Salaam everyone,

I'm so in love with the characters that I couldn't stop myself from writing this chapter<3

Thank you for all the wonderful comments.

Loads of love.

Sameera returned to her seat blushing as all her cousins gathered around to tease her.

'What happened in the past ten minutes?' Simran enquired innocently, making sameera turn scarlet.

She had gone with Isaac to one of the empty dressing rooms present in the hall, and what had taken place there made her smile.

He had only kept staring at her without uttering a single word, and when she had finally raised her eyebrows, he had gently pushed her against the wall and kissed her breathless, it had taken a lot of precious minutes for their heartbeats to regain their rhythm, she had felt so shy that she had kept her thick black lashes lowered until he had raised her chin with a forefinger, when she had peered into his dark eyes they were filled with love and she resisted the urge to flung her arms around him, taking a deep breath to calm herself, she had reminded him that there were guests waiting for them and he had to let go of her.

He had laughed at her remark and taken her delicate fingers in his, slipping a thin golden ring with small sparkling diamonds adorning the centre.

She had gasped at the sudden surprise and mumbled a, 'Thank you.'

'I know it isn't as huge as your family would buy for you, but that is all I could afford.' He said softly.

'Oh Isaac,' She had started crying and hugged him in return. 'It is beautiful and so very precious to me. It isn't the cost that matters, it's the love and affection attached to it. I'm so happy that we are married. I thank Allah for granting me such wonderful soulmate.'

'You are so beautiful, so lovely, that I'm unable to express myself clearly. I just want to keep staring at you.'

'What about the guests?'

'I don't care.'

She had laughed at his eagerness and stretched to kiss him lightly on his cheeks, he was a foot taller then her even though she was wearing heels.

His eyes bulged momentarily and he kept a hand on his chest, 'Please do it again.'

She hit him lightly on his arm, shoving him aside, still smiling as she left the room.

But she had heard him say. 'You can escape now, but we have all the night to ourselves.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Izaan was speaking with one of the business advocates, when he felt that he was being watched.

He turned around to find sameera's friend gaping at him and it made him chuckle.

He was so used to getting female attention that it did not bother him anymore, but there was something different about this girl.

She was wearing an simple white gown, which looked as old as time itself, her face wasn't covered with any makeup but still she possessed the most mesmerizing face he had ever seen. Somehow she appeared innocent and vulnerable.

Her eyes looked sad and lifeless, but were still intriguing.

She had luminous hazel eyes with thick lashes curling around them, giving her an alluring appearance. Her nose was thin and firm with lips which appeared pink and generous, to add to the beauty, her ivory skin appeared as smooth as satin and gleamed for the soft lights.

As soon as she had spotted him scrutinizing her, she had blushed and taken brisk steps towards the opposite direction.

He shook his head and went back to the conversation he had been having a moment ago.

The nikah had concluded without any fuss and he thanked Allah for granting his sister such a wonderful husband.

It was clear for all to see that sameera and Isaac were totally in love, even though the both had never gone on a date or done anything haram, they had just fallen for each other truly and deeply.

Maybe, because it was meant to be, their souls had recognised each other.

Izaan did not consider himself as the romantic kind, nor had he ever fallen in love. He had more important things on his plate than waste time on girls.

If he was free, then he made it a point to attend the Islamic classes at the mosque. As a good muslim he wanted to be prepared for his aakirah, and he did not believe in the temporary pleasures of this world.

Even though he hadn't admitted it to anyone, he was in real dilemma. He did not wish for some girl to marry or love him for his money or status.

And he doubted that he would ever find such unconditional love in the world which was filled with vile and glamour.

'Bro, let's have dinner,' His cousin Noor exclaimed, and Izaan nodded his head as he followed him to the food tables.

During the rest of the party he witnessed thufail conversing with Zera, that seemed strange, as thufail never made friends and rarely spoke to unknown woman.

He watched Zera laugh as she sat down to have dinner with thufail, her smile was enchanting, and he muttered 'Thufail has gotten lucky,' under his breath before he made his way towards the other guests present at the wedding.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

The entire house bustled with new life as everyone was immensely happy to welcome a new member into the family.

The nikah ceremony had concluded successfully and only close family members were invited to Isaac's house for a late night party.

Everyone sat around the table enjoying their desserts and making small conversations when Isaac made his way towards the front.

'Assalamu alaikum everyone, could I have a moment. I want to thank each one of you for making this day special for us,' He strode towards sameera and held out his hand, requesting her to accompany him. She turned scarlet at his simple gesture and scanned the room asking for approval.

'You are a married woman now and are free to hold his hand,' Rusha, Isaac's sister teased and everyone laughed.

Sameera slipped her hands into his opened palms and walked alongside him to the alter.

'I thank you dad for having faith in me that I would be a suitable husband for your daughter,' Isaac exclaimed to sameera's dad and then took a deep breath before he spoke once again, 'I promise you that'll take good care of her InshaAllah and try my best to keep her happy.'

