Flashback is in bold.

.Till the next time.

Passing by the lanes the cold breezes pass by giving chills through the body.

Late December evenings are as pleasant as torture in the streets of Abbottabad.

"Aree Ruhaan Baba it's quite late where are going? Should I take the car out?"

"No let it be Bilal chacha, I am just going for a walk. And no need for the car, I am still quite familiar with the streets here.

I suppose I won't be lost.

I'll be back soon, just wanna grab a cup of coffee and a walk is all I needed. Don't fret Chacha."

Even though Ruhaan Rizwaan is quite fond of winters but that's always not the case, especially not when he is here in his hometown.

Maybe this late night walk is certainly not a good idea as it seems to him a few moments ago, but now there's no way he is not going back halfway.

And now he is cursing himself for not taking the car with him as Bilal had asked him to.

Islamabad has always been a better place for him, a place where people are always in a rush, the noise in the city is much preferable to him, it keeps chaos away from his heart away, far better than this dreading silence of Abbottabad. The irony, once this place used to be his safe haven, his home where his heart belonged.

Perhaps years later today, things turn out the complete opposite. The past is not a part of the present anymore, and this is not his home anymore.

Sadly his heart is long lost somewhere in these alleys or maybe to a certain pair of hazel brown orbs.

Ruhaan Rizwan is an investment banker, a hardcore workaholic, someone who can spend twenty hours straight working on something without a break, with his cup of coffee supplied to him continuously.

One can say he fits well in the definition of handsome. He a good height with proper muscles, and black eyes. He can sometimes spend his entire day on black coffee without a proper meal and still be much energetic at the end of the day.

Well now, these streets of Abbottabad reminds him of the past, a place he had prohibited himself from visiting. But today years later coming here for some deal costs him much more than he can afford. But as anyone would say, Ruhaan Rizwan can even travel to hell if he needs to forgetting something he wants, and this deal is one of his wants.

Ruhaan had spent eighteen springs of his life here. This place where he had been through his childhood, his teenage life, his adulthood too, this place had witnessed his every first, first school, first win, first loss, first crush, first friendship, first love perhaps every first heartbreak too.

And certain things ended not the way one wanted them to be. Perhaps all that would be left behind is bits and pieces of memories, broken promises and a coward heart that refuse to fall again, feel again. That's what happened to Ruhaan, and like a coward, he ran away from everything not for once looking back.

And even today, nearly a decade later he is still not ready to pass down the memory lane, a certain fear is there, a quite unknowingly known fear. So the best he can do is to avoid all this chaos is to rush things a bit, the soon it ended the soon he will be free, the soon he left from here the soon his heart won't be in chaos.

◆●◆●◆

Steeping inside the old coffee shop he finally reached his destination. The smell of vanilla extract fills his nostrils, and the warmth of the cafe is all that's required at the moment, otherwise, he would have frozen.

The guy another side of the counter ask,

"How may I help you, Sir?"

"A cup infusion, make it strong."

"Your name sir?"

"Ruhaan Rizwan" He answered with a nod. Not much far from him, someone just lost a heartbeat as he said his name.

"Will be right there sir, please be seated." The guys asked as he placed his order.

Taking a seat on one of the empty tables, he started scrolling through his Instagram. The aroma of his strong black coffee fills his nostrils, somewhere memories fill-up the blanks too.

Sipping his coffee, he relaxes a bit this time, letting his mind loose a bit.

A sad smile appears on his lips as he looks forward. The cafe looks quite similar just it's more modern now, but it still gives the same vibes as those years ago.

Nothing changed much as he concludes, similar groups of friends, some madly in love couples only difference it's not them this time.

As he takes another sip of his coffee, his mind travels back to that familiar words, just like every other time.

●●●●

"The thing is only people with a bitter heart can like something as bitter as the bitter cup of black coffee"

"Aree aree Pari, itna v kya narazgi, coffee hi toh"

"Coffee nahi sautan kaho meri."

"But you made this one right."

"I did because I know certain someone can not function without a cup of his beloved coffee"

"Even if you have to share me with it"

"You see love makes us do crazy things right."

●●●●

Lost in his thoughts, the coffee seems not much of his interest now.

The past takes a troll in front of him as his eyes move to the corner of the cafe, on a certain pair of people, perhaps on a certain familiar pair of eyes that are already staring at him.

And their eyes clashed. The time stops there.

Black against hazel.

Pain against sorrow.

His eyes soften losing themselves again for those hazel brown pairs.

His eyes travel to the person sitting next, someone who is already walking towards him now with the biggest smile on his face, Zaid Amir.

Taking him in a hug, he knows he missed a lot many things now. Many things were supposed to be witnessed by him, things he was supposed to be a part of, things that were his and only his to begin with.

"Ruhaan Bhai how are you? It's been so long, years now and I lost the count too. I never thought you would be here."

"You have grown up so much Zaid. And you look so good even better than your social media."

"Look whose talking someone who hardly comments on my photos."

"I do like those and about comments, I am not much fond of them."

"Come join us I have so many things to share even Appi is here today" He simply nods, he cannot say no to Zaid now.

Coming to the corner table he looks at the figure already present there.

Clad in her jeans, green sweater with a brown long coat. Her hairs have a few highlighted streaks now, another change over the decade.

That unknowingly known fear engulfs again but now there is no way back.

Maybe now is the time to face it, over a cup of coffee, again just like the first time they met.

Eons ago, similar place, same people yet different feelings.