Chapter Fifteen Part One

The kiss was soft, warm, and felt incredibly pleasing. Hazim felt his whole body stiffen with the taste linger on his lip. He lifted a finger and placed it on the edge where the kiss was plants. He rubbed it slightly and felt the moistness that she left behind. He turned his head and saw her blushing a deep red. He couldn't help but stare at her lips, which lingered with the saliva that she stole from him.

With his self control finally being untameable, he grabbed her waist and pulled her tightly towards him. "H-Hazim." She was taken off guard by his sudden action. Feel his arms tightly wrap around her waist, she felt extremely shy.

Leaning in, Hazim planted a gentle kiss on her lips, yet it wasn't short like the one he gave, nor was it on the edge of her lips. It was directly from the front. Sara felt her breathing sped up as her wide eyes began to slowly shut. Hazim used his other hand and began to slowly caress her hair. Leaning back, he looked at her with a gentle smile. "From now on, I will only ever do this to stop you from crying. I will hug only you, kiss only you, caress only you…" he stopped and placed his forehead on hers. "... marry only you."

With his final words escaping his mouth, Sara looked into his eyes and felt her eyes well into tears. She kissed his cheek gently and wrapped her hands around his neck. "I'm sorry for hurting you for so long. To love me even after all the pain I gave you, I am really happy." She kissed his cheek again. Seeing the tears streaming from her eyes, Hazim smiled.

"Alright, now stop crying. Do you think I could ever be hurt by you? The amount of love I have for you is almost unbearable. All the time when I talk about finding a wife for myself and having kids, the only person I could think of who my wife could be is always you." He kissed her under her two eyes. The saltiness of her tears entered his mouth, but he didn't mind. "Now stop crying. Let's just be happy that I finally got to taste your lips." He went into a kissed her on the lips again, lightly sucking on them. Sara felt bashful as he sucked on her lower lip. It felt nice and extremely sensual. Butterflies swam in her stomach as she began to lose control of herself.

"Hazim, wait. I want to get married first. I don't want to do anything more before marriage." She looked at him as he let her lip go. Hazim nodded his head.

"My thoughts exactly." He used his fingers and caressed her lips. Sara looked at him and felt a little weird yet excited. "Your taste…" He smirked at her before whispering into her ear. "...It's intoxicating. When we get married, I'll never be sober with you around me." He moved back and smiled at her with intoxicated eyes. Sara blushed deeply after hearing his words. He touched her lips and smiled happily.

"So, how are we going to get married? I don't think my mom and brother will like it…" She said with a bit of concern.

Hazim smiled. "Aaru bhai will handle it. As long as you are alright with me, then there is no issue."

She gently slapped his cheek while sweetly smiling. "I have forced myself to kiss you, there is no turning back now." She leaned forward and spoke in a blissful way. "Plus, with a husband as smart and handsome as you, why would I doubt anything?"

Smiling towards her, he grabbed her hand and entwined his fingers into hers. "I'll show you more of what this handsome person is." He looked at her with lustful eyes as well. Hazim whispered in her ears with his warm breath. "Plus, I'm excited to see what my beautiful wife is hiding underneath these clothes as well. I want to see and taste it all." He smiled wickedly, causing her to blush furiously. She quickly pinched his waist and then walked away. Hazim laughed and pulled her arm. Picking her up, he placed her on the bake. "Where are you going? Let's go back to the hospital." He smiled and hopped on the bike, driving away. She wrapped her hands around his stomach, holding tightly. Hazim looked down and smiled wickedly. "Sara, if you move your hands any lower, I may have to marry you right now."

Hearing his shameless words, she looked over and saw that she really was nearing his region. Although still blushing, she was a lot bolder than Aeleya. Unlike the latter, she was the one who initiated the first kiss. Of course, Sara would get shy, but she was a shameless person, similar to Aliya.

"I'll put my hands where I want. Hmph, I'll put it lower too, what will you do?" Just as she said, she moved her hands lower, yet not touching him his region. This was her way of teasing him.

Hazim laughed bitterly. "Just wait till we get married. I'll make sure to use this exact thing to tease every part of you." He was no less shameless. Sara blushed because of his words, but expectations built inside of her thinking about her wedding.

Soon, they arrived at the hospital. Hazim parked the bike, but didn't move. "Aren't you coming?"

He shook his head bitterly. "If I go on, lots of people will get uncomfortable. I'll wait out here for now. You go ahead."

Glaring at him, she grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bike. "No way, you're coming inside. I'd like to see who says something so you. Since you are mine, everyone better treat you right or else we're going to have problems." She huffed angrily. Hazim didn't fight her pull and just allowed her to do as she pleased. He was dragged through the hospital until they arrived at Aarush's room. Sara and Hazim weren't considered that everyone could see them holding hands, well Sara wasn't atleast. She was still superior to Hazim when it came to being bold and shameless. Truly she lived up to her name as Aarush's cousin.

"Sara? This…" Suddenly Maya walked forward to her and asked with a weird expression. She saw Hazim's hand being pulled by Sara's, yet none of them seemed disgusted or anything.

Maya smiled at her. She walked close to her and whispered something in her ear. "Me and Hazim… you know are…" She didn't finish as Maya's eyes widened.

Maya looked at Hazim with a shock. The latter smiled at her helplessly. He looked extremely cute with his current expression. "Wow, I never thought you of all people… with Hazim as that."

"What can I say, Hazim is really someone whom I can stay forever with." She spoke silently, so no one could here her.

"Sara, why are you holding this beasts hands?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind Maya. All three of them looked at the speaker, and when they saw who it was, a frown formed on their faces. Even Maya, who was close to everyone, showed a deep frown. After the incident where Aarush freaked out and had a panic attack, Maya didn't like Tari so much.

"Tari, what do you mean by those words?" Maya asked with a deep frown.

"Maya, don't get me wrong. But seriously, you know what he did…" Tari showed a bit of fear. "Even to me…"

"Shut up Tari!" Sara glared at her. Normally she was collected, but this time she was mad. "We all know he didn't a thing to you, so stop acting like a victim. Plus, I can hold whoever's hand I want, whether its Hazim, or Maazi, or even Aaru bhais. You can't say a thing to me."

Tari frowned being yelled at by Sara. The latter was a few years younger so normally, she wouldn't act so rudely. "Tari, watch your tone. I'm older than you, so keep that in mind."

"If you believe that age matters, then alright." Suddenly Hazim spoke with a frown. He never liked Tari, before mist even knew about her annoying personality. "As your elder, I command you to shut the hell up." He spoke with a deep voice.

"Oh, please Hazim. If you were a million years older, a rapist like you has no speaking rights." Tari mocked him without a shred of cordiality.

Sara suddenly walked forward and looked Tari straight in the eyes. "I dare you to say that again. With a snap of my fingers I can get you kicked out of here like Aliya kicked you out of the house. Don't test me." Sara spoke ruthlessly, poking at Tari's most painful scar. She pulled both Maya's and Hazim's hands and dragged them to the door where Aarush was inside. The younger cousins noticed the confrontation that occurred, while the adults were oblivious to it all. They were too concerned about Aarush.

"Hazim, Aeleya and Aarush are calling you inside." Lammy walked out of a room door and spoke to Hazim, who quickly let go of Sara's hand without anyone knowing.

He entered the room and saw Aarush sitting on a bed shirtless and a large amount of stitches on his arm and hands. There was a bandage on his chest. A doctor was on his side rubbing something on his arm, while Aeleya sat beside him, holding his hand with red eyes.

