Chapter Eight Part One

Walking out of the airport hand in hand, Aarush continued to talk to Aeleya. Maya and Maaz on the other hand seemed to be bickering about something.

"Aarush! Over here!" Suddenly, he heard a sound and he looked for it. Behind the metal rails, he saw one of his uncles waving at him. This was his mom's older brother, the one he called Anu mamu.

He walked over with a smile, yet also a bit of embarrassment. This mamu of his was the father of the cousin he was going to marry. Although he broke it off a few years ago, he still felt a little guilty meeting him.

"Anu mamu, how are you?" He asked with a smile. He made sure to keep a tight grip on Aeleya's hand. "Aeleya, this is my mom's older brother, Anu mamu."

"Hello, Anu mamu." She spoke with a smile. Unlike before, she was a lot more confident. This was because of how close she got to Aarush in the duration of their flights.

"So, you're Aeleya? You're a beautiful girl, welcome to the family." He seems genuine, and Aarush knew he was. Most likely, Anu mamu forgot about the incident since it wasn't a big deal from their side anyways. It was mostly him feeling guilt because of his parents constant guilt talks.

"Where is everyone else Anu mamu?" Maaz walked over and asked with confusion. Unlike Aarush who hadn't visited in maybe ten or more years, the rest of the family tended to visit quite a bit.

"They're over there, looking for you guys. I just came here thinking that you might come from this entrance." He smiled and explained. "Anyways, let's go meet up with them and also grab your suitcases."

Aarush nodded and followed behind him. He firmly held Aeleya's hand, making sure to not let go. Soon enough, they arrived where everyone was.

"Aarush!" All of them got excited, especially from seeing Aarush. Maaz and Maya visited them so seeing them was more normal than exciting.

"Aarush, how have you been? The last time you came, you were so little. Now look at you, a big doctor, and also married." A middle-aged woman walked forward.

"Aeleya, this is Lammy, atleast that's the name we call her. She is my mom's younger sister." He explained patiently. Although he hadn't come in a long time, he still spoke to them through video chat with many times, so he knew who his family was. "Lammy, I'm good. How are you?"

"Great great. Aren't you going to introduce me to her?" She spoke with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, of course. This is Aeleya Yunus, my wife." He squeezed her hand gently.

"Hello, how are you Lammy?" Aeleya knew what she had to do.

"My dear, I'm much better after finally seeing this kid get married. Come, let me introduce you to everyone." She took Aeleya's hand and began to introduce each cousin and aunt. There were about a dozen people there, and that was only half of the family.

"Lammy, did chacha not come?" He asked as he looked around. This chacha was the very uncle who had the perverted son. Although the son was bad, the dad was better. He didn't do much, but still made sure to keep everyone as happy as he could.

"He wanted to, but he wanted to fix up the house his own way." She laughed as she spoke. Although Lammy was from his mother's side, his chacha had a close relationship with them, which was why everyone knew about his weird habits.

"That's fine then. Let's quickly head back, I'm going to go and grab my suitcases and stuff. Also, a few of my friends were coming too, did they come to my house, or not?"

He asked Lammy, because she also lived in his dada's house, which was now under his name.

"Nothing that I know about." She shook her head.

"Aeleya, come here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the crowd of family. He could tell that she felt a little overwhelmed, so he decided to take her with him, even if everyone looked at him weirdly.

"Aaru, you're so shameless, grabbing her hand like that in front of your aunts and uncles? Haha." Lammy smiled and joked. She was one of the more open-minded aunts, plus out of everyone he spoke to, she was the one he spoke to the most. His closest aunt.

"What can I do Lammy, I love my wife too much to let her be taken from me." In front of his aunt, he kissed Aeleya's hand, whose face blushed a complete red. She felt so embarrassed she wanted to jump into a ditch and hide. She couldn't help but sneak a glare towards Aarush, but the latter completely ignored her.

"Aaru, have some decency. You know that your other aunts and uncles are very old fashioned. Plus, your cousins are watching, do you want to seem like such a shameless person?" She scolded with a smile.

"It isn't a shameful deed though Lammy, she's my wife." Lammy shook her head and shooed him away.

"Whatever, just go and get your stuff." She turned around and began to sort out the crowd. She sent a few to the cars, this included Maya and Maaz of course. "Alright, go and get into the cars. They're just grabbing their things."

Out of all of the people, one person quickly escaped from the crowd and followed the couple.

"Aarush, you're actually such an idiot. Do you think that doing something like that will make us look any good? Maybe you would be fine, but people might talk weird things about me." She sighed and spoke in an angry manner.

"Hey, I just wanted to show Lammy my love for you. Lammy is my favorite aunt, if you didn't know. To a certain extent, she was even the one who consoled me when my parents were making me feel like crap." He smiled and explained. "Anyways, what's the big deal? Weren't we having a good time in the plane as well? Your lips still seem a little swollen." He reached out and gently stroked her lower lip. "Does it hurt?" He asked with a gentle face.

"No, it's fine, but you need to control yourself a little. One day, you're going to suck the blood out of me." She sighed, but then her face suddenly blushed when she finally reacted to him touching her lip. "Hey, stop doing that in public. You know that people here are a lot more judgy?"

"Yeah yeah. If anyone says anything, do you think I wouldn't hit'em? I'm a lot stronger than you think." Aeleya laughed but still nodded her head.

"Sure, you are. If I ever get in trouble, you better not run then." She laughed, but Aarush only had a bitter face.

"Hopefully that day never comes." He said. They walked to where the suitcases were, when suddenly he felt a pair of hands grabbed him. "Who?" He turned around quickly, pulling Aeleya behind him. It was his first reaction.

"Aaru, it's me." When he turned around, the person he saw was one of his cousins. However, she wasn't just any cousin. She was the cousin he was supposed to marry at one point.

"Tari?" He looked at her and felt a little relieved. His first thought was he was being jumped or something. "Why did you do that? You could have just called my name or something." he pulled Aeleya beside him. "Are you alright? Did I pull too hard?" He began to inspect her arm and shoulder, worried he might have done something damaging. He did pull her arm in a jolt which could have dislocated something.

"I'm alright. Don't worry." Smiled gently, when she was pulled behind him, danger or not, she felt very protected. His initial reaction was to protect her, which made her feel extremely happy.

"That's good. I don't feel any abnormalities either." He sighed in relief, but then turned his eyes towards his cousin Tari. Sure, they spoke and could be considered good friends, but for her to surprise him like that, he didn't like it. He didn't consider themselves that close. "Tari, what the heck was that. You should know not to surprise people like that, especially in such a place." Hie glared at her icily.

"Hey Aarush, calm down. She was only joking, no harm dome." Seeing him getting overworked, Aeleya squeezed his hand, trying to calm him down.

"Aeleya, what if something happened to your arm? You know that even a small yank could dislocate a shoulder, right? And that wasn't a small yank." He felt scared thinking about it, making him even more angry at Tari. Sure, it was a joke, but that joke could have done some serious damage. Although he didn't want to admit it, but Pakistan was not the safest place in the world either.

Sighing a little, she lifted Aarush's hand and gently kissed it. "Hey, calm down. I'm alright, nothing happened."

Seeing her kiss, him in public even though she was so against it, finally made him calm down. Sure, it was only on the hand, but it wasn't something she would do normally.

"Alright." He sighed, but began to walk away towards the suitcases.

"Hey Tari, don't mind him, he's just a little overprotective." Aeleya smiled at the girl. She looked around the age of twenty, only slightly older than Maaz. Her hair was curly and brown, and her eyes a pitch black. She was a pretty girl.

"I don't mind. I know Aaru doesn't mean it." Tari laughed it off, but she couldn't help but look at Aeleya with a little bit of envy. She saw how Aarush cared for her, and if Aarush didn't object to the marriage, then maybe she would have been in Aeleya's position.

