~Zaya FF - Acceptance ~|Update 4/11| Pg 18 - Page 9

"Meri mehmaan-nawazi nahi huyi" Zain complained, walking up to her.

She looked up surprised, taking in his handsome self, an appreciative glaze flickered through. "Doston ki mehmaan-nawazi nahi ki jaati." She patted the swing removing her splayed pallu.

"Ye baat bhi sahi hai.Friends toh aakar, boring se, serious types mehmaan se bachate hain, kyun?" Zain smirked.

Aaliya grinned.

"Shaadi fix ho rahi hai tumhari suna maine?"

Zain felt a constriction in his heart. "How do you know?"

"Well...when Suraiya aunty called me 4 times just to confirm whether Natasha and her family were coming or not, I figured" she shrugged.

He generally loved the smile that always continuously played on her lips when she was with him, but right now he didn't want to see this face. He wanted to see just a streak of jealousy, a tiny one maybe?

"I don't know what I am looking for" he sighed.

"Hey! That's the easiest part!"

"Easiest? It's about to get tougher?"

"Don't tell me you thought marriage was all about Disney movies and hunky dory fairytale classics"

"Oh please. I am a guy. If anything, I would be simply interested in Mills n Boons and be done with it." He winked.

Her eyes widened as she gestured as to slap him. "Besharam!"

She further continued, "This is the easiest part right now. Because abhi jo tumhare choices hai, you will easily find Natasha to be that kind. But eventually, your expectations grow and your choices fade away. That's when compromise begins and you accept it as compulsion."

"So it is inevitable? Marriages have to suck?!" he said, pressing his feet, putting a hold to their swaying.

She laughed. And Zain felt the atmosphere sprinkled with tiny glitters and her voice tinkling. Yes, a fairytale. With an end that was already written.

"Marriages don't suck unless you think of them as being compromise. When you're in love, you do everything to make that person happy despite how it makes you feel, or what you want to do. So you do change, for them but you also expect them to change. Allah ke saamney hum ussey qubool karte hain aur fir usi mein changes chahte hai..yeh toh cheating ho gayi na?" she added the last part with a smirk, looking at him.

"You make me want to be a celibate for the rest of my life Aaliyaaa" he sighed dramatically.

She grinned. He made her smile, he made her happy. It was easy talking to him, even if it was random, she felt involved. No judgements. All that she expected out of the relationship she shared with Zeeshan. She simply wanted to be happy and he simply didn't want that. She pleated her saree's pallu, wondering.

Aaliya looked up sharply. She was unable to read him; curiosity filled eyes?

"Well, we both know why we have been left together'" Zain did a sign of quoting for the last two words. She giggled.

"Few days ago you came back from London, how come you agreed just like that?" she asked. She had a sweet voice but it didn't remind Zain of tinkling and chimes.

"To be honest, I didn't agree. My parents asked me to meet you and see if we can take this further.."

"So there is no typical girl you are looking for or expectation?"

"Expectations is a clever word..it goes two-ways.."

"Umm..I simply want a marriage into a happy family. I have immense respect for Usman Uncle and Suraiya Aunty and Fahad bhai toh mere Sir' ho jaate hain office mein. But he is a gem of a person. I am hoping you are one too" she smiled at him.

Zain chuckled. "What are your hobbies? Anything that we might have in common?"

~.~

"Zain, Natasha? Agar baatein ho gayi ho toh andar khane ke liye aa jao dono?" They made their way in. Zain was immediately surrounded by Suraiya aunty and another lady he didn't know.

"Jee jee bilkul.." On seeing their expectant faces, he added, "Bohot khoobsoorat hain!"

"Humein toh mann tha tum dono aur baatein karte, jaante samajhte lekin achanak se Aaliya ne dinner ke liye bula liya. Puchna toh chahiye tha.." Zain gauged Noorie Aunty didn't really seem fond of Aaliya.

"And I continue disliking her" he made a mental note.

As Natasha, Shazia and Nafeesa too joined them, Zain made an excuse to look for his Dad quickly getting away from the girl gang.

His eyes scanned the entire room for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. He was losing interest in the food as well. "I guess I do have to look for Dad" he muttered before finishing his plate quick, making his way towards him and Fahad.

Usman thumped him on the back as he exclaimed on seeing Zain. "Mubarak ho, humney suna aapko ladki behad khoobsoorat lagi?"

"Jee dad.."

"Zain gale toh milo bhai se" Fahad pulled him into a hug.

"Bhai maine.."

"Ab toh tum bhi bhai ki category mein aa gaye! Bhool jao wo din jab tum mujhe henpecked bulate the..ab main dekhoonga tumhara haal!"

"Haan koi nahi..tum log aajkal wo thoda dating karte ho na, wo waqt ley lo." Usman smiled indulgently.

Trust his mom to come up at the worst moment.

"Abhi toh 1 mahine waise bhi engagement ka scene nahi banega. Lekin haan, June 15^th ko hum Natasha ko partly" she cupped Natasha's cheeks, "apni bahu bana lenge."

~.~

I will update soon this time! Pakka😳 Love!