13 June 2022

Hey, guys! Here's the next chapter, I hope you guys like it! It's a bit of a funny one!

"You are my best friend, my human diary and my other half. You mean the world to me and I love you." - Unknown

Alayna's POV

'You said what?' I ask Hanna, my eyes wide. She's sitting on the edge of her bed, freaking out. It's clear she's been crying.

"I told Mum and Dad I'll think about it. What else was I meant to say?" She asks, upset. 

I pace the front of her room, thinking. Zayan's leaning against the wall, staring at his sister, his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed over his chest. 

'Hanna, if you didn't want to marry the guy you should have said no! Tell me more about the guy. What are the family like?' I ask her. 

She frowns. "He's.. normal. The family are okay, I guess. He's a businessman, he's worked with Zaid a few times. But I don't care. I'm not ready for marriage. Not anytime soon!"

Zayan speaks. 'Hanna, Mum and Dad have told me that the guy and his family aren't bad. Why exactly don't you want to marry him?'

Hanna glares at her brother. "Because I'm not ready for marriage, Bhai! Do I look ready to you?" 

Zayan smirks, and then quickly covers it up with a cough. 'Good point.' 

I frown at Zayan, shaking my head. "All brothers say that. Yusuf Bhai would always say to Mum and Dad that I wasn't ready for marriage, right until two months before the wedding!" 

Hanna's head shoots up at this. 'Well, he's right. At least he's a supportive brother, unlike either of mine.' 

Zayan sighs, before walking over to Hanna and taking a seat on the edge of her bed beside her. He nudges her gently with his elbow. 'I'm with you, Hanna. In whatever you want. If you want to marry this guy, I'm with you. If you don't want to marry him, I'm still with you. Don't worry, okay? Whatever you want is what will happen. I'll talk to Mum and Dad.'

I smile, nodding. "Me too, Han. I'm always with you, in whatever you want. We're partners in crime, remember?" 

Hanna cracks a smile at this. 'I love you guys, honestly. I feel slightly calmer now. I was honestly going mad. I don't want to marry Adam. No way. Not in a million years.' 

"Then you won't, Hanna. Although I do think you should get married soon," Zayan says, a smile playing on his lips. 

'Zayan Bhai!' Hanna replies, giving him a dirty glare and a hard punch on the knee. 

Me and Zayan laugh, hugging Hanna. 

********

We talk to Hanna, and she agrees to meet Adam and his family once. Little did we know, though, what she would do. 

They come to see Hanna the next weekend. I'm helping Laiba in the kitchen, and we've told Hanna to get ready upstairs and at least look presentable.

Zayan and Usman Bhai are sitting with Adam and his family in the living room, along with Aunty and Uncle. Me and Laiba take the refreshments into the living room, and then Aunty asks us to bring Hanna from upstairs. 

Me and Laiba head to Hanna's room, and we enter. She's sitting on the edge of her bed with AirPods in her ears, listening to music on her phone. The music is so loud that we can hear it clearly even though she's using AirPods. 

'Hanna!' Laiba says, her eyes wide. Laiba looks at me, and I look back at her, shaking my head. Hanna's not ready at all. She's dressed in a pair of blue skinny jeans, a white top and a black leather jacket. She's wearing a pair of sneakers, and her hair is up in a messy bun. 

'Hanna,' I groan, walking over to her when she doesn't hear us. I take the AirPods out of her ears and frown at her. 

"What? I'm busy," she says, raising an eyebrow at me and Laiba. 

'We told you an hour ago to get ready, Han. We selected your outfit and everything, and you haven't even gotten changed yet? Everyone's waiting for you downstairs!' Laiba says, hurriedly. 

Hanna shrugs. "I'm ready. Let's go and say hi to them. After that, I'm going out."

'What? You're going out? Hanna, it's over 8pm. Where are you gonna go, and who with?' I ask her, shocked. 

"For ice cream, with Zara." 

'What? Are you crazy? Zara's thirty-four weeks' pregnant, she's not going anywhere with you. Are you mad? And there's no way you're going downstairs dressed like that!' I say, in shock. 

"Zara's been craving for ice cream, like me. I already asked Zaid." 

