Bucket List (16)

Tamim and Faria walked side by side as the daylight began to fade, the golden hue of the sun slowly dissolving into the horizon.

"Well, I'll make sure to keep you informed from now on, so you won't have to keep asking me," Faria said, her tone clipped. She hesitated for a moment, then added, "But getting information is going to be a lot harder now. There's a good chance I won't be able to help much going forward."

Tamim frowned, his curiosity piqued. "Why is that ? What's wrong?"

"There's something going on... and I'm not ready to talk about it. Don't ask me why" Faria's voice carried an edge of finality, cutting off any further questions.

Tamim sighed. "I figured you'd say something like that. Just make sure you're telling the truth. And if you find anything about Shohan, let me know."

"I will," she replied curtly before walking straight ahead, leaving Tamim standing at the intersection.

He paused for a second, then turned right, heading down the street in the opposite direction.

A few moments later, Tamim heard a familiar voice calling out from behind. "Yo, Tamim bro! Wait up!"

Turning around, he saw the kid who had been at his house earlier, jogging to catch up.

"You? What are you doing here?" Tamim asked.

"Yup, it's me!" The kid smirked mischievously. "By the way, who was that beautiful girl you were with? Your girlfriend or something?"

Tamim shot him an annoyed look. "No."

The kid, clearly enjoying himself, continued. "C'mon, man! I was following you two after I saw you guys together. You were keeping some distance, but still, you looked like a couple."

"You're seriously annoying, you know that?" Tamim muttered. "Stop saying dumb stuff."

The kid grinned, clearly unfazed. "By the way, what's my name again?"

Tamim paused, pretending to think. "Uh... I forget. In my contact list, you're just 'Annoying Kid.'"

The kid pulled out his phone, laughing. "Well, look, U know.. I recorded that audio earlier, and guess what? You didn't mention my name, so now I need you to say it properly."

He struck a dramatic pose before declaring, "The name's Washington Paul!"

"Washington?" Tamim echoed, confused.

"Well, my real name is Sumir Paul," the kid clarified, flashing a toothy grin.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the area , Faria was walking down a quiet street when she abruptly stopped in her tracks.

Standing by the road, between the rows of houses, was a person.

It was Fahim, clearly looking like waiting for her with a bag slung over his shoulder.

Back at Tamim's house, the two had just arrived.

"Look, kid, it's getting night . You should head home," Tamim said as he opened the door and flicked on the lights.

Paul shrugged, unfazed. "Yeah, I will. But you know what? My mom won't be mad. We're leaving this place soon, so I can stay out as long as I want now. Heck, I could even spend the night here."

Tamim rolled his eyes but didn't respond. He walked further inside and sank onto the sofa, exhausted. Paul wandered around, taking in the surroundings.

"By the way, You're really rich, huh? This is the fanciest house in the area." Paul's voice echoed with admiration.

Tamim leaned back, turning on the TV. "It's not me. My parents were the ones with money."

Paul, still wandering around the room, continued, "Yeah, I know. Your mom was an international model and actress, and your dad was some kind of famous scientist, right? No wonder you ended up a millionaire."

"It was them, not me," Tamim replied, staring blankly at the screen.

Paul, undeterred, casually dropped a bombshell. "Too bad your uncle killed them both. That's really messed up."

Tamim's eyes snapped to Paul, alarmed. "Wait, how do you know about that?"

"Pretty easy to find, actually," Paul said, shrugging. "The internet told me everything."

"That information should've been hidden," Tamim said, his voice growing tense. "How is that stuff so easy to find?"

"It is hidden," Paul replied, casually pulling out his phone again. "But if anyone wants to dig, they can find out about it."

"Yah..right..That's how Faria probably figured out so much about you so quickly."Thought Tamim

Tamim's eyes narrowed as the pieces clicked into place. "Makes sense..."

At Faria's house, Fahim sat on the sofa, looking downcast. "A few months ago... I saw you at a grave."

"Whose grave?" Faria asked, sitting across from him.

"Someone important to me," Fahim replied, his voice heavy with emotion.

Faria's gaze softened. "Say it clearly, Fahim."

"Tanisa. Tanisa Alfrey," Fahim said, his eyes flickering with pain. "I saw you at Tanisa's grave. I remember going there, and you were standing by her headstone. I thought you might have been at the wrong place and I asked but you told me you weren't, you may not know me because you didn't look at me. "

Faria nodded slowly. "I see... so that was you. Yes, I remember."

Fahim looked at her, his brow furrowed. "What's your connection to Tanisa?"

