Amar Bail

2. yellow tulips

Yellow tulips represent unrequited love in Japanese tradition. Sending yellow tulip to someone means you love them, but you know they don't return your feelings.

....

Aleen woke up and it was that moment she thanked herself for the insomnia she had because she would rather have endless nights of sleeplessness than those horrendous nightmares. That was one of the reasons why she hated taking sleeping pills—they made her to sleep an uncomfortable sleep.

She noticed that she was sweating even with the air conditioner on. She looked for the remote near her pillow and lowered the thermostat.

The nightmare had left her hands trembling and her breath shaky and she wanted to forget it all. She had insomnia not dementia, she thought skeptically.

She hadn't seen something horrible as such but the context of it had left a clear impact on her. She had seen the stars and planets colliding from the roof of her house, her world ending, literally, in front of her and it was horrifying. Her dreams always had that sense of weirdness but she felt as if this one specifically had some meaning, and it terrified her.

She was lying flat on her bed and considered, for a millisecond, that she should go and sleep with her mom. She could use a little comfort even when she would regret it in the morning. She felt the need to be consoled and to have someone else look after her problems. She so desperately wanted to do it.

But she would not, because how could she.

It was still 3:45 and a lot of hours to go back to sleep before her first class but considering the insomniac that she was that sleep never came to her.

....

She entered C block and texted Mariam to meet her up at the main library. Placing her bag in the locker and only taking a few books and her phone she turned to the library on the first floor of Admin block.

"Why are you here so early, did you not sleep again?" She was met with Maham right when she was exiting the block.

"What is it to you?" She didn't stop to chat and continued walking. Mariam might already be in the library and she hated that place so she needed to hurry.

"Did you have breakfast? I have a spare sandwich, extra cheese." Maham quickened her pace to walk alongside her.

She sighed. They had had this conversation so many times and yet Maham would not leave her alone. She did not enjoy being rude with her all the time but she was practically begging for it. "I don't know how I have to phrase things for you to get it Maham but leave me the hell alone. I don't need you to keep me a seat in any class, I don't need you to ask me about my health and I certainly don't need you to make me my favorite sandwiches."

"It has been way too long for being angry on that one thing, grow out of it."

"Listen, I am not wasting my time explaining this to you again and again but I can't stand a minute with you. I will stay angry at whatever I want for as long as I want so stop trying to impress me or pretend like you care okay? Now excuse me I need to be somewhere."

Maham looked at her back with sadness and and she wished she could erase that one day from her life.

....

Azlan was sitting in 'his' spot outside RC on the stairs, meticulously sipping from his cup of pineapple slush. Near him sat Taha who was trying to understand Freud's psychoanalytical theory from three different notes for a quiz that was to be held in about 20 minutes.

"Do you not need to study?" He asked Azlan who finally drew his attention away from the straw and looked at him.

"I read the notes. It's basic stuff." Damn these people, so much ice and such little slush. But it was basically crushed ice with some artificial flavoring and he enjoyed the coldness of the drink so whatever.

"You were the one who slept through the entire lecture and I am the one who can't understand a single word. It's amazing. Who takes quizzes after one class anyway? Cognitive Psychology is my least favorite this semester." Azlan shrugged and took his phone out to kill time.

"Ah, I am not doing it." He tosses the notes to the side and steals Azlan's cup to drink from it. "Why do you like drinking crushed ice? It sucks." Azlan shrugged yet again. 

"Taha!" Azlan saw Farhad, Taha's elder brother BDS 3rd year, walking towards them.

"Oh shit." Taha cursed under his breath, and started gathering his noted from around him. Taha and Farhad were those model siblings who would never fight and do anything for each other. Taha still followed his brother around everywhere like a lost puppy, chanting Bhai like a little boy. It was the type pf relation where if one wanted a kidney, the other would donate both without giving it a second thought. Azlan wished he had that sort of relation with anyone in his family. However, he noted that as of recently Taha had started avoiding Farhad like the plaque and it was worrying.

"Hey Farhad Bhai." Azlan greeted and Farhad nodded at him in reply.

"Hi Azlan, lend me your phone number will you? I could at least know whether this guy is alive or not." Farhad glanced at Taha who had practically buried his head into the pile of papers, trying hard not to acknowledge his brother.

"Sure."

"Hey you," Farhad called out to get Taha's attention, "I have been texting since this morning and you didn't reply to one of them, why?"

"That's not even on the quiz Taha." Azlan pointed out, getting a glare in return which he shrugged off with a what?-I-was-only-trying-to-help-you look.

"Bhai, I was busy. We have a quiz in Cognitive and I was preparing for that."

"Don't give me that crap. You know I promised Sanam. Get up, she will be there in a while and I don't want her to wait." Farhad grabbed his brother's arm to make him rise from his sitting position.

Sanam was their cousin and Farhad's wife-to-be. The trio was famous for being friendly ever since they were young and Azlan had heard countless stories about them to last a lifetime.

"You did not tell me about Sanam joining us Bhai. I thought it was you and your friends. I am not skipping class, this quiz is important."

"This is just a revision quiz and it will not be marked in the internal." Azlan provided, but shut it up when he received a glare so cold it could end global warming.

"What do you mean I didn't tell you about Sanam? You love spending time with her and now you don't want to go because of a quiz? What's gotten into you Taha?

As if you care. "It is nothing. I am not going." He freed his hand from him and gathering his notes  he left. Farhad and Azlan were both astounded at Taha's behavior. He was not one to misbehave like that. 

"Come home and I will teach you a lesson you brat!" Farhad shouted at his back.

"Don't worry Bhai, he has been stressed out lately because of the pressure from the new semester. Don't worry, It's nothing big though." Azlan tried to ease off his tension.

"Will you find out what's wrong with him and tell me? You know how he worries me."

"Of course, but I assure you its nothing to get worked up about. He has days when he is gloomy."

"But he does not behave like that with me at all." 

"I'm sorry but I need to go check on him, our class is starting shortly anyway. I'd take my leave now."

"Sure." Farhad was worried about Taha but he was more worried about what he thought was troubling him and if his assumptions were right, then they were in huge trouble.

....

A/N:

Hi everyone. Thank you for reading. Please vote and leave a comment if you liked it. Also about the chapter titles, I am using flowers to indicate what is happening inside a chapter in a clear yet ambiguous sort of way. If it is unclear and you have questions, feel free to ask ^^