Chapter Eleven

Aeleya finally arrived home and she entered the house.

"Aeleya dear?" She was walking through the courtyard and saw a surprising sight.

"Aunty? Uncle?" She saw Aarush's parents sitting with chacha.

Her mother in law had a cup of tea in her hand. She placed it on the side and gestured her over. Aeleya walked over with a bright smile.

"Dear, how are you doing? I heard Aarush went to America for work, are you alright? He is such a stupid boy, still going to work even though he is supposed to be here." She sighed, rubbing Aeleya head. "Anyways, how are you feeling? Have you met everyone? Do you feel comfortable?" She asked a series of questions in rapid fire.

"Aunty…" Before she could finish, her mother in law glared at her.

"Hey, I said to call me mom or atleast Ami." She spoke with a look of expectation.

"Ami, I'm doing fine. Everyone treats me well, plus Hazim has been taking me around today." She smiled and replied. Ami was a very nice person, not making her feel lonely in any way. Plus, she was quite modern, making her somewhat funny.

"That's good. Where is Hazim anyways?" She asked with curiosity.

"He said he's going to distribute the money or something." She said, which Ami replied to with a nod.

"Alright. Were you off to do something?" She asked with a bit of curiosity.

"I was about to call Aarush. Haris told me he's staying in America for atleast a week now." She spoke in a complaining manner, causing Ami to raise her eyes.

"A week? Isn't that too long? What's so important that he has to stay there for so long? Alright, go ahead and talk to him. Tell me what's going on as well." She felt angry at Aarush for doing something so stupid, again. "My God, you guys have been married for only a little more than a week, and he's only stayed with you for a few days? I thought that he would be all over you." Hearing her words, Aeleya couldn't but blush.

'When he is here, isn't Aarush all over me?' She thought this and felt herself becoming even more embarrassed. "I'll go call him right now." She quickly turned around and walked away.

Seeing her leave, Ami smiled. "She is such a pretty girl. I don't understand what Aarush is thinking."

"Leave Aaru alone. He doesn't have it easy either." Her husband, Ayun, spoke with a sigh. "You know, maybe him being a doctor was not the best idea. I thought this would be an alright job where he could maybe spend some time with his family, but ever since he became a doctor, the time he spent at home is very little." He sighed again, causing the others to sigh as well.

"Atleast he is good at his job and enjoys it." Ami said.

"Yea, that's good atleast." All three sighed and continued to sip their tea.

Aeleya entered her room and locked the door. She quickly ran into the bedroom and began to dial Aarush's number. Although it wasn't yet morning where Aarush was, she was hoping he could pick up.

After trying a few times, it finally went through.

"H-hello?" His voice sounded sleepy.

"Aarush, get on facetime." She then closed the phone and facetimed him. Aarush came into view; he was shirtless and laying on a sofa. "Hey where are you?" Seeing him on a sofa, she couldn't help but ask in worry, not prioritizing her previous anger. "Why are you sleeping there? Where is the bed?"

"Aeleya? Oh, I'm in the hospital, so I'm just sleeping here. Anyways, what's up? Why did you call so suddenly?" He asked with confusion. He was rubbing his eyes, his face showing exhaustion and even a bit of red.

"Hey, what happened to your face? And why don't you go home and sleep? Sleeping on the sofa will only make you uncomfortable. Go home and sleep." She spoke out of worry.

"Relax, I'm alright sleeping here. Also, nothing happened to my face, I'm just tired." He spoke casually.

"Aarush, I'm not dumb, that looks like a bruise. Did someone hit you? Who was it?" She asked with anger.

"It's fine. The patient I'm here for is a kid which is not in a great condition. The dad got mad and became a little violent, but no big deal. Anyways, did something happen for you to call?" He didn't mind her calling, rather he expected her to call him much later.

"He hit you? What?! Why? Are you alright?" She asked with worry filling her face.

Aarush sighed seeing her not answer his questions and continue to focus on his bruise. "Aeleya, my little wife, relax. I'm alright. Just answer my question, did something happen?"

"Something did happen. I just found out that you're staying there for a week? What?! Why? Come to Pakistan or else I'm coming there." She spoke angrily, her eyes showing her frustration.

"So, you heard? That Haris…" He sighed a little and spoke even more gently. "Aeleya, listen. The kid who I'm taking care of was basically put into a bad position because of my hospital. Like, he had an estimated ten years to live, but now, he has only six years give or take." He explained patiently, while sighing over and over again. "The parents want to take him to a different doctor, but can't since he is still in a coma like state. Once he wakes up, which should be in a few days or something, based on the brain scans, I just have to help him recover enough from a post coma state and make sure that he doesn't get any worse. After that, he will leave, and I can come back. Plus, the chairman has promised me a month off without disturbances. So, once I'm back, we can stay in Pakistan for a week or something, getting all of the formalities done, then we can go off on our own. Since you say you are willing to do even that, I'm assuming a honeymoon alone with me will not be an issue. We will go anywhere you want; I promise." He spoke a mouth full, and Aeleya felt less concerned and more embarrassed, yet the anger didn't dissipate completely.

"But what am I going to do here alone? Like, I've already met all of your family and stuff, and even went around to look at the plots you have. I have seen most of everything, now I can't do much without you here." She spoke in dejection.

"What do you mean? Pakistan has so much to offer. Why don't you guys go on a picnic or something? There are plenty of things you can do in a week, like so much that even a week isn't enough." He smiled sweetly. "Listen Aeleya, I'm sorry that I can't be there right now, but we can talk anytime you want. You can go on a picnic and call me. You can be tired or just bored, just call me. Although I can't be there in person, I can atleast talk to you, right?"

"Alright, it's better then not seeing you at all." She sighed. "So how was your day?"

"It was busy. I kind of got one of the only neurosurgeons in my hospital on suspension for three years. Hehe." He laughed blandly, yet Aeleya was shocked by it.

"What happened? Aren't neurosurgeons already so little in number?" She asked with confusion.

"Hey Aarush." She nodded her head at his previous explanation, but then suddenly had a thought. She felt hesitant, but still asked.

"Yes, my love?" He looked at her though the phone, with curiosity plaguing his face.

"I was thinking, after we're done with everything here and whatever after, I want to pursue a masters in my degree." She said this with a slight smile on her face.