"That's good. Anyways, how are you? I didn't have time to talk with everyone." Aeleya smiled, but inside she felt a little cautious. She knew that Tari was the girl that was supposed to marry Aarush in the past, plus everyone was for it. Especially Aarush's nani. Although she wasn't worried about Aarush, since she knew that Aarush was extremely loyal to her, to the point of obsession, she was more concerned about what Tari could say to others that might ruin her image in the family. After all, the cancellation of the marriage wasn't a mutual decision, it was completely taken by Aarush.

"Aeleya, right?" Tari walked next to her, with a smile hanging on her face.

"Yeah." Aeleya smiled back.

"So, how long have you known Aarush? He doesn't seem like someone who would marry right off, plus for a person like him, only a really exceptional girl could marry him. Since he chose you, there must be something amazing, right?" Her words seemed peaceful, yet Aeleya could tell they were anything but.

'Is she jealous? Why? The marriage situation was done more then a few years ago. Plus, doesn't she understand that I'm Aarush's wife? Like, me and him are real.' She thought for a moment, but decided to just say the truth. "I've known him for a week now. We got an arranged marriage, so its been a short time. As for amazing quality, I'm not sure, Aarush just seems to love me for some reason." She answered without thinking too much, little did she know that such news would be a type of explosion.

"A-arranged? Meaning, you guys didn't know each other?" Tari was tongue tied.

"Yeah. Actually, I think the rishta was set a few weeks or something before Aarush even found out. When he found out, we were going to have our engagement the next day." She shook her head. "It was very sudden."

"And Aarush agreed?" Tari was even more shocked.

"Yeah, Aarush agreed. He was actually more excited then me. I don't know why, but he really sees something he likes in me." She didn't forget to brag a little. Based on her little encounter, it seemed like Tari still liked Aarush, and that kind of bugged her.

"Do you even know anything about him? The things he went through? Or like, do you have no clue about his life?" Tari looked at her with a bit of anger and suspicion. "I know everything since me and him talk basically every day. If you have any questions, make sure to ask. Maybe I know less then his four friends, but I can assure you, no one knows best after them." She showed a bit of cockiness, but it's affect was impressive. Taking the bite, Aeleya felt slightly irritated by her words.

'More then me? I don't even think Dara knows more then me about him. I know things he hasn't told anyone. Pfft, what a joke. He's my husband, not yours." She thought about all of this, but didn't say it aloud. Unlike Tari, she knew what it meant to be humble and confident. "Well thank you. If I do have any questions, I will be sure to ask. After all, I may be his wife, but you did talk to him for longer then me." Her words were subtle, yet Tari understood them as well.

"Aeleya, come here and help me find the suitcases. I don't remember which one is mom and dads. Do you know?' Aarush called her over, Aeleya smiled.

"Ill be right back, he needs me right now." She then turned and walked towards Aarush.

"Is that one mom and dads?" He pointed at a blue suitcase, but Aeleya shook her head.

"It's that black one. Don't you see the red ribbon? Aunty tied it so she doesn't forget." She spoke with a smile while grabbing onto Aarush's hand. The latter looked a little confused.

"What's up? I need this hand to pick the suitcases up." He pointed at the hand that was being grabbed by Aeleya.

"Can I ask you something?" She spoke with a bright smile. Aarush was taken aback, and suddenly felt his body heat up a little.

"My wife, stop smiling like that. I'm gonna lose it." He took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Go ahead."

"Give me your phone." She extended her hand, asking for it. She felt a little weird doing this, but at the same time felt it was right. "I want to see what you and Tari spoke about."

"Alright…" He felt a little confused, but still agreed. He didn't have secrets to hide from Aeleya. "You know, you can ask me as well, right? I won't lie to you." He said this while placing his phone in her hand. "My password is…" He hesitated a little at that moment.

"What is it? Are you actually feeling hesitant?" She felt offended by his reaction. Sure, she believed in privacy, but at the same time, she believed that Aarush and she shouldn't hide anything. Her eyes even became a little misty. 'Maybe there are things he won't tell me, or want to show me? Maybe I should respect that.' She sighed and was about to give his phone back, but he smiled bitterly.

"That's not the case. The issue is… my password is…" He took a gulp. "It's your name…" He spoke while his face flushed.

"What?" She looked at him with a questioning face, but it was filled with smiles. "My name?" She quickly spelled her name out and it surprisingly unlocked.

"Yeah… you should look at my gallery as well…" He felt embarrassed but he wanted her to see it.

Following his words, she opened up his gallery and her mouth opened wide. There were pictures of her everywhere. Some of them were from their marriage, while most were just random shots. "When did you take these? Wait, is this of me brushing my teeth? When did you even get this? Wait, why do you even have such a picture?"

"I don't know. I thought you looked pretty, so I took it." He smiled sheepishly while grabbing the suitcases.

"But there is every single pose here. There is even a picture of you and me sleeping on the plane…" She looked at him with a bitter smile.

"I thought you looked pretty. Every pose you make is pretty to me. You should know that. Whether you just woke up, look extremely tired, or really anything. I love it all." He smiled. He quickly scrolled down the gallery with his finger and pointed to a picture with her sitting down. She was wearing her pajamas. "This is my favorite picture. Honestly, I wanted to come into the room so bad that night, but you know." He laughed a little. "Anyways, go ahead and do what you need, I'm going to start putting these on a trolley." He grabbed the five or so suitcases and quickly began to load them on the metal trolley.

Aeleya smiled little. She scrolled through the photos and noticed there was another folder. Clicking it, she saw a bunch of phots of Noori. There were cute poses. Some were when she was young, others when she was a little older.

"It's fine. I'll ask you instead." She wanted the phone mostly to kind of show off to Tari, but in the end, she didn't really need it. She knew that Aarush would never lie to her, plus he really didn't have much to hide. The photos were a surprise, but more of a pleasant one. 'If I wasn't his wife, this would be super weird.'

"Up to you." He didn't take his phone back since his hands were full. Aeleya just placed the phone into her small bag.

"So, what kinds of things did you talk to Tari about? She seems to think that other then Dara and others, no one knows you better." Aarush raised an eyebrow on that.

"What? I told her many things, but never anything too crazy. I've maybe complained about how busy my life is, but I have never told her secrets. Dara and those guys are the people who know almost the most about me, but even Aliya knows a lot. Like, I used to complain to Aliya now and then, and even tell her about my depressions. Even Maazi knew a bit." He spoke in a confused manner. "I don't know where she is getting this from, but I treated her like a normal friend, nothing compared to my other ones."

"What about me? Do I know a lot, or are there still things I don't know?" Aeleya asked. She was curious as to what could be left to tell. She knew about all of his problems from the past and even now. They spoke about it all for a good few hours. She knew about his small scuffles with people because of his siblings.

"You know almost everything. Like, you know things that Dara and others don't know. You know everything about me, except for one thing." He spoke here and paused. "This thing I would rather not say because it's a quality about myself that I don't really like."

"What is it?" She got curious. If she already knew almost everything, then knowing that one last thing would make her the person who knew the most indefinitely. "Does anyone else know it?"

"Dara and the others know, so does Aliya. But they only know because they saw it. I'd rather not say though." He felt a little guilty not talking about it, but he really didn't want to. "Don't get me wrong, it's not because I don't want to tell you, but it's because I would rather never let it be a thing. Just trust me, its something I'd prefer you wouldn't know about me."

Since he was so adamant on not telling her, she nodded her head and smiled. "Don't worry, if you feel so strongly, I won't ask again." Aarush nodded her head and gently kissed her cheek.

"Thanks." Aeleya didn't mind since it was more of a peck, rather than the ones he usually gave her. It was quick.

Tari, who was standing a little further back, watched the scene while feeling extremely grumpy. 'How could he kiss her? I'm right here, does he not care about our past relationship? Also, to do so in public? That seductress probably convinced him to.' Her anger exploded in her mind, but she still showed a smile on the surface. She decided to walk over, not wanting to see them being so love dover any longer. "Hey Aaru, sorry about before." She showed an expression of guilt, lowering her head slightly.