"You're finally here. What took you so long?" When the door shut behind him, Aarush looked up with Aeleya and both of them smiled at him.

With a blushed face, he smiled like a child. "Well… I was with… Sara…" His blush got even deeper.

He was close to these two, so he didn't mind them knowing. Plus, he could tell Aarush was fine, excluding the paleness on his face.

Both of them looked at him with shock and pleasant surprise. Even Aeleya, who had tears in her eyes, wiped them and looked at him with a bright smile. "You guys made up?"

"A little more than that." He smiled bashfully while touching his lips a little.

"Damn." Aarush spoke with a smirk. "Nice."

After smiling for a bit, he walked over and sat by Aarush. "How are you doing Aaru bhai?"

"No big deal. I just lost a bit of blood and luckily I wasn't infected by anything. They stitched me up and said that I shouldn't make any major movements for atleast week." He shrugged his shoulders and explained causally.

"No big deal?" Aeleya glared at him. "The doctors said that he lost way too much blood and he was in a bad condition. Even with the stitches, since he loses lots of blood, he is extremely weak, and infection is still possible. He has to keep his wound covered and…" She spoke furiously with tears appearing in her eyes again.

"Alright, relax Aeleya. I'm fine." She stroked her head while planting a kiss on her forehead.

"You idiot. What were you thinking doing something so dumb? What if something worse happened?!" She looked at him with a pale expression.

Aarush sighed. "Nothing would have happened. How could I let anything happen when I still have you waiting for me? Even if I get killed, I'll come back to life just for you." He spoke gently.

"Shut up, don't say such bad things." She frowned when he mentioned death.

"Anyways, I called you here for a reason Hazim." Aarush looked at the doctor and nodded. The latter knowingly left the room. "I need you to find out whether these photos of Aeleya ever reached the web. If so, I need you to find a way to get them down if possi--"

"They didn't reach the web." Suddenly, Adi entered the room with a smile. He walked over and looked at the stitched and sighed. "You're really dumb. But hey, we were able to catch a guy who was actually not so kind." He sat down on a chair and explained. "Seems like Ali was actually doing these things for a year. Going through the laptop, the police was able to find that he actually stalked dozens of girls and sold their photos for a large amount. Luckily, he was never able to get a photo of Aeleya that was worth selling, so they never reached a seller." He explained. "You are very lucky; he was never caught before this and was only caught because of Aarush's anger issues."

Aarush smiled in relief when he heard this, but still asked once again. "So, other then Ali, no one else has seen the photos, right?"

Adi nodded his head. "Yeah, not a single photo was found. Currently, the cops are working on getting the photos of the other girls down. Ali is behind bars and is going to be there for many years. I'm still trying to get him detained for a long time, but it will be a while." Nodding his head, Aarush sighed.

"See, nothing happened." Aeleya stroked Aarush's cheek softly. "You didn't have to be so reckless."

"Actually, if we didn't catch him right now, there was a chance he would have given out Aeleya's photos within the week. Supposedly there was buyer for random pictures, and Ali was about to sell them to him. Aarush, you actually got there in time, so good job." Adi smiled and said.

"I should have seriously killed him. Not only Aeleya, but even other girls were harmed by him. Such scum don't deserve a place in this world." Gritting his teeth, Aarush spoke with veins bulging on his forehead.

Aeleya quickly stroked his cheek and frowned. "Stop getting mad already. Everything is handled. Please, just let it go." Seeing she was on the brink of tears again, Aarush took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"Sorry." He smiled bitterly. "Anyways, thanks Adi."

"Don't mention it. Aeleya is my bhabi, so it is something I have to do." He smiled at Aeleya gently. "Since I'm done here, I'll leave you guys alone. My wife is probably worried sick now." He rubbed his forehead and got up. "Aeleya, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid for a while. I'll go and get his hospital fees paid for now, but tell him to go easy for now. God knows he won't listen to the rest of us." With that, he walked out of the room.

Aarush didn't mind Adi paying for his bills. They were closer than brothers, so there wasn't any boundaries between them.

"You hear that. No more getting angry. It's not good for you." She said with a pout.

"I know I know." He shook his head bitterly. Aarush then turned his head to Hazim. "Anyways, since that is done, then next topic. Aeleya was telling me you want to go out with your dad? Honestly, I was being stupid for not thinking too much about this. I just wanted you to get freedom and learn how to work yourself, since in a way that's how I felt when I grew up. I thought it was the best method, but not everyone's the same." He sighed and spoke with a bit. "I will make sure chacha goes with you, but since you and Sara made up and even have taken things to the next stop, what's your plan with that?"

"I wanted to talk to you about this." Hazim spoke with a bright smile when he mentioned this. "Can you find a way to convince Lammy about me marrying Sara? Both of us are ready and really want to get through with it. If we get married, I plan on moving abroad with Sara and my dad. Also, if me and Sara get married, I don't mind being in the same city as Zaid anymore."

Aarush nodded his head and looked at Aeleya. "Go and call Lammy and Sara inside for me. Also call my parents and chacha. I want to get this done now. If they decline, well I'll just get the two married myself. I'm not going to bullshit around this time." Aarush stopped caring about basic protocols when he finally achieved success. He wasn't bossy nor was he disrespectful (atleast not all the time), but growing up, he was fed up with the traditional thoughts of his family. He decided to handle things his way since no one could do anything to him and since he had the right to speak up. "Also call Aliya and Jeej."

Aeleya nodded her head and walked out of the room. "You're going to do it now? Isn't it a bad time?" Hazim asked with worry.

"It's the best time. Everyone is emotional and they all feel bad for me and stuff. It will be easier to convince, haha." He smiled shamelessly. "Also, don't act weak or anything when the topic is brought up. As long as you show confidence and alike, I will handle the rest. Whether it's Lammy or chacha, I will handle it. You just got to hold your own stance. Got it?" Hazim nodded his head firmly.

Soon, everyone gathered in the room. Most had already seen Aarush, so when they saw his stitches, other then a sigh, nothing else was said. Sara, who had yet to see him, looked shocked.

"Aaru, why did you call al of us here?" His mom asked gently. She felt pain in her heart seeing her son in such a condition. She cursed Ali over and over again for putting her son in such a state. As a mother, how could she not feel anger towards the person who hurt her son?

"The reason is this." He looked at Sara and gestured her to come to him. Sara nodded her head and sat beside him. She blushed a little, knowing the reason for this gathering. She glanced at Hazim secretly before putting her head down. "Hazim and Sara, I want them to get married." He phrased in a way that the blame would be mostly on him rather then two.

The room suddenly tensed up. Lammy had a frown on her face. "Aarush, what do you mean by this?"

"Just as I said. I want these two to get married." He looked at her calmly, not batting an eye. "Why, is there an issue with it?"

"Of course, there is an issue. A rishta was sent before, and Sara and I both declined it. So, the answer is no matter what." When she spoke like this, Aarush frowned.

"Oh really? Is there with Hazim? He is one of the most educated in our family, carrying two masters. He is also very desirable in North America. He can handle money well; he will be living very well later. His love towards Sara is no less then yours, maybe even more. I can guarantee he will take care of Sara better then anyone. So, what is the issue?" There really wasn't an issue.

"Aarush, this decision isn't up to you. I said no, and that is final." Lammy didn't care if there were many good points for Hazim, she didn't want her daughter marrying such a man.

"Lammy, you already know that whatever was said about Hazim just isn't the truth, plus the person that was actually the victim is willing to marry him." Aarush spoke with his frown getting deeper. "Since both Hazim and Sara are willing, why are you so against it? From what I see, you're just being a little too overbearing."

