A/n: Almost 1700 words! The most longest chapter till now.  Hope I was able to portray Soha's feelings clearly. Tell me if you guys have any questions or suggestions.

The chapter is not edited. Sorry for the mistakes.  Happy reading. :)

Soha's point of view:

Upon waking up, I was greeted by the darkness. The digital clock indicated that 9:30 in the evening. I started groping my bedsheets and nightstand for the cellphone, and was unable to find it anywhere. I had a weird dream.

I dreamt that Mahi asked me to meet up with her at a cafe. And entering the cafe, I found her seated there and holding hands with my ex. 

I flipped on the light switch and saw my cell phone lying on the floor. I picked it up. The screen of the phone was cracked badly. Throwing it in the bin, I entered the bathroom to wash my face. I sprayed some water on my face and looked in the mirror. My eyes were red and eyelids sullen.

Then I started to remember everything that happened today. It wasn't a dream. "it was real, all of it!" I whispered while looking at my own reflection in the mirror.

         
                    FLASHBACK

Mahi had texted me and I went to meet her at the cafe. I entered the cafe and saw that she had company. I freaked out a little thinking that he might be the guy she had a crush on. I couldn't see his face yet so I moved a bit forward to get a clear view. But I was shocked when I saw who the guy was.

He was Nishan, my ex boyfriend. My best friend and my ex were sitting together as if nothing happened all those years ago. It was Mahi herself, who exposed him in front of me.

"She didn't even want to hear his name till last week. Then what has changed?  Why is she sitting there in front of him with. . . . What looks like a thoughtful face?" I asked myself.

I couldn't decide if I should wait for them to look at me or leave the cafe. But curiosity got the best of me and I decided to stay. They seemed to be engrossed in conversation.

It might be only a single minute but to me, it felt like ten or so minutes. My brain started to swarm with the memories.

"The first meeting at the school.

Mahi and I's friendship with him.
The first date at the park after skipping school together.

First year anniversary of our relationship.

His exposure by Mahi.

His confession of cheating and being a gold digger."

"I loved your money, not you!"

I came back to the present time only to see both of them holding hands. I watched them in bewilderment as Mahi remained still with a poker face.

Nishan happened to look at my way and paled like a corpse. Mahi followed his gaze and looked straightly at my eyes.

I was having a hard time believing in what I just saw in front of my eyes. Mahi asked me what I was doing there. I told her about the text.

Even though I was there, they were still holding each other's hands. All I could feel was betrayal. A lump formed in my throat which made it hard to talk. I waited for her to explain something. . .  anything. But she didn't say anything as if it was a common thing to get caught while she's holding hands with her best friend's ex. The same ex who accused her of lying.

I had talked with as cold and nonchalant tone as I could muster up that moment. I didn't want them to see how much it pained me. I didn't want them to think of me as a pathetic and weak girl.

"Those days are over. I won't let any of you think of me as a loser. Not again!" I reminded myself.

Even though I was hurt and enraged, I tried to act calm and compose. Thanking her for proving me wrong, I came out of the cafe and got in the car.

The parking lot was deserted. I let out the tears that I was trying to hold in all this time. I didn't know why and what I was feeling anymore. I felt betrayed, sad, hurt and all the other negative emotions combined with each other.

I didn't want to let anyone see me in this state. so, wiping my face, I started the engine and came home. I threw the car keys without noticing if I had put it on the right place or not. I stormed upstairs and locked myself in the bedroom.

