Aziza was getting desperate.

Fuad was distant after Faisal's death. The last time she saw him was at the hospital, and she didn't hear from him ever since. It was only then she realized Fuad was the kind of person to shut people out when he's going through a lot. Aziza has always been a person who liked vulnerability in relationships because she felt like that's the closest and most intimate you can be.

After a few weeks of being rational, she decided to take the impulsive way out by visiting him. That was a huge step to take but she was getting desperate. That was how she goin herself standing in front of the massive gates of his house with her phone to her ear, dialing his number.

It went straight to voicemail causing her to sigh exasperatedly as she went ahead to press the doorbell attached to the gate. A few moments later, a person responded by asking who she was.

"I'm Fuad's -- um -- friend." Aziza explained hesitantly, choosing to go with the friend route because revealing the tag would be too bold.

The gate buzzed almost immediately which only made her nervous as she walked down the lengthy drive through. She couldn't help but look at the surroundings in awe, especially the gardens covered with webs of flowers. There were staff littered around but none paid attention to her.

The fleet of cars on her way to the house wasn't surprising from her visit to Maryam's house. She wondered if that's what it felt like to be wealthy. For you to own something like this and it doesn't even phase you to brag about it. She finally got to the front entrance pushing the door open, peeking her head into the house. She was met with a giant foyer and an extravagant chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Where is she?" Aziza heard an unfamiliar voice ask and she soon heard footsteps approach her. A gorgeous woman made her way down the stairs in an elegant way, and Aziza couldn't help but stare up at her in admiration.

"How have you been?" The woman asked with her arms stretched, her tone slightly dreadful.

Aziza didn't think twice as she embraced the woman, her hands coming to rest on her back. They pulled away moments after as the woman glanced down at Aziza with a smile, only for her slight smile to vanish almost immediately when she met Aziza's eyes.

"Who are you?" The woman asked bluntly, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm Aziza, Fuad's friend." Aziza introduced, the little confidence she had left dissipating from the woman's reaction.

"Fuad has other friends, interesting." The woman muttered as she laced her fingers together.

"Is he around, please?" Aziza asked hesitantly. The woman who Aziza guessed was Fuad's mother seemed to assed Aziza as her eyes raked Aziza's whole figure with a slight condescending look.

"Where do you know him again?" She chose to ask, her gaze unsure.

"From school, ma'am." Aziza answered almost immediately, severely intimidated by the woman standing a few meters from her making her question her whole existence.

"Victoria." She called out and a woman appeared moments later, her hands behind her back.

"Yes ma'am."

"Go tell Fuad he has a guest." Her tone was biting when she regarded Aziza and she was out the door the next second, not bothering to spare her another glance. A few minutes later Fuad came down the stairs in a brown hoodie, his eyes widening when he spotted Aziza standing in his foyer.

"What are you doing here?" Fuad asked in a hushed tone as his hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her with him.

"I came to check how you were doing." Aziza whined tripping over nothing as she tried to match his pace.

"Why didn't you call first?" Fuad hissed giving off Aziza as she snatched her hand out of his grasp halting his movements as he turned to face her.

"Because I haven't been able to reach you for two weeks now. I was worried sick about you." Aziza snapped, fed up with the way Fuad was treating her. Fuad's eyes softened when he realized she had been trying her best and he wasnt making things easier for her.

"This past week has been hard on us." Fuad massaged his forehead leaving Aziza to stare at the side of his head incredulity, baffled with what he just uttered.

"If you haven't realized Fuad," Aziza cocked her head to the side with a sad smile. "Faisal was my friend too."

"You're right. It has been hard for you too, but I just need some time to clear my head." Fuad rested his hands on her shoulders as he peered into her eyes.

"I have a feeling that you have a problem with letting me in." Aziza said honestly causing Fuad to furrow his brows.

"What's the basis of this presumption?" Fuad tilted his head to the side.

"Because for some reason, your mom seemed pretty happy to see me at first until she realised I wasnt the person she had in mind. Care to tell me why?" She raised an accusing brow. Fuad rolled his eyes tearing his hands off her shoulders.

"She probably thought you were Maryam." He sighed, his gaze lowered to the polished floors.

"I know that, is there a reason behind her assumption?" Aziza asked accusingly and his eyes quickly snapped to her in disblelief.