Staring at her with a somewhat icy look, he nodded his head. "That's fine, just make sure not to do something like that. Aeleya is fine, but what if I had Noori?" When his thoughts got to this point, he couldn't help but shiver. Sure, he took a joke to such an extreme level, but he didn't care. Anything that would hurt the people he cared about, a joke or not, made him extremely mad. In the past, lots of his fights could've been avoided, but he took everything too hardly. "Anyways, why are you here? Everyone should be in the cars by now."

"We haven't met in years, so I thought maybe we could catch up a little. You even stopped talking to me, so like it's been a long time since we last spoke." She smiled at him, showing her pearly white teeth.

"I see, well we can catch up some other time. I'm here to get some of the customs done with Aeleya and also meet nani, so maybe when I'm free we can talk." He nodded his head. Right now, he didn't really want to converse with Tari. He was not in the mood.

"Alright, that's fine." She continued to smile. "Should I help you with anything?"

"No, I'm good. Everything here is done." He then looked at Aeleya and smiled. "Let's go."

Nodding her head, both of the started to walk. Tari had a bitter smile, but still followed behind them.

They soon arrived by the cars and all his male cousins began to help him load up. "Aaru, it's been a while man. The last time you came, you used to hang out and play cricket with all of us, so you better not back down when we call you to play a match." His males cousins were all very happy seeing him. While they loaded the cars, they smiled and spoke to him. Everyone mostly forgot about the marriage with Tari, plus they all loved him even before the marriage situation even occurred, and they loved him after too. They were cousins after all.

"I will. I may have been last time, but watch me now. I'll make sure to knock the ball to the other apartments. Haha." He laughed with them, reminiscing about the past a little.

"I don't think so. You probably haven't touched a cricket bat since. Maazi might even be better than you now. It's actually not even a might." They all laughed.

"Whatever. Just wait and see." He smirked a little. Sure, he hadn't played in years, but that didn't mean he was worse than before. If anything, he was a lot stronger, faster, and more reactive then before.

"Alright, everyone get into your cars. Aarush, you and Aeleya can take this. Just follow our cars." One of his male cousins, someone only a few years younger than him, smirked at him. "Aeleya Bhabhi, make sure he doesn't drive off anywhere else. He doesn't know the way to his house."

Aeleya smiled and nodded. She sat in the front of the car that was for them, while Aarush sat in the driver's seat. No one sat with them, giving them their privacy.

"Daddy, where should I sit?" Tari looked at Anu mamu, her eyes showing a look of innocence.

"Umm, go and sit with Maazi and Maya. They have room for one more." He smiled and then turned around, directing everyone into their cars.

"Daddy, that car has too many people. Why don't I sit with Aaru and Aeleya Bhabhi?" She asked with a bit of hesitation.

"Hey, you can't. Let them sit together, I don't want anyone annoying them. Aarush came after so long, so don't annoy him." He said with a bit of annoyance. He never thought about the whole marriage incident anymore since it didn't make much of a difference to him whether Aarush and Tari got married or not. He loved Aarush since he was a baby, and he truly took him as his own son. He had the thought of marriage in the past to help set Tari's future, but it didn't matter since Aarush made sure never to let any of them suffer. So, seeing his daughter try and get in his car when everything was discussed beforehand, he felt a little irritated. "Tari, if you're thinking about the past, then forget it. You should know that Aaru is like a son to me, so I'm happy he finally found someone he actually loves. You only need to concern yourself with your education right now. Once you graduate and find yourself a proper career, we will think about your marriage" As her father, he knew the thoughts running through her head. He felt a little helpless yet also angry that she would think such things. The man was married.

"Alright, I was just saying since there was no room in other cars. Plus, if a third person is in the car, then maybe they can make sure they don't do anything inappropriate, you know?" She spoke this, but instantly regretted it.

"Shut up Tari. They could do anything and that is none of your or anyone's business. They're married for goodness sake. Leave the man and his wife alone. I'm truly disappointed in you. Go and sit with Maya and the rest. Make sure I don't hear about this again, or there will be consequences." He glared at her, watching her leave with her head slightly lowered.

'He doesn't understand. They always told me I was going to marry him, and now he's married to someone else. Plus, she barely knows him for more than a week. How could he reject me for her? I know him so well, plus we used to talk everyday.' She felt bitter. She turned her head, looking into the car Aarush was sitting in. He was smiling at Aeleya, talking to her about something unknown to her. 'No, since I can't marry him, then it isn't anyone else's right.' Her face warped a little as she sat in the car that began to drive off.

Aarush and Aeleya followed the rest of the cars, discussing different things. "Aarush, what is the plan for this trip? Aliya is coming in a few days, while your parents will probably be here tomorrow. But what are we going to be doing? Like I know we have to attend a bunch of dawats, but what else?"

"Umm, let's see. Other then the various dawats, I have to go to the commercial plot under my name. I have never seen it, I had Adi go and get the formalities done for me, since he's better at negotiations." He explained. "I have to make sure that my family is getting money evenly, and that no one is hogging it. I also have to meet up with Dara and the rest later. "

"Why are you so busy here as well? Can't you leave these things for later?" She asked with a small pout.

"I can't Aeleya. These things are important. Also, I bought a plot of land near my dada's house, which I'm planning on building a house in. It will be somewhat larger than my dada's since I plan on making it somewhere I can permanently reside in when I'm visiting, since this won't be our last visit. Mom wants me to visit more frequently with you and make sure I spend more time with my nani. Anyways, I don't really want to make too many changes to my dada's house since it has my dads childhood, and there aren't a huge number of rooms, so it's better if I just make a new place."

"Aarush, I don't want to say too much, but don't you think that spending money at such a fast pace will be a bad thing? Like, sure you make lots, but is not an infinite amount." Seeing her speaks these words, rather than being offended, he felt happy.

"Finally, you're acting more like a wife. You can say whatever you want when it comes to my decisions." He smiled brightly. "Anyways, you're right. If I did this then I would be wasting money, but I get somewhat special treatment by the government. Well, technically, all my friends, and a few others get this special treatment."

"What do you mean?" She asked with confusion.

"Well, Pakistan is still developing, right? Me, my friends, and many others decided to donate lots to the country, and at points have even helped boost some of their development. Because of these contributions, I get somewhat better prices and also a bit of favoritism by the current government. Adi gets the best though. Like, he donates often and also is helping by donating to schools, and other things." He explained slowly. The concept was slightly corrupted, but the world wasn't a perfect place. Some people would be favored, while others not so much.

"So, you're basically one of those corrupt people who buy favors from the government?" She asked with a sullen look. "This isn't a good thing Aarush."

"Relax, you're thinking too much. I'm not getting a crazy amount of favors, like those wealthy people. I just get some benefits, plus, I do this to make my family comfortable. Even if it's bad, as long as my family is safe and comfortable, then it is right for me."

"Still…" She felt a little hesitant still.

"Don't worry, I'm not helping them with anything bad, nor is there any cause for concern. Everything I do is safe. Plus, the government is looking to develop the country, wanting to help it's people, and I'm just helping them with it. I'm not giving them weapons, drugs, nor anything like that. Just money, some medical research which I do for them, and some other minor things." He patted her head, explaining with a smile. "You can trust me, alright? After all, I'm not a bad guy, right?"

She grabbed his wrist and nodded her head with a smile. "If you say so, then fine."

"Anyways, the plot of land is not small, so when we go meet the people, you should have your ideas in your head. Of course, nothing too extravagant, since this is not the best place for that, plus I also have a limit." He placed his hand around her seat, sitting comfortably.

"Don't worry, I'm not into extravagant things." She smiled and leaned back. "Anyways, are we going to your dada's house right now?"

