Chapter Three

"Aeleya!" Like a drum bashing right next to her ear, Aeleya woke up in surprise. She looked around for a few seconds with dazed eyes then she suddenly jumped off from her bed.

"Oh no, what's the time?" She looked at the clock and saw that it was twelve pm. "So late? I only have an hour to reach my class, and I missed the first one! How?" Quickly running to the washroom, she began to wash her face and get ready. "Luckily they also got me a toothbrush, or things would be bad."

After brushing her teeth and washing her teeth, she ran out and looked for some clothes. She mostly had dresses, but she was able to find a pair that didn't look bad together. Putting those on, she was about to walk out but then something hit her. "My bag is still at home!" She looked around the room and wasn't able to find a single pen or paper. She then turned and looked at the office. "Maybe in there?" She walked forward and gave the door a few knocks. "A-Aarush?" There was no reply. She knocked again, but still no reply. "I-I'm coming in then." Turning the handle and giving it a little push, she saw that the room was empty. The room wasn't too large, with only a wooden table, chair, computer, and printer. She saw that the room was neat and tidy. "Where did he go?" Without questioning it any further she looked around for a pen and a few pages, That's all she needed. "Found some." She found a few pens in one of the drawers and decided to just use printer paper. Taking what she needed, she walked out of the little office and then out of her room. "Wait, my mother-in-law is here and so are the others. I need to be less crazy." She slowly walked down the spiraling staircase. She easily found her way to the kitchen and saw that Aarush was still nowhere to be found. The only people around were Aarush's siblings and mother.

"Aeleya, finally awake?" The person to say this aloud was the most energetic of the siblings, Maya.

"Be quiet Maya. Aeleya, come, eat something. Hey Maaz, go and get a plate for her." Like a general in the war, her mother in law gave out a series of commands as if it was a normal thing.

"Aunty, I'm running a little late, I have a class in an hour. Can I eat when I come back?" She didn't want to be rude, but she didn't want to miss another class. Her classes were all important ones, and she already missed one. Missing anymore would only be detrimental to her.

"Relax Aeleya. Your class starts in an hour and the university is only a fifteen-minute drive. When Aarush comes, he will drop you off." Aliya spoke up seeing that Aeleya was in a rush. "Just sit an eat for now."

"Where did Aarush go? I didn't see him in the morning." She was a little curious as he left without even waking her up.

"Oh, he had to attend a meeting in the morning, and right now he should be at the mall with Noori." Aliya shook her head. "My brother is a little too obsessed with Noori. He spoils her all the time, taking her anywhere she wants. My god, sometimes I just want to hide her and make sure he never sees her again."

"Noori?" Aeleya wasn't completely familiar with everyone, so she didn't know some of the people. 'Who is this girl that Aarush treats so well?'

"I forgot to introduce her to you, but Noori is my four-year-old. Yeah, she and Aarush are very attached to one another. Other than at work, he doesn't spend most days without her. Sometimes, she even sleeps with him." Again she sighed while showing a bit of irritation.

"Oh?" She sat down next to Aliya and listened. She was obviously curious about the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with, forced or not. "I didn't get much time to talk with Aarush about any of you guys, so Aliya, if you wouldn't mind…"

"Sure." She knew what Aeleya wanted, so of course, she happily agreed. "The basics you probably know. I'm the oldest, then Aarush, then Maya, and lastly Maaz. Of course, Aarush considers himself as the oldest because he says he's more mature, but everyone knows I'm more mature than him."

"Pfft." Maya suddenly choked on a bit of food.

"What is it? You want me to make sure you choke to death?" Aliya glared at Maya and spoke in a rowdy manner. The latter remained silent, but still had a small smile on her face. "Anyways, my brother is a little bit of a retard, but he isn't a bad person. Well, depends on who he is with and what the situation is. Believe it or not, he is very old fashioned. He may seem open-minded, but he isn't. He used to always say that if he could he would never let me get married. He says he doesn't like to see guys getting touchy. I don't know, he's an idiot. He would always get beat by my mom for that. Sometimes he still does, haha."

"Weird, he seems so open-minded." She recalled his reaction towards her sudden news and felt it unbelievable that he was considered narrow-minded.

