Z A I D A A N

I was just pulling my t-shirt over my head when Abaan barged into my room and had his hands on my collar,

"Dude, dude, dude, dude I swear you've got to help me!"

I looked at him as if he'd lost his mind and pried his hands off me,

"And how is that?"

He groaned, "Zaidaan Bhai, I told you. I love Kainaat."

I gave him a death stare, "But you did say yes to Fariyal, didn't you?"

He sat on my bed, face in hands, "You also know it was such a MASSIVE misunderstanding."

"And you want me to do what?"

He looked at me, pleading, "Take my place. Marry Fariyal."

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my siblings to death. Abaan was really close to my heart and I'd give him my life but...this?

"You do know," I started, "that even if I marry Fariyal, we'll be wrecking havoc in both the families? And do you know how tayabbu will fell?"

Tayajaan, my dad's elder brother, was the eldest member of our family. He was way elder than dad and had one daughter, Asma Baaji, who had recently got married. After Tayiammi's death, he had started living wuth us on my dad's request. Me and Abaan and everyone else in our family respected him the most, as he was the shadow of wisdom on our family.

He shook his head, "I will manage it all, I promise-"

"Abaan."

"Bhaijaan please! You'll be saving not one but three lives from destruction. Me and Kainaat would get married and our hearts won't be broken. Fariyal wouldn't have to suffer in a loveless marriage!"

I stared at him, "What makes you think she'll be happy with me?"

He shrugged, as if it was obvious, "Kainaat had once told me that Fariyal was never interested in any guys ever and that instantly reminded me of you. You were never interested in a girl. Besides, you should get married before me. I don't even understand why they want me married first. And any girl would be happy with you, you're the handsome one, remember?"

I rolled my eyes, "The fact that we don't look same doesnt make me the handsome one. You look like dad and everyone knows how goodlooking he is. Boy what even am I saying? I can't believe I just started talking about looks. I feel like a girl!"

Abaan pleaded again, "Bhaijaan please, just this once."

"Why don't you ask Kainaat to take Fariyal's place?"

He sighed, "Everyone knows she'll say no. She won't step outside her room if it was her Daadi's wish!"

"Learn something from her, then."

"Zaidaan bhai! C'mon now."

"Abaan, you ask for too much."

"We don't have time, bhai. Nikaah is just hours away and none of them are picking up my phone! You're my last chance."

As he looked at me with pleading eyes, his eyes almost tearing up, I gave in.

I never said no to anyone in my family, and specifically and espescially Abaan. He was literally the baby of our home.

I couldn't believe I was doing this.

Hours later, I sneaked into Abaan's room and according to the plan, wore his clothes.

We looked at each other, and that's when it hit me,

"And how do you think they'll let me take your place if they see my face?"

I saw him grin as he patted my shoulder,

"Isn't someone eager to get married? Well don't worry. Your bhai has all the solutions."

Just then, Sami entered the room.

Sami was Kainaat and Fariyal's maternal cousin and mine and Abaan's madrasa friend.

He closed the door and turned to us,

"This. Is the worst idea ever."

I nodded at him while he just handed me the sehra.

A sehra was nothing but a veil type thing, except for the fact that it was to be tied around my head,so that the flowers which were stringed to it would fall all the way to my neck, successfully covering my face. Atleast enough for them to not notice that it wasn't Abaan.

"And what will you do?" I asked Abaan.

He shrugged, "Hide and try to find Kainaat."

I rolled my eyes eventhough he could not see.

Him and his Kainaat.

I admit, last night when I'd seen her, I was moved by her beauty. She was something else with those big green eyes, but she was tiny.

I don't mean it like, that type of tiny, but tiny as in, she was six years younger than me, if my calculations weren't wrong.

Surprisingly, as me and Sami made our way to the car, no one stopped us and I realized they all had already left.

It's probably just my family that leaves the groom and goes to the venue.

When we reached the Khan Household, I stepped down and Sami managed to get me in without anyone questioning.

I mean, who even wore sehra in today's time? It definitely would raise questions.

But seemed like luck was on our side.

I really couldn't believe I was doing this, I already felt sorry for the girl who was about to marry me.

