Chapter 1 : When Fate Played Its Game
Mariha never believed in fate. Until she realized she had met him long before she actually knew him.
Back in 3rd grade, Waqif was just another name on the attendance list. One of those quiet boys who never raised his hand, never looked for attention. Mariha never noticed him then… and maybe, he never noticed her either.
In 5th grade, they ended up in the same coaching class. Same room, same teachers, same notebooks filled with math problems and spelling errors. Still, they didn’t talk. Mariha didn’t even remember making eye contact with him.
And then… life happened.
They moved on. Different schools. Different people. Different memories.
Until one day - years later - during the pandemic, a group chat changed everything.
It was a group chat with students from two schools mixed. Someone randomly added Waqif in. At first, he barely spoke, just reacted to messages or sent short replies. Mariha didn’t think much of him. Later, in another small friend circle group, he was added again, and that’s when they really started chatting. They teased each other constantly, poked fun at silly things, and slowly grew comfortable.
Then came that day — the day Mariha couldn’t finish her assignment. She was desperate, and without overthinking, she texted Waqif privately.
~ Mariha: “Hey… can you help me with this? I couldn’t finish.”
~ Waqif: “I mean… you should probably try doing it yourself.”
Mariha blinked at the screen. Excuse me?
In her head, she rolled her eyes so hard.
~ “What attitude. If I had asked any other guy, they would've done it without a second thought.”
But instead of blocking him or getting mad, she replied with something sarcastic. Waqif replied back - not mean, just honest.
Later, Mariha found out that he hadn’t even done his own assignment that day, which explained his attitude. She shook her head and thought, Huh, what a stupid guy.
Strangely enough, they didn’t stop talking after that. From that one text, it grew into late-night conversations, random memes, teasing messages, and deep talks that stretched for hours. He didn’t act fake. He didn’t try too hard. He was just… Waqif.
Months passed. Mariha and Waqif had become close friends.
Then, one night, during a casual conversation, Waqif said something that hit Mariha like a wave:
~ Waqif: “You know, I used to go to Prime Coaching in 5th grade.”
Mariha froze.
~ Prime?
A blurry memory unlocked — the coaching room, those boring math classes, the boy who always sat in the second row… and Ariq, his friend, who had always been there.
~ “Wait… You went to Prime?!”
That’s when the pieces finally fit. The quiet boy she had never talked to in 5th grade… was the same boy she was now telling everything to.
Mariha didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. Fate hadn’t brought Waqif into her life like a fairytale.
It had brought him in through an attitude-filled text, five months of friendship, and a memory she didn’t even know she had.
