The soft light of the evening seeped through the curtains, bathing Mahenoor's room in a pale golden glow. She sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers gently tracing the embroidered pattern of her dupatta. The silence of the room mirrored the stillness in her heart, but her betrayed her inner turmoil.

Her gaze fell on the photo frame on the bedside table, a family picture taken years ago. It was a happy moment captured forever, but it felt like a lifetime ago. She sighed, the ache in her chest deepening.

A soft knock at the door broke her thoughts, before she could respond, Sanober, her elder cousin pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Mahenoor," Sanober said gently, her voice warm with affection. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Mahenoor looked up and shook her head slightly. "No, appi. Please come in."

Sanober closed the door behind her and took a seat beside Mahenoor on the bed. She studied her younger cousin for a moment, noticing the shadows under her eyes and the sadness that seemed to have become a permanent part of her expression.

"Mahenoor," Sanober began, reaching for her hand, "you've been so quiet lately. We're all worried about you."

"I'm fine appi." Mahenoor replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sanober sighed, "No, you're not. You haven't been fine for a long time. And that's okay, but you can't keep this all inside. Talk to me, Mahenoor. Tell me what's on your mind."

For a moment, Mahenoor remained silent, her eyes fixed on the patterns of her dupatta. Then, as if a dam had  broken, she began to speak.

"Appi," she said her voice trembling, "sometimes, I feel like I'm trapped in a loop, living the same day over and over again. Every morning I wake up hoping it will be different, that I'll feel better. But the pain is always there. It never goes away."

Sanober squeezed her hand gently, "Mahenoor, I know you've been through a lot. But you can't let this pain consume you. You have so much ahead of you, so many reasons to smile. Don't let one person's absence take that away from you."

Mahenoor shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes. "It's not that simple appi, he wasn't just 'one person' to me. He was everything. He was my hope, my happiness, my future. And now....now, i don't even know who I am without him."

Sanober's heart ached for her cousin. She had watched Mahenoor pour her heart into a love that had left her shattered, as she knew it was time to speak the truth, even if it hurts.

"Mahenoor," Sanober said gently but firmly. "It's been four years. For years of waiting, of hoping, of holding onto someone who isn't coming back. Don't you think it's time to let go? To move on?"

Mahenoor's eyes widened slightly, and she looked at her cousin with a mix of shock and defiance. "Appi, how can I let go? How can I forget him? He was the first person i ever loved. How do I erase that? How do I erase him?"

"You don't have to erase him,"  sanober replied, her tone softening. "But you have to stop letting him control your life. You're living in the past, Mahenoor, and it's stopping you from seeing all the beauty that's still around you. Forget him Mahenoor, he was never yours to begin with."

Mahenoor's lips trembled as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked away, her voice barely audible as she said, "I can forget myself, appi...But not him. Never him."

Sanober felt a pang in her chest at Mahenoor's words. She wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, "Mahenoor, you're waiting for someone who's never going to come back. Asjad isn't coming back. You deserve more than this. You deserve someone who chooses you, who values you, who loves you wholeheartedly."

Mahenoor pulled away slightly, her gaze lifting to the sky visible through the window. Her voice was steady but filled with sorrow as she said. "May be he won't come back, Appi. Maybe he's moved on, forgotten me, built a life without me. But even if that's true... I'll still wait for him. I'll wait because I can't help it. Because no matter what, my heart still belongs to him."

Sanober stared at her cousin, her heart breaking at the sight of Mahenoor's tears filled eyes and the unwavering resolve in her voice.

"Mahenoor," Sanober whispered, "you're holding onto a dream, a hope that keeping you chained to your pain. I don't want to see you hurt like this anymore."

"I know Appi," Mahenoor replied her gaze was still fixed on the sky, "I know everyone wants me to move on, to forget him. But I can't. I don't know how. All this I know is that even if the world tells me he's never coming back, even if my own heart tells me to give up... I'll keep waiting. Because that's all I can do."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with emotions, as Sanober struggled to find the right things to say.

After a moment, sanober cupped her face in her hand, forcing her to look at her. " Mahenoor I know you think this is love. And maybe it is. But love shouldn't hurt like this. It shouldn't leave you feeling empty and broken. You deserve a love that lifts you up, not one that keeps you stuck in the past."

