Nafisa's pov:

I groan as I sit up in bed, my mind foggy, my head pounding. The sunlight filtering through the curtains does nothing to soothe my aching temples. I clutch my head, trying to recall the night, but everything is hazy, like trying to remember a dream that fades with each passing second.

Where am I? My eyes scan the familiar, cluttered room. It's mine. I'm at home, in my own bed. But how did I get here?

The last thing I clearly remember was being at the event. But there was something off about the night. Something that hid at the back of my mind. Something starts forming. And then... nothing. The rest is a blur. 

Oh God. No, please don't let it be true.

The weight of what I've done hits me like a ton of bricks. My chest tightens as the realization settles in, and panic surges through me. What did I say? What did I do? How could I have been so stupid?

I groan again, clutching the blankets, trying to calm my racing heart. Why did I do all that? I can barely bring myself to think about it. 

But the drinks. I remember, all of them were non-alcoholic. So why? What the hell happened to me?

I take a shaky breath, trying to clear my mind. But it's no use. How am I going to face him now?

I close my eyes and mutter a quick prayer, hoping for a miracle, for some kind of way out of this. I don't even know how to begin to apologize. I feel so embarrassed, so small. I never wanted things to go this far.

My hand instinctively reaches for my phone, and the moment I unlock it, I see a flood of notifications. 

Six messages from Aliyah.

'Hey, u k?'

'Text me when ur awake'

'Ur head is hurting isn't it?'

'Try to stay hydrated'

'don't die of dehydration when ur already drunk'

'Check the group chat when ur awake. Noor has news.'

The next is from Karya.

'GURL!'

'CHECK THE GROUP CHAT'

'UR THE ONE WHO WILL COMPLAIN LATER THAT YOU MISSED ALL THE DRAMA'

How can I miss all the drama when literally the worst drama happened to me yesterday!

I opened the last personal text from Noor which read,

'Help! These two won't stop teasing me!'

What the heck is literally happening in the group chat? There were 100+ messages!

The first few texts were from Noor. 

Oh. My. Gosh. She did it! Aariz jiju does like her!

At least there is some good news in the middle of the disaster I'm in right now.

The rest are Aloo and Karu going crazy because of it.

Then I get a text from Azaan. Oh gosh. What do I do?

'If anyone asks, there was not a robber in your house.'

What??

Aliyah's pov:

What is happening to me? Why am I getting so weak near that angry bird?

And what the heck is wrong with him??

Why is he having this sudden personality change? Why is he being so nice to me? Why is he so considerate?

"Sorry, are you listening?" Dr Karim says.

"Oh my gosh, I'm really sorry yes go on." I apologise as he continues his point on the new patient.

--

He leaves after handing me the file of the patient, leaving me to think about the annoying bird who miraculously turned nice!

I mean, he didn't just turn nice overnight. It's been happening since we went to Paris!

Fuck. There is no way right?

Do-does he like me? No. Freaking. Way!

But there is no other freaking reason he is THAT nice. 

And what the hell is wrong with me? Why am I considering all this?

Okay, he is handsome. Too handsome even. And he is also nice. Annoying, but he helps me a lot. 

Stop! What am I thinking? Agh!

I mean, he umm, is my husband. Fuck what am I even saying?

CONTRACT husband! He clearly said it was all because he was desperate! Same for me! That's it. The agreement. The arrangement. It was supposed to be temporary, just a piece of paper, no strings attached. Just a way for us to get out of our own messes.

This is not a romance story. He's my husband, sure, but he's still my contract husband. There's no space for anything more, and if I start thinking there could be, I'll only end up hurt. I need to stop.

But like, just like Karya's book character, his feelings might've changed. Oh gosh, am I seriously being so delusional right now?

I see Ahaan going inside his room and slamming the door. What the heck happened to him?

I hear some nurses whispering in the background.

"Yeah the new surgeon was flirting with him and cut a chunk of the liver as she wasn't paying attention."

"right, she was always bad news!"