'You-you asked Zaid what? I can't believe this,' I mutter, unlocking my phone and dialling Zara's number. 

She answers on the third ring. 'Hey, Alayna! How are you?' Zara greets me, cheerfully. 

'Hey, Zara. I'm good, I'm good. How are you? What's this I hear about you and Hanna going for ice cream at this time?' 

"I'm good too, thanks! Yes, tell Hanna me and Zaid are on the way. We won't even take an hour. I was so excited when she called us, saying she wants to go out with me. I haven't spent time with Hanna in so long! Do you want to go with us? Ask Laiba too!" She says, and I know she's grinning. She's such a cutie. 

'You have no idea what this girl's up to, Zara. Do you know why she wants to go out so late?' I ask Zara. Laiba's standing beside me, trying not to laugh. 

"Why?" Zara asks, laughing. 

'Because a guy and his family have come home, to see her! And she wants to run away. We told her to get dressed, but she's wearing old jeans, a shirt and a freaking leather jacket. With sneakers!' I say, loudly. I can hear Zaid laughing in the background. He can definitely hear me. 

"She did what?!" Zara asks, bursting out laughing. 

'Exactly. She's saying she's going to meet the family dressed like this. Oh crap- Hanna, wait! Zara, I'll call you back!' I mutter, cutting the call as me and Laiba rush after Hanna who's headed out the room. 

I can't believe her! 

********

Me and Laiba are mortified when Hanna walks into the living room, cheerfully saying a lot 'hi' to everyone. We follow her in, my eyes wide. Aunty and Uncle mirror my expression. Adam and his family look a little surprised, too. Usman Bhai's in shock, whereas my dear husband is trying his best to control his laughter. 

'Hi, dear,' Adam's mother says, giving Hanna a little smile.

Hanna nods at her, giving her a small smile. Then she turns to Aunty and Uncle. "Mum, Dad, I have some important work I just remembered. I'm going out, I'll be back late at night," Hanna says, casually. 

Kill me. 

Uncle looks at Aunty, before they both look at their daughter. 'Where are you going at this time, Hanna?' Uncle asks her, raising an eyebrow. 

"Out, Dad. I have something super important I just remembered. If it's not done today, I'm in deep trouble," she replies, feigning sadness. This drama queen! She should be an actress, not a doctor! 

'Hanna, what- no. You're not going anywhere at this time,' Aunty adds, looking at me and Laiba for support. We don't know what to say. 

"Aunty, I told her but she's not listening," I say, sighing. 

Adam and his family look shocked, to say the least. Hanna will probably get into a bit of trouble, but she's a genius. I have to admit that. 

'Hanna, where are you going? Shall I take you?' Zayan asks his sister. 

Aunty looks shocked at Zayan, and she glares at him. Hanna shakes her head. 'My lift is almost here.' She checks something on her phone and grins. 

'I'll see you all later! And don't worry, I'll be having a late dinner at home,' Hanna says, before she walks out the room. 

Zayan gets up and follows her out the room, and I do the same. 

********

"Where exactly are you going at this time, Hanna?" Zayan asks his sister, raising an eyebrow at her. 

'Out, Zayan Bhai! I'll be back soon, don't worry,' she replies. 

"Who are you going with?" He continues to ask her. 

'Don't worry, I'm in safe hands!' 

"Tell me, Hanna."

'Ugh, okay. I'm going with Zara and Zaid. Happy?' She asks, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Zayan frowns at her. "Where are you going with Zara and Zaid? You do know that Zara's going to have a baby very soon, right?" 

'Of course I know that, Zayan Bhai! And I can't wait. If you must know, I'm going out for ice cream with them. I was chatting with Zara, and we were both craving ice cream. We're both getting a scoop of Nutella ice cream with a scoop of cookie dough.' 

"I'm sure we have Nutella ice cream and cookie dough ice cream at home, in the freezer," Zayan says, shaking his head. 

'Zayan Bhai! Even you know the ice cream at the ice cream parlour tastes so much better! Chill!' Hanna says, as if this is obvious. 

Aunty and Uncle come out the room, and they hear us talking. Uncle's trying his best not to laugh, whereas Aunty looks pissed at Hanna. 

