6 May 2020

Hey guys! I hope you're all well. Sorry to keep you all waiting for so long, I hope you like the chapter! It was a fun one to write. :) Ramadan Mubarak to all my fellow Muslim readers!

"Anyone who knew me then would say I loved you far too much. Like a wildfire or the sharp edge of a knife. Anyone would have told you I stopped being the person I was the second you walked into my life. They would have said love wasn't supposed to drive you crazy, make you want to scratch at your skin. And they were right. Because there was love and then there was you." - Lang Leay

Alayna's POV

He holds me gently against himself, his chin resting on the top of my head. Right now, I feel at home. Like I was always meant to be here, with Zayan. Nothing else matters right now.

I breathe in his delicious, manly scent and smile softly.

And then I jump, my eyes that had fluttered shut flying open.

I was hugging Zayan, and he's shirtless. And he's so... muscular. My skin flushes bright red, I'm flustered. I bite my lip nervously, embarrassed yet at the same time not.

A small smirk plays on Zayan's lips as he watches me, amused.

I can't stop my eyes from travelling all over his toned, muscular form. They roam every inch of him, I'm not able to look away.

He clears his throat, making me jump. My entire body turns scarlet as he gives me his signature smirk.

'Like what you see, Dr. Alayna?' He whispers huskily. His voice sends a delicious shiver through my entire body.

I shake my head, lying. "I've seen better." That's the biggest lie in the whole world. He's the most handsome, sexiest man I've ever seen. And he knows it.

He chuckles loudly, taking a step towards me. 'You've seen better, have you?' His eyes have darkened, his pupils almost black.

"Yeah, duh! Much, much better," I say, my eyes defiant.

In an instant, he grabs my wrist and pulls me flush against his hard body. I'm taken by surprise as my body collides with his, and I have to grab onto his forearm for support. I can feel every muscle, every hard ridge of his impressive, toned form against me.

My heart races in my ribcage, threatening to escape. I can feel his heart beating with mine, loud and clear. His hands travel to my waist, holding me gently yet firmly. I shiver under his touch.

'So tell me, Alayna, when did you see better?' He whispers, his voice cool and husky.

I suppress a smirk of my own, and I defiantly look into his heated, challenging gaze. "Many, many times," I say again, enjoying this.

He's jealous. Zayan's jealous.

'Oh, really?' He asks, his eyes filled with anger and jealousy.

I nod. "Really," I whisper, grinning up at him.

Once again, I'm pushed up against the wall, his hands still on my waist. 'You're lying.'

For a moment, I forget what he's talking about. Then, I shake my head. "Why would I lie? I don't lie," I reply, lying once again.

'You're a bad liar, Alayna. You can't lie to me,' he whispers into my ear, teasing.

He places a feather-light kiss on my earlobe, making me jump slightly. He chuckles.

"You shouldn't tease me, Alayna," he tells softly, gazing into my eyes, his heated and dark.

I'm lost for words. I don't know what to say in reply, not when he's looking at me like that. Like he's undressing me with his eyes.

He presses a gentle kiss to the top of my head, and then to my forehead. "I'm sure you don't want to be teased in return, so you shouldn't tease me. You may start the game, but I'll end it."

I swallow, again not knowing what to say to him.

He smirks. He kisses both of my cheeks, and then my jawline.

I shiver, groaning as his lips come into contact with the most sensitive spot of my jawline, under my ear.

"Zayan," I say breathlessly, holding firmly onto his forearms. My knees feel like they're going to buckle underneath me and give way. My legs feel like jelly right now.

He stares into my eyes, before his gaze falls to my lips. My heart starts to thump loudly in my chest. Zayan leans in closer, and I close my eyes, waiting.

But the kiss doesn't come. Well, not where I want it, anyway. He kisses the corner of my lip, and then my nose, before stepping back.

What?!

My eyes fly open, and I glare at him. He gives me a handsome grin, before faking a yawn.

'I'm tired, Alayna. I think we should sleep now. Goodnight, wifey,' he says, kissing my forehead once more before getting into bed.

Is he being serious?! I stay rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say to him. I'm furious. I can't believe he didn't kiss me.

I get into bed beside him, but I'm left tossing and turning all night long. I will get payback, I will. Very soon.

********

Over the next couple of days, me and Zayan both make the decision of returning to work a few days later, a month after our wedding.

Everyone supports our decision, but Aunty tells us something three days before we return to work.

