Chapter Seventeen

The next three days went on without much issues. Aarush would go to the wedding halls at times and help with decorations. Sara was still in her house, not allowed out. Today would also be the last day he would see Sara and Hazim. After the wedding, they would directly leave for their honeymoon.

"Hazim, is everything already done from the other side? If you go on your honeymoon without setting anything else up when you come back, that would be bad." Aarush leaned against the door as he spoke with serious expression. He didn't want Hazim to go on a honeymoon and come back to nothing. Sure he would have a job ready, but what about a place to stay? What about a way of transportation, food, etc? It wasn't as simple as just going and getting a house, sometimes it would take a few days, maybe a week or so.

Listening to his older cousins words, Hazim smiled. "Don't worry Aaru bhai. I emailed the company and described everything and they said that they will locate a house nearby the work area for me and also put it under my name. Of course, they said the house will be small and temporary just until I find a proper place. I will also have to pay them back the amount they used for the house. I was talking to Sara yesterday when lammy wasn't around and told her to look for houses she was interested in in the city. I told her the budget, so it will be fine." He smiled and explained.

"I worried for no reason." Aarush smiled and nodded his head. "Trusting you with these issues was a good idea." He walked towards him and helped him fix the head piece. "Listen, I transferred everything I told you I would under your name already. After today, you will be living a proper life in what we call the 'real world'. You will be handling all of the stresses of life, the stresses of a marriage, and so much more. I trust that you can handle it all, but just continue to be smart. Until this job of yours is stable, don't do anything dumb. You may have a contract and everything, but if they, God forbid, fire you after it ends, then that would be bad. Keep your professional life away from your private life. Take care of Sara as best as you can, but don't forget about work. This applies vice versa as well. Don't get caught up in work and forget about Sara." Aarush smiled and rubbed his cheek gently. "You're all grown up now and I know you can stand on your own two feet. You have proven this to me, but never forget that I am here to help you. If you feel like you are struggling and don't want to talk to anyone about it, know that I'm always there to help. You're my little brother, as your older brother, never think that I won't help you." With that he took a step back and smiled. "You look really handsome."

Hazim felt a little stuffy listening to Aarush. Truly, Aarush was his big brother and never allowed him to suffer in life thus far. Only this person was someone he could completely depend on. "I will keep it all in mind. I'll make you and dad proud, I will show you both that all the trust you guys have in me isn't for nothing. I will give Sara a good life." With his oath taken, Aarush nodded and walked back into the house.

"You guys leave first. I will follow you guys with Aeleya." With that, Aarush entered the house and headed to his room. Aeleya was getting ready with excitement on her face.

"Aarush! Hurry up and get ready." She walked over to him while putting her earring on. She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the bedroom. "Here, I got this for you to wear." She handed him a beautiful salwar kameez. It was black with shiny golden spread everywhere. Of course, it wasn't real gold, nor was it even a mineral. It was just a gold material which resembled shiny papers. Overall, the salwar kameez looked extremely wonderful and even felt comfortable, atleast from the inside.

"Nice." Aarush looked it over and smiled. He quickly took his clothes off and began to wear it. Aeleya just smiled and went back to her dressing table and began to dress up. Yun around the room, doing whatever he wanted. Aarush would at times pick him up and rub his head, which Yun would reply with a vicious bite. "Man, you're a crazy little thing. If Aeleya didn't like you, I would make sure that was the last thing you bit me." He spoke with narrowed eyes and a bitter face. Yun didn't understand him so it just ran off.

"Yun, come here." Aeleya called over the kitten sweetly. Yun abided and walked over, rubbing its head against Aeleya's hands. "See, you have to be gentle with him, or else he will bite you." He scrunched her nose at him and spoke with a laugh.

"I can't be gentle with him. I can only be gentle with you, my love." Aarush smiled and walked over. He lightly tapped her cheek and got lower while looking in the mirror. His eyes were glued on her reflection. "You look beautiful. Maybe I should lock you in the house and make sure no one gets to look at you all dressed up? I feel jealous thinking others will get to see you so pretty and dolled up." He spoke with bright eyes, glinting with a bit of wickedness.

"Jealous?" She looked at his reflection and smiled. "I should be the one jealous. Everyone is trying to take my husband from me." She grabbed her hand and rubbed it against her cheek. "With you wearing such a nice black salwar kameez, and even with your hair all nicely set, I'm afraid that people might try and take you away right in front of me. You look so handsome" She spoke with a sweet voice.

"Hehe, really? No one has the capabilities to steal me from you. Atleast, no one can ever in your lifetime" He smiled and said.

"Only my life? What about your lifetime?" She asked with a smirk.

"Like I said before, you're my lifeline, if you are gone, so is the current me." He spoke with a smile on his face.

"Alright, enough of this talk. We're going to be late. Come, let's head downstairs now." She got up slowly, allowing Yun to jump down. They left a bit of food and water for him, including a few toys he could play with. They stepped out of the room hand in hand.

"Aeleya, you want to know something?" As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Aarush extended his hand and helped her down slowly.

"What?" She looked at him with a bit of confusion.

"You're the prettiest person in the world." He smiled and said. "I bet you when we get to the hall, everyone is going to be jealous of you."

"Hopefully not. It would be better if people were jealous of Sara. It is her big day after all." She said with a sweet smile. Warmth filled her heart because of Aarush's constant compliments. Which girl didn't like to be complimented by her love over and over again? It was a wonderful feeling.

"Sara may be the main person, but I think you will look better." He said with a smirk. "Please, my beauty, let's leave." He walked with her arm in arm and got to the car. They were going to meet a few dozen meters away from the hall so that Hazim could ride his horse to the hall, just for cultural reasons.

"Look, everyone is already beginning to walk. We have to get there quickly." As they approached the hall, Aeleya saw the group of people and the single horse already moving.

"Alright, alright. Here, you get off first and I'm going to park the car, alright?" Aeleya thought for a moment and nodded her head.

"Sure, but you better hurry." Aarush smiled and dropped her nearby the people and made sure she entered the group before quickly driving off.

Soon enough, he found a parking space. Getting out, he began to job towards the group of people.

"Aarush, here, over here." He saw Aeleya waving at him so he quickly got to the group. He grabbed her hand and walked to the front of the horse Hazim was sitting on.