"Wait," Fuad scoffed. "You think Maryam came over?"

"What else? You guys seem to hanging out a lot recently and yet you don't even give me the light of day." Aziza threw her hands up exasperatedly.

"Maryam and I aren't even on good terms. You of all people would know that. There's no way in hell she'd come to the house." Fuad defended. "My mom probably thought you were her because Maryam is the only girl she knows I'm close to."

"Your mom doesn't know about me?" Aziza scrunched her brows. She was hurt.

"No." Fuad said quietly.

"That explains a lot." Aziza scoffed as she turned on her heels, her back facing him to hide her tears.

"What do you want me to do, Aziza?" Fuad quipped. "Tell her about you over a cup of tea?"

"Don't do that." Aziza turned to face him. "I thought I meant something to you at least, for your mom to know about me. Everyone around you even."

"It isn't as easy. You think she knows any detail about me apart from my name?" Fuad raised his brows and Aziza suddenly felt like a bucket of water dumped on her.

"It can't be that bad--"

"It is." Fuad interjected.

"Let's scratch that out then. The point is I know you have been spending a lot of time around them and yet all you do is push me away. You don't confide in me, instead you seek that somewhere else." Aziza snarled, her face scrunched in disgust.

"We were the closest people to him. We're the only people who can understand each other's loss."

"You keep forgetting that Faisal was my friend too."

"It isn't about grief anymore." Fuad snapped. "I'm filled with regret and I don't even know how to get rid of it. I regret our fight at the bleachers, the locker room, I regret the fact that I let trivial matters come between us. He's gone, and I can't do anything to make things right. He left with anger and disappointment towards me. Do you know how that makes me feel?" Fuad tilted his head to the side, his eyes welled with tears.

Aziza couldn't help but feel emotional as well, seeing the boy she loved in so much pain. She took a few steps to reach him, pulling him into a hug. He accepted williny as he rested his forehead on her shoulder wrapping his arms around her so tight, it started to hurt. Aziza was too distracted with his heart wrenching cries to feel the pain.

•••

Faisal's mother called them over.

That's how they found themselves in the familiar living room they used to frequent when they were younger. Fuad, Bilal and Maryam were seated in silence, none with the energy to say anything.

Faisal's mother appeared not long after. A sight of her on the floor bawling her eyes out is way better than what they were seeing. Her face was puffy and she seemed to have lost a significant amount of weight. She flashed them a small smile as soon as she saw them.

"You're here." She beamed. "How's your parents?"

The trio chorused with their replies and she nodded to each one. It was like life was sucked out of the house completely, leaving the people in it, a shadow of themselves. They could remember the last time they came over where Faisal bantered with his mom and they ended up binge watching naruto for the rest of the day.

They were a small family but full of life thanks to their frivolous child. After trying for so long they finally got him and showered him with love and affection. Every one of them admired how their family were so seeing it crumble broke their hearts.

"We're giving out his stuff and I know how much he loved you kids," Her voice shook. "I knew it would be only right if you were the first to go."

She got off her seat jerking her head towards the twin staircase. The trio followed suit as they made their way up the staircase. A bright hallway greeted them with a window at the end where Faisal's room is located. They turned to his mother who paused with her hand on her chest.

"Are you okay--" Maryam asked in concern as she walked towards the grieving woman.

"Yes, I just have some things to do." She cleared her throat. "You go ahead first. It's the door at the far end on the left." Her words were rushed as she turned on her heels, disappearing down the hallway. They already knew the location of his room and she also knew that. The trio realized she obviousky wasn't in the right space of mind.

They made their way towards the room and everyone hesitated as they stopped in front of the door. Bilal mustered the courage as he pushed the door open, reopening their wounds. The room looked like Faisal was the last person in the room.

There were a pile of clothes that were messily folded on his bed, and his bag thrown beside his desk on the floor. Maryam walked closer to his bed finding his favorite green hoodie on top of the pile. She felt a lump in her throat as she picked up the plush material in her hands. He wore that hoodie every chance he got and he was wearing it when he dropped by to see her before he went to the tournament. She hugged it to her chest burying her face in the hoodie to muffle her cries.