As I entered the hall, my dad and Abu Bakar Uncle, who was the bride's dad, were already seated. I replied to their salaams lowly and took my place when dad said,

"What's with this sehra? C'mon Abaan, you ain't that shy. Remove it."

Just as he was about to remove it and I braced myself to be doomed, I saw Sami holding his hand,

"Uncle ji, don't you know? Dulhe ka sehra suhana lagta hai, let it be."

I sighed in relief and the next moment, the bride entered the room.

The living room, was seperated by a curtain in between, so as to make the place seperate for men and women, but I could see, more like peek, when she entered the room.

She had her face covered with her ghoongat, but unlike usual, it covered her entire face, not just half of it.

She was that shy?

"Where's Zaidaan, Sami?" My dad asked.

Sami's eyes widened but then he laughed nervously, waving his hand,

"He,um, he was...in the washroom when me and Zai- I mean, Abaan left. He'll reach soon. Oh look! Maulvi sahab is here! Just do the nikaah!"

Both my dad and Fariyal's dad gave him a look and told him to keep his mouth shut while the Maulvi started the Nikaah.

"Do you, Abaan Farooq, take Fariyal Khan as your wife?"

I scribbled a shabby incomprehensive curve of what I thought looked like a replica of Abaan's signature, blood pounding in my ears.

"I do."

I was asked three more times, after I'd signed the papers, they moved to the female's side and the same procedure followed and the bond was seale-

"KAINAAT?!"

The scream was heard from the women's side and at that same moment, Abaan entered the room.

And at that moment, dad noticed my signature on the papers and snatched the sehra from my face.

I started uttering every prayer I knew and waited for the pang of a slap but nothing happened.

He was heading towards Abaan as the curtain that seperated the men and the woman was pushed aside and when I looked to the side...

My

Heart

Dropped.

Because sitting in the bride's place, in bridal clothes, with tears threatening to rush down her face and her nose red, was Kainaat Khan.

And the confusion on everyone's face, including mine and Kainaat's, increased all the more when we looked at each other.

What the heck was she doing in Fariyal's place?

Before anyone could say anything, Fariyal entered the scene.

I looked at Sami and his expression told me that he was wondering the same thing as me.

When did our life get SO dramatic?

Fariyal and Abaan faced everyone and I saw as Abaan fell to the ground on his knees,

"No." He whispered in shock.

As the situation settled in my head, I couldn't be more shocked.

I am married. To the tiny girl?

I watched as dad almost slapped Abaan but Sami held his hand and before the situation could worsen, I rushed to pull Abaan up and ask him what in the world just happened.

But when I looked at Fariyal, I'd almost figured it out myself.

"What has gotten into your minds?!"

I heard Abu Bakar Uncle scream at all of us.

"Khan Sahab," Tayajaan said, " please, relax. Tell us all of you. And we want to hear nothing but the truth."

My dad was still red with anger and I couldn't meet his eyes when he uttered my name.

As all they got in response was silence, dad raised his hand again but this time, he was interrupted by the girl, who I think is Husna,

"Tayabbu, can I tell?"

Abu Bakar uncle turned to his neice and nodded.

She took a deep breath and glanced at Kainaat, who nodded at her and their grandmother held her hand as she said,

"I don't know how Zaidaan ended up on this side, but Kainaat..."

"Husna, tell us." My dad said and the girl visibly shivered at his tone as she adjusted her hijaab before continuing,

"Fariyal di didn't want to marry Abaan bhai and Kainaat and Abaan bhai love each other."

Collective gasps were heard.

It seemed as if all the air in the room was sucked.

Abaan and Kainaat's head dipped lower and Fariyal was still in shock.

I was probably the only one with the most nonchalant expression.

"Kainaat wanted Fariyal di and Abaan bhai to get married as it was dadu's wish." She continued, "but Fariyal di couldn't do it because she knew Abaan loved Kainaat and this marriage would break all three of them. So this morning, she asked Kainaat to take her place and she agreed. We couldn't inform Abaan bhai because we didn't get the time and plus his phone was out of a network region, for some reason. Besides, we thought Abaan bhai would be here because...bade tayajaan, it was your command and he had told Kainaat he would never go against you so we never thought...that..."

