The next morning, Kifayat was not completely awake as her head was still heavy and full of drowsiness. She was used to soft light coming in her room, but today she felt the sunlight through the thin fabric of her curtains was more intense than usual. She got up from her bed, started her morning routine as usual. After freshening up and dressing in casual clothes Kifayat headed off to her classes, completely forgetting her meeting with Arbaz.
The day soon passed by with a series of boring classes and during the whole time Kifayat was busy taking notes. At the end of the class, she was carefully placing her notes in her bag, ready to leave the room.
When she was about to slung her bag over her shoulder, she heard some loud noise coming from the outside of the class.
Frowning, she turned to her classmate sitting nearby. "Why is it suddenly so noisy outside?"
Her classmate, a girl with a curious glint in her eyes, whispered suggestively, "Looks like there's a handsome senior standing outside. He's been waiting there for quite a while. Maybe he's here for someone from our class." As she said she was observing Kifayat's expression to confirm her doubts.
"Huh?" Kifayat froze, her mind racing. A handsome senior… oh no! A cold wave of realization hit her. Arbaz! She cursed inwardly, scrambling to pack her things faster.
Before she could leave, a soft, hesitant voice interrupted her. "Hello!"
Kifayat stopped and looked up to the person who blocked her. Standing in front of her was a handsome boy . He had fair complexion, his curly, messy brown hair fell slightly over his forehead, framing his round face. His clear, wide eyes carried a hint of nervousness.
"Hi. Do you need anything?" Kifayat asked, glancing briefly at her watch.
"Me...My name is Dylan," he said, his cheeks slightly flushed with red. "Umm..." Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck with some awkwardness.
Kifayat has faced this situation many times in her life. Her intuition kicked in and she guessed what was he about to say. "I'm actually in a hurry," she said in a straightforward manner, not letting him go any further. "I have an appointment with someone." She attempted to walk past from him but as she did so, to her surprise, Dylan suddenly grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving.
Dylan also did it unintentionally worrying Kifayat might leave without giving him a chance to speak.
"I want to ask, would you like to go out for a coffee with me?" Dylan blurted out.
Startled, Kifayat shook off his hand, and replied coldly, " I don't drink coffee ." Her tone was such that there was no scope for argument.
Dylan's face fell. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to__"
"Kifayat," came a sharp, familiar voice from behind her.
Both she and Dylan turned. Arbaz was standing there, his tall frame leaning slightly against the doorframe of the class, arms crossed over his chest. His dark eyes held an unmistakable chill as they locked onto Dylan.
"You're here," Kifayat said, her voice tinged with guilt.
"Well, I've been here for a while," Arbaz replied smoothly, his gaze not leaving Dylan. He gave Kifayat a side glance and asked coolly, "Know him?"
Kifayat shook her head quickly. "No."
"Let's go, then."
"Okay."
As they walked away, Dylan stood frozen in place, watching them leave. Arbaz suddenly turned his head back and gave Dylan a warning look, his sharp gaze like a silent threat. Dylan gulped but smirked to himself. "Tsk, interesting. Already got a rival before I even started chasing," he muttered under his breath. However Arbaz's warning didn't diminish his enthusiasm instead made him more interested.
Outside the academic building, Kifayat hesitated before asking, "How did you know my class schedule?"
Arbaz shrugged nonchalantly. "It's simple to find out." His tone was calm, but Kifayat noticed an edge to it. His usually composed expression seemed a little… irritated. Kifayat wondered why..
Hesitantly, she said, "Sorry. I didn't realize you were waiting outside."
"It's okay," he replied, his voice softening slightly. "I'm quite used to waiting for you."
"What?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Nothing," Arbaz said quickly, brushing it off. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
Arbaz stopped walking, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face. The earlier incident with Dylan had momentarily distracted him from his original purpose. "We're going to find that pen pal of yours," he said finally.
Kifayat's eyes lit up with excitement. "You found him?"
Arbaz smirked. "Did you think I was lying?"
"It's not that," she said quickly, though deep down, she had doubted the possibility of finding someone she had been searching for so long. "Let's just go meet him!"
"Okay," Arbaz said with a chuckle. "Let's meet the first person."
Kifayat stopped abruptly, confusion clouding her face. "First person? What do you mean? Are there… multiple people?"
Arbaz pulled a folder piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. "Although your clues were not very useful, but based on the clues you have given, I managed to write down a list."
Kifayat unfolded the paper, her eyes scanning the names. "What's this list?"
"These are the people who match your clues. One of them might be your pen pal."
She shot him an annoyed look. "Is this what you meant by 'I found him!'?"
Arbaz stifled a laugh. "Ahem. Based on your clues, this is all I could figure out."
"I could have done better than this," she muttered under her breath, focusing on the list. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock. "Your name is on here?! And senior Samir's? Even your other classmates?!"
"Why can't our names be there?" Arbaz asked, his voice laced with mystery. "Don't we match the clues you gave?"
Kifayat looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. For a moment, time stood still. The world around them blurred, leaving only the two of them locked in an unspoken exchange. Arbaz's dark eyes softened, a faint smile tugging at his lips as if he were hiding a secret.
His voice dropped, almost like a whisper, as he said, "Who knows? Maybe the answer has been in front of you all along."
Kifayat's heart skipped a beat suddenly. She couldn't look away from the intensity of his gaze. She felt there was something she has missed out.
She clutched the list tightly in her hands, her thoughts wandering. It couldn't be him, right?
"Senior, you..."
Seeing her confused eyes, Arbaz smirked slightly, breaking the moment. "Let's go. We've got some names to check."
Still flustered, Kifayat nodded, her mind racing.