Let Me Redeem [Completed]

In for a nickel, in for a dime

Hadi trudged towards the student's lounge, his steps lights and sure and his hands swinging by his sides. He was hoping to catch Sasha there.

Every Friday she would come over to his place along with him, to her aunt and uncle's house. She treated it like a refuge, spending the entire weekend there and going back home dispirited.

Her own house brimmed with more depression than life, with her brother up and abandoning the family to go live in Canada. He married a native there and now lived happily ever after, disrupting the rest of the family's life in his wake.

Her mother was always on her father's neck rendering the blame of her son's desertion entirely on her husband. Sasha's father, on the other hand fired back with equal apprehension and contempt, refusing to shoulder all the responsibility himself. Her grandmother as well, though usually quite soft spoken, threw in a jibe or two directed at her daughter in law's carelessness and failure regarding his son.

There was simply too much shouting, arguing and fights to Sasha to endure. All they cared about was her brother, nobody cared that she was still there and not exactly happy.

So Hadi's house was her shelter, and Hadi not only her best friend, but like a brother her own blood never was, a bit uptight and aloof, but still.

The coming costume party in a week had Sasha considering staying with Leila in the hostel, which was the reason Hadi was looking for her and wanted to make sure of her decision.

Leila and Rafay, on the other hand, were still not talking to each other, Hadi had noticed, even though the movie trip was a week old now. He wasn't worried though, they'll catch up on each other soon, he knew.

Just as he was about to cross into the other room, he noticed Rohina perched on a couch, sobbing softly into her palms. Hadi paused a few feet behind her, contemplating.

"Hey." He finally said, "Alright there?" Had it been anyone other than Rohina, Hadi wouldn't have cared. In fact, a part of him didn't particularly care about Rohina either. But the other was curious about her, wanted to know what she hid behind all that makeup, bitchiness, and arrogance, what she was like under all those layers of fake and pretend, because he knew those for what they were. And most importantly, he wanted to know how she had ended up with Bilal - it had all been so sudden - and what had split them up in the end.

Rohina gazed up, looking startled and immediately made to wipe the tears off her face. Her glossy black hair was drawn over her face like a curtain, which she made no effort to tuck away. "Yeah." She said curtly, though her voice came out slightly hoarse.

Hadi felt incredibly awkward, now that he was actually doing it, approaching Rohina when she had clearly been crying. What had he been thinking? Consoling someone, pshh, what a laugh. It didn't suit him.

Shifting conspicuously on his feet, he cleared his throat.

"Sure?" He asked.

Rohina nodded.

He stood there for a moment and was about to walk away when he noticed the almost imperceptible shake of her head. Hadi halted in his step. He bit his lip and sighed.

In for a nickel, in for dime, then.

He came around the couch and sat down beside her.

Rohina looked at him and arched away from him, surprised at his sight.

"You're not alright."

She stared at him with moist, unblinking eyes, jaw locked and lips pursed together to choke back a sob.