"Trust me, right now he is very obsessed with you, but once he starts to get back to normal, you will see. He isn't a bad guy and wouldn't force you to do anything, that's for sure. He wouldn't even say it out loud, but he would show his irritation in other ways. Anyways, I'm married, which is obvious. My husband is in California right now, but he will be back. We live in New York, too, just in a different area." She thought for a moment before it hit her. "I almost forgot, other than us, there are four people who are important to remember. His four friends. Well, they're more like brothers than friends. They've been together since they were little. The oldest of them is Dara. He is extremely smart and very into school. If I remember correctly, he's thirty-five, but he has a Masters in Human Biology, a Ph.D. in Microbiology, an M.D, and he is also a D.V.M. He went to Cornell University. It seems kind of crazy, right? But he did it by cramming everything together and doing his Ph.D. while going to med school. Honestly, he is a little mental. Basically, Dara is the craziest in the group in terms of education. He is married as well, he has a little boy and his wife is three months pregnant I think." Aeleya was shocked, to say the least. She didn't even know it was possible to get so many things before the age of forty atleast. "Just so you know, he only completed his Ph.D. this year."

"Wow, I never knew Aarush had a friend like this. I never even thought it was possible to do so much." She shook her head and became a little embarrassed at herself. She was only just completed her engineering degree, and that was only one thing. She was already twenty-four. 'Don't compare yourself with a monster.'

"The other two are similar in degree, to a certain extent. There is Adi, who I think is thirty-three. He is also married and has two kids. Something that only we know is that Adi is the wealthiest of the four. Like he makes money money." She winked at Aeleya, while the latter smiled lightly. "Anyways, he is a Masters in Software Engineering and also completed a Bachelor's in Finance. One thing is, none of Aarush's friends are uneducated, or low in status. One way or another, they are connected to different people. Dara has connections with Cornell University, while Adi is connected to large corporations to a certain." She explained calmly, while also showing a bit of pride, as if she were the people she was describing. "Last of the three is Haris. He is twenty-eight, like Aarush. Unlike the other two, he doesn't chase after money nor various degrees. Haris is completely obsessed with engineering. He has a Masters in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering. He loves it. He is also doing well and has a wife. He has two boys and another one coming. Out of all the friends, the one you will see around the most is Dara, but the one who you might not expect is Haris. Haris has a habit of dropping by whenever, while Dara is a little more decent and actually informs us beforehand."

"What about Aarush? I know he is a doctor, but what about the specifics?" She was even more curious about Aarush. If his friends were so crazy, then what about him?

"He is whatever, nothing crazy." She smiled seeing a slight disappointment appear on Aeleya's face. "I'm just joking. He isn't much worse then Dara if his interests are taken into account. He has an M.D and is an Emergency Physician. He got a Masters in Mathematics and a Bachelor's in English. I think he published about ten books now? Maybe more? I have no clue, but he loves writing so he wrote lots before finally getting a job, now he rarely writes. He also loves to draw and kind of taught himself how. He is going to specialize in a surgical path in a while as well since that's the requirement the chairman at his hospital set for him if Aarush wants to be the chief of doctors or whatever at the hospital. Just so you know, this Chairman has been mentoring Aarush for eight years now. They are very close. He comes to visit us often as well."

Listening to all of this, she felt in a daze. 'How could the person from last night be so crazy? The next chief of doctors? Student of the hospital's chairman? Crazy friends? This is too much to comprehend.

"Just so you know, Aarush isn't a genius or anything. Atleast academically. He has really good practical skills and is good at math, but he didn't get super high grades in university. Dara would get high grades which helped him move fast. Aarush would get average grades, and only got into med school on his second attempt, and that was after working super hard. Like his GPA was around a B if anything. After working hard and the help from his mentor and friends did he finally get into med school. He didn't excel there either. If anything he only did well when it came to hands-on activities, while the normal assignments, he barely passed. He only got his residency because of the chairman. Of course, that wasn't because of pity, but most people, even the professors, acknowledged that Aarush would be a great doctor. He was good with patients, he was able to properly utilize his skills and so much more. Although I don't like Aarush, he is still pretty smart." She explained patiently.

