ishq lost & found

4; Sharing

As soon as the words escaped her lips, Ranya felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach, a pang of regret that echoed through her being. She watched as her family reacted with uncontainable enthusiasm, wasting no time in spreading the news to Saad's parents, who mirrored their joy with equal fervor.

"What have I done?" Ranya's thoughts raced, her throat tight with an overwhelming sense of apprehension. She sank into the couch, her gaze fixed on her parents, while memories of her conversation with Dua replayed in her mind.

"I know you've always had a soft spot for him," Dua had said, her voice laced with concern. "I honestly don't understand why you agreed to marry Salman bhai. But I also know Saad bhai broke your heart, so are you absolutely sure about this?"

Dua's words struck a chord within Ranya. Seven years had passed since she last laid eyes on Saad, yet the ache of his absence lingered like an unwelcome guest in her heart. She never anticipated that he would venture beyond the province for school, but to her dismay, he did precisely that. And from the moment he arrived, it seemed as though he erased her from his memory entirely.

"He'll reach out," she had convinced herself, clinging to the hope that Saad would bridge the distance between them with even the briefest of messages. But the silence that followed his departure spoke volumes, crushing her illusions of a shared connection.

During his first year of university, from September to mid-October, Ranya found herself stranded in a void of unanswered texts and unreturned calls. Amidst the chaos of her junior year of high school, she juggled academics, part-time work, and fleeting moments of loneliness, punctuated by futile attempts to reach out to Saad.

Thanksgiving break loomed on the horizon, a bittersweet reminder of what could have been. Yet, Ranya resolved to stand firm in her decision, opting to forgo a chance encounter with Saad in favor of solitude. And as swiftly as he had entered her life, seven years vanished into the abyss of forgotten memories.

In the wake of Saad's departure, Ranya found solace in the unexpected companionship of Salman. Though their bond paled in comparison to the intimacy she shared with Saad, their shared interests and occasional classes together laid the groundwork for a burgeoning friendship.

Now, as the prospect of marriage loomed on the horizon, Ranya grappled with conflicting emotions. Caught between the specter of lost love and the promise of a new beginning, she found solace in the unwavering support of her confidante, Dua, the one person she knew would never falter in her loyalty.

"Are you absolutely sure about marrying him instead?" Dua's words hung heavy in the air, each syllable laden with concern. "Marriage isn't a joke, and you two haven't seen each other in ages. It's like you're actively avoiding each other."

Unbeknownst to Dua, her words struck a chord with Ranya, who harbored a secret she had carefully guarded from her closest friend. While Dua was aware of Ranya's childhood crush on Saad and the devastation wrought by his departure and subsequent silence, she remained unaware of the extent to which Ranya had deliberately distanced herself from him.

Ranya had chosen to keep her avoidance of Saad a secret, a silent pact she had made with herself to appear unaffected by his presence. She masked her lingering feelings behind a façade of indifference, unwilling to admit even to herself the depth of her unresolved emotions.

"Can you both just relax, please?" Ranya interjected, her annoyance palpable as she sought to quell the fervor of her family's reaction. In that moment, she couldn't shake the gnawing sense of regret that clawed at her insides, a sobering realization that perhaps her decision had been too hastily made.

Within minutes of her call, the Aslam family descended upon her home, their enthusiasm matching the intensity of Ranya's uncertainty. Saima aunty enveloped Ranya in a suffocating embrace, showering her with kisses and effusive praise, while Dua stood by, offering a supportive smile before gently ushering her mother away to grant Ranya a moment of respite.

Saima aunty gushed, her voice thick with emotion. "You have no idea how happy you've made us!"

As the cacophony of well-wishes and congratulatory remarks faded into the night, leaving Ranya alone with her thoughts, a restless unease settled over her like a heavy blanket. Unable to silence the ceaseless chatter of her mind, she tossed and turned in bed, grappling with the weight of her decision.

"Should I have waited?" Ranya's inner turmoil echoed in the stillness of the night, her doubts casting shadows across her troubled mind. Yet, amidst the tumult of conflicting emotions, she couldn't ignore the whisper of her heart, the faint echo of a love she had once believed lost.

She recalled the last time she saw Saad, their parting marked by the sharp sting of unresolved tension. And as she retraced the contours of their fractured relationship, she found herself teetering on the precipice of uncertainty, caught between the pull of her past and the promise of an uncertain future.

Ranya stormed up the stairs of the Aslam household, her heart pounding with a mixture of urgency and disbelief. Ignoring the usual routine of exchanging pleasantries with Auntie Saima in the kitchen, she burst through Saad's door, her breath ragged as she struggled to find her voice.

"Saad!" Her words tumbled out in a rush, punctuated by the thud of her footsteps against the hardwood floor. "You're leaving?"

Saad, his back turned to her, remained impassive as he methodically packed his suitcase on the bed. The weight of his silence hung heavy in the air, exacerbating Ranya's sense of desperation.

"You weren't going to tell me?" Her voice wavered, teetering on the edge of tears she refused to shed in his presence. The realization that the boy she loved, the one she believed reciprocated her feelings, would depart without so much as a goodbye cut deeper than she cared to admit.

"Ranya," he started, his use of her real name jarring in its rarity, but before he could elaborate, she interjected.

"Is something wrong?" Her voice softened as she closed the distance between them, her heart racing with uncertainty. "Are you mad at me or something?"

Saad hesitated, his expression betraying a mixture of emotions too complex to decipher. "No," he murmured, his gaze flickering to hers before returning to the task at hand. "I just... I didn't know how to tell you. I really have to get going, but I'll see you around?"

The words hung between them like an unspoken promise, hollow and devoid of the depth Ranya had once believed existed between them. The realization washed over her like a wave, leaving her feeling adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

I'll see you around? His response scratched her eardrums like nails on a chalkboard. Is that really all he could say to her after all these years? After everything he had said, everything he had shown Ranya? That's it?

He zipped up his suitcase, grabbing it with one hand and turning to her, "Come on, I'll walk you out?" He gestured

Looking away and at the ground, she shook her head, muttering, "No, I-"

"Okay."

They stood there for a moment, a heavy silence befell them, the weight of unspoken words settling between them like a shroud. It was like they were paralyzed, like they wanted to spend just a few more moments before he'd leave her. Both of them knew what it meant, most of all Ranya.

Ranya felt the ache of lost love sear through her soul. In that moment of quiet resignation, she understood that her childhood crush had blossomed into something far more profound – a love she knew she could never truly forget.

And as Saad's departure loomed on the horizon, she couldn't shake the nagging fear that his absence would irrevocably change the course of their lives.

She was right.