"Chacha, it's finally the big day." He quickly found his chacha and walked over with a bright smile. These past few days, he rarely met chacha and his parents, Everyone was busy. Even during the dawats, his family was busy, so they would eat and leave after a few minutes. With lots to do, he was out and about with Aeleya himself, getting his own things ready while occasionally helping with Hazim;s event. Because of all these things, he rarely met with his family.

"Of course I'm happy." Chacha laughed loudly while looking at his son emotionally. "Look at him, doesn't he look handsome? If his mom was here, I know she would be the most excited person." He sighed but maintained a smile.

"He truly does." Aarush also smiled. "Chachi would have been extremely proud of him right now." Aarush sighed as well, thinking about his chachi who he had faint memories of.

"Aaru, you'll be giving a speech as an older brother, right?" It was custom that the siblings would give a small speech to talk about their married brother or sister. As Hazim didn't have siblings, the best people were Aarush and his siblings.

"Of course. I will give a speech and so will Maazi and Maya. I think Aliya will be giving one as well." Aarush smiled and said. He prepared a small speech already. He didn't have it written, but he knew the things he wanted to say.

"Great." Chacha smiled. After that, he walked next to Hazim and just chatted with him as they approached the hall. Aeleya and Aarush walked hand in hand, approaching with excitement. Their hearts were beating. Everyone's hearts were beating.

As soon as they reached the door, the music in the hall switched up and the lights also became a dark blue.

"Now, welcome the groom, Hazim Yunus! And his family, the Yunus family!" An announcement came and Hazim entered first with chacha. Following him was Aarush's parents, then Aarush and Aeleya. After them was Maaz and Maya, and then a few other cousins and aunts from Aarush's paternal side. Aliya was technically considered a member from her husbands family, so she wasn't a part of the group.

They entered the hall which was bursting with a blue light. Looking on the beautifully decorated stage, which was much more extravagant than the engagements, there wasn't anyone sitting there yet. Aarush's parents found their seats and so did Aarush and Aeleya. Only chacha could lead Hazim up the stage as this was his father.

After Hazim settled down and chacha walked down the stage and found his seat, the next announcement came on. "Now, welcome the main person! The bride and her family! Sara Alvi!" Soon, the lights turned into a mix of red and golden. Slow music played in the background as Sara slowly walked into the hall. Lammy was on her left with a surprised on her right. It was Sara's father, the one Aarush hadn't seen in many years. His name was Abid Alvi. He was a small engineer that worked abroad to support his family. He was the most open minded person Aarush knew and the latter also knew that he deeply loved his daughter and son to the point he could do anything for them, that meant everything.

When the group got to the stage, Abid uncle slowly placed Sara's hand into Hazim's. He smiled at Him and said in his deep voice. "She is now yours." It was customary for the father to lead the daughter up the stage and place her hand into her husbands. It was supposed to signify that the girl was now the man's. Although it was a weird custom in the western side of the world, culturally, it was very important. It signified the father handing his daughter over to someone else who could look after her and care for her, as he was now done with his job. This didn't mean the daughter could never look for her father, it just meant the responsibility was now the husbands, not the fathers. This same thing happened for Aarush and Aeleya, yet the extravagance was much less.

Hazim smiled and nodded his head. He held Sara's hand and slowly sat down on the large, decorated seat.

Everyone found their seats and the proceedings continued. From document signings, to a small poem, and then finally came the speeches. Chacha went up first and did a small thank you to the guest and kept his side brief. The father could speak lots, but it was usually the siblings who did the emotional speeches.

"Aarush, would you come up." Chacha called him up and Aarush stood up with a smile. He would be lying if he said his heart wasn't beating. He had seen death. He had witnessed terrible situations in the hospital. He had presented in front of thousands, and even important people, but the nervousness for each was different from right now. He wasn't going to give a speech about his research, nor his findings in the hospital. He wasn't going to point out any faults in a procedure, no, he was going to speak about his cousin. His little brother, someone he knew bits and pieces about, yet cared for as if his life. He was going to speak at his little brother's most important event. He felt a bit of pressure.

Aarush grabbed the mic and stood in the light, looking at the crowd which resembled a group of dark clouds. No faces could be seen, just the shadows jointly sitting and staring at him.

"Hello everyone, some here may not know, while others do. My name is Aarush Yunus, I'm not only Hazim and Sara's older cousin, but at the same time, I'm their older brother." He took a deep breath and started. A lot of people invited were friends who had never met Aarush, only heard about him. "Hazim and I haven't had the relationship that most siblings would have, where they would grow up together, learning and fighting, loving and hating, and so much more, building trust and bond between one another as years progressed. No, it wasn't like that." His speeches started to sound weird, but Hazim just continued to smile, he knew what Aarush wanted to say and understood it all. All those who knew the relationship between Aarush and Hazim knew what he was going to say. "Hazim and I are brothers who lived apart, grew in different places, yet the trust I have for him, no less than the one I have for myself. He is not just a brother to me, Hazim is a person I can trust with my everything. If I ever just up and left, I know that with Hazim around, I can leave in peace." He smiled slightly and said. "Truly, growing up, I would talk to him through the phone, message him, and so much more. I would hit him when I see him, yell at him, yet, his respect knows no bounds. Sara, my little sister, my little cousin, to me, the happiest moment in my life was knowing that the person who I trust the most, love the most, has finally found a partner for himself, none other than you. You, a person who acts all nice on the surface yet is a devil on the inside, no less than myself." Everyone laughed a little at this, including Hazim and even Sara. "I know that even with the boldness you have, you will surely be able to protect this little brother of mine. When you both go on to live your lives, make sure to take care of him. He shows little emotions, but I know he has those emotions, you just got to open the bottle locking it up." Aarush wasn't great when it came to words of emotions. He didn't know what to say or how to. He had a plan, but could things like this always go with plan? After his speech, he walked over to Hazim and Sara, giving both of them a big hug. "Congratulations to both of you." With that, he walked down the stage and sat on his seat. His eyes were a little red as he looked at Hazim and Sara. "Really, Hazim looks really handsome." He couldn't help but say it again.

Aeleya held his arm and smiled sweetly, placing her head on his arm. "They do look great." She rubbed his back gently and the speeches continued. Maaz and Maya gave a more comedic speech, talking about all of the jokes and inside jokes, while Aliya gave a similar speech to Aarush, yet hers was much better and more prepared.