"Masters? Why would you want to do that?" He was happy to hear she wanted to study more, but there was really no reason for it. Even his own masters was just for fun, as well as the ones his friends did. "Like if you want to do it, then great. It will just be better for you, but like did something happen for you want something like this?"

She nodded her head. "I just feel that my degree is very weak when compared to people around you. Like you yourself have an M.D, a bachelors, and now you're pursuing a PhD and also about to specialize in neurosurgery. Your friends are no worse, and then there is Hazim. He's a double masters as well. I feel that maybe I should work harder." She did feel a little suffocated around Aarush and his group. They were all super smart people who had so many degrees, yet she was only just completing her first degree, and it was only a bachelors. Her confidence was very low.

"Hey, if you're thinking such things, then get it out of your head. Your degree is no worse than any of the ones I have. I only got my English bachelors because I couldn't get into anything else, while math is something I really enjoy. I did it because it really helps me calm my mind. As for my M.D and other the rest, well you know why that is. Dara is a special case, as he genuinely enjoys getting more degrees. Like he literally enjoys school. My other friends only got so much because they had the time for it, plus they had plans for it. As for Hazim, I forced him to get it because he is the only son of chacha. He needs to be strong, if something happens to me later in life." He explained with a smile. "Aeleya, don't do something just because others are doing it. Like Aliya didn't get a masters or anything, she just has an engineering degree, which is already landing her amazing job opportunities. You're the same, engineering is already very difficult. Like, there is a reason I didn't pursue it in University."

"You're just saying that. Anyways, don't you think it would be a good idea if I try for a masters?" She was curious about why he seemed a little against it.

"Aeleya, look. If you really wanted to pursue a masters, I wouldn't stop you, but I can tell you don't have any desire for it. So, I would rather you just relax and do whatever you want. If you want to pursue a different degree then go for it. I will support you on that, it doesn't matter what degree. But like, don't do something you won't enjoy." He explained. He was happy seeing that Aeleya wanted to find something to do, but he didn't want her trying for a masters just because he and a few others did it. This wasn't a great reason to pursue something.

Aeleya nodded her head. "Alright, I'll give it more thought then." She decided that maybe she should think more. Afterall, she jumped to it very quickly, not giving it much thought.

"What did you think about the plots? Also, how is Hazim treating you?" He was worried about her, since he wasn't there.

"Hazim is treating me great, nothing but respect." She smiled and said, "As for the plots…" She hesitated, not knowing whether she should mention the Ali situation. 'If I mention it, he might worry too much, causing him to be distracted. Plus, Hazim and the rest are handling it.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Nothing. The plots were great, didn't know you had so many." She was shocked when she found out how many he had.

Aarush smiled, but didn't comment on it. Both of them continued to speak. Various topics arose, they enjoyed the conversations, all the way till it was night for Aeleya. She kept Aarush on the phone as she fell asleep once again. Aarush couldn't help but smile seeing her fall asleep. He felt sad not being there, but there wasn't much he could do.

"Well, since she's asleep and it's morning now, time to start work once again." Getting up from the sofa, he walked out of the room. It wasn't his office, rather it was a different room. More so for eating and resting. "Let's see how Kenrick is doing." He walked towards the direction of the room where the little kid was admitted. He entered and saw the parents hanging around. Both of them looked at him with a glare, yet they got up, walking over.

"Around when will Kenrick wake up?" The father asked. He wanted to go and find a new doctor as quickly as possible.

"He should get up in the next few days. I'm just here to check in on him." He needed to see the report of whatever was measured in the past few hours. Any major changes were important to know.

The father grumbled but didn't say anything more. Taking his wife's hand, he sat back down. Aarush didn't bother them and just did his own work. He got the data and looked through it silently. 'This is going as expected. His state is very bad, but it's better than a few hours ago. The recuperation is slow, but with a few procedures, it should speed up.' Placing the clipboard on the side, Aarush got out his notebook and began to write down some observations and other notes. After standing there for about fifteen or so minutes, he walked towards the exit. The parents didn't say anything, nor did he.

Heading back into his office, he began to piece his work together. He would look at his notes and then go online. He worked quickly, but even then, he only finished after many hours of work.

"This should be alright. If this is followed, then Kenrick should wake up and be a little better than before. Still, it will be important to set up some way to prevent further damage once he leaves the hospital. Maybe I should write out a full description of his condition, before, during, and after, so that whoever receives it, doesn't do anything dumb?" Thinking this idea was good, he began to write. Aarush described what happened, the condition, and a few assumptions he made based on the evidence he gathered. He also wrote about why he made certain decisions, and their benefit. This took him three hours to complete. He had a dozen pages written, so he printed them out and stapled them together. "I'll save a copy just in case." With that settled, he got up and walked back to Kenricks room. He walked to the father and handed him the dozen page information.

"This is?" The father asked in confusion.

"When you take Kenrick to a hospital or a door, make sure they read this information. It talks about Kenricks condition thoroughly, and also describes the different things that happened. This will help prevent whichever doctor you go to, from doing harm." He said with a smile. Aarush wanted to help them, but if they were persistent on leaving, he wanted to do his best to prevent more harm from occurring.

The father took the papers and read through them slowly. They were filled with lots of information, and organized well. He was shocked by the amount of work put into it, plus seeing the assumptions he made about Kenricks past medical, the father couldn't help but feel surprised. "Thank you." Sure, he was angry, but he could tell Aarush was trying to help, and he couldn't just ignore it. He kept the papers carefully.

Nodding his head with a smile, Aarush walked out of the room. Instead of heading back into his office, he decided to head out of the hospital. "I should grab some food. I'm starving." He walked towards his car and drove off. The place he decided to go to was one a pizza shop nearby. He went there often as the pizza was pretty good.

He parked the car and then walked into the shop. He loved the smell of the place; it was very hunger inducing.

The shop had a few people sitting around, with no line, so he was easily able to make an order. "Can I get a small cheese with a thin crust." He gave his order and paid. Moving to the side, he waited for his pizza to be made.

"Here you go, small cheese, thin crust." Taking the pizza from the young man, he walked over to an empty table and began to eat.

"Dr. Yunus?" As he was munching on his fourth piece, while scrolling through his phone, he heard someone call out to him.

