Looking down at the laptop screen; brooding and sighing while scrolling down the webpages, occasionally switching to phone to check for messages. This was my current activity. Mind you, it was late at midnight when everyone was fast asleep, safe for the owls, maybe. The reason as to why I was up this late? Well it's simple.

I am getting married.

And now, my only light at end of tunnel remained this college application. Only, if by some miracle, I could get admission for post grad with scholarship, then I might be saved from this nuisance called marriage, which my loving parents had arranged for me after being productive for years in the cause.

Not to forget mentioning the part, that I had not been out of college for more than 8 months and am only, ONLY 23 years old! But no. The only thing that mattered to my parents was that I got married, be packed safely and on way to my sweet, darling hubby!

Oh Allah! Why did you have to create marriage?

Grunting so, I had shut my eyes and laid my head back on the pillow.

Why did things never go the way we wanted them to, oh Allah? And why should I have to get married to some unknown dude and waste away my life tending to his needs and then his kids?! Okay, the kids would be mine.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I opened my eyes and gave the screen a long look before shutting it. Keeping my laptop aside, I turned off the lamp. However, instead of sleeping all I could think of was tomorrow's meeting with Harris. It's not like I was meeting him for the first time. He was Dad's friend's son and we sorta knew each other since childhood, but marriage? Ugh!

Oh Allah. Just a little, tiny miracle. Please, save me from this marriage.

-----------------

"It's really your luck Zaira, otherwise do you assume that he is short on girls?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes as Dad kept on flaunting his virtues. I came out of my room and Dad started his verbal torture. Okay, I know this is not as bad as I am making it out to be. It's not like Harris is a nobody. He's handsome, rich, well settled, has got a medical degree and even cleared USMLE. The perfect, ideal bundle! But he is not what I want you know? Me?? We are talking about me right? My marriage? My life?MY luck?

'Ugh! Any other normal girl would be on the seventh heaven, I am sure and rightfully so. But why would nobody consider, what I want??'

"Oh, they are here." Dad cried out, at the sound of doorbell. My head fell back in frustration and I marched back to my room, clicking in my 5 inch heels. Waiting till summoned for an audience.

But before I could make it to my room, I saw him.

Rayyan.

Our eyes met, only for the briefest second before we both turned away, rolling our eyes in sheer exasperation.

The fudge is he doing here?? Ugh! Well, it's like they say, misery loves company. Heck, why should I be the only one to suffer?

I came out a while later when the time was right, or so Mum liked to put it. I went around greeting everyone, starting from Uncle Zia to Auntie Ruksana and grunting a salam to the jerk face Rayyan who didn't even look up from his cell phone.

'Why is he even here?! He should be back home, in UK?!'

"We thought it would be better if Harris was to come later after everything was decided." Uncle said, explaining his absence. Not that I cared, but I still extended the corners of my lips slightly, in an expression of the contrary.

"No, actually that's how it's done in our families. This is the right way." Papa added to his comments. I raised my eyes and accidentally looked at him. He was the most ill-mannered and annoying person I've had the misfortune to come across.

'But he does clean up pretty good.' I thought glancing away.

The night was spent on nonsense chatter, lots and lots and bit more of Harris's accomplishments, inquiries about my house job and occasionally directed at Rayyan.

"We told him to pursue medical career like Harris, but he didn't comply." Uncle said and I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat, knowing all to well, how this was going to proceed.

"Well, it's alright as long as that's what our kids want. It's their happiness for which we go through all this trouble." Dad replied and I was like, really Dad? Really?

"He has never cared about anyone but himself. Even after everything we do for him, he has never made any contribution --" Uncle went on and on and I gaped at him stunned. I mean, this was not the first time Uncle had done this, but still!

I stole a glance at Rayyan but he remained unfazed, typing away on his phone.

'Okay, I agree Uncle he is a brat! And I can't even comprehend half of what you guys have been through because of him; but publicly insulting him--!!'

I didn't realize I was still staring at him, until he looked up. Before I could turn away, he shot me a glare and then left to take a call.

My face felt flushed as I realized what had just happened. Shoot. He must have thought that I was pitying him! Oh God. Ugh!

-------------------

The night ended peacefully after that little incident with the engagement date decided a week later. The marriage would take place less than a year from now, after I was done with my house job and Harris got a break from his residency program.

I might've been going along with this charade for now, but only because nothing was going to happen before the year ended and by that time, I would have already escaped abroad. There wouldn't be much then, that my parents or anyone else for that matter could do and I would finally be free!

----------------

It was just 2 days until the engagement day. All preparations had been done. Mum had even got me a new bridal dress for the event. Everything was going perfectly fine, sadly. But until it wasn't.

