(Further characters will be introduced in the story )

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Layiba was deep in sleep, her body finally surrendering to the exhaustion of yesterday’s long hours. The soft murmur of her dreams was shattered by a loud, rough voice cutting through the peace of her room."Get up, you lazy girl! You think the world waits for you to sleep all day? " Her father’s words, sharp and cold, jolted her awake.Her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked against the early morning light streaming through the window.

For a brief second, she had forgotten where she was, what day it was. But her father’s harsh tone quickly brought her back to reality."Do you hear me, or are you deaf too? Useless!" he barked again from the doorway, his eyes glaring at her with frustration.

Layiba winced at his words but stayed silent. She had learned long ago that responding would only make things worse. Her father’s impatience was like a storm—unpredictable, intense, and always leaving destruction in its wake. Pushing herself up from the bed, she forced her heavy eyes open, her mind still foggy from sleep."School, coaching, this house... and you do nothing right,Only sitting or laying like a sack" he continued, muttering under his breath as he walked away. "By the time you get up, half the day’s gone. And you wonder why you’re falling behind!"Layiba sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the door he slammed shut behind him.

Her hands trembled slightly as she rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the lingering traces of sleep and the sting of his words.

Before she could gather herself, her father’s voice boomed from the hallway again."Go and do the chores! Or do you plan on lying around all day? Useless!" he yelled, his tone filled with irritation.

Layiba flinched at the sound, her heart sinking further. She knew what was coming—another day of endless tasks, another day of feeling like she was never enough. She forced herself to stand, her legs heavy as though weighed down by the words that lingered in the air."I’m coming," she muttered under her breath, knowing he wouldn’t hear her anyway.

He never listened when she spoke. As she made her way toward the kitchen, her thoughts were clouded with frustration and helplessness. Every day felt the same: no matter how much she did, it was never good enough.

And even on the rare days she tried to speak up, it only seemed to fuel his anger further.She began the morning chores, her hands moving on autopilot. The dishes clattered under the force of her movements, each clink echoing the frustration she kept bottled up inside.

"Faster!" her father shouted from the living room. "You’re slower than ever."

"She knows how to run her mouth, but she doesn't know how to use her hands, Maharani Sahiba(Queen)!!" her mother taunted from the kitchen.

Layiba’s grip tightened around the dish she was washing, her knuckles turning white. The mocking tone wasn’t new, but it hit just as hard every time.

She bit the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to stay silent. Any reply, no matter how small, would only fan the flames of their frustration.

The water running over her hands was cool, but it did nothing to soothe the heat rising within her. It was the same every day—accusations, taunts, and never-ending reminders of how she wasn’t good enough, how she never did things right.

After finishing the dishes, Layiba barely had time to catch her breath when her mother’s voice called out again, sharp and impatient."Come help me with the chapatis. Start by making the dough," her mother ordered, not even bothering to look her way.

Layiba glanced at the kitchen clock, realizing she hadn’t even had the chance to wash her face or brush her teeth. The exhaustion weighed heavy on her, but there was no room to complain. Complaining meant more taunts, more scolding.She moved to the counter, her hands still damp from the dishwater, and began gathering the flour.

As she poured it into the bowl, she felt the sting of her mother’s gaze on her back."You always take so long with the simplest tasks," her mother muttered under her breath, loud enough for Layiba to hear. "At this rate, you’ll never be able to manage a household."Layiba didn’t respond, keeping her focus on the task at hand. She added water to the flour, her hands working the mixture into a dough.

After kneading the dough, Layiba started rolling out the chapatis, focusing on the task to keep her mind off the words that had already stung her that morning.

As she worked, her mother’s voice echoed through the kitchen again, sharp and probing."Why don’t you teach your brother, Hamza?" her mother snapped, her tone filled with frustration. "He’s falling behind in his studies, and you’re the one wasting your time on God knows what."

Layiba’s shoulders tensed as she rolled the dough into a thin circle, her eyes focused on the task. She wanted to explain that she had tried countless times but Hamza barely listened, and when he did, their father’s harshness seemed to undo any progress they made.

Before she could respond, her mother continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Ahh, but who am I asking? Maharani Sahiba(Queen) is always busy with her phone, too busy to care about anything useful."

Layiba bit her lip, her heart sinking. The accusation weighed on her, though she knew it wasn’t true. It didn’t matter how much she did; in her mother’s eyes, it was never enough. She had tried to help Hamza with his studies, but her efforts always seemed to fall short."I’ll try harder," Layiba whispered, though she knew it would never be enough.

As Layiba carefully rolled another chapati,  her phone buzzed in her pocket. She hesitated, knowing her mother would have something to say about her "always being on the phone." Still, she pulled it out, glancing at the screen. It was a call from her coaching center sir. She answered it quickly, keeping her voice low. "Hello?"" Layiba, due to the upcoming 10th board exams, we’ll be covering more syllabus in the coming days. The work is piling up, and only one portion of mathematics is done. Three portions are still remaining. You need to catch up."

