like starry night,
rain-soaked afternoon.
and sunday mornings,
you were gone too soon.

🥀

an/
~first prologue~

He dumped his bag on the bench before sitting.

Running his hands through his black soft hair he felt gazes on him. Turning aside he saw his two best friends plastering a huge Cheshire cat-like smile at him. Even though it creeps him out. He smiled back.

"So are you ready for our last exam Azaan,?" said one of his friends with dark auburn brown hair which; is kept brushed aside of his head, his chocolate brown orbs glimmering, his lips stretched upwards as he smiled brightly yet lazily at him.

Azaan shrugged facetiously, before zip opening his bag and taking out a textbook flipping each page carelessly and unenthusiastic. "Who cares Zahid? I'm somehow hoping to end this disaster, already" he shook his head.

"Alhamdulillah (All praises to God) after this exam we are free birds for the next two months," exclaimed, his other friend who is sitting on the desk his legs on the bench. His dark brown and thick hair brushed backward. His narrowed grey eyes were glistening and are covered with long eyelashes. His lips stretched straight exemplifying his anxiety of the question paper of their last exam on that academic year.

"Yup" Zahid popped "Me too Rounak!"

Azaan sighed exaggeratedly, as he let his gaze wander around the class looking for a specified white scarf-ed person. His breath hitched seeing her sitting at a gloomy corner near the window flipping the page of her textbook. Her gaze flickering at each word of the textbook carefully trying to sink all the answers she studied before attending the exam.

Zahid followed Azaan's gaze and then settled on her. Shaking his head, disappointedly. He kept his hand on Azaan's shoulder "Bruh! I don't understand why you are so afraid to tell her your feeling. It's been like...two years since you started liking her."

Rounak bobbed his head agreeing with his auburn-haired friend "You have a crush on her like that; of the size of Texas. Just man up and tell her your everlasting feelings and make it work out."

Azaan flipped him off and shakes his shoulder making Zahid's hand fell. "No. Can't do." he sighed

"This is just an infatuation. This... will fade away completely at once so I don't want her to get distracted by me from her studies." His both friends sighed in anguish hearing the same explanation for the umpteenth time.

He looked down at his text before taking a glance at her. Her white,fair color-ed face with a tint of reddish at her cheeks as of the recently appeared pimples. Her not so narrowed nose scrunched slightly as she took her maximum amount of concentration at the bound set of printed sheets. Her light Golden flicked brown orbs provocatively glued at the source in front of her. Her white scarf which is wrapped around her head exemplifying no hairs.

The bell ranged indicating the time for the exam to start. Making students sprint out of their respective seats to keep their non-exam related things outside the class.

"All the best" Three friends said to each other before giving each a brother's hugs.

Grabbing their bags they walked out.

Outside the exam room, there were gushes of girls whispering, hugging, wishing, some threatening them to tell the answers which they not know. Amidst the crowd, he spotted her and his younger sister for two years, hugging.

The girls hugged and wished each other. Before his sister's eyes started to roam searching for someone. Azaan turned around breaking his gaze away from both the girls.

Spotting her brother, she made a raucous voice catching the interest of others as well at the corridors "Akhiii" (brother)

Azaan looked at her tremulously and bobbed his head indicating -what do you want?-

She ran towards her brother giving him a tight hug. "All the best Akhi" she wished him in thick. Azaan smiled before planting a soft kiss on her forehead "All the best to you too, Alfi" she scowled

"Whenever you wish me, my exam was always so tough. So you better take that -all the best- back bruh!"

Azaan wiggled his brow's before letting out a small snort. "It's biology for you today right?" He asked ignoring her previous statement.

Alfiya shook her head in disapproval "No. It's physics" she grunted showing her disinterest in that subject making her brother chuckle. "Most of my friends are sitting in your class. At least that monstrous teacher could have changed Imaan's seat with me" she scoffed.

At the mentioning of his crush, he looked at her, seeing her making her way towards him or rather say towards his sister, Alfiya.

Azaan licked his lips before nodding and said

"She is coming here"

"Alfi?"

Alfiya turned around looking at her friend, Imaan who summoned her giving her a wide smile."Yes, Imaan?"

"I'm getting inside the class. Will see you after the exam at the second gate. Okay?" Alfiya nodded before hugging Imaan again.

Azaan shifted his legs giving his weight to his right leg.

"Akhi. All the best" Imaan said eyeing him up from the hug.

Azaan's eyes widened as he gasped "I'm not your Akhi (brother) Imaan" he burst. Alfiya and Imaan looked at each other in surprise. Azaan shut his eyes tightly, rubbing his hand over his face. He mentally facepalm-ed for being such an idiosyncratic.

