"Wow, wear this. It's blue and it's your favorite color too!" Noor chimed. 

I yawned as I stretched my hands behind my back. Mumma had left for Kuwait last night and I had to get up by 6 in the morning to receive the door and find Noor standing in front of me. She decided to get herself and me dressed for the farewell party.

I took a shower and also blow-dried my hair as well as hers, she wanted to keep her hair straight but I wanted to curl mine a little bit towards the end. We wrapped our hair up in a loose bun and were now discussing my dress. I had quite a few traditional dresses to wear to the party but  I could never imagine myself wearing something like that to school where everyone would see me. No. Never.

"Nope" I shook my head in denial.  "I don't feel like wearing that show me the next one!", I said as I was simply trying to give her a hard time so that she eventually gives up on selecting a dress for me and I would be able to wear anything that I want.

"No Zukroof! I know you're simply taking advantage of me & I swear if we get late to the party, I'm going to kill you right this moment irrespective of your 16th birthday" She lashed out at me and I laughed.

"Okay" I pulled my hands up. "I guess..." I stood in front of my wardrobe looking at all the dresses. I wanted to go with something simple than extravagant so I chose a black one.

Her eyes grew wide looking at the dress. "Zukroof Hussain, you are so gonna wear this!"

"Okay..." I shrugged,  "It's not my fault. If everybody laughs at you saying your bestie looks like a joke!", I scoffed.

"And who can have that  much audacity to say something like that to the Zukroof Hussain?"

I chuckled. "I don't know...I have never worn anything like that to school. Nobody has seen me dress up like this" 

"You just relax," She said as she made me sit on the bed and then placed her makeup box beside me,  "I'm going to make you look like a princess and all the boys will just keep gawking at you"

I laughed. As if that was really going to happen. After the makeup was done, I went to another room to change my clothes. When I was done and satisfied, I let my hair down and knocked on the door of the room she was changing in.

She opened the door and stood there with her jaw half opened as she continued to stare at me from top to bottom. I looked at her, she was wearing a maxi-dress lemon yellow shirt and from the waistband, it came down as a gown with floral prints on top of it. She literally looked like a tulip.

"You are so beautiful Noorie!", I said as I pinched her cheeks.

"Says the beauty herself! look at you! I mean...just look! Seriously, why have you been hiding your beauty behind all your baggy t-shirts and jeans?" She asked.

"I..." I smiled as I shrugged. "I...I don't know".

"Okay, I am almost done just a little touch up is remaining then I'll call dad to drop us. Wear your sandals and..." She turned around as she narrowed her eyes at me. 

"What?" I laughed seeing her face. 

"DON'T YOU DARE SNEAK IN YOUR CONVERSE ON THIS!" She said pointing her finger at me.

I laughed throwing my head back, "Okay, alright, I'm waiting in the hall. Get ready and come quickly! and yes, thank you, "I said as I threw a flying kiss at her.

I went and had a look at myself from head to toe. I couldn't identify myself. I kept my hands on my mouth as I yelled, "Noor!!!" She came running towards me holding her gown in my hands, "What happened?"

"What did you do my face? I seriously can't recognize myself", I giggled. This was a new feeling. 

"God Zukroof!", she turned me around and made me face the mirror, "Look at yourself, you haven't seen your beauty you have been hiding all these years. You are definitely going to steal a number of hearts today!", She patted my shoulder. 

It felt weird but it also kinda felt good. I instantly wondered what effect it would have on Nouman. I had already started to feel giddy in the pit of my stomach.

Noor got ready and then she called her dad, we plopped in her car and were off to school. I didn't know how everyone was going to react seeing me but instead of being nervous, I was excited. In around 45 mins or so we reached our destination.

I saw Yazan, Faisal, Nouman, and Talha standing at the entrance wearing suits like they were our escorts. I felt my adrenaline rush. Noor came out of the car and looked at me, "C'mon Zuki! come out, will you?", She opened the door for me

"Noor, you go. I don't want to come, please..", I said sitting in the car as I grabbed the sides of my dress tightly. "I am so nervous, even if I increase the number of "O's" in "so" I won't be able to explain how nervous I am feeling and upon that, the guys are standing there" I pointed towards them. 

"Zukroof!There are just boys from our school remember?  Not a big deal dude c'mon", She said and I got a shiver ran up to my spine. She held my hand and practically dragged me out of the car.

I stepped out of the car, adjusted my dupatta trying with all my might not to look at who was in front of me but involuntarily I looked up and my face broke into a giggle when I saw the guys looking back at me. Their eyes widened in bewilderment and mouths - half-open.

Noor held my arm and lead me the way. Faisal stopped us and asked Noor, "Who is she?". Now either he really didn't recognize me or he was acting. I decided to believe in the latter. 

"Oh c'mon, do I look like an alien?", I said as I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, my god. Zukroof?", Yazan kept his hand over his mouth. 