"No matter what you say, I don't approve." No one else spoke, not even chacha. The latter was alright with anything as long as his son was happy. And seeing Aarush handle the situation, he decided to keep quiet unless he needed to speak out.

"Well, if that's the case, then I will get the two married myself. I was asking you out of politeness since you're the mother. Yet, if you keep saying no, I will ignored everything and just do what I want." Aarush suddenly turned hostile. He hated when people went against his wishes. It was arrogant, but he didn't care.

"Aaru, watch how you talk. She is your aunt, not friends." His mom suddenly glared at him and spoke out of anger.

Aarush looked at her and also glared. "Mom, I don't need anyone input on this. Whether I'm being rude or not doesn't matter to me. I'll do what I want." He was overly aggressive to his mother, mostly because she was one of the few who would always interfere with his decisions, always looking out for herself and others, never looking at others happiness. This always bugged him.

"Aaru!" His suddenly yelled.

Aarush just ignored him and looked back at Lammy. "Again Lammy. I will do it myself, so just say yes and come with happiness. Your daughter wants this, just ask her."

Lammy turned her head and looked at Sara with a glare. "Is this true? Weren't you the one who is always against Hazim? Weren't you the one who was so active in rejecting the proposal the first time? What happened now? Think about it hard, if you choose Hazim, then you can forget about taking me as a mother."

When she said this, Aarush suddenly ripped the out of his arm and got off from the bed. "What did you say Lammy?!" He growled at her. Aeleya rushed over and held him back.

"Aarush, you're getting angry again." She spoke quietly while pouting.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves, but his expression became icy. "You and every fucking one of our elders keep saying the same bullshit over and over again. I'm fucking sick of it. 'Choose me or him! Choose me or her! If you choose him, I'll die.' What the fuck! Emotional blackmail over and over again. Don't you guys understand what kind of bullshit goes through your children's heads when you say this?" He looked at his parents and also glared. "You guys are no better. You remember what happened when you guys tried to force Aliya into marriage, don't make me do that again! You know what? Fuck this, I will say the same thing then." He turned his head and narrowed his eyes while looking at Lammy. "Since you asked Sara this question, let me ask you the same thing. Pick one. You can let Sara marry Hazim, let her be happy with a great guy who loves her more then his life, or I will spread news that Sara is in love with Hazim and that if anyone tries to marry Sara, he will have to go through me. Also, you can forever forget about interacting with me from this day forth if you choose the latter, I will rather never see a person who blackmails their children like this."

"Aaru, you can't be so childish, what kind of options are these." His mom suddenly looked at him with a hint of panic.

"Please mom, it is way better then the ones you people give us. Honestly, the option is so easy that it shouldn't be asked. Pick your daughter's happiness, what's so hard about that? She is your kid, not something you can play with. This is her life, not a game." The last sentences were pointed towards Lammy. The latter walked forward and suddenly slapped his face.

SLAP

"Do you really not care about me enough to cut me off? You wish to cut me off, someone who has treated you like her own son?" She spoke with red eyes while glaring at him.

Aarush didn't budge and continued looking at her. "Whoever you are, I don't care you're my real mother, if you start going against the wishes of your kids for stupid reasons, I will definitely cut you out of my life. Ask my mom what happened when she forced Aliya." His eyebrows continued to knit. "Hurry up, I'm waiting for an answer. And no, I will not give you time. You pick now. Either you say yes to the marriage, let everything go on peacefully, not losing any of your kids, or you say no, not only losing your daughters trust, but also losing the trust of your son, and ultimately forcing me to cut you off from my life. Go on." He crossed his arms and spoke. "You should know very well how I am."

Lammy hesitated for a moment before looking at her daughter. Seeing her look at her with a begging face yet somewhat sad at the same time, Lammy sighed and nodded her head slowly. "Fine. I give my consent."

Finally, Aarush smiled. He sat down on his bed and looked at Lammy with a smirk. "Thank you. I respect you even more for choosing your daughters happiness."

Lammy suddenly turned around and headed to the door. "I said yes, but Aarush, if you want it to be done without any interference, you will not come to the wedding."

"Done." Aarush agreed right away without hesitation. Hazim was about to say something, but Aarush stopped him. "As long as these two are happy and get married, I'm willing to go back to America and never step foot in Pakistan again." Lammy then walked out of the room. Everyone was silent for a while, before his mom and dad also began to leave.

"Aarush, I'm very disappointed in you. Talking to your elders like that." His mom looked at him with a look of disappointment.

He just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care. He was a rude person, but he didn't care. In the end, he was willing to be hated by everyone, as long as those around him were able to have a happy future. That was the reason he worked so hard anyways.

Seeing her son ignore her words, she shook her head and left the room. Soon, only the youngsters were left. Chacha gave Hazim a smile before walking out as well.

"Aaru bhai, how will we have our wedding without you? What's the point?" Hazim spoke with a bit of dejection.

"Shut up Hazim." Aarush looked at him with irritation. "Whether I come or not doesn't matter. If you guys finally get married than everything is fine." He snorted a little. "Anyways, I'm feeling tired, so let me be here alone for a bit." Hazim nodded his head and walked out with Sara. Aliya and Jeej didn't leave right away, rather Aliya walked to Aarush and gently rubbed his face.

"I know you were looking forward to it, no need to act like you don't care. Don't worry though, there is no way that Lammy would actually force you to stay away." With that, she walked out with Jeej.

Finally, only Aarush and Aeleya were left in the room. "Aarush, are you alright?" Aeleya got onto the bed and sat beside her and looked at him warmly. "If you want to talk, I'm here."

Turning his head, Aarush looked at him with a sigh. "I'm fine." He shook his head bitterly. "I'm just a little sad that I won't be able to see his wedding take place. I've wanted to be there for everyone's weddings, or atleast the ones I genuinely consider family." He sighed a little.

"Don't worry, just like Aliya said, Lammy is just mad right now, but there is no way you won't be able to come." She gently stroked his head. Leaning forward, she rubbed her cheek on his while gently hugging him. "It will be fine, alright?"

"Hopefully." He sighed. "But, if I know Lammy well enough, there is no way I will be allowed to come or else she will really make a huge deal out of it."

Aeleya didn't know Lammy well enough to say anything more, so she just tried her best to reduce his bitterness.

After a while, the doctor returned, and he just completed a few final bandaging on Aarush's knuckles. He gave Aarush a few things to keep in mind, which he didn't really pay attention to all that much. He was a doctor himself, so of course he knew what to do and how to take care of himself. Aeleya on the other hand listened carefully. She memorized everything the doctor said.

"You are free to leave Mr. Yunus." The doctor said with an amiable smile. Aarush nodded his head and got up. Aeleya supported him while he got up, since he was still a little weak. The amount of blood he lost wasn't little. He still felt nauseous because of the weakness. Both of them stepped outside and saw that everyone was still there, including Lammy and those upset with him.

Aarush mom was the first to walk forward. No matter how mad or disappointed she was, Aarush was her son.

"Can he finally go home?" She looked at Aeleya and asked with a bit of expectation.

She nodded her head with a smile. "Yeah, he can come home now. He just needs lots of rest and they said he should avoid warm food for now until he starts getting strength back. He could start rebleeding if he eats anything warm or starts to do too much. Cold drinks and cold food is the only thing he is allowed." She explained carefully, trying to tell her everything the doctor told her.

