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Salman parked in front of his office. He was about to get down from his car when he received a text from Fardin.
"Yo. Wanna hang out?"
His brows shot up in surprise. It has been over a month since the two had seen or even spoken to each other.
He contemplated whether to reply.
The last time Salman saw Fardin, it was a few weeks after Farrah's wedding. Things were still a mess back in his home. His mother was caught in the ugly fight between the three families. Salman hadn't left his room in days.
Fardin stormed into their apartment with a couple of his boys. Salman was brutally awoken from his sleep as they flipped on the lights of his room and ripped the blanket off him.
"What the..."
His vision had barely cleared when Fardin was dragging him out of bed.
"C'mon, boy," he said. "We won't accept this. We're taking you out."
"What's going on?" he asked, his voice coming out hoarse. "What are you doing here?" He darted his eyes around the faces with confusion.
"You need some fun," Fardin announced. "Let's remember who Salman Bashir was before he met Fatty." He finished with a grin. The others whooped and cheered.
Salman wiped the rest of the sleep out of his eyes. "I don't know, man." He let out a sigh. "I don't think I'm up for it."
"Hey, listen to me." Fardin grabbed both his cheeks and forced eye contact. "Big boys don't cry, okay?" he said. "Come with us, we'll make you forget all about her."
He was practically kidnapped from his house by his friends. Salman was still wearing a simple hoodie and sweatpants. They drove for hours until they reached their destination.
They were in front of a house Salman didn't recognize. He could hear the music thumping from even the curb outside.
He was practically forced through the massive wooden doors. The music got so much louder Salman could barely hear his own heartbeat. He could see people dancing in the center of the open space. It was a small, intimate gathering. He saw familiar faces - people he knew from school or social events - passing by.
They rounded chairs in a corner and sat down. Salman's eyes roamed around the dimly lit room, feeling extremely out of place. He's never been to parties even when he was in London and a lot more out of touch with his religion. How could he, when his partner-in-crime has always been Kaveh, whose idea of a 'wild time' was to take a shot of espresso with his morning tea.
