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David
This is the LSDCATS. Those cowards. I can’t believe they did this.
Ben
I’m literally going to murder them.
Nur
Same here.
Zayan (The Actor)
Farah, you need to leave the Limelight. What if someone comes back? Tell me where you are, I’m picking you up. Or at least stay with Marvin.
I try to breathe against the lump in my throat, my fingers flying as I bring my decision to life.
I’m quitting the play. My understudy knows my part through and through. If I leave, the LSDCATS will leave us alone. They’re not going to try and fight Zayan – he’s too big a star. I’m bringing too much conflict to something that’s supposed to be fun, hopeful, bright. You guys deserve better, and I know you’ll find it once I’m gone.
And before any of them can reply, I leave the group chat.
Star-Studded News
Published 15 November 2021
MOVE OVER, FARAH: LAIBA IS HERE
Well, well, well, did anyone expect this?
On Saturday night, Laiba Siddiqi and Zayan Amin were photographed leaving the Soho Gala at the same time. Now, while they did get into separate cars, we have insider photographs of the two of them locked in a deep conversation at the event.
They saw Laiba leading Zayan into a private room.
And the plot thickens when we realize Farah Sheikh was nowhere to be seen. We know that Farah and Zayan showed up together, but they did not leave together.
Surprising? Possibly.
If the online reaction is any indication, the world has been waiting for Laiba and Zayan to reunite. Some are calling it inevitable.
On top of that, Star-Studded News is excited to be the first to share that Zayan Amin is going to be gracing our screens again, this time in a brand-new movie. It’s an action-thriller that’s being shot in Australia, and he’s sharing the screen with another handsome star – any guesses on who Zayan’s new castmate is?
CHAPTER THIRTY
Three days ago, I quit the play. I left The Tragedies. I ended my fake relationship. And if I thought doing all of this would bring me some sort of internal peace, my past self was seriously mistaken.
I blocked The Tragedies and Gibitah’s numbers because they kept calling, and then I blocked Zayan’s because he kept messaging. I didn’t leave the flat – I feigned sickness and avoided classes. I’ve stayed locked up in my room to dodge Maha and Amal, despite their concerned questioning and the abundance of baked goods Amal keeps placing outside my bedroom door.
I’ve pushed myself into complete, silent solitude and I’m hating every single minute of it.
I didn’t realize how ingrained this play has become in my life, how it’s burrowed under my skin, a part of my flesh and bone. I miss walking to the Limelight, I miss The Tragedies – playing card games with Nur backstage, poring over notes with Anushka, laughing on Lives with Ben, verbally sparring with David and trying not to break character with Gibitah.
Most of all, I miss Zayan.
I miss him with a fierce ache in my chest and, like a masochist, I can’t fully detach myself from him. It’s why I’m awake at 5 a.m., sitting on the sofa, scrolling through articles about him. As if reading about him is enough to fill the Zayan-shaped hole in my life.
I zoom into the photos of Zayan and Laiba, the one of them locked in a deep conversation from the gala three days ago. The last photo shows them just looking at one another, staring with these warm expressions on their faces. My heart feels like tissue paper being ripped apart softly. I know I told Laiba to talk to Zayan, I know this could mean absolutely nothing, but I also know Zayan.
I know the softness in his stance. The relaxation in his shoulders. His unfinished sentence could’ve been, I don’t think I could be in love with her, not without knowing the truth. Now he does, and maybe that conversation with Laiba reminded him that he should love her more. Should try and love her wholly – even the parts of her that hurt him.