'Hanna! I thought you had some work at the hospital, I didn't know that the very important work you had was to eat ice cream! You're crazy. If you didn't want to marry Adam, why didn't you tell us?' She mutters. 

"I did tell you, Mum. Only like a hundred times. And it's not my fault. He's too... serious. Look at him. I can't marry someone like that," Hanna whispers. 

'You're right,' she says, shaking her head. 'You'll marry a cartoon like yourself only. And may god save that guy.'

"Bring me back some ice cream, Hanna, okay?" Uncle says, whispering to her. We all start laughing, even Aunty, who's still shaking her head. 

'I'm going to have a word with you later, Hanna. Tonight,' she says. 

"Okay, Mum. Later." 

I frown at Hanna, and then at Zayan. 'What's wrong, Alayna?' Zayan asks, worriedly. 

I stand on my tiptoes and whisper into his ear. "I think our baby girl wants some chocolate chip ice cream." 

Zayan shakes his head, laughing at us. 'You're both crazy. You can go with them, Alayna, but I'm going with you. All this ice cream talk has made me want some classic vanilla, too,' he says. 

"Oh, my god. Where am I stuck?" Aunty says, dramatically, laughing at all of us. 

********

When I narrate the story to Zara and Zaid on the way to the ice cream parlour, they're both in stitches. 

'Alayna, I can't believe you and Zayan are going with us! I'm so glad!' Zara says, wiping her eyes as she's crying with laughter. 'Hanna, you so remind me of my sister-in-law! You both would be the bestest of friends, I swear. You're exactly the same, the craziest!' 

"It was hilarious when Zayan said in front of Aunty and Uncle that all the ice cream talk has made him want ice cream, too. What a great big brother he is!" I say, laughing. 

'He's great, most of the time!' Hanna says, looking so at peace now. It looks like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulder. 

Me and Hanna start talking cheerfully about Zara's baby, saying how we can't wait to see the little girl or guy. She's thirty-four weeks' pregnant, so there's not long to go at all! I'm so excited for her, I know I'm gonna cry when I see her little baby. 

"What do you think though, Zara? Do you think you're gonna have a little girl or a little boy?" I ask her, grinning excitedly. 

She smiles, shrugging. 'I have no idea, honestly! At the start of my pregnancy, I thought I'm having a boy. Then all throughout the second trimester, I don't know why, I thought it's a girl. Now, I just have no idea at all! I don't mind either way, though.' 

I return her smile. "I don't know how you were so patient, Zara! I couldn't wait to find out, and I swear, when I found out I'm having a girl, oh my gosh. I was the happiest. I'd probably have been the happiest if it was a boy, too, but honestly. I can't wait for the moment I find out that you've had your baby girl or baby boy! My niece or nephew. They're gonna be so, so loved."

Zara's eyes fill with tears. 'I can't wait, Alayna. It's going to be the best moment of my life when I meet my little baby for the first time.' 

"I understand, Zara. It's so nervous but so exciting at the same time. I'm so glad your third trimester has been smooth!" I say to her. She had a difficult start to her pregnancy. She's had bleeding a few times, and throughout the first and second trimester, Zara's had the most awful morning sickness. She couldn't keep anything down. I'm so glad she's doing a lot better now. 

'I'm so glad too, the first trimester especially was rough. You've been lucky in this matter, Alayna,' Zara says with a chuckle. 

I nod, smiling. "I guess I have." Although I've suffered with morning sickness too, it hasn't been as bad as Zara's. Zara was hospitalised a few times because her morning sickness was so bad, she became so weak and lost a lot of weight in the first and second trimesters. She's doing so much better now. Aliya's pregnancy has been difficult, too. She's been having bleeding, cramping and the worst nausea throughout her pregnancy. Things seem to have settled down now, though, and her weekly scans are showing that the baby is healthy and perfect. 

We reach the ice cream parlour fifteen minutes later. We go inside and order. Me, Zara and Hanna are getting chocolate chip cookie dough with a scoop of Nutella ice cream. Zaid orders a scoop of hazelnut ice cream, whereas Zayan orders a scoop of vanilla. How boring. 