He turned around and saw a familiar face. She was also holding a small box of pizza, with a drink and a few other small items. "Mackenzie?" He was surprised to see her. He came to the pizza shop often, yet he had never seen her around. He got up from his seat and walked over to her with a confused smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I just got a job at that bank as a cryptographer." She said with a smile. "I'm currently on break, so I came out to eat. You work at the hospital over there, right?"

"Yeah. I'm just having my lunch; do you want to join me?" She was one of his old students, so he felt it might be rude just walking away. Plus, he was curious about her job. He had wanted to pursue cryptography too at one point, but couldn't since it would have been too much to handle.

"Sure, thank you." She followed Aarush who led her to his table. Both of them sat down, and she placed her food down in an organized way. "Anyways, how was your day so far?"

Aarush smiled. "It was good, a little busy but that's just how it is. Anyways, I'm very interested about your day." He said this which caused Mackenzie to become a little flustered. She didn't expect him to say such a thing, especially since he was married.

"What do you mean?" She felt embarrassed, yet also a bit nervous. If he was trying to hit on her, she would feel happy and guilty. Aarush was a married man and she did not want to ruin something like a marriage.

Not understanding his word phrasing, he smiled in a bit of excitement. "You know, like what is your job like? What do you do? Is it fun? How much math are you using?" He asked questions back to back. Mackenzie was a little shocked and then smiled bitterly.

'That's what he meant. Just my luck.' She nodded her head and began to explain, while Aarush listened with excitement. He was truly passionate about math, or else he wouldn't be pursuing a PhD in it.

Aarush listened while eating. He felt entranced by her description. 'Really, it sounds so much fun.' He sighed, thinking about his own work.

"That's about it. I've only started here a few days ago, so I'm still new." She smiled and spoke, taking a sip of her drink. "What about you? Since you're pursuing a PhD in math, why don't you also do cryptography? You seem to want it."

"I wish." He sighed, but then continued to eat, not saying anything more.

Aarush finished his pizza and was about to leave, but Mackenzie got up with him. "Why don't we leave together?" She wasn't done her food, but she still ate a bit, however she didn't want to miss this chance of talking with Aarush more.

"Are you sure? You haven't finished eating yet." He said. Of course, he knew that she liked him, but he is married now. He wasn't going to do anything, and she wouldn't either.

"Yeah, I'm not that hungry anyways. I'll just save this for later." She said while packing the box. Aarush nodded and waited patiently. She threw her empty drink away and walked next to him. "Let's go." She smiled sweetly. Mackenzie was a very attractive woman, with many males pursuing her, yet she never gave them a chance, as she liked Aarush. Yet, even with this beauty by him, Aarush was unperturbed. In his mind, Aeleya was the peak of beauty.

They stepped outside and began to walk towards the parking lot. "Is that the bank you work at?" He pointed at a bank that was barely visible.

"Yeah. Very close to this place." She said, smiling at him.

"Nice. Well, I can give you a lift all the way there if you would like, It's on the way for me." Although he understood that she liked him, he wasn't going to be a bad person just because of that.

"Are you sure? It's near, so I can get there myself." She said, taking a step back a little. She wanted to, but she couldn't. Mackenzie understood that a married man was off limits.

"Yeah, no big deal. C'mon, get in." He smiled and walked around the car, getting in. Mackenzie hesitated a little but still stepped into the car. Aarush started the car and drove off.

"Dr. Yunus." She spoke after a bit of hesitation.

"Yes?" He asked, while already getting into the main road.

"How is it going between you and Aeleya?" She felt weird asking this, as it was private information, yet she couldn't help herself.

Aarush raised an eyebrow but decided to speak about it. Aeleya was his favorite topic after all. "It's going great. Right now, she's with my family in Pakistan…" He sighed. "...I should be there as well, but the hospital is really a busy place. She calls me right before she sleeps, and we talk for a while. Although It's been only two days, it feels like forever. I really miss her." He spoke with a bit of sadness.

Mackenzie sighed hearing this. 'There is no chance. I just have to move on. I thought mastering in Math might help me get closer to him, but who knew I would only get further than before?' She felt her heart clench, but kept a straight face. "That's good to hear. Aeleya was a very pretty girl. I hope that both of you have a great life together." As they entered her work parking lot, she got out of the car and spoke. "Dr. Yunus, congratulations on your marriage, again." She then walked away, her back hunched a little more, exuding an aura of sadness.

Seeing her leave, Aarush sighed as well. 'Sorry Mackenzie, I hope you find someone for yourself as well.' With that, he drove off.

Aeleya woke up and turned on her phone. Seeing that there was a missed call from Aarush, she quickly called him back. "Hello?"

"Aeleya, did you just wake up?" Aarush's voice sounded bright, yet tiredness could be felt from it.

"Yeah. I saw you called, are you alright?" Although she knew he was very clingy, he hadn't called her much ever since he got to the hospital. He was either busy or sleeping. She couldn't help but think that maybe there was something wrong.

"Nothing is wrong, I just wanted to hear your voice. Haha. How are you? What are your plans for the day?" His voice sounded a bit guilty yet also relieved.

Aeleya couldn't help but smile. "I'm probably going to the market today with aunty, since I will still need more clothes. Wait, actually. Since you're already there, can you just bring the rest of my clothes? The ones that aunty and my mom gave me. That way I won't have to get more, and I can just wear different dresses to the carious dawats." She suddenly thought that he was there so why not just bring all her clothes?

"Sure, I can bring them. It's night here right now and I just finished some resident training and the kid is still stable. I won't have to see him for another few hours, I can go home right now and get packing done, if you want? That way I don't forget, plus I can grab anything else you want me to." Although it would be a hassle to go home, do a bunch of packing and then rush back to the hospital, Aarush didn't mind. He just wanted to talk more.

"Are you sure? What about sleeping? You still have to rest while you're there." She sat cross legged in her pajamas, keeping the phone a little further away as she spoke. Her hands were between her legs, warming up.

"Of course, this way I can talk more, right? Also, sleeping only for a few hours will only make my brain function slower, so might as well sleep all at once later." Aarush smiled as he spoke. He was wearing a grey and black checkered vest, with a white-collar shirt underneath. He had a thin tie, the color of black, tied around the color. He looked tidy and very attractive.

"If you're sure, then I don't mind." She smiled sweetly as she watched him grab his keys and walk out of the door. "So, how was your day?" Leaning forward to the phone, she asked with her hands under her chin. She felt extremely comfortable talking to him; her mind felt a lot calmer.

