The Moment She Saw Him

Part 32

Sehar

I hadn't heard a word from Ziya about Hamza. Maybe she decided to drop the subject after what I told her. Honestly, I hoped he was doing okay, but I couldn't let him think his accident had any effect on me. Talking to him again? Nope. That would open old wounds, and all the effort I put into healing would just go down the drain. I was happy now, back to being me—the me I used to be before I met him. And that's exactly who I wanted to stay.
That evening, as I sat scrolling through my phone, a notification popped up: "Hamza posted a new story!"My thumb froze mid-scroll. Nope. Not happening. But curiosity? It's evil, I tell you. One quick peek wouldn't hurt, right? Big mistake. The story was just Hamza attempting yoga. He looked like a giraffe trying to tie its shoelaces. I burst out laughing so loudly that my mom yelled from the other room, "Are you okay, beta? Or have you finally lost it?"I replied, "I'm fine! Just...a funny meme!" Sure, Mom. A meme named Hamza. Before I could exit Instagram, Ziya's message popped up. "You saw it, didn't you? 😂"Me: "I might've. But let's pretend I didn't."Ziya: "You're so over him, right? 😉"Me: "Totally. But did you see that pose? What was that? The Flying Flamingo?"Ziya: "🤣🤣 Let's call it the Dying Crane!"We laughed until my stomach hurt. It felt good. It felt normal. For the first time, Hamza was just a joke, not a ghost haunting my thoughts. The next day at school, Yashi joined our conversation with a mischievous grin. "What are you two giggling about?""Oh, nothing. Just Hamza trying to be a yoga influencer," Ziya said, barely holding in her laughter.Yashi's eyes lit up. "Oh, I have to see this!" By lunch, half the class had seen the story, and the Flying Flamingo (or Dying Crane, depending on who you asked) was the new inside joke. Poor Hamza had no idea he'd unintentionally become our comic relief.Somehow, laughing about it made everything feel lighter. Hamza was no longer this shadow looming over my happiness. He was just a guy with bad yoga skills. And me? I was the girl laughing, eating extra fries at lunch, and plotting with Ziya and Yashi to prank our overly strict math teacher. Life was good again. And fun. And maybe, just maybe, I'd finally won my way back to the girl I used to be—only better.

Hamza

"You had an accident a week ago, and she didn't even care. No calls, no texts, nothing! Hamza, bro, you've gotta let her go," Raza kept saying, his voice dripping with exasperation. "Just move on, man! Go back to being the old you—flirting with girls, pulling dumb pranks, living life."But here's the thing: the old me? He wasn't coming back. Nope. That guy's long gone. I didn't want to be that guy anymore. "She's one in a million, Raza," I told him, trying to sound cool but probably sounding pathetic. "I promised my mom I'd get her back. And I promised myself too. I'm gonna change for her. You think girls like her grow on trees? Absolutely not. She's the real deal."Raza rolled his eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck. "Oh, please! You're acting like she's a rare Pokémon.""She is!" I shot back. "And I'm not letting her get away."Raza sighed. "Fine, Romeo. Just don't start writing poetry, okay? I can't handle that level of cringe."I laughed, which felt good. Deep down, I knew Raza was just looking out for me in his own weird way. But I meant what I said. I wasn't going to let my past mistakes define me anymore. "Hey, speaking of change," Raza said with a smirk, "maybe start by fixing your yoga pose. That 'Flying Flamingo' thing you posted? Absolute disaster, bro.""Wait, what?!" I nearly dropped my phone. Raza grinned. "Oh yeah. It's all over school. Apparently, it's the new joke. Congrats, you're a trendsetter now."Great. Just great. Not only was I changing for her, but I was also now the laughingstock of my classmates. But honestly? If it made her smile—even just for a second—it was worth it. Because she wasn't just one in a million. She was my one in a million.

After Raza left, still shaking his head at my "hopeless romantic" act, I found myself scrolling through my phone, half-heartedly trying to distract myself. The Flying Flamingo story was still blowing up, and my classmates' comments ranged from "Bro, are you okay? 😂" to "This is the content I didn't know I needed." Yeah, great. Just what I wanted—Instagram fame for looking like a clumsy giraffe.

3 days after my accident , my mom walked into my room, holding a plate of my favorite chocolate chip cookies. She didn't say anything at first, just sat down beside me and placed the plate on my desk. I knew what was coming."You know," she began, her voice soft, "you scared me with that accident, Hamza. I thought I was going to lose you." I looked at her, guilt weighing on me. "I'm sorry, Mom. It wasn't my fault. That bike just came out of nowhere." She nodded. "I know, beta. But sometimes, life gives us these wake-up calls—not because it's punishing us, but because it's teaching us something."I sighed. "I know what you're trying to say. And I'm trying, okay? I'm trying to be better."Her eyes softened, and she smiled. "For who? That girl?" I blinked. "How do you—Mom! Did Raza tell you?"She laughed. "Oh, please. Raza doesn't need to tell me anything. I'm your mother. I can see it in your eyes, in how distracted you've been. You care about her."I nodded, staring at my hands. "I do, Mom. But she's not talking to me anymore. She probably hates me, and honestly, I don't blame her."She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hamza, if she's as special as you say, then show her. Show her you're willing to change, not for her approval, but because you want to grow into someone she'd be proud of."I leaned back, thinking about what she said. "I just don't know where to start. I feel like I've messed up too much."Mom smiled knowingly. "Start small. Apologize if you need to. Be honest. "She stood up. "Just remember, Hamza, you're still here for a reason. Maybe that accident wasn't your fault, but it's a chance to rethink things. Don't waste it."That night, I stayed up, replaying our conversation in my head. Mom was right. The accident had shaken me up, but maybe that's what I needed. I'd been going through the motions, holding onto old habits that didn't serve me anymore. It was time to prove, to myself and to her, that I could be better. Not just for her, but for me.Step one? I needed a real plan. Step two? No more yoga videos.