Everyone 'awwwed' around the room as Izaan got up from his seat to hug Isaac and sameera. 'May Allah swt protect your love, help you attain the bliss of both the worlds and grant you many pious children.'

Isaac gazed lovingly at his wife, as she began crying again after hearing the dua. 'All this is so overwhelming, MashaAllah,' She said, as she dabbed her moist eyes.

Isaac caressed her arms, 'Ssshh, stop crying, honey.'

'Honey?' She raised her eyebrows slightly, as an amused grazed her lips.

'Ok, so all of you can continue enjoying the party. I'm humbly excusing myself with my wife,' Isaac announced, and every one was more than happy to let them go.

It took them a while to reach their room and all the while Isaac was holding her close, his heart hammering in his chest, at having her so close to him.

As soon as they entered the room and Isaac secured the door with the lock, sameera sank down to the bed. 'Oh Isaac. I'm so tired.'

He smiled at her, 'I understand, it must be really tough to manage with such a heavy dress. Why don't you get changed and then we will pray.'

'But I'm so tired that I just want to snuggle into bed.'

A slow smile made its way to Isaac's face, beginning from the right side as the corner of his mouth curved upwards followed languidly by the other corner. He made his way towards the huge bed, sitting beside her, he helped her with the hair, pulling the flowers and pins very gently so as to not hurt her.

When he was done he urged to go to the washroom and she reluctantly obeyed.

When sameera returned, she was wearing a simple black night dress, and his heart missed a beat, he withheld his desire to touch her as she was in ablution and they had to pray. He was so close to loosing control that he didn't trust himself at the moment. It felt like the moment he would touch her all the floodgates would open.

He shook his head and grinned to himself as he went towards the washroom to get changed.

Later, they prayed together, side by side, and then asked Allah to bless their union, increase their faith, help them remain steadfast in their deen and help each other attain Jannah.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zera slept peacefully in her soft bed, which was the only luxury she possessed.

Her room had the best furniture they could afford, as her father had made sure to grant all her desires when he had been alive.

They had been living a wonderful life and being a single child had only increased the pampering, but after his death they had suffered to make ends meet.

Her mothers health had kept deteriorating rapidly, leaving her prone to face all the difficulties single-handed.

She sighed and shifted on her bed, thinking of the wedding and how the bride and groom couldn't keep their eyes of each other.

Zera wondered how her future would be, it was the first time she had pondered over her future, but she couldn't help herself.

Would she find such true love? Was it possible for a man to love a woman who did not possess any wealth or status?

She dismissed her thoughts and closed her eyes, trying to sleep, hugging a nearby pillow tightly to her chest.

As she lost herself to deep slumber, a thought kept nagging her subconscious mind, 'Why had thufail left the wedding without bidding her goodbye?'

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sameera had a habit of sleeping with her hair open and the loose strands of her silky black hair fell lusciously on the white pillows.

Isaac's eyes seemed to be glued to his wife, her beauty took his breath away.

She closed her mouth with her hands, stifling a yawn and smiled sheepishly as her eyes clashed with the dark orbs of her husband's eyes. 'I'm sorry. I know it is our wedding night and I'm supposed to be over excited but I feel so exhausted.'

He pulled her close into his arms, pressing a gentle kiss on her ear lobes, 'You don't have to apologise and feel guilty about anything. I'm sure you would let me sleep if I had been tired as well. In our relationship there won't be any double standards.'

Sameera clung to Isaac and smiled at the gesture. 'Aww lady, you are choking me,' He mocked.

Her response was to hug him tighter and he laughed aloud, gently removing the strands of hair away from her face, and whispered, 'Good night, sugarsyrup.'

He kept staring at her until her breath evened out, indicating that she had slept.

Her innocent sleeping form, did a lot to his overwhelming heart and he took a deep breath to study his jumping nerves.

He was mesmerized by her, he couldn't help falling in love with her over and over again, he vowed to himself that even though he did not possess loads of wealth or status, he would still protect her till his last breath.

Sameera was his most precious beloved, who had accepted him with all his shortcomings, making him the most happiest man of the entire planet.

She was his responsibility and he would ensure that he was always present for her, his family had seen a lot of hardship in the previous year and it made him worried, he didn't wish for the past to interfere in their lives in any form.

He tucked her under the duvet and kissed her hair as he pulled her against him. She murmured sweet nothings as she stirred in her sleep and wrapped her arms around him and Isaac kissed her softly, gently caressing her arms.

Isaac was living in bliss and never ever imagined that all their lives would soon be tangled in confusion, it woud break his wife's heart and he wouldn't be able to stop the dread that would consume their happiness.

Only Allah could help them during those dark days.

Oblivious to all that, Isaac slept contently, inhaling the sweet lavender smell of sameera, that bewitched him and captivated his heart.