"First of all, don't fucking talk to me, and second of all, get the way the hell out of here, Ray," Aaryan groaned at Raheel as he approached him on the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you? I just asked you about Mary" He asked in confusion
"Why would you care about her?" Aaryan yelled, glaring in his eyes "Why are you bursting at me, Akhi? I am asking about a girl I like, and that's it" If Aaryan just had a little control over himself, he would not have hit Raheel's chest so hard and thrown him away. "What the fuck do you think you are doing, Adrian?" Raheel shouted as Aaryan attacked him, making his feet jerk back "Stay away from her!" He exclaimed, "Why the hell would I do it?" Aaryan could not control his anger and It was all because of her "Because she has nothing to do with you. She is mine, and I will get her," Aaryan declared. Raheel didn't react for a solid minute and just stared at Aaryan's hand, which was bleeding. His wound from yesterday was bleeding again and the bandage was all red "What happened?" Unexpectedly, Raheel's voice was calm, and Aaryan could not respond to it. "Bro, you can just tell me if you like her. No need to destroy this brotherhood" Raheel shrugged a finger between the two of them. He was just glancing at him and nothing else. "Now tell me what the hell is with this behavior?" Aaryan stood straight, breathed, and ran a frustrated hand over his hair, it stopped at his neck. "She did not come to class, and we had a presentation today" wasn't the only thing making him worried at the moment, but what happened yesterday. The way her brother took her away, and Mary not responding to his calls, not even when he stood on his balcony for hours. "I don't get the problem in here"
"I made a bet with Mary that if we get an A+ in this presentation, she will join ART. But hell, her absence is going to affect the grades, and I might get a B." He was never worried about grades but Mary, about her being safe. "What the heck did you just say?" He asked in absolute shock "We would have to beg Taha" Aaryan announced in anger
"That is never happening, Bro, Abdaan.". Aaryan didn't want to do it either, but they were left with no other option, and just then he saw someone on the ground. The same someone they were talking about "Isn't it Taha the Asshole?" Said Raheel as he spotted him too "Bro, no- he did not cut his beard, what the fuck is wrong with him, Man?" Aaryan too had no clue about it but there was a way to find "Can we go and talk to him for like a last time?" he said to Raheel just to receive a quick "Oh, hell no"
"But we need him, and it's for our advantage," just because they needed Taha back as the singer of the band, and Aaryan knew this was the only reason why he wanted Taha as his friend again. "Then I ain't gonna say a word. I will just stand, okay?"
"Okay," said Aaryan and then went to the ground. The moment Taha saw the two of them he stood straight "Assla— Hey, how- how are you" he mumbled in confusion "So very good, just have to find someone to replace a traitor" Raheel just said that he won't talk but he was the one to start the conversation "We are here to ask you something, Taha" Aaryan said straightforwardly "What do you want to ask?" Something was different with him all over again, and Taha sounded more calm than his fire-spitting personality. "Are you going to quit ART?" Aaryan was expecting a little thinking by him or at least a moment of hesitation but Taha replied quickly "Yes, I am"
"What the hell, Bro? Why the heck are you doing this?" Raheel yelled as if he would just throw a punch at him. "I can not stay" said Taha. "But why? At least give us a reason. You know it well that we can not continue without you. Our song is pending- we need you with us, Taha." Aaryan suddenly he felt like his emotions were much stronger than the anger. "I am sorry, but my decision is final," Said Taha slowly and then walked in the other direction. "Hadha tah yuthir 'aesabi. madha bihaqi aljahim hu alkhata maeahu? ah!! la 'astatie altakamul mae hadha sakhif"
Raheel said something in Arabic and it sounded like he was cursing. Aaryan didn't say anything but stood there and glared at Taha walking away
"Just a foot higher." If Aaryan could jump a little more, then he would be able to find ease to all of his worries and might die by falling from about thirty feet above. So he did it. Aaryan pushed his feet onto the floor beneath and lifted his body, his other foot was already at the destination and when he forced the second leg he landed straight on her balcony "Did it!" he whispered, carefully to not make a sound but it did nothing as Aaryan had already broken a vase "No, no no, My baby" Aaryan whined looking at the flowers in it crashed.
Mary came running and she was shocked upon hearing this sound. Her face was horrified, shocked, scared, pale, hurt, painful, and filled with bruises– "What happened?" Shouldn't be something a normal person asks as they bragged into someone's house with absolutely no notice, "Why- How are you here?" This was the right question, but only if Aaryan knew how to answer. He might have, but now he was lost in the horrific scratch at her chin. "What happened?" He asked, and Mary replied with a question, "Why are you here?"