"Yeah. It's where we're gonna stay, so my family is probably waiting there." He smirked, following the cars.

"Alright." She then placed her legs on the seat and turned to Aarush. "So, continue your book story. It's actually slightly interesting, plus your main characters really are like you, except for that evil character."

He nodded his head and began to speak. She asked him to explain the plots of his books since she was interested in the things he wrote. He started during the plane ride, and now he was continuing.

As he explained, they finally reached the house. Aeleya looked at it and was a little taken back. The house was very large, more than two times the size of the one they had in New York. Although the house couldn't be considered as beautiful as the one they had back home, it was still very nice looking, plus it exuded a feeling of the olden days. There was a metal gate in the front, and a small alley on the right. The second floor had a balcony, while the third was completely closed, with a few barred windows.

"This is my dada's house." He smiled and said. Looking at it, he sighed and felt a rush of nostalgia. He came to Pakistan during his time of peace, now things were different. For some odd reason, he felt a little emotional. The last time he came, his dada was alive. Although he didn't spend too much time with him, he could still remember everything they did together. He could remember how when he came home at night after a long game of cricket with his cousins, his dada would be strolling around the area. He would be wearing his white shalwar kameez, with a pair of glasses on his face. Suddenly, he felt his heart squeeze. All his friends had grandparents they were close to. Sure, he had his nani, but she was from his mother's side, so his Nani's focus was mostly her son's kids, not her daughters.

"What's wrong Aarush?" Aeleya saw that Aarush seemed to shake a little. His eyes seemed red, about to tear even. She reached out and rubbed his nape, asking with worry.

"I'm just feeling a little weird seeing this place. My dada isn't here, the only person who could have possibly made my life better than it is. Looking at this place, reminds of him. Although I rarely spoke to him, I did do it occasionally when I was younger." he sighed a little. "I never felt too much when he died back then since I wasn't super close to him, but as I grew up, I always felt that if my dada was alive, I might have turned out a little different. Maybe my dad would be different as well."

"Hey." She sighed a little, feeling a little lost as to what to say. She knew the things that Aarush went through and that very well could have changed if his dada was around. Plus, she still had her dada alive, so she couldn't completely understand his feelings, yet seeing him on the point of tears, she felt her heart shiver. "Aren't things good now? Your dada is probably very proud of what you've done so far. Why don't we go visit his grave after this?"

"Yeah, let's do that." He smiled at her, with his eyes still a little red.

Using her fingers, she gently wiped the bits of wetness under his eyes, her smile containing a smile. "That's a plan. Also, don't forget that you did everything for the future of your family, and now look. Things are great for everyone. Be happy, you did what you wanted to, now all you have to do is relax."

Grabbing her hands, he nodded. "I know, I'm going to spend the rest of my life making you happy, as only your happiness makes me happy." He kissed her hands gently. "Let's get inside now." He let her hand go and walked out of the car, she also got out.

Both of them saw Aarush's cousins stepping out. A few of them grabbed the various bags and ran into the house, the rest following behind. The couple also walked in, both of them smiling.

Entering the house, Aarush looked around with nostalgia. Everything seemed smaller than before. He could the various doors leading to different rooms, there was a path that lead to a small hall which lead outside into an enclosed courtyard. Of course, it was made out of smooth rocks. There was a kitchen in the courtyard with its own building. There a staircase on the right, leading all the way to the third floor, even extending to the roof.

Inside the large, main room, Aarush sat on a sofa, side by side. The many aunts and uncles, new ones they hadn't seen yet and the ones that they met at the airport, sat around the room, finding their own place. The cousins sat on the ground, speaking loudly to one another.

"Aarush, come here dear." Aarush was called by an old woman, the oldest person in the room. His nani; his mother's mother.

He walked over and got on his knees beside her comfortable looking takat. "Nani, how are you feeling?"

"I'm great son, what about you? How do you feel? You're married, and your now successful. You make me so happy, such a grandson." She spoke in her rough voice. "Here, let me take a good look at you." She picked up a pair of glasses and began to inspect him. "Still so handsome." Lifting his cheek, she gave him a small peck. "Go, bring me your wife."

Aarush nodded and waved Aeleya to come over, who did so quickly.

His nani began it inspect her as well. "Wow, what a beauty. Beautiful hair, pretty face, fair skinned, Aaru, you lucked out."

"I know. I don't even know how I got so lucky." He spoke in a somewhat bashful manner. He could make small jokes but nothing crazy. This was his nani, so he had to be a little more descent.

"Haha, alright, go and talk to the rest." Aarush nodded his head and went back to sit on his seat with Aeleya. The various cousins and asked to saw the chance and began to throw question after question.

They asked Aarush some questions, sometimes their asked Aeleya. After a few hours of finally talking, everyone began to focus on the suitcases.

"Hey, what did you bring us all?" Seeing them act like this, he sighed and shook his head. "I brought you guys things, but I will give them tomorrow. Mom packed them and got everyone something specific, I don't know what exactly though, so I won't mess with it." He explained. "As for my own gift, well, I already booked a restaurant for all of you to go and eat at tonight. So, be ready for it."

"Woooh" Everyone cheered and quickly went back to conversing with themselves. In one corner, he saw a man who looked similar to his father.

"Chacha." He got up and walked towards him. Giving him a big hug.

"How are you my son? Good?" His chachu had a gentle smile, looking at Aarush affectionately.

"I'm good, what about you? I heard that you got surgery a while ago? For your heart?" He was a little concerned since heart related surgery was very dangerous.

"I'm sitting here perfectly fine, so yea, my heart surgery went good." He explained with a gentle smile.

"Good, make sure to follow up with your doctor every week, the heart is a very sensitive place." He explained briefly. Although he had never done a surgery before, but he had worked with many heart patients. So, he knew how bad it could get if it wasn't take care of well.

"Alright, since you guys just arrived, go and show Aeleya around. Let her see the house, her room and everything. All of these guys will leave whenever, so don't worry. Also, your chachi's parents invited you to a dawat tonight, so make sure to go. I will come with you, so let the rest enjoy at the restaurant. Alright?" He explained briefly.

"Ok, I'm going to go to my room and put some stuff away then." He had a cordial relation with his chacha. Other then Lammy, he spoke to his chacha often, so he was close to them.

He walked towards Aeleya. "Alright, let's go put some clothes and stuff away. We have to attend a dawat tonight, and I also want to show the area around here."

She nodded her head and took her leave after greeting everyone. headed upstairs to the third floor. There was a single room there, very large, but containing minimal items. "Is this our room?" Aeleya asked with a bit of curiosity.

"Yea. We will be staying here." He looked around for a bit and nodded it. It was like a small little house. There was a kitchen on the side, a single room, and a washroom with a bath. There was even a window.

"Wow, this is really nice, right?" She was pleasantly shocked.

"Yeah." He went into the bedroom and saw that it was slightly dusty. "But it seems like it wasn't cleaned too well. Here, let me help you get the old things removed, and we'll replace it with cleaner items."

She nodded her head and the both of the quickly got to work. They spoke, laughed and also jokes. Soon a few hours went by and they finally finished. The place was a lot cleaner, yet both of them were the opposite. Dust and other things covered their bodies and clothes.

Aarush laughed a little, but when he looked at Aeleya, he was a little entranced. Sure, her clothes were messy, but her overall look was extremely attractive. A messy bun, with a breezy shirt. He felt his body turn slightly hot, but he calmed himself down.

Aeleya noticed staring at her weirdly, which made her raise an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Uhm." he coughed a little while feeling slightly awkward. "I was just thinking, this is the first time you and I did something together. Like actually did something. Sure, we hung out a little in the airport, but that was different. We've never really been on a real date before and like doing this kind of felt like a small little thing a husband and wife would do, you know?

She thought for a moment and nodded her head in realization. "That's true. I never noticed it."

