SEVEN

Later that day, I went to Adah's house.

I rang the doorbell of her house and after a few seconds, she came out with a beautiful smile on her face. She was wearing a wine coloured shirt with grey jeans. She looked beautiful as always.

'How are your wounds?' she asked.

'Better.' I said.

'Well, who did the dressing for it?' she asked, playfully.

I laughed.

'Today we're gonna study Physics, right?' she asked.

'Yeah.' I said.

Both of us hated Physics but we were good at it.

After studying Physics for an hour, we got . Everyday when we would do combined study, we would study for one hour and for the next hour we would just talk about random stuffs. The latter one hour would be the best hour for me.

'Thank you, Aman.' she said.

'What for?' I asked.

'For risking your life to fight those guys who were passing comments to me.' she said.

'I did what a friend would do.' I said.

'None of my friends ever did that to me. You are the best friend a person can have.' she said.

'That I am.' I said with a chuckle.

'Now, as a best friend I wanted to tell you something.' she said.

'What is it?' I asked.

'I haven't said this to anyone. Its a secret and I trust you to keep it as a secret.' she asked.

'Say it, man. No suspense.' I said, annoyed.

'Actually, I umm... I like Ryan.' she said, blushing.

My eyes bulged out of its place (well, not literally). To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. For a moment, I had thought she would say my name but I was stupid to think so. Jealousy, anger, sadness -all these engulfed me, all at a time.

Why Ryan? What's with the girls and Ryan? Numerous girls are already having crushes on him. What's so special about him?

Ryan was guy from our class. Most of the girls were head over heels in love with him. Other than his biceps and spiked hair, nothing was special about him. You won't believe, but he had got proposals from the girls senior to us too.

Even I have got proposals from many girls but not as much as he has got. I mean, come on, how can anyone love anyone who smells like dead body and has a face like a bear. I don't know if my jealousy makes me feel like that but I hate him. His height and toned body is what makes girls fall for him, I guess. I was almost sure he'll have a girlfriend, but I couldn't tell it to Adah. It would be a heartbreak for her.

'Hey! Earth to Aman!' Adah said, snapping her fingers in front of my eyes.

'Uh-huh I was just thinking how would you guys look together.' I lied.

She blushed. Her cheeks were as red as a tomato. I am almost sure that my face also would have been red, not by blushing but by anger.

'Will you help me?' she asked with a glitter of hope in her eyes.

Why me? Why are you bringing me into this?

'Yes.' I said, while I wanted to say no.

She squealed in excitement.

What the hell are you doing Aman? My heart asked me.

'He is doing what is right.' My brain answered.

'No. You love her and you know that, Aman.'

'But does she love you? No, right?'

'So what? Ryan is not the best guy for her.'

I diverted my mind from the verbal war that was going on between my heart and my brain.

'Do you have any plan?' Adah asked me.

'Nothing much. Go and confess your feeling for him tomorrow.' I said.

My insides were burning with rage and jealousy.

Jealousy is haram in Islam. I said to myself.

'Tomorrow!?' She asked.

'The sooner, the better.' I said.

'Isn't it too early?'

'No, it is not. Do you want for the right time to come, even if it is one year away?'

'No.'

'That's it. Do it tomorrow.' I said, trying to maintain a straight face.

'Okay, but will you be there with me tomorrow when I propose him?' she asked.

'No. I don't want to be an intruder.' I said.

'No, you wouldn't be.' she said. 'Please come.'

'Obey her, you idiot.' My brain said.

'No. How will you bare to see the scene of your crush proposing someone else.' My heart said.

Adah had looked so cute when she was trying to convince me that I couldn't deny her request.

'Okay.' I said.

'Thank you very much.' she said.

I didn't reply.

Seeing your crush love someone else is less heartbreaking than seeing your crush telling all those romantic words to their love, while all you want is having those words directed to you.

After getting back to home, I couldn't take my mind away from Ryan and Adah. I decided to call that one person to whom I could share everything - Mike. His advices were of great help. I called him and told everything.

'Do what she wants you to do because he wouldn't accept her. He is already dating someone.' Mike said.

'What!?' I asked.

'Yes, he is dating Ayesha.' he said.

Ayesha was a girl who was one class junior to us. She had once proposed me too. She was beautuful with her jet black straight hair and fair face with chubby cheeks but to me, she didn't seem like the right choice. I was looking for someone whom my heart could accept and Adah was the one.

'That's good.' I said.

'And all those biceps and six packs is all fake. He takes steroids.' He said.

