August 8 2019

Hey, guys! I hope you're all well. Here's the next chapter of 'Arranged or Love?', I hope you all like it. Let me know what you think of the chapter, and point out any grammatical mistakes if you see any. Thank you! Happy reading! ;)

"When you love someone, it's worth fighting for no matter what the odds." - Aria Montgomery, Pretty Little Liars

Alayna's POV

I stare down at his hand on my arm, frowning. Then, I look at him. His eyes are filled with an unreadable expression, and they're sparkling. 

I try to remove my hand from his grasp, but he's too strong. His hold on my arm is strong, yet gentle. Fireworks shoot up my arm, shocking me for an instant. The feeling is new, completely new. There's no way he's not feeling it too.. this current.

'Alayna, listen to me.' His tone is urgent. 

"Why? Why should I listen to you? Let me go, leave me," I mutter, glaring at him. I don't care if he's my mentor, I don't care right now. 

'That's not what I meant,' he speaks, his voice clear. 

I laugh humorlessly. "Dr. Zayan, you made it clear that you don't want me in your house. So don't worry. I won't stay here. Not now." 

'You don't have any idea, do you? You don't know anything? Or are you just pretending not to know anything?' He asks, frowning at me while looking deep in thought. 

"What? What are you saying? I have no idea. Absolutely no idea. What am I pretending not to know?" I ask, confused as hell. Then I add, "Tell me."

He smirks, shaking his head. 'This is absolutely perfect, Alayna. Just perfect.' He looks seriously annoyed.

"What's perfect? What are you on about? You're confusing me! If you want to tell me something, then tell me now. Or let me leave." I pull my arm out of his grasp. 

'How does it feel, Alayna, having your entire family hide things from you? Having them hide something extremely important?' He utters. 

I shake my head. "Will you stop talking in riddles? Wait, what? My family are hiding something from me, or are yours hiding something from you? What are they hiding?" I ask, loudly. 

He shrugs. 'I don't know.' I can tell though, he's lying. He knows something.

"Oh, I'm sure you don't know! If my family are hiding something from me, then I have the right to know. Tell me, Dr. Zayan. Please," I add, calming down slightly. But from the inside, I have many emotions bubbling up right now. Confusion, annoyance and anger are just a few. 

'I don't know what they're hiding,' he says. But why do I feel as though he's lying, or at least, hiding something from me? 

"Should I be worried?" I ask him quietly. 

His gaze softens slightly. 'I don't know, Alayna. Ask me anything to do with medicine and I'll tell you in one second. But I don't know about this. I'm not the person to ask. Please forget I said anything.' 

I shake my head. "But you know that my family are hiding something from me. Why else would you ask if I'm pretending not to know? Why would I pretend not to know anything? It's crazy."

'You're not pretending, clearly,' he mutters, sighing. He runs a hand through his hair, looking lost for a second.

"You know.. I've had the same feeling lately. That my parents are hiding something from me, that there's something they don't want me to know. I don't know what you know, but there's definitely something. Oh, god. I'm worried now, I'm scared," I reply, looking towards the ground. 

'I apologise, Alayna. Sincerely. I didn't mean to take my anger out at you,' he says, and he looks honest. 

I shake my head. "I.. it's fine. It's okay. We'd better get going. Everyone's probably wondering where we are," I say quietly. 

He nods. 'Yes.' 

We return to the living room, and I can't help but feel agitated. I sit with the girls and talk to them, but I'm completely out of it. I glance towards my parents, towards my brother and sister. Do Sara and Yusuf know, too, whatever it is that my parents are hiding? 

How does Dr. Zayan know, and I don't know? It's really weird. 

Dr. Zayan surely couldn't have made this up. Something's definitely fishy. 

"Alayna, are you okay? What's wrong?" Aliya asks, worriedly. She puts a hand on my arm, making me jump out of my thoughts. 

I force a smile. 'I'm absolutely fine, Aliya. Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all!' 

She shakes her head. "I've been your best friend for over twelve years, I know when you're worried about something." 

I shake my head. 

'Alayna, what's wrong?' Mum asks me, looking worried too.

"Nothing, Mum. Nothing's wrong," I say, a little too firmly. I don't care, though. I need to know what they're hiding from me. Is it something big?

Just then, Armaan enters the room and throws everyone his dazzling smile. I return the smile, a forced one. 

'Alayna, I was just thinking about Aliya's sangeet. We need to plan so much.. singing and dancing, games, everything!' He says, grinning. 

