The Wedding We Never Wanted
"Sometimes destiny doesn't ask for permission... it simply changes your life."
Islamabad...
The grand Malik Mansion was glowing under thousands of golden lights. Luxury cars lined the driveway while guests laughed, danced, and congratulated the two powerful families.
Everyone looked happy.
Except the groom.
Azaan Malik stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his expensive black tuxedo with an expression that screamed frustration.
"I don't want this marriage, Dad."
His father looked at him without the slightest emotion.
"This isn't just your wedding, Azaan. It's a family decision."
"But I wanted to fall in love first!" Azaan protested. "I wanted to meet a girl by chance... become friends with her... ask her out on dates... secretly meet her... surprise her with flowers... make her fall in love with me... and then marry her."
His father sighed.
"Life isn't a romantic movie."
Azaan lowered his head.
For the first time in his life...
Being rich felt like a prison.
Across the city...
Inside a tiny rented house...
The bride was fighting the same battle.
Ayat sat quietly in front of the mirror while her mother fixed her veil.
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
"I never imagined my wedding would happen like this, Mom."
Her mother gently wiped away her tears.
"What did you dream of, sweetheart?"
Ayat smiled sadly.
"I wanted someone to notice me... become my best friend... ask me out for coffee... send me silly good morning texts... secretly meet me after college... make me blush... confess his love... and only then... marry me."
Her mother kissed her forehead.
"Not every dream comes true the way we imagine."
Ayat closed her eyes.
Being poor meant...
Sometimes your dreams belonged to someone else.
A few hours later...
The Nikah was completed.
Azaan Malik.
Ayat Khan.
Now they were husband and wife.
Two complete strangers...
Bound together by one signature.
The guests celebrated.
The cameras flashed.
Everyone congratulated them.
But neither of them smiled from the heart.
That night...
Silence filled their beautifully decorated bedroom.
Ayat sat nervously on one side of the bed.
Azaan stood near the balcony, staring at the city lights.
Several minutes passed.
Finally...
"I think we should talk," Azaan said.
Ayat nodded.
"I know neither of us wanted this marriage."
"True."
"I'm not going to force anything."
"And I won't either."
Another awkward silence followed.
Then...
Azaan suddenly laughed.
Ayat looked at him, confused.
"What?"
"I just had the craziest idea."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm listening."
He walked towards her with a mischievous smile.
"We both wanted a love story before marriage..."
"Yes..."
"But our marriage happened first."
She nodded.
"So..."
"What if..."
"We create our love story now?"
Ayat blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"We pretend we don't know each other."
She frowned.
"We become friends."
"Okay..."
"Then we secretly start dating."
Her eyes widened.
"We'll text each other from unknown numbers."
She couldn't stop smiling.
"We'll secretly meet for coffee."
She giggled.
"We'll flirt."
She laughed.
"We'll celebrate our first date."
Now she was laughing so hard that tears appeared in her eyes.
"You are completely crazy."
"I know."
"But think about it."
"We're already married."
"So why not enjoy everything we missed before marriage?"
Ayat looked at him for several seconds.
Then...
She slowly smiled.
"I actually... love this idea."
Azaan extended his hand.
"Friends?"
She shook his hand.
"Friends."
That simple handshake...
Became the beginning of the most unusual love story ever.
The next morning...
Both of them acted like shy newlyweds in front of the family.
His mother smiled.
"You two are awfully quiet."
"We're still getting to know each other," Azaan answered.
Everyone laughed.
Only Azaan and Ayat knew...
The real story hadn't even started yet.
That evening...
Ayat's phone vibrated.
Unknown Number
Message:
"Hi... would you like to be friends?"
Ayat smiled immediately.
She knew exactly who it was.
But if they were going to play this game...
They had to play it properly.
She replied...
"Sorry. I don't talk to strangers."
Azaan instantly typed back...
"Then let me introduce myself. My name is Azaan... and I think I fell for you the moment I saw you."
Ayat bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.
"Really? When did you see me?"
"Yesterday..."
"Where?"
"At my wedding."
Ayat grinned.
"Interesting... because I wasn't there."
Azaan laughed as he typed...
"Then maybe I married the wrong girl."
"Looks like you did."
They continued texting...
While sitting inside the same house.
Only two rooms apart.
Pretending to be strangers.
Neither of them realised...
This silly little game was about to become the greatest love story of their lives.
Our First Date
Three days had passed since their unusual agreement.
Every morning, Azaan and Ayat behaved like a normal married couple in front of the family.
Every night...
They became two strangers getting to know each other.
At exactly 8:00 p.m., Ayat's phone buzzed.
Unknown Number
"Miss Ayat, would you honour me with a cup of coffee tomorrow?"
She smiled before replying.
"Depends... are you a gentleman?"
"I open doors, pay the bill, and never let a lady walk alone."
"That's a good start."
"So... is that a yes?"
After making him wait for five long minutes...
She finally replied.
"Yes."
The next afternoon...
Ayat walked into a small café wearing a light blue dress and a white scarf.
She looked around.
Azaan was already waiting near the window with a small bouquet of white daisies.
He stood up nervously.
"For you."