"Hmm, then there is me, I'm only completing a single degree." She pouted unconsciously, which Aliya caught.

"Don't worry, even I only have a single degree, and it took me until the age of twenty-six to get it. Still, when we were little, everyone would say I was smarter then Aarush." She crossed her arms and spoke in a smug manner. "Maazi, go and get my phone. I need to call Aarush."

Maaz got up and quickly brought Aliya's phone. Although he was eighteen, Aliya couldn't help but grabbing his cheeks and pinching them. "So cute." She spoke in a loving manner, which only embarrassed Maaz. She dialed a number and waited for the ring. "Aarush, hurry home. Your wife has classes, and bring me my child! Like what the hell is wrong with you? I didn't even see her and you took her to the mall? ...Oh, shut up, bring Noori back. ...No, I don't care. Also, bring me shawarma on the way, bye." Rubbing her temples gently after closing the call, Aliya looked at Aeleya with a sigh. "He really pisses me off." She huffed a little before getting up. "Anyways, he should be home in like twenty minutes. Maybe less."

"Alright, thank you." Aeleya smiled at Aliya. She was genuinely grateful. Knowing more about Aarush was a good thing as she would know the type of person she was living with. To say the least, she was impressed by him.

"Aarush is here. Watch, he most likely brought you something, brought Aliya something, and probably brought a bunch of things for Noori, but sadly he never brings us things." Maya complained with a pout.

"Be quiet Maya. Don't you have a huge allowance? Even bigger then Aliya's. Why're you complaining?" Maaz snorted. Unlike his fear of Aliya, he only fought with Maya like an equal.

"Did you tell me to shut up? I'm older than you. Don't make me tell Aarush, you know he will hit you, right?" Maya glared at her brother, fire shooting out of her eyes.

"Does Aarush hit you?" Aeleya felt like this was a piece of information that was interesting.

"Yup, Aarush always hits Maaz. Of course, he has only seriously beaten Maaz once or twice, but usually, it's just slightly hard smacks, nothing terrible. He also has this weird habit of squeezing my head, and oh my god does it hurt." Aeleya listened closely.

"Maaz, do you get mad?" She couldn't help but ask. Maaz was eighteen, so he would normally get mad or show some resistance.

"I might get irritated once in a while, but I don't mind. Aarush always says that he raised me and stuff so I look at him as my dad rather than a brother. He pays for my school now, but back then he used to work super hard just to get me games. I remember once that he worked over forty hours at his part-time job for three weeks, while going to full-time university, just to get enough money to buy me a console I wanted. Ah, my brother is great." A small smile appeared on her face as she listened.

"Guys, we're back." A loud yell came from the hall.

"Aarush, did you bring me my food?" Coming down the stairs, Aliya walked straight towards the sound.

"Yeah, yeah. Here." Aarush spoke with an irritated voice.

"Noori, come here." Aliya spoke in a sweet voice, yet what came after was anything but.

"Screw off Aliya. Go eat your shawarma you fat beast. Noori is coming with me." His voice was deep, almost like a hiss.

"What do you mean, she's my daughter. Get lost, give me Noori." Aliya also began to show anger in her tone.

"Well, if she's your daughter, then she is my niece. Anyways, you can go scream on the side, don't bother me and Noori. Right, Noori, you're gonna come and drop aunty Aeleya with me." Aarush's voice suddenly became extremely gentle. When Aeleya heard it, she couldn't help but remember how this tone reminded her of the exact same way he spoke to her last night. The same gentleness, the same sweetness. Completely contrasting the way he spoke to Aliya.

"Yea, I'm going with Aaru uncle." Noori's childish voice came as she rejected her mother.

"Noori, you traitor." Aliya spoke in a speechless way.

"So cute. Here, eat this." Aarush's voice began to get louder as he approached the kitchen. Aeleya couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of expectation build-up. She didn't properly look at him during the wedding, nor last night. She didn't know much about him, and now that she did, her interest was piqued. Of course, no romantic feelings arose, but interest was there.

