Beneath The Rose

PART 2

AIYLA'S P.O.V

I walked off the bus aimlessly. It was now 3pm, and the cheer of the primary school children ready to go home filled the dull air. Yet, all the noise was overpowered by those two harrowing words.

Just friends.

I could hear Burhan's voice again and again in my head, how he conveniently brushed off the years we had shared together. If he didn't value the feelings, the least he could've done is to value the time we had spent together. Years. Did he really see me as just another friend?

I didn't even know what to be sad about. Two of my lifelong dreams had perished today, all in the same place, at the same time. I began to resent my so called dream university. It robbed me of my peace, and it wasn't even my first day there yet. I wonder what else this place will do to me. It may as well swallow me up whole, instead of gnawing into pieces of me.

I was home. I unlocked the stiff, brown door and made my way in. There, I saw the two faces that made things seem a little less worse.

My Mum and my little sister, Mirha.

Mum was dusting the dinner table, whilst Mirha was playing on her iPad, so immersed in it that she hadn't even noticed that I had come home. I wish I could lose myself in an imaginary world too.

Well, I think I already did that. The imaginary world, also known as my mind. That made me believe Burhan adored me even half as much as I did. That all the things we did for each other were love.

''Aiyla! How was your interview, my love?'' Mum asked, with excitement all over her face.

Why was everyone so sure of me?

''I didn't get in to Medicine.'' I said, choking on my own words.

I had always been nervous about getting into university, but I didn't really think that this would happen to me. To be honest, it didn't happen to me. I did get into Medicine. But I rejected my dream, just to be with Burhan.

Mum rushed towards me and hugged me tightly.

''It's okay sweetheart. You still have your other offer, there's nothing to worry about.'' she attempted to console me.

''I don't have it Mum! I rejected that too. I messed my own future up!'' I cried. My belongings crashed to the floor, and I hurried to lock myself in my bedroom. I didn't have the energy to answer any more questions.

Mum continued to knock at my door, and now Mirha had joined in too. But I was ashamed of myself. I thought we were going to be happy. I thought I would come home with Burhan to tell my Mum that we both got into Medicine. I thought that we would profess our love for one another whilst we were at university. Then we would get married, have children, grow old together. How stupid of me.

I looked around, to see pictures of me and Burhan all over my walls.

The first time we met.

Us eating ice cream together.

Him posing next to a comical statue.

I couldn't look any further. We made millions of memories together, only for them to mean nothing. My face was inundated with tears, and my eyes stung from the way they had cried today. I pulled every single picture of the wall, trying to avoid looking at them.

I opened my bedroom window, and released all the memories into the wind. Each photo fell from my window, like rain drops from the sky, like tears were dropping from my eyes.

''There you go, you bloody -!'' I screamed at the top of my lungs, and then I stopped.

I looked down from my window. No way.