Ayat accepted the flowers with a shy smile.
"No one has ever given me flowers before."
Azaan grinned.
"Then I'm glad I got to be the first."
For a moment...
Neither of them remembered that they were already husband and wife.
It genuinely felt like a first date.
"So..." Azaan asked, stirring his coffee.
"What kind of husband do you dream of?"
Ayat laughed.
"You're asking dangerous questions."
"I'm curious."
She looked out of the window.
"Someone who makes me laugh... respects me... and chooses me every single day."
Azaan listened quietly.
"What about you?"
"I wanted a wife who would become my best friend before anything else."
Ayat smiled softly.
"Looks like we both wanted the same thing."
After leaving the café...
They walked through a nearby park.
Children were playing.
Street musicians filled the air with soft melodies.
Azaan bought two ice creams.
"I should warn you," Ayat said with a grin.
"I steal bites from other people's ice cream."
"Oh?"
Before he could react...
She took a huge bite from his chocolate cone.
"Hey!"
She burst into laughter.
"You really do steal!"
"And now you know."
Azaan shook his head, laughing with her.
"I think I've just discovered your biggest crime."
As the sun began to set...
They reached a beautiful bridge overlooking the lake.
A gentle breeze played with Ayat hair.
For a few seconds...
Neither of them spoke.
"This has been..." Azaan began.
"The happiest day I've had in a long time," Ayat finished.
He nodded.
"Mine too."
Without thinking...
He held out his hand.
Ayat looked at it for a moment.
Then placed hers in his.
No promises.
No dramatic speeches.
Just two people...
Choosing to fall in love with the person they had already promised their lives to.
As they walked away together...
Neither of them noticed that someone across the road had quietly taken a photograph of them.
And that single photograph...
Was about to create the biggest misunderstanding of their lives.
The Biggest Secret
The photograph spread faster than anyone expected.
One blurry picture...
One boy...
One girl...
Walking hand in hand.
Within hours, it reached the Malik family group chat.
Azaan cousin zoomed in on the picture.
"Wait... isn't that Azaan?"
His aunt gasped.
"He just got married! Who is this girl?"
Meanwhile...
The same photo somehow reached Ayat neighbourhood.
Her childhood friend called immediately.
"Ayat! Are you seriously dating someone after your wedding?"
Ayat almost choked on her tea.
"What?!"
She opened the picture...
And burst into laughter.
It was her.
Standing beside her own husband.
That evening...
The Malik Mansion looked like a courtroom.
Everyone was sitting in the living room.
Azaan walked in, completely confused.
"Why is everyone staring at me?"
His father threw the printed photograph onto the table.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Azaan looked down.
Then looked at Ayat.
She was trying so hard not to laugh that she couldn't even look at him.
His mother folded her arms.
"Who is that girl?"
Azaan scratched the back of his neck.
"Well..."
His father interrupted.
"You have one chance to explain."
Before Azaan could answer...
Ayat suddenly stood up.
"I know who she is."
Everyone turned towards her.
"You do?"
She nodded with a perfectly serious face.
"Yes."
Azaan looked at her in shock.
What is she doing?
Ayat continued...
"She is..."
A dramatic pause filled the room.
"...his wife."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Nobody understood.
His uncle blinked.
"But... aren't you his wife?"
Ayat smiled.
"Exactly."
She picked up the photograph and held it in the air.
"This girl is me."
For three long seconds...
Nobody reacted.
Then everyone looked at the photo again.
Then at Ayat.
Then back at the photo.
Finally...
Azaan little sister burst out laughing.
"Oh my God!"
"You two were dating each other?"
Azaan shrugged with an embarrassed smile.
"Technically..."
"Yes."
His grandmother started laughing so hard that tears filled her eyes.
"I've seen love marriages."
"I've seen arranged marriages."
"But this..."
"This is the first time I've seen a married couple secretly dating each other!"
Within seconds...
The entire room exploded with laughter.
Even Azaan's strict father couldn't hide his smile.
"You two are unbelievable."
Later that night...
Azaan and Ayat sat on the balcony with two cups of coffee.
"So..."
Ayat smiled.
"Our secret game is officially over."
Azaan shook his head.
"I don't think so."
She looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
He reached into his pocket and took out a small velvet box.
Inside was a delicate silver ring.
He smiled nervously.
"I never got the chance to ask you properly."
He got down on one knee.
"Miss Ayat Khan..."
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Ayat covered her mouth, laughing through happy tears.
"We're already married."
"I know."
"But I still want to do everything I missed."
She held out her hand.
"Yes."
He slipped the ring onto her finger.
Then she looked at him with a playful smile.
"Mr. Azaan Malik..."
"Will you keep taking me on dates even after ten years?"
Azaan didn't hesitate.
"No."
She raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
He smiled.
"I'll keep taking you on dates for the rest of our lives."
Ayat laughed and gently rested her head on his shoulder.
Above them...
The stars filled the night sky.
Their marriage had started without love.
But by choosing each other every single day...
They discovered that sometimes...
The most beautiful love story isn't the one that happens before the wedding.
It's the one that begins after saying,
"I do."
The End.