Speeches continued and finally it was time to cut a large cake. "Aarush, go and take a picture of them cutting the cake." Aeleya got up and spoke with a smile. Aakrush nodded his head and began to click a few photos of the couple cutting the large, white cake. Aeleya, on the other hand, began to record a video of it.

People cheered and the wedding finally got to the eating stage. This was the most hectic time. Half the group would be rushing to grab food, while the other half would be rushing to get group photos with the bride and groom.

"Let's get some food first and when things calm down, we'll go get some photos as well." Aarush smiled and said. Aeleya agreed and the two quickly grabbed some food and sat down.

"This tastes so good." Aeleya began to enjoy the food happily, while Aarush laughed. "What?"

Lifting his hand, he used his thumb to wipe a bit of spice from the side of her lip. "Aeleya, you're making a mess already." He smiled and shook his head. He dug into his own food and ate at a normal pace.

She grumbled and took a napkin, wiping the sides of her lips. "What can I do? The food is messy, so I'm bound to make a small mess."

"I'm not making a mess. Even Noori is eating without an issue." He said while pointing at Noori, yet when he turned his head, he saw that her face was dirtied much more than Aeleya's. "Well, not her."

"Whatever." She ignored him and continued to eat. Looking around, she saw some people glancing towards them and then looking away as quickly as possible. "Why are they staring?" She asked Aarush.

"How would I know?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Aarush, they're looking at you two and are feeling mad. You know how many of them wanted you to marry their daughters." Aliya smiled and said while feeding her daughter.

Aarush shrugged his shoulders and didn't really care, but Aeleya felt annoyed. "My husband? No way." She walked over to Aarush and kissed his cheek in front of everyone. Although a little embarrassed, she still did it and sat beside him. Lifting up a spoon, she fed him forcefully.

Raising an eyebrow, Aarush looked at her weirdly. "What's up?"

"I've got to show the rest that I have claimed you. They better be angry, you're mine, and only mine." She said while shoving another spoon into his mouth.

Aarush smiled helplessly. "Relax, it's not like they're going to say anything." He then leaned over and looked her directly in the face. "Plus, that's not how we claim one another. This is how…" He gave her a quick peck on her lips and leaned back, rubbing his lips while watching her face redden.

"Aarush, be more appropriate." His mom, who was sitting across the table, glared at him.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. All these aunties keep looking here and I don't like it." He turned his head and looked at the aunties looking in his direction with shock.

"Aarush, you idiot." Aeleya glared at him as well, yet Aarush noticed the smile playing in her eyes.

"Whatever, what can they do?" He smirked and then finished his food before dragging Aeleya to the stage. "Let's get our picture taken." She allowed him to drag her to the stage. On the stage, Abid uncle was standing with Lammy, taking a few shots.

"Aaru!" Abdi noticed Aarush and walked over with a bright smile. He gave Aarush a big hug. "How are you son? Sorry I couldn't meet you before, I just got back."

"No problem Abid uncle. I'm doing great. What about you? Your daughter is married, congratulations. Your son is next in line. Haha." Aarush spoke comfortably. As he was very close to Lammy, he was also comfortable with Abid uncle.

"Haha." Abdi uncle also laughed. "Of course, if Zaid doesn't get married this year, then I have to beat him hard. Also, good job convincing that rascal to finally go out and do something with his life. I can finally rest and spend time with my wife now that he's going out to experience more. Maybe, I'll go on a trip as well." He laughed and spoke with glee. He was happy to see his son now going to experience the real world. With his son leaving and his daughter being married, he now truly had freedom.

"Absolutely. You deserve the rest, you have truly worked hard." Aarush spoke with genuinity. "Anyways, I just wanted to take a few pictures with the two if you guys were done."

"Of course." He smiled at Aarush and then looked at Aeleya. "You must be Aeleya. Wow, truly a pretty little girl, like a fairy. Good job handling this lad, he is a weird one." Abid uncle didn't have much care and spoke however he wanted.

"Haha." Aeleya giggled. "Thank you, he is a weird one. It's truly exhausting." She answered back with equal comfortability.

"Haha." Abid uncle laughed and made way for the two.

"Hazim, nice nice." Aarush winked at Hazim, who blushed, while Sara glared at Aarush.

"Aaru bhai, you're truly the worst one out of all of us, only less than Aliya didi. Oh man, she is disgusting." Sara blushed just thinking about the words Aliya left her.

"What, I didn't even say anything. Don't compare me to that creep. She is truly a different species." Aarush also felt uncomfortable with the way Aliya spoke. She was way too straightforward. Even Aeleya was a little weirded out by the way Aliya mentioned the 'topic' so casually.

"Alright, let's just get the pictures taken. People are still waiting." Seeing that Aarush and the rest were going to bicker, Aeleya quickly stepped in. She sat beside Sara and smiled. "Sara, you look gorgeous. Just like a princess."

"Thank you Aeleya bhabi." She smiled sweetly. "You also look gorgeous. Maybe I should leave Hazim and just marry you, what do you say?"

Aeleya felt flustered by her words and didn't know what to say. Unlike the people around Aarush, she wasn't as open and straightforward. Sometimes she would do something brave, like kiss Aarush's cheek in public, but it took everything she had to do so. Plus, she was doing it to Aarush, so she didn't mind.

"You wish Sara. She is mine and only mine. You can screw off with this little shit." Aarush said with scorn. "Aeleya, come, let's take one picture and leave these two little pests. We'll go have our own fun." He smirked at the embarrassed Aeleya, who in turn glared at him.

"Weirdo." Sara said with a blush. Hazim just carried a bitter smile on his face, much like Aeleya. He was similar but different from these two.

A few pictures were clicked and Aarush quickly got off the stage with Aeleya. "I'm a little thirsty, I'm going to get some pop. Want some?" As they sat on the table, Aarush asked with a smile.

"Here, just sit here and I'll grab you a can. Plus, I'm still a little hungry. Maybe I'll grab more food." Aarush was speechless. He looked at her empty plate, which was bigger than his face. She blushed at his actions. "Hey, don;t say anything. I'm hungry."

"I didn't say a thing." He smiled bitterly. "Eat whatever. No matter what, you'll be my foodie, so whatever."

