I woke up to an empty bed, the space beside me cold and the sheets creased.

I looked around to find the curtains still in place and the washroom door open, leaving me perplexed to find him up before me.

Checking my phone, I saw twenty new messages from Husna and one from Zaidaan, saying he was at work.

At work?

Brushing aside my curiosity, I called up Husna.

The first thing I was greeted with, was Husna blowing her nose, her voice pained as she exclaimed,

"He's getting married!"

It took me a minute to register what she said, and I was still clueless,

"Walikumassalam. What? Who?"

She sniffed on the other end as I rubbed my eyes,

"Arhaan."

My eyes widened and I nearly toppled over, "WHAT? TO WHOM?"

Arhaan Hameed was Husna's second cousin from her mom's side. Husna first started liking him when we were in fifth, when she met him at a family function. In eighth grade, her cousin Raiyyan and Farris became kind of like best friends with the guy Husna was in love with, and she kept in touch just to get subtle updates on him.

By tenth Husna was in too deep, heck, she even wrote him letters and yes, he has no freaking clue.

So now, as she announced in a heartbreaking tone that he was getting married, after all her years of waking up in tahajjud for him, my heart all but broke for her.

"Areeba" I heard her say, with another sniff at the end.

If I was shocked before, I was shocked and angry now.

Now Husna's story is a bit complicated, Areeba is also her second cousin, and Arhaan's first cousin, while she was never in the picture, Husna's first cousin Naintara was as mad about the guy as her, and maybe I would be less surpised if it was the other girl. But Areeba?

She seemed to read my mind as she said,

"He likes her I guess."

My jaw literally hit the ground, "WHAT?! Why did you never know about this?"

I was pretty sure she was gonna write an entire poem the minute we hung up,

"Because no one ever told. Apparently, he talked to his parents, who talked to Nano, who will talk to Areeba's parents since she is the eldest person in the family. I wouldn't have been so stumped if it was Tara, but Areeba? Areeba has a hundred percent fixed chance."

As her voice cracked in the end, I all but wanted to go back home,

"Husna, Husna, Husna calm down. Please just...calm, relax. It's okay. No, it's not but...remember how you said that Naintara made sure that every person in the family made sure she liked him? And we all know she's a bit crazy in the head. Maybe she'll do something to stop the wedding?"

"I hope so, atleast I know he won't marry Tara."

Tara, or Naintara, was actually an arch nemesis of Husna's. For some reason, they never got along. It was mostly the Tara girl, who was anything but a star.

"Husn," I mumbled a while later, "what will you do?"

"Move on?"

"SHUT UP. YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING. PICK THAT PHONE UP AND TALK TO HIM. GO HAVE BABIES WITH HIM BUT DO NOT MOVE ON."

She chuckled and then sniffed,

"I miss you."

"Aww, my heart, I miss you more. I'll talk to Zaidaan and get back as soon as I can."

I was pretty sure she nodded against the phone,

"Where is your husband?"

"He's at work."

"Oh- wait, what? Work?"

I shrugged even if she can't see me, "I don't know."

We fell silent after that, and I figured this was what her twenty messages were about.

I would probably give up all my happiness for her, in a heartbeat for her to be with Arhaan. The girl was mad about him to say the least. I remmeber seeing her up way before fajr, sometimes the entire night praying for him, and maybe it hurts more when your prayers are a bit delayed.

I have seen my fair share of heartbreak, but I guess I am lucky enough to have Zaidaan, way more than I give him credit, but deep down, I know he's the reason I'm sane.

Just then, his face lit up my screen as I picked up the call from my husband by contract, speaking of which, it was about time I changed his contact name.

"Hello?"

"Assalamualikum." His voice set a calming sensation on my heart.

"Walikumassalam. When will you get back?" I was surprised at my own eagerness to be around him.

He chuckled, "Patience, jaanam, I'll be back soon. Meanwhile, you might want to check your closet."

I groaned,"Not another surprise, Zaid!"

Even if I couldn't see him, I knew he'd shrugged as he said,

"I love you, see you soon and please don't make me wait."

He hung up before I could reply, and I got up from my position, checking the time.

I won't make you wait, because I barely can.

***

Checking my closet was easy.

Believing what was placed inside was the difficult part.

It was weird how this man knew everything about me.

Feeling giddy, I freshened up and got ready. Thankfully, this time, the dress covered me up entirely.

Since I was all on my own, I took my time in getting ready.

I slipped on the lace and silk champagne gown and placed the chiffon stole loosely on my head, throwing the sides across my shoulders so I wouldn't hav eto adjust them every now and then.

Taking a final look in the mirror, I drew in a breath. The girl staring back at me was me, but the way she looked at me was not usual. There was a glint in her eyes that my previous self never knew, the boldness of her features was not something known to me.

I let my hair flow naturally, the tendrils escaping the cage of the stole, framing the sides of my face and teasing my blush.

