Pushing his bag on his shoulder Izaan looked at a beaming Safwa who was waving at him to join them. He couldn't help reciprocating her smile.

"Hope I'm not late."

He said looking around once he had stood next to Sarim and Safwa.

"Not at all. We are yet to get the passes though."

"Pretty early you are in doing that."

He snorted but Safwa just shrugged her shoulders. Izaan punched Sarim on the arm whose back was to them. Sarim turned around and smiled.

"Hesham told me and I quote' come soon you rascal! Leave whatever you're doing! Our brotherhood is in question! Sarim needs our support!' and here Sarim is as good as new."

Sarim rolled his eyes.

"Hesham and his melodrama."

"Where is he by the way?"

"He has a class."

Safwa informed him. Sarim smirked.

"I highly doubt that."

Safwa didn't know whether to be offended or laugh along with them.

"I mean he is in the middle of a lecture. Will join us shortly."

"So what is it we are doing exactly?"

Izaan looked around at the throng of the students gathered there.

"Isn't it obvious? We are here for a play of the dramatic club."

"Is Hesham performing?"

"Will you stop it? And no! It's Elaf Daud whose performance we all never miss."

Izaan's immediate reaction was looking at Sarim who groaned knowing too well what this look implied. Izaan had heard about this class fellow of Sarim far too often. How Sarim was pretty taken to having an argument with her every now and then.

"She's an excellent theater actor! Like the best we have at the moment and her written plays always have all those nuances and deep meanings told in a subtle way. I'm a low key fan and so is Sarim."

"Bugger off! I'm not!"

"He hasn't missed any of her plays. This time around it wasn't announced if she would be performing or not and look at Sarim! He ignored the news like it didn't even matter!"

Sarim was sure by now everyone standing around would know about his. Izaan's reaction was just an eyebrow raise in his direction and in returned he got a bird flipping from Sarim. No biggie.

"You guys stay here and keep on doing your BBQ. I just go arrange for us actually getting inside."

If Izaan was hoping she'd take time getting the passes at such last minute arrangement, he was proven wrong. Safwa was walking towards them with four of the white chits in her hand. Her lips broke into a smile seeing Hesham had joined them as well.

"Here we go!"

Both Sarim and Hesham were walking ahead while Izaan stayed back eyeing his pass and then the crowd gathered at the entrance.

"How did you get these so easily?"

He asked. Safwa just laughed like a kid caught doing something she shouldn't have.

"Used your Safwa Kirmani privilege?"

"It's not my fault I'm famous around the campus."

Izaan could say nothing to that. Safwa pushed him towards the side door to where the entrance to the sitting area was. They both joined Hesham and Sarim already seated in the second row because who the hell would be able to see Elaf performing if they got the seats at the back? Not Sarim's words. Not at all.

________

It was exactly after five minutes when the lights on the stage were dimmed and the voice of the narrator started echoing through the silent ambiance. There were many exquisite words, praises from deep Urdu heritage, ringing in their ears like a honey filled melody. The wordplay as always was great, binding them all in a spell.

And then started the actual thing for which most of them were here. The characters slowly started appearing in front of them. Each in its own light, in its own aura. And at last was the entry of Elaf Daud.

It wasn't easy recognizing her. Discarding her usual jeans and top attire she was totally dressed as her character had demanded. In a long flowly anarkali suit with her hair in a braid. The peculiar thing about her was the various pieces of jewelry she had worn. And when she looked at the crowd everyone was spellbound.

Her every movement had the grace of someone straight out from a vintage novel, someone with the grace and grief of a princess of a far off land.

She was moving, she was laughing, she was crying, taking her audience along. Gliding on the journey of myriad of emotions. Her face was the most expressive among them all. Not even one move missed. It all was coming from within. This was her area. Her arcade. Her anchor. Something which was solely hers. Which made her happy. Which made her feel alive.

Being a character from the wrinkled pages of her play journal. Someone who wasn't her but still was her. She didn't know who was watching. She didn't care if anyone was feeling what she was conveying.

She was just doing what she did best.

And a person sitting in the fourth seat of the second row had followed her every move, noticed every nuance of her emotions spread on her face, every curl of the smile she was showing to the audience.

Elaf Daud had her biggest admirer rooting for her.

Sarim Haider had his biggest inspiration performing in front of him.

And somewhere it all was fitting. Merging. Shifting.

____________

The claps are hooting around had shaken Sarim out of a daze. He looked at his friends. Safwa was as usual the loudest with her cheers while both Izaan and Hesham were looking impressed. Elaf and her team were thanking the audience for giving them another successful show. Professor Kaleem was standing to the side looking proud of his small club he had put his heart and soul into.

"That was good but what was it about?"

Reeja turned towards them and scrunched her nose.

