Eclipsed Echo

CHAPTER SEVEN

                              

SYHA

       As I push open the door to the rooftop, a wave of regret hits me immediately. The moment I stepped inside, it felt like every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on me. Like the whole environment stopped, observing my every step. 

Nervousness started crashing me, and for a moment, my vision blurred. I have absolutely no clear vision of anyone's face as the bright lights cast sharp reflections that make it difficult to discern individual faces among the crowd.

After a few moments, my sight begins to clear. As I adjust to the brightness, I start to search for anyone familiar in the sea of people.

The very first face I recognize is Taimur's. With a glass of god-knows-what drink in hand, he's lounging in front of the cabinet, surveying the crowd with an amused expression. When he spots me, a smirk tugs at his lips. I make my way over, and as I approach, he gestures with his free hand for me to sit beside him. I oblige, slipping into the seat with a mix of relief and anticipation.

"You're still a party stopper, aren't you?"

"I don't know about the past, but this time it was purely unintentional," I reply, trying to sound nonchalant.

"The heck it was." He retorts with a chuckle, lifting his glass to his lips. "You seem to enjoy the attention."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Stop teasing me."

"Well, what can I do? It's not every day that the party's best guest makes an entrance." He laughs heartily before pulling me into a warm hug.

"I hope you're back for good. I missed you, Sy."

"I missed you, too, Tai."

How many years have passed since I last heard him laugh?

When I left this town, everyone tried to reach me. I received hundreds of messages asking if I was okay, where I was, and urging me to come back. They mentioned that my parents were no longer in town and that they missed me. But I replied to none of them, so they eventually stopped trying.

Tai, however, was the only one who kept reaching out, calling and messaging me even when I was doing my best to ignore everyone. He didn't stop until I finally replied a month later. We managed to keep in touch, though our conversations were sparse. 

As I got busier with studies, it became harder to stay in touch, and by the time I finally managed to have a break, it felt too awkward to call him or message him back. That's how we lost track. Now, look at him, acting as if those years apart never happened, and everything is just as it used to be.

"You are thinking about stealing the spotlight again, aren't you, Sy?" Tai's voice is playful.

I let out a soft chuckle. "No, why do you keep saying that? I doubt anyone barely noticed me walk in."

"Sy, you genuinely know absolutely nothing about your aura." His grin widening as he speaks.

 "Anything. But no, I wasn't thinking about that. I was just thinking about something mundane."

He leans in a little, his brows raised in curiosity. "Care to share those deep thoughts of yours?"

"I don't share my thoughts for free," I reply, crossing my arms with a mock seriousness.

"Is that so? Well then, I guess I'll just have to buy you a drink."

My eyes lit up at the mention of a free drink. "I'm totally down for that."