The last rays of sun slowly dipped  behind the clouds , retreating for the night as the orangey-red hued sky gradually changed into its deep purplish outfit.

Raiyyan sat beside me on the iron swing of my aunt's apartment's balcony as a gentle breeze blew around us. I watched as the trail of my blue dupatta flew around with the wind as the small light fixture above us illuminated the balcony in a warm glow.

The sound of the elders gossiping over tea in the living room could be heard from the open door joining the balcony to the huge seating area.

Our younger cousins were busy playing board games inside an air conditioned room inside the house while the married ones sat in a separate room and talked about their life problems.

I kicked the ground for momentum and slightly lifted my feet in the air so that the swing rockes back and forth faster.

I was the unofficial family photographer and Raiyyan had been bugging me about needing a new eye catching profile picture.

Why he wanted that was a mystery but I planned on interrogating him as soon as possible.

" Slow down , I can't see the pictures clearly." Raiyyan grumbled from my right, his eyes fixated on the shots I had clicked off him earlier in the rooftop with the setting sun as a backdrop.

I did the opposite and exerted more force on the ground and we swung with such a force that the phone nearly dropped from my cousin's hand.

He planted his feet firmly on the ground to stop the swing and turned to glare at me only to find me looking at him with an evil smile.

" What , I'm bored. And hungry."

" Then eat."

" Eat what."

" The dining table is literally laden with so many snacks." He nods towards the table surrounded by elders.

" I don't feel like getting up." I pout.

Raiyyan sighs and narrows his eyes at me.

" Oi, Arshaan ! Fetch us a plate of samosas and a cup of chai." He yells at our tween cousin who was walking by with a headphone dangling around his neck.

The twelve year old quirks an eyebrow as if asking why he should be bothered.

" I'll take you to that football match later. " Raiyyan offers a reward for his service and the kid immediately agrees.

" Tch so gullible" Raiyyan clicks his tongue as we gently swing back and forth.

Arshaan arrives with a plate of hot crispy samosas with a side of tomato ketchup and hands it to us with a cup of chai before going back inside.

I eagerly take a sip from the steaming milky chai while Raiyyan pops a samosa into his mouth.

He has finally decided on one picture and I watch as he uploads it as his new profile picture.

I took out my own phone to go to like his post.

While I'm scrolling through Raiyyan's feed I see a recent post which is a picture of the night sky twinkling with shiny stars casting a radiant glow over the world.

He had captioned the photo with the words-

I never realized how pretty the stars were-

The stars in the sky light up the dark world.
But the mesmerizing star on earth lit up my empty soul.

" Raiyyan- when did you suddenly get obsessed with astrology? And what's with the cheesy caption bro ? "

He jerks up straight beside me and leans to the side to see what I'm looking at.

Raiyyan just blinks a few times before looking away ,
" Nothing, the sky just seemed pretty yesterday. "

Bull-

It wouldn't take a genius to know he was lying. You could go through his entire profile and not find a single picture of nature. How come he suddenly liked stars shining in the sky ? Something was fishy.

I clicked on the comment section and scrolled to see someone had commented the emoji of a star. And the username was Tara.

I gasped and hit Raiyyan on his arm.

" You sneaky snake! Who's Tara? Tara as in star!! Is the quote directed at this girl ? Are you two - "

" No! Nothing's going on - I just met her."

" So you like her ? "

It's hard to see the color of his face clearly at this hour but I can bet my whole collection of story books that it's red as a freaking tomato.

And his silence speaks volumes.

" Does she like you back ?" I ask while wiggling my eyebrows teasingly.

" It's complicated. We met on Chaand Raat while shopping for Eid."

" Dude hold up- why am I just finding out and what's the progress since ? I need details ! " I jump up and down excitedly.

" Stop behaving like a monkey - it's a long story and I told you nothing is certain yet."

Before I can interrogate him further about details, a notification on his phone screen makes me sit still as a statue.

Isahaq had liked his latest post. The picture which I had clicked.

Raiyyan scrunches his eyebrows to see me sitting still and his eyes darted towards the notification on his phone.

His lips curl up in a victorious smirk and this time he wiggles his eyebrows at me knowingly.

I narrowed my eyes and shot him a glare, " Since when do you and Isahaq follow each other ?"

" We randomly found each other's account through some mutual friends. What's the big deal ?"

" And you never thought about mentioning this to me?"

" Why would I ? Plus I thought you had already stalked him and found his account."

I huff in annoyance, my hands itching to throttle Raiyyan for his aloof attitude. But I needed him to do something so I spared his life for now.

" I did not! Anyway I'll help you with that Tara girl and keep your secret but you have to help me now. Plus I clicked such a beautiful picture of you so if she's impressed by it I deserve some credit."

" Whatever. What do you want?"

" Why didn't you give me photo credit on your post, then Isahaq could have seen and maybe followed me!"

