UnFading LOVE(Completed)

28 - Her Eyes 👁️👁️

# Abid's POV
# Date - November 03, 2022 - November 04, 2022

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"I can't, John. She is innocent. I can feel that," I insisted, my voice tinged with frustration. We were on this topic from the last hour, but John is John.

"You are ridiculous, Abid. She's just playing innocent to trap you again. Why can't you see that?" John shot back, his irritation evident.

"She’s innocent because she dared to look into my eyes, John. Oh, you can't understand that. I know you're concerned about me and my family, but she didn’t hurt my father. Afiya told me she was the one who took Dad to the hospital. If she had drugged him, she wouldn’t have helped him. Anyway, I have to leave now. See you later, Brother."

I clarified, patting his shoulder.

"Okay... see you soon, buddy," he replied. I hugged him and left for my house. I knew John was concerned for me, but I was certain Areena didn’t drug my father. I could read it in her eyes—the determination, the sincerity. I would bet everything on her innocence.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

🗓️ - October 13, 2016
📍 - Marine Drive Beach

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Areena and I were heading to her favorite place—The Marine Drive. I never really understood why she liked it so much, but as soon as we arrived, she didn't wait for me and walked inside.

She was still angry. I hadn’t talked much to her for the past month, and I could tell it upset her. But I couldn't help myself. I was completely messed up. I wanted to spend time with her, but I didn’t want to fall for anyone. For me, it was just a game, and I wanted to keep it that way. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about her, so here I was, after fighting my feelings for a week.

I followed her inside, watching as she walked barefoot on the sand, her shoes in her hands. It was as if she was physically present but mentally elsewhere. I ran up and caught her by the wrist.

"Where are you going? You can’t see there are broken glass pieces all over the sand," I pointed out. She looked down, then back up at me, mouthing 'Sorry' before starting to walk again.

"What do you want, Areena? You wanted to meet me, but now you’re ignoring me," I shouted after her. She stopped and turned around, tears glistening in her eyes, smiling weakly.

My heart ached seeing her like this.

It wasn’t really a smile. She was holding herself together. I walked towards her and stood in front of her. She dropped her gaze to her feet. I lifted her chin, forcing her to look up. Still, her lashes stayed down as I wiped her tears away.

"Look at me, beautiful," I said softly. She lifted her eyes, locking them with mine. Brown to brown, tears streamed down her face like an open faucet. I could read her eyes like an open book, but only when she allowed it. Right now, she wanted me to read her, and all I saw was pain. The sparkle that usually lit up her eyes was gone. She was in so much pain, and it was all because of me. After a moment of silence, she spoke.

"How badly it hurts, right? When someone ignores you? The feeling is so awful it cuts deep into your heart. I just ignored you for a few minutes, and you didn’t like it. Why are you ignoring me, sweetheart? Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you? Or are you done with me already?"