ishq lost & found

21; Bestfriend

Saad and Ranya were not the only couple amongst the community getting married, just the only peculiar pairing compared to the others. Wedding season was upon them, with invitations racking up since so many of their peers had found their soulmates, Ranya wished she had been as lucky.

The past couple of days had been better. After Saads surprise dinner and long conversation, they were eventually interrupted by Saads incessant phone, ringing like he was some superhero. Then they both got busier and busier with work, both of them working overtime, sometimes even seeing each other for fleeting minutes a day, if they were lucky.

Still, something in the air had changed. There was a shift. Maybe it was because of the extra step Saad took, or maybe it was because Ranya found herself reverting back to her old ways, easily wooed, her heart fluttering upon seeing him. It snuck up on her.

"Are you ready?" Saad asked, his voice booming through the halls of their home as his wife was busy adorning herself with all the jewelry she had been gifted.

Sighing as she looked into the mirror, Ranya held back tears, unhappy with the results. She hadn't been feeling like herself for the past few days, she felt like she looked more worse the past few days.. Maybe it was the stress of work or maybe it was just in her head. Throwing a dupatta over her shoulder, she refrained from making them any later than she already had.

"Coming." she shouted back, grabbing the sides of her anarkali so as not to trip over it, since it hadn't been tailored because she couldn't find the time. And when she did have the time, those days that were supposed to be spent in a foreign land for her honeymoon, she was too busy trying to avoid Saad and keep herself from running into him.

Trotting down the large stairs as well as she could, she pressed her lips into a tight smile, knowing that if she could fool Saad into thinking she was okay, she could fool anyone. She wasn't a great actress, but even if she was, Saad could read her like a book.

As she descended down the stairs, Saad felt his heart rate spike, his throat getting dry at the sight of her. He had been admiring her, sneaking glances any chance he got. Then he'd feel guilty, ashamed to be attracted to who would've been his sister in law. But, today he got a good look. His eyes trailed from the her hair, dark locks decorated with flowers cascading down her shoulder. The beautiful navy blue anarkali shimmering under the chandelier above them, it fit just like a glove. But, it wasn't really the outfit he cared about.

As she made it to the last few steps, he broke himself out of his trance, quickly hiding the smile that might've been creeping up on his lips. Yes, Saad had noticed the shift too. There was a comfortable silence between them now, a big contrast from the first few weeks, but he knew better than to mistake Ranya's kindness for anything else. Not again. He had learnt his lesson.

Stretching out his hand to help her down, Saad cleared his throat, catching her attention, her eyes locking with his for a second, a spark sending a shiver through her body, her posture straightening out like a ruler when their hands touched.

"You look..." Saad paused searching for the right word, surprised at himself for impulsively speaking when he should've thought it out before, "Great." he gave her a tight lipped smile.

Ranya, completely misunderstanding his words, swallowed the lump in her throat, suppressing the tears she wanted to shed. She feared the pause, and his adjective of choice were all deliberately picked because she looked awful, and Saad was just trying to be nice. She worried he could see through her farce, that he knew she wasn't feeling like herself and that was his poor attempt at cheering her up. But, nothing came up in the car, a silent ride all the way to the home of the affair.

Playing with the ends of her dupatta, she chewed the inner part of her lip, her mood not only soiled by her inability to get ready the way she had envisioned, but also the fact that she had no idea how she and Saad were supposed to convince everyone that they had been a happily married couple since their wedding. What do real couples do? What if somehow it slips that they slept in separate rooms? What if the nosier people try asking questions about what married couples do and Ranya had no answer? There were so many possibilities, that meant there were many more worries.

Arriving at the beautifully decorated manor, Saad helped Ranya out of the car, his hand grasping hers tightly. If it weren't for all the worries Ranya had swirling in her head, she would have swiftly let his hand go, but rather today she held on, swallowing back her fears as they made their way to the front door. Saad was quite confused, his eyes darting to Ranya, then their interlocked hands, wondering why she was still latched on. Part of him liked it though, the feeling of normalcy with her, and the fact that it was her. But it was also convenient since numerous eyes were on them, this display adding to their hopefully believable story.

Greeting and being greeted by countless people, Ranya finally let his hands go once they were inside, giving out hugs to all the familiar faces.

"Dua!" she beamed, seeing her best friend standing by the stairs alongside some other people she knew through association. Running over, she gave her a tight hug, her sadness and anxiety drifting away the moment she saw her. "I missed you!" she whispered into her ear as the two hugged.

"I missed you too! How's Saad bhai?" Dua asked, pulling Ranya away from the crowd for a moment, finding a quaint spot to quickly catch up before the wedding began.

"He's good. Everything's good." Ranya explained, nodding as she looked around to make sure no one was listening, her eyes also searching for Saad, only to spot him talking to some other girl.

She was tall and slim, only about an inch shorter than Saad, with alluring features and dark curls to match. Wearing a deep red lipstick to match her red dress, she smiled at Saad in a way that deeply disturbed Ranya, her heart dropping to her stomach as she observed the two. He was grinning, a boisterous laugh soon escaping his lips, a laugh she hadn't been introduced to yet. Maybe she wasn't funny enough.

"Who's that?" Ranya asked, Dua following her gaze to spot her brother and the other woman.

"I'm not sure... seems like they know each other well..." Dua commented, her brows furrowing at the sight, especially when she noticed the woman grazing Saads arms, a large smile stretching across her face as she tilted her head to the side and nodded along with whatever he was saying. It was clear what her intentions were, and from the looks of it, to both Ranya and Dua, it seemed as though Saad was fine with it.

A heavy sigh escaped Ranyas lips, her eyes welling with tears and the comfort she had built the past few days quickly crumbled. She should have known better, she did know better. But she let her delusional self go back to her old ways, admiring Saad like she used to. It was easy given that she was living with him, so she tried not to blame herself.

With the music beginning, both girls made their way to their seats, Saad excusing himself from the woman and walking towards Ranya.

"Hey Dua." he greeted his sister, giving her a hug before turning to Ranya, his expression boring and stoic, "Our seats are that way." he told her, nodding his head to the left set of chairs.

Ranya stared at him, bewildered at his attitude and treatment towards her compared to that other girl. With her, he was being dry and plain. With her he laughs, a laugh she had never been able to get out of him, but he sees her and suddenly he's full of expression. Nodding, holding back the anger that burned within her, she followed him to their designated seats.

"Saad! They put you here!" the same woman from before stopped them before they reached their chairs, still smiling ear to ear as she stared at Saad.

"Guess I said goodbye for nothing huh?" Saad replied, a sudden smile on his face. "Oh, and this is my wife Ranya." he turned to his side, placing his hand on the small of her back.

Ranya could have sworn that upon hearing this, the woman's smile dropped, her entire demeanour changing. She was fast at bringing that little grin back, but her energy had shifted. Turning towards Ranya, she stuck out her hand.

"I'm Alia. One of Saad's close friends, maybe even his best friend."

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guys plsss lemme know if this is even good i kind of hate it but i wanna finish a story for once 😭😭