"I just jumped," he said, pointing at his house. "Why?" She asked and instead of a reply he questioned back
"What happened to your face, Mary?" For an instant, Mary appeared unable to reply, but then she said, "I- I am a little clumsy. I just bumped into the mirror at my cupboard last night" She laughed anxiously "How did—"
"Go back to your house, Aaryan, before someone sees you." Aaryan never had that type of plan, so he took his steps to her room. He just broke into her room.
Well, it was a pretty decent room, unlike his, filled with dirty clothes, wrappers of snacks he eats the whole week, and– her room was small with a bed and study table, and Aaryan did not locate anything on the name of the mirror on the cupboard in that room. Mary lied and he was sure of it yet he asked no question "I told you to go, Aaryan" Mary sounded like she didn't want to say it but she looked afraid "Well apparently there is an explanation I am in need of" he said positioning himself on the bed "Why did you not come to the class today?" Asked Aaryan, and Mary just sat down on the other side of the bed. "I am sorry," she said, her eyes were regretful. Her beautiful hair just appeared another level of gorgeous when she fell around her as she dropped her head. Aaryan was angry. He was sure that he was filled with rage but "No, no, it's okay, I understand," he said. "I am sorry, Aaryan." Oh, his name. When she says it sounds like it had never sounded before– "Why did you not come? Did something happen?" He asked quietly and Mary moved her head to the sides "I- it's just because of this" she pointed at the bruise on her face and it made sense "Ah, I do- I completely understand" he repeated not understanding what caused the bruises
"Hey, what about the presentation? How did it go?" Asked Mary looking up at him
"Well, I did it pretty amazingly on my own but of course, there would be some consequences for" her not coming to university "I am–"
"It's alright, I did it well. Mr. Asher said he gonna send results via email so I guess we wait and throw it on luck" As soon as his words ended leaving his mouth both of their phones rang at the same time
"It's here?"
"It's here," he confirmed even before checking it. "Let me tell you, I am expecting nothing more than a B," Aaryan said. Mary nodded, and they left the bed and got on their feet.
Holding their cells in the hand Aaryan and Mary unlock them at the same moment "Okay"
"Okay" they breathed and then
"A!"
"A!"
They yelled slowly, and then in happiness and excitement, they hugged each other tightly and jumped together. "We got an A," they said and an instant later, they realized that they were holding each other. Aaryan unwrapped his hands and took a step back
"Oh, I- I am sorry," Aaryan said not wanting to apologize but Mary simply nodded
It was not that important to them right now. Despite Mary being absent from the presentation somehow they got an A. It was unbelievable "How the hell did this happen?" Asked Aaryan to Mary, both of them had no clue. "There is a note in the mail," Mary said, and he noticed. Aaryan began to read "You guys got a B+ as original but I can see the reference was authentic so here you go with an A"
"Woah," He said in absolute amazement
"It's all thanks to Amara then," said Mary, and he agreed with a moment of the head. They were happy, their hard work paid them back
For minutes, they stayed quiet. It was uncomfortable. In between the silence, Aaryan was staring at her and then he got caught by Mary. His eyes started to dart into her room. Suddenly, they stopped when he saw a picture on a wall. It was behind the door and not visible to anyone. Why would Mary hang a picture in her room that no one can see?
It was a family picture with the little Mary, the lady he saw outside of her house the other day, Matthew, and an older person. Aaryan recognized the older person "Who is he?" He asked. Mary gave him a strange look but said nothing in reply. "Hey, isn't it Uncle Yahya? I have seen him." Aaryan moved closer to take a good look. She was staring at him with a weird gaze. "You can not know him, and his name isn't Yahya, it's John." She sounded confident, but Aaryan knew he had seen this person before and he was sure of the name as well. "Who is he?" He asked again, and instead of answering, she questioned back, "How do you know him?"
"My father is a police officer, and I remember in the past, about ten or twelve years ago, he was stressed over this case. He would spend his entire life just to resolve it, but in the end, he could not do anything." Mary looked frightened by his words, as if he had said something she was never aware of. "What?" She asked, horrified, and before they could continue, the beep of a car was heard.
Mary was frozen, and then they heard the voice of a gate opening. "Go," She said, terrified. Aaryan was left puzzled at how her face went numb by just hearing the horn of a car. "What happened?" He asked, without moving away. "Go back to your home, Aaryan," She pleaded, and unwillingly, he moved . He had so many questions to ask but looking at her face he decided to back up and then he just jumped back to his house