Dua's POV

We reached our college. Maham looked at me as if telling me to come along.

“You go, I’m coming,” I said. She stared at me and then at Momin with a straight face before stepping out of the car. As the door shut, I punched Momin’s arm hard with my small fist.

“Ouch! What was that for?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. I glared at him.

“You dare to tease me? You dare to say you’ll leave me and go out with Maham?” I almost yelled.

“You weren’t waking up.”

“So, that means you should wait for me! Not look for another company,” I said angrily.

“Ya Allah (Oh God)! Why would I look for another company when I already have your father’s company to look after?” he said jokingly.

I clenched my jaw in annoyance.

“Okay, okay, sorry. You don’t need to be jealous.” He raised his hands in surrender and then held mine, placing it on his chest above his heart. “This beats for you, and only you.”

His words melted me, butterflies dancing wildly in my stomach. He always knew how to disarm me whenever I was angry.

“Yes, and it should beat only for me.” I poked my finger against his heart. “If it dares to beat even once for someone else, I will kill you. And if I couldn’t, then I’d kill myself…” As the words left my mouth, he placed his fingers on my lips.

“It’s better you kill me, Dua. Don’t ever say things like that. You know you’re the only one who keeps me alive. You’re the one who makes me feel I have someone who is truly mine. Even though your family is there for me, the truth is they’re not mine. But you… you are mine. The only person in this world who makes me happy, who gives me peace.”

His confession, full of love, shone in his eyes. He always became emotional whenever the thought—or even the mention—of me leaving him came up.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. He immediately wrapped me tightly in his embrace.

“I love you, Momin. And I will always love you. I will always be with you.” I pulled back slightly and placed my palm on his face. “I’m yours and only yours, just like you’re mine and only mine,” I declared softly, smiling.

A smile curved his lips as he cupped my face and pressed his lips to my forehead, holding there for a few seconds. I closed my eyes, savoring the warmth of his touch. When he finally pulled back, he smiled lovingly.

“I love you more.”

I brushed my nose against his, pinched his cheeks, and ran my thumb over his lips before whispering—

“If you don’t want me to kiss you like crazy, you’d better let me go.”

I smirked as I felt him tense, his chest rising with a deep breath. When he leaned back, a giggle escaped me.

“You’ll pay for every tease, Dua. Just wait till we get married.” His turn to smirk came as he caught the redness spreading across my cheeks. Not wanting him to see me blushing, I quickly grabbed my bag, opened the door, and hurried out.

“And I’m eagerly waiting for that day, Dua!” I heard him yell as I shut the door and ran inside the college with a wide, bright smile on my face.

Me too.

---

Maham’s POV

Hate.

Anger.

Jealousy.

Envy.

I know I shouldn’t feel this way toward my sister, but I can’t help envying Dua. I love her, I truly do. But at the same time, I hate her—especially when she comes between me and Momin.

I love Momin, but he loves Dua. Why? Can’t he see how much I love him? Can’t he see I’m better than Dua? Can’t he see she’s foolish, that she could never make him happy the way I could? Dua always makes demands—I never did. She thinks of her happiness first, yet Momin is always more than happy to fulfill her wishes and make her smile. He never does that for me. Why?

Dua is the eldest daughter of my parents. The eldest granddaughter of my grandparents. The eldest sister to me and Rafay. Everyone loves her more than they love me or Rafay. They always give her more importance. She’s spoiled, yet she has everyone wrapped around her finger. And me? I’m soft, kind, gentle by nature—yet Momin still can’t love me. And that’s what hurts the most. I’m perfect… but he loves that imperfect girl.

I don’t care about everyone’s love. I know my parents and grandparents love me. But the only love I truly care about is Momin’s… and he doesn’t love me.

I sat on the bench outside my class—it was result day—and held my head in my hands. I didn’t want to hate Dua, but with each passing day, her closeness with Momin grew, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“I love him. He is mine. Dua needs to go away… away from here, away from us,” I mumbled, tears escaping my eyes.

“Mahi,” a voice called, making me exhale sharply. I looked up and saw the most annoying person standing before me.

“Mahi, are you okay?”

“Yes, Amad. I’m fine,” I replied, looking away. But that irritating person sat down beside me.

“Your eyes say otherwise,” he muttered.

“You don’t need to read my eyes,” I said, about to stand up, but he held my wrist and made me sit again.

“Again… for Momin?” he asked in an angry tone. I jerked my hand free from his grip.

“That’s none of your concern.” I snatched my wrist back and stood, walking away.

He was the only one who could always read my eyes and understand what I was thinking. Since childhood, he had tried to come close to me, and it irritated me to no end. I knew he thought of me as more than just his cousin.

Yes, cousin. He was my father’s sister Fathima Phuphu’s son—Amad Shazam.

---

Dua’s POV

“Yay!” I screamed in delight as I received my result. I wasn’t the topper, but I wasn’t average either. I scored 86.79%, and I was beyond happy. I hadn’t expected this grade, but my love, my Momin, made it possible.

Yes, he was the one who spent sleepless nights for me. He always helped me with studies, but this time I told him I wanted my percentage above 80. And he worked hard on me, pushing me to study. I promised him that when I achieved it, I would surprise everyone.

I had something planned for my future, for my career—and I knew Momin wouldn’t be happy. But I would make him understand.

“Congratulations, Dua!” Maham smiled and hugged me.

“What’s your percentage?” I asked as we pulled back.

