Heartstrings Tangled

Unspoken Agony

In the dimly lit lobby of the team hotel, Babar sat engrossed in his phone, his lips curled into a smile that danced across his face like a secret. Saim, sitting opposite him, couldn't help but notice the gleam in Babar's eyes, a curiosity brewing within him.

"What's got you grinning like that, Babar bhai?" Saim ventured, his voice laced with a hint of concern, his eyes probing Babar's expression.

Babar's smile faltered for a moment as he glanced up, his attention reluctantly torn away from the glowing screen. "Oh, it's nothing, Saim," he replied, his tone a touch evasive, his gaze returning to his phone.

Saim's unease grew, a knot forming in his stomach as he sensed something amiss. "You know you can tell me, Babar bhai," he insisted gently, a flicker of worry crossing his features.

Babar met Saim's gaze, his expression tinged with a mixture of guilt and reluctance. "It's just... a little personal," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, before another notification chimed from his phone, drawing his attention back to the screen.

Saim felt his heart sink as he observed Babar biting his lips in an attempt to suppress the smile that kept appearing on his face after each text he read.

Suddenly, Shaheen and Shadab joined them, their mischievous grins betraying their intentions. Saim couldn't help but notice the smirk on Shaheen's face as his gaze lingered on Babar, a telltale sign of impending mischief.

Shadab, ever the instigator, wasted no time in poking fun at Babar. "Oh, Babar has already started to ignore us," he quipped, prompting Shaheen to chime in agreement. "Obviously, Shadab, why wouldn't he?"

Babar, though annoyed by their banter, couldn't suppress a small smile at their antics. "Come on, guys," he said, playfully rolling his eyes. "If you keep this up in front of him, I'll have to start worrying about my reputation," he added with a chuckle, the frustration replaced by amusement in his tone.

The mention of 'him' sent a pang of despair through Saim's heart, confirming his worst fears. With a heavy heart, he stood up and silently slipped away, unnoticed by Babar, who was engrossed in the company of his friends.

As Saim retreated to the solace of the nearest bathroom, tears welled up in his eyes, his stomach tied in knots at the realization of Babar's affections for someone else. The cruel irony of Babar's obliviousness to his departure only served to deepen his anguish, leaving him to grapple with his unspoken heartache in solitude.

Inside the dimly lit bathroom, the soft sound of water droplets echoed against the tiled walls, a stark contrast to the tumultuous storm raging within Saim's heart. His reflection in the mirror was a shattered image of the vibrant soul he once knew. Tears streamed down his cheeks, tracing paths of anguish, as he struggled to contain the tempest of emotions threatening to consume him.

His mind replayed the moment of revelation over and over again, each instance twisting the knife deeper into his already wounded heart. Babar, the object of his affection, was not his alone. In a cruel twist of fate, Saim had stumbled upon the truth – Babar was in love with someone else, someone he cherished more than anything in the world.

The realization hit Saim like a freight train, shattering the illusion of happiness he had painstakingly built around his feelings for Babar. The weight of unrequited love bore down on him, suffocating him with its crushing force. How could he have been so blind, so naive to believe that he was the occupant of Babar's heart?

With a gut-wrenching sob, Saim sank to his knees, his hands gripping the edge of the sink for support. The pain was unbearable, a searing agony that threatened to tear him apart from the inside out. He felt betrayed, abandoned, left to drown in a sea of unfulfilled longing.