"Don't worry, I don't get fat no matter how much I eat." She said with pride as she got up. Aarush smirked and shook his head, sitting on his seat in boredom.

"Hey, Aarush, right?" As he leaned on the table, looking at Noori eating a whole fruit, he heard a gentle voice from his left.

"Yes?" He turned his head and saw a group of girls. All of them were dressed very beautifully, yet Aarush didn't care. His eyes were just as bland and he just had a small smile on his face out of politeness.

"We haven't met, but I'm Sara's best friend." The one in the lead introduced herself and raised her hand to shake his.

"Alright." He got up and shook hers. "Well, I'm her older cousin. How are you enjoying the food and wedding so far?" He asked.

"Everything is great." She said with a smile.

"Did you guys get a picture with her yet?" He asked, not really knowing what else to speak about.

"Of course. We also got a group photo, see." She pulled up her phone and showed Aarush, even though the latter never asked. "Hazim is really good looking, but you know, all of us think you are much better looking." She said with a smile playing on her face. Aarush felt a little irritated by her words.

"I think Hazim is very handsome, probably the most good looking guy here right now. Next to him, I'm not worth much." Aarush sat down, and tried to ignore them, but the main girl quickly took the seat Aeleya was sitting on before and sat down.

"Of course Hazim is very handsome, no denying that, like he is related to you after all." She said with a smirk. A small blush was on her face, yet Aarush found it disgusting.

"Thank you for the compliments. Anyways, I need to go and see where my

is. She is taking a little longer then she should. I'll see you girls again if we get the chance." Still maintaining his smile, he got up from his chair. He emphasized the word wife so they understood he was married. Although most people knew he was married, maybe some didn't so he just wanted to clarify it for them.

"Aarush, don't worry. I saw her, she was just getting a bit of food. She will be here soon. Don't leave right away, let's talk a bit more, we're all curious about you. The handsome older brother who everyone talks about." She said while grabbing his arm and pulling him to his seat.

Aarush frowned and pushed her hand away. "Listen, I don't give a damn if you're curious about me or not. You're Sara's friends? Then you should respect her a little. I'm married and am not interested in anyone of you. Even if you guys have no interest towards me, then learn to speak with a bit of appropriateness. Other than my wife, siblings, and friends, I don't like other girls touching me. So please, refrain from further inappropriate actions." Aarush wasn't dumb. He could tell they were either interested in him or something. He didn't like people like them touching him, especially when they knew he was married and all. Even people like Mackenzie and Mona respected his marriage by not doing anything inappropriate. And they actually liked him. Those were proper people, while these girls in front of him were just disgusting, atleast in his eyes.

"Aarush, you're getting the wrong idea." The lead girl stood up and spoke a little more cordially. "We were just curious. Well, what's wrong with talking to us? You're a guy, so even if you have a wife, it shouldn't be a problem talking to other girls, right? It's not like a man such as yourself should be tied down by a single woman, right?"

"Before I lose my mind and kick you guys out of here, get out of my face. To me, my wife will always be my only woman, no more, no less. And no, my wife has no issues with me talking to

people, which is a category I don't put you girls under." With that, he turned around and walked away. The lead girl frowned a little and then left.

"Whatever, his loss. Unlike his wife, I could make his life so much better. I'm pretty, obedient, and know how to cook. What else would be great?" She grumbled and left.

"Aarush, what was that?" As he walked away from his table, he saw Aeleya looking at him with concern.

"Just a bunch of clowns." He smiled when he saw her. "Ignore them, cause they are just pests. Let's go back and sit down. I was craving a drink." he picked up a large cup filled with a black soda.

"Alright." She nodded her head and followed him back. She placed her new plate of food and began to eat happily. "Give me some too." Aarush passed the pop to her and she took a few sips, leaving a pink mark on the glass. "Oops."

Aarush smiled and just ignored the stain. "Do you want to go with the rest when they head to dada's house for the final things, or will you stay back for a bit with me?" Although the hall had a few people to come and clean up, someone had to stay back and manage a bit. Plus, this person was required to fill out some paperwork in the end. The best option was Aarush as the final customs didn't really need him there, plus he was the most responsible person, so it would be best if he stayed behind.

"I'll stay back. I did everything I need and really the only people who need to be there are the aunts and cousins. I'm not really needed too much." She said with a smile.

"Are you sure? It will probably take atleast an hour to get everything done. You'll probably miss everything and by the time we get back, everyone will likely be sleeping." although it would be great to have Aeleya as company, he didn't want her to miss out on the fun.

"I'm fine. Wherever you are, that's where I am." She spoke with her under her chin. A gentle smile playing on her face.

"I would push you down right now if there weren't people around, you know?" He said with a smirk. She smirked at his words, although slightly flushed out of embarrassment.

"Well, we can do all of that and more in a few days, right? We will be gone for a while then." She spoke with a bit of excitement.

Aarush smiled as well. He was looking forward to their month of freedom. Just traveling, eating, having fun, and relaxing. Nothing more.

After an hour, people began to leave and Hazim and Sara were slowly taken to the car. It was an emotional walk as Lammy was in tears, which was normal, Nani was in tears, and some others. Sara, who was supposed to be in tears, was smiling a little. Only when they got into the car did she finally begin to tear up.

"People are really emotional." Aarush commented without much thought.

"You wouldn't understand. A girl has to leave everything behind." Aeleya said with a snort.

"Yeah, but Sara isn't doing that… like Lammy will visit her, and technically Hazim is leaving everything too. They will go and have their honeymoon, and then they will live a life away from others. I don't know, I always found these things overly dramatic." Aarush sighed and just stopped speaking there.

"Well, they aren't crying out of sadness, more so happiness and a bit of reluctance." She walked over and smiled at Aarush. "You're different since you like to hide your sadness. Don't worry though, with me around, when you want to cry, just use me as a pillow." She smiled, rubbing her hand on his chest gently.

"Of course." He smiled at her and then turned around. "Well, I think it's time to get to work. Just sit on the side, alright?" Aeleya nodded her head and found a seat and sat down. Aarush rolled his sleeves up and began to gather the chairs with a bunch of boys. They stacked them in one corner. Tables were cleared of garbage, plates, and much more. Things were being sent back to the kitchen, while others were being tossed into a large dumpster outside. "Take the blue chairs and stack them on that side. They aren't from here, so we have to separate them. Those tables need to be placed inside there, properly stacked them." Aarush began to command the various people with a bit of sweat covering his face. "Here, grab the other side of the seat, carefully bring it down. The decorators will be here in half an hour to pick this up as well" He lifted chairs, moved tables, picked garbage, and so much more. His salwar kameez was a little sweaty, yet he couldn't take it off since he wore nothing underneath.