“Uhmm… 94%,” she said hesitantly.

I screamed again. “Yayyy! My genius sister!” I hugged her joyfully.

“Are you not mad?” Maham asked nervously.

“Why would I be mad at you?” I asked, confused.

“Uh… you said you wanted to beat me in studies this time, so I thought…” she trailed off.

I laughed at her. “You thought I’d be angry if you scored better than me?” She nodded. I smacked her head lightly. “Idiot! You’re my little sister. I’ll always be happy about your success. You got what you deserved. And I always knew you’re smarter than me.”

She sighed in relief and smiled.

“And about my grades? Arre (Oh), I wasn’t even expecting to hit 80. I think the professors were drunk while correcting my papers!” I giggled, and she joined me.

“Have you thought about how you’re going to tell Mama, Papa, and Momin about your decision and dream?” Maham asked. She was the only one who knew about my dream. Not even Momin. I knew he wouldn’t agree easily.

“Let’s see what I have to do to make them agree. But I’m damn sure I will,” I said confidently.

We met a few classmates and then walked out of college. Momin was standing there waiting for us, while a few girls shamelessly ogled at him. Scoffing, I walked straight to him and hugged him. Let them see who he belonged to.

“What are you doing, Dua?” Momin asked gently, pulling me back.

“Let those bitches know whom you belong to.” I glared at the girls, who glared back before turning away. Momin chuckled and held my hand.

He led me to the passenger seat and, as usual, opened the door for me. I sat while Maham slid in behind.

“Now tell me about your results, girls,” Momin asked as he started the engine.

“Mine’s 94%,” Maham said happily.

“Oh! Congratulations, Maham. I’m really happy for you!” Momin exclaimed with a wide smile before glancing at me, raising his brows.

“I got 86%!” I screamed, bouncing on my seat.

“Woah! I told you! You studied really hard this time! I’m so proud of you.” Momin beamed with joy, his pride shining clearly.

“It’s all because of you!” Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes widened, and I bit my lip as we both realized Maham was sitting in the back.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, embarrassed, while Momin smiled awkwardly. We always kept our distance in front of people or family, though everyone had a feeling we were in love.

********

"May Allah bless you both," Dadi (grandmother) said, kissing my forehead and then Maham's. Dadu (grandfather) also gave us his blessings, kissing our heads.

"I'm so proud of both of you," Papa said, hugging us tightly and kissing our heads.

"They are my daughters—of course, they would be smart," Mama said proudly as she came closer. "Honestly, I wasn’t expecting Dua’s percentage to be this great. She really surprised me," Mama said with a happy smile. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, honestly, I always thought my Maham is the best in studies—which she is..." Papa kissed her head again, then turned to me, "...but you surprised me, Dua."

"That was not a big deal for me, Mama, Papa," I said dramatically, only to hear someone clear their throat. I shot a glare at Momin, who was smirking at me. He knew very well how difficult it was for me to study since I hadn’t studied the whole year.

"We know, we know," Rafay chirped in, while Maham bit her lips, hiding her smile.

"What do you know?" I asked.

"That it was so easy for you to get this percentage," he said, standing behind Dadi. "You know, Dadi, she didn’t let Momin Bhai sleep during exams. He was the one who was pressured to fulfill Dua Api’s demand. And she demanded to get above 80% this time. So practically, all credit goes to Momin Bhai." Rafay smirked. Dadi looked at me with mock narrow eyes. I pouted.

"Rafay," Momin shot him a hard look. "Credit goes only to Dua. I just helped her. If she hadn’t studied hard, she wouldn’t have achieved these grades."

"Momin is right. My Dua worked hard, that’s why she got these grades," Papa said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I stuck my tongue out at Rafay.

"Papa, you and Mama said you’ll give me whatever I ask if I score above 80%," I reminded them.

Yes, that was the reason I pushed so hard for above 80—because I had taken a promise from them. And they had promised.

"Oh, so that’s why you were so adamant about getting above 80," Rafay butted in again.

"Will you just keep your mouth shut!?" I yelled in frustration.

"Rafay, don’t," Papa warned him. He only shrugged. "So, tell me, Dua. What do you want?" Papa asked. My eyes flicked to Momin, who was giving me a questioning look. Ignoring his gaze, I turned back to Papa. Taking a deep breath, I gathered my courage and finally blurted out—

"I want to graduate from the same college as you."

The room fell silent until a stern voice broke it.

"Not possible," Mama said, glaring at me. "How could you even think we would let you go to the USA?"

"Why not? It’s my dream! I always wanted to graduate from Papa’s college. I won’t let anyone break my dream!" I said stubbornly.

"Dua, drop this. You’re not going to the USA, and that’s final," she said firmly.

"Why, Mama!? Why can’t I!? It’s not like I would be alone there—Riya Phupu’s children also study there!" I whined.

"No means no. End of discussion," she snapped and walked away.

"We haven’t even discussed it yet!" I yelled after her, but she was gone. I stomped my foot and looked at Papa. "Papa…"

"When she’s angry, I will not support you. Convince her, then I’ll think," he said and walked away. He knew Mama would never agree.

"Dadu, Dadi…" I turned to them, but they raised their hands and walked away. I looked at Rafay—he was smirking, while Maham gave me a pitying look. My eyes met Momin’s—he was throwing daggers at me. I quickly turned to run away, but suddenly he grabbed my wrist.

"Not so easy," he muttered, dragging me toward… his room.

Allah help me.

★★★