Hoorain was hurriedly walking towards her class, while searching for her icard in her handbag. She didn't noticed a person coming from opposite side and bumped into him

"Ouch!" Hoorain mumbled as she held her forehead

"I'm really sorry, Hoori, are you okay?" A masculine voice startled her. Hoorain rasied her head to look at the person who bumped into her

She was met with a familiar face which she has saw many times with Zaryab. He was Zaryab's best friend, Shaqib

"My name is Hoorain." Taking her hand off from her forehead, Hoorain straighten up her posture and said

"I'm... Sorry.. actually Zaryab also calls you Hoori so..."

"Zaryab is my cousin." Hoorain interrupted him

"And I'm no one." Shaqib was telling himself or asking her. Hoorain didn't know

"I didn't mean it like that. But people who are close to me calls me Hoori. Hope you understand." Smiling politely, Hoorain said

"I totally understand. And I hope in future we will be friends." Shaqib returned her smile into a charming one and said

"I'm getting late for my class." Nodding her head, Hoorain said

"Sure!" Shaqib moved from her way

≤≥≤≥≤≥

"Zaryab, hum achhe dost haina." Shaqib sat beside Zaryab in canteen and said

(We are good friends, right?)

"Nahi!" Zaryab looked at him weirdly and refused

(No!)

"Hum college ke pehle din se sath haina." Shaqib again said

(We are together since first day of college.)

"Haan toh?"

(Yes, so?)

"Yaar, tumhari mangi toh tay hogayi, woh bhi ussey jissey tum pasand karte ho toh.. meri bhi thodi setting karwa do..."

(Dude, you are getting engaged to the person whom you like. Can you fix my relationship too?)

"Marriage bureau nahi khola hai maine."

(Do I look like a Cupid to you?)

"Dost ke liye itna nahi kar sakte? Aur waise bhi tumhe hume sirf introduce karwana Hai. Baki main sambhal lunga."

(Can't you be one for your friend? You just have to introduce us. I'll manage it her things.)

"Matlab tumhe ladki already pasand Hai? Who is she?" When Shaqib nod his head on Zaryab's first question. Zaryab excitedly asked. Wanting to know whom does his friend likes

(Which means you have liked a girl for yourself?)

"Your cousin.... Hoorain." Shy smile was on Shaqib's face as he replied which instantly removed Zaryab's cheerful mood

"Dimag toh theek Hai tumhara? Hoorain cousin Hai Meri. How can you think about her like that?"

(Have you lost your mind? Hoorain is my cousin.)

"Why are you getting angry? I know she is your cousin and believe me, the feelings I have for her are genuine." Shaqib wasn't excepting this reaction from Zaryab

"She is very young. It is better for you to forget her."

"She is in same year as Anabia. Yet you are getting engaged to Anabia. What's wrong if I like Hoorain and wants to marry her? Why are you getting possessive?" Shaqib's questions silenced Zaryab who didn't had any answer.

≤≥≤≥≤≥

After class, Hoorain quickly got up to leave but when saw Anabia was still sitting on her bench, she also stopped. Hoorain has noticed Anabia was looking disturbed but didn't know the reason

"Kya hua?" When everyone left, Hoorain asked Anabia,

(What happened?)

Anabia just raised her head to look at Her and again turned to gaze at empty space

"Annu!" Anabia's strange behavior made Hoorain worried, sitting beside Anabia, Hoorain put her hand on her shoulder and called her

"Mehrab humse baat nahi kar rahe hain." Anabia sigh and told Hoorain the reason behind her restless heart

(Mehrab isn't talking to me.)

"Kya?" At first, Hoorain didn't believed what her ear heard were correct. But, one look on Anabia, she realized Anabia is indeed serious

(What?)

"Tum... Tum Sach mein Mehrab ke barey mein soch rahi ho?" Hoorain's eyes had disbelief

(Are you.... Are you really thinking about Mehrab?)

"Itni bekhabar bhi mat raho, Annu. Kya tum nahi janti unke dil mein Kya hai? Yeh sab janne ke baad bhi tum chahti ho woh pehle ki tarah tumhare sath rahe. Aisa impossible Hai, unhe unke haal pe chorh do aur tum Zaryab pe dhyan do." Hoorain said in stern voice, leaving no place for argument

(Don't be so oblivious, Annu. Don't you know what Mehrab's feels? But still you want him to behave the same like before. Which is impossible. Let Mehrab be this way and focus on Zaryab.)