"Yes. Who would it be otherwise?" I said as I flipped my hair back.

"you..you look gorgeous!" Nouman added.

I smiled. "Thank you" 

"Yeah, you look stunning Zukroof!", Talha complimented.

"Well...thank you and you all are looking handsome as well", I replied back. It was time to go inside the school before any teacher could see us. When we parted from the boys, I grabbed Noor's hand in mine tightly. "Oh, my god. Noorie, am I dreaming?", I asked her.

Just then  

"Zukroof?", someone called me from behind.

 I turned around to find Nouman. He came forward and handed me a rose. "Happy Birthday Gorgeous!", He said.

I smiled widely. Best birthday ever! 

He then went ahead and asked for my hand. I looked around. We were the first one to come so, nobody was there in the whole school except us.

I let my hand slide into his and what came next was so not expected. He knelt down on his one knee and I gasped I couldn't estimate what was going to happen next. I couldn't control the blush rising on my cheeks. Noor grabbed my arm to comfort me.

"This is happening!", I squealed.

"WAIT!," I yelled ruining an almost perfect moment as I pulled my hand away from Nouman's grip.

"Are you real? umm... I mean, you know right? It's me Zukroof! and you just knelt down before me? like seriously? do you know what people do after that? are you really doing this to me? Or...or is this a prank?" , I asked nervously.

He laughed throwing his head back.

"How much cute can you get?",He asked and took my hand in his again.

I closed my eyes shut. I didn't want to see, I wanted to feel. It was happening. It was real. Nouman was going to propose to me. The man I've had a crush on for so long. 

"Zukroof? Zukroof? are you going okay? OMG Zukroof!!!", were the last words of Noor I heard.

15 mins later.

"Man! Did you see that? She fainted! She fainted because of me. I didn't know I could have that effect on someone" Nouman chuckled as he Yazan and Talha made their way to the class after the proposal scene.

"Yeah, everybody saw that and you kept your word so here's your sum of money", Yazan said gesturing his thousand rupees to him while Talha added his share. "And from me too"

"But I didn't even finish my proposal" Nouman was a bit taken back and so were Yazan and Talha by seeing his reaction. 

"What? Are you not gonna tell her it was just a bet and go forward with the proposal?" Yazan asked.

"Well..." He shrugged as he looked around the class. They were the only ones in class. "For starters, I was planning on telling her but did you see the effect I had on her?" He chortled as he continued, "I mean I am not gonna ruin that opportunity of having a girlfriend plus we are all graduating out of school right? So, it would just be a casual fling"

Listening to the words coming out of Nouman's mouth made Yazan grit his teeth tightly. He closed his fists tightly as he shut his eyes closed and tried to take a few deep breaths in and out. He knew, he was the only one who knew how much Zukroof was serious about him. 

"Dude, you do realize she has serious feelings for you -the way she fainted?" Talha asked Nouman as he realized Yazan was getting angry listening to his gibberish.

"Dude, what do you expect me to do? Break her heart this moment when she might be so happy about what happened in the morning? Or just play along because later she would be able to understand that because we left school, it wouldn't work" Nouman commented as he continued to do something on his mobile.

Talha and Yazan looked at each other considering what Nouman was saying was true. But Yazan couldn't help but feel angrier at himself because he was the reason all of this happened in the first place and that he misunderstood Nouman's feelings for Zukroof. 

Yazan heaved a sigh. "Alright. But don't you dare break her heart. I am not telling you. I am warning you"

"Yeah man, whatever" Nouman rolled his eyes. "By the way, I texted Faisal to convey Noor to convey Zukroof that we are meeting at the park after party so I could do the official proposal and I want you to help me write some good words" Nouman looked at Yazan for help and Yazan felt completely disgusted from the boy in front of him. 

********************************

"Zukroof, are you alright?", I tried to open my eyes and quickly closed it. Suddenly the light from the ceiling was too daunting on me. 

"Zukroof, what happened? You had to faint right at the moment when Nouman was going to propose to you! You are such a spoilsport!", Zeenath commented.

"What? Did I faint? ..Oh! I didn't know what happened at that moment. I just shut my eyes close to feel the moment happening in real and suddenly everything became blank", I shrugged.

We all were in our class, I was on the bench. I rose to my feet and fixed my dress.

"Oh, god! It's okay man, Nouman is concerned about you. He said he would like to meet you at the park after the farewell party, Zuki, I'm so happy for you, It's your first time. How does it feel? What are you going to say him? Yes or No? Do you like him too?",Noor, Khadija, and Aisha started their questionnaire.

I shook my head blushing, "I..I don't know..It is all so new, and I have never felt this before!."

"Zukroof, look at me here!", Zeenath kept her hands on my shoulders and said, "Listen, buddy, He is going to confess that he is in love with you. It's your first time but don't go away with "First proposal", "First geeky" feeling. You should say yes If and only if you feel the same about him. So, tell me. Do you like him? like more than your friend?", She asked with those inquisitive eyes I couldn't help but feel intimidated.