Listening carefully as well, she smiled and nodded her head. "Well, since you're looking after him so well, is there any need for me to try? Also, why isn't he wearing a shirt?" She asked. He was shirtless and everything was seen.

"It's not that he can't wear one, but he doesn't want to. Plus, his shoulder has to be open at all times in case the area gets too warm." She explained helplessly. Of course, she didn't mind if Aarush was shirtless since he was feeling uncomfortable by it.

"Aaru?" His mom looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I feel like vomiting if I wear my shirt. It's getting too hot, so I'm keeping it off for now." He said while shrugging his shoulders.

When he said that, she nodded her head. "Alright. I have called a cab for everyone; I'll send them home from here. You can go home first with Aeleya." She passed him the car keys and smiled a little. She gently rubbed his head. "When you get home, eat and then go to sleep." His words might have been a little hurtful, but which mother could ignore her son's injuries? No matter what, she loved him, and he was her son, so she would care for him.

"I know. I will just get a light snack first and then probably go to sleep or something." Although the sun would rise in an hour or so, he planned on just going back to sleep.

"Also, you have a dawat to go to tomorrow." She suddenly said which caught him off guard.

"Aunty, but he is…" Aeleya spoke up with a bit of hesitation.

"It's fine. Aarush will be fine; I know after a but of rest he should be able to go and do a bit more. Plus, a dawat will be good for him, there will be lots of food, so he can gain more energy this way." Of course, his mother would prefer he stay home as well, but she couldn't keep delaying the dawats. People would begin to think bad of Aarush and his wife, which was the last thing she wanted. He may be injured, but he could move around and eat. Plus, dawats were just having food and a bit of small talk, so it was bearable.

"Alright, I don't mind. I do need a change in pace, these dawats will be fun." He smiled at Aeleya. "It will be something we do for our wedding after a while, so don't think too much. I will be fine." He squeezed her nose and smiled.

They both then walked out of the hospital and into their own car. Hazim and Sara were also following them. Hazim would drive since Aarush couldn't and Aeleya didn't know the streets well enough to drive. Sara came because she was worried about Aarush and also concerned about the issue in the hospital room.

"Aaru bhai, do you want to stop for some cold drinks or food first?" Hazim asked while driving past a few stalls.

"No, I'm fine." He looked at Aeleya and asked with a smile. "Do you want anything little foodie?"

"Let's get some milkshakes." She spoke with a bit of embarrassment. She saw the stand and began to crave it a little. Plus, it was cold and also filling so it would be good for Aarush.

"Hazim, take a right and let's get some milkshakes." He laughed a little. Yet, his mood was lightened because of this action of Aeleya. He loved seeing her being so carefree, it made him feel very happy. "C'mon, what else do you want to eat? Tell me, I'll get you anything you want. Remember, the more you eat feel happy, the better I will feel, so don't hesitate because of me." He spoke with a smile, while pulling her closer to him.

"Hey, Hazim and Sara are here, control yourself." Seeing him earn in so close with people around, she felt embarrassed.

"They won't look. Just tell me, what else do you want?" He spoke again.

She felt a little embarrassed and grumpy. "I'm not always hungry, why would I want to keep eating?"

"I know you're hungry." He pinched her arms and her cheeks and then her stomach. "You look a little thinner. You haven't eaten all night; you must be hungry." Of course, he was just teasing her. She looked the same, it hadn't even been a night yet.

"Stop that Aarush." She struggled a little with her face being red.

"If you don't tell me, I won't stop. Maybe other parts have thinned, should I check?" He looked at her eyes and pointed at her chest, causing her to flush completely red.

"Alright alright. I'll see when we get off. Is that fine?" She spoke with a grumble.

"That's better." He leaned in whispered into her ears with a smirk. "Also, that part hasn't become smaller, don't worry. It looks great to me, of course, later at home, I might need to check just in case."

She shoved his aside with a blush and looked out the window, feeling extremely embarrassed. Aarush laughed lightly and they finally got to the stand. Hazim and Sara weren't oblivious to what was going on in the back, but they ignored it.

"Aaru bhai, what flavor do you want?" Hazim parked the car and everyone got off. Aarush and Aeleya hands as they leaned against the car. Hazim asked with a smile while Sara stood beside him.

"Just get me banana flavored." He answered with a smile.

"I want mango." Aeleya said right after.

Nodding his head, Hazim walked over to the person behind the stand and made his order. The milkshakes were made quickly. Aarush got his while Aeleya also got hers. Hazim and Sara sat a little further away with their own drinks. Not wanting to disturb the couple, while also wanting to talk a bit more themselves.

"Sara, I honestly don't feel comfortable without Aaru bhai coming." Hazim spoke honestly. If Aarush didn't come, he didn't know if he could actually get married. He just didn't want to.

She sighed and nodded her head. "I feel the same. It won't be right without Aaru bhai coming to the wedding. I need to convince mom to change her mind."

"What a mess. Still, hopefully it all works out. Without Aaru bhai, there isn't any reason for this marriage to take place." He spoke with a bit of helplessness.

"Hazim, what the heck are you saying?" Suddenly, Aarush appeared behind him with Aeleya. He smacked Hazim's head with a bit of irritation.

"No matter what, whether I come or not isn't important. The people getting married are you and Sara. I'm a married man, so please, I'm not that interested in you." He smirked and sat down with Aeleya. "Anyways, just start planning for the wedding. Although the wedding itself is off limits, I was never told I can't help and be involved with the rest of the events, like say the engagement and also the mehndi, and so much more. Plus, even if I don't come, Aeleya will be there. She is equivalent to me being there." He said with a smile.

"Hazim, Aarush is right. Just take these things off your mind and just be happy you finally get to marry Sara." Aeleya smiled and said. "Now come on, let me know what your plan is for the wedding, like what the theme you guys want and what kind of clothes will you guys where…" Aeleya felt super excited. Her own wedding was very grand, but because she wasn't into it back then, she never got to enjoy it. Right now, she wanted to be as involved as possible for Hazims wedding.

"Aeleya bhabi, we were literally just given the ok, how would we have anything planned out, right Sara?" Hazim laughed bitterly and looked at Sara, but the latter smiled a little embarrassedly.

"I actually have everything planned already." She rubbed her hands a little, feeling a little bashful.

"How…" he looked at her with shock.

"Every girl has these things planned Hazim. I just chose from the various ideas and picked which ones I liked best." She smiled and began to explain what she wanted with a smile.

Aarush and Aeleya listened with smiles. The former was happy seeing his cousin so happy. He felt like he finally accomplished something he had been fighting for. It made him feel genuinely happy. Aeleya on the other hand was very excited. She listened and pitched in ideas and the two girls were lost in their own worlds.

Whenever Hazim tried to pitch in his own idea, the two girls would glare at him and he would instantly shut up. Even his clothes weren't his own choice. A helpless look appeared on his face.

"Hazim, come with me for a bit. There isn't any point trying to say anything here, you will just be cut off." Aarush smiled and got up from his seat. Hazim followed him and both of them walked towards the car. They leaned against and stood in silence for a moment.

"Aaru bhai, thanks for doing this. I know going against everyone's wishes isn't something you like to do, but you did it because of me and Sara. Thanks." Hazim looked at Aarush and spoke deeply.

"Don't worry about it. You're my little brother, it is my job to make sure you aren't suffering too much." Aarush smiled. "Anyways, I've altered the plan a little related to you living and working abroad."