Mahenoor's voice wavered as she replied, "Maybe I don't deserve that kind of love, Appi. Maybe this is all I'll ever have–a love that's one-sided, incomplete and painful. But even if that's true, I'll still hold onto it. Because it's the only thing that feels real to me."

Sanober's eyes filled with tears as she pulled her into a tight hug. "You deserve so much more than this, Mahenoor. I just wish you could see that."

"I know you do, Appi," Mahenoor whispered against her shoulder. "And I love you for it. But this is my journey, my pain, and my choice. And for now....I choose to wait."

They two sat in the silence for a long time, the only sound of the faint rustle of leaves outside the window. Sanober held mahenoor close, silently praying that her cousin would one day find the strength to let go of the past and embrace the future.

Mahenoor, meanwhile, stared at the stars, her heart aching but resolute. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew one thing for certain–she would continue to wait for Asjad, no matter how long it took.

And as the night deepened, the two cousins remained there, bound by love, pain, and the unspoken hope that time would bring healing to Mahenoor's shattered heart.

The night grew darker, and the room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the faint hum of the ceiling fan. Sanober ran her hand gently over Mahenoor's hair, trying to comfort her without words. She could feel the weight of her cousin's grief like a shadow that refused to leave.

"Mahenoor," Sanober murmured softly, "you know life isn't always fair. Sometimes we love people who aren't meant to say in our lives forever. But that doesn't mean your loves was in vain. It shaped you, it gave you strength, even if it left you broken for now."  

Mahenoor remained quiet, her tears slowly drying, leaving faint trails on her cheeks. Her fingers absently traced the pattern on her dupatta, her mind lost in memories of Asjad–their laughter, their dreams, and the promises that were never fulfilled.

"Appi," Mahenoor said after a long pause, her voice is quieter now, "sometimes I wonder....if he even remembers me. Or if I was just a fleeting chapter in his life."

Sanober's heart broke a little more at those words. She shook her head gently. "You were never fleeting, Mahenoor. What you shared with him was real, even if it didn't end the way you hoped. But you can't let those memories chain you. Holding onto the past won't bring him back; It'll only stop you from seeing what's still possible for you."

Mahenoor turned to face her cousin, her eyes dark and full of pain. "But what if I don't want anything else, Appi? What if I don't want a new beginning? He was my dream, and now that he's gone....I don't know how to dream anymore."

Sanober exhaled, brushing a tear from her own eyes as she spoke, "Then let me dream for you, Mahenoor. Let us all hold onto hope for you, until you can find it again for yourself. You don't have to carry this alone, no matter how much it feels like you do."

Mahenoor looked down at her hands, her expression softening just a little, "I don't want to hurt anyone, Appi. I just.... I don't know how to heal."

Sanober gave her a gentle smile. "Healing takes time, Mahenoor. And it's okay if it doesn't happen overnight. But promise me this–promise me you'll try. Just one step at a time. You owe yourself that much."

Mahenoor didn't respond immediately. Instead, she turned to the window again, her eyes drifting toward the moonlight that spilled across the sky. A soft breeze stirred the curtains, and for the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to imagine a life beyond her sorrow–one where the memories of Asjad were still there, but they no longer weighed her down.

"I don't know if I can promise that yet," Mahenoor whispered, her voice barely audible. "But I'll think about it,Appi. I'll try to think about it."

Sanober smiled softly and pressed a kiss on her forehead, "That's enough for now. I'll be here for you, always. And one day I promise, you'll look back at this pain and see how far you've come."

The night stretched on, and though Mahenoor's heart still felt heavy, a faint flicker of light–of hope–stirred within her. It was fragile, but it was there, waiting for the day she would finally find the strength to let go of the past and embrace the possibilities of tomorrow.

As Sanober quietly left the room, Mahenoor lay down, staring up at the ceiling. The echoes of her love for Asjad still lingered in her heart, but for the first time, she wondered if maybe–just maybe– there could be something more waiting for her in the future.

And so, as sleep finally claimed her, her dreams were no longer of a life that had been lost, but of a journey yet to come.

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