We enjoy our ice cream, and mostly, each other's company. Zayan and Zaid talk about work and sports, whereas me, Zara and Hanna talk about anything and everything. Just as we've finished our ice cream, Hanna says something funny about the proposal, and the three of us burst out laughing. We laugh and laugh, I'm almost crying with laughter. Zayan and Zaid are looking at us like we've gone crazy. We probably have.

We spend almost an hour at the ice cream parlour. By the time we get back into Zaid's car, it's over half 10. 

'I'm usually fast asleep at this time, but today, I'm not tired at all. Thanks to you girls, especially you Hanna,' Zara says, before she bursts out laughing again. 

I start laughing too, shaking my head. "Exactly! Han, you're so crazy! Too crazy," I say, trying to control my laughter. 

'I mean, I don't even wanna imagine what he would do on our' Hanna speaks again, but I shake my head at her, laughing. 

"No more, please! I already need to pee, Hanna! I really don't want to do it in Zaid's car," I mutter, a bit too loudly. Zara bursts out laughing again, which makes me and Hanna laugh too. We've gone crazy. 

It's clear that Zayan and Zaid hear us, they look amused but they don't say anything. Looks like they don't want to ruin our fun. 

We reach home at 11pm, and by that time we're all tired. Especially me and Hanna. I guess all the laughing tired us out. We went crazy today. 

As soon as we step inside, Aunty calls Hanna to the living room for a talk. 

Hanna sighs. 'I'm gonna say it clearly to Mum and Dad. I'm not marrying him. Not in a million years.' 

I nod, squeezing her hand. "We're here for you, Han. Always. Stay chill, okay?" I say to her. 

She nods. 'Thank you, Alayna. Thanks, Zayan Bhai.' 

********

I take a quick shower, before I change into my pyjamas. Or rather, into a t-shirt of Zayan's and a pair of leggings. I usually wear Zayan's clothes to bed these days, as they feel more comfortable with my bump getting bigger. The baby's movements have increased, too. Baby girl kicks throughout the day, and especially in the middle of the night. I love the feeling so much. 

Zayan's waiting for me, he's sitting up in bed, watching videos on his phone. I turn off the lights, and I get into bed next to him. He puts his phone away, and lays down next to me. I make myself comfortable on his arm, resting my head in the crook of his shoulder. He's so comfy. 

He kisses the top of my head, holding me close. 'Did you have fun today with Hanna and Zara?' He asks me. 

I grin. "Of course I did. They're so crazy, especially your sister! We had so much fun."

'Good. And I know, Hanna's crazy. Can you believe what she was wearing when she went to meet Adam and his family?' He asks with a chuckle. 

"At first, I was shocked. But then, I remembered it's Hanna. So I wasn't shocked for long. It was hilarious, though."

'Mum and Dad weren't too happy with her behaviour, but they understand now. They understand she doesn't want to marry Adam. And she won't,' Zayan says to me. 

I nod. "Hanna will marry someone just as crazy as herself. Adam wasn't right for her."

'May Allah save the guy who marries my sister,' Zayan says, laughing. 

I laugh, too. "I wonder who he will be..." I say, trailing off. 

'Only time will tell.' 

"True, true. I have a good feeling, though. Because Hanna deserves only the best." 

'I have a good feeling too. And I have a feeling her marriage will get fixed before our baby girl arrives,' Zayan says, smirking. 

"Really? What makes you say so?" I ask, turning to him. 

He smiles. 'Just a gut instinct.' He kisses my forehead, and I rest my head on his shoulder. 

'How's our baby girl?' Zayan asks a few seconds later. 

I smile. "She's kicking away right now, like crazy," I say, laughing. 

Zayan places his hand on my baby bump, and sure enough, the baby kicks hard a few seconds later. I can 'sense' Zayan's huge grin. He loves feeling the baby kicking. He leaves his hand on my bump for a few minutes, before he leans down and kisses it ever so gently. My heart. 

'I love you both so much, you're both my whole world,' Zayan whispers, lying back down next to me and holding me in his arms. 

My eyes water up. "I love you too, Zayan. I love you so much." 

