The Wrong Wedding

Act-1

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.

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"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.