"Aarush, come here." Aeleya beckoned him over. Aarush walked over with a raised eyebrow. She lifted a cup of pop and handed it over. "Here, drink some. You're sweating. Have them take a small break too. You don't have to rush this." She smiled while wiping the sweat from his face with a napkin.

"The decorators will be here to pick their things soon, so we have to organize it quickly. But a five minute break won't hurt." He nodded his head and looked at all the boys. "Guys, you can get a drink quickly and hydrate. We'll start again right after." He then sat beside Aeleya and let her wipe his forehead. Although he was only working for about an hour so far, because of his thick clothes and the dark color, plus the overwhelming heat in the hall, he was sweating like crazy and feeling extremely exhausted. After a few minutes, he got up and walked back towards the group, but Aeleya pulled his arm.

"Why don't you just take your kameez off? The others are doing so." She said while pointing at the half naked boys.

"Well, there are other people still here, I don't know if that is alright." He pointed at the group of girls he snapped at before. They were still lurking with their parents and other few guests who were just relaxing.

Aeleya looked at the girls who were taking glances at Aarush and smiled. "Who cares? I don't mind, so just take it off. Anyways, it's not like they will do anything, I'm here to beat them up."

Aarush looked at her for a moment and then nodded his head. He took his kameez off and passed it to Aeleya, who began to fold it with a smile. "Alright." He walked back to the group, his toned body contrasting with theirs. "Let's continue. Bring all of the lights down carefully and slowly wrap them up. The ones that are blue go over there, and the ones that are white go over there. As for the cake, you guys can take some or just throw it out." He began to work. With every lift, his muscles would flex and sweat continued to appear on his body. He was shining in the light.

With a turn of her head, Aeleya saw the girls looking at Aarush, yet she didn't feel jealous. 'This is my husband, you guys can stare all you want, but you guys can't even touch him.' She felt happy and smug. Normally, she wasn't a cocky person, nor was she so open to Aarush stripping, yet right now she knew that Aarush needed a way to cool off while he worked, plus, a bit of the shamelessness from Aarush was rubbing off on her. While watching him work, she noticed a girl from the group get up from her chair and walk towards Aarush. 'What is this girl doing?'

She watched as the girl walked over to Aarush and tried to speak with him, yet Aarush tried to brush her off. It even got to the point where the girl lifted her hand and touched Aarush's bare shoulder. This truly pissed Aeleya off. Getting up from her seat, she went over to Aarush.

"If you touch me again, I'll ruin your fucking family!" As she approached, she heard Aarush's vicious words, making her a little surprised.

"Why are you being so cruel? I'm not even doing anything, I'm just trying to talk." The girl did back off and looked at Aarush with a bit of anger. When she saw Aeleya, she became even more angry.

"Aarush, what's wrong?" Aeleya walked forward and grabbed Aarush's hand and asked with a bit of worry.

"Nothing, this pest keeps walking around me and it's pissing me off." He spoke with a glare.

"Hey, why are you annoying my husband? Don���t you have a bit of decency? He's my husband, you better watch yourself." Aeleya snapped at the girl after seeing how angry Aarush was. 'How dare you annoy my husband.'

"Decency? Are you the one who caused that huge scar on his arm? Pathetic, and you call yourself a wife?" She looked at Aeleya with scorn. "If Aarush married me, I would be obedient, never get him in trouble, nor bother him." Aeleya was taken aback by her words.

'Why are girls so crazy here? They only seem to be crazy for Aarush, this doesn;t add up. Aarush is handsome and successful, but it shouldn't incite this much obsession.' She was truly confused. In Tari's case she could be understood, but this girl was truly weird. She didn't even know Aarush too well, yet she was so confident and even somewhat obsessive.

"That's none of your business. She could punch me, stab me, or even kill me, and that would be fine. She is my wife, she can do whatever to me." Aarush then turned around and looked at the security by the hall. "Security, kick these people out. They're causing a ruckus."

"Hey, you can't do that." The girl said with a bit of anger.

"Well, I can do this, since this hall is still under my name, atleast for another hour. So please, either you get out of here with a bit of dignity or I have these people help you out." Aarush spoke with a snappy tone.

"I'll leave myself." She said and waved at her friends and the other aunties still sticking around. Aarush glared as he watched them finally leave. He found a seat and sat for a bit, heaving a great sigh.

"Aarush, what was that? Like, why do they seem overly obsessed?" She asked with confusion.

"I don't know who they are, but I think I can understand why they are acting like this." He sighed and explained. "This isn't something that happens normally, also it isn't only to me, rather there are a few girls and guys, who will try and forcefully try to marry a person for his money and status. Like, that's how it is." He spoke while shaking his head. "Although I don't have a crazy high status in America, over here I am considered a well known person. I technically have high status and am considered one of the wealthy few in this city. Not the wealthiest, not even close, but I'm up there." He explained causally. "I'm lucky that I'm married, Adi was worse off. He was hounded by girls, more so their mothers. Most girls are a lot more conservative, except these disgusting few."

"Wow, my husband is such a big shot. No wonder everyone is always so respectful.' She finally understood a bit more. Although Aarush did say he didn't have much of a status in America, she knew he was humbling himself. His status was very high, atleast in the medical field. People were trying to rope him into their hospitals, that was already extraordinary.

Aarush smirked. "Anyways, I'm going to get these last few things organized. Once the decorators come, we can leave." Aeleya nodded her head and watched as he completed a bunch more work. From climbing a ladder and taking lights down, to rolling up the carpets. Everyone was working hard, getting things done quickly, yet there was too much to do.

An hour passed by quickly and the decorators finally arrived. It was an old man and a middle aged woman. Aarush led them to take their stuff and he slowly loaded a large truck with the other boys. "That should be good. Thank you." The old man said with a smile before entering the truck with the woman. Aarush waved them bye and then began to instruct the working boys.