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

"Since you will have Sara and your dad living with you, the responsibilities will be high for you. And whenever you have kids, if you guys want to that is, that will be an extra toll on you. Before I was planning on leaving you and Zaid in an apartment, or at most a small house, but this time I won't do that. First, I will come with you and Sara personally and help set you up a little. I pay the down payment for a good house for you, of course based on what Sara likes.." When he was going to say more, he saw Hazim looking at him and shaking his head with a smile.

"Aaru bhai, thank you for thinking so much for me, but like you said I need to learn to stand on my two own feet." He smiled. "Before getting together with Sara, I might have been alright with you getting me a house and just caring for me, but now I feel like I should do everything myself. I want to give Sara a life which is from my own hard-earned money. If I keep taking from you, when will I ever do anything myself?" He spoke with a calm mind. "You see, I have enough money saved up that I could put down a mortgage for a large house myself." He quickly took out his phone and showed Aarush the amount. The latter was a little shocked. It was more than what he put into Aeleya's account by more than a few times.

"You really saved well over the years." Aarush said with a proud smile.

"Well, most of the things were being handled by you, so I just put everything I earned into this account and it just built up over the years." Hazim smiled with a bit of embarrassment.

"Alright, I won't interfere with that than, but all the wedding payments will be handled by me. I won't take a no for an answer there. As your older brother, I have a right and responsibility to pay for that at minimum." Hazim nodded his head. "Alright. Then, have you found a place you want to go? As for a job, do you want me to ask Adi to help you with that or...?"

Hazim smiled bashfully. "Actually, I kind of already found a place I will work." Once again, Aarush looked at him with a weird expression. Opening his emails, he pulled up an email and showed it to Aarush. "I used to get an email from this company every week saying they will pay me this amount if i work for them and everything. I always said no since I was fine here, but now there isn't a reason to decline them." He smiled proudly. "They want me to handle the company's finance and lead it with a few others. They also want me to train a few people in the job. The pay is also very high, and the stability is great since they are guaranteeing atleast ten years of employment. There is also a chance of more promotions and raises. They want me to handle all of their business in New Jersey. Although it isn't the small city I was looking for, it is still very good. It will be near you guys, so my dad won't be lonely either." Hazim pulled up the various information and when Aarush saw the pay, he was very shocked. It was very high, around the mid to high six figures section.

A burst. "Wow, I knew that things would go well for you, but I never thought it would be this good. You really are a lucky fellow." He smiled and looked at the company name. He had heard of this company. They were actually one of the many sponsors of his hospital. It was a large company dealing with electronics and also a bit of medicine.

Hazim rubbed the back of his head with a shy expression. "I haven't told anyone about this yet. Right now, other than me, only you know. I'm planning on telling Sara later."

"Make sure you show this to Lammy. It will make her more comfortable knowing her daughter won't have many issues when it comes to stability of life." Aarush explained with a smile.

"I will show her when I see her next." Hazim smiled a little.

"Well, your future doesn't seem to have many issues. That's great." Patting him on his shoulder, Aarush smiled. "But Hazim, as a person who has seen the ups and downs of the real world, make sure you don't prioritize work over your family, alright? Your career is important, but never as important as your family. I have been constantly busy with work and have spent barely a few days with Aeleya in total since our marriage. How do you think that makes her feel?" Aarush sighed. "I regret it, but my job is peculiar, I can't do anything about it."

"I understand. I already informed this company that I want to start after a month. I plan on going on a honeymoon first and then coming back. That way, when I start work, Sara won't be too lonely. Plus, she says she wants to work as well. Once we arrive in New Jersey, she wants to look for work as well." Hazim explained.

"What is she planning on doing? From what I remember, she has done a degree in finance too, right?" Aarush asked.

Hazim suddenly shook his head and laughed a little. "I phrased my words wrong, she wants to work, but not in a workplace. Rather, she wants to write and find a good publishing house and become a professional writer. She was worried about not being able to pursue this because it was not a stable job, but when she finds out about my job, I'm sure she will be happy and pursue writing. You know how she wants to write books like you." He smiled and said, shaking his head slightly.

"That's great. Writing is really fun. Sara is smart." Aarush also laughed.

Both of them spoke for a while and finally the two girls walked over. "Alright, let's go."

"Aren't you hungry?" Aarush looked at Aeleya and asked.

"A little, but this time I want to go home and cook some food. Maybe you will like it." She looked at Aarush and smiled. "You have only eaten one dish of mine; I want you to try a bit more."

"Really?" Aarush looked at her with excitement. "Hazim, hurry and start the car and drop me home." He pulled Aeleya and sat in the car. The latter was a little helpless and embarrassed by his actions, but she just followed along. Aarush entered the car and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, while closing his eyes silently.

Starting the car, Hazim drove off.

Soon, Aarush and Aeleya got home. Hazim went to drop Sara home so currently they were home alone.

The first thing Aarush did was sit on the sofa with a relieved sigh. "Finally, home. My god, what a night." He pulled Aeleya and sat her on his lap. "Are you tired?" He wrapped his arms tightly around her, kissing her cheek.

"No, I'm still fine. What about you? Should I make food, or do you want to sleep?" She asked while holding his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek as well.

"Make food, I want to taste your food." He smiled and rubbed his head. "But after that, let's go to sleep."

She nodded and went into the kitchen to make something to eat. She wasn't going to make anything crazy since he could eat only cold things for a bit, so she decided to make a light desert. It was made very quickly, and she brought it over quickly. "There isn't much option when it comes to cold snacks, so here is some faluda. Although I didn't need any skill in making it, it is better than nothing." She smiled and passed it over to him.

"Feed me." He said with a smile. She shook her head and began to feed him patiently. After a few bites, he grabbed the ice cream and began to feed Aeleya. "Here, you eat too." She smiled and ate it with him. After eating the desert, they moved up their room and the first thing Aarush did was take a shower. There were still blood stains on his body. He didn't have Aeleya join him since he just wanted to get all the blood off of him. Soon, he walked out in a pair of shorts. His body was a lot cleaner, but the stitches were still present and looked terrifying. He rubbed his arm and sighed. "This will scar so badly." He lifted his hand and looked at his palm. "This one actually hurts so much though." He clenched his fists lightly and walked into the bedroom. "Aeleya?" He looked around and saw that Aeleya wasn't around. Raising an eyebrow, he sat on his bed and just waited.

Aeleya suddenly entered the room, but Aarush felt his whole face blush. She wasn't wearing her normal pajamas, rather she was wearing a thin nightgown. It was black with purple streaks.

"You can't Aeleya, the doctor said nothing hot! I might rebleed!" He looked at her and said with a shy expression.

She felt a little embarrassed but still sat on the bed. "Relax, my pajamas are being cleaned. So, this is all I have. Plus, it feels really nice." She felt the fabric, it was very soothing.

Aarush looked at her and suddenly grabbed her bare leg. "Well, if I bleed to death, it's on you." He began to light massage her leg.

"Nothing will happen. I will make sure of it." She straightened her hair a little and laid down. Aarush let go of her leg and also laid down. Aeleya got closer and began to caress his stitched arm. "Does it hurt?" She looked at him with red eyes.

He shook his head. "I don't even notice it. Don't worry."

"Aarush, why are you so dumb?" She tightly wrapped her body around him, feeling extremely sad and scared. "You got hurt so bad. I can't live without you, so you can't get hurt so bad again."

"Sorry." He smiled bitterly. He didn't know how many times he told her the same thing.

"Aarush, I want to have kids." She suddenly said with a shy expression. "I want to have our own kids, I want to carry them, raise them, and want a family." She said while moving closer to him. Seeing her act like, Aarush suddenly felt excited.

