In Islam,Nikaah is a contract between two people. A formal, binding contract - verbal or on paper is considered integral to a religiously valid Islamic marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom and bride.

Today,through this religious ceremony,my cousin brother Farhan and his girlfriend Saba were going to be legally wed under Islamic law.

"The bride is here."someone from the guest announced and I looked at the entrance.

I was awstruck .She was the most beautiful bride I'd ever seen.She was wearing a lehenga , combination of sea green and light pink colors with silver and white designs.It was so eye pleasing and calming to look at.
And her natural wedding make up was enhancing the bride's natural beauty and creating a look that was both timeless and elegant.

Mehek and a few girls whom I guessed bhabi's cousins or friends lined up behind her.

I looked at my brother and noticed a eagerness on his face and the reason was so obvious.

There was a red shiffon curtain dividing the area between men and women section .There was a different armchair situated between the two sections for the Imam.

Since he was sitting on the other side of the curtain,he was unable to see his bride.

Just a matter of a few minutes,Bhai.Then she's all yours , you can see her, admire her all you want.

I chuckled at my thoughts and focused on the beautiful bride again.She took her seat on the opposite site of the curtain across Bhai.

A few minutes later the marriage solemnizer or Tok Kadi arrived.He sat and started to read some Duas and a short sermon.

There was silence and some whisper among the relatives and guests.

Then he asked the bride if she was under the influence or was forced into the marriage which she shook her head.And then he started the actual solemnisation .

The bride and the groom repeated the words "Qubool hai(I do)"three times .
Then they signed the contract and the marriage was finally done according to civil and religious law.

Both families hugged and congratulated each other.

The curtain was removed,Bhai and Bhabi looked up and greeted each other with a smile,their eyes swimming with all sorts of emotions.

After that ,they stood up to take blessings from the elders.They walked up to Aabir's grandmother first and took blessings from her.Then Aunt gave them a hug along with a kiss,making them smile.Uncle placed his hands on their heads and smiled warmly at them which they returned in the same way.Then they took blessings from Bhabi's parents ,Aabir's parents and my father and from some of their close relatives.

Then it was time to take the newly wed couple to the hall and be presented to all of the guest.

Farhan Bhai and Saba bhabi walked to the stage,hand in hand, smiling brightly.While they made their ways to the stage ,we, youngsters lined up and showered them with flowers.Misha,Arhaan,Khusbu,Simi and I were on one side while Aabir,Akash Mehek,Kabeer and Umang were on the other.

When Bhai and Bhabi settled themselves on a couch onto the stage, the guests started coming up on the stage to greet the newly wed couple and give them their blessings .

We, youngsters got down the stage to lessen the crowd there.

While walking down the stairs of the stage ,Misha suddenly tripped over her shoes and was about to fall down .

"Misha !"I gasped and reached to catch her.

But Kabeer was quicker than me.He grabbed her by her arm and saved her from falling .

"That's the second time,I've saved you from falling flat on your face."Kabeer said as he let go of her arm when she stood firmly."If you can't wear heels,why wear them?"he added,annoyedly.

"As if I wanted to wear them.I was about to wear snickers but mom forced me to wear this dumb heels."Misha tossed her hands up in the air.

"And you..."Misha pointed at Kabeer."I didn't ask you to save me."

"What was I supposed to do then?Watch you fall and break your leg."Kabeer retorted.

Misha's expression softened and the grin across her face stressing to the point it looked like it would hurt.

"Aww!I know you care about me a lot.You are my best friend,after all.You can't see me hurt."Misha cooed.

"That's the problem.I can't see you hurt."Kabeer whispered, exaggerating a sigh.

Misha moved closer to him and
"My dear best friend,What would I do without you?"

"You'll probably live a pitiful life."Kabeer shrugged.

Misha snickered and We all laughed out at that.

We kept chitchatting about this and that for a while and then all of us scattered around the hall.

Standing near the stage I looked up at the newly wed couple .They were getting congratulations from one of bhai's colleague in his law office.When the said man along with his wife left the stage,I noticed Bhai said something to Saba bhabi into her ears and she blushed furiously.Watching them caused a smile erupt on my face.

May their love for each other grow with each passing day and
their marriage be filled with love, laughter, and countless beautiful memories.

"What are you smiling at?"a playful voice reached to my ears that broke my trance.

I'd almost forgot the man next to me.I turned my head to the owner of the voice and gestured him to look at the stage and he did.

"They look so good together.Just made for each other."I said, still admiring the beautiful couple on stage.

"Hmm."A soft chuckle slipped from Arhaan's lips as he nodded.

"By the way,Did I say that to you?"Arhaan said .

I shifted my gaze back to him and found him staring at me intently.

"What?"I was confused.

"You look breathetakingly beautiful today."He said,looking directly in my eyes and for a second there- it seemed he was flirting.

