Hired Bride

CHAPTER - 5

Ayesha was getting ready for Alina's and Sahil's nikah function which was supposedly an hour later.

Everything has been going nice, Rafia was also happy seeing Khizar home.

Khizar's behavior with Ayesha was unlike his usual self. Now he used to talk to her softly and even used to praise her cooking whislt eating.

Ayesha had also noticed him smiling often lately, otherwise as far as she remember, he had always been sulking over something.

'Dubai has done magic on him.'She thought and giggled.

A soft knock on the door brought out Ayesha from her reverie.

"Come in."She shouted from inside whilst wearing her anklets.

"Masha-Allah, May Allah (SWT) save you from evil's eyes." Rafia's loud gasp made her turn towards the door.

Ayesha smiled shyly looking at Rafia's adoration filled eyes.

"Ahh, mumma you need anything." She asked whilst straightening her silver colour lahanga with her palm.

"I need to talk to you. Come sit here it's important." Rafia said suddenly turning into her serious mode.

"Mumma, is everything fine?"Ayesha asked her nervously.

Rafia assured her with a bright smile and light squeeze on her right hand.

"Ayesha, you see Alina is going to be nikahfied. Rukhsati isn't happening but I'm at peace because getting her married at right age was my responsibility and I'm going fulfill it within an hour or so, Insha-Allah." Rafia said and paused at the end of her speech.

Ayesha was confused on this out of track talk.

"Do you like someone?"Rafia asked her and Ayesha looked at her quizzically.

"I mean any boy?" Rafia explained ahead seeing her clueless daughter.

After getting Rafia's point, Ayesha's face heated up and in a second she was crimson till her hairline.

"Noooo, mumma." She mumbled lowly.

Rafia laughed at her reaction.

"You are so cute and innocent as well."Rafia said whilst pecking her forehead.

"Ayesha, would you mind if I'll take decision regarding your marriage?" Rafia asked her seriously.

"No mumma, of course not. You have every right to take decisions on my behalf. You do not need to ask me."Ayesha said and hugged her mother tightly.

11 Ayesha, I've decided to get you nikahfied today after Alina."Rafia said casually but Ayesha felt like she couldn't breath.

"But mumma.... "She was cut off by Rafia.

You gave me your words Ayesha and do you not trust your mother?" Rafia asked ruefully and Ayesha as the obedient daughter she was nodded whilst trying to force back her tears.

After that Rafia was gone pecking her forehead.

Ayesha keep seated there in daze.

A while before she was happy to enjoy Alina's nikah function and now she was dreading her own.

She didn't want to leave this lovely family which was her only family in the whole wide world.

She knew that Rafia was going to decide the best for her but still she was unnerved by the sudden and unexpected turn of her life.

Soon someone came and was taking her out of her room not before covering her with red bright dupatta.

Her mind wasn't functioning properly.

She was pushed on a sofa.

She heard murmuring all around her but her mind couldn't decipher any of them. Her mind was busy picturing all the negative possibilities of her life after this nikha.

"Do you Ayesha Ahmad daughter of Nasir Ahmad hereby accept Khizar khan son of Sadaquat khan as your huaband with alimony right of 1.5 lakh."

The Islamic scholar's voice was gone unheard by Ayesha Ahmad since her brain cells were way too occupied and so didn't respond on his question.

A hard nudge on her side snapped her out and she looked frantically here and there.

"Ayesha calm down." She heard Sahir's voice.

She took deep breaths and a while later she was little calmer.

"Are you fine now?" She heard Sahir's

concerned voice again. She nodded whilst trying to control her freaking nerves.

"Do you Ayesha Ahmad daughter of Nasir Ahmad hereby accept Khizar Khan son of Sadaquat khan as your husband with alimony right of 1.5 lakh." This time she heard it loud and clear and her hand flew towards her veil but before she could throw her veil somewhere and see who was trying prank her, someone's hand held her hand tightly ceasing its movements.

"Crazy girl, do you want to make fun out of yourself. Answer Qazi sahab." Sahir's amused voice reached her eardrum.

She peeped out from her translucent dupatta. Indeed the hall was filled with people.

'Ya Allah, this is so nerve wrecking thing. I'm going to marry Khizar. How come? He clearly doesn't likes me. Ya

Allah help.'She was busy conversing with herself.

"I'm asking last time." She heard Qazi sahab saying.

"Ayesha, what happened kid?" Rafia's voice suddenly made her aware of the talk they had while before.

And this time when Qazi Sahab asked she replied not able to break Rafia's heart.

"I do"

"I do"

"I do"

And soon the hall was filled with duas and congratulations.

'Oh my God!!!! What I've done. Did mumma forced him to marry me? He surely gonna hate me with thrice the intensity he hated me before, each for

my every' I do's'. 'There was havoc going on inside Ayesha's brain.

She was taken to her room.

She found Alina seated on her bed.

She locked her bedroom door and marched towards Alina's half laying and half sitting figure.

"You are sitting here. Do you have a slight idea what have just done?"Ayesha shook her forcefully.

"Calm down girl. What you have done?" She clearly looked like she was enjoying her condition.

