𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 [𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡]

ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲ 52

She ignored him and moved to her door but he sidestepped and stopped in front of her.

"Leave." She muttered not even bothering to look at him.

"Alia," he breathed out her name, "Do you how much we have—"

"I don't want to know!" She hastily cut him off, "Did I ask about it? I didn't. So stop." She commander.

"Stop?" He scoffed as he stared at her. "You left us. One day you were there and the other just..gone."

She looked down for a second feeling guilty. To admit it out loud she had done exactly what he said. Till graduation, she was just a little girl grieving for the death of her mother but after that, she vanished into the air.

It was everything that makes sense to her then.

"Listen Zaigham," she looked at him pleading eyes, "I have to go." She sighed. "and you can't tell anyone about this."

He laughed. "Nice of you to say that to me." He got off the wall and stared down at her because of his height. "I promise you I won't tell him anything. But what makes you think that you can hide for long?"

A sudden chill ran up her spine. "What?" She huffed a little, mainly because of the shock which had her realise something. "Zaigham, it's been five years." She couldn't believe it.

He shrugged, "For you to grieve, not for him to move on. Also, need I remind you, you never broke up." He smiled at her with slight darkness in his eyes, hiding something, "You just left. That's it."

***********

They were at a coffee shop. Alia had left her pet home and made sure that he had everything he could ever want.

She could have invited Zaigham in but she did not want that. Her house was her private space and she did not want someone who could not trust it at the moment to enter it.

Zaigham had surely changed a lot. Much more defined and handsome than before and she could only imagine how Arman looked now.

She held her glass of cold coffee in her hands and he sipped his, unbothered by the hot temperature of it.

She wanted to know more. About him and everything else that she had left behind.

"So what? He still.." she sighed, there were no ways he could complete that sentence.

He nodded, getting her point. "Yes, of course, he is. I don't want to make you feel bad or anything about it but he still loves you. You were the first person he ever thought of being in a relationship with."

She sighed and leaned back into the chair. Where could the conversation go from here? Should she be honest and leave after telling him what she wanted?

Maybe she should.

In these five years if she had learned anything then it was that she should be straight forward in getting what she wanted.

"Zaigham, you cannot tell him that you saw me here or my address, not at all that." She spoke her mind with a firm expression. "You can't it, would—"

"What makes you think that I won't?" He looked up from his coffee with an expression that chilled her spine. It rose fear within her. Zaigham was someone who had always been a happy and calm guy and today seeing him become a daunting version was completely new and scary.

"He, at the end of the day, is my friend, because of which I will tell him that and What makes you saying that he won't find you before that?"
He mused as a small smirk came to his face. "Five years was the time that he gave you for greeting for your mother. He gave you time and space when you chose to run away without informing any of us, I think you owe it to him." He leaned in, "Or don't. He'll find you anyway." He winked.

A shaky sigh left her mouth in anticipation as she watched him lean back into the chair.

Zaigham was the closest to Armaan. So if he was talking to her about it, he knew it was going to happen.

"I could always—"

He waved his hand, "Don't bother, he'll find you." He tsked. "You were intelligent than that."

Excuse me? Irritated by the last remark she scoffed. "My mother died! Do you know what impact it had on me and my brother?!"

He shook his head grimly. "No, I am sorry to say so, but wish to never know how it feels. We had no idea which is why Armaan involved his mother to take care of you as well. He was there for you every step of the way and when you ran away and it took us all by surprise."

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, shaking her head. "Everything reminded me of my mother. Every place that I went to..we..had gone together there and it just reminded me of her which is why when I first received the option to leave the city immediately took it."

He placed his cup on the saucer not replying to her immediately. He then said with a sigh, "I understand your reasons. I do." Then stood up, buttoning his jacket and took his wallet out, "But you are years late for an apology and I don't think that he would understand or appreciate it as much." Placing a few notes on the table, he left leaving her all alone wondering about the next thing to happen.