"I've always said that Elaf goes way too subtle with her hints and connections. I couldn't grasp what she was trying to convey."

"Seriously, Reeja? After sitting through the whole thing this is what you have to say?"

Safwa looked offended.

"I mean it's allowed isn't it? Asking questions after something which didn't make any sense to you?"

"She was representing a normal woman out of a desi setting. The way she was dressed indicated that we like to put the show that we treat our women as queens. But the lots of jewelry she was wearing specially that huge anklet, that tells that in most settings they are no queens, they are prisoners. Also, the way she was constantly looking into the mirror and changing her expressions, it was symbolic of how we make women question their own sanity."

The explanation hadn't come from Safwa. It'd be the person sitting next to her. Sarim Haider. Everyone looked in his direction. Even Elaf who was passing them to get to her friends and know their opinion.

Elaf stopped in her tracks. This was the best summarization of the play she had heard. The moment she had put down the points in front of her team, they all became skeptical. Narmeen's play had many loopholes in it and on seeing Elaf making huge changes she had acted on her petty instincts and at the last moment, two days back pulled her play back stating she wasn't interested in having it played anymore. This was a low blow but Elaf knew what she had to do. They had a show planned and she'd let nothing mar the reputation of her dramatics club. She had a rough sketch of a play she started working on the night she had attended that wedding in her relatives. The inspiration had come from there and she just brushed some points and the play was up for them to start working on. Time was short and they couldn't even advertise it properly but seeing someone actually understanding what she was trying to convey had her rooted to her spot.

"Thank you, Sarim! And honestly nothing was hard to pick on. You weren't just paying attention."

Safwa gave her famous sweet yet mean smile to Reeja.

"Even I got the gist of it and that's saying something."

Hesham put in earning himself an encouraging pat from Izaan.

"Maybe if you had looked away from Hamza, you'd be able to pick on what was actually happening."

Reeja smiled sheepishly and then shrugged her shoulders.

"Can't help it when he's looking like a snack."

Safwa groaned. Sarim didn't find it appropriate to give her any reaction. Izaan just shrugged while Hesham gave her a thumbs up.

"Hey, Elaf!"

Some of them had noticed the person standing at some distance when Safwa shouted her name.

"Another great performance! You do you!"

Elaf waved at her and in doing so, her eyes lingered just a little longer on Sarim Haider who wasn't looking at her.

After having eyes for her all through her performance, now when she was eyeing him, he wasn't looking.

But this was a beginning and beginnings often happen that way only. Missed chances. Stolen glances.

________

"I must say coming here wasn't a bad idea. It was a good show."

Izaan exclaimed as they all sat on the stairs leading to the main university corridor.

"Told you. Attending an event of the dramatics club is never a waste of money."

Safwa zipped her bag after checking her phone.

"So what now?"

Hesham asked using Sarim's arm as a support to half sit and half lay down. Sarim tried playing it cool but soon gave up.

"Get your straw factory away from me!"

"This factory and what's inside is hard to find."

Hesham pointed towards his head.

"That's why nobody ever found it. Hard. Very hard. "

Izaan chuckled at the ongoing banter and saw Safwa getting up.

"You guys can continue. I'm off."

"Come on, Safi! Don't be a killjoy!"

Hesham whined but Safwa shook her head.

"It's already late, Hesham. I've dinner planned with Phupho so can't stay."

"Now who am I to say anything against that? Have you driver come?"

It was no news that Safwa would never change her prior plans with her phupho for anything.

"Yes, he's just texted me. He's in the parking. I should get going then. See you guys tomorrow hun! Bye!"

"Bye!"

The guys said in chorus. Safwa picked up her bag all the while checking her texts. And soon she had rounded the corner leading to the main university road.

"So it's just three of us now. Anyone else have prior commitment?"

Sarim asked looking between the two of them who just shrugged.

"Excellent. We'll pack Mubarak's Biryani from here and then decide on the way where to next."

"Seems like a plan!"

Hesham shouted excitedly getting up. Izaan was about to follow suit when his eyes fell on the abandoned folder to the corner.

Safwa's folder.

He picked it up and with a thoughtful expression on his face turned to his friends.

"You guys go ahead I just come in a few."

"Where are you going? Stay with us you aren't from here. We can't afford a child going missing."

Izaan sighed and showed them the folder.

"Safi being Safi! Go ahead! Give it to her and meet at us back gate cafeteria."

"Roger that."

He said hurriedly and almost ran towards where Safwa had just gone to.

___________

Safwa was in the middle of the way to the parking when she felt someone running behind her. Turning around she came face to face with an out of breath Izaan.

"Izaan?"

"You forgot this."

He handed her the folder which she took with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry you had to rush to get this to me."

"No biggie. It seems pretty heavy so must be important."

"It has my written assignments and handouts. So thank you for saving me the hassle. But I'm feeling bad! You could've called me!"