'Whoa! What!? How did you know this?' I asked in astonishment.

'All the guys know it. You are so busy gawking at Adah always that you fail to see what's going on around.' He replied.

'Still, I never expected this.' I said.

'Hmm....but don't say this to Adah. Let her face this alone.' Mike said.

'But that would be a heartbreak for her.' I said, worrying.

'She has faced break-up earlier too. Plus, if you say anything, it would be as if you are intruding. She might feel that you don't want to see her happy or something.' he said.

Mike was the person I could trust the most after my mother, so I obeyed him.

'Okay. By the way, how are you? You didn't come to school today.' I said.

'Yeah, I had fever. Now I'm alright.' he said.

'Did you speak with Tina?' I asked.

'Not yet, why?' he asked.

'She was quite melancholic since you didn't came today. She had even cried.' I said.

'Oh my god! I didn't knew that. I'll call her now.' he said.

'She loves you a lot. You should give her what she deserves.' I said.

'I know.' he said and hung the phone.

It wasn't easy to sleep that night and when I finally fell asleep, I dreamt that Ryan had accepted Adah's proposal and both of them were laughing at me. I woke up. For me, it was like a nightmare.

Hope this dream never comes true.

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Next day, in the school, during the lunch break, I asked Ryan to come at the back of our school building where Adah was waiting for him. My insides were burning with rage just at the mere sight of him. He asked numerous time the reason why he was being called at the back of our school building. I just told him tht it was something very important.

Adah's eyes lit up when she saw Ryan. She looked at him admiringly.

Why doesn't she look at me like that?

'Why have you brought me here?' Ryan asked, looking at Adah and then back at me.

To tell that my crush loves a stupid moron like you, you bastard.

'Ahh... I... I wanted to tell you something.' Adah stuttered.

'Say it fast, I don't have time.' Ryan said, glancing at his watch. Adah was taken aback by his blunt reply but she was still blushing.

Why? You have to catch a train?

'I... I like you.' Adah said and hung her head low.

My heart shattered into a million pieces.

Say no to her, you moron.

'What!?' he asked.

'Can't you hear?' I blurted out in frustration.

Both of them turned their heads at me. I shrugged my shoulders.

'Listen Adah, for your kind information I am already committed to a girl junior to us. Ayesha is her name.' Ryan said.

Adah's mouth was wide open. She was surprised as she hadn't expected this coming.

'I find her more attractive and I love her.' he said.

Ayesha, and attractive than Adah? My foot!!

'I know your kind of girls. Changing boyfriends everyday just for pleasure.' he said.

This was going overboard now. I clenched my fist.

'Being rich doesn't mean every boy will run behind you. Look at yourself and look at Ayesha. You are poles apart. She is way better than you.' he said.

Really!? Great. This is the understatement of the millennium.

I saw tears welling up in her eyes.

'Whatever you think missus, you don't deserve me and you are nowhere compared to Ayesha.' Ryan said.

What's with him and Ayesha? I mean yes, she is pretty but she is incomparable to Adah. Adah is the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life. Maybe, he is committed to Ayesha because of her wealth.

Ayesha's father was a billionaire who owned a film production company.

I saw tears flowing down from her eyes and as a reflex, my hand swung and hitted Ryan's cheek. I slapped him. I literally slapped the stud of our school. Now that will be something I could boast about now. He was taken aback.

'First, learn to respect girls and then do whatever you want to do. If you didn't want to accept this proposal you could have just said no. You didn't have to tell all these.' I said.

'You....you....' He was trying to say something when I intervened.

'All I want to say is that you have denied the biggest proposal ever. You will regret it later. You should be thankful that someone so beautiful and good-hearted loved a moron like you. And if you are still placing your bae above Adah based on looks, then I should advice you to consult an eye surgeon, because she is incomparable to Adah.' I said. I don't know how I managed to say those things in front of Adah. Maybe my anger was speaking and my anger had greater confidence than I personally had.

I punched him hard on his nose and it started bleeding. I had waited for this to happen for a very long time and I did it. I punched him hard on his mouth and he broke his front teeth.

'You are so weak, man. Effect of steroids, eh?' I asked.

His eyes enlarged in surprise. He didn't expect me to know about it. On the other hand, Adah was really confused.

'If I hear a word about Adah from your stinking mouth, then you'll regret it. Try to complain about this, and I will publicise everything you do secretly. I know everything and I have the proof.' I said, even though I didn't have any proof.