He walked to the two suitcases which were for them and opened them up. "Anyways, let's first get everything sorted out, and then I want to take a shower." He opened the largest one first and found that it was filled with dresses. "Wow." He looked at Aeleya and smiled bitterly.

"Hey, I had to. Aunty told me that I have to wear a new dress for the different Dawats." She sighed and said. "I brought about ten or so dresses."

"That's it? You do know that there will be like a dozen dawats, right? Like, most of them are outside of our family, and mostly friends and colleagues." He said.

"What?!" She felt shocked by the news. "Aren't we here for only half a month, how are we going to so many dawats?"

"Well, some days we will be going to two, while even three rarely." He also had a bitter look. During dawats, they would be lots of food, and not eating was considered extremely rude. Especially since the food was made specifically for them.

"But, how will we eat all…" She felt dizzy just thinking about it. Eating back to back would be a pain, literally.

He shook his head and sighed. "We're just going to have to try. We can't decline them either since that would bring further issues for us, plus it would embarrass the people. We can't do that." He began to take the dresses out one by one from the suitcase. "Anyways, just wear a few of them again, it's not it should matter, right?"

"Hey, that's not how you do it, don't just place them on the ground. Here, let me do it, just get the things from the other suitcase." She scolded him as she watched him roughly move the dresses around. Walking over, she shoved him aside, making sure to fix the dresses that were wrinkled because of him. "Anyways, I can't wear them for the dawats more than once, atleast that's what aunty said. She said that if I wore them over and over again, then it would look bad on us. She said, people might talk behind our backs and stuff."

"What, that's crap. Who cares if they talk, we're here for a few weeks, that's it." He opened the other suitcase and casually pulled items out, yet feeling speechless by his mom's words.

"Aarush, you're ruining it, stop taking them out so messily. I folded them for a reason." She saw him pulling things out with no care, somewhat pissing her off. "Here, just go sit over there, you're useless."

Aarush bitterly smiled at her words and just moved away with his hands raised.

"But yeah, I can't just wear them again. You might not care, but aunty and I do. You don't know what kind of monster girls are. Once they start talking, it always ends bad." She sighed and shook her head. "But I can't even do anything. I left the rest back at home, since I didn't think I would need them all."

"Forget it, if it matters that much we can go today and find some more. Anyways, I was going to travel the area with so we can just head to a market and buy some." He sighed a little. "Wait, I can just wear my suit, right? I don't have to keep on getting new ones, right? If I do, then forget it, I'm not going to the dawats. Cause that's just a full waste."

"Relax, you're a guy, so even if you just wore jeans or something, no one say much. People only care what the girls wear, not the guys." She giggled a little, laughing at his words. She pulled out some sweats and a white t-shirt, tossing them to Aarush. "Just wear these after you shower."

He caught the clothes and nodded. "When are you going to shower? Your clothes are messy too and have dust over you."

"What, you think I'm dirty?" She asked with a small glare.

"Well, yeah. I just said you're dusty, so like… yeah." He felt a little confused.

Seeing him not getting the hint, she couldn't help but laugh a little. 'He's slightly dense when it comes to this, although I thought he was actually the opposite.' She shook her head while smiling. "I'll take a shower after you're done." She said after a thought. "I want to organize these clothes first."

Aarush thought for a moment and walked over. He squatted in front of her, somewhat surprising her. He grabbed her chin and smiled a little. "Why don't you come shower with me? It's more efficient, plus it would fun." He winked at her, caressing her lips. Leaning forward, he pecked her lips. "What do you say?"

Aeleya was a little surprised he would ask that. Her face flush, but she shook her head. "Not yet, I'm not ready to go that far yet." She saw the disappointment in his eyes and sighed. Leaning forward herself, she gave him a deep kiss on his lips. Her face flushed further, but she saw that it placated Aarush.

"Since you don't want to, then fine. But remember, tonight, I will be having my fun." He smirked and got up. Walking over to the washroom, he entered and shut the door behind him.

Her face was still flushed, but she focused on her task. She got all of her dresses out and also organized her and Aarush's daily clothes. She put the shampoos and other similar items on one side. Soon, everything was neatly arranged into piles.

"Should I plan out the clothes for the next few days?" She thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, let's start with the dresses. This one should be the first one, since I really want to wear it. This could be for the second dawat…" She began to slowly choose what she would wear when. The she moved onto Aarush's two suits. "Maybe if he wore this on the first day, then this on the second. Just keep on reusing really." She laughed thinking that Aarush didn't have to worry about his choice, since he could wear any of the two.

"Aeleya Bhabhi, are you inside?" As she was starting to put the clothes into the closet in the room, she heard a knock. It was Tari's voice.

"Yeah I'm here." She walked towards the door and unlocked it. Opening it up, she saw Tari standing with a few other cousins.

"Can we come in?" One of the other cousins asked politely.

"Yeah sure, come." She smiled at them, leading them in.

"Where is Aaru?" A different asked.

"He's taking a shower right now. The room was dirty, so we were cleaning it." She explained as she led them to where a few seats were.

"Oh, are these your dresses for the dawats?" The first cousin asked again, feeling somewhat excited.

"Yeah, do you want to see?" Aeleya smiled and asked. She wanted to get close to these cousins, since they were her family now. "Come, let me show you guys what I'm planning on wearing."

She led them to the piled dresses and began to show them one by one. "Wow, this one is so pretty. It really suits you."

"What are you talking about?" Someone else said. "This blue one will look the best on her."

"No, I think it will be this yellow one." Another said. Soon, everyone began to look at the dresses, of course not opening any of them.

Tari was a little distracted, entranced by the dresses. 'All these dresses, even if all of us combined, we wouldn't have this many fancy dresses.' She then stared at the washroom door, from where she could hear water splashing and hitting the ground.

"Aeleya bhabhi, which one does Aarush like?" One of the cousins asked.

"He hasn't seen the dresses; he doesn't really care about these things." She said, shaking her head. It was normal though.

"Then you must know which one he would like to see you in, right?" They asked.

"Well, from all of these, he would probably like this one." Aeleya pointed to a black and purple dress. It was stunning, yet also a little simpler than the rest.

"I don't think so. He would probably prefer this one over here." Tari cut in and pointed towards a sky-blue colored dress. It had white around the collar, with pretty white jewels decorated around. Although it couldn't be considered the fanciest, it was still very detailed.

Feeling a bit irritated by Tari, Aeleya just smiled, trying to act like the bigger person. "Well, you know him better than me, so maybe your right." Although she said on the surface, she thought something else on the inside. 'Blue? Maybe he liked this color at one point, but even then, he preferred black. Now, his new favorite is purple, so why would he like a blue dress? I'm his wife, I know things you wouldn't.'

Seeing Tari act like that, the other female cousin got a little mad. "Tari, remember that a person changes, plus Aeleya bhabi probably knows more since she is his wife." One of them spoke in a snappy voice. "Right Aeleya bhabi? I'm sure that Aaru likes this one more. Ignore Tari, she doesn't know what she's talking about." This cousin was one of the younger ones, but she remembered that this was Lammy's daughter. She heard at one point that Lammy wanted to make Aaru her son in law, but didn't push for it since Aaru didn't have an interest in her daughter.

'Seems like this one is better then Tari. Maybe she liked Aaru in the past, but she isn't into him anymore and knows how to maintain herself.' Aeleya smiled as she thought this. "I'm not sure. We will see later. If you guys get curious, just ask him yourself."

Tari glared at her cousin for not siding with her. 'We're family, you should take my side, not this person.'

Although everyone became slightly more awkward, they still continued to discuss about the dresses.

"Hey, Aeleya bhabi, what are you and Aaru planning after this? I heard you have a dawat later at night, so you won't be coming to the restaurant." Lammy's daughter, Sara, asked.

"Umm, I have to go to the market with Aarush after I take a shower. After that, we're just going to look around until it's time to go to the dawat." She spoke honestly.

