I kept staring at him.
"I love you," he repeated—like it was the simplest thing in the world.
Like he hadn't just shaken the ground under my feet.
My heart thudded in my ears. I didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't breathe.
A tiny voice in my head whispered, This isn't how you imagined it.
Not in a quiet park surrounded by the smell of damp earth. Not with Shanzay standing nearby, arms folded, visibly bored. And definitely not with Haffiz staring at me like he owned the right to an answer.
He took a step forward.
I flinched, just a little.
"Iman," he said again, softer this time. "I mean it. I've felt this for a long time. Since the first time you laughed at something dumb I said in class… since the day you asked if I'd finished my assignment and I lied just to talk longer."
I blinked.
His words weren't bad.
His timing was.
Something in me—it just didn't click.
I felt my fingers curling into my sleeves.
He sighed. "Why are you quiet? Look—I know I messed up the delivery. But don't keep me hanging, Iman. Say something."
I opened my mouth, then closed it. "I—I don't know what to say, Haffiz. This is sudden—"
He looked frustrated . "No it's not. You knew. You had to know."
"I—didn't."
Not really.
My thoughts scrambled. Why wasn't I excited? Why didn't my heart flutter like it was supposed to?
A strange ache built in my chest… an image—someone else's face—just brushed the edge of my mind.
Dark eyes. A steady gaze. A voice that always stayed soft when I was upset.
Ahad.
No. That didn't mean anything.
He was just... Ahad.
Rough around the edges. Always pulling my hair or stealing my pens. Always fighting with me.
But always... there.
Why was I thinking about him right now?
"Haffiz-"my voice was barely a whisper but sharm with alarm."You don't have to-" uff,why isn't my mind working
Damnit
"Haffiz, maybe we can talk later—"
"No. Not later. I need to know now."
And then—he grabbed my hand.He was trembling,I realized .Maybe nervous,maybe desperate
I gasped, stumbling back, startled.
"Haffiz, let go—"
"Why are you scared of me now?" he demanded.Clearly impatient this time
And then—
"Let. Her. Go."
A wave of silence crushed the air around us.
The voice—deep, fierce, familiar.
The voice for which I didn't need to turn.
There he was.
Ahad.
He wasn't just standing—he stormed into the park, eyes locked on Haffiz, breathing heavy, fury stitched into every line of his face.
And something inside me stilled. Because in that one second, I saw it.
The fire in his eyes wasn't just anger.
It was fear.
It was hurt.
It was... something I hadn't noticed before.
Ahad didn't say another word.
He just walked straight to us but Haffiz didn't loosen.Not untill Ahad reached us in seconds and shoved his grip away from me.
It was like watching fire meet gasoline
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ahad growled. His voice trembled—but not with weakness."You think you own her now?"
"I asked her to answer me-"
"Saw you grabbing her"Ahad spat,already stepping closer."You call that asking?"
"Ahad,"I finally managed to whisper."please-"
"I care about her" Haffiz shot back
"You don't hurt someone you care about!" Ahad shouted,his chest was heaving,fists clenched,jaw locked.
I stepped back,heart jn my throat "Guys, please—" I said, but they didn't hear me.
Suddenly Haffiz's friends were pushing through the gates.
Then two of Ahad's friends showed up and few classmates—boys I'd seen with him after school.
The tension snapped.
Fists clenched.Eyes locked into kne another
"Stop it! All of you,stop-"I screamed
But fists flew
Ahad threw the first punch
Haffiz didn't back down.
They weren't just fighting, they were bleeding.
And in the middle of it all, I stood—helpless. Terrified.
I wanted to scream but my voice locked inside me.
As they fought, something in me cracked.
Not because of the chaos.
Not even because of the fear.
But because the truth had suddenly become impossible to ignore.
Two boys
Two different kinds of love.
One wanted to own me.
The other... just wanted me to be safe.