The Girl In Black [On Hold Till Further Notice]

When the noose begins to TIGHTEN! Part - I

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"You are so annoying Laura," Zahra remarked exasperatedly. "What have I done now?" her friend asked, huffing and puffing due to the heavy bag she was carrying out of the door. "You are leaving early tomorrow morning and you're still having issues with your packing. I had zipped up this bag, then why did you have to turn it all upside-down and dig in like a savage? You've ruined the whole order." "I had to get a dress out from it. I'm not wearing the one I chose to wear tomorrow. I needed another one," Laura whined. "Then you should've thought a bit earlier about it."

"Do you want us to part like this? Quarreling and making faces at each other?" Laura asked, putting her arms around Zahra's shoulders. She immediately softened. "I was just feeling extremely annoyed with you. It took me some time to pack that bag, you know." "Yes, I know. You don't need to worry. I'll pack up again. But first tell me this, are you happy that I'm going away?" 

"Oh yes! I feel soo happy that I'm gonna celebrate the moment you get out of my site," Zahra replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I mean, who in their right mind would be happy to let a person go whom they've been constantly living with since the past ten months! That's a lot of time, you know." 

"Will you miss me?" Laura asked for the umpteenth time. "Absolutely! Do you want me to write it in blood or something?" "No, I believe you. I'm gonna miss you too Zee. But, promise me one thing." "Now, what is it?" "You'll take very good care of yourself and not let anything or anyone hurt you. Is it clear to you?" Laura asked, emphasizing her point by flailing her arms far and wide. "Why does everyone keeps saying this to me?" 

"Because we know the world is bad, and you are still too...naive to understand things on your own." "Jeez, when did you become a philosopher?" Zahra asked, curiously eyeing her friend.

"Everyone will tell you the same thing, okay. And I'm no philosopher, I'm just a simple girl trying to make my way in the world by cutting cloths and giving it all kinds of forms," Laura replied, winking. "Oh Please! Give me a break. You rock in that thing, don't be so modest about it. And, go take a bath. You stink!" Laura playfully kicked her friend, saying, "One more insulting sentence, and I'll throw you out of my room." "You don't need to, I'll go away on my own. Gosh! Even the room stinks," Zahra replied with a smirk and got up to go. 

"And one more thing," she continued in a serious tone, "by now, I haven't been very eloquent upon the subject. But, I don't want to hear anything about me and the Walworth guy from your lips. I detest the man, and my wounds are not yet filled to make me feel anything like love, alright. I'll make judgments on my own. Besides, he'll never change for me, and until then its haram (forbidden) for me to even think about him."

"As you wish. I was just trying to secure you from endless anxiety that you suffer all the time," Laura replied, hurt by her words. "Then you carried it out in the worst way possible." And saying thus, Zahra walked out of the room.

Sleep was light years away from her eyes, when Zahra lay in her bed that night. She knew that she had hurt Laura and her heart smote her for that. That girl only meant well. But, what could she do? She was afraid to let anyone in her small circle, in general, and males in particular. She really hadn't a very good experience with them in any of her encounters. She was afraid of them, and if anybody belonging to the opposite sex came close even an inch towards her, her brain began to scream at her to run away. She still remembered the episode of a few months ago and trusting another one was just out of the question.