Layiba’s heart sank. More pressure, more work, and she was already behind. She glanced at the clock. It was almost 11.

Without even having time to think, she finished her kitchen tasks and hurried to the sink, splashing cold water on her face. The coolness stung her skin, but it wasn’t enough to wash away the exhaustion or anxiety.She hadn't eaten anything all morning, but there wasn’t time to stop now.

She quickly pulled her niqab over her face, adjusting it as she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes, tired and heavy, stared back at her, but she forced herself to look away. By 11 a.m., she was out the door, rushing to her coaching class, wearing her specs and adjusting her niqab.

As she reached the entrance of the coaching center, a boy standing nearby couldn't stop staring at her. She walked past, completely unaware, rushing towards her class. He kept watching her, thinking to himself, "How beautiful is she!"

Another boy beside him nudged him and asked, "She's nice, right?"

He quickly replied, "Yes, a lot... aur niqab mein toh, ohh my God!!!"

The first boy chuckled and said, "She's my classmate.

Teh second boy said "Her name is Layiba."

The boy raised his eyebrows in interest. "Ohhh."

His friend, Ali, started laughing and said, "Bhav ni degi tujhe, bro! Kyu hainaa mazhar"

His other friend said " Obviously dude" they all started laughing at shadab.

Shadab, with a smirk, shot back, "Kyun nahi degi? Insta ID de."

Ali, still laughing, replied, "Okay, her Insta handle is @LZK1 , but agar usne tujhe follow back kar liya, toh badi baat hai!" 💀🤣

Shadab's male ego got hurt, and he frowned.

Shadab's mood shifted after Ali's comment. He stared at his phone for a moment, then opened Instagram, searching for Layiba's profile. The account appeared on his screen, and without thinking twice, he hit the follow button.

Ali, still teasing him, said, "Bhai, wo tujhe follow back nahi karegi, maan le!"

Shadab rolled his eyes. "Dekh lena, Ali. Kyu nahi karegi?"

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of the class. Both of them headed inside. Shadab couldn’t focus, his mind stuck on whether Layiba would even notice him. Throughout the lecture, he kept glancing at his phone, but there was no notification.

After the class ended, as the students poured out, Shadab spotted Layiba near the exit, talking to a few girls. He thought about going up to her, but something held him back. Maybe Ali is right, he thought, feeling the sting of rejection even before it happened.

As they walked out of the coaching center, Ali, sensing Shadab's frustration, laughed again and said, "Chhodo yaar, tumhara kuch nahi hone wala!"

But Shadab, now more determined, muttered, "Ab toh follow back leke hi rahunga."

After a few days of waiting and checking his phone, Shadab still didn’t see any notification from Layiba. Every time he scrolled through Instagram, he hoped for a follow-back, but nothing. To make matters worse, she hadn’t been showing up at the coaching center either since that day when he first saw her.

One afternoon, fed up with the waiting, he finally asked his friends, “Arre yaar, Layiba kyun nahi aa rahi coaching mein? Koi idea hai?”

The moment he said her name, his friends burst out laughing. Ali couldn’t control himself and said, “Bhai, itna serious mat ho ja! Waise bhi wo tujhe bhav nahi dene waali thi."

Mazhar chimed in, laughing, "Lagta hai Layiba ko pata chal gaya ki tu uska Insta check kar raha hai, isliye woh aa hi nahi rahi!"

Shadab frowned, feeling embarrassed as his friends continued teasing him. "Yaar, tum log bas mazaak bana rahe ho!" he said, but deep down, he couldn't help wondering where she had disappeared to.

When Layiba got the notification about Shadab’s follow request, she took a moment to look at his profile. She thought he seemed nice based on his profile picture, and his bio was decent too. However, she was swamped with her 10th board exams and had only six months left before the final exams.

With so much on her plate, she decided to check his profile more thoroughly later when she had more time. For now, she was focused on her studies and couldn’t afford any distractions.

Shadab continued waiting, not knowing the reason behind the delay, but he hoped that one day she would respond.

When Shadab noticed that Layiba had followed him back on a Sunday, he was excited to check her profile. Her profile picture showed only half of her face hidden behind a book, adding an air of mystery. Her account didn’t have any posts, but there were some pictures in her highlights.

Wanting to reach out without seeming creepy, Shadab decided to comment on one of the highlighted pictures. The photo showed her hand adorned with a gajra (flower garland) and part of her outfit. To keep things light and avoid any awkwardness, he chose a sarcastic tone and commented, “Gajra kitne baras purana tha!?”

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Promo:—

When Layiba saw Shadab’s message, she thought, Why is he sticking his nose into my business? She felt annoyed by his sarcastic comment about the gajra.

She paused, unsure if she wanted to reply or just ignore him. Her exams were taking up all her time, and she didn’t want to deal with someone who seemed to be crossing a line.

As she considered her options, Shadab waited nervously for her response, not knowing how his message had been received.

But still she replied ....

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Next part only if I get good response on this !!

@TalesByAyna