“ Iram "

“ Iram, wake up. It's already noon.” A warm, motherly voice hit the eardrums, and Iram's sleepy eyes blinked into reality. Her mother, Zahra, tried to wake her up by switching on the lights in her room.

“ Iram, it's lunch time now.” Iram sat on her bed.

“ I’m awake. ” She said from her room.

“ Assalamualaikum, Mummy. ” Iram greeted her mother.

“ Walaikum assalam warehmatullahi wabarakatuh. Lunch is ready. Your favourite chicken curry with pulao.” Zahra said, and Iram grinned.

“ I’ll join you after freshening up. ” Iram said and entered her room to freshen up.

Walking out of her room after half an hour, Iram sat beside her mother with a plate full of her favourite dishes.

“ Mummy, I had a weird dream again. A guy was helping me find you in the hallway at the wedding we went to last month. ”

Of course, Iram had similar dreams before, but she didn’t tell her mother about them. It was either a skeleton, snakes, or falling from a cliff that she usually discussed with her mother. She was telling about a man in her dreams for the first time.

“ It's just your imagination, Iram. You always think of the things for your story. It might be that.”

“ Maybe… But it felt like a sign to me. As if someone will soon enter my life.” Iram said with a glowing face, dreamy eyes, and a wide smile.

“ Stop this and focus on your 4th year.” Zahra glared at her daughter.

“ Ji ” Iram nodded like a sincere child, but her heart was restless. Her mind was already elsewhere.

After a while, she entered her room and dialed her friend’s number.

“ Assalamualaikum Iram Madam. How are you feeling now? ” Iram heard the sweet voice of Qizra.

“ Walaikum assalam.I feel better now, Alhamdulillah. I have something to tell you.”

“ Don't tell me you did something weird again? ” Qizra asked with anger detectable in her voice.

“ I didn’t do anything. I just had a weird dream when I woke up.”

“ What kind of dream? ”

Iram narrated what she remembered from her dream and continued,

“ And it felt like a sign. Maybe someone will soon enter my life.”

“ Ya Allah. I’ve been hearing all this from you for a year, Iram. You, your imagination, and your dream wedding are too much now. Focus on your career rather than this.” Qizra scolded her dearest friend.

“ I know you will say that. Anyway, tell me how the preparations are going for the annual function?” Iram asked, trying to change the topic before Qizra’s scoldings continued for hours.

“ I went shopping yesterday and bought jewellery matching my suit. I even have a gift for you.”

“ Really? Let me guess, it’s jewellery?” Iram smiled.

“ Maybe. You will know when you get here.”

“ I wish I could attend. ” Iram pouted, sad.

“ You still can. ”

“ I don't think so.”

“ You are just 200 km away, and there are still 18 hours before the function starts.” Qizra stated the facts.

“ I don't understand why it’s in the morning.”

“ Whatever it is, at least we got to attend it.”

“ You, not me…”

“ Iram, please come to Bhopal for tomorrow’s function, please. I’ll even talk to Aunty(referring to Iram’s mother).” Qizra pleaded.

“ No, don’t.” Iram panicked.

“ Then you have to come. Look, even I’ll leave after 2-3 hours. It’s Izhaan’s school reunion at a resort near Indore. After that, I’ll go to my mother’s house. We will have a week-long holiday anyway. ” Qizra informed regarding her plan with her husband.

“ You cannot force me. You know my condition.”

“ Fine. I’ll pray for your health.”

“ Thank you.”

“ I’ll call you later. We have to go to the parlour. ”

“ Okay. Enjoy. ”

Iram glanced at her phone. The date flashed- 16th August 2025. 

Iram sighed and stared at the wall in front of her.

Iram's college announced its 25th annual function feast scheduled from 12 to 20 August 2025, followed by a fresher party for the 1st year students on 22nd and after that, a convocation for the graduating interns and finally a farewell party organised by Iram’s senior batch for their seniors, who had just 4-5 months left before their own convocation. As no lectures will be held during this time, many have planned their holidays to visit home. But for Iram, there was a hidden purpose only her mother, brother, and Qizra knew. 

Iram then dialled her friend and neighbour from the hostel, Alyna.

“ Hey, Iram. How are you? ”

“ I’m good. How are you? ”

“ I’m living my dreams. Guess what I’m wearing tomorrow? ” Iram could imagine Alyna’s excitement through her voice.

“ What? ” Iram asked.

“ Saree. A shiny black saree.”

“ Wow. ”

“ I know. I wish you were here. We would have so much fun.”

“ I know. But I can't.”

“ No worries.”

“ Alyna, please do take care of my award for tomorrow.”

“ Don’t worry, Iram. I’ll manage.” Iram smiled and asked,

“ By the way, I heard the function was preponed from the 20th to the 17th, and that too in the morning, why so? ”

“ I heard the hall was available only on the 17th from 10:30 AM to 3 PM till lunch. No other slots were available after that. ”

“ Ohh, that’s why. ” Alyna hummed and said in excitement,

“ Yeah. And I’m glad the function is outside the college campus. It will be so much fun.”

“ Yeah, I know. ”

“ But I’ll miss you.”

“ Aww…”

“ Iram…literally… aww? Where did you catch this habit? Huh? ” Alyna teased. Iram giggled.