"Same old same old. Train the residents, look after the kid, eat, then repeat. Nothing crazy." Shaking his head with a bitter smile, he walked out of his office and began to walk towards the exit of the hospital. He would occasionally nod at others, yet still kept himself occupied with Aeleya.

"What did you have for lunch?" Watching him leave the hospital, she also got up and went to wash her face and get ready. Atleast look more presentable.

"I had a small box of pizza. I found Makenzie there as well, and we spoke for a bit and I dropped her to work after as well, since it was on the way." Aarush wasn't an idiot, not dense. He knew that mentioning Mackenzie might not be a great idea, especially since he was far away from Aeleya, alone.

"Mackenzie?" Aeleya thought for a moment before she matched the face and the name. The pretty girl who seemed into Aarush, and the one who also glared at her that one time. "Why were you with her?" She spoke with a sour voice.

"I just told you, I met bumped into her during work. Don't worry, we didn't talk about anything much, except I did ask her about her job, since I found it very interesting. And don't worry, I'm not going to do anything or whatever, if you're concerned about that. In my eyes, you're the only one, no one can match you." He grinned while speaking. He was already in his car and he placed his phone onto some holder, so that he could drive and talk, yet also not get in trouble from the police. "I only told you about it so that you know about it."

"It doesn't matter, you bumped into her, no big deal. I'm not crazy, so it doesn't make me upset." She poke casually after hearing his words. Although she didn't have a great feeling towards Mackenzie, that didn't mean she was jealous. She understood Aarush's love towards her, so why would she get mad? "Anyways, if you haven't eaten, then you should eat something right now."

"Maybe I should eat something." As he was driving, he wasn't looking at the camera often, just looking around. "I am feeling a bit hungry, so I'll just drop by a fast food place and grab a few things." He began to look around a little more and finally found a place.

"Good." She smiled while brushing her hair. It was all tangled, so it took a bit to straighten it out. She would have normally taken a shower, but since she was talking to Aarush, Aeleya decided to take one later. "I'll make myself some breakfast too." After getting herself cleaned up and seeing that Aarush had already ordered his food and was eating his burger and fries while driving, she walked to the small kitchen and began to brew some tea for herself.

"I don't know if you have noticed, but I left some biscuits in one of the cupboards. I usually eat them with tea, so you can try it too. Maybe you eat them as well." With his mouth full, he spoke while looking at the camera.

"Oh?" Leaving the brewing tea on the side, Aeleya looked around and finally found the biscuits. They were zeeray cookies, something commonly eaten with chai tea. "Nice, I like these things too. My dad always gets them and leaves a huge jar filled with them." Opening up the yellow box, she began to place the biscuits on a plate. Aarush finished his bite and kept quiet for a few seconds, which Aeleya raised an eyebrow towards. "What is it?"

"Have you spoken to your parents ever since the marriage?" He never mentioned it before because he knew it might have been a little sensitive back then, but now that Aeleya was happy with their relationship, he decided to bring it up. Honestly speaking, he never really thought bad of her parents, rather he understood their perspective. Sure, they were forcing their daughter to marry a man, but they only thought well for her. They wanted her to live a stable, carefree life, so they found a guy who could provide that. Maybe they could be considered bad parents, but Aarush could never think that, especially since they brought him together with Aeleya.

"My parents?" She went quiet for a moment. Of course, she felt angry at them, and even hated them a little for forcing her into marrying Aarush, but that was then. Right now, she didn't feel too much anger, rather she just didn't know how she should talk to them. "No, I haven't spoken to them." She said with a sigh.

"Aeleya, I know that a matter between you and your parents is private, but I think you should call them sometime. Let them know how you're faring. In the end, they did everything to make sure you live a good life. Also, they're your parents no matter what." He explained slowly. He hadn't met her parents after the marriage, but that was because it wasn't proper to go to their house alone, atleast for the first time. He needed Aeleya with him, yet he knew her reasons before, so he never brought it up.

Aeleya thought for a moment before sighing. "You're right, maybe I should call mom. I know she is worried sick and probably very depressed. She hasn't even tried to contact me." Her eyes felt a little red.

"Here, why don't I hang up and you give her a call? You can call me right after, alright? It's more important that you talk to her. Maybe it will help you feel more relieved." He smiled.

"Thank you." She felt happy that Aarush was so caring and attentive towards her. She cut the call after saying a few more things. Picking up her phone, she scrolled through her contacts and found her mom's number. 'Should I call or facetime?' Thinking for a moment, she decided to facetime her mom. If she just called, she wouldn't completely feel appeased, she wanted to see her mom's face. It had been over a week since she spoke to her mom, and she was missing her a little as well. Which child wouldn't miss their parents? Hitting the facetime button, she waited. The wait felt like forever, yet a few rings later, the call went through. She saw her mother's face appear, it seemed haggard and tired. There were deep bags under her eyes. "M-mom." Seeing her mother's face, Aeleya couldn't help but feel like crying.

"A-Aeleya?" Her mom looked at the screen with a bright look, she quickly got up and sat on the bed. "Aeleya, how are you? I haven't spoken to you for so long my love, how are you doing? Is everything there alright? Are you still mad? Why didn't you talk to me for so long?" Her mom's eyes also became red as she spoke.

Aeleya shook her head while rubbing her head. "No, I'm not mad anymore. I didn't call because I didn't know if I should. Although I'm not mad anymore, I was so mad and sad back then. I felt like my life was over. How could you do that to your own daughter? Don't you even love me?" She felt suffocated while speaking, yet her self control was low. How could she control her tears in front of her mother? She was the person who raised her, so how could she have any control in front of her?

Aeleya's mom sighed while slightly wiping her own tears. "I know I did something really bad, but do you think a mother will ever think bad for her daughter? Would I ever force you to do something that will only harm you?"

"Well how could you know that Aarush would have been a good guy? What if he beat me? What if everyone treated me badly? How could you be so sure?" Aeleya still wasn't haven't it, she felt more irritated and even sadder.

"My love, listen. When I met Aarush's parents for the first time, I could tell that they were a loving family, especially since they brought his older sister along for the rishta as well, which meant that they took great importance to family and even their girls. Aarush's father wasn't speaking the most during the meeting, it was his mother. I could tell that he didn't have a bossy nature right away, plus his mother spoke so brightly and happily, that I could tell that they were a loving family right away." She tried to explain a little, but Aeleya cut her off.

