Four guys connected by family.
Four girls connected by friendship.
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"Dont give me that look." I say, trying to break the eye contact.
"Like what?" He steps closer.
"Like if I ask you to burn this world, you...
~Jaante hue bhi anjaan banti ho, Is tarah mujhe pareshan karti ho, Puchti ho mujhe kon pasand hai, Jawab khud ho phir bhi sawaal karti ho~ 🌌🩵☁️❄️
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Song: Pal Pal Dil ke Pass🎶
What! Azlan met a girl? Hmmm... looks like he's about to make some serious mistakes, and I'm here for it. I grin, the kind of grin that would make villains in movies proud, and glance at my watch. Oh, perfect timing. It's almost time for my practice with Thomas. If you don't know who Thomas is, consider yourself lucky. He's the type of guy girls should steer clear of, like the plague.
"Guess I've gotta go practice how to steal your girlfriends," I say, winking at my bros as I grab my guitar. Faraz laughs, and Zian just looks at me like I've lost my last shred of sanity. But then Zian hits me with the ultimate burn. "Well, at least we are not an obsessed freak."
"Ufff Ziann, jale par namak nahi chidak the," ("Ufff Ziann, you dont sprinkle salt on wounds,") Faraz says with a sigh.
Faraz pats me on the shoulder as if he's comforting me, which only makes it worse. I flip them both off and walk away, guitar slung over my shoulder.
Ek number ke bhai mile hai mujhe, khudse to koi pat ti nahi, mera mazak udate hai. (I got such awesome brothers, neither of them are dating, and yet they mock me.)
I cross the drama theatre and head toward my personal studio. The familiar smell of old papers and metal fills the air, and for a moment, I feel like I'm home. This place, this room, it's where I can be me-where I'm not the famous Saif Amari, the guy who girls dream about or the one boys hate.
I can just be Saif, the guy who gets to escape reality, if only for a little while.
The truth is, I'm the black sheep of my family. My dad is obsessed with business, and my mom? Well, she left when I was too young to understand why. Now, it's just me and my dad, with his new wife, who I barely tolerate. They don't care about my music, even though, in all honesty, I'm a genius at it.
But I've got my brothers, and even if they make fun of me every chance they get, they're the only people who still matter.
They're the ones who keep me going, no matter how much life feels like it's crumbling.
I put my guitar down and grab my laptop, trying to focus on something-anything-that'll distract me from the emptiness that lingers when I'm alone.
Flashback
It was one of those days when the rain came down suddenly, thick and heavy, as if the sky itself had given up trying to hold everything inside.
I was inside a high-rise building, the kind with floor-to-ceiling windows that gave a panoramic view of the city. My bandmates and I had just finished a meeting, and I stood by the window, staring out at the chaos unfolding on the streets below. The city was a blur of people scrambling to avoid getting soaked, cars splashing through puddles, and umbrellas popping open in frantic attempts to shield the crowd from the downpour.
