6

Before, the house was filled with the laughter of their two jokers and the roar of the king of the house. But now, it was as if everyone was sleeping in their rooms. It felt like a haunted home, silent all around. They didn't talk much about Arsal because of Samra. Ahmad Sahab was angry with Arsal, Mona cried hundreds of times a day, hiding from everyone.

Now, Samra started sitting with them, but she didn't talk like before. The four of them sat for dinner and ate silently.

"Samra beta, have you applied for your specialization?" Amir asked.

"Um, dad... I'm not ready," she said.

"Beta, you've already wasted a lot of time and still don't understand..." Amir said, and she nodded.

"Excuse me..." Samra went to her room, locked herself in, and started crying.

"How do I tell you that I've never gone shopping for my shirts without you, I've never chosen a college without you in mind... I hate you, but then tears come when I remember you... I don't know why my heart prays for your return... I miss you, monkey..." she said while crying.

"No... I'm not weak... I have to do it... for everyone else..." she said, picking up her diary and starting to write.

"Monkey, you know... I hate you now... but look, I'm still talking to you... because other than you, I have no friends... Everyone says I should forget you, but how... every moment of my life has been spent with you... wherever I go, I remember you... I hate you Arsal, but I miss you, monkey..." she wrote in her diary and closed it.

After Arsal left, she was in shock and then started sharing her feelings with her diary, feeling like she was talking to Arsal.

She applied to college, and tomorrow was her first class.

"You know, tomorrow is my first class... and for the first time in my life, I'm nervous... because my partner in crime isn't with me... I'll never forgive you, Arsal," she wrote.

The next day, she got ready for college. As she came out of the car, she saw a boy coming towards her.

"Arsal," she whispered, and Arsal grabbed her hand.

"What did you think, witch... that I'd leave you alone... I promised to never leave you alone," Arsal said with a smile, and she smiled with teary eyes.

"I missed you so much," Samra said, about to hug him when he disappeared. She looked around but he was nowhere to be found. She snapped out of it when she heard a car horn.

A boy came out of the car... he was so handsome... and walked towards her.

"Oooo miss drama queen... why are you blocking the parking area?" he said, and Samra remained quiet. If it were the old Samra, this boy would have received a punch to his face. But she just lowered her gaze and went to college.

"Is she crying?" he asked himself and shrugged.

He entered the class and saw her sitting in the same class. As Samra sat on her chair, she looked at the seat beside her.

"What did you think? That I'd leave my seat for you, fatty?" Arsal said with a smile, and she smiled too, looking at him before he disappeared. She was crying as she looked at her book.

"Arsal, you have truly taken away all my happiness... I will never forgive you, never," Samra said.

The boy was observing her.

"Strange girl... sometimes she laughs, sometimes she cries... she cries while laughing too... she's a strange case," he said, and then his phone started buzzing.

"Hello," he said with a smile.

"Hmm, you left without calling me today," she said.

"Sorry, darling... it won't happen again... How's your studying going?" he asked, and they talked until the teacher arrived.

Samra didn't talk to anyone. She went to the canteen and sat silently. The boy also came and sat beside her.

"May I sit here?" he asked after sitting down. Samra glared at him.

"Sorry... you must be wondering who I am... I'm Hadi... your classmate... I've seen you," Hadi said, and Samra lowered her eyes.

"Why were you crying?" he asked seriously, and Samra stood up, moving outside of the college.

"Hmm... I'll have to solve this Miss Mystery," Hadi said with a smile, watching her leave.

Samra sat on her bed and started writing in her diary.

"You know... today, I kept thinking of him all the time... but he didn't come... I never thought I would be so alone... With time, I'm starting to hate you, Arsal... If you had to leave, why did you create all that drama... You made me believe that you took away all my happiness... I'll learn to live without you... I won't think of you anymore," Samra said to herself and wrote it down.

The next day, she went to college, but Arsal was still on her mind and in her heart. Hadi irritated her a lot, but she ignored him. Two weeks passed like this. Hadi tried to talk to her, but she didn't say a word. Today was one of those days. She was sitting in the canteen as usual, and Hadi was irritating her.

"Why are you always silent? Look, I know you're not mute, so then... if you have a problem, you can share it with me... tell everything to a stranger... after that, you can be yourself and I can be myself, okay? Open yourself up... why were you crying that day?" Hadi said, and it was enough for her.

"What's your problem? Why are you bothering me? If I don't want to talk to you, then why are you irritating me?" she said in anger, and he looked at her in confusion.

"Thank god," he breathed out, and she looked at him in confusion.

"You're not mute... thank god... I was afraid you might be mute if you didn't speak today," he said, and Samra couldn't control her laughter.

"Your smile is so nice, so why do you keep making that sulking face?" Hadi said, and Samra stood up.

"Shut up, okay?" Samra said and went to her class.

"Hey, listen... listen, Miss... XYZ," Hadi also ran behind her and sat with her in class.

"Just tell me your name," Hadi said, and Samra glared at him. She opened her book, and he peeked at it.

"Hmmm... Samra Arsal..." Hadi said, and she closed the book.

Hadi irritated her every day, and now Samra also gave her answers. One more year passed, and they became doctors. Hadi became her best friend, and she shared everything with him, including the topic of Arsal. Hadi completely changed her, and now Samra was no longer sad. She decided to open her hospital, and Ahmad Sahab supported her.

In London...

Sinaan came to London to talk to Arsal.

"Arsal, what happened to you? You were not like this at all... Come back home," Sinaan said, and Arsal looked at him with a painful smile.

"Brother... I don't want to come back," he said.