"Still, how could you have been sure? Everyone puts on an act, so what if they were just acting?" She spoke with anger.

Her mom shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?" She smiled while sighing. "Listen, I could just tell they were good people, plus they were well off and I looked into their family before they even came to us. Anyways, ignoring that, how are you doing? You didn't contact me for more than a week."

Putting on a sour face, she grumbled. "I'm fine. How's dad."

Seeing her daughter act like, she couldn't help but smile bitterly. "He's alright. He has been telling me to contact you ever since, but you haven't. He is worried sick. Why don't you drop by? Maybe tomorrow?"

"I can't tomorrow or anytime soon, I'm not even in America right now." She spoke with a sigh; her anger was much less after talking to her mother. Sure, she was forced into something that could have very well ruined her life, but in the end her life wasn't ruined, rather she found someone she loved. It was a risk, but it worked out in the end.

"Where are you then?" Her mom felt surprised and asked.

"I'm in Karachi right now. I have to go to a bunch of dawats." She explained, still showing a little bit of anger.

"Karachi? Wow, that's great. Are you having fun? How is Aarush treating you? How is your family treating you?" As a mother, this was her most concern. Her daughter's happiness.

"Everyone treats me great and with lots of respect. Aarush is treating me really well too, as a matter of fact, he was the one who told me to call you. If not, I might not have called." She spoke with a smile while talking about Aarush.

"Really? That's great. How is Aarush? Where is he right now?" She asked with some eagerness. She never got a chance to interact with this son in law of hers, but she really wanted to speak to him more. This was her daughters husband after all, their damad.

"Aarush is fine. He really cares for me and really loves me. I'm even surprised. He treats me better than you and dad. Also, did you know he is pursuing a PhD? He also has a bachelors in English. Also, he is the head of the family here…" She began to praise and talk about all of the good points of Aarush.

Listening carefully, Aeleya's mom smiled and nodded her head every so often. "Since you're praising him so much, then atleast let me talk to him. I want to talk with more as well."

"He is actually in America right now…" She sighed and began to explain the situation.

"I see, if that's the case then why not let him come over? Since he's here alone then I can feed him homemade food. If he wants to stay the night, then he can just stay in your old room. It's clean and untouched." She began to get very excited. "Here, quickly call him and see if he can come over. I'll get some dishes ready. What does he like to eat?"

Aeleya thought for a moment and nodded her head. 'Maybe he should go. Although going there alone the first time is a little weird, who cares? He wouldn't, I'm sure.' Thinking up to this point she nodded her head. She quickly began to explain. "Wait, isn't it night, I think we should wait until morning. Atleast when everyone is awake and stuff. I'll tell him to have lunch with you guys, alright?"

Her mom smiled helplessly. "I forgot it was still night. Yeah, that's fine. Alright, you can go and do what you want, I'm going to get some sleep." She was about to turn her phone off but looked at her daughter with a sweet smile. "Aeleya, my love. I'm really happy that you called. If I ever hurt you, I'm sorry. I'm glad that you finally accepted Aarush and that he is treating you so well. I pray that he continues to do so. Also, call me whenever you want, alright? I will always be here to talk to you." Kissing the screen, she turned off facetime.

Smiling too, Aeleya placed the phone down and felt relief washing her body. 'It went well. I'm happy I talked with her.' She thought about Aarush and couldn't help but smile even more. 'I love him even more now.'

She quickly facetimed him after getting up to this point. "Aeleya, how did it go? It's been two hours; did it go well?" It really had been two hours. They spoke a lot and caught up.

"It went great. Thank you Aarush, I'm glad that you told me to talk to her." She smiled gently while looking at the screen. She saw that he was leaning against a wooden bed frame. She could tell that it was their bed frame, so she knew instantly that he was home.

"Hey, don't even mention it, you're my wife. If I don't make you happy, who will? As long as it all went well, then that's great." He smiled.

"Also, can you go to my house tomorrow and have lunch with my parents?" She knew that he was busy so she wanted to know when he would go. It wasn't a matter of if, since she knew that if she asked him to go, he would. That's how much he loved her.

A little surprised, he nodded with a smile. "Sure, I have no problem with it. I've been wanting to spend more time with your parents either way, so this would be a good thing. Of course, it would have been a lot better if you were too."

"Thank you." She smiled sweetly. The two continued to talk more and more. Aarush packed the clothes and grabbed other things that Aeleya wanted him too. While the conversation went on, she suddenly paused.

"What's wrong?" He asked her with a confused look.

"I just remembered. When I was watching the family videos, I remember seeing a clip of you cooking and stuff, during that scene you mentioned something about a runaway?" She had a look of interest yet also confusion.

When Aarush heard this, he sighed a little. "Ah yes, that. I haven't told you about it since Aliya doesn't like me talking about it, and my parents don't either, but I'll tell you." He sighed and began to explain. "Before Aliya met Jeej, my parents tried to get her to marry a distant cousin. They kept pressuring her, emotionally blackmailing her and what not. I knew Aliya was going to say yes eventually since my parents were very adamant about it, so I took a risk and ran away from home with her. Using whatever money, I had, we basically lived alone together for about a month. I was around twenty during that time. Well basically, my parents kept calling us back and even threatening they would hurt themselves if we didn't, but me and my sister aren't dumb. I know my parents, they didn't and wouldn't have done it." He explained slowly, trying not to miss out on any detail. "I didn't let Aliya talk to them; I spoke to them for the month myself. Actually, half way through, I saw that they weren't changing their minds, so I called up that cousin and threatened him myself. Haha, you should have seen how confused he was. Hilarious." He got more excited while talking about it.

"Really? I never knew you could do such a thing, like I thought you were always pushed around by your parents, somewhat surprised." She wasn't trying to make fun of him, but the way he spoke, it always seemed like he was used by people.

"I was always pushed around. Only when it came to my siblings did I ever really make a stand. I care for my siblings more than my life." He said with a smile on his face.

Aeleya also smiled a little. This much she could understand, but still she was a little shocked. Doing something like running away from home was a very risky situation, especially for kids of their culture. Things like emotional blackmail, threats, and so much more would start becoming a thing. There was always a chance of disownment and alike as well. For Aarush to risk so much for his sister showed his love for her. "Luckily it all worked out in the end." She couldn't help but sigh in relief.