"It wouldn't have lessened the distance from here to the stairs."

"True but if you'd called me I would've stopped walking and would be waiting for you."

"I don't think calling always is necessary."

"To stop someone you have to tell them to stop, Izaan."

She played with the corner of her folder and then perked up on remembering something.

"How's your grandfather?"

"He's good. He talks about you a lot."

"I also talk about him to my phupho. He has such a vast knowledge about books."

"He's a retired professor of literature. What do you expect out of him."

"Did you read the book I suggested him to buy for you."

"I'm reading it. It's good so far."

"It's amazing. You can always hit me up whenever you get done with it to share your experience with me. I'd love to know what you think about it."

"Will definitely do."

What he didn't tell her, he wasn't big on reading, especially poetry books didn't fall under his favourite books category. But seeing her so excited it didn't sit well with him to tell her this tiny detail.

"See you around, Safwa."

"Yeah, see you around. Bye, Izaan."

She started walking back to where she was going and he also turned around to go back to Sarim and Hesham.

Both didn't know this unplanned encounter was what their story was going to be about.

___________

The used disposable plates and cups were placed to the side in a plastic wrapper. Hesham took another sip from his coke bottle and then looked at his friends. Sarim was sitting with his head on the back of the bench while Izaan stood close by leaning against a tree.

"Okay!"

Hesham clapped his hands to get their attention and it didn't go unsuccessful. Both were fully attentive towards him.

"So, Sarim by child would you like to elaborate what exactly is going on between you and Elaf?"

Sarim groaned and then looked helplessly at Izaan who shook his head.

"I'm sorry but this time around mother is also interested to know the details."

"Screw you both."

"The attempt to divert the topic has gone to waste because as you can surely tell no one is interested in screwing us at the moment."

"You can give competition to nosy aunties, Hesham who start asking newlyweds the morning after if there's some good news."

"Is there?"

"Fuck you, wanker!"

"Then tell us the deets!"

"There's nothing to tell to be honest."

Izaan sat down next to Sarim.

"Why is that you are so drawn towards her?"

"I'm actually drawn towards her spirit."

"What? You mean as in her spirit? That ghost thingy?"

Izaan was the one to slap Hesham on his head this time around.

"He means her zeal! The way she puts her heart and soul in what she does!"

"From the place I come from, you aren't allowed to live according to your will. And living your dreams is impossible. She's an average student in the class. I can always beat her during a debate on any mechanical process out there but when she goes up on the stage, that's where things take a complete turn. She's the boss there. She lives what she does standing there. And not many people I know have that kind of courage or spirit in them to live their dreams. So for that I really do admire her."

He had gotten up from where he was sitting. Two years back Elaf Daud was just another class fellow for him. Someone with a fiery temper whose wrong buttons he loved to push. But that one performance in her first play and Sarim Haider had never seen her in the same light after that. She was an inspiration to him. Someone who was doing what she could to live what she held dear and that often gave him the push to do what he was doing with his life. Of course in the classroom nothing had changed, the same bickering, giving each other challenges through eyes and always getting each other in trouble. And Sarim liked it this way. It was easy and fun. Nothing serious. Nothing deep.

"He's in love with her?"

Hesham asked looking at Sarim's back who was standing at some distance to them.

"No. He isn't. Not yet."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hesham, it's natural or you put an effort to be this thick when it comes to deep shit?"

"Honestly, I try. Very hard might I add."

"And it shows. The thing is, Sarim isn't in love with Elaf at the moment. Not that deep and toe curling love. That overrated bookish crap. But he's in love with her dream and that's just beautiful. Loving someone should always be secondary to knowing and understanding them. He knows her dreams, respects them and think of it as some kind of inspiration. So if someone has to fall in love with Elaf, I hope it will be Sarim."

Hesham was taken aback by Izaan's deep analysis of the situation.

"Wow."

"Exactly, wow."

"We sent you off to a medical school and here you are. Being a love guru of some sort. You are going bad, Mama!"

"Behave!"

"All these deep analysis are for us? What about your own love life?"

"I'm going to quote you, you've sent me to medical school and there's no concept of a love life."

"What about that girl? Whose always bugging you with her complicated medical questions? What was her name?"

"Roshna."

Sarim took his part in the conversation.

"Roshna is just a friend and besides, Kumail will cut me into pieces if I even look in her way with any wrong intention."

"A stud that Kumail is."

"Don't let him hear you saying this. In fact don't ever meet him or befriend him. I can do with only one clown at a time."

Hesham's grin was infectious. As the three friends walked on the pavement talking about nothing coherent and roasting each other about everything minuscule, the moon above kept on shining, illuminating everything in its wake just like the glow of their bond had.

