He pulled me inside my room before finally releasing my wrist.
"Ah! Are you crazy?" I snapped, my voice laced with pain as I frowned, rubbing the sore spot.
Ahad turned, his eyes immediately falling on my reddened wrist. His expression softened for a fraction of a second-like he regretted it-but just as quickly, something flickered in his mind, reigniting his frustration.
In a heartbeat, he closed the distance between us, his hands gripping my arms firmly.
"Iman, don't you see how Hafiz looks at you?" His voice was sharp, edged with frustration.
I tried to pull away, but his hold was too strong.
"Answer me!"
Did he just yell at me?
My face must have screamed my shock because my eyes widened instantly. Ahad never lost his calm. Not figuratively speaking-literally, I had never seen him raise his voice. Not even as a kid when a senior had snatched his favorite toy.
He exhaled heavily, attempting to control himself before demanding again. "Don't you get it? Why he keeps making excuses just to meet you?"
And then-he yanked me forward.
My breath hitched, horror shooting through my veins.
I wanted to say something-to calm him down, to ease the tension suffocating the air between us-but the wrong words spilled out before I could stop them.
"Even if he does, what is it to you?"
Hell.
Ahad went completely still. Then, he laughed-a cold, humorless sound. A wise person would have taken this as a red alert.
"What is it to me?"
He smiled, but there was nothing lighthearted about it. His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my knees weak.
"What is it to me, you ask?"
Then, suddenly, his voice rose again, frustration bleeding into every syllable.
"Damn it, what is it to me?!"
His hand ran through his hair, then down his face, like he hated himself for losing control.
"Why does he come near you, Iman?" He ignored my question entirely.
"Is he your friend?" His grip tightened.
"No," he answered himself.
"Your classmate?" His gaze burned into mine.
"No," he answered again.
The hair on the back of my neck rose as coldness wrapped around my skin, sinking deep into my bones.
"Your cousin?"
His voice was dangerously calm now.
"Answer me, Iman."
I shook my head.
"Words, Iman." He exhaled sharply, pressing my name like it was a command.
I swallowed hard.
"N-N-No," I stuttered, my head moving in sync with my trembling voice.
"Then" he stopped. Ahad's iaw clenched. His lips parted as if to say something else, but then he stopped, realizing his tone had escalated again. He inhaled deeply, forcing himself to steady.
"Then why does he come near you? Why does he-"
"Iman, Ahad beta! It's dinner time," my mother's voice rang from downstairs.
Relief crashed over me like a wave.
My lips twitched into an awkward smile, stretching slowly across my face. My breath came out shaky, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
"T-Toh... C-Chalein phir?" I somehow managed to complete my sentence, my forced smile still plastered on my face.
Ahad closed his eyes and released me, stepping back. His face was unreadable, but I could see something flickering there-confusion? Regret? I wasn't sure.
I didn't wait to figure it out.
I turned on my heel and rushed out, closing the door behind me.
Leaning against it, I exhaled a deep, shaky breath.
Ahad's narration
Iman left.
The room felt still
I ran a frustrated hand through the waves of my hair before dropping onto the bed.
"What is wrong with me?"
That must've been the fourth time I yelled today.
I never yell. I don't do this.
Then what the hell is happening to me?
Every time I try to laugh, try to enjoy a moment, my mind betrays me-showing Hafiz making her laugh, making her smile. The way he looks at her. The way he-
"Shut up. Just shut up!"
I snapped, my voice sharp as it cut through the silence. My hands gripped my hair, eyes locked on the floor.
What is this? Is it just Hafiz? Or is it any other boy trying to impress her? Any guy she gives attention to?
I don't know.
But I already hate every guy who even thinks of approaching her.
And I don't give a flying shit about it.
Here's a refined version that enhances Ahad's turmoil and makes the emotions hit even harder:
I don't know how long I would have stayed there, had I not forced my legs to move.
But my mind? It refused to obey.
Hafiz and Iman. Together. Hands in hands.
The thought echoed-again and again-until it was all I could hear.
I inhaled sharply. Just breathe. Just inhale and exhale.
"Inhale. Exhale." I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.
Uff.
My fingers clenched around the doorknob as my thoughts spiraled. One after the other, like short film clips being played at full speed-each one worse than the last.
Hafiz smiling at her.
Her laughing at something he said.
Their fingers brushing accidentally.
His eyes lingering on her.
Hers on him.
I squeezed the doorknob harder.
Damn it.
This isn't working.