Being in Zayan's arms is my favourite thing in the entire world. It's the place where I feel the safest, the most 'at home'. Like this is where I'm meant to be. He's the best husband in the entire world, and I already know that he's going to make the best father in the whole world. He already loves our baby girl so much, as do I, of course. 

We both feel so happy every time we feel the baby kick. It's so reassuring, and peaceful in a way. We love it. 

"What are we gonna do tomorrow?" I ask Zayan, yawning. 

'Whatever you want to do, angel.' 

I smile. "Hmm, let me think! I want to go out for pizza. At that Italian place." 

'We'll do that, Alayna. We'll go there, and I'll buy you your favourite Margherita pizza.' 

"And fries," I say. 

He chuckles. 'And fries, and orange juice too.'

"Great! I can't wait. Now, let's sleep. Me and baby are sleepy," I say, yawning. 

I make myself more comfortable on his arm, and I hug him close. 'Goodnight, Alayna.' 

"Goodnight, Zayan."

********

I'm awake three hours later, because I need to pee badly. As the baby's getting bigger and bigger, I need to pee more and more. I go to pee, and then get back into bed. I try to get back to sleep, but I can't. I'm hungry. I'm hungry, and it's 3am. 

I keep tossing and turning, but I can't fall asleep. Ugh. 

Zayan wakes up, worriedly. 'Alayna, baby, what's wrong? Is everything okay?' He asks, turning to me. 

"I can't sleep, Zayan," I say, pouting. I'm wide awake right now. 

'Why not? Are you in pain?' He asks me, super worried. 

I shake my head. "No, no. I'm hungry."

'What do you want to eat?' He asks me, kissing my cheek gently. 

"I don't know, Zayan. I'm hungry, baby's hungry." 

'Shall I get you some fruit from downstairs?'

"No."

'Mum made vegetable soup last night, do you want some?'

"No."

'Do you want some more ice cream?'

"Hmm, no. I want chocolate." 

He laughs, shaking his head. 'Chocolate at 3am? We have a full supply of chocolate in the bottom drawer. Which chocolate do you want?' He asks, stepping out of bed. 

"Ferrero Rocher, of course," I say, grinning. 

So, I sit in bed at 3am eating chocolate and playing Candy Crush on Zayan's phone. Yes, he plays this old, boring game. I don't know why. But I sometimes like playing it on his phone, when I'm super bored. 

After I've eaten and played on his phone, I go to brush my teeth before I get back into bed. 

Zayan's still awake, waiting for me to sleep. "Hey, hubby."

'Hey, wifey. Are you going to sleep?' 

I nod, lying down next to him and hugging him close. "Yes, duh." 

I lean up and kiss him gently on both cheeks, before I pull his cheeks. He's too damn cute for his own good. I kiss him all over his face, laughing. 

'What was that for?' He asks, smiling. 

"For being the best husband in the whole, entire world, of course!" I say, hugging him close and kissing his chest. 

'Why, thank you,' he says, amused. 

I lean up and kiss him gently on the lips, pressing closer against him. I play with his hair as I do so. I love his hair. It's so thick, so soft under my fingertips, and it's so strong. 

He kisses me back gently, placing his hand on my waist. 

"I love you," I whisper, grinning into the kiss. 

'I love you more,' he answers, not breaking the kiss. 

"Can you just kiss me forever?" I ask, losing myself in the kiss. He draws lazy circles on my waist, holding me close. 

'That's what I plan to do. At least for the rest of the night,' he mutters, his voice husky. 

I break the kiss, frowning. "Not only kiss, right?" I ask him. 

He chuckles, nodding. 'Not only kiss,' he says, before he kisses me again, this time harder. We lose ourselves in each other, and we kiss for what seems like hours. But of course, that's not all we do. That's not all, at all. The rest of the night is perfect, blissful. 

********

So, how was the chapter, guys? I hope you all liked it?

What do you think's coming up next? What do you want to happen? 

What was your favourite part of the chapter?

This chapter is unedited, guys, so please point out any mistakes okay? 

Don't forget to comment and vote!! 

Question: What do you think is the most important part of a relationship? :)

Bye guys!