I had come to know that he was an alcoholic. Though he was taller and stronger than me, I surprised that I had beaten him and he hadn't even reacted. Strange. Maybe he was just taken by surprise by the fact that I knew about him so well.

'Come Adah.' I said, holding her hands and walking away fastly. She was sobbing.

'It's okay. He was not the right guy for you.' I said.

'Thank you again for this time.' she said between the sobs.

I smiled.

She cried again. My insides had a burning sensation since she was crying for Ryan. He made her cry.

I'll take the revenge, Ryan. I'll separate Ayesha from you. Just wait and watch.

'Adah, please don't cry. You should be happy that he didn't accept you. He doesn't deserve you. You deserve better.' I said.

'Thanks.' she said, but didn't stop crying.

'Adah, you don't know about him. He is not what you think. He is insane.' I said.

'What do you mean?' she asked, slowing down her steps.

'You might not want to hear it.'

'I want to hear it. Perhaps, it may reduce the pain which he has caused me.'

'He's an alcoholic.' I said.

Her eyes became enlarged. She was shocked.

'What!?' she asked.

'Not only that, he is into drugs too.' I said.

'What!?' she asked.

'Where do you think he got that body from? His biceps, six packs and all?' I asked.

'From drugs?' she asked.

' Steroids.' I said.

Her face went pale. She was shocked.

'I loved him for all this time without knowing about him?' she said.

I nodded.

'You could have said it to me earlier.' she said.

'I didn't wanted to intrude in your personal matters. I thought you wouldn't believe me.' I said.

'I trust you blindly, Aman.' She said in between her sobs.

'Adah, you should be happy.' I said.

'Yeah, I should be but I had fell in love with him and I thought I saw his love for me in his eyes too. But now it hurts.' she said.

'Well, love is not all about the looks of a person. It is much deeper than that.' I said, even though I had fallen for her the first time because of her beauty. But after that, I had even more reasons to love her. It was not love at first sight for me. Initially, what I felt was just an infatuation, but that infatuation gradually changed into love as I started spending more time with her.

Didn't you see my love for you in my eyes, Adah? No, because that moron Ryan had blinded you with his so called "good looks" and charmed you by his fake fit body. Ryan, just wait and watch, I'll take the revenge. I'll take Ayesha from you. I am coming soon.

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Later that day, when I had gone to Adah's house for the combined study, I saw that Adah's eyes were red from crying. I felt pity towards her and rage towards Ryan.

We didn't study that day. I tried making her feel better and light and partly succeeded. She seemed quite well.

'Thank you.' she said.

'For what?' I asked.

'For making me feel better.'

'That's my duty.'

I winked.

She smiled.

Ahh... Her smile! Seeing it today for the first time.

Later that night, I didn't feel like sleeping. For the first time I had seen her cry that day. Her face kept flashing in my mind. I was sure that she wouldn't be sleeping too. I had to do something to make her feel better and make her forget that sonofabitch.

Sorry for the language.

A plan struck my mind.

Why hadn't I thought it earlier?

Next day was Sunday and it was the best opportunity to implement my plan.

Get ready for tomorrow, Aman.

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Next morning, I woke up at 6:15 pm. I went to the terrace to look at the sky. The sun was just about to rise. My heart felt peaceful.

When the time was 7am, I took out my phone and called Adah. I was sure she would be awake.

'Hello, Aman?' she said into the phone.

'Not slept yet?' I asked.

'How do you know?'

'I know you more than you know me.'

I am sure she must have smiled.

'So what made you call at this time?' she asked.

'Are you free now?' I asked.

'Yeah. Why do you ask?' she asked.

'I was thinking on going on a drive. Wanna join?' I asked.

'What? How?' she asked.

'By car.' I replied.

'You drive car?'

'Yep.'

'Okay. Who all are there?'

'Just two of us, if you come.'

'I'm in.' she said.

Yes! I mentally squealed in excitement.

'Come down fast.' I said.

'Just a minute.' she said and kept the phone.

I took out the car key. Actually the car was a gift for my sister by my mother. It was a black Innova. After her demise, my mother used to ride it while going to school where she teaches. She had given the spare key of the car to me and I had rode it a quite a few times before while going on drives with my friend and sometimes alone too. This was the first time I was going out with Adah.

'Where are you going?' mom asked.

Oh. I forgot to tell mom about it.

'For a drive.' I replied.

'Alone?' she asked.

'No, Adah is accompanying.' I said.

'Okay take care.' she said.

What! I had thought she would freak out that I was going out with a girl alone but surprisingly she didn't.

'Bye, mom.' I said and left my house.