"Alright, everything should be good now. You guys can come in and get your pay now." Aarush led them inside and began to hand out a bunch of money, equally passing them. With happy smiles, the boys left while counting their earnings as they walked out. Aarush smiled and walked to Aeleya. "We can leave now. The owners of the hall will check everything tomorrow. If anything is missing or damaged, they'll just take it from the deposit we gave them. Let���s go back." He picked up his shirt and put it on his shoulder while walking out with Aeleya. He led her to the car which was a bit far from the hall.

"Finally, every big event is done. We only have a few dawats left, right?" She asked while leaning against his arms.

"Yeah. Just a few more. Tomorrow and the day after are the last ones. I think it's six more, so then we can finally go." He sighed also. As they closed in on the car, Aarush felt a droplet land on his shoulder. "Shoot, it's going to rain. Hurry to the car." He looked up and saw that the droplets were slowly increasing in speed.

"Oh no, my dress." She also began to run a little, reaching the car before the rain got more heavy. As they sat inside, Aarush placed his head back on his seat and sighed in relief.

"You haven't seen the night rain, right?" He asked while looking at her lazily.

"I haven't seen it here." She said after a thought.

"I haven't either." He said with a lazy smile. "I'll drive slow, we can experience it together. I heard that it's really beautiful and calming." Aeleya nodded and just leaned on his arm as he drove slowly. Both of them looked at the outside with a serene expression. The rain rushed down, hitting their car and the streets. It was very strong. Lights were like bright dots standing behind the rain. They could see people walking on the sides with books, boxes, and so much more, above their heads. They could rarely see bikes and other cars, but when they did, the bikers would have a jacket covering their heads as they rode quickly, splashing the water on the streets with little care.

"It's really different from the ones in America. It is less quiet, but a lot more calming. I don't know why, it is very relieving to watch and listen to." She felt a little cold and wrapped her arms around his, lifting her legs up onto the seat.

"Grab the blanket from the back. There is always one there." Aarush said with a smile. He was feeling mostly alright, maybe just a little cold.

Aeleya looked back and saw a white sheet. It was small and a little fluffy. It was folded in the corner and she grabbed it with a smile. She wrapped it around her body and snuggled into his arm from the side. "Feel my hands." She pushed her hands into his and showed him how cold they were.

"Wow, their cold." Surprise appeared on his face. He was shirtless yet he wasn't as cold as her. With his left hand holding the steering wheel, he used his right hand and gently squeezed Aeleya hand. Then, from her hands, he moved to her legs, which were tightly wrapped in the blanket. He began to gent;ly massage them as he drove. "Your legs are cold as well." He said while feeling the iciness on her skin.

"It's fine. I just get cold easily." She said with a smile. Closing her eyes, she relaxed and listened to the sound of the rain and felt Aarush's hands knead her legs. It was a wonderful and calming feeling.

Aarush was enjoying himself as well. He wasn't feeling lustful or anything alike, rather just the feeling of massaging his wife's legs while driving the car felt great to him. Plus, the rain in the background made it all the better.

As the two enjoyed the ride comfortably, Aarush suddenly saw something on the street and came to a quick stop. "Woah, who the hell is on the streets!" Hitting the brakes, he quickly turned the wheel, yet right when the car was passing the person…

The car came to a quick stop.

The sound came once again. Aarush felt his ears go numb because of the sound. "Aeleya, are you alright?" He said while breathing heavily. "What was that sound? It was so loud, and it sounded like it was so close." Aarush spoke with a deep frown. Looking over, he saw Aeleya with her eyes still closed. He smiled. "Did she not hear that or is she really sleeping already?" He smiled and pulled his hand out of the blanket. As his hand brushed past her chest, he felt something warm. "Are you sweating?" This was his first thought. His gaze showed confusion, but he ignored this and looked outside. "Aeleya, just stay here, I'll go check who that person was. Maybe I hit him or something, I have to see if he's alright." He said without even looking at her. Moving her arm away from her, he felt something trickling down his right arm. "Aeleya?" he thought she might really be sweating hard, so he looked over at his arm and her, yet his eyes suddenly widened. "W-what…" Everything came to a stop.

Rain heavily hit the car and the streets. As if someone had turned up the volume for only the rain and muted everything else.

"I wonder where Aaru and Aeleya are. They should have gotten here by now." Aarush's mother spoke with a frown on her face.

"Don't worry mom, they're probably on a romantic date right now. Look at the rain and sky, it truly is really pretty." Aliya stood beside her mother and spoke with a smile. Her eyes showed a bit of dazzle as she stared at the pitch black sky. It made her feel cold yet calm.

The frown didn't disappear from her face, rather it only deepened. "I don't Aliya. I feel like something is wrong. This rain… why does it feel so heavy? " She didn't quite understand it, but a weird feeling coursed through her body.

"You're just overreacting. Nothing is wrong." Aliya said with a sigh and walked away.

"Why do I feel so weird right now?" Aeleya's mom sat on a seat, eating breakfast. She looked outside with a frown. "Maybe I should call Aeleya and see how she is doing." She quickly picked up her phone.

Aeleya's phone began to ring inside of the car. It was loud, deafening even the rain in the background.

With his eyes glued on his arm, Aarush felt frozen. He was frozen for more than a few seconds. Time passed from seconds to even minutes. His gaze was locked on his arm this whole time, unmoving.

The trickling 'sweat' wasn't supposed to be… red. "A-Aeleya?" Aarush said after a moment of shock. His eyes were still widened, yet a crooked smile hung on his face. "Hey… Aeleya. Wake up." He pushed against her cheeks, yet there was no response. He removed the blanket slowly. "A-Aeleya?" He said once again. He couldn't see a thing even with the blacket off. She looked perfectly fine. Still, he moved her body slowly and his hands suddenly froze. "N-no…" A ghastly white appeared on his face. His breathing shot up, yet it was suffocating. The faster he breathed, the more breathless he became.

Red. It was a small streak, yet it was there. It was a line starting from her neck, going down her clothes. A perfect circle, a hole, filled with floating red liquid, was on her neck. It looked disgusting.