"Uhmm. In all my honesty, I do like him, Zee, yeah..more than just a friend" I nodded. I couldn't meet her eyes as I started blushing.

"Yeah, that's all we wanted to know", They smiled.

I smiled back. "Thanks, guys!" 

Then we clicked so many pictures and I got a compliment from every junior, every teacher, every friend of mine. No one was able to recognize me. Well, I couldn't believe myself in the first place.

During the party, boys were seated on the right side and girls on the left of the auditorium. While the juniors performed, Noor nudged me with her elbow,"Look who is stealing glances to look at you!"

"Who?", I asked.

"Nouman! look beside Faisal", She said.

I turned to see two pairs of eyes twinkling back at me. I couldn't help but smile. He smiled back. Then he mouthed, "How are you?", I blinked my eyes and nodded as I mouthed, "Fine!"

That moment when you steal glances from everyone to have a look at him and he is already staring at you. It's amazing how one person can light up your mood so gracefully and set you to fly in the sky. Each time I turned to have a look at him. I found him already looking at me as if he was not watching anything going on the stage but just me. 

During lunch, when we lined up for the buffet one of the junior performers came up to me, "Didi, this is for you", she gave me a tissue with a rose and ran away.

I unfolded the tissue  and read what was written,

"To the love of my life, 

unfortunately, you didn't let me tell you what I wanted to say you so, here's a rose and I'm eager to meet you after the party.

PS: Smile! because I'm already in love with it."

At this moment I blushed so hard I could literally feel my adrenaline rush to the apple of my cheeks. I looked up and I saw Nouman smiling at me from a distance. I mouthed,"Thank you!"

After the food and giving away of mementoes, we had a group photo session. Every class of the batch 2012, stood height-wise to click a memorable picture of all times. When the party got over and the buses were leaving, as planned, all of us came to a park near our school then we had a movie planned in the mall.

"C'mon you new love birds, commence your proposal!", said Zee, to me and Nouman.

"Only if you ensure you won't faint", Nouman said approaching me. 

Oh, there is this thing about teenage romance. The sweet and pure feeling you never get the same feeling past this age. 

He knelt down before me forwarding his palm and asked, "May I?"

I slid my hand on his palm and then pecked the top of my hand and as if this wasn't enough, he went ahead to talk about his feelings making me feel like I was living a dream. 

"I'm not good with words....and if I am being honest, you remind me of all the gentle things in life, like tea when it's cold, and big sweaters to sleep in. You remind me of all the safe things in life, like a hand to hold, and a shoulder to lean on. You remind me of all the reasons to take a chance, like when things seem out of reach, and a place seems so far away. You...You remind me of the beautiful things in life, like the sky when the sun sets, and the way your face brightens up when you smile." I smiled hard as I continued to look in his eyes. Feel the words he was saying through the look in his sparkly eyes. 

"All these years, I have been your friend much longer than any friend of yours. We grew together and no one could know me better than you and I believe, if there's a woman who has the power to dare the spirit inside me, for making me come down on one knee, It's you. And it's totally worth it for a beautiful heart and soul like you. You are too beautiful for me. From the way your hair falls on your shoulders, from the way you smile so perfectly - it makes my heart strings sing, the way you close your eyes has mine hoping they never close again. You are so unique in the way you make your noises. The little ones you don't think I can hear, but I do. And I love every single one. You are too beautiful for me."

I gasped, "Nouman, "I said gently. 

In case no one has ever told you before. Your first proposal or the confession of feelings, no matter in what manner they happen, they always remain as a pleasant memory in the back of your mind. 

He continued,"From the way you say my name and make my soul fall to its knees. To the clothes you wear that you don't think are pretty but, in my eyes, they are amazing for any occasion. I have never met a woman who could make me so nervous or personally made myself think that I don't deserve them. But seeing you the way I do, I can honestly say you are much more than I deserve. I have never seen a woman like you ever before and that scares me that I may not be enough for you. You are too beautiful for me. You are too beautiful for even the stars. You, my love, are kind of magic for those who would start believing in it if they saw you the way I do. I love you, Zukroof. I Love you.", He said as he kept the eye contact intact. 

"Nouman, I... I la-la-love-love you too", I managed to say.

"WOW! Now that was some proposal dude!" Zeenath cheered. 

"Congratulations and celebrations! You guys look so cute!" Noor chimed.

"C'mon guys pictures!" Noor and Zee said.

I stood beside Nouman and he kept his hand on my waist while they took our picture. It felt electric - the first romantic touch. I felt like I was blooming. I felt accepted. I felt seen. I felt beautiful. I was so happy at this moment of my life. All the walls I built around me were broken by the love of my life, Nouman.

But, little did I knew, while my heart was doing somersaults, someone else's heart was burning.