As she trailed off, looking at my tayajaan, who still held his head high and ran a hand through his beard.

"All of this," Abu Bakar uncle said, "just because you girls thought all of this?"

"Baba, I-"

"Not a word, from any of you."

Dad turned to us as he eyed me and Abaan and knowing Abaan, I decided to step up and speak,

"We had an almost similar situation. Abaan, at the last moment, couldn't do this all and I agreed to take his place. It took him a lot to convince me, but this happened. He never thought she would take Fariyal's place seeing how he knew the girls would never disobey Dadijaan. Infact, dad, uncle, I take the blame for this. If I would have refused my younger brother and not gone against you, and instead had given him a lecture like I always do, this wouldn't have happened, I- we are sorry."

At the end of my mini speech, silence etched in the room.

The guests hadn't arrived yet and in a way, I was glad everything was out in the open before the crowd could witness any of this drama and spread gossip like wildfire.

Tayajaan stepped forward and eyed us before glancing at a Kainaat who now clung to her mom, almost whimpering.

"Seeing it as a mistake," Tayajaan said, "I will forgive my nephews."

Me and Abaan sighed in relief. Relief flood through us and Abaan's face visibly relaxed. That was until, Tayajaan said,

"But, I will not allow any divorces in my family. Abaan will marry Fariyal, now, at this very moment and so will Zaidaan and Kainaat, on new papers, and start afresh, pretending this didn't happen. We will only rukhsat Fariyal and Abaan today and next week, on this very day, Zaidaan and Kainaat will officially be announced husband and wife, with ammijaan's consent. Ammijaan?"

Tayajaan turned to Fariyal and Kainaat's grandmother, calling her as his mother.

She stared between me and Kainaat and closed her eyes, nodding a yes as Kainaat's head snapped her way and the tears finally trailed down.

I had a sudden urge to wipe those away when they stopped midway on her cheek.

She quietly sobbed in her mother's arms, not caring that both the entire families were watching her.

There was no sound in her cries and with the look on Fariyal and Abaan's face, I figured it meant worse than crying loudly.

For some reason, I found myself asking again,

"Tayajaan, what if...this never works out?"

He nodded my way and for a minute and I saw the look of gratitude on Kainaat's face when her eyes clashed with mine before it turned to hatred at Tayajaan's words,

"There will be a divorce. But, now that my trust has slightly wavered in Abaan, I shall put forth a condition for divorce."

We listened to him with rapt attention as he spoke the words, more like narrated our destiny,

"You will only be allowed a divorce, after an year to this date. Meanwhile, all of you will promise me and your daadijaan that you will make this work, be of respect and love to each other and try more than your very best to make this marriage work. Marriage is a sacred bond, and I will not let love break it."

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I looked at Abaan's stone cold expression.

Sami was torn between comforting his cousins and his two best pals, his face held pure 'what even in the world' expression and in a different situation, I would've laughed at how his mouth was hanging in mid air.

To everyone's surprise, Abaan stepped forward and took Tayajaan's hand,

"Tayajaan, I respect you more than dad, and breaking your trust is worse than breaking my heart. I promise you, with everyone present here and Allah as my witness, that I will make my marriage with Fariyal work,"

I saw a hint of a smile on Tayajaan's face and nearly cussed out loud.

Dammit.

I saw how Kainaat's mouth fell open when he uttered those words with determination on his face and with less to no glance at her face.

Fariyal on the other hand, was standing there pale as she dipped her head down.

It broke these three. It visibly broke them and my anger hit the skies at how this was all so wrong.

But at the same time, I knew if I was in Abaan's place I would have done the same. Or maybe not exactly the same.

We, infact all four of us, would never go against a word said by the elders of our home, it was infused in us. And I so wished it wasn't, I so wished we weren't taught to always, ALWAYS, listen to our elders.

In the next half an hour, our life was turned upside down, before the guests arrived and we had to pretend it was all normal.

So that was how, I ended up marrying the love of my brother's life.

And it was only my beleif in Allah and His plan, in the Qadr of Allah, that gave me strength to think that if this is how Allah had planned it to be, then so be it.