Time flies... And eighteen years passed in the blink of an eye.

"Irsia aapi, get up. Irsia aapi." Zahra, a seventeen year old blonde girl with green eyes tried to wake her cousin who was fast asleep.

"Go away." This was all she got for an answer and she was expecting it.
Zahra smiled at her cousin's sleeping figure who looked like a maniac with disheveled brown locks covering half of her face and the visible half of her mouth slightly ajar. Zahra knew her cousin very well and knew she won't be waking up so easily and she also knew the solution to that.

She lifted a single lock of hair from Irsia's face and tickled her ear with it and as expected, that did the trick. Irsia got up with a start. She placed a hand on her frantically beating heart and glared at her cousin.

"Zahra I was sleeping."

"And you think I don't know that."

Irsia looked at her cousin with sad eyes and frustrated expression. "You woke me up from a beautiful dream. His dream."

"You dreamt about him again?" Zahra asked excitedly to which Irsia nodded her head. "What did you see?"

Irsia took a deep breath and smiled dreamily. "It was beautiful."

"When is it not?" Zahra interrupted but after receiving a glare from her cousin dearest she pretended to zip her lips.

"So as I was saying. It was beautiful. I was in some room and other people were there as well though I don't remember them. Mama was in adjoining room which shared a window with mine. I think we were in some kind of wedding or party, something like that. So I was just standing in this room near a window when he walked towards me. He was looking breathtakingly handsome in black shirt and grey formal pants and waistcoat-" she was interrupted again by Zahra.

"Do you remember his face at least this time?"

"Unfortunately no. Now don't interrupt and let me finish the story."

"Sorry. Carry on."

"So he walked towards me and smiled and how do I explain it to you Zahra how those honey brown eyes of his shined when he smiled?" She smiled as if she she was again living that dream.

"Though I don't know for what reason but I was angry at him. He held a button in his hand and gave it to me. 'stitch this button please,' he said.

'I won't' I turned my face away from him and towards the window.

'Fine. I'll tell aunty she isn't listening to me. You know she is the one who told me to ask you to stitch it back,' he said innocently.

'I still won't stitch it back.'

'Fine. Aunty? Irsia is saying she won't stitch it,' he called out to mama.

'Irsia stitch it for him. You have to do it.' So I had no other option but to do it. I asked for his shirt and he smirked. He gave me the shirt and left with a wink. I smiled at his retreating back.

The scene changed and I was still in that party but wearing the white gown. People were dancing and I was supposed to dance with him. He was still sitting while I walked towards the dance floor. I turned back to look at him and he was already looking at me. We smiled at each other. I didn't know where I was walking as my eyes were still focused on him. I bumped into someone. I looked at this other person who was wearing white coat. He took my hand and walked me to the dance floor but I looked back at him. He was looking at us with sad eyes. He wanted to come to me and take me away from this man but something was holding him back. I wanted to run away from that dance and go back to him. I was about to do that when you woke me up."

"Wow," Zahra swooned.

"Shut up. I was about to go to him. You should have waited for five more minutes," Irsia whined.

"Sorry. I didn't know. I wish you remembered his face or name."

"You think I don't wish that. Oh! How I long to remember his face or name. How I long to meet him! This feeling of completeness that engulfs me after every dream of his is worth every second of the wait. Even though I don't remember his name or face but this feeling is what is constant in every dream. This feeling is how I know it is him. This feeling is the key to this brown eyed mystery."

"So your brown-eyed mystery man graced your dream with his presence again? Abu Bakar asked while standing at the door. Irsia looked up at her cousin whose light brown eyes were looking back at her. Irsia smiled and nodded her head.

Abu Bakar was not only Irsia's cousin but her best friend as well. They shared their every secret with each other.

He walked towards her and sat with his sister and cousin on the bed. His blonde hair, same shade as his sister's, was neatly styled to one side and he was wearing new blue T-shirt and grey jeans.

"Isn't this the new T-shirt you bought day before yesterday?" Irsia asked examining his appearance.

"Yes," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Why are you wearing new clothes and wait... Why is your hair so neatly combed? You look new," she asked raising her eyebrow and then whispered, "Is Ferisa coming here and I don't know?"

His ears turned bright red. Ferisa was Irsia's friend who happened to be Abu Bakar's crush as well. He had liked her the moment he laid eyes on her, that is, when they were fourteen.

"Zahra is here. You would have known if she was coming which she is not," he whispered back. Zahra smiled at them. He cleared his throat and said in his normal tone, "I think Zahra forgot to mention her real reason for waking you up."

Irsia looked at Zahra who scrunched her forehead at her forgetfulness. "Yeah sorry. It completely skipped my mind. I got so engrossed in your dream that I forgot to tell you that nanaji and his family have reached airport. Aazir Bhai has gone to receive them. Chachi asked me to wake you up."

"I think they will be here any minute now," Abu Bakar added. "You should change and make yourself presentable. You don't want them to see you like this." He motioned towards her hair and sleepy eyes. "You look like a runaway from mental asylum." That earned him a slight punch in the gut from Irsia.