Aarush laughed a little. "Yeah, but was that a risky month. Oh man, but still I enjoyed it a little. Me and my sister got some independence for a bit, plus it helped pave a bit of freedom for my younger siblings." He couldn't help but smile with pride as he spoke.

She continued to talk about other things with him, and he finally completed his packing. Leaving the bag on the side, he walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen. "When do you have to head back to work?" She asked gently.

"I have to get there in an hour or something. I'll leave here in maybe half an hour." He spoke casually while getting himself a glass of water. "Anyways, these next few days, I may find it hard to talk to you since these next few days will be vital to the kids health. I have to also get a bunch of paperwork done related to him." He sighed a little, while gulping down his water.

"Really?" She showed a bitter look while seeming downcast.

"Sorry Aeleya." He showed a bit of sadness as well. "Still, I will call if I get the chance. Just enjoy yourself there. Aliya should show up in the next few days too, so will Noori. Just hang out with them. Aliya isn't a boring person, plus Jeej also knows how to have fun." He explained with a smile on his face.

"Fine, whatever." She pouted but still agreed, grumbling a little. Aarush showed a bitter smile but still spoke with her until he got to work. Aeleya turned her phone off and sighed. "I should go downstairs now." She had been in her room for a while and not going downstairs would be a little rude. She quickly wore more presentable clothing and rushed downstairs.

"Aeleya dear, good morning." Sitting on the takat outside, she saw Aarush's nani. She was holding a silver pan with green leaves and other items. She was making herself pan.

"Good morning nani." Aeleya walked over with a smile. She sat next to Aarush's nani. "Are you making pan?" It was something lots of old people loved to eat, even she liked pan, but only meetha pan. Although the food wasn't good for one's teeth, it still tasted very good. Not that nani would care as her teeth were basically nonexistent.

"Yes, do you want some?" Grabbing a small leaf and filling it with a few things, she passed it over to Aeleya. The latter didn't want to decline since nani already made it, so she grabbed it and put it into her mouth. Eating it a few times would do little harm. Aeleya munched on it with a smile. Although it was somewhat difficult to bite on as it was very hard, she still enjoyed it. "Did you sleep well?" She asked while eating her own pan.

"Yes. What about you? Did you just get here?" Nani didn't live in Aarush's house, rather she lived in a different house which Aarush owned. It was a lot more modern than his dada's house.

"I got here a while ago. Have you spoken to Aaru yet?" She continued to make herself a lot more pan and just ate with no worry in the world.

"I just spoke with him." She smiled.

"Well, go on and do what you want." She rubbed Aeleya's head before sending her off. Aeleya smiled and walked away. She headed to the main room and found a bunch of people gathering around. There was chacha, Zaid bhai, Maaz and Maya, Aarush's parents, and many more. Hazim wasn't around though.

"Aeleya, come here." Aarush's mom saw Aeleya and called her over with a smile. All of them were sitting around three large suitcases. "We're just opening the suitcases now." She smiled and explained. She gently stroked Aeleya's hair and smiled at her.

"Oh?" Aeleya looked around and saw all the cousins waiting with glinting eyes. She smiled when she saw this.

"Did Aarush and you speak yet? That kid hasn't called me once yet." She shook her head with a bitter smile.

Aeleya smiled in embarrassment and nodded her head. "I just finished talking to him. He told me that he may not be able to talk for the next few days because the child he is looking after is in some critical period." She explained briefly.

"Ah, alright. I won't try and contact him, but you don't hesitate. Who cares if he's busy? If you want to call, just do it." She smiled and then focused on the suitcases.

"Is Hazim out?" Aeleya couldn't help but ask. It was weird, all the cousins were here, except for Hazim.

Aarush's mom sighed a little. "He's in his room. You probably know why now…" She didn't say more and just sighed. As Hazim's aunt, she had no ill feeling towards him. Sure, he was a little bit of a player, atleast from what she knew, but that didn't change her love for him.

"I'll go and see how he is then. After all, Hazim isn't a bad person." She smiled and got up. Aarush's mom nodded her head. Of course, she knew what happened before she came. All about Aarush's behavior to what really went on with Hazim. She was happy to find out that Hazim wasn't as bad as people say. But, it wasn't easy to convince the family of this. She also knew that Aarush had specifically left Aeleya under Hazims care. Although she was surprised but Aarush's actions, she didn't mind them. It was the best situation as it also helped Hazim greatly.

Aeleya made her way to Hazims room. Reaching his door, right when she was about to knock on it, someone grabbed her hand. She looked over and saw that it was Sara. "Aeleya bhabi, you can't just enter alone." She showed a frightened face.

Knitting her eyebrows, Aeleya couldn't help but feel a little upset. "Sara, this is Hazim you're talking about. He's your family, and also someone Aarush and I trust. I don't need to worry about entering his room alone. He won't do a thing, because he just isn't the type of person everyone thinks he is." She felt a little bugged by Sara's reaction but also couldn't help but shake her head gently. She stroked Sara's long hair and smiled. "Listen Sara, Hazim is a very good guy. He is gentle, respectful, and extremely smart. He may have done you wrong in the past, but hasn't he tried to apologize and make amends? You should forgive him and give him a chance, if not then you should atleast not be so scared of him. Trust me when I say this, Hazim will be the only person in this world who will never be your enemy." After saying her piece, she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Hazim's voice came from the other side.

"Hazim, it's me. Open the door." Aeleya felt especially close to Hazim. She couldn't help but think of Hazim as her only friend in Pakistan, especially since he was so trusted by Aarush. Which was why she was very informal with him and could easily act so close.

"Coming." She heard Hazims footsteps and the door finally opened up. Hazim appeared shirtless. His build was slightly skinny, yet it wasn't malnourished, rather there were muscles. Plus, he was tall, so the build looked very attractive. "Aeleya bhabi? Why aren't you with the others?" Hazim didn't feel shy around Aeleya. He truly treated her like his own sister. Just like how he treated Aarush like a brother.

Aeleya didn't feel weirded out by him being shirtless either, or just walked into his room causally. "I'm here to hang out with you. Aarush did say that you were supposed to be looking after me and stuff, right? So, if I'm going to sit with the others, then you have to come as well." She sat on his bed and looked around his room.