"Yes! Alayna, you're amazing at singing. Dancing, too. You'll sing and dance on my sangeet and mehndi, won't you?" Aliya asks me, her eyes brightening up. She looks hopeful. 

I laugh nervously. 'Aliya, I don't want to make a joke out of myself. I'll sing, but I won't dance.' 

She frowns at me. "You promised me that you will! Since we were teenagers, you promised me! And you know you're amazing at dancing, so shh. You will, for me." 

How can I say 'no' to her? I laugh, shaking my head. 'Okay, but you'll join me. You too, Han.' 

Aliya beams at me, while Hanna's eyes widen with shock. "No, no, no. Alayna, you know I can't dance to save my life," Hanna says, nervously. 

I laugh loudly. 'You can dance with me, Han. You can be my dance partner. We'll both make fools out of ourselves. With everyone watching. Oh, god.' My cheeks heat up. 

Everyone chuckles, including Dr. Zayan. His eyes meet mine, and I stop laughing. He gives me a small smile, which I return after a few seconds. 

"Perfect. I know several singing games which we'll play, too. And.. Aliya? Alayna? What do you think about this dancing game? We'll throw everyone's names into a bowl, and pick out two names randomly. The two people who are picked out, will have to dance," Armaan says, excited. 

'That's not a bad idea, Armaan, but what if my name's picked out with someone's uncle? Or even worse, what if my name gets picked with an aunt who I don't like?!' I ask, my eyes widening. 

He chuckles at me. "You won't have to worry about that, Alayna. It'll only be our generation who's names are put into the bowl. No parents, no aunts, no uncles and no grandparents. Don't worry." 

I breathe a sigh of relief. 'I'm definitely up for it, then.'

"There's the old Alayna!" He laughs. 

I grin. 'I guess so!'

"I too missed the old Alayna. The Alayna who's always ready for some fun, who will not refuse any dare. The naughty, crazy Alayna," Aliya says, smiling. 

'I missed her too,' I say, making everyone laugh. 

"So, tell me. I need to plan all this out. Bollywood, or Hollywood songs? English songs? Or Pakistani and Indian?" Armaan asks us all. 

'Bollywood, duh,' Aliya says. We all nod. Of course. It wouldn't be fun with Hollywood songs, as much as I love some of them. 

"Good choice," Armaan replies. He jots something down onto a piece of paper. 

We all continue to plan all the functions of Aliya's wedding, before my phone starts to ring an hour later. 

I take it out of my purse. It's Zain. 

"Hello?" I say, answering it. 

'Hi, Alayna! Are you working?' He asks me. 

"No, Zain. It's the weekend. Are you working today?" 

'Yes, I finish at 9pm. I've been on call this week, remember? I needed to ask you something,' he says. 

I laugh. "You need to ask me something? You're a great doctor, Zain. What do you need to possibly ask me?" 

'I probably shouldn't ask this over the phone, but is Miss Davies your patient?' He asks. 

"Yes, she is. I admitted her to the gynaecology ward on Thursday. Why? Is everything okay?" I ask, suddenly worried. Miss Davies, or Jade, is a 23-year old female who came in to the emergency room early Thursday morning, and I immediately got worried about her after running some tests and scans. Firstly, her blood results came back abnormal. And secondly, her ultrasound really worried me. It showed a large in her womb, which of course, at first glance, I wasn't certain what it was. A mass in the womb can be a few things. It could be a harmless, benign growth of tissue in the uterus, which can be removed easily. But it could also be a malignant tumour, a cancer of the womb. 

'Her tests came back positive for uterine cancer. The gynaeoncologist looked at her scans and all her blood work, and she also did a physical examination. Physically, Miss Davies looks slightly better than she did when she was brought in. But she has cancer, stage two,' he tells me. 

My heart drops. "Does she know? Has anyone told her or her family?" I ask, worriedly. 

Dr. Zayan and Hanna look at me worriedly. 'Yes, the oncologist told her this morning. She seemed okay with the news, as if she was expecting it. I called you to update you, though, as she was your patient. She's been admitted to the gynaeoncology ward, for the time being. She looks stable, so she will be discharged. Her treatment will start next week.' 

"I feel so bad for her, I know we're doctors, but I can't help feeling this way when I get such news. Thank you so much, Zain. Please will you go and check on her for me? If she wasn't getting discharged, I'd come and check on her myself," I say into the phone. 

'Of course, Alayna. Of course I'll do that. I'll see you on Monday, then,' he says. 

"See you on Monday," I say, turning off the call. 