Mahi came half an hour later, and tried to talk to me. I wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone. Even khala tried to coax me into opening the door, but I strongly refused. Two or more hours later, Mahi came back again and told me to open the door for once. I had thrown the cellphone towards the door and told her to go away. Then I somehow fell asleep.

  ~~~~FLASHBACK OVER ~~~~~

I sprayed water on my face once again. Even after waking up, I didn't feel any better. My eyes were still red and puffy and they were burning. Coming out of the bathroom, I looked around the room for my laptop. It was placed on the coffee table. I sat on the couch and dragged it towards me.

Logging in to Facebook, I checked the messages. There wasn't any from Rahat. But a lot of messages were unseen, which meant Mahi hadn't been online today. I typed a single 'Hi' and pressed enter. He replied immediately.

[Me= soha. Him=Rahat]

Him: Hey, how are you?

Me: Fine. You?

Him: Good. How was your day?

Me: It was OK.

Him: Why do I feel like it wasn't okay? Was it really okay?

Me: There are some days which aren't full of rainbows and sunshine, that's all.

Him: :( :(

Me: why the sad face?

Him: How can I be happy when my friend is sad?

Me: Is it too obvious?

Him: Yes, today you aren't being sarcastic or witty like every other day.

Me: ooh!

Him: Did something happen at school today?

Him: Is it because the teacher kicked you out of the class?

Me: No no, I'm not sad about that. I'm used to getting kicked out of the class.

Him: Then what is it?

Me:  Forget it. Let's not talk about it.

Him: Look, sorry if you think I'm prying. But I really want you to know that I'm here for you.

Him: we're talking for more than a month now. And I think of you as a  friend. . . A real friend, not just Facebook friend.

"He thinks of me as a real friend! What If he gets to know the reality? What would he do if I tell him about the reality? I don't think I could lose one more friend now!" I thought to myself. I never thought about the results!
Me: I know. I think of you as my real friend too.

Him: I also want you to know that I won't judge you ever. So, you can share with me anything. And I'll try my best to support you and find a solution.

"Will you really not judge me if I tell you my true identity?" I wanted to ask him.

Me: It's about my best friend.

Him: Mahzabin, right?  What happened to her?

"He remembered my best friend's name!" I was surprised. "He must have sharp memory." I thought while typing my reply.

Me: yes. And nothing happened to her. I just. . .

"I shouldn't bother him with my personal problems." I thought and  decided not to tell him. In the meantime, he sent a message saying-

Him: Hey, if you are thinking that you're going to bother me. Then don't worry. It's totally okay. I actually like to help people. And I'd be more than happy if I can help you in anyway. So don't hesitate.

All my hesitation flew out of the windows when I had read his message.

Me: Today after talking to you, I got a text from her asking me to meet at a nearby cafe.

Him: oh, then?

Me: When I got there, I saw her, holding hands with my ex.

Him: What's the big deal about it? They could be friends.

Me: No, they aren't friends. See, when we broke up, it wasn't on good terms. Mahi had caught him red handed while he was cheating on me. And then exposed him in front of me

Him: Ooh!

Me: Yeah, so they weren't friends anymore. But today I just saw them holding hands as if nothing happened before.

Him: Did you approach them?

Me: I did. I even asked her about the text. But she acted like she didn't know anything about it.

Him: Then what happened? Did you ask for an explanation?

Me: No, I was hurt and shocked. And I wanted to get away as much away as possible from them. So, I came home.

Him: you should've asked for an explanation.

Me: I told you I was hurt and shocked. I still am hurt and confused.

Him: I know, it must have been very painful to watch them like this. But there must be an explanation for this. I think you should talk to her.

Me: What? NO!

Him: You gotta trust me on this, Soha. She's your best friend. She wouldn't do anything to hurt you, at least not knowingly.

I pondered over his words. "I'm so stupid. I should have asked her before assuming anything. But it's not my fault. Anyone would be hurt watching their best friend and ex boyfriend holding hands."

Me: I'll think about what you said.

Him: I understand. You're just hurt. Take some time and think about what you are going to talk about. Or how you are going to start the conversation.

Him: And sort it out. :)

Me: I'll do that. Thank you so much. I would have pushed my best friend away, if you weren't there to guide me.

Him: Hey there's no sorry, no thanks in friendship. And it's what friends are for.

Me: okay. :)

Him: I've to go now.

Me: Bye. :)

Him: keep smiling like that. :)

I logged out and was about to shut down the laptop. That was when I got a new mail from an unknown mail address.