AUTHOR POV
The engagement celebration was in full swing again.
Music echoed through the garden while relatives gathered around the stage for pictures. Laughter and chatter filled the air as waiters moved between guests with trays of drinks and desserts.
Inaya stood beside Zeeshan while his aunt adjusted the ring on her finger for the tenth time.
"Look how perfect it is!" the woman said happily.
Inaya smiled politely.
But her mind wasn't really there.
"Her thoughts kept drifting back to the wedding.
I have to run before the wedding happens, she told herself.
But how am I supposed to do that?""Smile!" someone called.
A camera flashed.
Zeeshan squeezed her hand. "Relax, you look like someone forced you into this engagement."
She laughed softly. "I'm just tired."
From across the garden, Armaan watched the scene with quiet amusement.
He stood near a table, casually stirring the ice in his glass. His sharp gaze occasionally drifted toward the stage.
Toward her.
As if sensing it, Inaya looked up.
And of course…
He was already looking at her.
This time, instead of looking away, Armaan lifted his glass slightly toward her in a silent greeting.
A teasing smirk tugged at his lips.
Inaya quickly turned her face away, pretending she hadn't noticed.
Armaan chuckled quietly.
A few minutes later, Zeeshan's uncle called him.
"Zeeshan! Come here for a minute, beta!"
"Coming!" Zeeshan replied before turning to Inaya. "Don't move. I'll be back."
He disappeared into the crowd.
The moment he left, Inaya felt someone step beside her.
She didn't even need to look.
"You look tense."
Armaan's voice was calm… but the hint of teasing in it was impossible to miss.
Inaya turned slowly.
"You seem to appear everywhere," she replied.
"That's not my fault," he said casually. "You're standing in my line of sight."
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Oh really?"
"Yes," he said, pretending to study the decorations. "Very distracting."
Inaya folded her arms.
"Are you always this annoying?"
Armaan's eyes returned to her, amused.
"Only when someone's pretending to be the happiest person in the world."
Her cheeks warmed instantly.
"I was not falling."
"You were," he replied calmly. "You're lucky I have good reflexes."
Inaya tried not to smile.
Tried.
But failed.
Armaan noticed immediately.
"There it is," he said softly.
"What?"
"That smile."
She frowned slightly. "What about it?"
"It looks better when it's real."
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Before the silence could grow awkward, Zeeshan suddenly returned.
"Hey! What are you two talking about?"
Zeeshan pretended to glare, raising an eyebrow. "Shadi se pehle hi divorce karwa doon"
Armaan shrugged nonchalantly, smirk tugging at his lips. "I never think you were this insecure."
Inaya snorted softly, trying to hide her smile.
"Stop teasing her!" Zeeshan said, feigning irritation, but he clearly wasn't as serious as he sounded.
Armaan leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice so only Inaya could hear. "She's too interesting to tease… I could do this all night."
Inaya shot him a quick glare.
Armaan simply smiled back.
A teasing, quiet smile that only she seemed to understand.
Inaya felt her heart skip. She tried to focus on Zeeshan, but the way Armaan's dark eyes lingered on her made her cheeks hot.
Zeeshan finally grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go take some pictures before everyone loses patience."
Armaan didn't move. He simply watched them walk away, a quiet, amused smirk on his face.
For Inaya, the moment lingered far longer than it should have.
He's infuriating… she thought. And… I kind of like it.
And for the rest of the evening, whenever their eyes met across the garden…
It felt like they were sharing a secret.
One no one else knew about.
Not even Zeeshan.
INAYA ALI SHAH POV
The engagement party had finally ended. Guests slowly drifted away, leaving the garden quieter than before. The soft glow of fairy lights reflected off the marble floors, casting a warm, dreamy aura.
I walked toward the back door, hoping to get some fresh air. my heels clicked softly on the floor as I tried to ignore the lingering excitement in my chest—and the way my mind kept replaying Armaan's gaze.
"Going somewhere?"She froze.
It was him. Armaan Meer.
He leaned casually against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a half-empty glass. The corner of his lips lifted in that familiar, teasing smirk.
"I… I just wanted some air," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Armaan stepped closer, so close that she could feel the warmth from him. "Air, huh? Or maybe running away from your 'lucky' fiancé?"
Inaya blinked, flustered. "I—what?"
He tilted his head, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "You know… the one you're engaged to. Don't tell me you actually like being controlled."
Her cheeks burned. "I'm not… I mean—"
"Relax," he interrupted, his voice dropping lower, almost a whisper. "I'm just saying, you look far too interesting to be stuck acting like the perfect fiance all the time."
Inaya's breath caught. She tried to step back, but her heel caught on the edge of the carpet.
Before she could stumble, his hand shot out instinctively, holding her wrist. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Careful," he said softly, his gaze lingering on her face.
For a moment, the world around them vanished. The party noise, the lights, even Zeeshan's laughter from inside—they didn't exist.
Inaya's eyes met his.
And for the first time, she realized how dangerously close they were—so close that she could feel his heartbeat against her own.
Armaan's smirk softened into a faint, unreadable smile. "You know… you really shouldn't run away like that. Not from me."
Her breath hitched. "I… I'm not running from you."
"Are you sure?" he teased lightly, stepping a fraction closer, until the space between them felt electric.
Her heart raced, and she looked down, trying to regain control. But her hands trembled slightly where his had touched her wrist.
"You're… impossible," she whispered.
"Maybe," he replied, his voice low and smooth. "But I make life a little more… interesting, don't I?"
She couldn't answer. She only swallowed hard, feeling something she didn't want to admit stirring inside her.
Armaan finally released her wrist, but didn't step back. His eyes lingered on hers, warm, teasing… full of silent promises.
Inaya felt her chest tighten, her mind racing.
He's infuriating… she thought, and I can't stop noticing him.
And in that quiet moment after the engagement, she realized one undeniable truth:
Armaan Meer had just made her heart a little light….