You Will Always be Mine

Chapter# 2

Kanwal's group of friends consists of five girls, Mehak, Samra, Maira, Raffat and her. Their meeting point before class is the third tree, at the left of the college gate. They would walk to class together or skip them together. But their first work after meeting was to tell the spiciest news of college.

Being a girls' college, there are two news which interests everyone; male actors and holidays. Kanwal smiled at her friends who were trying to read something in a magazine all at once and obviously, it was quite impossible. Still, they were so engrossed, that they didn't even notice Kanwal's approaching presence until she also bent her head to look into the magazine.

Thinking it would be about an actor, Kanwal bent to see but stoned at the glimpse of a familiar face. Her body started to get numb as she stares at the picture of her fiancé, Ahad, standing with two other men unknown to her. She shifted her focus to the news, but before she could read, Mehak closed the magazine.

"Kanwal, you came. Finally, we can go to class." Mehak said, completely ignoring the situation she was in. Samra also didn't give her the chance to respond and start dragging her towards the class, holding her arm. In the situation of utter shock and confusion, Kanwal is silently dragged by her friend while Raffat quickly discarded the magazine in the dustbin. They know she will ask for the magazine later and they couldn't say no to her, so it was better to get rid of it now.

The first period was English, which went unusually silent in the group. They kept stealing glances at Kanwal, who was staring into space. After class, they talked about the lesson, in which Kanwal didn't take part in.

"Kanwal?" Maria puts her hand on Kanwal's shoulder.

"Hm?" She said, without looking at her.

"Forget what you saw in the magazine." Maria said.

"I am trying...." She said, biting her lower lip. "Is he back?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.

"He isn't the same person, Kanwal." Maria ignored her question.

"I know." Kanwal answered and puts her head on the desk. Maria sighed and gives her friends a helpless look. They don't know how to cheer her up, so before the start of the second period, Raffat texted Mahnoor to meet them in the English class.

Within three minutes, Mahnoor came rushing to the class but is stopped by Raffat outside and filled her in on the entire situation.

"What was the news about?" Mahnoor asked.

"Ahad is back."

"Huh? Why?"

"His firm is starting a new project here and he wants to handle it personally..." After a short pause, she continued, "People are looking forward to it and being a young successful businessman, I am afraid he will be in the news more often."

Mahnoor inhaled a sharp breath and asked, "Where is the magazine?"

"I threw it in the dustbin. But the magazine isn't the problem here, the problem is, she would Google it to read the news." Raffat answered and Mahnoor nodded in agreement.

"So, he is staying in Shareefabad?" Mahnoor asked.

"Yes." Before both of them could continue their conversation, a feminine authoritative voice caught their attention.

"Both of you. Don't you have classes?" Said the girl who is coming towards them with the same white uniform as them but 'Head Girl' badge clipped to her shoulder making her different from the rest.

"Great!" Raffat groaned.

"Lanat hai (damn it)." Mahnoor cursed under her breath and said, "Assalam o Alaikum Shumaila."