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Chapter 39 - Rumya

Alan dropped Fiza off at her hostel and then called her roommate. "Shahana, please keep an eye on Fiza."

"You two had a fight?" she asked with a sigh.

"No, it's something with her family. She'll tell you when she's ready," Alan explained, wanting to respect Fiza's privacy. "Please make sure she's engaged and doesn't feel alone."

After hanging up, Alan returned home and prepared himself for church. He was relieved to have a break from Integrated Teaching that day. During mass, he thought about everything that had happened. It seemed like it was one thing after another. He loved Fiza. He knew that much. But their friendship was hurting them. He couldn't ask for more, not with everything else that was going on with her. They needed to move on from each other romantically. That was the only way they could stay in each other's lives and remain platonic. He needed to start dating again, he knew for certain that she wouldn't.

After mass, his mother introduced him to a tall and gorgeous girl with curly hair up to her shoulders, a genuine smile and almond shaped eyes.

"Alan, this is Rumya. Rumya is an Engineering student at Christ College," his mother elaborated before walking away.

Alan greeted Rumya with a simple hello, still processing his emotions from earlier.

"That was sufficiently awkward. My grandmother does the same thing-tries to pimp me out to every good-looking guy at church," Rumya commented with a laugh.

Alan found her lightheartedness unexpectedly refreshing and laughed with her.

"And I've heard that you're one of the nerdy types? Medical college?" she asked in a teasing tone. "What did your mom say about me?"

Alan thought for a moment and then said, "She said you were a nice girl."

She laughed. "Oh well! You've been labeled a super nerd actually. Top scorer in pharmacy?"

"Pharmacology," he corrected her automatically.

Rumya playfully waved her hand. "Close enough. If my mom had mentioned how cute you were, I would have made a bit more effort," she joked, playfully fluffing her hair.

Alan found himself enjoying Rumya's company and the easy banter between them.

Yet, amidst the laughter and pleasant conversation, a pang of guilt gnawed at Alan. He wasn't committed to Fiza, they had decided to be friends. It wasn't like he was cheating on her, was it? But a feeling of unease lingered.

Rumya noticed the distant look in Alan's eyes, sensing that something was bothering him. "What happened?" she asked him. However, before he could respond, she quickly added, "Missing your textbooks?" She let out a playful laugh.

Alan managed a half-hearted smile, his mind still drifting to thoughts of Fiza. Flashes of her infectious laughter, her silly jokes, the sound of her voice, the taste of her mouth and the feel of her soft skin invaded his thoughts.

"Whoa! You really are a dreamer, aren't you?" Rumya remarked, her tone filled with amusement. "McDreamy," she added, making a reference to the television show Grey's Anatomy.

"He dies," Alan said non chalantly.

"What?" Rumya asked, frowning in confusion.

"McDreamy dies. He suffers from locked-in syndrome due to a brain bleed and he dies," Alan explained regarding the fate of the character in the show.

"What?" Rumya exclaimed once again, this time laughing at the unexpected turn of conversation.

Alan shrugged in response, and Rumya playfully ruffled his hair, bringing a genuine smile to his face.