Zara's POV

"Look what have you done, Aila, " I yell at the top of my lungs.

I lift my heel to get a better view of my 'drowning' phone, flowing hastily with the surges of water, thanks to my dearest friend.

"I am so sorry, Zara. I just didn't see you in the way. The way to the river is on the opposite side. Let's get your phone back, " she tells grabbing my arm.

I dodge her and glare at her with both hands placed on my waist, "do you really think my phone will be functioning after falling in the water?"

"Isn't it waterproof?" She asks with puppy eyes.

I shake my head in annoyance. Has she lost her mind?

"Don't joke with me, Aila.....Forget it, tell me what are you doing here?"

"Just have to do some work. By the way,  Zara, I am really really sorry. Someone was calling you as well and I have wasted that call, " she says in an apologetic tone.

What if I tell you I don't want to take the call of that someone.

"Oho, Aila, it's okay." I pull her into a tight hug.

"Shall we go and buy a new phone for you?" She asks breaking the hug.

"No, I don't want to do it right now. I will buy one some other day," I show her an assuring smile.

"Okay then. But your phone will be on me and don't you dare argue over it now, " she points her index finger at me with fake anger on her face.

"But Aila, there is seriously no need of it," I say with a pout.

How much this girl will do for me?

"There is a need and no buts. Shall we hang out somewhere? It's been so long since we have met," she chirps with excitement.

Hanging out with Aila sounds a good option. At first, I thought about staying at Dad's place but after what has happened, I am no more eager to go there.

Aila reckons my silence as approval and she gestures me to follow her as she walks ahead.

"Wait Aila," I call her in a loud voice.

She turns around on her heels so now she is facing me. She raises a brow in question.

"Instead of hanging out, can I stay at your home for somedays?"

Aila lives alone in her house these days as her parents are out of the country due to business purposes.

She scratches the side of her forehead as she is thinking something. After a while, she walks towards me.

"Sounds perfect! But won't Armaan Bhai say anything? I mean have you asked him about this?

Why she has to mention him in front of me after every second?

"He won't say anything, so can I accompany you?"

"Sure thing, let's go, " she smiles at me as she takes my hand in hers.

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Shaiq's POV

"So shall we take you back to the bed? You need to sleep, " I pat her shoulders as I assert.

She pouts her lips and looks back to the room where she has got admitted earlier.

"I don't want to go back there. It suffocates me," she mumbles.

"So where do you want to go?" I ask her in a low voice.

"Anywhere but not in the hospital."

"But you are still weak, Zainab. The doctor has advised you to rest," I try to change her mind.

I slowly push her hair behind her ears. What has that guy made her? She always has been so lively, so energetic but now she is not even able to support her own weight. Her eyes which have always shown brightness and glow are now gloomy and without any joy. 

Why he has to give false hopes to her when he has never loved her? Why he has to lie that he can never fall for Zara? I grit my teeth tightly in fury as every promise he has made with Zainab comes in my mind.

I will make sure to take the account of every tear which has escaped from Zainab's eyes due to you, Armaan, even if this costs Zara as well.

"Then take me home. If I stay here one more second, I will die due to the smell of these medicines."

I come back to reality when Zainab's voice comes in my hearing.

"Not at all. You are not going to your home," I decline quickly.

I know there will be no one to take care of her if she goes back to her home. Her parents will overlook her condition as it's nothing, like always. And that brother of her, as usual, will scold her for injuring herself which has resulted in her fainting.

"I know why you are saying this but I can take care of myself. I don't care about them," she speaks in a stern voice.

"No, Zainab, I can't take the risk this time. I know you will overthink and become sad again due to him. And this will make you sicker. You haven't eaten anything so let's go somewhere for lunch," I take her wrist and pull her behind me.

"I don't want to eat anything," she exclaims and tries to remove my hand from her wrist.

I turn towards her and grab her both arms with my hands.

"I am accepting what you want about not staying in hospital so now you have to listen to me."

She sighs but agrees to come with me.

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"You would be making fun of me now as you always warned me about him and I never listened to you because I had blind trust in him that he can't ditch me but look what happened now."

I peek at Zainab with side-eyes before twisting the gear to the right stopping car before a huge tree. I turn towards her and stare at her while shaking my head.

This girl has gone nuts for real!

She notices my deep gaze on her and looks at me in confusion.

"What are you looking at?" She asks while shrugging her shoulders.

"That how more absurd you can get. Why in the world I will make fun of you, Miss Zainab?" I ask back with irony.

"Because my condition right now is laughable. I mean, have you ever seen the outcome of a two years relationship as one of them never loved the other one and just read his feelings incorrectly?" She lets out a small laugh in sarcasm.

I can feel how sad and hurt she is! If I would have been in her place, I reacted the exact same way she is doing, maybe worst than this.

"You know what, Shaiq? The only reason my parents and brother despise me is that I am a daughter. They never wanted a girl. All these years, I have been thinking that it's not my fault that I was born as a girl then why they treat me as a stranger. But I never let this thing overwhelm me. I always acted strong, bright, full of fun, and guess what?" Her voice becomes trembling due to crying.

