“Dude! Are you serious?”, I said, in astonishment.

We’re going to Pakistan? What the heck?

“Pakistan! OMG after 7 whole years! Can you believe it?”, Hussain exclaimed with excitement. “Oye Shehry! Tujhe kya hua?”, he asked me after he noticed my expression.

Pakistan! Amna! She’s in Pakistan!

I was excited to go to Pakistan after 7 years! Obviously, I missed my homeland, my birthplace. But The fact that Amna would be there made me a bit hesitant.

“Hussan..woh Amna..”, I started speaking but he cut  me off.

“Oh yes! Amna! She’s in Pakistan too. You can finally meet her Shehry!”, Hussain was literally jumping with excitement.

I parked the car on the driveway, and went in.

“Mama we are going to Pakistan!”, Hussain ran into our parents room, and I followed.

“Sach?”, mama asked, but then noticed my expression.

“Shehry beta agar tumhe nahi jaana hai toh naa jao..”, baba spoke. “I know, you don’t want to go..”, he added.

He came upto me, place his hands on my shoulder, and continued, “Its been 2 years, lekin it was a very important part of our lives. Specially yours.”, and hugged me.

I hugged him back, very tightly, as tears started to roll down my cheeks. I was literally filled with mixed emotions right now. I was hugging my father after a very long time, and it felt so good. Also, we were going to Pakistan the next day, and I might get a chance to meet Amna.

I pulled back, wiped my tears and spoke, “I need time to think..”, and walked out.

“Shehry ruk yaar…where are you going?”, he caught my hand. “Don’t you wanna meet Amna?”, he asked.

I pulled him into his room, and shut the door behind us. I sat on the chair, and told him to sit on his bed.

“Dude! AMNA! She’s going to be in Pakistan! I don’t know if I can face her. I mean a lot had happened back then.”, I spoke, as I made random doodles, on a paper that was lying on the table.

“I know I’ve been trying to find her since 2 years, but now that I know that I will be meeting her, I feel weird.”, I added.

“Dude! If you don’t want to meet her…its okay. I mean Pakistan! It’s a big country! What are the chances that you will meet her?”, he said. “We are going to Lahore, and you don’t even know if she’s there for sure! Aur waise bhi, Sidra said she will tell you about her right…so just chill yaar!”, he patted my back.

I sighed, got up and said, “I’ll think about it..”, and walked out to my room.

Hussain’s POV:

As soon as Shehry left, I pulled out my phone and texted Waqas, Atif and Api.

Me: Guys! Shehry might say no. It’s up to you guys to convince him.

I then turned my phone on silent and lay on my bed.

Sidra's helping Shehry find Amna? I mean she loves him.... lekin.... jo bhi hai, its good I mean if she can help us find Amna, it will be the best thing ever.

My eyes began to close, with all these thoughts in my head when suddenly Shehry barged into my room, “Hussain!”

I got up, sat on my bed, and rubbed my eyes. “Kya hua?”, I asked him.

“Sidra just called me. Amna is in Lahore!”, he blurted.

SHIT!

“Yeah!”, he said and then quickly came and sat on my bed, “I’m not going to Pakistan with you guys!”

I jumped out of my bed, and started yelling, “NO NO NO! You’re coming and that’s final!”

“Aise na kar yaar..”, he started speaking but I cut him off.

“Dude, why don’t you wanna meet her?”, I asked him, “You’ve been looking for her since 2 years, aur aaj jab tumhe pata chal gaya hai ki who kahan hai, toh tujhe nahi jana? Why?”

“Haan, dhoond raha tha main use, but that was different.”, he answered looking down at his feet.

“How was it different Shehry? How?”, I yelled at him.

He continued to stare at his feet, and didn’t say anything.

“Answer me!”, I yelled again.

“Hussain, chod yaar..”, he replied blandly, and got up to leave but I caught hold of his hand and stopped him,

“You better tell me what’s all this about…”, I told him in a threatening tone.

“Leave my hand..”, he ordered me, but I didn’t listen to him, and instead tightened my grip even more.

“I’ve been working out too brother…See these muscles? Itni asaani se nahi chootega yeh haath…”, I said, with a cheeky smile, felxing my muscles, “Ab bol kya baat hai..”

“HUSSAIN LEAVE MY HAND!”, he ordered me, like a typical big brother and I let go.

Whatever it is that you’re hiding, Imma find out Shehry! You just wait!

Shehry left the room, and I went downstairs to watch some TV.

**Ting Tongg**

The door bell rang right when I went down, so I opened the door and found Atif and Waqas standing there with some envelopes in their hands.

“Hey!”, they said in a unison, and I just nodded and let them in.

“What’s that?”, I inquired, pointing at the envelopes.

“Tickets hai, Pakistan ke...your’s and Shehry’s..”, Waqas replied.

“Shehry’s not coming..”, I said and their eyes widened with shock.

“Kyu?”, Atif asked.

“Where is he? Lemme talk to him..”, Waqas said.

I just pointed up, and they knew he was in his room, so they ran straight up, and I followed.

Atif opened the door and barged in, “Shehryyy you’re not coming to Pakistan?”