Bilal moved to the other side of the room towards the glass sheft containing his trophies and their celebratory pictures. He had a bright future ahead of him. Bilal's eyes flitted to a picture framed of the two of them. The captain and co-captain. Bilal had his arm around Faisal's shoulders with their jerseys on moments after their big win. They stared at the camera with infectious smiles, overjoyed with their victory. How he wished he could go back.

Fuad stayed rooted to his spot as he stared a hole through the floor. This room held a lot of memories for them and when he recalled Faisal being lowered to his grave, his mind turned blank. He was scared of this moment, coming into his room to realize he was truly gone, not away for sometime. It was hard to process or accept.

His eyes wandered to his friends immersed in their grief and he found himself walking towards his desk, his hand coming to pick the leather watch he saw Faisal wear every single day unless he was dressing up or going all out. It was a birthday gift they all pitched to buy for him as a birthday present four years ago. It was a Richard Mille and their parents weren't about to hand them that much money individually at their age. He could still remember the multiple emotions that ran through his face when he realized what it was.

He knew Faisal didn't wear it because of the cost but more of the sentimental value he had for it. It was true, what his mother said. He loved them all and he never really got to appreciate that. At the end of the day, Maryam held onto his hoodie, Bilal held onto his custom made Jersey and Fuad held onto his watch.

All parts of him.

•••

Maryam's ride was late.

Fuad offered her a ride instead and that was how they ended up in his car, a defeaning silence in the cramped space. Fuad couldn't help but look over to Maryam occasionally, his mind urging him to say something -- anything to her.

He was too immersed in thought to realize he was slowing down in front of the gates of her house until he heard Maryam mutter a thank you with a hand on the locks. He turned to her in a swift motion but she was already out of the car and ringing the door bell at the side of the gate. Faisal quickly made his way out of the car causing Maryam to turn towards him when she heard the door slam.

"Is your father home?" Fuad raised his brows. He was truly worried because he knew her father was the only person she had and the last thing he wanted was to leave her all alone at the house with nobody to look after her.

"Yeah." Maryam's answer though short, gave him the assurance he needed. Her father has been supportive and she loves and appreciates her father, but she knew it won't be long before he leaves once again. She made a move to ring the doorbell once again only for Fuad to grab her arm, refraining her from doing so. Her eyes flickered to his hand calmly causing him to retract his hand.

"Can we talk?" Faisal tilted his head to the side.

"Let's do that later. I'm al--"

"Please." Fuad insisted cutting off Maryam. She nodded due to the urgency in his voice as she looked towards the gate.

"Okay let me call someone to get the gate." Maryam murmured rifling through her bag for her phone, though she seemed to be struggling with Faisal's hoodie in her hand so she tucked it under her arm.

"We could go somewhere." Fuad offered which made her pause as she looked up at him.

"You have somewhere in mind." Maryam deduced, quirking her brow.

"You can say that." Fuad bobbed his head as he made his way to the car, pulling the passengers seat open as an invitation. She made her way towards him getting into the car leaving him to close her door. After a few minutes, they arrived at a familiar destination which earned a questionable look from Maryam. Fuad turned to her after turning the gear.

"Shall we?"

The duo made their way towards the building and considering they were regulars there, they didn't need to wait for confirmation to get to the place they wanted. Fuad walked into the spacious basketball indoor court with his hands in his pockets, reminiscent of the times the four of them would play for hours. And talk for hours at the bleachers until their parents called them back.

"Remember when we used to hang out here, day in, day out?" A smile brightened his face as he looked around the empty place, eyes glazed.

"You wanted us to talk, so how about we leave the reminiscing for another time?" Maryam crossed her arms over her chest, her face stoic. Fuad's small smile faded at her words as he used his free hand to brush his hand over his hair. It was silent.

"Losing Faisal snapped me to reality. No matter what happened between us doesn't mean we should end something that means a lot to us. I don't want to procure another loss. I can't." Fuad expressed sincerely. This has been on his mind for the longest time, and he wasn't about to make the same mistake with Maryam.

Maryam remained quiet.

"We made a fair share of mistakes and I believe a lot might've been driven by misunderstandings. I know it's hard, accepting your mistakes but our ego shouldn't get in the way of our friendship." Her silence was something he was used to, even when they were on good terms. Maryam chose her words, and took her time to relay them. He couldn't help but feel anxious of her reply.