"N-no! H-how… w-when…" He began to regain a bit of his consciousness as he looked at the hole on her neck. It wasn't large, but it wasn't small. A tear droplet fell from his right eye, then from his left. Soon enough, they began to fall much more rapidly. As if a waterfall was finally free from it's blockade. "Aeleya! Hey, Aeleya! Listen, Aeleya! You have to answer back! Aeleya!" He called her over and over again, yet there was no reply. His face was as pale as ever. His body was trembling and his sight was blurry. Yet the red mark on her neck wasn't able to disappear. "AELEYA! WAKE UP!" A wail suddenly escaped from him as he began to shake her even more. He pinched her cheeks, lightly tapped her cheeks, shook her shoulders, and whatever else he could think of. "Aeleya! Please, open your eyes! Aeleya!" He kept calling out for her, yet the response remained the same; nothing. "What do I do? What do I do?" As if forgetting he was a doctor, he began to panic. "I have to check her breathing first, I have to check if she is still breathing, right?!" He placed his cheek over her lips and his eyes looked at her chest. "It isn't rising. I don't feel her breathing either!" His body trembled even more. His face showed a frightened expression. He quickly looked for his phone and clusily unlocked it. "H-Hello, Dara?! Dara?!"

On the other side was Dara who sounded worried and confused.

"Dara, it's Aeleya! She isn't breathing! Her neck has a bad wound! She is bleeding! I don't know what to do! What do I do!? Hurry! Tell me?! Dara!" He lost control of himself and yelled. The ability to properly explain the situation was lost. He wasn't able to understand anything happening around him.

Dara sounded even more worried, but he took a deep breath and started a bit of questioning.

Dara wasn't sure as to what was happening, but he could understand a general idea. Aeleya was unconscious and bleeding, and there was no signs of breathing. It was a dangerous situation. Maybe if Aarush was normal, he could try something, but Dara had no hope for this. This was Aeleya, there was no way Aarush would be calm.

"Alright." He didn't shut his phone off and quickly flipped her body and placed his mouth on hers. Breathing in as hard as he could, a splash of red hit his face. His face paled even more. The breath caused blood to gush out of the wound. He quickly picked up the phone. "D-Dara! The wound is gushing blood everytime I breath into her mouth. I don't know what's happening! Hurry, tell me! She isn't doing well! I can;t lose her Dara! I can't lose Aeleya!"

Dara spoke harshly. He was confused and anxious. He didn';t know the full story yet Aarush was freaking out and not helping in anyway.

"A-alright." Aarush inspected the wound a little more and once he understood it, all the color on his face dropped. He lifted the phone with shaking hands. "D-Dara… it's a b-b-bullet w-wound…"

Dara's voice came from the other side.

Dara suddenly blanked.

No response came yet Dara could still hear Aarush's slow breathing. It was extremely subtle, yet there.

With a deep breath, Dara continued.

He didn't finish as the phone call cut off.

Aarush looked at Aeleya and suddenly felt all the strenght in his body disappear. "Aeleya…" No matter what, he wasn't an idiot. He knew what Dara was saying, and deep down he already knew this. The second he saw the wound and the lack of breathing, he could tell instantly. She was no more. "One month." He leaned in close and looked at her resting face and spoke with a quivering tone. "We have been married for barely one month." He placed his forehead on hers. "Why… Why did this happen? How could this happen so suddenly? Everything was perfectly fine." He spoke in a whisper yet his tears streamed down even more. "Aeleya, you can't just leave me like this!" He said in a low howl. "We just got married! You're my life, how could you just die?! What about the dreams we spoke about? What about the kids we were going to have? Our house is still being built! How could you leave? Yun is at home waiting for you as well! You can't leave my love! You can't leave!!" He began to speak in a choking tone as he placed his cheek next to hers. Raising his head slightly, he kissed her cheek and then her lips. "Please Aeleya, you have to wake up. I can't be here alone." He lifted her body and slowly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Wake up, for me, wake up." He kept on repeating this over and over again.

"Adi, hurry and start looking for Aarush!" Dara was putting his shoes on as quickly as he could as a phone was placed on his ear.

Adi who was on the other end asked with a confused tone.

"I think Aeleya might have… died." He hesitated but still said it. Although he said think. He was certain this was the case. Based on the information, there was no way she could survive, even if Aarush was normal. There just wasn;t anything there that could save her. If she was in the hospital, then there was a small chance, but that wasn't the case. She was shot in the neck and her airway was likely shot through. Her breathing was no more and there was no response from her. Death was the only thing left.

Adi didn't understand him. What did he mean?

"Adi, just start looking for Aarush. Look around the hall and the path that leads him home from the hall. Contact Haris as well. Get the cops out there too. I'll contact his family." With that he turned the phone off and quickly dialed Hazim's number.

Hazim's voice sounded tired.

"Hazim, listen to me carefully. You have to gather everyone and start looking for Aarush!" Dara didn't beat around the bush. "Something bad happened to Aeleya, we have to find him and her. Hurry up and start looking!" He closed the phone and rushed outside. He got into his car and quickly drove away. The rain was still rushing down. "Aarush, where are you?" he kept driving with the wipers at full use. He quickly reached the hall in a matter of ten minutes. He drove around and didn't see anyone. Getting out of the car, he walked into the car and saw that it was empty. "Shit! He isn't here!" he rushed back out and began to follow the path that led to Aarush's house. As he drove quickly he saw a car standing on the side of the road. "Is that him?" As he was approaching, because of the bad weather he barely saw a man lying on the ground. "What the hell!" With a turn of his wheel, his car slid to the side, barely missing the man. Dara jumped out of the car when it finally came to a stop. He rushed to the guy first and his face paled. "A-Ali?!" Dara first checked his pulse and his breathing, his face turned frightening. "Dead." He then saw a gun in his hand and pulled a wound in his chest. Thinking about the situation Aarush described, he put two in two together. "No way." He suddenly panicked and rushed to the car on the side. When he got to the side of the car, his face paled yet a deep sigh and sorrow got on his face.

Aarush was sitting on the seat with Aeleya in his arms. His eyes were closed and he kept cradling her body. Tear stains were present on his colorless face. Aeleya was no better. All the color was gone.

Dara knocked on the window, yet Aarush didn't reply. He walked to the other side and opened the door. "A-Aarush." he called out but the latter just opened his eyes and stared at him in a dull manner. He looked lost and completely out of it.

"Dara, she's gone. She left me." He spoke with a weak smile. "I'm all alone now." Dara felt his chest become extremely stuffed and he felt his own tears roll down his face.