“Naah”, Shehry replied. He was lying on his bed, with his face covered with the comforter, and some soft music playing on his laptop.

“Uth jaa yaar, aise Devdas ki tarah na raha kar..”, Atif jumped onto him.

“Guys , guys, I wanna join too!”, Waqas said jumping in on Atif.

“Get up yaaaaaar…”, Waqas said punching him lightly in the stomach while Atif tried pulling away the comforter from his face, and I just sat there looking at them.

“Guys stop!”, Shehry pulled it back over his face.

“Agar tu na, na utha, toh I swear Imma call you Devdas from today onwards…”, Atif said laughing out loud, trying to cheer him up.

“Guys leave him, he aint gonna listen…”, I said making a sad face, but they didn’t stop trying.

“Look we even have the tickets right here..”, Waqas said waving the envelopes in the air, but Shehry didn’t bother.

“For get it guys,  Amna is in Lahore too and he doesn’t wanna meet her! Apparently its not the same anymore!”, I blurted out and they sat up on the bed, covering their mouths with their hands in shock.

“Yess..”, I said while nodding.

“So what? Don’t you wanna meet her?”, Waqas asked Shehry, nudging him.

Shehry slowly pulled the comforter off his face, and sat up. He ran his hands through his hair as he let out a deep sigh.

“Guys Amna ki shaadi ho chuki..”, he said, and I could not believe my ears. Neither could Waqas and Atif.

“WHAT?”, we all said in unison.

“Tell me you’re joking..”, I said.

“I'm not..”, he replied.

“How do you know she’s married?”, Atif asked him.

Shehry told them how Sidra knew her, and she called him sometime back and told him that she’s in Lahore, and is married.

“Aur isliye main nahi jaana chahta Lahore! Please don’t force me.”, he said, finishing up.

We all just looked at each other and remained silent. None of us knew how to react, or what to say.

Shit yaar! Yeh kya ho gaya?

“You guys go ahead, please..”, he said, and we all shook our heads.

“Na-uh, you’re coming!”, Waqas said.

“Bu-“, Shehry wanted to say something but Atif cut him off.

“Dude so what if she’s married? That shouldn’t stop you from going there! Its been 2 years since all that has happened…please?”

Shehry didn’t reply, instead he pulled out his phone from his pocket, and did something on it, just to avoid us.

“Hussain you’re packing his suitcase, and we’re leaving day after! That’s it!”, Waqas ordered me, and I nodded obediently.

He gave me the tickets, and I put them on the computer table next to his bed, and got up and followed Waqas and Atif who were leaving.

“Dude! Force him, do whatever but convince him! If he doesn’t face her, he’s gonna be like this all his life! Only if he faces her, he will get over her!”, Atif said, before leaving and I agreed.

Shehry agar ab tujhe main Pakistan nahi le chala, toh mera naam bhi Hussain nahi!

I smiled, knowing that I would convince him, and ran upto my room.

Shehry’s POV:

Ishq mera menu morh de

Tere hee irade menu lagde hor ne

Jhoote nikle vaade

Jhoote vi nikli tu

Yaari laah tod nibhauni sikhle jaake tu

Dukh nahiyo sehna main bhul jana tenu

Bhul janiya galiyaan, galiyaan teri galiyaan

Moving on girl, I’m just tryina find my heart

Bhul janiya galiyaan, galiyaan teri galiyaan

Your love, I never had it from the start.

“Ugh”, I said as I turned off the computer. “Even these songs remind me of her!”

I just lay on bed, as her face flashed in front of my eyes.

How could you do this to me? Itni asaani se tumne mujhe bhula diya? I thought you really loved me Amna!

I took my phone, and went through the pictures from our engagement day. She looked so pretty that day. I kept scrolling, and came across some other pictures of her, of us together. In no time, my eyes started tearing up, as all those memories flashed through my eyes. It felt as if all that happened just yesterday, and here I was sitting looking at those pictures, 2 years later.

“C’mon, we got loads to do!”, Hussain came in, snapping his fingers. “So much packing to do..”

“Hussain, not again please!”, I said, but he ignored me full on, as he pulled out the suitcase from my under my bed, and started filling it with clothed from my closet.

“Yeh wala tshirt acha hai..and this one too! Hmm pants…umm this one, and this….and ths..”, he kept saying as he pulled out all my clothes, and I kept scrolling through her pictures on my phone.

I guess Atif was right when I heard him tell Hussain, that I will get over her only if I face her.

“Fine! I’m coming! Now go do your packing…we don’t have much time..”, I said, as I smiled at Hussain.

“OMG Thankyou!”, Hussain said, throwing the clothes on the floor, as he ran towards me and gave me a tight hug.

I hugged him back, “Mere saare kapde toh floor pe phek diye tune…”

He pulled back and stuck out his tongue as he ran his hand at the back of his head and said, “Sorry?”

I smacked the back of his head and said, “Bas! Ab jaa aur un dono ko bhi bol dey that I’m coming.”

“Obviously!”, he said as he ran out of my room, closing the door behind him.

Okay! This is it! Get ready Shehry! Get ready to face your past!