Raiyyan rolls his eyes, " Just follow him yourself."

" No, that's not the same thing!"

Another notification pings from his phone and we see Isahaq had commented on the picture saying
" Cool shot!"

I grin in happiness, " Now's the time to fix your mistake. Even if you give me credit in the caption he won't see the post now so directly mention and praise me in reply to his comment."

" Uff Maha, you've gone crazy. If you like him so much just talk to him directly."

" You ungrateful -" I raise my hand to hit him again and he jerks away,
" Okay fine dude stop being violent I'm doing the work."

Raiyyan quickly types in a reply to Isahaq's comment, " Thanks bro! The credits go to my cousin though, she was the one who clicked the pic @Mahaha"

Yes my username was the same as what Zamar had teased me with. Everyone at school used to do the same thing.

Isahaq replies instantly, " Oh, she's got great skills!"

My heart seems to be performing somersaults and I can't help smiling.

We wait a few minutes but Isahaq does not follow my account as I was hoping he would. What reason did he have to follow me after all ? I'm the one who liked him. He probably didn't even care about my existence.

" Just follow him already. Taking the first step doesn't make you any less you know." Raiyyan sighs and eats the last piece of samosa.

" But he'll think I'm obsessed then."

" No he won't. He doesn't care."

Raiyyan stops as he sees my dejected expression.

" I mean he doesn't care yet. But he might in the future so don't start crying or anything."

" Whatever" I mutter as I find Isahaq's profile on my phone and my finger hovers over the follow button in hesitation before I take a leap of faith and click on it.

A minute later he follows me back.

" See ? You were stressing about nothing. Now text him some memes or something."

" No, that's enough bravery for one day. I followed him first but I'm not that desperate that I'll start texting him."

" True. As you wish then." Raiyyan mutters as he gets up and I sit there with mixed feelings.

One thing's for sure, tonight I'll be stalking - ahem researching Isahaq's profile and I just hope I don't accidentally like any of his old posts.

✨

For once luck seems to favor me and I am safe from accidentally sharing or liking Isahaq's posts.

Trust me , my past records aren't that great and I am still haunted by those memories.

Weeks go by and neither of us has texted each other directly but we have liked each other's posts once in a while.

But that doesn't mean any real progress has happened but for now I'm content with at least being connected with him on social media.

Before we know, only a month is left for Eid- Ul-Adha and one particular Saturday afternoon we were invited to a family friend's house for a get together.

The host family in question hailed from an aristocratic background and every year they hosted a huge dawat at their house and invited everyone they knew for an annual party.

The theme this year was traditional wear and since I always wore salwar kameez to parties I decided to switch things up and opt for a saree instead.

As our car halted in front of the huge intricately designed iron wrought gates of their property, a pair of guards jogged forward and opened the gates for us.

Our car rolled inside and we could see the parking lot packed with numerous other cars belonging to high profile people including a minister.

I carefully opened the door and stepped outside the car before helping Nanu do the same.

My parents got down from the other side and my aunt's family arrived in the car beside ours.

Amna wore a branded baby pink salwar kameez with sequined patchwork design and walked towards me in high heels, her long shiny hair cascading down her back like a waterfall while her face sparkled with immaculate makeup.

I had worn a blue muslin fabric saree with a sequin embroidered border which originally belonged to my Nanu.

My head was draped in a matching blue chiffon hijab and a single emerald and sapphire stone emblazoned necklace rested on my neck.

Amna hugged me in greeting and hooked my arm with hers as she ushered me inside.

" It feels too awkward and intimidating to walk in alone. There's so many people." She whispers from my side and I nod in agreement.

Raiyyan wasn't coming today as he had to go to his friend's birthday.

The elders made their way inside the two storey mansion while we youngsters headed towards the open backyard which had been decorated immaculately.

The inside of the house was no less than a seven star hotel while the front and backyards stretched for miles.

" I swear I'm always so excited to come here ! Their house never failed to leave me amazed. They have an elevator inside their house and do you remember the spinning dining table ? Don't get me started on the furnitures, I could sleep on that soft sofa all day plus the chandelier - "
Amna gushed excitedly.

" For real, this never gets old. If only we had one room like that. The staircase seems straight out of a castle." I agree with my younger cousin.

The freshly mowed green lawn has been set up with small tables and chairs like a tea party while long tables brimming with snacks and various cuisines are lined to the side.

The trees have been decorated with fairy lights and the bushes are designed into various dome shapes.

There's a small swing and trampoline by the corner where young kids are jumping up and down.

People are seated in packs all over the garden as Amna and I walk through the grass and take in our surroundings looking for familiar faces.

A guy in a black Punjabi with red collar dashes towards us and I look up to see Zamar's beaming face grinning at me.

" Mahahaha! If it isn't my favorite girl."

Author's Note

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