The moment Rayyan entered the upstairs room, he looked around.
The room was almost exactly how he remembered it.
The same beds.
The same shelves.
The same slightly crooked curtain near the window.
And sitting in front of a computer was only one person.
Usman.
The sound of keyboard clicks filled the room.
Usman turned around for a moment.
"Oh. You guys finally got here."
"Yeah," Rayyan replied.
Daud immediately dropped his bag onto the floor.
"What's up?"
"Nothing much," Usman said.
For the next few minutes, the three talked casually.
Mostly about school.
The train journey.
And random things neither of them really cared about.
"So how was the trip?" Usman asked.
"Tiring."
"Very tiring," Daud added.
Usman laughed.
"That bad?"
"You have no idea."
Before long, Usman put on his headset.
"Alright, enough talking."
Rayyan raised an eyebrow.
"What now?"
"Valorant."
"Of course."
"Competitive doesn't play itself."
Within seconds, Usman was completely focused on the screen.
"Enemy spotted!"
"Bro where are my teammates?!"
"I'M CARRYING THIS TEAM!"
Rayyan slowly backed away.
Yep.
He's gone.
The Valorant demon has awakened.
Daud started laughing.
The two brothers quietly left the room.
—
Rayyan stepped onto the balcony.
A cool breeze brushed against his face.
The city stretched far into the distance.
The evening sky glowed orange and purple.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
No arguments.
No train stations.
No moving.
Just silence.
"The sky sure looks beautiful today."
He rested his arms on the railing.
Maybe that's the weird thing about life.
No matter what happens... the sky always looks the same.
Cars moved below.
Children played in the street.
Somewhere in the distance, the call to prayer echoed softly.
Rayyan closed his eyes.
For the first time in two days, he felt calm.
—
After a while, he returned to the room.
Usman was still gaming.
"You're still playing?"
"I'm winning."
"You said that thirty minutes ago."
"This time I'm actually winning."
Daud burst out laughing.
The rest of the evening passed quietly.
The three played games, talked a little, and watched random videos.
Eventually everyone headed downstairs for dinner.
The smell of food filled the apartment.
Rayyan hadn't realized how hungry he was until he saw the table.
"Finally," he said.
"I thought I was going to starve."
"You say that every day," Daud replied.
"And every day I'm correct."
After dinner, exhaustion finally caught up with the brothers.
The train journey.
The stress.
The endless thoughts.
Everything weighed heavily on them.
Before long, both Rayyan and Daud fell asleep.
—
The next morning.
Rayyan slowly opened his eyes.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains.
For a few seconds, he forgot where he was.
Then reality returned.
Karachi.
The apartment.
The move.
His grandfather's bed was empty.
I guess he prayed early again.
Rayyan sat up and stretched.
After washing his face, he walked upstairs.
The room was silent.
Usman was sleeping like someone who hadn't slept in days.
His blanket was halfway on the floor.
His phone was still in his hand.
Rayyan shook his head.
Professional sleeper.
Not wanting to wake him up, Rayyan quietly left.
—
A few minutes later, he found himself standing on the roof.
The morning sky stretched endlessly above him.
The city was slowly waking up.
Birds flew overhead.
A gentle wind passed by.
Rayyan stared at the horizon.
"I wonder..."
His voice barely escaped his lips.
"Is this how it ends?"
Not dramatically.
Not with some huge event.
Just another move.
Another city.
Another beginning.
The thought made him smile bitterly.
Life is strange.
You spend years building something...
And then one day everything changes.
—
Eventually he returned downstairs.
With nothing else to do, he grabbed a phone and started watching anime.
Attack on Titan.
The opening theme immediately filled the room.
A few episodes later, his grandfather finally woke up.
"Oh."
His grandfather smiled.
"Already awake?"
"Couldn't sleep."
The old man chuckled.
"Young people say that while waking up at nine."
"Details."
—
Later that day, Rayyan, Daud, and their grandfather went to the mosque together.
The walk felt peaceful.
The streets buzzed with life.
Shopkeepers arranged products.
Children ran around.
Motorcycles sped past constantly.
After prayers, they returned home.
Lunch was already waiting.
Usman had finally woken up.
"Look who survived."
Rayyan pointed at him.
Usman yawned.
"I was gathering energy."
"For what?"
"More sleeping."
Everyone laughed.
The four sat together and ate lunch.
For the first time since arriving, the atmosphere felt normal.
Almost comfortable.
—
In the afternoon, the boys decided to go outside.
The heat was intense.
Karachi's weather showed no mercy.
"I regret this already," Rayyan complained.
Eventually they reached a small fries stall.
The smell alone made them hungry.
A few minutes later, they sat together sharing fries.
"This is actually good."
"Obviously," Usman said proudly.
"I know the best places."
"You know food places."
"Exactly."
The boys laughed.
For a little while, life felt simple.
—
When they returned home later that evening, voices echoed from inside the apartment.
> The boys returned home after eating fries.
Rayyan opened the door and stepped inside.
His aunt had arrived.
Near the living room, he noticed Sana sitting.
He only glanced at her for a moment before looking away.
Oh. She's here too.
I wonder where is iqraa
He walked past and headed upstairs.
There were already too many things on his mind.