Ma'az got admitted in the hospital because he broke his arm. It was later in the evening when Hadi was done with his classes that Bilal caught up with him outside the lecture hall and the two of them picked Sasha and immediately took off for the hospital.
It was a semi private room, Leila was already there with Rafay, Ma'az's parents out in the waiting area to give the six of them some time.
"What on earth were you doing!?" Sasha cried as they came into the room, closing the door behind them. Leila was perched on the bed beside Ma'az who had his left arm hanging from the plaster hook, a lopsided grin playing on his lips. On the chair at the foot of the bed sat Rafay, one leg over the other.
Leila snorted. "You wouldn't believe it."
"What?" Sasha glanced from Leila to Ma'az as she approached him. "Did he fall down into a gutter?"
"Haha." Ma'az rolled his eyes.
"Seriously dude, what happened?" Bilal said as he offered a thump on his legs covered under the white sheets.
"This utter shitbag was arm wrestling with that Meer from Architecture." Rafay said with a hint of contempt as he folded his arms over his chest.
"No way." Sasha snickered.
"Dude," Bilal laughed, "that guy gives some serious bodybuilder vibes. Why would you even think about messing with him?"
A faint shade of red tinted Ma'az's cheeks.
"You of all people, Ma'az Rehman. Seriously?" Leaning against the wall, Hadi shoved his hands into the pockets and arched his eyebrows.
Ma'az frowned. "I couldn't have asked for more supportive friends. Thank you God." He looked up at the ceiling and said with mock reproach.
"Our pleasure." Offering a sweet smile to him, Leila turned to the rest of them and added. "Guys there's more, ask him why he was with Meer in the first place."
"Why?" Sasha perked up more curious and attentive than before, if it was possible and sat down on the other side of Ma'az.
"Would you guys drop it already?"
"No." Everybody said in unison.
Ma'az scrunched his nose. "It was better if you guys hadn't come at all."
"Okay, I'm telling." Leila looked over at them and was standing up from the bed but Ma'az caught her wrist.
"Forgive me." He pleaded. "They're gonna roast me for the rest of the year."
Pushing himself off the wall, Hadi walked over to the bed and, telling Leila to back away with a wave of his hand, he bent over Ma'az who'd been staring at him wide eyed and began with a sensuous drawl. "Remember how in our first year you came wearing a female sweatshirt to college and I gave you a spare tee of my own. I took your picture, just in case. If you don't want that getting out, you're telling us what happened."
Ma'az almost leapt at him hissing, "you son of a bitch," but Hadi gently pushed him back.
"You're welcome." His lips tugged up into a smile as Hadi straightened up.
Sasha blinked as she had just come out of a trance. "What was that?"
"Nothing!" Ma'az barked out.
"Well?" Hadi raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, fine," he huffed grudgingly, "I've been going to gym for the past week and I thought I was really working hard, and to just check myself out I wanted to know if I'd be able to hold off Meer or not."
Sasha guffawed.
"You could've come up to me bro." Bilal laughed. "Meer's a long shot man, you wouldn't have been able to so much as hold off Leila here."
"Hahaha." Ma'az rolled his eyes in extreme irritation.
**~**
"You falling in love or something?"
Hadi paused, and then tearing his gaze away from the traffic below, turned to look at Bilal who was standing beside him "What?"
"No, I mean," Bilal shrugged, "is there something else going on, then? You've been acting strange lately."
They were still in the hospital room and having ordered pizza were waiting for the delivery as they talked amongst themselves. Hadi stood by the glass window, having drifted away from the conversation his friends were having when Bilal noticed him brooding by the window.
"Everything's fine. I would've told you if it wasn't." Hadi looked away.
"But you're not."
He let out a soft laugh. "I appreciate your concern but everything's on track, trust me."
"Well then, congratulate me." Bilal grinned. "Alia's pregnant. I'll be an uncle in a few months."
"Really?" Hadi turned back to him and asked, sounding pleasantly surprised. Pulling him roughly in a one arm hug, he thumped his back. "Congrats buddy."
Bilal laughed and when Hadi pulled away he saw the blush that marked his cheeks. "Your mother would expect something out of you any time soon, I'm pretty sure."
He looked away. "Yeah that's never going to happen."
"Do you ever regret breaking up with Rohina?" Hadi asked after a pause.
"No. I miss her, but I never regretted. It's not like I was given any choice." He shoved his hands into the pockets as he stared at a blind spot on the ground.
"Are you ever going to tell me what really happened?"
"No."
"Is it about getting her laid?"
"It started from there. And you're not getting more than that." Shoving him by the shoulder, Bilal laughed and walked away to the others.
---