But I shrug it off as one of my overactive imagination as I knew it wasn't the case.Sometimes his playful smile and his gaze just give off that vibe.
If I didn't know him, I would've definitely thought he was hitting on me right now.

"Well,Thanks."I said"The makeup artist did a pretty good job."

Breathtakingly beautiful? He was exaggerating here.But yeah,I was looking beautiful.After all,It cost a good amount of money and took 2 hours of time in dress up, makeup and hairstyling.

My lehenga was pistachio green color adorned with silver work and beads.
It was quite heavy ,though. My hair was put into an intricate bun and the front was loosely twisted.And the makeup artist did a good job on my face .I'd almost couldn't recognize myself in the mirror when I saw my face after my makeup was done.

"Don't give all the credits to makeup.With or without makeup,you always look beautiful."He wasn't flirting nor was he teasing me.He just stated it like it was an obvious fact.

I just shrugged it off as I didn't agree.

"You do not look bad either."I said.He was looking quite good in his light green designer kurta,to be honest.

All the boys from our side(groom side)wearing the same color of outfit including while the girls were dressed in pistachio green or light green color or salwar suits.

On the other hand,the girls and boys from the bride's side were dressed in dark green clothes.

"Hey,I deserve better compliment than this."Arhaan pouted."I mean,look at my handsome face and dashing appearance.You could use better words to compliment my look."

I chuckled at his over confidence"So full of yourself,huh?"

"Come on!Look around and see,Is there anyone who looks more handsome than me?"He gave me a challenging look.

I didn't need to look around .My gaze automatically shifted to the man , standing a few metres away from me.

Aabir.

Throughout the day,I'd tried my best to not indulge with his look but I failed with flying colors as my stare trailed on his very existence countless time.

He was wearing a dark green colored floral printed sherwani.His hair was set back and neat stubble was complementing his look.He was looking so hot and handsome.

He always does!

And he was different from his usual self.He was looking very happy,smiling all the time to the relatives and guest.

Aabir suddenly looked at me and our eyes connected.And like the past few days ,I quickly looked away and mentally face palmed myself.

It happened again.It has been happening for a while now.Whenever I stared at him,he happened to look at me at the same time and caught me off guarded.

Does he have a antina or what!?

Is that just a coincidence?Or a weird connection?

Ugh!!I don't know.

"Earth to Zara."Arhaan snapped his finger in front of my eyes that jolted me out of my thoughts and I focused on him again."You seem to be zoning out."

"Sorry,I was just thinking something."I smiled apologetically."Where were we?"

"Well...we were talking about my charming looks."He said with a smug smile.

"It was you,not me."I said,rolling my eyes at him.

He laughed and I just shook my head .

In between,I casted a glance at Aabir and found him still staring at my direction-his face drew down in a scowl.My laugh faded and I looked away defeatedly.

Again ,that same look!

What's with him?

I couldn't help but wonder what'd I done recently to piss him off? Everything was fine between us when we'd gone to the amusement park.Then what happened all of a sudden that he started giving me cold shoulder from the next day?

I'd wracked my brain enough and I was tired now.So,I just muted my inner thoughts and focused on what Arhaan was talking about.

He was telling me that he'd a early morning flight to catch tomorrow as he was going to Canada at his grandma's house.His mother and Roshni had already gone there yesterday.Arhaan stayed back here to attend the wedding with us.

"At what time do you go?"I asked him as we made our way to the food section area.

I was hungry.Since we still had time to eat our meal,I thought of eating some snacks to calm down my grumbling stomach.

"My plane will take off at 7 am."Arhaan said and I nodded in acknowledgment.

"What about yours?"He asked as we walked.

"Our flight is at 1 pm."I answered.Well,we also had a flight to catch tomorrow.We were about to go back to Dehradun.

"Your father?Will he go to Dehradun with you?"

"No."I shook my head"He'll go back to Bangladesh.His flight will depart at 10 am."I answered ,glumly.

I was sad.My father had come here 1 day ago to attend the wedding.Because of the wedding functions,we didn't get enough time to spend with each other.Even now he was busy with Abbas Uncle .I wish I could get more time to spend with him.

"So we all are leaving this city tomorrow."Arhaan spoke again.

"Yeah.5 days flew by so quickly.It seems like yesterday that we came here for the wedding."I said,dryly.

As we walked ,I hissed in pain when the edges of my shoes rubbed against my feet ,causing wear and tear of skin tissue.

After walking in new plum shoes all day ,I could feel small blisters rising up on my foots.So,I was trying to walk in such a manner that the shoes will hurt me the least,yet that seemed like an impossible task.

"Hey,What's wrong?"Arhaan asked in concern .

"These new pumps shoes blistered my feet."I told him.

"Why didn't you tell me before?I'll go get some band aids for you .Should I get a ointment ,too?"He was panicking.