My parents start to ask me what the matter is, but I brush them off. I tell them a little of what's going on with the patient, but I don't reveal any patient details, as we're not allowed to, of course. 

However, Dr. Zayan wants all the information. 

'Alayna, will you come with me for a second?' He asks, standing up. 

Everyone stops talking to look at us. "Sure," I stand up, following him out the room. 

He leads me to the kitchen, where he pours me a glass of water and hands it to me. 

I take it, thanking him. "Thank you."

'You look upset, Alayna,' he says. 

I shrug. "I am."

'I understand, I really do, but.. please, don't feel this way. Don't be upset.' 

"How? You've been a doctor for, what? Five years? And I've been a doctor for a few months. I haven't had too many cases like this, and you're an oncologist. You're used to this, you must be having to break the news to your patients everyday. I'm a doctor, Dr. Zayan, but I'm human. I know you mean it in a nice way, but I can't help but feel upset. What must she be feeling at this moment? What must her husband and family be feeling?" I shake my head, blinking back the tears which are rising to my eyes. 

I know I probably look stupid right now. I'm a doctor, and here I am, getting upset about a patient. But, I can't help it.

'I understand, Alayna. Honestly, I do. I'm not telling you not to be upset because you're a doctor, but I'm telling you because I can see that you're already stressed,' he says, his tone calm and gentle. 

I glance towards him, giving him a small smile. "How do you do it, Dr. Zayan? How can you always be so calm at the hospital? You're an oncologist, and I know that oncology is one of the most difficult specialisations of medicine. How do you remain calm when you receive such news?" I ask him, glancing at his handsome face. 

'I've become used to it now. You probably won't believe this, and neither would Hanna, but I was very emotional the first time I found out my patient had passed away. At the time, I had blamed myself, even though I knew that it wasn't my fault at all. I wasn't with the patient at the time, I was at home. I felt even worse because I wasn't there, because I hadn't spoken to the patient for one last time,' he tells me. 

I'm shocked. "Really?" I ask him in a whisper. 

He nods. 'Yes, and now look at me.'

I chuckle at that. "You're a great doctor." 

'Thank you, Alayna. That means a lot, coming from you. Now, tell me. About the patient. Only if you're okay with it, though,' he says, looking into my eyes. 

I sigh, before starting to speak. "Jade came into the emergency room on Thursday morning, with severe pain in her lower abdomen. She told me that her severe pain radiated to her back and legs, too. It was definitely affecting her work and daily life, and she was feeling tired all the time. That wasn't the reason she was brought in, though. Her husband brought her in after she experienced abnormal vaginal bleeding." My cheeks redden slightly as I tell him this. 

However, he doesn't seem fazed one bit. Of course he doesn't. He's a doctor. 

I continue to talk. "She told me that the bleeding started off as spotting, but after a few hours it got extremely heavy. The pain was very bad, too, as I could see after a physical examination. I stayed with her in the ER until a gynaecologist came down to see her. During the time I sat with her, she told me that she'd been married for two years, but she was having difficulty in getting pregnant. After hearing this, I got even more worried, and immediately ordered abdominal and internal ultrasounds. The ultrasounds showed that there was a mass in her uterus, which may have been why she hadn't conceived. Blood work came back abnormal, so I admitted her and ordered some advanced tests. Zain called earlier, to tell me that these tests had come back positive for womb cancer. They're thinking that it's Stage Two."

'Okay. Womb cancer is generally quite rare in her age group, as it's usually detected in older women. When did you say her treatment will start?' He enquires. 

"Next week. She's getting discharged now, as she seems to be feeling a little better. However, she's been told to come straight back if she starts to bleed again or experience severe cramps. She will be called in to start treatment on Monday."

'It's good she's going to be starting her treatment soon. Alayna, how are you feeling now?' He asks me. 

"Me? I'm fine, why?" I ask him, frowning. 

'Good, if you're sure. Please try not to worry about anything,' he says. 

I sigh, nodding. "If you're talking about my parents, you have no idea how mad I am at them. Because you're right. I know they're hiding something from me, and I will find out. Why can't you tell me, though?" 

'I don't know, Alayna,' he says, looking away from me. I know he's lying. 

I don't push him. "Okay. I'll find out, though." 

I stay at their house for another hour or so, and we all continue to plan Aliya's wedding. Hanna tells me, Aliya and Sara to stay with her, but I decline, telling her that I need to write some patient notes tonight, which I do. 

'You can come to stay with me, though Han. I stayed the other day, and you haven't in a while! Aliya, you too! It'll be amazing!' 

