Whispered Promises of Love

Chapter 14: Revelations

•Ten Years Ago•

"You like Aayra, don't you ?" Taha, my best friend, smirked.

"No, I don't. She is a family friend, so I am just looking out for her." I tore my gaze from her, who was just in her element snorting at something her friend, Lubna was saying.

"Stop with this BS. She doesn't need looking out here." He laughed.

"Why don't you at least talk to her ? She seems pretty nice."

"Yes that she is. Pretty and nice, both. I just wanted her to be as far as possible from Safiya and the guys, and in doing that I don't know when we drifted apart." I sighed.

I miss her so much. She is my best friend. She was my go to person. I had this urge to protect her from everything. In that process I lost her. It's been long since we spoke to each other. I am sure it's hurting her because, I was her go to person as well. But I didn't want her to get into any mess because of me. She is way too innocent for these people.

"Yeah right, how do you even deal with them is beyond me!" He let out a exasperated sigh. 

Just then, I saw a very giggly Safiya followed by Owais, Sarim and Fahad.

"Okay, that's my cue to leave." Taha clapped my back, and went his way.

He never got along with them, according to him they were devils in human form. They are always upto some mischief, but he is just exaggerating I feel.

"Look what I found." Safiya said, waving her phone in front of me.

"Subhan, you won't believe what Safi captured on her mobile. It's amazing." Owais laughed, and urged Safiya to show it to me.

"What is it ?" I asked with a little shake of my head. Always up to something.

"Here." She handed me her phone.

My face paled as I saw Aayra and her best friend Lubna in the girls washroom.

"I just can't shake these feeling off you know, I mean. I look in the mirror and all I see are flaws. I have these impossible notion of a perfect body and comparing myself to it." I heard Aayra say with a sigh.

Why would she even think like this ? She is perfect in every possible way. Those hazel eyes, plump lips, button nose, her dusky skin tone. Everything about her screams beautiful. I wish it was me with whom she was sharing her deepest secret.

But wait, why is this recorded ? I turned to Safiya with a glare.

"It's not over yet." She pointed to her phone. If she saw my not-so-happy face, she didn't let that bother her.

"I never thought you felt this way, but trust me. You are beautiful just the way you are." Lubna said, trying to console her. Exactly, beautiful just the way she is.

"It's just hard you know ? Everywhere I look, there are these images of the perfect bodies. Women be having these perfect curves, I just feel I don't measure up to them. My breasts, my butt, i don't like them. I don't even feel like seeing myself in the mirror." Tears welled up her eyes, and my heart broke at that.