"Bhabhi... " Alina added and Ayesha glared her.

Before Ayesha could hit her with the pillow she picked up Alina jumped out of the bed and in a second she was out of the room also.

"I can't believe this!!!!! I don't know what I'm going to do?" She sat on her bed and sighed audibly.

"May I tell you?" The voice she heard, made her yelp in surprise.

She was suddenly nervous, it's wasn't like this was the first time she was nervous around him but the nervousness she was experiencing today was whole lot of different from the previous ones.

" Listen... I can explain. I swear it wasn't my idea. It..... it..... it..." She was busy stuttering and finding a suitable answer when she was cut off by his deep voice.

"It was my idea?" The way he said it make it appear like a question.

"No....... no I didn't say it." She mumbled scared by his presence.

"I wasn't asking you though. I was

"I wasn't asking you though. I was stating the fact." He said sounding amused.

"Huh?" She looked at him confused as hell.

Khizar was moving towards Ayesha with a beautiful smile playing on his lips and she was looking at him wide eyes at his unusual behavior.

"Bhai dada jaan and baba is calling you, please hurry up."Sahir's voice reached them followed by continues bang on the door.

Khizar grimaced and moved away from Ayesha's dumbfounded figure saying.

"Will see you soon wify."

'Wifey?!!! did he hit his head somewhere??? 'Ayesha thought and slumped down on the bed.

Seconds later Alina entered the room with a tray covered in her hands.

"So, how was the meeting with my bhai." Alina asked whilst keeping the tray on the bedside table.

"Totally unexpected and unbelievable."Ayesha whispered whilst rewinding the 'meeting' in her head.

"Really?!!!!" Alina exclaimed interestingly and sat beside her.

Ayesha looked at her weirdly.

"Did he..... I ...mean.... did he kiss.... "Alina was saying but was cut off by Ayesha.

"Stop right there you shameless peace of meat otherwise I swear on my biryani I will kill you." Ayesha threatened her loudly whilst going all crimson.

Alina laughed loudly but didn't say anything about it.

"Ok come on I'm not saying anything. Go freshen up and change into something comfortable. I've brought dinner for both of us."She said and pushed her out of the bed.

"Ayesha you know, bhai loved you since he saw you for the first time." Alina said catching Ayesha offguard.

After dinner, Alina thought to sleep with Ayesha.

They both were laying, waiting for the sleep to come, when suddenly Alina brought the topic unknown to her.

"You know what? Bhai left for dubai because he was so heart broken. He thought Sahil was intrested in you and it was you whose nikah's preparations

were going." She was speaking and in dim light of the room Ayesha was trying to look at her with the widest eyes ever.

"You know Sahil knew about his feelings for you since ages and after mine and Sahil's nikah date was fixed he talked to mumma about Khizar bhai's interest in you." Ayesha was gaping like a fish without water.

"Bhai wasn't supposed to return home because he thought that he will not be able to witness your nikah with someone else but someday before the nikah you picked his phone and from you he came to know that it was me who was getting tied with Sahil, not you and he came running form dubai." Alina was busy narrating the whole story and didn't even notice her silence.

"You are saying Khizar loves me?" Finally Ayesha spoke and Alina

snapped her head towards her.

"What do you mean I'm saying? Didn't he confessed his undying love for you?" Alina asked her with furrowed brows whilst switching on the side lamp and sat up.

Ayesha nodded negatively, an ocean of confusion floating in her eyes.

"What you two were doing inside then? s**t, I've messed up. Do you even know what I've done. It was bhai's place to tell you about his feelings first. Me and my big mouth." Alina thought that Khizar had confessed his feelings for her so thought it wasn't bad idea to narrate her everything from A to Z.

"Did he really love me?" Ayesha sat up too and asked her ignoring her blabbering.

"What was I saying then from past hour?" Alina was clearly not happy to know that she had ruined her brother's

moment.

"But he has always been so rude to me." Ayesha's doubts weren't leaving her any time soon.

"Beacause he thought you were intrested in Sahil and his possessiveness would kicked in whenever he saw you with Sahil making him go all hulk on you." Alina spoke thinking that she had said it all anyway, one more wouldn't harm.

"Now sleep and please for Allah's sake don't let bhai know that I told you everything, instead act like you will be hearing it for the first time." Alina requested her nervously.

'He will surely kill me if he will come to know what I' ve done.'Alina thought whilst covering herself with the blanket.

Ayesha keep seated, rewinding every bit of information she was fed by Alina

in her head.

She wasn't getting sleep anymore so she got out of the bed and went towards the balcony.

She leaned on the railing whilst inhaling the fresh air.

Suddenly her gaze fell on the figure sitting on the bench in lawn. She scrutinized her gaze and her heart missed a bit realizing it was him.

'Ayesha you know, bhai loved you since he saw you for the first time.' What Alina said a while ago echoed inside her ear making her heart run marathon.

Her constant gaze made Khizar suddenly turned towards her.

His steely grey orbs caught hold of her chocolate brown orbs making her freeze on her place.

A huge bright smile broke on Khizar's lips and instantly Ayesha was out of the spell she was in before.

With wildly thudding heart she stepped back and moved towards her room.