The library was still. Dust floated lazily in the sunbeams slicing through the tall stained windows. She had stopped speaking now, but her hands still rested on the spine of a worn book, her fingertips lightly brushing it, like she was touching something too fragile to wake.
Zaffar and Hamid loitered a few feet away, pretending to browse but clearly watching her.
Zaffar finally spoke up, his voice gentle but teasing, "Iman… if these books had voices, they'd probably be complaining how no one's read them since the partition."
Hamid grinned, nudging a crooked stack of books. "Yeah, or they'd spill secrets. Like who cheated in board exams back in 1975."
"Iman," Zaffar grinned, pulling out a random book and flipping it upside down. "Ever wonder if these books are just filled with old love letters? I mean—look at this—who even writes 'thou art my moonlight' anymore?"
Iman gave a small smile, almost hidden. But I caught it.
Hamid chimed in, nudging the spine of a fragile volume.
"Or maybe there's some royal diary in here… 'My Queen ran off with the stable boy. I fed him to the elephants.' Real drama."
Iman gave the tiniest smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Hey," Zaffar said, his tone softening. He stepped closer and crouched near her, placing a hand lightly on the table, "You okay? You've been really quiet…"
Hamid came around the other side, leaning on the edge of the desk. "We know what happened earlier wasn't okay. If I had known Haffiz was going to pull something like that, I'd have broken his teeth before he opened his mouth."
"Same," Zaffar added, jaw tight. "No one grabs our friend like that and walks off free."
Iman looked down, silent.
Zaffar and Hamid exchanged a glance, then Zaffar gently said, "Iman… you don't have to act strong right now. Not with us. You've been through too much in one day."
She still didn't speak, but the tremble in her fingers was more visible now.
Hamid tried again, this time his voice filled with that protective, elder-brother tone. "You're not alone. You've got us, okay? You've got Shanzay. You've got Ahad—"
Zaffar cut in quickly, "Even though he's built like a villain from a detective novel."
Hamid gave a short laugh. "Exactly. But even villains can be on your side."
Iman's lips curved slightly, but her eyes were glassy.
"I swear if that jerk ever comes near you again, we won't wait for Ahad," Zaffar muttered, voice low.
Hamid nodded. "Forget the rules, forget the warnings—we'll make sure you're never scared like that again."
I saw her look up slowly at them. And in that moment—she looked like a little sister, broken in places but still standing.
I cleared my throat.
Both their heads shot up. They knew that tone
My look said it all.
I didn't say anything—just gave Zaffar a slow look, followed by a slight head tilt toward the hallway.
Hamid raised a brow but caught the signal. They exchanged a silent 'we're dead later' look and casually began inching away.
"Well—uh—we should… check if the stable boy survived," Hamid said with a wink, grabbing Zaffar by the sleeve.
"Y-Yeah. And also maybe not die of mold inhalation," Zaffar added.
I didn't reply. Just raised an eyebrow.
Hamid grabbed Zaffar by the arm, still grinning. "Come on. Let's go pretend we're researching elephants or something."
Zaffar was still speaking as he walked out. "And treasure maps. Don't forget that. One day we're gonna dig up gold under the principal's cabin."
But right then—Shanzay stepped into view, arms crossed and face drawn tight.
Her eyes met Iman's. "Hey. Can we talk for a second or something…?"
Before I could react, Zaffar and Hamid doubled back like clockwork.
Zaffar linked an arm around Shanzay's shoulder. "Whoa there, slow down, warrior princess."
Hamid grinned, taking the other side. "Not today, Lady Sansa,You need a debriefing. You missed the library tour."
Zaffar added."And the elephant story,".
Shanzay opened her mouth to protest but let them steer her away, mumbling something about "not the time."
And then it was just us.
Iman looked at me, slightly dazed.
"You planned that?"
I shrugged. "Maybe."
She turned her eyes to the worn-out desk, then back at me.
"We've got time," I said softly. "You don't have to talk. But if you want to… I'm here. No one's going to interrupt this time."
The silence wrapped around us like an old coat. Heavy, but familiar.
For the first time since the chaos, I saw the smallest ease in her shoulders.
And maybe that was enough—for now.
The dust floated between us again, dancing in the golden sunlight.
For the first time in hours, she looked like she might breathe. Properly.
Nobody was bothering to bring the shit of yesterday-our fight and slap-all I wanted to do right now was bring jer close and bury her face in my chest taking her away from every chaos and certain jerk