too, Zaid. Always be happy."

He grins. 'You stay with me always, then I will always be happy.'

My mouth falls open in shock. I glance at him, he doesn't seem to be joking. "How can I do that?"

He smiles a genuine, happy smile. 'I mean it, Zara. Stay with me.'

What does he mean? His words give me a giddy feeling, making my heartbeat a thousand times faster. Surely he can hear the loud thumping of my heart?

"Zaid, if I was staying here, I would change one thing. That's for sure," I say to him, changing the topic ever so slightly.

He cocks his head back, raising an eyebrow. 'And what's that, Zara?'

"I'd make your room more colourful. It's so dull, Zaid! I mean, I love your room, it's great, but it's black and white. So dull! I would definitely make it more colourful, adding some blue, maybe some red..." I trail off, thinking of a colour scheme.

'I wouldn't mind at all, only you would be allowed to make those changes. You've made my life more colourful, you can definitely change my room, too,' he replies. My heartbeat increases by a million again.

Why is he being so sweet with his words? Does he realise it? Does he realise that he is just making me fall for him more and more each day?

"What do you mean? I've made your life more colourful?" I ask him quietly.

He glances at me with a small smile on his face. He looks so happy right now for some reason, it makes me so much happier. Just seeing him smile makes me so happy. Right then, I realise that I would do anything to keep this smile on Zaid's face. Absolutely anything.

'Yes, my Zara. You have.' My Zara?

I blush harder. "Zaid, keep smiling. Okay?" I say to him, deepening his smile.

'I will, and you too. Stay happy and crazy. Though next time, I think you should make sure that I'm asleep before talking about something like that,' he jokes, winking.

I slap him on the arm playfully. "Why were you listening to us? Gosh, I feel so embarrassed right now, you have no idea! I can't believe you heard that! Hafsa is crazy!"

He laughs. 'I was nearly asleep, when I heard you and Hafsa talking. I was trying to sleep, but when I heard that, I lost all my tiredness.'

I blush. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. That was a very...inappropriate conversation to have in front of you."

I start to head back upstairs, to Zaid's bedroom. Hafsa has most likely fallen asleep by now. I couldn't drink coffee, but it was probably a good thing. I'm going to try and get some sleep now, as it is 1:30am. If I drank coffee, I would be awake for the rest of the night.

I hear Zaid's footsteps behind me. We both walk back up the staircase, and down the corridor on the right hand side. We reach his room, and I am about to open the door when I hear him speak.

'Hafsa was right, you know. What she said earlier. After your Nikah, your husband definitely won't be able to wait. He will want to leave the function right away, and take you home, to his room.' He opens the door and walks in, leaving me standing there in complete shock. I think I will be awake all night.

My cheeks heat up as I take in what he has just said. He's crazy! Totally and utterly crazy! A minute or so later, I feel my cheeks, making sure they aren't too warm when I walk back into the room.

I can't look at him right now, after he has just said that. I bite my lip, trying not to smile. This guy has turned me totally crazy. For him. I get into bed and slip into the covers, inhaling Zaid's cologne. It smells just like him. Husky, hot and manly. I breathe in his scent, closing my eyes and pulling the covers tighter around myself. His scent warms my body and comforts me. Tiredness overcomes me and I feel myself falling asleep, hugging the covers closer with a small smile on my face.

********

Hey, guys! How are you all? I hope you're all doing amazingly well, and that you're very happy! What did you think of this chapter? It was filled with Zara's clumsiness and moments of embarrassing herself in front of Zaid! I hope you liked it!

What was your favourite scene?

I've been ill these past few days, guys, so I apologise if this chapter isn't too great. Let me know what you thought of it, though!

Who's your favourite character in this book? I think you can tell who mine is! Lol!

Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed reading this chapter, it means a hell of a lot to me! Your support is what makes me want to continue writing this book, guys! I love you all loads! Bye! ❤️ x