"Market? Is he showing you the market?" Sara asked with confusion. The market was nice, but usually during night, plus it was a little far.

"No, I need to get more dresses since aunty would get mad if I wore the same dress again to a dawat. Aunty is scared that people with talk, so I need to get more." She sighed. Sure, she loved dresses, but that didn't mean she wanted to get lots. She just wanted simple ones that could be used for everyday wear.

"Wow." All the girls looked at her with a bit of envy. Although Aarush treated all of them equally, making sure that no one was being left to suffer after he started to make a good amount, that didn't mean he could spoil them. The only person who might get more than others was Sara, but that because of Aarush's relationship with Lammy.

"Since that's the case, then make sure to get good ones. The ones here are very nice." Sara spoke with a smile. She really liked Aeleya. Aeleya just gave off a very easy-going vibe, unlike her cousins. Plus, Aeleya was very attractive, making her like her more. 'I could see why Aaru likes you so much. Even I would like you if I was a guy.' She spoke in her mind.

"Anyways, Aeleya, I'm sure Aarush told you this already, but I want to warn you again." Suddenly she got a little serious, so did the rest of the cousins, staring at Sara with a questioning face.

"What is it?" Aeleya was confused why she got so serious.

"The thing is, Aaru's cousin Hazim isn't here yet since he went out to buy a few food supplies, but when he comes, make sure you don't stay alone with him, ever. " She spoke with a small glare.

"Aarush told me, but is it really that bad? Like I'm Aarush's, his cousins, wife. Would he really try anything? Plus, if he was so bad, then I'm sure things would be really bad for him, so he shouldn't be terrible, right?" She still felt confused by this. Since Hazim wasn't in jail and was still walking around freely, then it meant he hadn't done anything crazy. Maybe he hit on a few girls and people took it as sexual harassment. It wasn't uncommon for people to think that flirting and harassment were the same thing, even though they weren't.

"Aeleya bhabi, Hazim is my family, so do you think I would talk about him for no good reason? Sure, he has a big heart, but only towards the males in his family, and maybe a few girls, but everyone else, he looks at with disgusting eyes. He has even sent a rishta for me, but my mom rejected instantly. He isn't a good guy; not does he care about his future. He plans on leaching on Aaru for the rest of his life." She explained carefully. "This hasn't spread, but he tried to touch me once and my brother, Zaid bhai, saw and beat him to a pulp, yet Hazim brought a few friends later and beat my brother up badly." She showed red eyes, thinking about it. "So, just make sure you stay near Aarush, since he doesn't dare do anything to Aarush. You may not know this, but Aarush is very similar to how his dad was in the past. They both have a crazy personality, and would probably kill someone if they were forced to. I remember my mom once telling me that Aarush's dad, Ayun uncle, once beat up one of the candy shop owners so bad he was sent to the hospital, and this was because he whistled at Amina khala. The only reason Ayun uncle stopped was because Anu mamu and a few soldiers held him back. I heard he actually broke his hand and stuff too." She spoke with a look of seriousness.

"So, you're saying he is like that too? I don't think so, he doesn't seem like it." She shook her head.

"Then you haven't heard about what he did a few years ago?" Sara asked in confusion.

"What?" She was suddenly caught on, feeling somewhat expectant and a little worried.

"Well, since you're his wife, no reason to hide it, but don't tell anyone. We cousins know only because Maya was talking about it at one point."

"What is it? Why is it so secret?" She became even more anxious. 'Is this what he didn't want to tell me about?'

"Well. from what Maya said, when Aaru was in his second year he saw a guy hit Aliya's butt. Aliya didn't know him and neither did Aaru. From what was explained, he supposedly dragged the guy outside and basically broke his wrists. He hit him with a bat a few times as well, and dislocated his shoulder. He was freaking out and just lost it. The police came and was about to arrest him, but he was able to get away before they arrived." She explained slowly. "It's because of this and many other smaller incidents that no cousin tries to mess with Aaru. He is a nice guy, but at the same isn't. So, if Aarush is around, you are safe around Hazim, but if he isn't make sure not to be alone with him. If Hazim does something, then…" She didn't finish but everyone got the message.

Aeleya was shocked to say the least. She never thought that Aarush was such a person. He seemed so cordial and always showed a happy side. Plus, his personality just didn't fit with the description.

Aarush suddenly walked out of the washroom, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. "Aeleya, can you give me my toothbrush and the shampoo bottle?" He walked out with no care in the world. He looked up for an instant and his face froze. "Oh, hey guys…" He said in an awkward tone.

"Aaru, can't you look before coming?" Sara shook her head and said. The other cousins giggled a little. They weren't embarrassed since all of them were family. Sure, there was Tari who liked him, but other then that, everyone treated each other like real siblings.

Aeleya was actually more shocked than others. She didn't expect him to come out like that, plus she hadn't actually seen him shirtless before. Right now, his body was dripping with water, while his hair was over his face. His body was toned and had a good proportion of muscles. His abs weren't crazy, but they were noticeable. It was easy to see that he worked out.

Picking up the items he asked for, she got up and walked over to him. "Here." She gave it to him with a shy expression. Looking up, she glared at him in embarrassment. "Why did you walk out like this?" She spoke in a whisper.

"What? This is how I am. I walk around my house shirtless most of the time, and like I find it more comfortable. Why, did I make you excited?" He said with a smirk. "You can still join me if you want, I'll shoo these guys away."

"Shut up, just go and finish showering and get changed." She scolded in a low voice.

He smiled but before he left, he couldn't help but say something else. "Remember, I'm going to be sleeping shirtless tonight, so…" He didn't finish before Sara walked up. "Sara, what's up?"

"We have a question to ask you. Come here." She pulled his arm to the dresses. Aarush smiled at this cousin. As he spoke to Lammy so much, he spoke to her many times too. He even tutored her a little.

"What is it?" He asked with a bitter look. The hand that wasn't being grabbed was holding onto his towel, making sure it didn't fall.

"Out of all these dresses, which is your favorite?" Aeleya walked over with a slightly flushed face, still thinking about what he said.

"Which dress? Why does it matter? Aeleya will look good in all so I don't really care." He spoke with a casual smile.

"Aaru, just say which is your favorite." She said with a bot of annoyance.

Aarush sighed and began to inspect the dresses. "I like that one the best. The purple and black one. Is that all?" He asked with confusion.

"Seems like you were right Aeleya bhabhi." She smiled sweetly at Aeleya, while the latter continued to stare at Aarush's bareback. "Tari, see, how could you know more than Aeleya? She is his wife." Sara didn't hate or dislike Tari, rather she wanted to make sure Tari knew her place. She didn't want anyone ruining her cousins life, especially after he worked so hard to make it better for everyone.

Tari ignored Sara and questioned Aarush in a confused expression. "Aaru, I thought your favorite color was blue, did it change?"

"Well yeah. purple became my favorite after my first book release, so it's been a while." He said casually.

"I see." She said with a bit of dejection.

"Anyways, I'm going to finish up. Aeleya, remember what I just told you right, alright?" He smirked at her before entering the washroom.

"What's he talking about?" The girls asked in curiosity, but when they saw Aeleya's turn a crimson red, they knew it was a husband and wife thing.

"Never mind, we won't ask." Sara laughed a little, winking at Aeleya. Tari on the other hand glared at Aeleya and Sara wanting to know what Aarush was talking about. "Well, we're gonna go for now. You can continue what you were doing, we won't disturb you guys."

She led the cousins out of the room, but Tari stopped by the door. "Aeleya." She said in a calm tone.

"Yes?" She asked with a bland smile. Her dislike for Tari was very high. She felt uncomfortable around the girl who kept crushing on her husband.

"I don't know how you did it, but me and Aarush were supposed to get marri-" Before she could finish, Aeleya suddenly dragged her into the room and closed the door. "What are you doing?"

