The first day she didn't call.
It wasn't pride. It wasn't anger either. It was silence — the kind that sits between two people and waits to see who breaks first.
Noor didn't call either.
And for someone like Areeba — who had poured so much of herself into that friendship — silence felt louder than arguments.
For two days, she stayed away.
Not from college. Not from the world.
But from Noor.
---
Two Days Without Noor
Those two days felt strange.
At home, Areeba tried to act normal.
She sat with her mother in the kitchen, helping her cut vegetables. She laughed when her younger sister teased her. She helped her brother find his missing notebook. She watched a random comedy show with her father and smiled at the jokes.
Sometimes she genuinely laughed.
Sometimes she cried quietly in her room.
Sometimes she just stared at the ceiling.
She kept asking herself:
Why didn't Noor tell me?
It wasn't about the secret anymore. It was about the space between them.
Then another thought came.
If I were in her place… would I have told Noor everything?
She sat on her bed, hugging her knees.
Maybe yes. Maybe not.
Maybe she too had things she never told anyone.
Maybe she had her own locked drawers inside her heart.
Maybe she was expecting too much.
Maybe she was overreacting.
---
The Oil in Her Hair
That evening, while she was lost in thoughts, her mother came into her room carrying a small steel bowl.
"Sit," her mother said gently.
Areeba didn't argue. She sat on the floor, and her mother began pouring warm oil into her hair.
The smell of coconut filled the room.
Her mother started massaging her scalp slowly.
"You should put more oil when you're out there," her mother scolded softly. "Look at your hair. They've started turning white."
Areeba gasped dramatically. "White? Already? I'm not even that old!"
Her mother laughed.
Areeba laughed too.
For a moment, nothing else mattered.
No Noor. No overthinking. No silence.
Just a daughter and her mother. Just warmth. Just love.
And maybe that's when something shifted inside her.
---
Acceptance
Later that night, lying on her bed, Areeba whispered to herself:
"Maybe Noor was right in her place."
The truth was simple.
Everyone has their own sensitivity.
Everyone has their own fears.
She couldn't stand in Noor's shoes.
And Noor couldn't stand in hers.
They both grew up differently. They both matured in different conditions. They both carried different wounds.
Maybe it was normal.
Maybe it wasn't betrayal.
Maybe it was just human.
She took a deep breath.
"I won't cry on this matter again."
And she meant it.
---
The Message
On the third day, her phone buzzed.
It was Noor.
A simple text.
But her heart reacted like it was something more.
For a moment, she just stared at the screen.
Then she called.
Noor picked up.
Silence.
Neither of them spoke first.
The silence wasn't heavy this time. It was fragile.
Finally, Areeba spoke.
"It's okay," she said softly. "You might have your own reasons."
Noor didn't interrupt.
"I just didn't like that I got to know from a third person… from Mohid… not from you."
Her voice didn't shake.
She was calm.
"But it's okay. I'll try to understand it. You don't have to say sorry anymore."
There was relief in Noor's breathing.
Then Areeba told her about the conversation she had with Mohid. Every detail. Honestly. Without drama.
They talked randomly after that.
Small things.
Normal things.
Areeba asked gently, "Is everything okay at your home?"
Noor hesitated for a second.
"Yes."
"Apart from Irwa… does anyone else know?"
"No," Noor replied. "Only Irwa knows."
They talked a little more.
And then they hung up.
No dramatic ending.
No promises.
Just… normal.
And sometimes normal is enough.
---
Rain Again
That evening, it rained.
Not heavily. Not softly.
Just enough.
Areeba stepped outside.
Without umbrella. Without phone.
The rain touched her face.
Cold. Real. Pure.
She stood there for a while.
Then she started walking in it.
Then spinning.
Then laughing.
Like a child.
Water soaked her clothes. Her hair. Her worries.
She didn't think about Noor.
She didn't think about Mohid.
She didn't think about right or wrong.
She just felt free.
By the time she came inside, she was tired.
But relaxed.
For the first time in days, her chest didn't feel tight.
---
Back to Campus
After a few days, everything slowly returned to normal.
Areeba went back to studies.
But something had changed inside her.
She was trying now.
Trying to understand Noor instead of judging her.
Trying to listen more.
Trying to accept differences.
And maybe because of that…
They became closer than before.
They talked for hours.
Shared random stories.
Sometimes meaningless. Sometimes deep.
Areeba started watching movies based on friendship and recommended them in their group — R.swn.
The group laughed. Teased. Reacted dramatically.
They were happy.
---
Under the Tree
Most afternoons, they sat near the canteen under a big tree.
Four girls.
Four different personalities.
But somehow, one circle.
They would talk for hours.
About professors. Assignments. Dreams. Marriage. Life. Food. Everything.
Even professors started recognizing them.
There wasn't a single day they weren't together.
One day, Safa didn't come.
During attendance, one professor paused.
"Where is the fourth one?" he asked.
The class laughed.
"She didn't come today, sir."
Even professors knew them as a set of four.
Safa was weak in health.
She caught cold easily.
Her house was far — almost an hour's walk.
Areeba's house was near campus.
So Areeba started bringing lunch for Safa.
They would sit and eat together.
Sometimes just the two of them. Sometimes the whole group.
Those small lunch boxes built a deeper bond.
---
Potato Flatbread and Love
Sometimes Areeba made potato flatbread.
She wrapped them carefully.
When she opened the box under the tree, everyone's eyes would shine.
They would eat it like it was the best thing in the world.
Maybe it wasn't the taste.
Maybe it was the love.
Maybe friendship makes simple food taste royal.
Areeba watched them laughing and felt something rare.
Peace.
---
The Results
Then came the day of results.
The news spread quickly.
"Results are out!"
Everyone's stomach dropped.
They gathered around a phone.
Hearts racing. Hands shaking.
They checked.
One by one.
Passed.
Passed.
Passed.
All of them passed.
And then—
Areeba saw her name.
Topper.
She blinked.
Checked again.
Topper of the class.
Her friends screamed.
Hugged her. Shook her. Laughed loudly.
They were more excited than she was.
Later, when they left, she stood alone for a moment.
Then she called her father.
"Abu… I passed."
"I know you would," he said proudly.
"And… I'm the topper."
There was silence for two seconds.
Then his voice changed.
It was full of happiness.
Real happiness.
The kind you can hear.
"I'm proud of you," he said.
Those four words filled her heart.
He asked, "What do you want?"
She smiled. "Nothing."
After the call, she remembered something.
When she passed her 12th exam with good marks, her father had given her a gift.
A small packet.
Blue wrapper.
Inside was a diary.
It was the first time he gave her a gift.
Not her brothers. Not her sisters.
Her.
She wrote in that diary every night.
She adored it.
It wasn't just a diary.
It was recognition.
That memory made her eyes wet.
But this time, they were happy tears.
---
Celebration Night
That night, Areeba and her sister made chicken biryani.
Their favorite.
The kitchen smelled of spices and joy.
Everyone ate together.
Laughed together.
She felt seen.
Finally.
She could make her father happy.
And that mattered more than any result.
---
The Calm Before the Storm
Everything felt perfect.
Friendship healed. Family happy. Studies successful.
The rain had washed away misunderstandings.
Or so she thought.
Because sometimes life gives you peace…
Just before it changes everything.
They didn't know yet.
But something big was coming.
Something that would shake their world.
Something that would turn their lives upside down.
And the tree near the canteen…
Would soon witness tears instead of laughter.