I know everything about this but I let her speak, let her pour her heart so that she can feel light-hearted.

"When I met him, I thought I have found my lost happiness. All the grief which I had got will heal with his love but look at me now, I guess I can never find happiness in my life and I always have to hide me in the shell of fake strength, fake happiness, and..."

She again starts crying. I turn my body towards her and put her head on my chest. I slowly caress her hair. Every time she cries and my heart breaks in pieces. But today I let her cry. If it really helps her get back to normal, then she should let her every sorrow to flow out in her tears.

After a while, I pull her away from me and cup her face with my both hands. I stare at her red, swollen face for a while before wiping her cheeks with my thumbs.

"You don't have to fake anything. You deserve happiness and you will get it. Don't rely on anyone else for these little joys of your life. You care for yourself and that's enough. And don't forget that I will be always there for you. If the whole world will be against you, I will be with you. Okay?"

I lift up her face so that she can directly see me, "now that's enough. I don't want to see tears in your eyes anymore. You don't look pretty while crying," I beam as I pinch her nose with my finger.

"Promise me you won't cry anymore." I show my pinky finger in front of her.

She looks at me in a baffled state before attaching her finger with mine. I smile at this.

"Zainab, life doesn't end on him. He dumps you, fine. Now show him how strong you are. Show him that you are least affected by what he did. And I know you can do this. Come back as a strong Zainab and..."

I get interrupted by the ringing of the phone. I abruptly divert my eyes from her to the dashboard. It's actually Zainab's phone which is ringing. Before she can reach it, I take her phone. My blood boils seeing Armaan's name on it. In fact, he has called her so many times. I cut the call and turn off the phone. He still has guts to call her after doing this to her.

"Who is it?" Zainab asks me.

"No one. Let's go inside," I gesture toward the restaurant.

She first stares at me hesitantly but after a while, gets out of the car.

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Zara's POV

I fall down on the comfy couch and let out a deep breath. I lean myself on the back of the couch as I plop my both legs on the table sitting ahead. I never think that I will meet Aila in this while and here I am half laying on her precious velvety couch. Suddenly, my stomach growls and with that, I remember; I haven't eaten anything since this morning.

"Aila, bring something to eat quickly. I am starving," I shout out loud so that she can hear me.

"Just bringing, Zara!" I hear her exclamation far from the kitchen.

"Thank God," I mumble.

After a while, Aila comes with a tray in her hand. She places the tray on the table and sits beside me. Without thinking twice, I quickly straighten my back and start eating like there is no tomorrow.

Ya Allah! How much I have been dying from hunger.

I put the sandwich in my mouth with one hand as my other one grabs the glass of water. I gulp the water in one go.

"Eat slowly, Zara. No one is stealing it from you. Do you want to get chocked?"

My hand which is about to plop down the empty glass on the table stops in the middle as I stare at Aila with a blank stare.

But what astounds me is that there is no Aila sitting in front of me. There is someone else. What is he doing here? With the same famous poker face of his? Am I seeing things? Have I lost my mind?

'Eat slowly. I am sure you don't want to get chocked.'

His same husky, deep voice reverberates in my ears. I shake my head sideways but the view in front of me remains the same. How can this happen? Is he really sitting beside me? I rub my eyes harshly.

"Hey, Zara. First, you were dying to eat and now you are not even touching anything."

I open my eyes again to find Aila waving her hand in front of my eyes.

"Aila, it's... it's you?"

"Then who should it be...my ghost?" She chuckles.

"No, a while earlier..."

I am going crazy. How can I even dream about Armaan with open eyes? What the heck is happening to me? I can't believe I am falling for him hard. With every passing moment, my longing for him is increasing; not to forget how much I am missing the time I have spent with him. He is not even letting me forget him during eating, let alone sleep.

This is so ridiculous! I grab my head in both hands.

"What do you mean by a while earlier?"

I lift my face up to look directly into Aila.

"Nothing," I whisper in a lazy voice.

Suddenly the doorbell ring startling both me and her. We both gaze at each other with vague expressions.

"Who has come?" Aila mumbles to herself before wiping her hands and getting up.

"You said your parents are out of the country then who else can come?" I ask her.

"How come I know? There is the least chance of my parents coming because they have a plan of two weeks and it just two days since they have gone," she explains.

"Then who can it be?" I inquire with wide eyes.

"I'll go and check," she replies.

I nod as she rushes towards the main door. I hear the sound of the door opening and then some faint voices which I am unable to decipher. Out of curiosity, I get off the couch and head a little ahead of where the outside sight should be clear to me. But unfortunately, I am not able to see the face of the visitor due to Aila blocking my view.

Something flickers in my mind and I walk out, my eyes still in search of just one glance of who has come. I stop in my place seeing the person still standing in the door.

"Hi, Zara."

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Salam guys!

I am back with another chapter. How is this?

Okay, so another cliffhanger lol. Who do you think has come in the end?

And, And, And!!
The next chapter may contain Zara and Armaan's scenes though I can't assure this now. But hopefully, the next few chapters will just focus on them.

And yeah, if you like the chapter, don't forget to vote and comment.