Alia

The First Meeting of arrange marriage: They were forced to meet in a quiet tea house. Their parents sat two tables away, casually pretending to read upside-down dessert menu “So,” Khalid try to start a conversation.Alia stared at him over her dark roast coffee. “Are you wearing two different shoe laces?”Khalid looked down. “It’s a design choice. Look, can we be honest? You don't want this. I don't want this. My mom threatened to sell my PlayStation if I didn't show up.”Alia’s eyes lit up, They shout on each other for a few seconds, Across the room, both mothers gasped in unison. Mission accomplished. Or so they thought. Two days later, both side parents refuse to give up, Within three weeks, despite four more disastrous dinner dates where they tried everything to stop this marriage, the wedding date was set. The Big Day: Alia sat on the velvet stage in a heavy red lehenga that weighed approximately forty pounds. Khalid sat next to her in a sherwani.“Your aunt told my mom I’m going to make a great house-husband,”Khalid muttered under his breath, Just then, Khalid’s younger cousin ran past the stage, accidentally tripping over the main power cable. The lights cut out. The music shrieked and died. Darkness engulfed the hall, followed by instant, high-decibel panic from two hundred relatives. Alia reach into her formal clutch to pull out a heavy-duty mini flashlight, She clicked it on, illuminating Khalid, who was currently holding a decorative bowl of gulab jamun he had secretly swiped from a passing waiter during the blackout.Alia looked at him.For the first time in two months, Alia burst into genuine, unfiltered laughter. Khalid grinned, holding out the bowl.“Want one? It’s raw-vegan if you don't think about the sugar, dairy, or fried batter.”Alia took a gulab jamun with her manicured fingers. “You’re ridiculous.”“And you carry a military-grade flashlight in a clutch bag,” khalid reply teasingly.