"Why? Don't you care about Mom? She worries so much about you... Dad... he's strong on the outside, but... he longs to see his youngest son... and Samra," he stopped in between.

"Samra hates me," Arsal said with teary eyes.

"That girl, whose entire world began and ended with you... how could she hate you? The girl who never made any other friend because she never wanted to be alone... the one who wouldn't eat her lunch so you wouldn't go hungry... from school to college, everything was according to your wishes... the one who, while loving you, would choose a girlfriend for you to see you happy... how could she hate you?" Sinaan said.

"Brother, I've hurt her a lot... she will never forgive me," he said.

"She should be angry with you... but won't you talk to her about your rejection? Will you just keep avoiding her forever?" Sinaan said.

"Brother, I'm sorry... but I'm regretting it... and I don't have the courage to face her," Arsal said.

"Okay... fine... but think about it," Sinaan said, and he nodded. Sinaan went back to Dubai.

Samra opened her new hospital with Hadi. She was sitting in her office, and Hadi came into the cabin.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Hadi said.

"Nothing... just sitting," she said and fell silent again. Hadi raised his eyebrow.

"Why is the weather so silent today? No thunder, no lightning, no rain," Hadi said, looking at the roof.

"Hadi, today I'm not in the mood," she said.

"Why are you hurting yourself by remembering his birthday when he's not even here?" Arsal said, and Samra looked at him in shock.

"Hmm, I know," he said, and tears came to her eyes.

"Samra, it's been two years... two years... and you're still the same... no matter how much you try to show that you're happy, I know," Hadi said.

"Samra... I know he did you wrong, but you should also remember his good qualities... today, both of us will celebrate your best friend's birthday... not Samra's husband's, okay?" Hadi said.

"Hadi, I'm really not in the mood," Samra said.

"Hadi, I'm also your best friend, right? Besides, the weather is so nice today. If I go alone, all the girls will think the guy is single... they might try their luck!" Hadi said, dancing his eyebrows, and a smile appeared on Samra's face.

"You've left a part of my soul behind," Samra said, and they went out of the room. A nurse called her.

"Doctor Samra, the file for bed number 14 is here," the nurse said.

"Today, you're not free, Doctor. Give this file to Doctor Kamal," Hadi said with a smile, grabbed her hand, and dragged her outside the hospital.

"Arsal... let me check you... you always do what you want," she said with a smile, but when she realized it, she lowered her gaze.

"Sam... look at me," Hadi demanded.

"I'm sorry," Samra said.

"Sam, he's a part of your life, your best friend, who understood your pain before you spoke. You should talk to him. The more you avoid it, the more it'll hurt you," Hadi said.

"Hadi, he used to say he could leave everything for me, that he'd never hurt me... so why did he leave me?" Samra asked with teary eyes.

"Because he's a big idiot who couldn't understand his own feelings," Hadi said with a laugh.

"Don't call him an idiot," Samra said, glaring at him.

"Ooooo, really?" Hadi asked with a smile, and she nodded with a smile.

"Hmm," she said. After celebrating his birthday, she went back home.

The next day, she woke up and entered the lounge. Bena Begum was sitting there, crying while holding a picture of Arsal. When Samra entered, she quickly hid it. Samra noticed but didn't mention it.

"What are you doing, dear mother?" Samra asked with a smile.

"Nothing... just sitting here... come," Bena said.

"Dear mother, I've taken leave today... I'm not feeling well," Samra said.

"What happened... why didn't you tell me?" Bena said in anger.

"Oh, I'm fine... just a headache... and there wasn't much work at the hospital," Samra said.

At night, her phone started ringing. It was an unknown number. She answered the call.

"Hello, who is this?" she asked, and there was silence on the other end.

"Whooo?" her heart started beating fast.

"Aaaarsal," she said.

"Sssam," he said, and tears fell from both their eyes.

"Aaaarsal," she said, but the call was disconnected.

"Arsalll... why did you leave? Without you, all the joys of my life are incomplete... you've truly taken away all my happiness," Samra said as tears streamed down her face.

He was lying on the sofa when suddenly Samra appeared in front of him.

"Okay, tell me... why did Majnu get up?" Samra asked in her chill style.

"Hmmm... your memory turned us into Majnu," he said with a painful smile. Suddenly, Samra's face became sad, and pain appeared on her face.

"You're the reason for your own pain... you left me. I will never forgive you... never," she said and then disappeared.

Arsal looked everywhere, but she was gone.

"Samraaa, please, just once... just once give me a chance... I'll make everything right... I'll die without you... I know that my best friend will forgive me," Arsal said.

Samra woke up and went to the lounge.

"You've come... come, your Bree baba will have breakfast with you," Mona said with a smile.

"Is Baba not going to the office?" she asked.

"Your baba are going to Dubai today, and Amir isn't feeling well," Mona told her.

"What's wrong with Baba... let me see," she said and went to Amir's room. Amir was lying on his bed...

"Father, what's wrong with you? Brii ami said you're not feeling well," she asked in a worried tone and sat with him.

"Oh, I'm fine... and now that I've seen you, I feel even better," Amir Sahab said.

"You're coming to the hospital with me today... I'll get all your tests done," she said.

"I don't want to go to the hospital... come on, let's go, everyone is waiting," Amir said and went outside.

"You're so stubborn... but I'm your daughter after all," she said with a smile.

The next day, he was sitting in his office when his phone started beeping with messages.

"A mother is waiting for her son... tomorrow is their wedding anniversary... until you dwell on the past, you won't achieve anything... no one will forgive you... seek forgiveness from everyone," the message read.

He thought for a moment and then booked his tickets. He informed Ali about his plan and returned to Pakistan.