It's not all Roses

The runaway groom

Zaynab

'You son of a bitch, where the hell are you man?'

I can't help but scoff.

'What?' Asad looks at me.
He is propped against the wall, squinting at his cell phone. It never occurs to him to stand in shade.

'Save these heart touching profanities, he is not even going to listen to your voice notes,' I say.

We are standing at our designated bus stop. The sun hasn't even woken up yet and I can feel the sweat beads forming on my forehead, trickling down my back.

Asad, my daily partner in the 50 minute commute to college, stands under the sun getting more tanned by the minute. He is receiving curious looks as he ignores my comment and continues using his colorful vocabulary.

He looks tired but he is dressed properly. Next to him, I feel like a middle aged mother of three children. But, today I am not the only one with dark circles. I can tell he didn't sleep much, if at all. Well that makes the two of us.

Everywhere I look, I see questions written all over people's faces. I am sure they already have all the juicy misinformation from last night.
Some of our other classmates and juniors were invited too, but they all are looking at us like we assisted his escapade or we know something they don't. We might be closest to him but we are as clueless as them.

A couple of them even braved up the courage to ask about the night in question. Lucky for them we are not in a very chatty mood today or these losers would have all scuttled back, eyes averted and everything.
Don't get me wrong, we are perfectly friendly beings. Just not at 40 degrees centigrade, waiting for the bus with a nagging question gnawing at the back of our heads.

The same question that is sprawled across everyone's face standing in this bus stop.

The same question we have been asked over and over again from  his friends, family, relatives, strangers, even our own parents.

Where is Talha?

---------

'Good morning, class,' Professor Bhatti mumbles, 'Please be silent.'

His efforts are mostly futile. He is a shabby dresser with stark white hair. At age 65, his two most remarkable feats are being the Head of department of Pathology and not going bald. I am more impressed by the latter. For an HOD, he is quite docile. Which is why keeps saying 'please' and 'class' in a mildly threatening tone every 5 minutes.

And which is also why Asad and I had a steaming cup of coffee before making it to his class, 15 minutes late. He didn't even give us a second glance. I just love him.

Asad strolls to sit at the guys' side and I shuffle to where the girls sit. Ayzah has kept me  a seat in the second row but I pretend I don't see her and shuffle back to the last row. I adjust msyelf in my favorite spot and munch on a kitkat while scrolling through instagram.

'Today we are going to discuss worm infestation.'

Oh nice.

I make a short clip of him explaining the hideous details on worms and then zoom into the kitkat wrapper.
He looks at me for a second, and as always seems to think I am taking pictures of his lecture slides. Sweet fool.

I get a lot laughing reacts as I post it on instagram with caption '#Lostmyapetite.'

After lecture (which actually turned out to be quite interesting) Asad and I hang out in the cafe.
Despite his protests we don't wait for Ayzah.
'I already have a headache and I can't deal with interrogation right now.' I'd said.

We are hopelessly taking turns on trying to reach Talha when a bunch of burly jocks call Asad. A few out of his million friends.

'Gotta go.'

'Jao maro' I say. I can never be civil to him, no matter the circumstances.

He nods and then leans in a little, 'Zaynab, do me a favor. Go find Ayzah and be with her, okay?' he pauses, 'even if she asks questions.'

'Okay, but here's a question from me first.'
'What?'

Will you ever tell her?' I say, half smirking.

Fucking love.
-----------------

'Funny post,' Ayzah says.

We are seated in the corner near the windows. Our cafe is air-conditioned Thank Lord, but windows are for the view.
This was our favourite spot. By we I mean Talha and I. His idea for 'the view' was spying on couples while drinking oreo shake.

'Zaynab?'

'Yeah' I say taking off my glasses and tossing them inside my overall pockets, 'I am sorry, what were you saying?'

'I said funny post on insta today,' she says.

She has hair up in a ponytail, her dopatta and overall lying on the table. I notice she hasn't taken a sip of her smoothie.

'Oh that, yes. Thanks.' I say.

For some reason I find myself growing anxious again. Ayzah is my friend but right now the way she is looking at me it's as if she will burst trying to keep it in.

She and Talha have some history. They dated freshmen year but it didn't work out. They are friends now but I spent majority of sophomore year being a thaali ka bengan between the two of them.

I expect a dozen questions. Asad and I have been in college two hours and sooner or later these questions will definitely find us on the receiving end. We decided on not saying anything. Not that we had a choice, we don't know anything.

What am I going to tell her?

Before she speaks again I say, 'I don't know where he is, yar. Wherever he went off to he never mentioned anything to me, not even a hint.'
I surprise myself with the resentment in my tone.

'I know,' she says not meeting my eyes.

'Thanks for understanding.'

'No, I mean I know. I know where he is', she says, 'at least I think so.'

'What?' I am so shocked I want to scream and spit out this word.

'Look, I am not entirely sure.'

'What the hell are you saying Ayzah?'  I can't help it, I am yelling.

And then it hits me, like a boulder truck. My gut twists and my mouth is suddenly dry.

'Oh..' is all I can manage. I am aware of the abrupt silence around me, I don't even have to see to know that everyone is looking.

'What?' she says ,'Zainab I-'

'You.. you two? Is that why he left. For you?' It comes out more spiteful than I intended.

I take my bag and stand up. Ayzah grabs my arm, her grip is so fierce that I can feel her nails digging in my flesh.

'It is not that.' Her eyes are watering.

Dramay baaz.

I yank her hand off and walk out of the cafe. I ignore the voice in my head telling me that I am wrong, that it's impossible.
I shut out these thoughts and walk outside.

****
Translations :

Thaali ka bengan : A Rolling stone (As in a Rolling stone gathers no moss :D)

Jao maro : Go die

Yar : Urdu slang for friend/buddy

Dramay baaz : Drama Queen