"Aarush." He didn't know what to say. He looked at the wound on Aeleya's neck and was sure she wasn't alive. Nothing could have saved her at that moment. As Dara felt his eyes become misty seeing his friend become so… miserable, from the corner of his eyes, he saw a bunch of cars approach them. He didn't disturb Aarush and walked out.

Aliya and Aarush's mom were the first to run out of the car. "Dara! What happened to Aeleya?! Where is she?! Where is Aarush?!" Aarush's mom was the first to speak out, yet when she saw Dara walk towards her with a shaking head and teary eyes, she felt her heart drop. "W-what happened!?"

"Aeleya is… dead." He said with a small voice.

"N-no!" His mom stumbled back and fell into Aliya, who looked at Dara with widened eyes.

"Dead?! How?!' Aliya helped her mom and walked to Dara with a shaking body. "How did Aeleya die? She was just with us at the wedding!"

Dara didn't say a thing and just pointed at the dead person on the street. "I don't know how or when, but Ali seems to have escaped from prison. He has a gun in his hand. He shot her somehow."

"Where is Aarush?! Where is my son?!" Aarush's mom walked over with her hands trembling.

"He is in the car." he pointed at the car and Aarush's mom bolted towards it with Aliya following right behind her.

"Aaru?" His mom ran around the car and entered from the open door, yet the scene caused her to freeze.

"She's dead." Aarush said in a sobbing voice. Seeing his mom, he couldn't help but begin to tear up again. "She died, just like that. We just got married, I finally found everything, but she died!" He said with a sobbing voice.

Aliya watched from behind and tears streamed from her eyes. "Aeleya!" She said with a sobbing tone.

"I can't do this anymore, mom. I can't! Aeleya was everything to me! I can't!" Aarush suddenly placed Aeleya gently on the seat and stepped out of the car.

Running around the car, Aliya grabbed Aarush's arm. "Aaru, where are you going?!"

Turning his head, he looked at Aliya with tears still streaming from his eyes. "Aliya, I can't handle this anymore. I'm done. I'm done with it all. From the beginning I was suffering and Aeleya was my only happiness. I planned my whole happiness with her, now she is gone! I can't anymore. I'm leaving!"

"Leaving?" Aliya said with her tears also dropping. "What do you mean leaving? Aeleya died! You can't just leave without burying her! You have to stay behind!"

"I can't Aliya!' Aarush suddenly screamed. He fell to his knees slowly and clenched his knuckles, punching the cement. "I can't watch Aeleya get buried! I can't! I'm too weak to see her be buried! I have to go! I promised her that I would live if she ever passed on first! If I stay, I won;t be able to control myself! I'll kill myself!" With his knuckles bruised and bleeding, he got up from the ground and walked to Dara. "Give me your car keys." Dara didn't say anything and passed them over.

"Aarush, where are you going?" Dara asked slowly.

"I'm leaving. I don't want to see my wife get buried, I can't." He then turned his head and looked at his mom and sister who were watching him with tearful eyes. "From today onwards, I'm cutting myself off from every single one of you. If you guys ever come before I ask you too and find me, I swear on my dead wives body, I will fucking kill myself!" With that, he entered Dara's car and drove away.

"Aarush!" His mom rushed towards the car, but Aliya stopped her. "Aliya, he's going! He can;t leave like that!"

"Mom, stop now. Aaru is leaving and we have to prepare for Aeleya's funeral." Aliya began to speak with tearful eyes. "I know Aarush much better than you, if we truly go and find him, he will kill himself!"

"Aliya, he needs us right now! His wife just died! How could he go off alone?!" She spoke in an almost hysterical manner.

"No!" Aliya growled. Her mom looked at her with a pained face. "Aarush needs his space. You and me both know how much Aeleya meant to Aarush. She truly was everything to him, more than anything in his life. He has been suffering from the beginning, and now, his only happiness was stolen from him! Let him go!" Aliya knew her brother and felt extreme pain for him. She knew that he was truly broken now. He was lost.

"B-but, he's…" She still wanted to go for Aarush, yet Aliya held her tightly.

"First, let's properly bury Aeleya. We have to! She just…" Aliya couldn't finish as she fell to her knees as well, feeling the tears gushing out of her eyes. It was only a few hours ago that she was talking to Aeleya. She could still remember the smile on Aeleya's face, how pretty she looked at the wedding, and her constant food eating. Everything was vivid, yet a blur began to cover it all. "Aeleya, how did you die?" Aliya felt her heart begin to tear apart as she looked into the car.

Aarush rode back to his house as quickly as he could. Everyone was awake. They were by the door, and when they Saw Aarush they ran towards him with worried faces.

"Aarush, what happened?!" Jeej walked over with a worried expression, yet Aarush ignored him completely and walked into the house. He speedily walked into his room, ignoring everyone's questions. Grabbing a suitcase, he began to quickly fill it up. He grabbed all of Aeleya's clothes and shoved them in. He grabbed a few pictures and a bunch of other things. He picked up Yun's cage and placed Yun gently into the cage. After grabbing everything, he rushed back out of the room. "Aarush? What's going on? Where are you going?" Jeej grabbed his arm and asked once again.

"Fuck off!" Aarush yelled as he yanked his arm out of Jeej's grip. With that, he walked into Dara's car and drove away. Jeej was in shock and so was everyone else. No one had ever seen Aarush act like this. Even when angered, he knew what not to say. Especially since he was usually very respectful towards Jeej. Never had he ever snapped like this, never.

"What's going on?!" Jeej looked at Aarush's dad with a deep look of worry. He wasn;t offended, rather even more worried. He knew how Aarush was, and this was a part of him he had never seen. "I'll call Aliya and find out."

"Aeleya, I'm sorry I won't be coming to your funeral." Aarush drove the car while wiping his tears. "I can't see you get buried. I just can't see you enter the ground so early." He kept wiping his tears that never stopped pouring. "But I won't kill myself. I promised you once that if anything ever happened, I would live. Although we were only joking back then, I will hold my promise. But, I have to leave. I have to." He did a few unsafe turns and continued to speed. "I'll start a new life, away from everyone. The small dream of mine, I will do it now. I'll live on, I'll think of you, I'll care for Yun who you wanted so badly." He spoke quietly while driving recklessly. As he approached a large airport, his eyes welled up with tears again and he couldn't help but look up with an agonized expression and speak silently. "Fuck!"