"Well then…" He got up and stared down at her. "...your wish is my command."

"Sara, we're here. Your mom is probably inside waiting inside for you. Do you want me to come in?" Sara nodded her head. "Alright, I think it's important we all talk about this." Hazim and Sara got out of the car and walked towards the door. Hazim took the lead and knocked on the door.

Soon, the door opened, the one who opened it was Zaid. When he saw it was Sara and Hazim, he looked at them weirdly. Although he felt a little uncomfortable after finding out about them wanting to get married, he didn't comment too much on it. If his sister was alright with it, he didn't care. "Mom is inside, she is mad Sara." He said with a bitter look. Hazim noticed his cheek was a little red from the right. Seems like he did get into trouble a little as well.

Sara and Hazim walked in and saw that Lammy was sitting on a sofa with a glare in her eyes. "So, you're finally back?" Lammy got up and looked at her daughter with a glare. She then turned her head to Hazim and glared at him. "And you, you came as well?"

Seeing her become hostile right away, Zaid quickly walked over. "Mom calm down, just listen to them."

"Shut up Zaid. Go stand in the corner." Lammy looked at him and growled. She then walked over to Sara and glared. "So, you decided that Hazim is more important than me? Aarush was there so I said yes, but I still don't like this one bit."

"Mom…" Sara felt a little upset and sad that her mom was so against it. "Mom, please. You have to atleast tell me why you're so against this. Sure, Hazim did something in the past, but he did it to me, no one else. I'm alright with it, I have already let it go." She said with a pout.

"You have let go, but can I?" Lammy glared at Hazim. "And you, what kind of spell have you put on my daughter? What kind of life can you give her?"

"Lammy, I swear upon my dead mother then I will take care of Sara." He spoke with a deep voice, showing all of his confidence. "I agree I did something stupid in the past, but I truly loved Sara back then and even now. I want to give her a great future, and let her live a worry-free life. I am capable." He quickly pulled out his phone and showed her the email. "Look, I already have a job waiting for me in New Jersey. It is guaranteed ten years and the pay is good too. I can give Sara a comfortable life and take care of all of you as well. Trust me, I really want to marry Sara and I can do anything for her, even give up my life." Hazim spoke out his feelings without holding anything back. "But I promise you, without your complete approval, I won't marry her. Even if Aaru bhai fights for it, I won't do it unless you consent."

She listened to him and sure her anger receded a little. Honestly, the only thing still bugging her was Hazim's past actions against Sara. That was it. She felt scared by what he did, and now her daughter wanted to marry that very person? How could she agree with happiness?

"Hazim, I don't question that. But still, what you did was unforgivable. I have been told that the supposed assaults with Tari and a few others were fake, but how can I be sure you aren't lying about that? What if in the future, you find someone else and decide to leave my daughter? What will she do then?" Lammy calmed down and said.

Hazim shook his head. "I swear that will never happen. I don't even need to say 'if', since I will never leave Sara. Everything that happened with others, I don't have any proof. It's true I touched their hands, but it wasn't for any other reason but to convince them to talk to Sara for me back then. I didn't have any other motive then speaking to Sara." He explained. "Lammy, you got to believe me when I say that Sara is my lifeline. Other than my dad, I have never cared for anyone so much other than Sara."

She sighed a little and then looked at Sara. "Sara, tell me. Are you really serious about this?"

Sara nodded her head. "Mom, I am the same as Hazim. I don't think I will be able to marry anyone other than him. I really love him too. I'm sure both of us will be well in the future, plus there aren't any problems with Hazim, right? He is kind, he is smart, he loves me so much, and he loves all of you too. What more could I ask for?" She explained with an anxious voice, not as calm as Hazim.

Sighing a little, Lammy nodded her head reluctantly. "Although it is sudden and still a little hard to accept, I won't say anything more about this. Alright then, we will have your engagement with him in three days. Your dad should be here by then too. I already told him about it, and he says it's fine as long as you are alright with it." When Sara heard this, she leapt into the air and quickly hugged her mom.

"Thank you thank you." She spoke with a wide smile. Lammy smiled helplessly.

"Alright, enough. We need to start preparing for this." She rubbed her daughters head and spoke.

"Mom, what about… Aaru bhai? Is he really not allowed to come?" Sara asked with a bit of hesitation.

"No, he isn't coming." She spoke with narrowed eyes. "For a kid to him to speak to me like that, and even threaten me? I don't need him to come."

"But he only did it to help us." Sara spoke with a pout.

"Enough!" She glared at Sara. "I don't want to hear anything more about this." With that, Lammy left the living room and went into her own room.

Hazim sighed and also left after a while. Sara walked him out to the car, while Zaid went into his room while rubbing his cheek.

"Sara, don't worry. Everything will be fine, alright?" Hazim hugged Sa and cradled her in his arms while speaking gently.

"I know…" She sighed a little before smiling at him. "So, was what you said true?"

"What?" He asked with confusion.

"Me being your lifeline? Was that true?" She leaned in closer, asking him with a smirk.

Hazim looked at her with a gentle expression. "Of course. If you ever leave me, I'll probably die." He spoke while rubbing his thumb on her lips.

"Well, you will live for a long time then, since I'm never leaving you in this life." She smirked while kissing his thumb. "Also, do you really have that job in New Jersey?"

He nodded his head. Pulling out his phone, he showed her the details. "This is the offer I got, and I accepted." He didn't hide a single thing from her, showing her his pay, job description, and everything.

"So much?" She was shocked by the pay. It was a ginormous amount.

"Yup, so you can do whatever you want when we go and live in America. Write all the books you want." He smiled and said while kissing her forehead.

"Well, we should have kids right away then, I want to be a young mother. I don't want to be a hag when they start to get married." She played with his collar while speaking with a blush.

"Yeah, when we go on our honeymoon, let's make sure to get you pregnant." He kissed her cheek. "I'm excited for that." He grabbed the button on her shirt and lightly tugged on it, yet not pulling it off. "Soon, I won't just tug, I'll take this whole thing off." He smiled wickedly before feeling her grab his collar the same way.

"I could say the same thing." She felt bashful but then turned around and walked back towards her. "Bye." She kissed her hand and waved him off. Hazim smiled and got into his car, driving off.

Aarush and Aeleya laid on the bed with a smile on their faces. Aeleya laid only Aarush's chest. "Aeleya, have you decided what you will wear tomorrow?"

"Not yet. I'll check tomorrow." Aarush sat up with Aeleya sitting on him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and just placed her head on his shoulder. "Aarush, I heard Aliya mention some girl named Mona, what's the deal with her?" Suddenly, she asked this with her eyes closed.

Aarush was a little shocked when he heard this. He sighed and shook his head. "Nothing is going on with her. She is just a friend from my past, nothing more. You don't need to worry about her, only you matter to me." He wrapped his arms around her and laid down. Turned her body so her back faced him, he began to cuddle with his eyes closed. "Alright, let's get some sleep now. I feel drained."

"Alright." She closed her eyes and slept peacefully as well.

Aeleya woke up early the next morning. Not wanting to disturb Aarush, she quickly went to take a shower first. First, she stood in front of the mirror and brushed her teeth and then quickly opened the shower. She let the water run for a few moments, letting it become hot.

"Alone? Not when I'm here." Suddenly she felt someone grab her waist tightly. Of course, who else could it be other than Aarush? His eyes looked a little sleepy still.

