"Bamson..." Her voice trembled as she looked into his eyes. "Do you know what it feels like to be separated from the people you love?"
A faint, broken smile crossed her lips.
"I know that feeling all too well."
"So many children leave their homes to study in other countries. They miss their families, they struggle, and somehow... they learn to live with the distance. Then one day, they return home."
She lowered her gaze.
"But I don't think everyone breaks the way I did."
For a long moment, only silence remained between them.
"You know, Bamson..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, "living for the people you love is never difficult. The real pain begins when you are no longer a part of their lives... when even in their prayers, there is no place left for you."
Her lips trembled.
"My heart hurts, Bamson... it hurts so much."
She tried to hold back her tears, but they refused to obey. One after another, they escaped, until the silence around her was filled with quiet sobs.
"I feel like I'm falling apart," she whispered, wiping her face with trembling hands. "As though there is no one left for me in this world."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"I keep asking myself... how can someone remove you from their heart so easily?"
Slowly, she shifted closer to him and looked into his calm, gentle eyes.
"Tell me, Bamson..." she whispered. "How can a family erase their own child from their heart?"
For a fleeting moment, it felt as though his eyes had grown moist too.
A fresh wave of tears threatened to break her again, but another thought quietly found its way into her heart.
No, Zoya... you're not completely alone.
You still have Allah.
The One who understands every pain you never speak of... the One who counts every tear before it reaches the ground.
Her trembling shoulders slowly relaxed.
With that thought, she lowered herself onto the cool floor beside him, resting her head against it as tears streamed silently down her face. This time, she didn't try to stop them.
She simply let her heart empty itself before the One who already knew every wound hidden inside it.
Bamson watched her for a long time.
Slowly, he took a few hesitant steps towards her.
Then, as though afraid of disturbing her grief, he stopped a short distance away and quietly lay down, resting his chin on the floor. His eyes never left her.
She curled her knees against her chest and buried her face in her arms.
The sound of her sobs echoed softly through the stillness.
Bamson didn't move.
He simply watched.
As though, in his own silent way, he was crying with her.
Time slipped by.
Her sobs gradually faded into quiet hiccups. Taking a slow breath, she lifted her head and looked at him again.
He was still there.
Still watching her.
Still carrying that same silent concern in his eyes.
A faint smile appeared through her tears.
"You're the same, Bamson..." she whispered.
"...just like the first day you walked into our room."
The memory returned so vividly that, for a moment, everything around her disappeared...
It all began that night.
First day of Bamson,
"Ruhi, do you have a first aid kit in your room?" Minji asked urgently as she examined Bamson's wounds.
"They aren't deep," she murmured, "but they need to be cleaned."
"Yes, I'll get it," Ruhi replied before hurrying out of the room.
A few moments later, she returned with the first aid kit, and Minji carefully cleaned every scratch on Bamson's body. He remained unusually calm, as though he understood they were only trying to help.
"We need to arrange something for him to eat too," Minji said, gently patting his head.
Hana let out a worried sigh.
"But what can we give him right now? We don't have anything. In the rush to rescue Bamson, none of us even thought about whether he'd eaten. And the hostel mess must be closed by now."
"We have to think of something," Sophia said, her eyes fixed on Bamson. "He doesn't look well."
"Wait." Minji looked at Sophia. "Think carefully. Is there anything in our room he can eat?"
Sophia frowned for a moment before shaking her head.
"I don't think so. We haven't even bought groceries yet, remember? We were planning to go tomorrow."
"Oh..."
Minji sighed, slightly embarrassed.
"I completely forgot."
She turned towards Hana and Ruhi.
"What about you two? Anything?"
Both of them shook their heads without a word.
Silence settled over the room.
Zoya, who had been quietly sitting on her bed all this time, pretended to stay busy with her phone.
A few seconds passed.
Something felt strange.
She slowly lifted her head—
Only to find all four girls staring straight at her.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh no..."
She already knew what they wanted.
"Not again," she groaned dramatically.
Still, no one said a single word.
They simply kept looking at her with hopeful faces.
Zoya let out a long sigh of defeat.
"Fine... fine."
She raised both hands as if surrendering.
"I do have some snacks... and a few biscuits."
She paused for emphasis.
"But I brought them all the way from Pakistan."
Her expression instantly became serious.
"And before any of you get too excited... let me remind you those snacks are precious."
The girls exchanged hopeful glances.
"I don't even think Bamson will like them," she continued. "They're spicy-flavoured, and the biscuits are sweet."
"Zoya..." Minji called softly, yet there was enough insistence in her voice to make the meaning perfectly clear.
Zoya stared at her for a few seconds before letting out another defeated sigh.
