British Pakistani

I’m Ayaan Hussain, 18, just finished Year 13 at Bingley Grammar Sixth Form, and it feels like the world has suddenly opened up and left me standing still. Exams are over, results aren’t out yet, and the pressure that defined the last two years has disappeared so fast it’s unsettling. Freedom feels heavy, unfamiliar, almost frightening. I live in Manningham, Bradford, with my parents, Naveed and Shazia Hussain. Dad is 52, practical and reputation-focused, always thinking about mosque chatter and how choices echo in the community. Mum is 47, quieter, constantly anxious that even small mistakes will travel further than they should. They’ve reluctantly accepted that I’m going to this sleepover at Areesha Khan’s house. They don’t like it, but I promised them, half joking and half serious, that my intentions are sincere, that I’m thinking long term. I’m not sure they believe me. I’m not sure I fully do either. There are six of us. Three boys, three girls. Me, Bilal Ahmed, and Usman Raza. We’ve shared the same classrooms, exam halls, and stress. Bilal, born 3 March 2008, from Great Horton, is loud, confident, Arsenal obsessed, always the centre of attention. Usman, born 27 September 2007, from Keighley, is playful, avoids seriousness, a Liverpool fan who masks depth with humour. Then there are the girls. Areesha, the host, born 8 January 2008, from Idle, Bradford, Punjabi Pakistani, raised with wealth, visibility, and expectation. She commands attention without trying. Her family owns car dealerships, construction firms, and property across West Yorkshire. She’s dating Bilal, and their dynamic is intense, competitive, charged. Zara, born 21 May 2008, from Keighley, is the one I’m seeing. Quiet, emotionally sharp, grounded. With her, things feel serious in a way I don’t talk about out loud. Hania, born 2 November 2007, from Shipley, is playful, dramatic, affectionate, and with Usman their relationship swings between teasing and closeness. All of us are practicing Muslims