"You know Tari, you're really bugging me. You like my husband saying that you were supposed to marry him, but keep in mind, you aren't married to him. I am. He doesn't like you; he likes me. Let me help get some things cleared for you." She walked to the bedroom and took Aarush's phone off charge. "This is Aarush's phone."

"Hey, don't you think going into someone else's property is bad? Don't you respect his privacy?" Tari felt shocked that Aeleya was so straightforward, but she couldn't not insult her after getting such a humiliating thing told to her.

"You wouldn't understand, but between me and Aarush, there isn't anything to hide. His phone is mine, while mine is his, make sense? Now, let me see, how do I open his phone? Oh yes, his password is my name." Showing her the screen, Aeleya slowly typed her name as the password, and then it unlocked. "I wonder, why would he have me as his password? He could have put anything, even Noori, but he chose me, I wonder why?"

Tari gritted her teeth. "So, what, it's just a password."

"Really? Look, his background picture is me…" She then went into the gallery and showed her with a smile. "Oh look, he has so many pictures of me. The only other pictures he has in this phone are of Noori. He doesn't even have a picture of his family." Aeleya had enough of Tari, she wanted to make sure the girl knew that she wasn't as important to Aarush as she thought. If Tari only liked Aarush, but didn't try and act up, Aeleya wouldn't have minded. Crushes were normal, it was unavoidable.

'S-so, he has other pictures as well." She felt a little dejected. She could see his obsession just by the pictures.

"That's not all. You see, Aarush listens to me, if I want him to do something, he will do it, as long as it isn't anything too crazy. Plus, I'm not crazy enough to make him do what I want, he's my husband, not a slave, but there is one thing I will do, just watch." She walked over to the washroom door, and knocked. "Aarush."

"What's up?" His voice came from the other side.

"I want to ask you a question." She said.

"What?" He spoke out.

"Why didn't you marry Tari? What was the main reason?" She asked this question while looking at Tari. She didn't feel bad for doing this, it was important Tari understood something.

"I already told you the reason before. I don't like my cousins like that, such a thought is disgusting to me. Like she's my cousin, family. I don't think that way." He answered back. "Why are you asking again?"

"Just wanted to make sure. Why did you marry me? You didn't know me." She asked this while looking at Tari, whose face was pale, showing extreme dejection and sadness.

"Come inside, I'll explain slowly." When he said this, Tari's face paled even more, while Aeleya felt embarrassed.

"Forget it." She answered back shyly. Walking over to Tari, she looked at her calmly. "Now you should understand, Aarush never liked you and it's impossible to like you like that. I didn't do this to make you feel bad, just to show you how things are. Now, you should focus on other people, maybe try to find someone else you like because Aarush is mine, and only mine." She explained a little, seeing the girls pale face. She didn't feel bad doing this, it was a must. If she didn't understand it through the nice way, only being rough could help.

Tari felt a little lost. She turned around and began to walk towards the exit. 'Maybe she thinks this is enough to force me away, but I already knew all of this when I heard he got married. I knew this since he rejected our marriage, but does that matter to me? I was supposed to marry him and that is what I will do.' Her eyes cleared as she walked out the door. Although she felt shocked by all of this, it wasn't enough to change her mind.

Aeleya watched her leave and then closed the door, locking it as well. She went back and began to put all the clothes away. A few minutes later, Aarush walked out of the washroom with only his shorts on. Seeing that Aeleya didn't notice him walk out, he sneaked behind her and grabbed her waist.

"Aarush?" She spoke with a surprise. Turning her head, she saw he was shirtless, and her face flushed. "Hey, let go. Go wear a shirt or something."

"What do you mean?" He turned her body, making her face him. "What's wrong with me being shirtless? It's not like I'm going to be wearing a shirt later tonight, so get used to it now." He picked her up like a princess and walked towards the bedroom.

"Hey, what are you doing now?" She panicked at his sudden actions. Her eyes scanned his body but blushed.

"Nothing, I just want to have another small session." he threw her onto the bed, climbing on himself. She looked at him in shock, curious why he was acting like that. He climbed over her, pinning her to the bed. "I know that Tari was outside. I heard what you guys were talking about. My little wife felt so jealous that she actually fought? I can't control myself right now, so let me have a bit of fun." He then covered her mouth with his own. Aeleya flushed thinking about the fact she heard it all, but instead of worrying just enjoyed the sensation. A few minutes passed and Aeleya laid on top of him with disheveled hair.

"So, you don't mind that I did that? She might have been hurt." She spoke silently, still scanning his body which she found extremely attractive.

"Why would I mind. If you didn't say anything about her actions so far, I might've. Like, I'm married now so other then you, no one has a right over me." He lifted her chin and smiled. "You could do whatever to me, only you have this right." He winked at her, causing her to flush.

"Anyways, I need to shower, so let go now." Aarush sighed and kissed on her lips before letting go.

"Go ahead." As she walked away, he sighed. "When will we take a shower together." His voice wasn't quiet, but wasn't loud. It was enough for her to hear him. She flushed but didn't answer back. She quickly ran to the washroom.

Aarush waited a few dozen minutes and she finally walked out. She was wearing one of his shirts while her hair was wrapped in a towel. Aarush was on his laptop, concentrating on something, not even noticing her walking out.

Aeleya raised and eyebrow, thinking it was weird that he wasn't concentrated on her for once. She took this chance to dry her hair, while he continued to work.

"What the hell!" He growled in a low voice, somewhat shocking her. He got up from his bed and threw the laptop to the side. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. After a few minutes, it went through. "Hey, James what the hell is this report! Did you just go ahead with the surgery without their consent! What the fuck did you do?!" Aeleya recognized this name. It was the resident that Aarush was scolding in front of his office the other day.

A murmur came from the phone, and Aarush's frown deepened. "James, this is not good. The chairman is pissed, he just emailed me saying that the family is suing us for over a few million dollars. This is going to completely ruin the reputation of the hospital! Do you know that the kid is in an extremely bad position after the surgery? Did you not look through his reports? He couldn't have done the surgery; it was way to early! This could very well shut the hospital down if the kid dies. Go and find Istan and have him handle the situation. You better find a way to console the family, or else you can forget your residency in this hospital!" His face was looking extremely pissed. He threw the phone to the side and sat on the bed. He massaged his forehead slowly, feeling an extreme headache coming on him.

After a few minutes went by, he picked up his phone and dialed a new number. "Hey, Istan, where are you?" He listened and sighed on the phone. "One of our residents went ahead and approved a surgery even though the family declined. Right now, the kid's position is very sensitive, can you go and handle the situation? It would be better if you could monitor the kid personally before I arrive." He listened again and frowned. "No Istan, I can't come right now. I'm not even in the country, I'm in Pakistan right now. I literally just got her, and the chairman emailed me about the situation. He is very pissed off right now." He continued chatting and Aeleya listened from the side. "What the fuck Istan, just go and handle the situation. You're the only doctor who is available that can handle it. Worst case scenario, just put everything under my name, I'll handle it when I come back." He cut the call and walked to the side of the bed, picking out a small bag. He opened it up and pulled out a small capsule filled with medicine. Swallowing one, he began to massage his head again. "What the fuck, that idiot James should've known better. Now, I'm in shit, and so is the hospital!" He spoke silently, his hands clenched.

Aeleya noticed that his body was trembling, so she quickly walked over, her face filled with concern. "Aarush, what happened?" She sat besides, using he own hand to massage his forehead. Aarush looked over and smiled bitterly.

"Nothing, just some work stuff. No big deal, I can handle it." He smiled and patted her on the head. Getting up her walked towards the closest. "So, what am I wearing today? Might as well get ready early."

"Aarush, your body is shaking, come here and sit down. Here, lay down and I'll massage your head." She could see that his fingers were still shaking a little. His were somewhat red, filled with stress, while he looked exhausted. She just went in the shower a little while ago. He looked fine, and now he looked like this. It was concerning.

