"I'm sorry that I've broken your heart. Constantly spoiling it and tearing it apart. I'm trying to amend it but it's difficult to recapture such a beautiful art. I struggle to shoulder all of your tears. I unknowingly make your heart bleed, I always say the wrong things. It's killing me to hurt us both. It's killing me because I can't tell you what's hurting me.
I want you, but I can't have you. You're a dream.... a dream from which I don't wanna wake up from."
Arhaan walked towards his mother, who was busy looking at some handbags in a store.
He greeted her and other ladies, to which everyone replied.
"Where's Anabiya?", Sanaya asked.
"Yes where is she? Why didn't she come with you?", Anabiya's mother, Fatima asked Sanaya.
"Uh... aunty.... she was about to join you all but then I needed a bandaid so I asked her for it. It took some time to find the bandaid and as soon as she found it, Ruhina came and they went somewhere.", Arhaan explained, obviously cutting out most of the part.
He knew how desi ladies were and he was in no mood for creating problems for himself as well as Anabiya.
Not like what he said was false. It wasn't just the detailed truth.
Hafsa was shocked to learn about Arhaan's wounded hand and soon all the attention was diverted from Anabiya to Arhaan.
On the other side of the huge mall, there were two friends, one who was acting clueless while the other knew something was up.
Yes, Anabiya and Ruhina.
Anabiya was the one acting clueless while Ruhina wasn't dumb to not understand that her bestfriend was hiding something.
"Anabiya, enough with your stupid tantrums and acting. Something happened on my engagement night and I wanna know what. Sanaya was after your blood and soul earlier that day and suddenly she came hand in hand with you? And you, madam, is actually pretending to be in 'love' with Omar? Seriously?", Ruhina asked as anger and sarcasm dripped from her tone which actually made Anabiya shudder but she still decided to keep shut.
"I'm not pretending anything. Me and Sanaya had our issues, as you know and we resolved it. And I'm not pretending anything. I'm not in love with Omar.... yet.... but he's a nice guy. I'll eventually....", Anabiya gulped as she paused.
"... eventually fall for him.", she completed with hesitancy laced in her voice.
Ruhina just stared at Anabiya for a few seconds and then let out a humourless laugh.
"I never knew you could think of me as an idiot. Anabiya why? Why are you doing this? What do you think? I didn't notice the way you were looking at him while Dadi Amma was talking about love and marriage and what not? I saw you clutching the side of your dress when Omar held your hand and you were trying your best to look normal while you were suffering. I even saw you ripping your soul apart as you tried not to look at Arhaan. I even saw you shaking and your uneven breath when Sanaya held Arhaan's arm. I saw the bloodshot eyes of yours which were trying to hold the tears of grief and pain. Anabiya, I saw it all....", and as Ruhina completed, Anabiya broke down. She hugged her friend and let the tears flow.
Anabiya was suffering all alone and she wanted someone to share her grief with. And noone is better than a bestfriend.
Ruhina rubbed Anabiya's back and let her friend lighten her heart.
Anabiya closed her eyes as the events from that evening started running in her head.
"What is it Sanaya?", Anabiya asked and Sanaya looked at her with hurt and anger, both the strongest of emotions.
"You want to know why am I behaving like this? You want to know why I made you and Zayd hate each other? You wanna know why?", Sanaya seethed and Anabiya couldn't help but just stare.
"Because of you. YOU!", Sanaya pointed towards Anabiya, accusing her of a crime, a crime even Anabiya wasn't even aware of.
"Wha-", before Anabiya could say anything, Sanaya gestured her to stop.
"No listen to me first. You know how pampered I was. Everywhere. Teachers loved me in school, my parents treated me like a princess and I was the popular one in every friend circle. There were guys who claimed to love me. But you were the one who was better. You were ahead of me in sports, extra curriculars and academics. I was good in those stuffs too, but you were always a step ahead. I looked beautiful and I was proud of it. I still am. People loved me too. But as we grew up, people started comparing us. You were considered as the funny, bubbly and the cute one while I was just considered pretty. You know I had guys behind me but the ones I loved, they liked You. And Zayd? Damn I loved him more than anyone but he still chose You. I was angry and mad at him and you too. That's why I decided to tear You both apart. And I was guilty about it too. But then it passed. After that you studied and graduated from a decent college and made some good friends. Then we met Rayyan. You gained weight and stuff but that guy still liked you. He liked you since college. But guess what? I had a crush on him. I still let it go because nothing happened between you two in college. But then he proposed you that day and you rejected him. I was happy. I really was. Everything was going smooth. I knew Omar had feelings for you and I even knew you would fall for him too. But then came in your boss, Arhaan Abdul Saeed....", Sanaya paused and took a deep breath.
While Anabiya? Well her body was shivering while her soul and mind were numb.
She never knew that her bestfriend had such misconceptions and bitter thoughts.