"Hey, It's okay.I'll take care of it once I return to the hotel.Don't worry."I assured him but he didn't look convinced.

His expression turned hard"So you're gonna bear the pain till then?"

"It's just a matter of a few hours.I can tolerate this little pain till then."

Arhaan shook his head,"Zara,you're so carele-"whatever he was about to say got cut off as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He fished out his phone from his pant's pocket and we saw 'Mom' name flashing on the screen.

"That's your mom.Pick it up."I said when he seemed to be taking time too much time.

"I'll talk to her later."He said .

I frowned ."Why later?It can be a urgent call .Talk to her now."I urged him.

He heaved a sigh before nodding and answering the call.

Since there was a lot of noise around us,he excused himself and made his way out of the venue while putting the phone on his ear.

I breathed in relief.I couldn't have thanked Aunty enough for calling him at the right time.Otherwise Arhaan would've continued nagging me.

I slowly headed to the food section all by myself.When I reached there,The smell of foods striked my nostril .There was a long buffet line of main courses when the other side was full of snacks and beverages.

I walked up to the snacks section.There were so many types of snacks.So ,I got confused about what to taste and what to not .I shouldn't full my stomach with snacks,afterall.I needed to keep space in my stomach for main course.

I had just eaten a bite of french tacos on the plate ,when I felt someone's presence next to me.I didn't need to see who the person was.As always I was electrically aware of his presence.

Aabir!

I tried hard not to aware of his presence and since that was impossible ,at least not to let him know that I was aware of him.

He grabbed a water bottle from the table.I could tell from my peripheral vision that he was stealing glances at me.

It made me self conscious and I ended up choking on my food.

I started coughing.Aabir quickly unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and raised it halfway to my mouth.

I grabbed the bottle from his hand and swallowed large quantities of water at once.

"Are you okay?"Aabir asked when I calmed down.

"Yeah."I nodded slightly."Thanks."I said as I returned the water bottle to him.

He gave me a small nod.

"I'll take my leave."I told him and started to walk away, slowly , carefully.

I didn't feel like eating anymore and I didn't want to stay near him anymore.

"Why are you limping?"I heard him asking, that's when I realized he's been following me.

"Are you injured?"

I wanted to ignore him just like he'd been ignoring me .But looking at him ,I could see his eyes locked onto me with concern and I couldn't bring myself to ignore him.

"Well,yes,kind of.But not exactly."I answered reluctantly,an unintentional petulance in my voice.

He seemed confused by my answer.

"I got a shoe bite."I added as we walked.

These pumps were trendy and I was very happy when I bought them.I didn't know ,it would turn out to be a nightmare to wear.

"Don't you usually carry band-aids in your bag?Why don't you use it to reduce friction between your feet and shoes?"

"Yeah,I usually do.But who carry band aids in such occasions?...... Wait !"I halted and turned towards him .

"How do you know that I carry band aids in my bag?"I eyed him suspiciously.

Khusbu and Misha were the only one who knew about me carrying band aids in my bag.Being a clumsy mess ,I often get hurt and it always come in handy at that time.

"I'd seen you carrying band aids in your bag in the past.So I thought you still probably have that habit."

"Oh!"Yeah,The past that I couldn't remember and this reality triggered something in me.

I felt bitter at the thought of having no collection about my first year college life.

"If you're in pain ,why are you walking around and don't sit somewhere for a while?You can-"

"Aabir,What's with you?"I snapped abruptly,interrupting him.The word and my tune obviously caught him off guarded.

"Do you like confuse me?"I asked in irritation.

His forehead creased"I didn't get what you meant."

"It's me who don't get what you say or do,Aabir.You were avoiding me from last two days as if I am a plague or something and now you're suddenly showing your concern for me.This hot and cold behavior of yours towards me is really confusing and frustrating."

"I didn't avoid you."He said curtly.

"Oh,yeah?You did."I snapped ."On Haldi ceremony ,when I waved and smiled at you,you turned away with a scowling face and talked to anyone else.Wasn't that avoiding me?"

"I didn't see you."He said,his voice tight and controlled.

"Our eyes had definitely met."I retorted,"And those cold ,unfriendly glances that you gave me time and again?"

He exhaled sharply"You're overthinking,Zara."

"I am definitely not ."I glared defiantly at him.

"Aabir,Did I do something to make you upset?Why did you avoid me?"I could feel the frustration, desperation and anger in my voice and I was sure he felt it too.

"It's not like that."his voice sounded more like a whisper.

"Then what is it like?"I demanded.

Aabir pressed his lips into hard line.

I was in confrontation mood but Aabir wasn't helping me with his silence.I was painfully eager to hear his explanation.However,
after a few seconds of silence, I realized that was the
only answer I was going to get.

"You really like irritate me to death."I breathed out and then turned my head away from him and stalked off ,without looking back .

And this time he didn't follow me.