Picking her bag, Hoorain left, not wanting to talk to Anabia about this anymore

Anabia was busy in her thoughts to noticed that she made her friend upset

How can she even think like this? Hoorain thought, she wasn't angry but disappointed in Anabia. She is getting engaged to Zaryab and she is busy in Mehrab's thought

This confusion of her will break three heart and she just can't realized this

Shaking her head to shook her thoughts away too, Hoorain looked at her left when her eyes fall on Mehrab. He was sitting on his usual spot in garned area of college. Hoorain decided to check on him, is he okay or not.

"Mehrab sir!" Going to him, Hoorain called him

"Hoorain!" Mehrab looked confused when found Hoorain there

Smiling at him, Hoorain sat beside him

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. Are you okay?" In return, Mehrab asked her. Looking at her, trying to read her emotions from her face. Just like always, she hide her feelings by her charming smile

"I'll be okay." Hoorain shrugged her shoulder

"I don't think I'll be okay. Not after knowing...." Mehrab was saying when realized he spoke too much. Hoorain doesn't know the truth. Neither he had idea of truth

All he knows, Anabia lied. She is not his Zabail.

Hoorain was looking at him expectedly, asking him to continue but he held silence

"Kai baar hume lagta Hai ki kuch logo ke jane se hum jee nahi payenge. Par aisa nahi hota. Humare jeene ki zaroorat sirf humara aap hota Hai. Kon aa raha Hai, kon ja raha Hai, issey farq nahi padhta. Bas hum apne aap ko kabhi na khoye, Farq sirf issey padta hai." Hoorain looked at the drowning sun, which has lost its gleam while orange hue were still around him. She didn't noticed Mehrab's astonished express

(Sometimes we think, we can't live without someone. But that's not true. The only important thing in our life is ourselves. Who stays in our life, who don't, doesn't matter. In this process, we should not lose ourselves. That's important.)

"Tum... Itni gehri baatein kaise kar leti ho." Looking a her, Mehrab asked. This young girl always leave him speechless

(How you talk so deeply?)

"Huh?" His question made Hoorain confused as she avert her eyes away from sun and looked at him

Laughing, Hoorain shrugged her shoulder.

"Mehrab, humare college mein toh koi Zabail Ahmed nahi padhti." Mehrab and Hoorain's conversation was interrupt by a loud voice, which belongs to Mehrab's best friend, Danish

(There is no Zabail Ahmed in our college.)

Danish was in rush, that's why didn't noticed Hoorain's presence there and when did, he got startled and quickly shut up. While Mehrab glare at him for saying Zabail's name in Hoorain's presence

"Zubi aapi?" Before Mehrab could say anything, Hoorain mumbled in confusion, looking between Mehrab and Danish

"Tum janti ho unhe?" Both Mehrab and Danish were surprised. Mehrab asked her.

(You know Zabail?)

"Aap Annu ki badi behen ki baad kar rahe Haina?" Hoorain was still confused. Why Mehrab was asking about Zabail? Why Mehrab's eyes glint when heard she knows Zabail? There were many questions in her mind, which she didn't ask

(You are talking about Anabia's sister, right?)

"Anabia ki... Badi behen?.. Zabail Hai?" Mehrab slowly drank her words and asked. Hoorain nod her head

(Zabail is Anabia's sister?)

"Lekin aap unke barey mein kyu maloom kar rahe the. Woh toh already graduate Hain aur Zimraan uncle ke office mein kaam karti hain."

(But why are you asking about her? She is already graduate and works alongside with her father.)

"Woh Kya haina...." Mehrab was about her tell her everything but Danish put his hand on Mehrab's shoulder

(I...)

"Woh... Bas aise hi..." Mehrab cleared his throat and mumbled

(It's nothing important....)

Hoorain didn't ask anything further. Not wanting to overstep her limits

≤≥≤≥≤≥

It's already 19 chapters and this story is going no way (according to me.) I'll pick a real full speed now. So don't be confused with some sudden change of event and then ask me yeh kab hua?

Actually, you can ask yeh kab hua.. lekin confuse mat hona 😁

-Ufaq