So, the girls stay with me that night. We have lots of fun. I spend forty-five minutes or so finishing up my patient notes, and then we have loads of fun. We watch an episode of 'Gossip Girl', and then we bake some chocolate chip cookies. After that, I show Aliya and Hanna the stunning gold lehenga I'm planning to wear on Aliya's wedding. They both love it. 

********

The next day, we go shopping for Aliya's wedding. Me, Sara, Aliya and Aliya's Mum drive in Yusuf Bhai's car. Hanna, Mum and Aunty drive in Dr. Zayan's car. Seeing him turn up to go shopping with all of us shocks me, but I'm kind of excited. I don't mind seeing his handsome face at all.  

We first drive to the mall in the city centre, where all the Pakistani and Indian bridal boutiques are. We go to one of the best bridal boutiques in the city, where Aliya tries on several dresses. They're all stunning, but she doesn't find one which is perfect for her big day. 

Next, we go to another one, which is located on the top floor of the huge mall. I prefer the dresses in this boutique, they're so beautiful. 

'Alayna! You try something on, too! You don't have a dress for Aliya's mehndi or walima. All the dresses here are so stunning, try something on! You might find something you like,' Mum says to me. 

"Yes, try something on Alayna, please. And please, find something you like. I know that Aliya will find her wedding dress, but you won't find your perfect dress," Yusuf Bhai teases me. 

I glare at him. 'Yusuf Bhai, you please.. continue talking to Zayan.' I blush when I realise that I've called him 'Zayan' and not 'Dr. Zayan', like I usually do. 

"Happily! I don't want to see you girls going crazy trying on hundreds of dresses," he teases me again. 

I shake my head, laughing. 'Yes, you don't want to see us, but when you get married, you won't mind how much time your future wife takes in trying on dresses! What will happen to the poor girl who marries my brother?! I already feel sorry for her!' I joke. 

He smirks. "Don't worry about me, Alayna. Worry about yourself, because you're going to get married before me," he says again. I see Dr. Zayan stare at him in surprise, and I glare at my brother. This is so embarrassing!

My cheeks heat up. Did he seriously say this in front of everyone? In front of Aunty and Dr. Zayan?! 'Bhai! Seriously?! And we'll see.' 

Aliya tries on several dresses in this boutique, too. She finds her mehndi dress after trying on six. It's absolutely beautiful. It's a yellow maxi dress, which has light silver embroidery. The dupatta is dark green, giving the outfit a lovely yellow and green colour combination. Her mehndi look will be quite simple, but I know that she's gonna look absolutely perfect. She wants to wear fresh flower jewellery on her mehndi day. 

The girls make me try on a few dresses too, from that same boutique. After trying on three dresses, I find the perfect outfit to wear on Aliya's mehndi. 

It's a white lehenga with light gold and silver embroidery, and a matching white shirt. The sleeves are three-quarter length, and they are fully embroidered. The dupatta is yellow, and it goes perfectly with the outfit. I fall in love with it right as I see it on a mannequin. 

The girls rush me into a fitting room to try it on. It fits like a glove, like it was made just for me. I walk out to the front of the shop, where Mum and Aunty are staring at me, their jaws dropped. I roll my eyes, laughing at them. They're so dramatic!

'Wow!' Is all they say. 

"I don't know if you like it or not! Yusuf Bhai! Bhai! Where are you? Tell me, how am I looking?" I walk to the other side of the boutique, where Yusuf Bhai and Dr. Zayan are seated on a white leather couch. They're both using their phones. 

When I walk over to them, they both stop using their phones to glance up at me. My cheeks heat up when I realise that Yusuf Bhai's sitting with Dr. Zayan. I'd forgotten. 

I bite my lip, looking away from him and towards my brother. 

Yusuf Bhai has a small smile on his lips. 'Alayna, you look beautiful,' he compliments. 

I grin. It's not everyday that I get compliments from my brother. Usually, he teases me. 

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that from you! Thanks, Bhai!" I say, showing off my dimples. 

Dr. Zayan looks towards me, smirking slightly. I frown at him, my eyes widening. What was that smirk for?! 

'Yes? Why are you smirking?' I ask him, frowning. 

He chuckles deeply, massaging his chin with his index finger. He looks damn hot. 

"I didn't say anything," he says, continuing to smirk. 

'Is there something on my face? Wait,' I glance into the mirror near him, and he laughs loudly. 

"What? Why are you laughing at me?" I ask, confused. Yusuf Bhai looks entertained, that's for sure. 

