Anaya stepped out of the room and looked around; the huge hallway was empty. Confused, she cautiously walked towards the stairways. Then, she heard the roar of laughter from downstairs. She frowned and followed the sound. Her mouth half opened as she admired the contemporary look, decor and sober colors of the walls of the mansion from inside. Her heels clicked on the marble floor and the sound resonated through the silent hallway; only faint voices of people could be heard otherwise.

She held the thick golden railing of the stairway, she shuddered as she felt the cold surface and quickly retracted her hand only to place it again, this time firmly. She stretched her neck and looked down. The entire family were seated, laughing and chatting over tea and snacks. Watching them, she smiled a little.

They all looked so happy, carefree. She had always been a lonely introvert. She had only her brother, Azlaan and was close to Pooja, her ex-friend. Thinking about her and Gabin, made Anaya instantly feel bad. She sighed sadly.

She looked down at the happy family again and decided not to disturb them. She turned around and tugged her hair strand behind her ear. She had taken a step when someone called her, a feminine voice.

'Anaya.'

She turned around. Mehnaz stood up from the sofa and gestured with her arm. Anaya nodded and slowly climbed down the stairs. She kept fidgeting with the helm of her dupatta. Her gaze fell on Rashid, who smiled warmly at her. But she felt very awkward. This was awkward indeed; her boss was now her father-in-law. She had always seen him as a father figure, now he has become related to her. Life was indeed strange at times.

Anaya stopped behind Rashid and nervously looked at everyone. Mehnaz, Maaz's sister, was smiling brightly at her, a naughty glint in her eyes. Her daughter was busy with her toys. Only two people, a man, Anaya assumed to be Mehnaz's husband and Zainab were the ones who had grumpy expressions. She got negative vibes from them. She chose to ignore them and looked away.

'Come join us.' Mehnaz said brightly. As soon as she spoke, Zainab nudged her. Anaya noticed the glare the mother shot her daughter. Mehnaz masked the uncomfortableness with a smile and scooted little to give Anaya some space to sit beside her. Zainab got squeezed beside the Mehnaz and the armrest. She huffed.

Anaya fidgeted with her dupatta, - 'I—um—will go make tea.' She made up an excuse.

'Don't worry about that, dear,' – Zainab interrupted, her tone was sarcastic, - 'We have servants here to do that. Not like a middle-class family.' She taunted.

Anaya inaudibly inhaled sharply. Mehnaz shook her head while Atif straightened in his seat, sneering. He gave a firm nod. Rashid, on the other hand, wasn't bothered and continued to sip his tea.

Ignoring her mother's taunt, Mehnaz insisted Anaya to sit with them. Nervously, Anaya looked at Rashid. He simply shrugged. Realizing she was on her own, she debated for a moment before sitting beside Mehnaz. She smiled and shifted closer to her.

Anaya reflexively moved little as Mehnaz leaned forward, - 'Please don't mind Ma.' She whispered. Anaya looked at her and nodded. Then, she shifted little and sat uncomfortably in a stiff posture

▪⎯⎯⎯∞⎯⎯⎯▪

Maaz groaned as he woke up from his sleep. He sat straight rubbing his face. He paused and sniffed sharply. A sharp strong raspberry smell, a feminine odor tantalized his senses. He scratched his head wondering why the hell was his room smelling of female perfume. A moment, later he shrugged and stretched. Then, he climbed down.

Maaz opened his wardrobe and raised his eyebrows high. Firstly, his wardrobe was so neatly arranged and secondly there were few female clothes too. It took him a moment to realize, then he slapped his forehead.

Oh yeah, I am married- He reminded himself.

Muttering to himself he grabbed a yellow half sleeve Tee and walked towards the bathroom. As he was about to open the door, there was a knock.

'Who is it?' He called, agitated.

'Maaz it is me.' Mehnaz's voice called from the other side. He massaged his forehead with his fingers and then quickly wore his Tee over his head.

When he was ready, he cleared his throat and called back, - 'Come in.'

Almost immediately the door flung open and Mehnaz walked in. She was startled seeing the darkroom. Maaz walked up to the switchboard and switched on the lights. The sharp light pricked his eyes and he winced. A moment of blinking rapidly, everything came to focus. He frowned upon seeing Mehnaz carrying something shimmering, wrapped in a plastic cover.

'What is that?' He pointed towards it. Mehnaz smirked and dropped the packet into his arms. With the weight, Maaz fell forward. She chuckled.

'Get ready bro,' – She paused and ruffled his hair, - 'It is your wedding night?' She teased him. Maaz's eyes widened for a second before he adjusted his expressions.

'And what about dinner?' He asked immediately. Mehnaz began giggling and he frowned. She placed her palm on his shoulder and leaned closer,

'You will be very busy to think about Dinner, bro?' She winked and patted his shoulder. Maaz simply blinked at her, hoping the red hue on his cheeks was not visible.

Mehnaz turned around and was about walk away when Maaz interrupted her, - 'Where is An—A—A—my wife?'

Mehnaz's smirk widened, she turned to face her brother, - 'Don't worry, little brother. She is in safe hands.' She replied and turned around. After she had walked out of the room, Maaz smiled to himself.

My wedding night – He thought, and his smile widened.

▪⎯⎯⎯∞⎯⎯⎯▪

With each passing second, Maaz was getting restless. Even at dinner, he didn't get a glimpse of his wife and had to be satisfied eating with just his parents, Atif and Alia.

He continued to pace in the lobby and occasionally glancing at the door to his room. His sister and his wife both were locked in the room for ages. Maaz sighed and looked away. Just then, he remembered the packet his mother had handed him. He unclenched his fist and looked at the packet Zainab had shoved into his hand. His cheeks flushed as he recollected his mother's words,

'Listen, son, have fun with her. Enjoy the night but remember don't take any risk. Take this—and have fun. Just be careful. And remember it is just temporary.'

Maaz's smile widened.

A few excruciating minutes later, the door opened and a giggling Mehnaz stepped out. Maaz stretched his neck to look inside but Mehnaz had closed the door by then. She turned to her brother and flashed a naughty grin. He made a straight face. After she left, Maaz looked at the door and nervously opened it.