His steps became louder and finally, he entered the kitchen. In his arms was a cute little girl. She was holding onto a large piece of chocolate and a few toys. He was also carrying a few bags, and underneath his arm was a bouquet of purple flowers. They looked extremely beautiful, yet gave a mysterious allure.

"Noori, sit down and eat for a bit." He then walked over in the direction of Aeleya and sat on the seat Aliya was on. "Here, I got you these." He first passed her purple flowers. "This is a mix of Lavender and Allium flowers. These are the Allium and these are Lavender. I didn't know your favorite kind so I bought two of my favorites." He smiled at her sweetly and then lifted a few of the bags. "Also, I got these. They were selling these chocolates and Noori wanted some too, so I got a few." He handed her a long bar of chocolate, wrapped in a beautiful red wrapper. "I also saw this. Oh, and Noori thought you would like this." He began to show the various things he brought. There were small bracelets, charms, candy, and really anything.

On the side, Maaz and Maya watched with dumbstruck looks. "T-this is our brother? He didn't even spoil Noori this much."

Aeleya was shocked and a little overwhelmed. She looked at Aarush who continued to smile at her sweetly. She took a good look and had to admit that he was a handsome person. He had a manly face that glowed with maturity and the roughness made him look even more masculine.

"Aarush, come upstairs for a second." She took a deep breath before saying this. No matter what, she still found it a little uncomfortable to speak with him. Her curiosity was there, sure, but this was the man she was forced to marry, after all.

"Sure." His smile remained as he got up and walked to Noori first. "Stay here, alright. When we go and drop off Aeleya aunty, you will come too. Then we'll go and eat some fruit with animals. Alright?" He kissed Noori on her cheek multiple times before walking towards the stairs.

He and Aeleya reached the room, and the latter closed it behind her. "What are you doing, Aarush?"

"What do you mean?" He looked at her in a confused way, lost as to why she was asking him this.

"You know what I mean. Gifts, flowers, chocolate, and jewelry. Why are you bringing these?" She looked a little upset, which caused him even more confusion.

"What's wrong with it? You're my wife, so it is normal if--" Aeleya took the flowers and placed them on top of the dressing table.

"Aarush, last night you told me that--" Before she could finish, she saw Aarush ignored her and walked towards her, rather towards the dressing table. He approached the flowers and picked them up, handing it back to her. "Hey, I'm talking to--"

"Aeleya, I already know what you want to say. But nothing you say will make me want to stop bringing you gifts. Yes, you were forced, and I'm sorry about it. You don't want to get a divorce for your own personal reasons, which means you will be forced to play as my wife until we both die. But remember, I will also be forced to have a wife who has no love for me. I said this last night as well, if you don't want a divorce, I will then proceed to treat you as my wife. I won't touch you as I promised, I will respect you, but bringing you gifts has nothing to do with respect. It's just me, as your husband, bring presents for my beautiful wife, you. Anyways, if you don't like gifts, just throw them away, but I will not stop giving them. I will just figure out things you like." He lessened the distance between them and leaned down a little, getting to eye level. "Let's get you to university then, my little wife." Aeleya looked at the smirk plastered on his face. She was a little upset, but there wasn't much she could do. He wasn't doing anything inappropriate, it just bothered her slightly.

"Alright, I won't say anything about the gifts and things, but can you atleast not do those things in front of your family? I already feel guilty enough, but I don't want to be fake in front of them as well." She looked at Aarush who continued to smile at her.

"Just for you, I will control myself in front of my family, but nothing is guaranteed. Let's go then, I have to take Noori out as well." He walked towards the door and exited the room.

Aeleya sighed and followed behind.

"Aaru uncle, let's go." Noori was standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Aarush. She extended her arms, wanting Aarush to pick her up.

"Noori, first wipe your face." He sat on the lower part of the stairs and placed Noori on his lap. Using his fingers, he began to wipe the chocolate stains on her lips and cheeks. "Why're you so messy Noori? If you're not clean, then your mom will start yelling like an ugly monster. You don't want to see that, do you?"

Noori shook her head and quickly used her tongue to wipe her lips. Seeing this, Aarush couldn't help but laugh. He began to vehemently kiss her puffy cheeks. "Stop, Aaru uncle."