I waited for five minutes for Adah to come.

'What made you plan this all of a sudden?' she asked.

'You.' I blurted out.

'What?' she asked.

'I.. I mean I thought.... it would make you feel better.' I said.

'Thanks.' she said.

'I knew that you wouldn't have slept, so I thought this might make you feel fresh.' I said.

'You seem to know me quite well, huh?' she said.

I smiled.

We entered the car. She sat in the passenger seat next to me.

'Where are we going?' she asked.

'That's a surprise.' I said.

'I love surprises.' she said while smiling.

I raced the car fast through the main road. There were less vehicles on the road. I drove the car to a highway and there I increased the speed of the car to the maximum it would go.

'Aman....! Slow down!!!' Adah screamed.

'No... I won't.' I said.

'Please!!!!' she screamed.

'I. Am. Speeeed.' I screamed.

'That's a dialogue from the Cars movie.' she said.

'I know that and I think it suits me.' I said.

She rolled her eyes. I laughed.

'Aman, I'm feeling scared.' she said.

'Why are you so scared?' I asked.

'Because one of my uncles had died in a car crash while driving fast. I was also there but I just got a fracture in my left arm while he lost his life. Since then I have been scared of speed.' she said.

'Then I would definitely not slow down.' I said.

'Why!?' she asked, horrified.

'Because its time to eliminate this speedophobia of yours.' I said.

'Very funny.' she said rolling her eyes.

I laughed.

'Okay then, I give you a challenge.' she said.

'What's it?' I asked.

'Try to distract me somehow.' she said.

'That's easy, I accept the challenge, ma'am.' I said.

She grinned.

'Take that pen drive from the dashboard.' I said.

She did as I said.

'Now insert it into the music system.' I said.

She smiled and did as I said.

'Thanks.' she said.

'So, I won the challenge?' I asked.

'I think so.' she said.

I pump-fisted my hand in the air.

She laughed.

I pressed the shuffle button on the music system and surprisingly our favourite song started to play.

Accha chalta hoon duaaon mein yaad rakhna

Mere zikr ka zubaan pe suaad rakhna

Dil ke sandookon mein mere acche kaam rakhna

Chitti taaron mein bhi mera tu salaam rakhna

Andhera tera maine le liya mera ujla sitaara tere naam kiya

Channa mereya mereya channa mereya mereya

Channa mereya mereya be liya

O piya...

At the end of the song, I saw that Adah had tears welled up in her eyes. The lyrics of the song was so heart-touching that I didn't realize that even I had tears in my eyes too. This was why this song was my favourite and even Adah's too.

The car was now going through a road where there were no other vehicles and there was forest on both the sides. After driving for about one kilometer there, I stopped the car. We had reached the destination.

'This was your surprise?' Adah asked.

'No. We'll have walk through the forest to reach there.' I said.

'What!? I'm not gonna come, then. Its so scary.' she said.

'Believe me, this fearful path leads to the most beautiful destination ever.' I said.

'I'm not coming.' she said.

It took me five more minutes of begging to convince her.

We walked through the woods. She was holding my hand. It felt good. After walking for 5 minutes, we reached the desired place. Before my eyes was my favourite place. Mike had shown this place to me. There was a freshwater lake that looked more like a river since it was wide. The water was quite still. The sun had just risen and the sky was a shade of red, orange, yellow and blue, layer by layer. Many birds were flying in the sky, chirping.

'Wow!' Adah exclaimed.

'I told you that you will love it.' I said.

'Yeah.' she said.

We sat by the lake dipping our legs into the water. The reflection of the sky was clearly visible in the water. The water seemed very pure and clear. We even drank water from it.

I took handful of water in my hand and threw it on Adah's face. She was taken aback as she hadn't expected this. She did the same as I did and there we started our water war.

'Thanks for all this, Aman.' she said as we were don throwing water at each other.

'This is just the beginning.' I said.

'What do you mean?' she asked.

'We still have more places to visit.' I said.

'What!?' she asked.

'Yeah, let's go.' I said.

After that we went to a beach where Adah had never went before. Then we went to garden where the climate was cool, next we visited a museum, a monument and many more places. We enjoyed each and every moment and for me, it was one of the most beautiful day in my life.

'Thanks, Aman. I owe you a lot. I know why you did all this.' she said when we reached home.

'It's okay, Adah. I did what a friend would do. Now puh-leez forget that moron.' I said.

'Sure. This day helped me a lot to get over what happened yesterday.' she said, smiling.

'I bet it did.' I said.

She chuckled.