The leaping of my heart was uncommon.

A stroke of red over my lips, and the name behind my smile was unexpected.

I didn't know it yet, but I knew I'd weave the letters in every way I can, only to frame his name.

I'd stitch all of my dreams and thoughts because all of them only had one thing.

Zaidaan.

***

An hour later, I stepped out of our home and took a tour around the garden. I caressed the juliet roses and lily of the valley, my hands itching to pluck them, but I refrained from doing so, scared that I might hurt the softness of the flowers.

"Ab phool bhi karei toh kya karei," I heard a voice behind me say and I stilled,

"agar todh liya toh murjhayenge,"

He squatted down beside me, a smile on his face as he caressed my cheek,

"Na todhne par aapke haath inse duur hojayenge,"

Taking my hands in his, he placed a light, almost unfeelable kiss on my knuckles,

"Ke ab toh kaaton ne bhi aapke dast ko choomna chaha."

I smiled against my will and his eyes shone with so much adoration, I couldn't even begin to understand how I felt.

"Salaam." I muttered.

He leaned his forehead against mine,

"Waassalam, you didn't make me wait."

I shifted closer, "I couldn't."

He raised his eyebrows but nonetheless, let it be.

"Where are we going?"

He chuckled, "You'll see."

***

Another hour later, we were at a beach. He led the way to a secluded corner, then made me stand somewhere before he moved back, grinning, and did something on his phone before suddenly, the lights turned on.

And my mouth dropped open.

Because not a step ahead the shore, was a table and two chairs, the food ready, a candle in between as well as juliet roses with curtains hanging from above, curtains of silk and flowers, held by navy blue ribbons and small bouquets, hiding us from public view.

I looked at him, and he bowed his head,

"You first, my lady,"

I chuckled as he took my hand in his.

Time was usually slow, but everytime I was with him, it seemed to slow down. We ate, we talked and then we danced, an actual slow ball dance before we called it a night and sat down, the water splashing on our legs, my head on his chest, his chin on my head.

The stars above us were brighter than usual, the crescent moon had a shy smile on its face, the winds were gentle and the water was warm yet cold, teasing my toes, welcoming me.

I peaked a look at him.

And my heart was never more at peace.

I unwillingly peeled myself away from him, the warmth leaving me, as I stood up.

He looked at me curiously and I tilted my head, motioning towards the ocean ahead of us.

When he didn't understand, I lifted my dress just a bit up, and placed my feet in the waves.

He seemed to understand what was on my mind, as he shook his head and joined me. He took my hand in his and laced our fingers, but then, much to my surprise, walked ahead.

We were at a safe distance from the shore, the wvaes weren't much strong, but my toes couldn't feel the ground either.

I clung on to him as the water swayed me, a laugh escaping me.

I looked up to see the sky, bright and alive. Below us, the sky reflected, moving with the waves, invading the distance the stars tried to maintain, pulling galaxies closer.

I looked at him, to find him looking right back at me. A sky full of wonders and his eyes were trained on me, screaming something only I could decipher.

My hands found their way to his perfectly structured face, trailing down his eyes and nose, memorising each curve of his eyelashes, the stibble on his chin, the arch of his eyebrows, the straightness of his nosebone and the sharpness of his jaw.

It felt only right- and tempting- to touch the curve of his lips. My fingers ever so gently trailed the shape of his lips, and his lips parted, in surprise or something else, I didn't know. It felt good to know that my touch had this effect on him.

Standing there, in an ocean, his hands around my waist, mine on his face, the sky and the sea open around us, the world shut away yet waiting for us, it only felt right as my hand slowly dropped to the crook of his neck and another clutched his shirt, right above his heart.

He didn't need to be pushed, as his hold on me tightened abd breaths quickened, before he let go of his barriers and tilted my head up to meet his gaze one last time, before he placed his lips on mine.

His lips were gentle against mine, but the sensations in my stomach and the chills in my veins made me pull him closer, roughly, silently screaming for more as my fingers found their tangles in his hair.

Kissing Zaidaan was unexplainable, or maybe it was just the way my heart burst at his closeness.

We didn't break away to take a breath, we couldn't, we didn't need to, we didn't want to.

The ocean beneath us roared, the clouds suddenly hid the moon behind them, the winds stilled, the leaves begged for movement but time stilled.

Time stilled. Because his arms were holding me, and our lips were morse coding every syllable we never dared to utter and our hearts were beating in sync, telling a tale of madness only we could understand.

He deepened the kiss, and who was I to protest. The ocean's depth shyed away at the way my heart swelled.

The sky might never end, never so will my love for him.

The ocean below us was deep, but with our feet dangling, almost tangled in it, nothing was deeper than us, in love.

Hieghts above us and depth below us, we were somewhere in between, unwilling to let go, lost in each other's breath, and nothing was more beautiful than him.

Nothing was more beautiful than falling in love with Zaidaan.

***