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MUMTAZ

I couldn't stand it anymore. Two days of seeing Muntassir with that girl—Anisa—had been more than enough. I'd given him time, hoping he would come to his senses, hoping he'd talk to me. But no, he was content to avoid me, pretending like we didn't have a history. Like we hadn't shared something real.

Well, today, he wasn't getting away.

I had begged Ridwan to help me find him. It wasn't easy; Muntassir had been making himself scarce. But after some convincing—well, more like relentless badgering—Ridwan caved. He got me in contact with Muntassir's assistant, who agreed to help. As it turned out, Muntassir was at his office, in a meeting. Perfect. I wasn't going to give him the chance to run away this time.

When I arrived at the building, the assistant was waiting for me outside, just as promised. My heart was racing, nerves and frustration warring for dominance. But I wasn't backing down. This was it—no more second-guessing. No more waiting for him to come to me.

He led me up to the meeting room, and I took a deep breath before pushing the door open. The room went silent, everyone turning to look at me. Including him.

Muntassir's eyes widened, shocked to see me standing there. But so were the countless other people in the room, staring at me like I'd just walked in with a megaphone. Without missing a beat, I politely asked everyone to leave.

"Can we have the room, please?" I smiled, trying to keep my voice steady. "I need to speak with Muntassir."

Muntassir immediately stood up, shaking his head. "No, no. This isn't the time, Mumtaz. We're in the middle of something."

I ignored him. "Please," I begged again, addressing the group. "Just a few minutes."

There were a few hesitant glances, but one by one, the people started filing out. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time, the tension in the room growing thicker by the second. Finally, when the last person left, it was just us. Alone.

He crossed his arms over his chest, the familiar defensive stance I knew too well. "What are you doing here, Mumtaz?"

I took a deep breath, gathering every bit of courage I had left. "I need you to listen."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt. So I continued, my voice softer now. "I was stupid," I started, locking my eyes onto his, searching for something—anything—that would tell me he was still there, somewhere underneath all this frustration. "I was so wrapped up in my head, in this idea of chasing my dreams and being independent, that I thought I had to leave you behind to do it. But what's the point of any of it—reaching for the stars, running after some future—if I don't have the person I love by my side?"

He didn't say anything, just stared at me, his face unreadable.

"I thought I couldn't have both. That I had to choose between you and everything else I wanted... but I was wrong. I can. I want both. I need both."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, more to myself than him. "You used to annoy me so much at first. The way you'd always find these ridiculous excuses to ask me out, the little smirk you'd wear when I'd say no, knowing full well I'd give in eventually. I hated it... until I didn't. And then, somewhere along the way, I actually started looking forward to it. I didn't even notice when that happened."

He looked away, his jaw tightening. But he was listening. I knew he was.

"I miss you, Muntassir. I miss us. I miss those stupid rooftop dates, and I even miss how you'd always trick me into going on them. But now..." My fists clenched, the frustration bubbling up inside me. "Now I see you with her. And it drives me insane."

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