"I can't, you're so cute. Let's go, today we will go and buy you new shoes unless you want something else." Aeleya watched with a weird face as she watched him spoil the little girl.

"Aarush, stop being so annoying. She already has lots of stuff, stop buying more. I don't want her to grow up spoiled." Coming down the stairs from behind the three was Aliya. She had a white and red wrapper in her hand which was crushed in a ball shape.

"Then you don't spoil her. Aliya, why're you always butting in? I will buy her whatever I want, you don't get a choice. Plus, weren't you also a little spoiled when you were little? Back then, dad didn't even have the things to spoil you, yet you still were. Who knows, Noori might turn out much better than you. Look at Maaz, he turned out fine under my care. Noori will be the same. But even if she does become spoiled, I'm not dead yet. I will give her everything," He looked at his older sister in annoyance.

"Whatever. Anyways, I need to come with you. After you drop Aeleya off, take me home, Simba hasn't been fed yet." Aarush nodded his head. He got up with Noori still in his arms.

"Let's go then. Also, when is Jeej coming back? We will be leaving in a week." Aarush spoke with a questioning face.

"He said he would be a little late, so just take Noori with you there. I will come there with him a few days later." Aliya touched her chon and calmly spoke. "We might make a quick stop at his parent's house, so take Noori there and let her stay with them for a few days. I will bring her with me after."

"Damn." Annoyance filling his eyes, he nodded his head. "Make sure to bring Noori from there, or I will go and get her myself."

"Yeah, yeah. Did you guys start packing yet?" She looked at Aeleya with a bit of questioning.

"Packing for what? I'm still a little lost." She was confused about what the two were talking about.

"Didn't you tell her? You idiot." Aliya glared at Aarush who shamefully rubbed his head.

"My bad. Aeleya I forgot to tell you. In a week, all of us are heading back to Karachi. Tickets are already booked and I made sure to get them on the day after you complete your classes." Seeing her open her mouth and also glare at him a little, he lifted his hands a little. "I didn't decide this. My parents did. The tickets were booked on the same day as our Nikkah. They said we have to go back and introduce you to the family and stuff. We got lots back home. Plus, my nani is also back home in Pakistan, so it's important that you go and meet her."

"Alright." A sigh escaped her mouth, but she still agreed. Well, she couldn't decline either, since everything was settled before telling her.

"Sorry." Aarush looked a little guilty. "Here, after your done with your classes for the day, I'll take you out for a bit. Anywhere you want."

"Aarush, talk about that later, we're getting late. Hurry up." Aliya quickly grabbed Noori from Aarush and ran towards the garage.

"That little shit." He glared at his sister, but didn't run after her. He looked back at Aeleya and smiled. "Let's go then. Also, don't worry about being alone with me, I won't be coming. Just bring a few friends and I will let you guys go do whatever. I have to be at the hospital tonight, but my parents don't know, and neither does my sister. So don't tell them."

"It's fine, I can just come home and rest after I'm done. You can go and do what you need. You also don't have to pick me up. I can take the train back." Once again, Aarush lessened the distance between the two. She couldn't help but look around, making sure no one could see them. "What are you doing?" She felt frustrated by his actions.

"Aeleya, I will pick you up. You won't take the train from now on. From now on, if you want to go somewhere, I will take you or you will ask Maazi. If I find out that you took the train, then watch it." He moved back and then dug his hand into his back pocket, pulling his wallet out. "Also, this is yours from now on." Passing her a credit card. "Use it as you please."

"Hey, I have my own money." She pushed the card back, glaring further.

"Yea, this is your money. It is meant for my wife, and from what I remember, you're my wife." He pushed the card back.

"I don't need it. I have enough funds myself." She was about to walk away but Aarush grabbed her hand and dragged her towards him.

"You don't have a choice. Even if you don't use it, as long as you keep it with you, I will be happy." He unraveled her slender finds, placing the card on her palms. He smiled at her and fell into a slight daze. "You know, you're so pretty that my mouth feels dry?" He let her arm go and walked away, leaving those words behind.

Aeleya looked at him with a bit of a shock. "W-what the heck."