Without another word, she walked to her cupboard, opened the side compartment, and slowly brought out a packet of biscuits along with a few snack packs.
She looked at them with visible reluctance before handing them over.
To her surprise, the girls' faces lit up as though she had just presented them with a feast.
"This will work!"
"Perfect!"
"We were worried for nothing!"
They almost snatched the packets from her hands.
Zoya blinked.
She genuinely couldn't understand why they looked so excited over a few ordinary snacks.
"You know," Hana said with a smile, "if there isn't any dog food, a little milk is usually enough. And if that's not available, plain biscuits can work for a while too. These are perfect."
Before Zoya could say another word, Minji began looking around for something to use as a bowl.
Her eyes wandered across the room until they landed on a small plastic container sitting on Zoya's study table.
"There!" she exclaimed.
Without asking, she picked it up.
It was the box Zoya used to keep trash on table.
"This will do."
Zoya stared at the container in Minji's hands.
"Wait..."
Before she could protest, the biscuits were broken into pieces and poured inside, followed by the snacks.
"Look," Minji said matter-of-factly, placing the box on the floor, "he's a dog. He'll eat comfortably from here."
Zoya blinked in disbelief.
For one unbelievable second, it felt as though they weren't serving Bamson on the floor...
They were serving her.
She slowly sat back on her bed, watching in complete silence as her favourite snacks—carefully brought all the way from Pakistan—were now being offered to a dog in her own trash box.
The more I try to stay away from Bamson... the more these girls keep dragging me into his world.
She let out a silent sigh.
"We could've just ordered proper food for him," she muttered under her breath.
As if Bamson had been waiting for permission, he happily began eating.
One biscuit disappeared.
Then another.
Then the snacks.
Within moments, the container was almost empty.
Zoya watched the heartbreaking scene with the expression of someone witnessing a priceless treasure vanish before her eyes.
Allah will definitely ask them about this injustice one Day.
My favourite biscuits... fed to a dog.
She looked at Bamson sadly as he continued eating without the slightest hint of guilt.
A few moments later, Bamson finished every last crumb.
He even drank water from the same container after Minji poured some into it from Zoya's bottle.
Zoya silently watched the entire scene.
First my biscuits...
Now my water bottle too.
Wonderful.
Completely satisfied, Bamson walked over and quietly settled near the foot of her bed, curling himself into a comfortable ball as though he had already decided that this was where he belonged.
"Alright, guys, we should get going now," Minji said at last, getting to her feet. "We'll see each other in the morning."
Zoya looked up in confusion.
"What?"
Her gaze shifted from one face to another.
"You're leaving?"
Then her eyes immediately found Bamson.
"And... what about him? Where is he supposed to go?"
"He'll stay here," Hana answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"In this room."
"We have to hide him for now. He's still recovering."
Zoya slowly turned towards Bamson.
The so-called "weak" dog had just finished two packets of biscuits, a generous amount of snacks, and nearly half a bottle of water.
He looked tired...
But weak?
Not even close.
Still, judging by the expressions on the four girls' faces, it seemed every breath he took worried them.
"Fine." Minji nodded after thinking for a moment. "Then you come and sleep in our room with Sophia. I'll stay here tonight."
"Why would I do that?" Zoya asked.
"Because Bamson can't stay in our room," Minji explained patiently. "We have two other roommates. If they find out, there'll be unnecessary trouble."
Zoya fell silent.
So... if I go to their room...
Minji will stay here.
She'll look after Bamson all night.
Knowing her, she'll probably let him sleep comfortably on the bed... and she'll sleep on the floor herself.
Her eyes slowly drifted towards her own bed.
My bed.
She narrowed her eyes.
No.
Absolutely not.
A mischievous smile appeared on her face.
She looked at Minji.
"You know..." she said thoughtfully, "meeting you on my very first day has been incredibly lucky."
Minji looked at her, confused.
"Your crush's dog walked straight into ours life on Day One."
She folded her arms dramatically.
"Who knows what miracle might happen tomorrow?"
Then she sighed with fake disappointment.
"I think we should end this friendship before things get even more dangerous."
For a second, complete silence filled the room.
Then everyone burst into laughter.
When the laughter finally settled, she folded her arms once again and announced firmly,
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm perfectly fine in my own room."
She pointed towards Bamson.
"But make sure your idol's son doesn't come anywhere near my bed."
The room exploded with laughter once more.
Minji covered her face, trying—and failing—to stop laughing.
Hana almost lost her balance on the mattress, while Sophia laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth.
"Idol's son?" Hana repeated between laughs.
"Yes," Zoya replied without the slightest hesitation.
"That's exactly what he is."
She pointed at Bamson again.
"So kindly explain the house rules to your idol's son."
"Rule number one..."
