The pillow muffled the morning light. “Ummm,” I groaned, burying my face in the fluff.
“Wake up, Aykiz,” Bua’s voice, sharp as always.
“Just one more second,” I mumbled, clinging to the warmth.
“One second *is* over. Know wake up, you're going to be late for college.” Bua snatched the pillow, and I surrendered. Good. I rubbed my eyes and headed for the bathroom, a bleary-eyed zombie.
My phone had been charging on the shelf overnight. No nightstand switch meant no late-night scrolling. Sad, I know. It felt like a small, daily injustice.
Seven missed calls from Ayzel and thirty-two WhatsApp messages. She’d been teasing me, relentlessly. It started after I’d casually mentioned Ibrahim—her cousin, my crush—looked cute. “He’s looking good,” I’d said. That was the last day I was ever at peace. From then on, she’d taunt me with his name, turning my shy admiration into a running joke.
I ignored the messages, tugged my dupatta around my shoulders, and went downstairs. My father. The most beautiful person in the world.
I ran towards him and hugged him tightly from behind. “Babaaaaa…”
“Ohhh, good morning, my lovely daughter,” he replied, his voice warm and familiar.
“Same to you, Baba.” I hated when he spent more time with that useless newspaper than with me. “Uff, Baba, you're reading that thing again.”
He folded the paper with a sigh. “Okay, fine. Here.” He handed it over. “Now, tell me what you want.”
“I don’t want anything,” I lied, knowing he’d see right through me.
“If you’re insisting, then okay. I want to go to Toothyrk with Ayzel,” I blurted out, starting to beg him before he could even say no.
“Okay, but be careful.” Yes! Mission successful.
“Okay, Baba, now go to college or I’ll be late.”
“You didn’t eat your breakfast, Aykiz.”
“I’ll eat something in college with Ayzel.”
“Okay, bye.”
“Bye.”
I entered the college and saw Ayzel. She was standing near the bench, waiting for me. I walked towards her. “Hi idiot,” she said.
“Hello stupid,” I replied.
“So are we going to the park today or not?” she asked, bouncing with excitement.
“Yep we are going.”
“Yessssssssssss,” she squealed, and we headed towards class. Our first period was maths. Whyyyyyyyyyyy! Life is so unfair for students.
College ended and we were finally on our way to the theme park.
“Ayzel, I need to eat something or else I’ll die of hunger,” I said, deploying my best puppy dog eyes.
“Then die. It’s not my fault you didn’t eat breakfast properly,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Heartless.
“Correction, it’s not that I didn’t eat breakfast properly, it’s that I didn’t eat breakfast *at all*,” I said with a touch of irritation.
“Okay fine, you don’t have to make that puppy dog face,” she said, conceding defeat.
“Do you know there’s a new cafe open daily near the park? Let’s go over there,” I said.
“Okay.”
Inside the cafe, Ayzel was on an important call. I went to the counter. A beautiful girl, probably in her mid-twenties, stood there, smiling.
“Hi ma’am, how can I help you?” she asked, her smile radiant.
“One cold coffee, please,” I replied, returning the smile. She nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
Then *he* walked in. He was typing something on his phone, wearing an expensive black suit and a stylish watch. His face… God must have sculpted him with his own hands. Pitch black eyes, dangerous and captivating.
How can a person be this handsome? I wished he was my boy.
Astaghfirullah! What was happening with me? Was I losing my mind? Bad Aykiz, bad Aykiz.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice he was looking at me. Smirking, even. Oh my god, this was so embarrassing. Great, just great. I looked away, mortified.
He went to the counter. The same girl, looking flustered, asked for his order. “Black coffee,” he replied in a deep, resonant voice. “Oo..k sir,” she stammered. Why was she stammering?
Just then, I noticed tattoos on his neck, visible beneath his collar. The same girl came to me and said that my order is ready. I gave one last glance at that man and went to take my coffee.
That’s it for today.
How was the chapter? Boring, I know, but it’s just the beginning.
Feel free to point out the mistakes. Please follow me. Share my story with your friends and add this book to your reading list please this is a request from you all. Vote and comment. I’ll give shoutouts to the person who comments the most.