We've just finished having breakfast, when she speaks. 'Zayan, Alayna, you will both be returning to work on Monday, and we'll miss you both loads. I know you'll be returning home in the evenings, but we've spent a lot of time together these past few weeks. I talked to your parents, Alayna, and also to Aliya. We've decided, if you both will agree, that we'll all spend this weekend together. Alayna, your parents and siblings, our family, and Aliya's family. We'll stay together for the weekend, at our manor in London. What do you both say?' Aunty asks, excited.

I look towards Zayan, smiling. He nods.

'That's fine with us, Mum. Will we be leaving tomorrow?' Zayan replies.

She shakes her head. "Tonight! Actually, in a few hours! We'll be leaving at around 3pm, so we should reach the manor before 6pm. I'm so excited! It's going to be so much fun!" Aunty says, beaming.

I smile. 'It will be lots of fun, Aunty. It's an amazing idea! We're going to get busy when we return to work, so I think it's the best idea that we'll get to spend the next few days with all our loved ones. Thank you so much for coming up with this brilliant plan!'

"You don't need to thank us, Alayna dear. There might be one small problem, though. Zayan?" Uncle says, hesitantly.

Zayan looks towards his father, questioningly.

'Mariyah will be there, as will Armaan. They're part of Aliya's family,' he explains.

Zayan surprises me by chuckling. "They won't be a problem, Dad."

I raise an eyebrow, looking towards my dear husband. What's he up to now?

'Good! We'll have the best weekend then, that's for sure,' Uncle says, smiling at us.

I nod, excitedly. I can't wait!

********

Uncle's manor is absolutely beautiful. It's stunning. It's even more amazing than the mansion, and it's probably double the size! The manor is in the London countryside, in the midst of the most gorgeous scenery. It has a fountain at the front. A fountain! It also has the loveliest flower garden, with tulips, roses, sunflowers, lilies, in all colours.

From the inside, the manor looks exactly like a palace. I can't believe this belongs to Uncle! He helped to build it, over thirty years ago. Everyone's stunned when we reach the manor. Zayan, however, doesn't bat an eyelid. Of course he doesn't.

Inside the manor, there are several staff working there. There are maids, a chef, a butler, personal drivers, even a doorman. A doorman!

I can't believe it.

Well, I can.

I know that Zayan's family (my new family) are the richest family of Birmingham. My family are the second richest, but this.. this is surely larger than a palace! Wow.

'Hanna, I didn't know about this manor! Wow, I don't know what to say,' I whisper to my best friend.

She smiles. "I've only been here twice before. Dad always comes to stay here, whenever he comes to London. Usman Bhai and Zayan Bhai always come here, too. But I've only been here twice. We need to come here more often, it's amazing."

I nod. 'Definitely!'

Our bags are taken inside by the staff, and we're shown to our rooms. Me and Zayan are given the largest suite, and it's absolutely perfect.

The suite is entirely decorated in white and gold. The bed, bedding, curtains, chandelier, wardrobe, lamps, sofas and tables are all white and gold. Even the bathroom is white and gold!

'Zayan, this is amazing. It's so beautiful! I didn't know about this manor. It's.. wow,' I say, walking towards Zayan and placing a gentle hand on his forearm.

He nods. "It's definitely something. I always come to stay here, whenever I visit London."

'It's even more gorgeous than a palace!' I say with a laugh.

"It's the largest manor in the country," he says with a shrug.

My eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. 'Can we stay here forever?' I joke.

He looks towards me and nods. "Do you want to?"

'Of course I do, but only if our whole family was here. I'd miss them too much if we stayed here,' I say.

He gives me a small smile. "Me too."

'I'm gonna go and freshen up, get changed, before we go downstairs for dinner. What time did Uncle say dinner was?' I ask.

"7:30pm," he tells me.

After an hour.

I nod. 'Take some rest, Zayan. You must be tired after the long journey.'

I grab my change of clothing and step into the bathroom. I take longer than I'd originally planned to, as I opt for a hot bath instead of a quick shower. I take over forty minutes in the bath, before I brush my teeth, dry my hair, brush through it and change my clothes. I have just enough time to put on a touch of makeup, so I do just that.

I'm wearing a casual, fitted plum coloured maxi dress. It's fitted from the top, and has a simple black belt around the waist. From the waist down, the dress is flowy and loose. It's really comfortable, yet elegant and beautiful. The dress has three-quarter length sleeves, so I put on my new Daniel Wellington watch. My makeup is simple and soft. I go for a no-makeup makeup look, and it looks nice with the dress. I've tied my hair into a messy bun at the top of my head.