"What you don't understand is," Maryam pressed her lips together. "There's nothing left for you to fix. You can't fix what's already broken."

"Is this about Aziza?" Fuad asked, straightforward.

Maryam couldn't help but chuckle at his assumption. That was a shallow way to look at it. It just proved to her the depth of their relationship. He never truly understood her and she had a feeling he never cared to.

"Aziza's role in all this was miniscule but eye opening. My reservations with her has nothing to do with you, but her and I'm not discussing that with you." Maryam clarified. "Aziza made me realize that I misunderstood a lot in our friendship. I always believed we were on the same page and i guess that's a fault on my part."

Fuad was offended. "What are you even talking about Maryam?"

"Remember what your mom told us the first time we came over after your injury?" Maryam questioned.

"The foundation of every relationship is trust." Fuad nodded his head.

"I can't trust you anymore Fuad because you never trusted me yourself. If you did, you would've at least asked me about Aziza. Yet you believed I was capable of every single thing she told you. Hell," She chuckled humorlessly. "You even questioned my honesty on things you knew affected me for years. So to answer your question, what I'm trying to tell you is what you said, your actions, they already told me everything I needed to know."

Her words hit deep.

Though Fuad seemed to have a hard time accepting it.

"I know we got -- involved in the past and me going out with Aziza might've been wrong and unfair to you, but come on. Before we got together, we were once friends. Regarding what you said about Aziza, you're right, i might've jumped into conclusions and I'm sorry for that. I know how we can be, it's not our fault but our nature. When we meet someone below us, we can't help but act some type of way toward them. I guess I was too protective of her at the time and lashed out, more than I was supposed to, to understand you." Fuad hanged his head in shame. He knew he made some questionable decisions, blinded by his infatuation with Aziza and admitting them made him feel bad.

"I wasn't looking for a lackey from Aziza. I saw a friend in her, a sister. But she obviously didn't share the same mindset. I introduced her to the people closest to me, I let her be around them and till date I don't know anyone from her family. I don't know anything about her, apart from the things I deduced. And in the end she used every single aspect I trusted her with, against me. Including you." Maryam tilted her head to the side nonchalantly, watching in amusement as Fuad raised his head in surprise.

"She never saw me as a friend, more like a competition and who was ending up with more in the end."

"It might not have been the best on our part but she had no choice but to. It was either her side or yours. She also had to get someone on her side." Fuad came to Aziza's defense and Maryam couldn't help but laugh internally at the irony.

"Faisal in his own way," She couldn't help but smile at the memory. "He called me out. He said i was a bit too harsh and part of me agreed with him. He never asked for an explanation from me and he still continued his friendship with Aziza. All three of you and I never said anything. I never gave you an option to choose. You gave yourself that."

"How is she supposed to know that? Give her some credit. You turned against her because she stood up for herself for once. Faisal might've been on good terms with her but you know what he said that day. She's a human being with feelings Maryam." Fuad hissed as his hands raised up exasperatedly. Maryam didn't budge as she watched him pace around, wondering when the tables turned and they were the victims.

As she stood in front of him after all those months of heartbreak, she realized she fell in love with a person she didn't truly know. It wss true. She fell in love with the version of him she grew to know. And that's how she knew she was truly over him. She didn't care to warn him about Aziza or insult him, tell him something he would never forget.

She realized that would only mean she cared enough to do that. It didn't matter to her anymore. All Maryam wanted was to tell him what was on her mind and go back to her room and find comfort on her bed. There's a huge chance this is the last time they're meeting anyway. So she decided to leave him with something to think about.

"You know," Maryam stated. "Seeing you now coming to her defense even after everything I've said to you, something I know for a fact you didn't do the same for me, just gave me the answer I needed. You were infatuated with me, you never loved me, not in that sense." A defeaning silence followed after her statement. Fuad stared at her face which seemed blank, no emotion whatsoever. Her statement was something that punched Fuad in the gut and her expression only made things worse for him.

There was no disappointment in her face like Faisal's when they fought at the lockeroom. It seemed like whatever he did wasn't surprising to her anymore, nor did she care.

Fuad parted his lips, his voice low. "Can it ever go back to the way it was?" He asked with a heavy heart.

"I'm through being the one to put you back together, Fuad. I won't collect the pieces of your shattered heart anymore."