Hazim didn't think too much about her actions, but when she entered his room, he finally saw Sara. He felt a little shocked seeing her and he quickly ran inside and put on a shirt. Aeleya saw this and giggled.

"Hazim, relax, it's just Sara." She then looked at the girl standing outside of the room and smiled. "Are you coming in or what?" After finding out that Hazim liked Sara, she wanted to try her best and get the two together. After all, Sara was a beautiful girl and was also pursuing a good education. Since she considered herself on Hazims side, she looked at Sara as a potential sister in law, rather than a cousin. She liked Hazims taste in girls.

Sara stood still for a moment before shaking her head. "I'll go wait in the living room." She was about to leave but Aeleya laughed a little.

"Just come inside. I'm here, right? Hazim won't do a thing." She knew that Sara was still scared of Hazim and she wanted to break this feeling.

Hazim just stood on a side with a messy shirt he put on quickly. He looked at Sara and then at Aeleya and smiled bitterly. "It's alright Aeleya bhabi, she isn't comfortable yet. Just forget about it. Here, I'm going to quickly grab something I want to show you." He left his room quickly, rushing to go and find something.

Aeleya got up and walked to Sara who was standing outside of the room. "Sara, don't be so scared of him. Come, let's sit and wait." She grabbed her hand and dragged her into the room.

"Are you sure?" She still felt hesitant still. She looked around the room as she entered, still feeling a little uncomfortable. Aeleya sighed seeing this but didn't say anything else.

'It will take a little bit. I can't rush this.' They sat on the bed, waiting patiently. Hazim came back a little while later, in his hand a large piece of paper. When he entered his room, he was shocked to see Sara. He looked at Aeleya who smiled at him. Hazim couldn't help but smile wryly, but he entered the room, nonetheless. He grabbed a table from the side of the room and dragged it over to Aeleya. He placed the large paper on the table. There was a smile playing on his face as he looked at Aeleya. He didn't look at Sara too much since he found the current task to be more important. "What's this?" Aeleya asked with confusion on her face.

"Well, Haris came a while ago and told me that Aarush said these were the blueprints to the house he is trying to get done. This is just the general layout, but Haris said that before anything is finalized, you need to decide on a few things. Aaru bhai left it all up to you." He then began to point at a few areas, explaining what each thing meant.

"Wait wait. Why can't I just do this when Aarush comes?" She didn't want to do this alone without Aarush. It was their house, not just hers.

Hazim smiled bitterly. "Aaru bhai said that these things should be left to the girls. He has this weird way of thinking where he leaves decisions like these to girls. Like the house he got for his parents was completely designed by his mom. He just didn't like to get involved in these things." He explained casually.

"Still…"Aeleya still didn't want to do it alone, but Hazim shook his head.

"Trust me, Aaru bhai will want you to pick everything yourself. He already has the general layout designed; all he wants is for you to add details you like. For example, you can add a pool here if you want, or a garage here…" He continued to give her examples. Aeleya sighed and nodded her head. She understood Aarush's personality more and knew that Hazim wasn't lying. That was just how he was.

"Alright then." She decided that she would get a few minor details done and decide big changes with Aarush later. Whether he wanted to or not wasn't up to him anymore. 'I'll make sure he participates.'

Hazim smiled when he heard this and began to write down and make any edits to the blueprint that Aeleya wanted. Sara watched from the side and noticed that Hazim wasn't doing or saying anything weird. She could see that he was really good at what he was doing.

"Sara, what else do you think I should add?" Aeleya asked with a smile. It was better to get more input from others; it would help to get better designs.

Sara hesitated for a second. "Just say whatever you want, Aaru bhai won't mind." Hazim spoke out seeing Sara was hesitating. Although he knew she was uncomfortable around him, he still wanted to talk to her. He liked her, so he wasn't embarrassed about talking to her.

She looked at him and hesitated, but still spoke out. "Why don't you add some kid of courtyard here? Like the one we have in this house? But instead of making it all out of stone and stuff, you should have it completely natural, with grass and trees. The plot is big enough to accommodate it." She said with her eyes brightening up.

Hazim nodded his head with a gentle smile. He looked at Aeleya, waiting for her response.

"That's a great idea. We can have it fenced in, but not completely isolated. I could maybe grow plants and also build a dog house out here." Her eyes brightened. Although she thought about a courtyard, she always thought it would be out of stone, but it completely crossed her mind that she could make it similar to the backyards in America, but a lot bigger.

"Dog house?" Sara raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You guys are getting a dog?"

"Of course. Aarush always wanted one, just didn't get one because aunty is scared of dogs. So, he said he wants to get one for this house." She said with a smile. Aeleya herself was a fan of animals. "We are also planning on getting a cat. Mostly for me. Aarush wants a dog and I want a cat, so we're just getting both." She smiled and said.

"Wow I didn't know that." Sara said with bright eyes. She looked at Hazim who smiled back. "Did you know?"

Hazim nodded his head while scratching the back of his head. "Not only do I know, Aaru bhai told me to find a good place to get a dog here. I already found a bunch of dogs; he just has to choose which one he wants." Pulling out his phone, he went to his gallery and pulled up a few pictures. "These are the dogs I found." Passing his phone over to Aeleya, he waited for them to look through it.

"This one is so cute." Aeleya looked through and noticed that all of the dogs were Huskies, or Husky variants. "Wait, how are you getting dogs like these here? I didn't know you find Huskies here, plus can they even live well in such environments?"

Hazim shook his head. "I don't think it will be easy, but Aaru bhai really wants a Husky. You know how he is. He plans on getting a Husky variant that could survive here without an issue. As for where I'm getting it, well I spoke with the people and they said that all of these are variants that are able to survive here without much issues. Of course, these will be coming from outside of the country." He explained patiently.

Aeleya nodded her head and looked through them mostly. After she and Sara looked through it she passed Hazim his phone and focused on the blueprints. After a few more changes and additions, Hazim rolled it up and tied an elastic band around it.

"Hazim, leave the design here, let's go back to the living room." Aeleya said with a smile.

Shaking his head, Hazim walked over to his closet and placed the blueprint inside. "I'm fine, you guys go ahead. I still have to get some work done." He pulled out a notebook and a pen. He sat behind Aeleya and began to start writing things down.