_________

Putting the folded dress in bottom most section of her cupboard, Elaf picked up her phone and sat down on her bed. It was a long day and she was exhausted. It was close to midnight and she had just now taken care of the mess in her room.

But all the tiredness aside, she was so happy today's play was another success in the list going on for her dramatics club. Professor Kaleem was pleased with the way she had taken care of the things after Narmeen's backing out. But this was the thing with Elaf Daud regarding everything theater, she always knew what to do.

It all started with skits she performed in school. It came to the point that no drama activity in her high school could be completed without her being a part of it. She reveled in the feeling of going on stage and be anyone she wanted to be. She was often told she was a natural. It came to her as easy as breathing. But she never took it seriously. But only after getting into university and meeting professor Kaleem did she realize how gifted she was as a theater artist. She had a phase of being drawn towards the Shakespearean view of drama like any theater enthusiast out there but when she discovered her own play-writing tendencies there was no looking back. Incorporating the desi norms and problematic themes into her characters and situations, she became a favourite even in her university dramatics club and was now the most devoted member of it.

As she scrolled down her Insta feed, her eyes fell on many pictures her friends had posted from today's event. She smiled seeing few of those when she stopped at a particular one.

It was posted by Zeeshan, a class fellow of her and an amazing photographer. He wasn't hired today to cover the event but he was still there to get the aesthetic feel. It was a picture of the stage, students and the dramatic club members were both there. The caption was also something on the lines of how they get to see a new story in every performance and how it was adding to the creativity spectrum of the university students.

Elaf smiled and scrolled through the comments. Most of the people were also agreeing with him and one such comment was of Sarim Haider.

Elaf's eyes lingered on his name for some time. The incident after the play was coming back to her mind. She slowly clicked on his name and his profile opened before her.

It was a private account.

But his username had her giggling.

"Sarcasmrim"

He was being followed by many of her class fellows even all of her friends were also added to his account.

Elaf took a deep breath. It was just a request.

But she was sending a request to Sarim Haider.

Should she?

Was she ready to see his life through insta's lens and show him hers?

Fuck it. Just a request.

Elaf punched the follow button and pushed her phone aside. In normal circumstances she would never do this but hearing his thoughts about her play and its message had shifted something within her. He had been so right about the whole thing as if he was watching with full concentration the whole damn time.

It was something she hadn't expected. Least of all from him.

Her phone pinged and she knew before even opening what the notification was about.

Her request was accepted and a similar follow request was sent to her account.

As Elaf clicked on the accept button, she was both smiling and rolling her eyes.

The next half an hour was spent in reading his sarcastic and witty captions and Elaf couldn't tell when she had last enjoyed half an hour on insta to this extent.

Sarim Haider was something.

And something was shifting within her.

Unknown to her the situation wasn't any different on the other side as well. Elaf Daud wasn't that active on Insta but the pictures she had posted were straight meme material. Sarim was continuously shaking his head at her wicked sense of humor.

Something was shifting here as well.

_______

Safwa rolled down on her side with her complete focus on the book. She didn't know why her to go poetry was bordering on Ahmed Faraz these days.

As she turned the page a very familiar piece of poetry was in front of her.

Guftufu achi lagi zoq e nazar acha laga

She was reminded of the day the same page of this book had fallen in Izaan's feet and how he had then helped her gathering her stuff from the sidewalk.

A slow smile slowly adored her lips and soon she was oblivious to her surroundings as sleep took over her.

The open ghazal was secure close to her heart as she slept hugging it.

Not even realizing the shifting in the far corners of her heart.

______

The whole day had been spent with his friends and Izaan would never term this kind of the day as a complete waste. Smiling to himself he was cleaning his study table before going to the bed. His heavy MBBS books and notes were placed to the side in a neat stack. He only left those things in his bag which were important as the burden of it was not something he found pleasant.

As he was pushing the bag to the side, his hands felt the thing in the last pocket and even before opening it he knew what was there.

He sighed deeply and took out the book Abba had brought for him on Safwa's suggestion. Izaan traced the cover with his fingers. It wasn't something important than why he was keeping it in his bag?

He turned the pages when his hand touched the key ring fastened to the side of his bag.

It was Hesham's gift for him when he had brought the bike almost two years back.

Something shifted within Izaan and in no time the book was placed alongside the stack on his table which was not that important to him.

But going to his bed, he turned around once and gave a fleeting glance to the book. He had to.

In another corner of the city, the balcony lights of the Baig House were on even though the rest of the settlement was bathing in pitch darkness. Hesham was looking into the garden at nothing in particular.

Contrary to the general belief he wasn't as detached to the idea of feelings and something was shifting inside of him. Something he couldn't pin point yet but it would manifest itself sooner or later.

To the far corner, there was shifting in the sand as well in the drops of water. Everything was shifting but in the larger schemes of the world it was still negligible. But it won't be for long.