Chptr 4 Meeting OLD FRIENDS
1081 Words
Aly — Present
Sameer and I drove to the hookah lounge where the rest of our school friends were supposed to meet after years.
It felt strange.
Almost unreal.
Life had pulled all of us in different directions so quickly that somewhere along the way, we forgot what slowing down together even felt like.
When we arrived, no one else had reached yet.
So Sam and I grabbed a corner booth and ordered lemonades while waiting.
A few minutes later, Nazia and Irfan walked in.
Greetings were exchanged.
Hugs.
Mock insults.
The usual.
Soon after, Nausheen and Adnan arrived, followed by Shantanu and Abrar. Shantanu informed us that Sidharth wouldn’t make it because of work.
And then finally, Shoaib entered with his now-fiancée, Alisha.
The entire table erupted immediately.
The night slowly turned warm after that.
Everyone started catching up on life as if we were trying to fill years of distance in just a few hours.
Nazia spoke proudly about how well her career was going and how successful she had become in her field.
Irfan complained about his parents trying to force him into marrying his British cousin so he could settle abroad.
Nausheen laughed while explaining how her twin toddlers had completely destroyed her “me-time,” while Adnan sat beside her smiling like the exhausted but proud husband he was.
She kept praising him for being such a hands-on father — balancing work, family, kids, and still managing to take care of her.
Abrar talked about wanting to move abroad permanently, while Shantanu dramatically complained about working under his overly strict, old-school father in their family business.
Then everyone turned toward Sameer.
“So?” Abrar smirked. “How’s life treating the great architect?”
Sam laughed lightly. “Work’s good. My company is collaborating with Aly’s firm for a project.”
Immediately, everyone started teasing us.
Nausheen narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Okay fine, leave work. What’s happening with your love life?”
Sam sighed dramatically. “You already know. Romana and I decided we’d settle our careers first before talking to our families.”
“But do you guys even talk properly anymore?” Nausheen asked bluntly. “Long-distance relationships scare me.”
Sam immediately pointed toward me.
“Ask her. She’s Romana’s best friend.”
I rolled my eyes. “Romana says she hasn’t achieved her goals yet.”
“And what exactly are these goals?” Nausheen asked curiously.
“Masters degree. Good job. Stability. Then marriage discussions.”
Nausheen nodded approvingly before suddenly turning toward me excitedly.
“What about you, Aly?”
I smiled faintly.
Nausheen wasn’t just my friend.
She was also Shoaib and Saif’s cousin.
And unlike others, she never brought Saif up around me unnecessarily.
Maybe because somewhere deep down, she knew I had never truly recovered from losing him.
Trying to move on from Saif was exactly how I ended up in an on-and-off relationship with Rizwan — my distant cousin who had liked me for years.
He was kind.
Patient.
And probably deserved someone who wasn’t emotionally stuck in the past.
But my parents had now started seriously looking for marriage proposals, and Rizwan wanted me to finally speak to my family about us.
The problem?
I still didn’t feel ready for marriage.
Not when I still wanted to build my career, pursue my master’s degree, and figure out who I even was outside of everyone’s expectations.
So I told them exactly that.
Work was going well.
Marriage discussions had started at home.
Rizwan wanted clarity.
But I wasn’t mentally there yet.
Before anyone could continue the topic further, Shoaib suddenly stood up dramatically.
“Attention everyone,” he announced proudly. “I’m getting married in nine months.”
The entire table exploded with cheers.
Soon he started assigning random wedding responsibilities to everyone while Alisha sat beside him laughing at his overexcitement.
And then, like someone ruining a perfectly peaceful moment…
Nazia spoke.
“So…” she smirked, “Saif’s coming to the wedding, right? I can’t wait to finally meet him again.”
Something inside me stiffened immediately.
Of course she’d ask that.
Nazia had always been obsessed with Saif.
Back in school, she practically treated him like some unreachable fantasy.
I noticed Irfan quietly excuse himself and head toward the washroom immediately after she mentioned Saif.
Poor guy.
Anyone with functioning eyes could tell he had liked Nazia for years.
But her obsession with Saif never allowed her to notice what stood right in front of her.
Before anyone else could answer, Shoaib accidentally blurted out—
“I don’t know if he’ll come. His girlfriend is apparently planning to move to Budapest for work.”
Silence.
The second the words left his mouth, Shoaib froze.
His eyes widened as guilt spread across his face.
He immediately looked at me apologetically.
But surprisingly…
I didn’t break.
Maybe because somewhere deep down, I had already survived worse.
I simply shrugged lightly.
Some day, I had to face my demons.
Maybe today was the beginning.
But Nazia clearly wasn’t happy either.
Still, she couldn’t stop herself.
“You must feel terrible, right Aly?” she asked carelessly. “I mean… he disappeared for years, never contacted you, and now he’s committed to someone else. That must hurt.”
“Nazia, enough,” Nausheen snapped immediately.
But I gently stopped her.
Then I looked directly at Nazia and smiled calmly.
“I’m happy he’s doing well for himself,” I replied softly. “Even if we’re not in contact anymore.”
I paused briefly.
“That’s what friends do, right? Be happy for each other.”
Nazia went completely silent.
Mostly because she hadn’t expected me to answer back.
Usually, I ignored her comments.
But not today.
Today felt different.
Maybe I was finally learning that protecting my peace didn’t make me rude.
It made me stronger.
Thankfully, Shoaib quickly dragged Alisha toward the dance floor to lighten the mood.
Music filled the lounge as they danced together so effortlessly that everyone around them slowly quieted down.
The love between them was visible in every glance, every smile, every touch.
And for a moment…
Watching them hurt.
Because once upon a time, I had imagined a love like that too.
After their dance, they pulled all of us onto the floor together.
And somehow, between laughter, terrible dance moves, teasing, and old memories…
For the first time in years—
We all felt like home again.
- Writer