"C'mon Hazim, no one will say a thing if you're worried about that. And if they do say something, I'll just leave with you and I will tell Aarush about it later. He'll handle the situation when he comes back." She said with a bit of persistence. She didn't want Hazim feeling excluded from family gatherings especially since a lot of the bad things that he 'did', weren't actually his fault. With the exception of the Sara incident of course.

He still shook his head and spoke bitterly. "Don't worry, that's not the reason. I still have to do some calculations for the changes of the house, and then I have to get a bunch of tax related work done for the plots. There is so much left to be done, and I have only until Aaru bhai comes back. Don't worry about me, you can go ahead." His smile was gentle and respectful as he looked at Aeleya. She was the only person other than his father and Aarush's family that treated him with respect and treated him like a human. No one else did so.

After hesitating for a few minutes, Aeleya sighed. "Alright, but remember, you're taking me and aunty to the market today. Alright? Don't bail on me then." Hazim nodded his head with a bitter face. He then proceeded to continue his work.

Aeleya got up with Sara and both girls left the room. They headed towards the living room. "Aeleya bhabi, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, just curious, but why does Aaru bhai let Hazim do all of his work? Like, maybe Hazim has a degree in finance and the like, but why does Aaru bhai trust him with so much? Not only does he get information from Aaru bhai first, but he is responsible for all of the plots. I thought Aaru bhai didn't like him too much." She wasn't trying to be mean or to be annoying, rather her face showed genuine confusion and curiosity. Other then a few people, no one really understood why Aarush let Hazim be responsible for so much.

"Let me ask you, has Hazim ever messed up? Like, from your knowledge, has he ever messed up in his responsibilities?" Sara thought for a moment and shook her head.

"Sure, he does it well, I'm not doubting that. But, I just don't know why he was given such a responsibility. Like he is literally responsible for all the properties that Aaru bhai owns, and making sure that everyone gets their share. Plus, he has to communicate with the government, he needs to get done all of the taxes, and so much more. I would have thought that Aaru bhai would select more then one person for such a job and select people with lots of experience." She still continued to ask. Sure, Hazim never messed up, but the job was still very large, and it involved many families.

"Hazim is a lot more skilled than you think. You do know that he is a double masters, right?" She knew that Sara didn't know this, but this was a good opportunity to flaunt Hazim's real skills. Well, help him stand out and seem much better at the very least.

Sara looked at Aeleya with wide eyes as shock covered her face. "Masters? When did he do that?"

"He did it when he was outside of Pakistan. He is both a Master's in Finance and Accounting." She smiled with pride, as if the degrees were hers. "If he didn't respect Aarush so much and love him like a brother, Hazim could live in America or anywhere and make so much more money. He could even make more than Aarush if a large company hired him." She wasn't exaggerating this point. Business was a very great industry especially if you had the skills and experience, which Hazim had. Making six to seven figures was not an impossibility for Hazim with his arsenal of skills. He was a desirable person for large companies. "Also, if you think that Aarush doesn't like Hazim, then you are very wrong. It's the opposite. Hazim is Aarush's younger brother, no matter what. Even if Hazim does something very bad, Aarush would still treat him as a younger brother. Which is why he is so protective of him. Have you ever wondered why Hazim of all people was forced to go study abroad? It wasn't even a choice for him because for Aarush, Hazim's future is very important." She explained with a smile.

Listening carefully, Sara couldn't help but feel shock welling up inside of her. She herself was pursuing a degree, but in the University of Karachi. Sure, it was a usable degree in Pakistan, but outside it would be hard, unless she did something like a Masters. Turning her head, she couldn't help but stare at Hazim's door. 'If he has so much to show, why doesn't he use it to shut people up?' This made her even more curious. With his qualifications, no one in the family could say anything to him, except for Aarush of course.

Looking at Sara, Aeleya smiled. 'I'll help you as much as I can Hazim, but you have to put in some effort too.'

Both of them reached the living room and found a place to sit. Everyone was still looking through the luggage. Various cousins were receiving various gifts. They were all excited.

"Sara, here is what we got for you. We heard you like writing like Aaru, so Aaru sent you a laptop." Aarush's mom picked up a sealed, white box and passed it to Sara. It was glossy and showed a picture of a laptop on the cover. "The charger is usable here since we made sure to get you an adapter as well."

Staring at the laptop with shock, Sara grabbed it with a bright smile. "Thank you." She said with excitement and quickly began to inspect the laptop box. She could tell it was no small thing.

The cousins weren't envious as they all got gifts which they liked. They may not have gotten an expensive gift like Sara, but they got what they wanted.

"Sara you like to write?" Aeleya asked with confusion. It was the first time she heard about this.

"Of course. I always loved to write. I never wrote in the past because people would say it was a waste of time. It only when Aaru bhai launched his first book did everyone in our family begin to look at writing as something that could be useful. After all, he was using his book money to help pay for lots of things back then." She explained with a smile. "In a way, Aaru bhai paved the road for lots of us. He did things that others would look down on and became successful. Such as writing and drawing. Making money from small little things helped all of us here convince our parents that small things weren't useless." After the explanation, Sara focused back on her laptop with her face reddening with excitement.

"Wow, I never thought he had such an effect even back then." She was a little taken aback. 'How much did Aarush do? This is crazy, he is such an abnormal person.'

"Of course, Aaru bhai is a special person. He never disappoints us." She spoke with a smile. "First he started to help the family by working part time while going to university, and then wrote books for more money to help the family even more. He got into medical school, making everyone proud. Then he got his master's and a job at a great hospital." Sara suddenly pouted. "Ah, I wish that I could have lived such an easy life. Being smart and achieving what one wants is such a lucky thing, right?"

Aeleya was a little shocked. Something finally hit her. Other than Hazim, not many people seemed to understand Aarush too much. Even Sara was oblivious. Everyone assumed he was super smart, and his life was easy, but she knew that it was the opposite. He didn't get super high grade and he barely got into medical school. It was only because he knew the chairman did he land a job at a hospital, if it wasn't because of that, he may have taken a much longer time to even find himself a proper job. She sighed. 'People only know your success, yet nothing of your struggles. Well, since I know about both, I will make sure to let you be happy as much as possible. You are my husband after all.' A sweet smile formed on her face as she got lost in her thoughts of Aarush. She couldn't help but recall his habits, his obsessive love, and then his sweet talking. 'I wish you were here.'