Ishq Kinara[Love Ashore] Complete

25A: Someday

The window opening to the back alley of Gulshan was opened with both its flaps fully letting the fresh air in. The study table right in front of it was in a usual disarray with both hand written and printed notes as well as books scattered around. It seemed like the person to whom these belonged was studying with the concentration that was a part of his life but the truth was far from it.

He wasn't studying.

He couldn't study.

Izaan closed the last remnant of this unsuccessful studying time and leaned into his chair. His hands were clasped behind his head and face was drawn into an expression of concentration. It had been a week since that unfortunate ER event and what followed. He had gotten a hold on himself pretty quickly, something he was pretty thankful for. This was going to be his life in just a few months when he'd professionally venture into the world starting and ending on hospitals, medicine and surgeries. It was the first time so he was bound to get panicked and he did. It was like a glimpse of what was to come in the coming years of his life, not entirely, but it'd be an inevitable part of this and Izaan needed to be mentally prepared.

It also happened to be exactly one week since he had seen Safwa in his room and then what followed next.

A week since that hug.

A week since he let his guard down.

A week since there was complete silence from Safwa's side.

He hadn't given much thought to the first two parts. His logical mind was reminding him again and again that he should've been panicking and regretting this already but he couldn't bring himself to regret or downplay something which was so precious to him. He saw Safwa, didn't think anything after that and just went for it. The warmth that she was, the comfort that she had always been, he needed that like his next breath and he acted on his impulse without thinking anything through.

He was oddly calm after that. No feeling of regret had come to him. Something he was amazed at as well. But after a day the worry had started filling him. Safwa was uncharacteristically distant. She hadn't cut him off entirely, that'd be far fetched but things weren't the same as well. It started with him noticing the lack of texts from her and when he brushed the thought off and texted her himself, she was still not responding. That was odd, it wasn't like Safwa to do this. His next obvious step was calling her. She wouldn't cut his calls now would she? And he was right. She didn't. After four rings she had picked it up. Not that he was counting or anything. She had greeted him in her same polite and sweet tone, asking about how he was doing, apologizing for not replying to his texts and then ranting about how university was keeping her busy. It was nothing out of ordinary but Izaan was an observative person, or maybe he had learnt even the unimportant nuances of Safwa Kirmani that he had figured out something wasn't adding up, something wasn't right. When the call ended, he was both confused and dejected. But maybe he was reading too much into the lines, maybe she really was busy and he hadn't messed up.

The coming three days proved that his gut feeling was as usual right. Safwa Kirmani was actually keeping a distance and he wasn't going to lie, it hurt. Usually he was the one to shut people out as a defensive mechanism but now the tables have turned. It was him who was being ignored by someone who had a special place in his heart. A place he was yet to figure out the true meaning and designation of. He was always the rational one so instead of making it an issue of his ego, he had instead resorted to giving her space. She needed it if the way she was so distant was any indication. But his mind won't stop thinking about what brought them here in the first place.