Islamabad – March 2025
Shifa Medical College Campus, Orientation Day
The corridors buzzed with freshers echoing footsteps, nervous laughter, scent of new books and old dreams.
Eshmal stepped through the white marble arch of the main building
Bag slung over one shoulder, dupatta neatly pinned,
Eyes sparkling with purpose.
This was her first day of university.
She adjusted the ID card hanging just above her heart.
The breeze caught her hair, sweeping it gently behind her shoulders.
Confident.
Composed.
Ready.
Until… her steps froze.
Across the crowd of students…
There he was.
A boy leaned slightly against a pillar near the admin block.
White dress shirt tucked into black formal pants,
ID lanyard dangling from his fingers,
Head tilted down, typing something on his phone.
The world around her blurred
Muted voices, faded faces, only him in sharp focus.
Amaan.
That name struck her like lightning wrapped in a soft breeze.
“It’s him…”
Her heart thundered, louder than the crowd.
Fingers curled around the strap of her bag, holding on like it could anchor her.
That face...
Sharper now.
Jawline defined.
Boyish softness replaced with quiet confidence.
But the eyes
Still the same.
The ones from nursery.
***
💭 FLASHBACK: Nursery to Class 7
"Main baarish kar doon paise ki, jo tu ho jaaye meri..."
She remembered that silly, childish line
Whispered by one of her friends when they were just seven.
Her cheeks flushed even then.
Had Amaan said it?
He teased her more than he teased anyone else.
Of the three boys she played with, it was him who flicked chalk into her hair.
Who rubbed pencil black on her cheek in the bus
And laughed as she pouted and softly hit him back.
He never did that with other girls.
Only her.
She remembered skipping across the ground after off-time
Running from one boy to another.
But when she reached him, her feet slowed.
Her smile changed.
There was something different about the way she felt around him.
Even then.
She started watching Navya… Naye Dhadkan Naye Sawaal in Prep class.
The slow, aching, fluttering kind of love
It stirred something in her.
She didn’t realize it then,
But her own story had already begun.
***
⏳ BACK TO 2025
A sudden bump on her shoulder brought her back.
“Sorry!” a fresher called, hurrying past.
Eshmal barely nodded, eyes snapping back toward the pillar.
But…
He was gone.
Her heart dipped.
Like she'd missed him again just like all the other times in her life.
Then
Across the garden.
Behind the admin block.
A glimpse.
Him.
Walking.
Calmly.
Alone.
Hands tucked into his pockets.
He hadn’t seen her.
Or maybe…
Just maybe…
He had?
To be continued…🌙📚
***
💬 Author’s Corner:
Hey dear readers 💫
If you’ve ever had someone from your past appear in front of you
like a memory turned real then you know exactly what Eshmal felt in that moment.
This isn’t just a love story.
It’s a soft ache. A quiet bond. A thread that never broke.
***
🧡 I enjoy interacting to readers so comments below your thoughts.
1. Do you think Amaan noticed her… or was it really just coincidence?
2. Have you ever had a real-life moment where you saw someone from your past and time froze?
3. Would you approach someone after so many years, or stay silent like Eshmal?
YOU ARE READING
The Strings Between Us
Romance"Some hearts never forget... even when silence replaces every word." Eshmal & Amaan Soft girl × Loyal boy Childhood friends to lovers She fell first, he fell deeper Unspoken feelings × Invisible red threads Heartbeat moments × Nostalgic longing Slow...