"The surgery went terrible. And Dr Raihan had to take the blame as he was the lead surgeon."

"And he kept telling her to pay attention while she kept saying inappropriate things to him."

What. The. Heck?

I walk up to his door and knock before entering.

"You okay?" I ask as I enter. He was facing his back towards me. Staring out the window.

"What do you want?" he said without looking back. Rude! But okay, what happened with him is not really good so I get it.

"I heard about what happened. It wasn't your fault don't blame yourself." I try and comfort him.

"Yeah, and the higher-ups would listen to that? You think they'll care? Keep your sympathy to yourself."

"No, I... I can't help you with much here as I have no power as a junior myself. But I'm here if you-"

"I don't need you. Okay? My biggest mistake ever was getting married to you! Just leave me alone!" he shouts and turns around. His words hit me like a slap to the face, sharp and unforgiving.

Ouch. Guess I was wrong.

No Aliyah. Do not cry. Aliyah don't.

"Oh, Okay." was all I could mutter before I ran out of the room.

I run to the lift and click to go down. I don't have time to take the stairs. I immediately enter when it opens and keep tapping the close button.

I see a glimpse of Ahaan running towards the lift but I close it right before.

I need to get out of here. Away from everything. Away from him.

I come out of the lift on the ground floor and run to the exit.

Come on Aliyah. Don't break out in front of everyone! Control.

I come out of the hospital when I feel a cloth wrapped over my face. My phone slips from my hand and crashes to the ground, but I can't even focus on that. Panic surges through me, and before I can even react, everything goes black.

Ahaan's pov:

Fuck! What is wrong with me? Why would I do that? Why? Just why!

I chase after Aliyah and see her getting on the lift. I run up to the lift but it was too late.

I couldn't waste time. I take the stairs and start running down. It didn't help that we were in the 11th floor. But that didn't matter.

I reach the bottom floor and see Aliyah rushing out of the exit. I run after her. But when I come out, I don't see her anywhere. She was gone. I couldn't believe it. She had to be here. She couldn't just vanish.

Then I notice her phone on the ground. Panic rushes through me as I pick it up to double-check. Anyone can have a black cat phone case.

I turn on the phone to see a tulip garden in the Lock Screen.

A sense of relief washed over me for a split second, but it was quickly replaced with dread. This is her phone. But where is she?

My pulse pounded in my ears as I scanned the area again, looking for any sign, anything that might point me to her, but it was just the same: empty streets, indifferent passersby, and the sharp sound of my breath.

No. No, no, no.

Panic gripped me harder now, claws digging into my chest, suffocating me. What the hell happened?

Fuck. Where is she?

--

I burst into the kitchen, panic crawling under my skin like a gnawing itch I couldn't scratch. My eyes darted around the room until I spotted Noor, her back to me as she worked absentmindedly at the counter

"Do you know where Aliyah is?" I ask, my voice a little sharper than I intended.

"No. She went to the hospital. Didn't come back yet." she said unfazed.

My stomach drops. "Oh God." The words escape me in a shaky whisper, but my mind is already racing, thoughts colliding in every direction.

"Wait, Bhaia. Kya hua?" Noor looks at me worried now. (what happened?)

I'm not sure where to start, my heart hammering too loudly in my chest, my mind scattered. "She disappeared! I just found her phone outside the hospital. I can't get to her!" The words feel like a confession, like I'm losing control of the situation, losing control of everything. My voice rises, unable to keep the panic from bleeding through

"What? There is no way she would just disappear. Did anything happen before?" I see the worry spread across her face now.

I hesitate, the sharp sting of the argument still fresh in my chest. It feels trivial in the face of what's happening now. "Well... a small argument," I start, but the weight of it lingers in my voice, a confession of guilt I don't want to admit. "But she really did disappear."

"Let me call Nafu and Karu. I'm sure she is with one of them" she takes out her phone out and starts calling someone.

I watch her dial, but all I can think about is the hurt in her eyes when I shouted at her.

I'm really sorry Aliyah. 

I really am.

--

Thank you for reading <3