"Why are you up? You need to get more rest." She spoke while taking his hands off of her. She turned around and grabbed his cheeks with both her hands. "Aarush, you should sleep a bit more."

He shook his head. "No, I don't feel tired. There are still things that need to be done about the upcoming wedding. I need to get the cards made, find decorators, get food prepared, and so much more." He began to take his shirt off. "Anyways, let's quickly get cleaned and head downstairs.

She sighed and nodded her head.

After showering, the two quickly began to get ready. She walked over and touched his stubble beard. "I thought you said you were going to grow it out?"

"I will, I just had to shave in the hospital since it would look unprofessional so have a messy beard." He smiled while rubbing his chin on her cheek.

"Haha, stop that." She laughed feeling the roughness. It was ticklish.

He smiled as well. He wore a no sleeve shirt with sweatpants, while she wore a light dress. Both of them headed downstairs hand in hand.

"I'll go make breakfast for you." Before she could run off, Aarush grabbed her hand and pulled her.

"No, I'll go make breakfast." He smiled as he walked into the kitchen. Aeleya followed him in and watched him begin to prepare eggs and tea and other breakfast items. He cut up a bunch of fruits and placed them into a bowl as well. He would place a piece of fruit every so often into her mouth, which caused Aeleya to smile and laugh.

Aliya and her mom happened to walk into the courtyard and see the scene. They couldn't help but smile.

"Mom, do you see how happy Aaru is?" She asked with a smile blossoming on her face. "You should know as well as me that Aaru was actually suffering. He doesn't know this, but I told you all the things he went through. You know he was always depressed, not into anything. The only thing he ever looked forward to was taking care of his wife. He learned to cook, sew, and even learned so many small things for her." She smiled thinking about her little brother's weirdness. "Luckily, he finally found someone who he really loves."

"Yeah, I haven't ever seen him this happy." She smiled as well. "Still, he really needs to learn a little more about speaking to his elders."

"Mom, you know just as well as I do that you guys made him this way. He was so respectful, but you guys forced his hand so many times. He won't ever talk back when you say anything to him about him, but you should know he is overprotective about us siblings and his cousins." She sighed. "He gets really aggressive when it involves the few of us. You weren't there but when Tari spoke a little to Aeleya, he became extremely mad, I was scared he might actually hurt Tari." She shook her head. "Aeleya means the most to him, so I beg you, don't do anything that might upset him anymore. Like he is an adult, let him do what he pleases. He has a wife, he might have kids soon, and so much more. He understands what he wants and what he doesn't, so don't try to give him advice or anything. Unless he asks for it himself."

"Alright Aliya, I get it." She grumbled. "I only think good for him, why does everyone think I'm against him."

Aliya shook her head and didn't say anything more. Seeing her brother was so happy, she smiled sweetly before walking away with her mom.

Aarush didn't notice them coming, he was lost in his little world. "Alright, the eggs are ready." He passed her the eggs and also a round roti like food called a paratha. "Tell me what you think."

Aeleya nodded her head and tasted it. "Wow, it tastes really good. It isn't crunchy like how I make it." She took a few more bites. She made a bite and fed it to Aarush. He couldn't eat himself since his hands were covered in flour.

"What else should we have?" He said while taking a sip from his tea.

"Why don't we make halwa puri?" She said as she continued to eat. "We can make lots so everyone can eat it for breakfast."

Aarush didn't answer right away. "Pull the recipe out and let's see if we have the ingredients. If not, let's go and grab the ingredients." He felt a little excited. Other than kissing and talking, he never really did much with Aeleya. Cooking together would be the first thing and he really wanted to do it. Aeleya was no different.

Nodding her head, she pulled up the recipe and began to call them out. Aarush looked through and noted down anything they didn't have.

"Alright, we need these three things, plus I should stock up on the rest as well." Aeleya nodded her head. "Here, go upstairs and grab some money and we'll head out to go buy them right now." She smiled and ran off. Aarush washed his hands and quickly finished his breakfast. Since he was feeling weak, he was a lot more hungry than usual.

Walking into the living room, he saw everyone just casually sitting around. "Aaru uncle!" Noori ran to him and hugged his legs. Aarush smiled and rubbed her head. He didn't' lift her up since his arms were a little weak still, and straining them might cause them to bleed. Instead he got on his knees and kissed her cheeks.

"Aaru, are you going somewhere?" Aliya walked over and asked.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, me and Aeleya are going to go and buy some ingredients. We're planning on making halwa puri." He said with a smile.

"Alright." She smiled at him. "Keep in mind, you have a dawat in the afternoon and at night, so don't eat too much."

"Don't worry, we're making some for everyone." He smiled and Aeleya finally came down. "Let's go." Aeleya nodded. She gave Noori a kiss and followed Aarush out.

They got into the car and drove off.

Soon, they arrived at the food market. People were busy as it was morning, there were random stalls screaming their prices, people pushing carts with fruits and vegies. Dogs roaming around randomly, and so much more. It was very lively. Aarush parked the car on the side and grabbed Aeleya's hand and pulled her into the market. To a certain extent, the location was new for the both of them.

The arrived at the first shop and found one of the items they needed. "How much for this?" Aeleya walked forward and asked. Aarush was surprised by her taking an initiative.

"Five hundred rupees." The man said with a smile. He had a rough beard, and was wearing a white shalwar kameez, of course, it was somewhat dirty and yellow stains were here and there.

Aarush was about to dig into his pockets and get the money, but Aeleya stopped him. Maybe she was new to such areas, but she visited Pakistan more then Aarush, so she was familiar with a lot more.

"Five hundred? That's a little too much. Lower it to three hundred." She said with a furrowed brow.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but the price is five hundred. Look at the quality and size, it is also one of the best you'll find in this whole market. Five hundred is a fair price." The man said, trying to convince her with a smile.

"No, lower it to three hundred, or you can forget about it." She said.

"Miss, how am I supposed to make a living like this?" He said with a sad sigh. "Alright, I'll lower it to four hundred, but no more."

"Aeleya, just buy it, it's not even a large amount." Aarush said with a bitter smile. He didn't care if the price was five hundred or one thousand, after all, that wasn't a lot when compared to American dollars. A thousand was, give or take, seven dollars.

"Yes miss, listen to your smart husband." The man looked at Aarush and spoke with a few more compliments, but Aeleya didn't buy it.

"Aarush, do you know how much these are worth at other places, like say a mall? These are only two hundred rupees. He will benefit if I give him three hundred, so really, what's the issue?" She looked at Aarush and spoke with a frown.

He sighed and gave the man five hundred and grabbed the bag. He dragged Aeleya away with a bitter smile. "Love, let them take advantage of us, I don't mind, plus it isn't like it's hurting me." Seeing her still feeling a little upset, Aarush sighed. "Think of it like this, a few hundred rupees means nothing to us, but for people here, it could be enough to feed their families something more nutritious. Most people here really need that extra few hundred to help their families survive. Not everyone can be lucky like us." She rubbed Aeleya's face. He didn't mind her actions, as it was a normal thing for people to do. Even his mom did it and almost all of his aunts. He actually found Aeleya womanlier when she tried to haggle, making him more attracted to her.

"I get that Aarush; I am all for helping people who need it." She sighed and said. "But, I still disagree with others taking advantage of those who are slightly luckier, like if they want to make a better amount, raise the price, but not so much." She shook her head. "Still, it didn't hurt to spend more. I just don't want to throw money around like it's something that grows on trees. You work extremely hard for each dollar, so it should be spent wisely." She cared more about Aarush then anything else. He worked hard to the bone, even going without sleeping for days, to earn the money they had. It wasn't fair for him that even after his hard work, people would take advantage of him. She didn't like that.