I walk out of the bathroom to where Zayan is seated on the edge of the bed, putting on his own Armani watch. He's changed into a plum coloured button-up shirt which is tight and shows off all his muscles. He's paired it with black jeans, and black shoes. He looks damn hot.

'Zayan, we're matching!' I say, grinning as I go to him and fasten his watch around his wrist.

He glances at me, before shamelessly checking me out from head to toe. His eyes darken as he grabs my hand and pulls me into his lap.

"Zayan, we're getting late for dinner," I whisper, blushing furiously and biting my lip.

'I think we should have dinner in our room,' he says, not letting go of me. He rests his head under my chin, his lips skimming the skin of my neck.

I groan, not wanting to get up. I want more.

"Zayan," I whisper, breathing in his delicious, manly scent.

He kisses the side of my neck, ever so gently. 'Yes?'

"We should g-go," I whisper, my voice trembling with desire.

'We should,' he says, but he doesn't let go of me.

I hold onto him, closing my eyes as he ravishes my neck. If he doesn't let go of me, we're both going to miss dinner, and also breakfast the next morning.

What he does next, shocks me.

He sucks the skin of the side of my neck gently and quickly, before kissing it and staring into my eyes. He has a naughty look in his eyes, and a grin on his lips.

My entire body is burning up in flames, and dinner's the last thing on my mind right now. I'm not hungry at all, not for dinner anyway.

'Shall we go for dinner? Everyone must be waiting,' he says, smiling at me. His eyes are filled with amusement, and I'm confused as hell.

He's still teasing me. From our date. He's still teasing me, and he's enjoying it too much.

I nod, trying to calm my raging hormones. He thinks he's the only one who can tease me? I started this game, and I'll be the one to end it.

I jump up, beaming at him. "Yes! I'm very hungry, Zayan. Let's go!"

He looks very confused as I hold his hand and lead him downstairs.

********

'Hanna, this manor is absolutely gorgeous, girl! Thank you for inviting us to come along!' Aliya says happily.

Hanna grins. "Anytime, babe. Anytime! Oh, Alayna! Zayan Bhai! It's about time. I'm hungry!"

Zayan rolls his eyes at his sister, at the time that Hanna grabs my arm and makes me sit with the girls. Aliya, Hanna, Sara, Laiba and Mariyah are sitting together, with my favourite person in the world. Adnan.

He smiles up at me, and I grin, taking him from Laiba who's smiling at us.

'Adnan! My favourite nephew! How are you, baby?' I ask, taking a seat in between Laiba and Hanna.

I kiss the little boy on his chubby cheeks, and start talking to him in baby language.

Aliya clears her throat. 'Someone's staring at you, Alayna,' she whispers, winking at me.

My cheeks burn bright scarlet, as my eyes travel to the other side of the massive hall. Zayan's staring at me, a smirk playing on his lips. I glare at him, but he doesn't look away.

The girls all laugh at us.

'So, why did you both take so long upstairs?' My dear sister asks me.

"Did we? I took a bath, and then got changed. We didn't even take long," I say.

Sara smirks.

'Tell Zayan Bhai you're sleeping with us tonight. We're having a sleepover, all of us girls,' Hanna says.

"Oh! Okay, I'll tell him after dinner," I reply. I have a feeling Zayan won't be too happy, though.

'You don't mind, do you?' Aliya teases me.

I shake my head furiously. "Of course not! Why would I mind?"

I'm going to miss Zayan, though. For some reason, I can't fall asleep without him anymore.

'Can I join you girls tonight?' Mariyah asks a few seconds later.

There's silence for a few, long seconds. Then, I nod. "Yes, of course, Mariyah."

She beams at me. 'Thank you, Alayna!'

Hanna gives me a weird look, which I ignore. I don't trust Mariyah at all, I don't know her well at all, but I don't want to leave her out when all of us girls will be together tonight.

"Anytime," I add with a small smile.

"Alayna! Oh, my god. You.. I can't believe you and Zayan!" Laiba says, her cheeks bright red.

I stare at her, confused. 'Huh? What's wrong? Laiba? What did me and Zayan do?'

Laiba stands up, her hands on her hips. "Zayan, will you come here for a second?" She says loudly, so he can hear her.