'Dr. Alayna, I have to admit, you clean up nicely,' Dr. Zayan says a few seconds later. My face turns red as a tomato, and I'm flustered. 

"Erm, t-thank you," I mutter, rushing to the girls who, thankfully, aren't in hearing distance. If they heard our small conversation, they wouldn't stop making fun of me. 

Mum, Aunty, Sara, Hanna and Aliya all compliment me loads and loads, telling me that I look beautiful, and that I'm gonna make a blushing, perfect bride when the time comes. I can't stop blushing. I'm not usually like this! I don't know what's come into me today. 

********

Zayan's POV

I've never met a girl as annoying and crazy as Alayna. But, she's absolutely beautiful. 

When she rushed over to us, she had clearly forgotten that I was sitting with her brother. The blush that appeared on her cheeks when I complimented her, and how she rushed off right away, I can't stop smiling. 

After... after what happened two years ago, I hadn't ever smiled and laughed like this. After Mariyah, I didn't ever think that I would laugh again. After her betrayal, I was broken. I was a changed man after she betrayed me. I turned cold, arrogant and distance. Apart from my family, I haven't cared about anyone else. 

When I first met Alayna, when I heard her tell me her name at the hospital the first time we met, I felt angry. I felt furious, at her, at her family, at my family, and at myself. I'd thought that she'd told her parents that she wanted to marry me, that's why they'd arranged our marriage.

But clearly, that wasn't the case. She has no idea about what our parents have arranged, and I honestly have no clue about how she will react when she finds out. She'll be furious at everyone, that's for sure. At her parents, at my parents, at Hanna, at me. But Hanna doesn't know. I know, my parents know, Usman knows, and Laiba Bhabhi knows. From her family, her parents know and her brother knows. I don't know about her sister. Maybe she knows, maybe she doesn't.

I haven't ever cared about anyone's opinion of me. But yesterday, when I unintentionally hurt Alayna with my words, I felt so angry at myself. The way her face fell and her eyes filled with tears, I knew that the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt her. I've only known her for a couple of weeks now, but I know that she's the craziest girl I know. 

After two years, I'm smiling again, I'm laughing again. I'm starting to forget my past, because of Alayna, as crazy as it sounds. She has so much positive energy around herself, that everyone around her likes her. I don't know her that well, but all I know is that I don't want to hurt her. 

When she finds out what our parents have planned for us, she'll be mad at me. I don't know what she'll do, but she will stop talking to me. It's not like I want to get married, either. I don't want to marry her. I've not known her for long at all, and she's too crazy. Imagine being married to someone as crazy as her. I don't want to marry her.

'Yusuf, have you seen how beautiful your sister looks? She looks like an angel, right?' Aunty asks Yusuf, walking towards us with Alayna, who's blushing furiously. 

It makes me smile. Yusuf looks up towards his mother and sister proudly, and stands up. He walks to his sister and gives her a protective side hug. "Yes, Mum. She looks beautiful. Even more beautiful than an angel." Yes, Yusuf. You're damn right about that. 

Alayna hides her face in her brother's shoulder, who holds her and chuckles at her. I smile, shaking my head. She really is crazy. 

But, she's stunning. She takes my breath away every time I see her. Even if she's at the hospital and has the tiniest amount of makeup on, she's still breathtakingly beautiful. Even if she has absolutely no makeup on, like she did when she ended up spilling the coffee over herself, she's stunning. 

She annoys me at times, when I remember what our parents have planned, even though I know it isn't her fault. She irritates me, but I can't stop thinking about her craziness and her beauty. Especially her large, chocolate brown almond eyes. 

Would it be better if Alayna knew? If she knew about everything? Maybe I should tell her, and we should both start planning how to get rid of this arranged marriage idea from our parents' minds? 

********

Hey everyone! Another long chapter for my amazing, beautiful readers! What did you think of this chapter, everyone? It was filled with a bit of everything. A bit of medicine, a bit of craziness, a bit of our new characters, and crazy thoughts of Zayan and Alayna!

What's going on in Alayna's mind? And in Zayan's mind? 

What did you think of Zayan's POV? Did you like it? Should I include his POV more, or not?

What do you think of Zayan's idea? Will he really tell Alayna everything? How will she find out, and when? 

What was your favourite part of this chapter, guys?

Who do you think has a stronger character, Alayna or Zara? And Zayan or Zaid?

Thank you so much everyone, for reading and supporting my work! Don't forget to vote and comment if you liked the chapter, it would mean a lot to me! 

Question: What did you last watch on TV, or on your phone?

Bye, guys! Stay tuned for the next chapter! ;)