"Ahem" Azaan coughed "I - you know already have three sisters" he pulled his three man-ly fingers at her which were shaking, nervously. "And Alhamdulillah (All praise to God) that is enough. And I-I don't need four sisters. You are my friend... um uh. NO no your my... your my Alfi's friend and I don't want you to be my sister because your brother is my reb-.... "

Ding.Ding.Ding.Ding!

The second bell ranged indicating the start of the exam as well as the end of his blabbering. Azaan left the breath he doesn't know he was caught when the bell rang. Imaan stood there gawking at Azaan while Alfiya cleared her throat looking everywhere but her brother and friend.

"I. Will see you guys later" saying so Alfiya rushed out towards her class. Imaan waved her hands over her face before sighing. Giving Azaan one small nod without looking at him she too scurried back, to her seat.

Azaan cursed himself under his breath before he turned to walk inside the classroom. He sat on his chair, running his hand through his charcoal black soft hair. He ducked his head down looking at his crush at the corner below his elbow. He gave her a sidelong glance before smiling and looking ahead of him only to get, startled.

"WHAT?" Azaan mouthed at his friends who were sitting at his front. Both the friends grinned at him before mouthing "I'm not your Akhi. Imaan" and mimicked him.

Azaan flipped them both off. His friends laughed before shaking their heads and looking straight when the instructor called their names to pay attention.

«»

Azaan sneezed before rubbing his nose with a towel making it reddish. He growled desperately. Looking at his medicines which are spread on the table. He furrowed his eyebrows exemplifying his distaste with the prevention drugs.

His mother entered the living room with a glass of hot water and a cup of soup in her hand. Azaan pouted.

"Maama I don't feel like eating" he cried out. His mother raised her eyebrows in the challenge "Then you don't eat." Azaan smiled "I'll feed you" completes making Azaan let out a small growl of disapproval.

"Maama I'm already taking those spills. So I'm thuthughu" He swallowed the soup which his mother spooned in his mouth making a face looking at his mother, disgruntled.

His mother raised her arms "Sorry. But not sorry, hun" she spooned some more soup into his mouth ignoring Azaan's protest.

"Yuck," he tugged his tongue out expressing a vomiting look. His mother rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "Like father. like son" she sighs "Both becomes children when they get fever"

Azaan's feverish face broke into a grin. Before he could counter back he saw his sister, Alfiya skipping the stairs in enthusiasm. Azaan coughed keeping his towel over his mouth.

"Alfi? Where are you going, dear?" Their mother asked. Alfiya smiled giddily before taking a shawl which was laying on the couch beside Azaan. Wrapping it around her head. She looked outside the window of the living room.

"My friend Imaan is here, outside. I'll be back soon" Alfiya rushed out of the room. Azaan's eyes widened at the mentioning of his crush. He pushed himself up from the couch on which he was laying and looked outside the window.

There she stood in a black long top and dark jeans. Her head as usual cover with her slightish-grey color-ed hijab. Her smile widened when she hugged his sister and squeezed her. Azaan chuckled at her attics.

Someone beside him cleared their throat. Azaan gasped before biting his cheeks and looking at his mother who is sitting there with a pointed look. Azaan gulped.

"Ahh, maama. Are you also having co-cough?" he asked innocently. His mother smiled sweetly which was anything but sweet before shaking her head "Till now there wasn't any. But I'm sure. I'll be getting a headache soon enough" she said once again giving him a mean look before strolling outside the living room.

Azaan shrugged, chuckling. He looked towards the window when he heard the sound of the ignition is started. His sister, Alfiya waved her hands at her friend. Blocking his view from seeing his crush.

The car, at last, took a right turn before completely moving out from his view. The front door opened. As Alfiya welcomed herself. Her face dulled and a look of loneliness in her. Azaan frowned.

"Alfi?" Alfiya looked at her feverish brother giving him a small smile. "Why did your friend came here for?" He asked.

Alfiya blew out her breath through her mouth before saying "To see me for the last time. She is moving out to another country" she sighed as her voice crooked at the end.

Azaan stood there appalled. He didn't get a glance to look at her for the last time. Didn't even got time to confess his feelings to her. If he had known that she was coming to his house for the last time he would have talked or at least have looked at her from behind her back to keep her enthralling face nailed on his heart.

But like the rainbow who came after the rain, he couldn't grasp her beauty as she disappeared before he blinked-opened his eyes.

🥀
~THROUGH THORNS OF ROSE~