Zayan frowns, but does as he's told.

'Yes?' He says politely when he reaches us.

"Zayan, what on earth is this?" Laiba says, shooting daggers at Zayan with her eyes, and pointing towards my neck.

He looks confused for less than a second. Then, he smirks. What?

'What are you guys smirking and frowning about? Will someone tell me something? Laiba? Zayan? Hanna?'

Hanna stands up and goes to the other side of me, where Laiba's standing. When she sees what they're both staring at, Aliya, Sara and Mariyah get up to look too.

Hanna's eyes widen, and she quickly covers them with both her hands. 'Zayan Bhai! Are you being serious?!' She screeches.

Zayan looks pleased with himself, as he smirks again. Ugh! I'm going to wipe that smirk off his handsome face very soon.

Sara and Aliya burst into a laughing fit, their faces bright red. When they compose from their laughter, Aliya tells me. 'You have a hickey on your neck, Alayna. It's bright red. That explains why you both took ages upstairs,' she whispers, loud enough for us all to hear. Thankfully, our parents are all on the other side of the hall and they don't hear us. If they heard us or saw my neck, I would be mortified!

I glare at Zayan, my cheeks bright red. Laiba quickly composes herself and frees my hair from my messy bun so it falls over my shoulders. She helps me to hide the hickey as best as she can.

'Are you done?' Zayan asks his sister-in-law, still as cool as ever.

"Yes. Go away," she mutters embarrassedly. He walks away, but not before winking at me.

Oh, I'm going to get him back. I'm going to get him back very soon!

We sit back down, and I feel so embarrassed! I know I'm with the girls, but my cheeks are bright red.

They all tease me lots, except for Mariyah. She looks confused, and most of all, she looks hurt. She keeps looking over at Zayan, but he doesn't spare her a single glance. It's clear as day that she still has feelings for him. And that doesn't make me very happy at all.

'Did that.. hurt?' Hanna blurts a few seconds later.

My eyes widen in shock. What's she asking about? "Did what hurt?" I ask. Please don't be asking what I think you're asking, Han. Please.

She points to my neck. Oh. My face burns as I shake my head. I stand up, dragging her up with me. 'Dinner time!'

********

When Zayan takes a seat next to me at the dining table, I immediately come up with a plan. It's time for payback. For all the teasing, and for the hickey. He's gonna regret sitting next to me.

I eat silently and quickly, looking around us. Everything looks good. Sitting around us are Hanna, Sara, Mariyah, Aliya and Armaan. None of our parents are sitting near us, so that's okay.

"Do you want some biryani, Zayan?" I ask him sweetly.

He shakes his head. 'No thanks, Alayna. You've eaten, already? Eat something else, you hardly ate,' he says to me.

Aww. Such a caring husband.

"Thanks, but I'm full! Do you want some orange juice?" I ask him.

He gives me a small smile. 'Only half a glass, please.'

I nod, pouring him a full glass of orange juice. I hand it to him. Then, I put a bit of lasagne into his plate for him. "You need to eat some of this, it's delicious."

'Thanks, Alayna,' he says.

I smile. "Anytime, hubby."

He starts to eat the lasagne, and I decide to put my plan into action.

I sit slightly closer to him, and place my hand under the table, on his knee. He jumps, turning to face me.

I start talking to Hanna and Mariyah, trying to seem innocent.

'Yes, Mariyah! I bought this dress from Italy, on our honeymoon. Thanks, I love it too!' I say, grinning.

I start to trail my hand up his knee, very slowly. Zayan clears his throat. 'What do you think you're doing?' He mutters into my ear.

I turn to face him. "Whatever do you mean, dear husband?" I give him an innocent look, widening my eyes. Then I add, "Didn't you like the lasagne?"

'It's good, but I'm full.'

I trail my fingers up higher on his thigh. He tenses, and looks around quickly. 'Remove your hand right away.'

I bat my eyelids at him. "Where do you want me to put it instead?"

I hear an animalistic, low roar from the back of his throat. My hand travels higher, to the waistband of his jeans. He's sitting as straight as a rod, and he's very tense. I take my hand slightly higher, to his shirt. To his buttons, to be exact. With one hand, I open one of the buttons of his shirt. And then take my hand inside, to the hard, smooth skin of his abdomen.

'You're playing with fire, Alayna,' Zayan whispers into my ear.

I look into his eyes, determined. "Then burn me."