"He stays away from my bed."
Completely unaware that he had become the centre of the conversation, Bamson simply circled once near the foot of her bed before curling himself into a comfortable ball.
Within seconds, he closed his eyes as if he had officially claimed the spot.
The girls laughed even harder.
"Zoya..."
Sophia walked over and sat beside her.
"Don't worry. He won't disturb you."
Zoya looked at her without saying a word.
"These dogs are very intelligent," Sophia continued softly, glancing at Bamson. "When they're separated from their owner, they understand that no one is there to spoil them anymore. They become quieter... more careful. And when they finally find a place where they feel safe, they try their best not to become a burden."
Her eyes rested on the sleeping dog.
"Look at him. We don't even know how many days he's been away from home... whether he had anything to eat... or where he spent the nights."
She smiled faintly.
"Now that he's finally found a little comfort, all he wants to do is sleep."
Zoya followed Sophia's gaze.
Bamson was sleeping so peacefully that anyone would think he had lived in their room forever.
For a dog... that was quite a speech.
Ya Allah... these girls have completely lost their minds.
Since evening, they've been fussing over one dog like parents preparing for their daughter's wedding.
She almost laughed at the thought.
Minji was still sitting beside Bamson, gently running her fingers through his fur.
Ruhi and Hana had already settled onto their beds.
Zoya looked back at Sophia before speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"Right now, all of you remind me of my mother."
The girls turned towards her.
"You know..."
"...the way mothers praise every quality of a boy they're trying to force their daughter to marry."
The room instantly fell silent.
She continued without noticing the expressions on their faces.
"Seriously, becoming friends with you people has turned out to be expensive."
She pointed towards Bamson.
"This is only my first day here, and I've already sacrificed my favourite snacks."
Then she sighed dramatically.
"I still have two whole years left in this hostel."
She looked at the sleeping Bamson and shook her head.
"Allah knows what else is waiting for me."
"Not a dog..."
All four girls corrected her in perfect unison.
"Bamson."
The room echoed with laughter once again.
But amid the laughter, Hana quietly looked at Zoya.
Her smile slowly faded.
Unlike the others, one sentence had stayed with her.
'You sound exactly like my mother... praising a boy she's forcing me to marry.'
Something about those words didn't feel like a joke.
For a brief moment, Hana wondered...
Had Zoya just laughed over something that actually hurt her?
Before she could ask anything, Minji clapped her hands lightly.
"Alright, everyone. It's getting late."
"The cold is getting worse, so take care of yourselves."
She had barely finished speaking when Zoya interrupted with a completely straight face.
"Of course."
"We'll take good care of your idol's son too."
The room erupted into laughter all over again.
Hana suddenly got up from her bed.
"Wait."
She bent down and pulled out an extra mattress from underneath.
Zoya's eyes widened.
"Seriously?"
She stared at the mattress in disbelief.
"Oh my God..."
These girls are impossible.
Without another word, Hana spread the mattress neatly on the floor.
Then she turned towards Bamson.
"Come here."
Bamson obediently stood up and walked over.
Hana was about to place his mattress in the middle of the room when Zoya immediately sat upright.
"No, no, no!"
Everyone looked at her.
"Not there."
She pointed towards the mattress.
"Listen, I move around a lot in my sleep. Sometimes I suddenly wake up to use the washroom."
She paused before looking at Bamson.
"What if I accidentally step on your idol's son's neck?"
She dramatically placed a hand around her own neck and widened her eyes.
"And then..."
She pretended to choke.
"...he dies."
The girls stared at her.
"And after that," she continued innocently, "all of you will spend the rest of your lives blaming me."
She pointed toward another corner.
"So please... not in the middle."
Then her eyes shifted toward the window.
"And don't put him near the window either."
She let out a helpless sigh.
"My study table is already a complete mess because your nephew spent half the evening sitting there."
For two seconds...
Complete silence.
Then all four girls spoke together.
"Wait!"
"Why did you call him your nephew?"
Zoya blinked.
She looked from one face to another as though the answer was painfully obvious.
"Because..."
She shrugged.
"Your idol is like your brother."
She pointed at Bamson.
"And if he's your brother's son..."
A smile slowly spread across her face.
"...then he's obviously your nephew."
The room froze.
"Brother?"
All four girls repeated at once.
Their mouths literally fell open.
Only then did Zoya realize what she had just said.
Her smile disappeared.
"Oh..."
Without saying another word, she quickly slipped under her blanket and turned her back toward everyone.
"It's very late."
Her muffled voice came from beneath the blanket.
"Go to sleep."
No one replied.
The room became quiet.
But none of the four girls could stop thinking about the same word.
Brother.?
To be continued....
Regards
ZK💌