"She was... an old friend of mine," Faria replied, her voice quiet.

Fahim shook his head slightly, confused. "Old friend? I knew Tanisa for years, since I was eleven. She never mentioned you once."

Faria's expression remained neutral as she replied, "Maybe she didn't want to."

"I was her boyfriend from when she was 15 until her death at 17. Trust me, I am not lying, I knew everything about her," Fahim said, his voice heavy with emotion.

"I don't want to break your belief and confidence.. Well...To be honest I was only her friend until I was 10. After that, I never saw or spoke to her again," Faria replied.

"And yet, you still visited her grave seven years later? It's hard to believe anyone would remember a childhood friend from when they were just 10 years old," Fahim questioned, his tone suspicious.

"Sorry, but I don't understand what you're implying," Faria said cautiously.

"Tanisa was Tamim's twin sister. If you were really close friends with her, you'd know that," Fahim added, watching Faria closely.

"Yes, I know that," she replied, trying to stay calm.

"So, you lied to Samia about meeting Tamim for the first time on the day you joined Nextera?" Fahim pressed.

"Yes, but if you're asking whether I knew Tamim before you did, it's a waste of time. You probably already know that Tamim has no memory of his first ten years of life," Faria replied.

Fahim smiled knowingly. " I know and…I had a feeling. Thanks for not lying."

"What are you getting at?" Faria asked, confused.

Fahim opened his bag and pulled out a small photo, handing it to her. "If I'm not mistaken... this is you, right?"

Faria's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the photo. "Yes… that's me. Where did you get this?"

Fahim took out a small, colorful box next. "Before she passed, Tanisa made a bucket list. She updated it every week and gave it to me, telling me to complete each level one by one if she didn't make it. I've been stuck on level four for a long time, but now I can finally move forward to see what's in the higher level ."

He handed the box to Faria, his expression softening. "This was for you. It's part of level four. Now, I guess my task is done.I had to hand it to the girl she wanted me to give "

Faria held the box in her hands, a faint smile breaking through her usual stoic demeanor. "I can't believe she would do something like this…"

"She said you held one of her keys and that this was a memory of hers she wanted you to have," Fahim explained.

"Thank you... She was lucky to have someone like you," Faria said, her voice sincere.

"I don't know about that. I'm still trying to be the person she saw in me. I still love her as much as I did the first day, so please... when we talk about this, don't use past tense," Fahim replied, his voice soft but firm.

"Sorry," Faria said quietly.

Fahim stood up, gathering his things. "Thanks for listening. Don't worry, I won't mention anything we talked about today."

"Sorry for not talking with you as I was supposed to ," Faria admitted.

"You were kind enough. You let me in, and you listened. That's more than enough. But... be careful about inviting men into your house next time." Fahim said.

After that day, Days were peaceful for a few days. Daily life seems to be back to normal.

For Tamim, Paul continued to visit his house regularly, helping him understand his powers.

Tamim had been skipping his university classes but continued to attend his Nextera training sessions, spending his nights on his usual streaming activities.This pattern repeated for days, with nothing out of the ordinary.

Faria, meanwhile, had no close friends, so her life was simple. She attended university, went to Nextera, and came home alone.

Tamim and Fahim, despite being best friends, Tamim never told about Tamim's powers. They'd meet and talk about other things, often crossing paths on their way to Nextera.

This routine carried on for ten days—until the day Paul was supposed to leave the city.

Tamim was lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone, when the doorbell rang. "That must be Paul," he thought, getting up to answer the door.

When he opened it, Paul was standing there.

"Come on in," Tamim said, stepping aside.

Paul shook his head. "Nah, not this time."

"Why? Something wrong?" Tamim asked.

"You've started to see me as a friend, huh?" Paul said with a small grin.

"Not sure if I'd say that... maybe something close," Tamim replied.

"Yeah, I figured. Anyway, this is it for me. I'm leaving the city. Looks like this is goodbye," Paul said, raising his hand for a fist bump.

"What? I thought you said 15 days?" Tamim asked, surprised.

"Nope, I said 10," Paul corrected, still holding out his fist. "I know you usually think fist bumps are lame, but I doubt you'll turn this one down."

Tamim sighed but smiled slightly, tapping his fist against Paul's.

"Alright then," Paul said with a smirk, pulling out a small cube. "Here, that's my parting gift for you."

Before Tamim could react, Paul took off running toward the street.

"See ya, boss! Catch you in the future!" Paul called over his shoulder before disappearing into the distance.