Aarush nodded his head and went over, laying on the bed. He placed his head on her lap and just stared up at her "Thanks." She smiled at him, gently kissing his lips.

"Just relax for now. Don't get stressed during this trip, alright? Forget about work for now." She spoke slowly, but he smiled bitterly.

"I can't forget about work, Aeleya. I'm a doctor, so even my breaks get interrupted at random times. It's just one of the perks that comes with being a doctor." He sighed a little. "Also, don't get upset, but I may need to go back for a few days and handle the situation. One of the residents who is under my wing messed up and now a kid's life is in danger. None of the other doctors want to handle it since it is turning into a very large mess. The chairman is also calling me back to clean up the situation."

"You're going back?" She asked with surprise.

"Only for a few days. I'll be back soon, don't worry. While I'm gone, I would prefer if one of my friends stayed here with you. I'm planning on calling Haris over with his family. I will only feel secure if they're around." He spoke seriously. "If you need anything, you ask Haris, alright?"

"Aarush, you just got here, plus you were at the hospital for a week, you need to get a break for once." She spoke seriously, her face showing dejections.

He raised his hand and gently squeezed her cheeks. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon. I know this sucks, but this is my life. Plus, this was partly my fault, I should've made sure to handle such cases myself before coming, plus I thought the residents could handle this for a few days atleast, since one of the other doctors, Istan, was going to be back at the hospital after two days." He sighed and got up. "Alright, let me call Haris. Dara is a little further away right now, most likely in his pind while Adi is likely handling other situations. So, Haris is the best bet, plus he's in the Defence area, so it should be alright for him to come." He picked up his phone, and began to dial.

"Aarush, are you seriously leaving? You can't, even with Haris, who I barely know, I don't know anyone else here. Even auntie and uncle aren't here yet. Plus, you know that Tari is against me, while you keep mentioning this Hazim cousin of yours." her eyes became a little wet, holding Aarush his hand, trying to prevent him from leaving.

"I'm sorry Aeleya, this is about a little kids life. If I don't go, he could very well die. This is something I have to go and fix. Trust me though, I'll be back in a few days, alright?" he kissed on the forehead, trying to console her. Seeing that she still showed a depressed look, he sighed and sat her down onto the bed. "Let me tell you a story my dad would always tell me. I don't know if this is a real incident or not, but he would use this as an example for what a doctor must, should, and has to do."

Her face still showed dejection, but she nodded. "Alright."

"It's short, so don't worry." He smiled, kissing her forehead. "Basically, there was an incident where some father visits a hospital, in his arms is his son. He yells, telling the nurses to help save his son. The nurses tell the father that there isn't a doctor available, which makes the father even more mad. He demands a doctor come and save his son, so the nurses call a doctor, explaining the situation on the phone. Thirty or so minutes later, the doctor arrives with a sullen face. Without asking anything or even greeting anyone, he begins the operation on the boy. It takes over an hour, but he still completes it and it becomes successful. But, he doesn't stay and rushes out right after the surgery, not bothering even talking to the worried father."

"Isn't the doctor being unprofessional? Like sure he was called when he was on break, but that isn't the boys nor the father's fault. Like, he should have atleast told the father everything was fine now." She grumbled a little.

"Listen, and you will know why he's like this." He smiled, pinching her cheeks gently. "Anyways, the doctor rushes off, and just leaves like that. The father, not feeling too grateful, goes up to the nurse and complains. 'Why is he like that? Like he's such a bad doctor, I just wanted him to save my son. I should report him!' The father complained, but the nurse didn't agree with the father. 'He isn't like this normally', she said to the father. 'Then why is he acting so arrogant and mad? This is very unprofessional.' He said, but he made sure to add something else. 'He will get his pay, so he should be happy if anything.'" Aarush sighed as he got to this point. "The nurse glared at the father and explained the reason, 'Sir, that doctor was attending his son's funeral when we called him here. The place is more than half an hour away, but he still rushed over. Rather than staying at his own son's funeral, he rushed over to save your son's life. If he doesn't act like this, then how else should he act? He is human, not a robot. Even doctors have families and emotions.' She said this and just walked away, leaving the father in shock." His sigh got even deeper. He then looked at her and smiled. "Do you understand what this story portrays? Everyone takes something else out of it, for me, this story represents what a doctor has to do. The doctor left his very own sons funeral to save someone else's son, why? It's because he would rather prevent someone else from suffering the pain he went through. Only a father could understand the pain of losing a child."

"Who knew…" She was shocked by the turn of events. "Then isn't it unfair for the doctor?"

"Of course, it's unfair. It's completely unfair, but that's what makes a person a doctor. They signed up for this. I signed up for this. Right now, back at the hospital, there is a child going through life and death. His family is suffering seeing him in such a condition, and right now I can save him. If I don't go, then the family will lose someone dear to them. For me, I have to go. I always wonder what if this child was my Noori? What if it were you? How would I feel knowing that no doctor is coming to save you both? I would suffer from pain and probably would not find it easy to live on." He rubbed her head, bringing her into his chest. "I know that this is really unfair for you, but I have to go, alright? This is my job." He explained patiently.

"Alright, you can go. I won't say anything more." She looked up at him, with her eyes showing bits of tears. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm just worried about you. You say you signed up for this, but I know you didn't. You're going there to save the child, but like the doctor in the story, the family will only curse you for the situation. You didn't sign up for this, yet you're forced to take the hit." She felt extreme sadness for him. Getting up, she kissed his lips. "Once you're there, make sure to call me, alright? It will help you feel better talking to someone."

"I will. Relax, I'm not too worried. I will fix the situation and return to you, alright?" He sighed and got up. Walking to the closet, he pulled out a small box. "Look, this has a bunch of money you can use. If you run out, ask Haris, he will give you anything you need. Don't tell anyone about this, alright?" He smiled while passing the small box over. Aeleya didn't open it and just stared at him with a sullen expression.

"When are you leaving? Tomorrow, in a few days?" She asked, hoping that he might be able to stay for a bit.

"The email the chairman sent has my flight schedule. My flight is in a few hours, so I'm leaving today." He sighed. Aeleya's eyes widened as she stared at him.

"So soon? But what about the dawat tonight? I can't go alone." She said, while dejection filled her face.

"You won't need to attend any dawats, atleast not until I come back. For now, Haris will just take you around and let you enjoy your time. When I come back, we can start attending the dawats. I will tell Lammy about it and she can handle the situation. I will also call my mom and tell her to handle it as well." he sighed and picked up his phone. Dialling a number, the phone call went through. "Hey Haris, I need you to come to my house right now. I have to head back to New York for a hospital issue, so can you come here with your family and just look after Aeleya? I don't want to leave her alone, especially with that little shit Hazim. I would take her with me, but I'm going for work reasons, and it would look bad if I brought her along." He listened and then nodded his head. "Thanks." After cutting the call he smiled at Aeleya. "Look, Haris is very trustworthy, I would bet my life on it. He, his wife, and his kid, will live here with you. You will do as Haris says, alright? If he says that you will go live with him in the defence until I come back, then you will do so. I trust Haris more then any of my family members, plus he's able to look after you."

"Alright." She weakly nodded, knowing that Aarush was concerned about her safety. Although she barely knew these friends of Aarush's, really only ever seeing them during the games and wedding, she heard many things. His mom and dad, and even siblings, treated all four of them like family, so she didn't mind staying with them. "Then you should go and inform the rest. Atleast give them a heads up about the situation." She said, still sighing.

"I know." He smiled. He picked up her hand and walked out of the door. "Here, I need to leave in an hourish, so why don't I take you to eat my favorite snacks here? The French fries by that road side. Oh man, they're so good, at least from what I remember." He showed a child like excitement, which caused a smile to form on Aeleya's face.