"Arhaan.... you know Anabiya, the moment I laid my eyes on him, my heart skipped a beat. It wasn't just looks, it was his behaviour and the aura he carried around! And that evening, at the twins engagement party, I fell in love with him. I never told anybody but I did. I wanted to tell you but we had a stupid fight regarding Omar and you, after that you went to Dubai. Then at Wahab's wedding, Arhaan's family saw me and I was on top of the world when they chose me for Arhaan. Everything was going great. Your family approved of Omar too. I even told you and Ruhina about Arhaan and his family. Everything was perfect. Until you ruined it. Again. You confessed to Ruhina that you love him. And I was broken. Though I later realised that it wasn't your fault. But you know I can't just shake off that feeling. You always stole the guys I loved. How can I be at ease knowing that you love the guy whom I'm gonna marry soon?", Sanaya ended the whole rant with a question and Anabiya just looked at Sanaya with an unknown emotion.
After a minute of processing everything, Anabiya spoke.
"I.... I never knew you had this shit going in your mind. You fucking thought I'll 'steal' your guy? Are you outta your mind? Girl you were always better than me. In everything. People loved you. And you thought I was trying to bring you down? You loved Zayd? You should've talked to me about it. But any which ways that guy was not worth it. And I never knew I caused you pain. People thought of us as sisters. I thought we both knew each other. But I was wrong.", Anabiya angrily shook her head and Sanaya's eyes were filled with tears now.
"You still love Arhaan?", Sanaya asked and Anabiya's eyes widened. She didn't know how to react.
"Why does that matter?", Anabiya questioned back in a low voice.
"Because if you do, many hearts are gonna break and many relations are gonna suffer.", Sanaya answered.
Anabiya knew what Sanaya meant.
Anabiya knew Omar liked her and she knew Arhaan only saw her as a friend.
Oh little did our Anabiya knew that she was wrong and she was letting wrong emotions empower her senses!
"Anabiya....", Sanaya called out as she sniffled.
"I really love Arhaan. I love you too. I can't lose you but I can't lose him either.", Sanaya cried, tears flowing freely and Anabiya immediately closed her eyes as a shooting pain hit her heart.
Anabiya held Sanaya's hand and said the words that killed her inside and burnt her soul.
"Sanaya.... I had feelings for him. But they all died the day I accepted Omar's proposal. Arhaan is all yours."
Sanaya smiled and hugged Anabiya, as happiness engulfed her.
While Anabiya was feeling the exact opposite. Her mind, her body, her soul, her heart... All were begging to her to stop this suffering. But she couldn't. It wasn't possible.
For she never knew what Arhaan thought of her.
For her Sanaya was her bestfriend. She had a girl code.
And thus, Anabiya fulfilled her role as a bestfriend.
........
"You're just a reminder that sometimes losing is better than winning."
Ruhina had a complex state of mind after she heard what Anabiya said.
Ruhina was angry and mad at Anabiya but she also knew Anabiya had no option.
"Anabiya..... Damn! You let your feelings drop? Doesn't it hurt to let go of your feelings? To sacrifice?", Ruhina questioned and Anabiya sighed.
"The pain... it will end after teaching you. This taught me that you never get what you always expect.", Anabiya smiled.
Ruhina felt bad and also helpless at the same time.
"Anabiya but Sanaya... I don't know. I don't think so she's right. She can't say the guys she loved, liked you. I mean she dated so many guys, I even lost count of them.", Ruhina doubtfully said and Anabiya shrugged.
"Ruhi, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I unknowingly hurted her and she was with me when no one else was. Her family was there when no one else was there in our hard times. Arhaan looks up to me as a friend and as an employee. He never denied marrying Sanaya. Infact his mother chose Sanaya for him and he agreed to it. I can't just make a fool of myself by creating this a love triangle. Also, Omar likes me. The guy who's loved my many likes me. And I can't hurt him. I cannot hurt the person who cares for me. So this had to end. So I ended it.", Anabiya explained the heartbreaking truth.
Ruhina wanted to argue but to be honest, she didn't know what to say anymore.
"But Anabiya, I noticed the sparks in Arhaan's eyes whenever he sees you and-", Ruhina was interrupted by an angry Anabiya.
"Stop! From now on, no Anabiya-Arhaan! Got it?"
And Ruhina knew it was may be the end of an epic love story.
"Just answer this one last question, Anabiya. Please.", Ruhina pleaded and Anabiya nodded.
"Will you ever stop loving him?", Ruhina asked.
"He is someone I keep in my heart. I love him. It is a love deeply buried in my soul in my heart, in my skin and that love will only die with me.", Anabiya confessed the exquisite truth in the most heart-wrenching way.
And that's how life is...... it makes you, breaks you, it gives you glee, it gives you pain. It teaches you to love, it teaches you to break.
It teaches you to let go. It teaches you to sacrifice.
Things happen. People call it destiny.
The events that happened are Meant To Be but this is not the end.
Life has more to offer.
Maybe more pain or maybe more love or maybe more heartbreak or maybe more trials?
Hold on..... just hold on.
..................
A/n: HELLLOOOOOO MY BBS! SO I'M SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE BUT I HAD MY EXAMS AND THEN I WENT ON VACAYYYYY SO YEAH!
THIS CHAPTER MADE ME CRY. A BIT.
AND I HOPE Y'ALL LOVED IT!
AND AND AND IDK WHY WHILE WRITING THIS CHAPTER I HAD THIS OST FROM KHAANI RUNNING ON MY MIND :P
SO YEAH VOTE. COMMENT AND SHARE.
ALSO THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BE FINISHED SOON AND I'M SO NOT READY *CRIES*