"Aeleya, don't worry about me. I like to spend my money carelessly on you. It makes me happy. Even if someone asks me for a million rupees for the vegetable, if you wanted it, I will spend it without a frown." He gently squeezed her nose and smiled. "Alright, let's go and buy the rest of the items." She nodded and both of them went off and began to buy like no tomorrow. It got to the point, Aarush bought a few larger bags and began to put the items into them.

Finally, a few hours passed, and they completed their shopping happily. Aarush held onto all the bags, while Aeleya held onto a corn with various toppings. She bit into hers while feeding Aarush at random times. Reaching the car, Aarush placed the bags into the trunk and felt a little light headed. He took off his shirt and passed it to Aeleya who walked over with a bit of concern. "Why didn't you just give me a bag? I could've helped, I'm not that weak." She frowned. Before, she was very persistent on helping him with the bags, but he didn't let her, almost getting a little angry with her constantly asking. When she was about to cry, he quickly bought her a corn to make her quiet down.

"Why would I let my wife hold something so heavy when I'm capable? I'm a man, I can handle this much." He smiled and looked around and saw a person selling cold drinks/ He quickly walked over and bought two drinks. He passed one to Aeleya before gulping his down. "Oh man, that feels better." He wiped his head and smiled. "Alright, let's go back." They got into the car and drove off.

Arriving home soon after, Noori was the first to greet them. Aarush never forgot about Noori, so he pulled out two large gummy candies and passed it over to her. She ate them with excitement before running off.

"Why are all the girls in my life such foodies?" He looked at Aeleya who was nibbling on a raw carrot and smiled helplessly.

"What, it's just a snack." She grumbled and took a bite out of the carrot before marching into the house.

"I'm just kidding. Come back come back." He chased after her with a smile. "Hazim, go and grab the bags from the trunk and bring them over to the kitchen." Aarush saw Hazim sitting on the sofa and he told him with a helpless smile. The latter nodded and got up to complete the task. "Aeleya." After that, Aarush chased after her and found her sitting on the counter while munching on her carrot.

"What?" She glared at him.

"You're so cute Aeleya." He smiled and grabbed her carrot before taking a bit out of it. He then shoved the carrot into her mouth and smiled. "Eat all you want, I don't care. You can even get super fat, I don't care. Just keep being happy for me, that's all I want. I'll buy you lots of food whenever you want." He smiled and helped her down the counter.

"I won't get fat; I love you too much for that. Plus, my metabolism is crazy, I just don't gain weight." She spoke with a prideful look.

Aarush shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care whether she became fat or not, she could even become skinnier, he won't care unless her health was negatively affected by it.

Hazim brought the bags and placed them on the floor. He wiped his forehead and smiled. "Aaru bhai, Lammy said she wants the engagement to be in three days." After saying what he needed, Hazim left.

"Three days? That isn't too much time." Aeleya said with a little shock.

"It's enough time. I can get it done." He smiled. "Later, I'll send Hazim to take Sara and find a hall they want for their engagement. You and I will go to the dawats while they decide. Alright?"

"Sure." She didn't mind. "Anyways, I'll pull up the recipe for the halwa puri again, so let's start cooking." She was feeling excited. They would be doing something new for the first time. Aarush was no different, he was looking forward to cooking with Aeleya as well.

"Alright." He smiled with excitement as well.

They began soon after Aeleya pulled up the instructions on her phone. They followed it best they could. Each of them made a certain amount of puri's, comparing them as they go. Joking about whose was better and who's was worst. It was a happy moment, with nothing burdening them. Aliya and the rest would occasionally come and check on them, but no one disturbed them. Seeing Aarush so happy made the others smile, and made them think even more about the importance of Aeleya in the family.

After making the puri's they began to make halwa, cholay, and other small things to eat with the puri. This time, Aarush made one whole dish himself, while Aeleya made another. He had to pull out his own phone so they could make the dishes separately and not interfere with one another.

Of course, this was impossible, because sometimes they both needed the same ingredient and they would fight over who got to use it first. Sometimes flipping a coin, or rock, paper, scissors, and sometimes Aarush even caused Aeleya to fluster with his words, forcefully sneakily taking the item.

"Aarush, you can't cheat like that." She said while grumbling.

"All is fair in love in war my little lover." He spoke with a smile.

"Oh really?" She smirked a little when he said this. "If you promise to give me the items first, I'll kiss you." She said while looking at him with seductive eyes.

"You…" He glared, but gave her what she needed. Aeleya quickly used it and handed it back. "Where's my kiss?"

"What kiss?" She said with confusion.

"Hell no, I did the deed, I need my reward." He grabbed her waist and planted a light kiss on her lips. "Let's continue, haha."

She wiped her lips as she grumbled.

Both of them completed their dishes rather quickly, especially since the kitchen was large enough to make four to five dishes at once with no problem.

"Should we taste it?" Aeleya asked with a bit of excitement.

"Let's taste." He nodded his head. Grabbing a puri, he broke it in half, passing one half to Aeleya, while keeping the other for himself. They began to taste each of the dishes. "Wow, this halwa turned out well." He smiled as he savoured the flavor.

"You're right, it's got the right sweetness." She also savoured with a smile. She felt a little proud, since the halwa was made by her.

"Good job. Next, let's try mine." They grabbed the cholay and tasted it. "Not bad." Aarush liked it, mostly since his favorite thing to eat with puri were cholay, so even if it was bad, which it wasn't, he wouldn't mind it.

"Agreed, it's really good." She smiled while munching on the bite. Soon, they began to taste the rest of the smaller ones and after making sure everything was alright, both smiled. "Alright, before we call everyone, let's get this stuff organized. There are a total of six people, your parents, Aliya and Jeej, chacha, and Hazim. Noori can just eat with anyone." She counted slowly. Maya and Maaz were hanging out with the other cousins, so they rarely stayed at home.

"Yeah, so we'll get everything ready for them. Alright, for now, put three puri on each plate, since some can barely eat that much. We'll put the rest onto a large plate which they can grab if they want more." Aeleya nodded at his words and got to work. They brought out various plates, and began to neatly organize the food.

"Hazim!" Aeleya called out.

Soon, Hazim came running towards them with a smile. "Yea?"

"Can you go and set up a dhasterkan in the living room? After that, come and help bring these over." Aeleya said with a smile.

"Sure." Hazim ran to the living room and began to do as he was told. He came back soon after and carried various plates adorned with food back to the living room. Aeleya and Aarush also carried some over as well.

"Alright, call everyone over. Tell them the food is ready." Aarush said. Hazim nodded and began to gather everyone.

"Wow, smells nice." His mom was the first to walk into the living room with his dad. They both sat down with smiles. "Hurry and call the rest, or I'm going to start." Halwa puri was a famous dish and most people loved to eat it for breakfast. Since the majority of people only had a light breakfast so far, they were looking forward to the meal.

Soon enough, everyone began to gather. Aarush and Aeleya didn't sit with them, since during their cooking, they ate lots of other things. Honestly, they were kind of full. Pls, they had to go to a dawat in a while, so they didn't want to stuff themselves. Everyone knew this, so no one commented on them not eating. Everyone complimented the food, of course Noori complained about the food being a little heavy and she wasn't used to such oily food, so she only ate a little bit before walking away. Aarush smiled bitterly, but was happy the rest liked it. Of course, they may be acting, but he didn't mind.