I continue to tease him for several minutes, not removing my hand from his abdomen. He's very tense, I don't know how he manages to sit in his seat. His eyes are boring into me after every few seconds, but I'm chatting away with everyone around me.

'You ask your brother, Han!' I say dramatically.

"Zayan Bhai?" Hanna sings.

'What?' Zayan answers, his tone clipped.

Hanna clears her throat. "I was just wondering, all of us girls are having a sleepover tonight. Can Alayna-"

'No.'

"Zayan Bhai!"

'No.'

"At least listen to me, dear brother!" Hanna says, smirking.

'I said no, Hanna.'

"Fine! What kind of brother are you? Usman Bhai always listens to me! He doesn't have a problem with Laiba Bhabhi joining us in the sleepover tonight! You never listen to me. Your only sister!" Hanna pouts sadly.

'I don't care,' he says.

"Zayan, you're not listening to your sister?" I ask softly, opening another button of his shirt.

Zayan stares into my eyes. 'No.'

"Fine, Hanna. You girls enjoy without me. My dear husband won't let me have fun with you all. When he's asleep, I'll sneak out and join you."

'You do that, and I'll drag you back into our room,' Zayan mutters.

My cheeks burn bright red.

"Stop being mean, Zayan!" Mariyah says, glancing at me.

Zayan raises an eyebrow. 'I'm sure Alayna doesn't mind.'

I smirk. "Well..."

'Do you want to sleep with the girls tonight?' Zayan asks me.

I bite my lip, thoughtfully. "Well, maybe?" I say.

'Okay. You can stay them, but only tonight.'

I grin, before throwing myself at him like the idiot that I am. I hug him tight, finally letting go of him. "You're the best husband in the world!"

He chuckles, surprising me by hugging me back. Then, I nearly jump out of my skin when I realise that our parents are right here. 'I know I am.'

Mortified, I run upstairs to my room. I can't believe I just hugged Zayan, in front of everyone. What must they all be thinking?! I'm so stupid.

I'm flustered. I feel so hot right now. I fan myself, before going over to the wardrobe where the maids have set out my clothes. I take out a set of pyjamas, before deciding I need another bath or shower. A cold one, this time.

I've just stepped into the bathroom, when I'm gently pushed up against the wall. Zayan traps me with his hands on either side of me on the wall, caging me. "What were you doing at the dinner table?" He murmurs huskily.

My eyes widen innocently. 'Nothing at all! I was eating!'

"You're such a tease."

'Sorry!' I pout, pulling his cheek. Then I add, 'Don't miss me too much tonight!'

His eyes darken. "Oh, I won't. Because when the girls are asleep, you're coming back to me."

My heart rate quickens, and this time my eyes widen in surprise. 'I am? What if I fall asleep before them?'

"You won't."

I fake a yawn. 'But I'm tired!' I rest my head on his chest.

"You're such a drama queen," he says, chuckling softly.

I frown at him. The frown quickly turns into a smile, though. 'I'm your drama queen, though.'

"That you are." He takes his hands off the wall and wraps his arms around me gently, pulling me against himself. Oh, I definitely won't fall asleep before the girls. I won't be able to sleep without Zayan.

I hug him back, closing my eyes and enjoying the feel of his arms wrapped around me, enjoying the scent of him.

I lift my chin from his chest and smile up at him. He laughs, shaking his head and kissing my forehead. 'The things I'd do for you,' he says, sighing.

I frown thoughtfully. "Would you take a bullet for me?"

He nods. 'Yes. You know I would, a thousand times again.' My heart aches hearing his words.

"Would you buy me the newest Audi?" I ask.

'Of course I would.'

"Would you let me sleep with the girls tomorrow night too?" I ask innocently.

'No!'

I laugh wickedly. I knew it.

********

Hey, guys! Sorry for such a long wait! I've been really busy lately, that's why I haven't uploaded in almost a whole month! I hope you liked the chapter, though. It was a fun one to write! I've had the roughest month, I've lost someone very, very close to me and I'm heartbroken. Please pray for my grandfather who passed away last month. It would mean everything to me.

Did you like it? What was your favourite part of the chapter?

I hope you're enjoying Alayna and Zayan's banter as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

I have so, so much planned for this book! I'm so excited!

Don't forget to vote and comment if you liked the chapter! It'd mean the world to me. And please point out any mistakes you see.

Question: Describe your perfect wedding.

Bye guys!