Uncle called dad, just today and told him that Harris had gone back to the US. He didn't want to marry me. Turns out, he had a beau back there and guess what, she was an INDIAN muslim. Oh my God! The blasphemy!

'So, long story short. The marriage is *drum rolls* cancelled!! Thank you—Thankyou—Oh Allah!!'

However, it was only me who was benefitting from this.

'Now, while Dad and Mom spend their time looking for the next victim, I will proceed with my plans to leave here. And I will finally be free!'

....Was my wishful thinking, until I came home to find out the most outrageous thing.

"What?" I asked again, in hopes that I had misheard her.

"There's no other choice and they are pressuring us into this. You know they have been our friends for so long. Ending things would harm us more than them, both personally and professionally. Plus Rayyan isn't a bad choice at all. He's got a law degree from Cambridge, is well settled in UK and has a big portion of Hamdani shares to his name. Also, he is closer to your age right? I think 4 years gap." I gaped at Mom silently, unblinking through this whole thing.

"Okay?" She asked sweetly, turning to me.

'Okay, you say? Like you even care about what I want? You know what, Mom? NO. No, its NOT okay!! Okay!??'

—Was what I wanted to say. Instead, I gaped at her stunned and turned on my heel to make a run for it.

I couldn't calm down. My brain felt like someone had set it on fire.

'No. This can't happen. No.'

I thought and ran down the stairs and got into the car. Steering away, I dialled his little sister's number.

"Hello? Hania? Yeah, can I get Rayyan's number? Yeah, right now. No, everything's fine. Yeah, ok. Bye."

Driving the car to a halt. I called him.

"Hello?" His husky voice sounded on the other side.

"It's Zaira. Can we meet?" I asked without thinking. I didn't care anymore about what I was doing. I just knew I was pissed off. He paused, not saying anything for a while.

"Where?" I told him the address to a cafe nearby and then went ahead to wait for him. It had been 15 minutes, when he came in. I took in his ruffled look and leather jacket but was too pissed off to think about anything else. He spotted me easily and had a serious look on, as he took a seat across from me.

"I am assuming you know the whole story by now." He spoke smoothly, in his swoon worthy British accent.

"Call off this marriage." I remarked plainly. His expressions didn't falter. Instead, he looked away as the waiter came and ordered himself an Espresso. He looked at me, waiting for me to order but I had only turned my eyes away.

"One hot cocoa, please." He said instead and when I turned to him he was giving me a cold, hard look.

"So?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes at my inquisition.

"So? Well then let me ask, why?" He returned evenly.

'Ugh! UGH! I hate this! I hate this dude! And I hate having this conversation with him!'

Gulping down my real thoughts, I exhaled a sigh, clasped my hands in front of me on the table and grabbed as many wits as I could manage.

"Look. I know you are about as much interested in having this conversation; or this marriage for that matter, as I am." At my this sentence he relaxed and sat back with an amused smile.

"And, how exactly are you so sure, that I am not interested?" He asked challenging. Suddenly I wasn't all that pissed off. My anger was somehow replaced by this irk.

Before I could say anything, the waiter came back with our order. He took his espresso and pushed the other towards me. I looked at him through narrowed eyes but he didn't take any notice of me.

"Okay. Let's cut to the chase. I am not interested in this marriage, okay? I didn't care to marry your brother either." He took a sip of his drink and tilted his head to a side, beckoning me to go on.

"So, call off this marriage." I ended satisfied and waited for his reaction. His hand carrying the drink to his mouth stopped midway and he placed it down. Looked up and gave me a long hard look.

"You know, what your problem is, Zaira?" He asked me, like you ask a kid for his dream. I ignored the fact that he even remembered my name. Truthfully, we had the worst; THE WORST, history. At least, on my part and I wouldn't be lying if I said, I had made serious efforts to erase that distasteful memory from my life. This might've actually been the first time, we were having a heart to heart.

"You are daddy's spoilt little princess." He said it with venom and I was taken aback.

"You demand these things of people, like they owe it to you. But, I see no reason as to why I should care about what you want? Why don't you ask daddy to get you out of this mess too? After all, that's the only—" He was saying but stopped all of a sudden. I had to blink to get rid of tears pooling in my eyes. His face showed surprise and guilt but I was done. I was so done today.

Getting up, I gathered my things and turned to leave but stopped midway.

"I understand where you are coming from and  you have no obligations towards me or my reasons...but, there really was no need to be a jerk about it."

"Zaira—" He called out urgently, after coming to stand infront of me.

"I guess, after all there was some truth to those rumours." I said with quivering lips. His face hardened when I said this. I didn't want to say it, but I had enough today.

I didn't wait after that and left. I was so done with today but the night was still long.

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