A Tale of Love, Misunderstandings, and Unhealed Wounds

Friday, 17 September 2021 | 2:51 PM | A Raining Afternoon

It was a gloomy afternoon, the kind that makes you feel introspective. Junaid was driving through the light drizzle when his phone buzzed. It was Tayyaba, asking him to log in to her Instagram account. The request was unusual, so Junaid pulled over and texted her back, concerned.

“Ooh Love, what happened?” he asked.

“Nothing serious, but I want to show you a clip. Can you please log in to my account and watch Mehmoona’s new post? She’s an influencer,” Tayyaba replied.

“Okay, let me stop the car. I’ll check it out, or maybe we can meet at the university and talk about it?” Junaid suggested.

“We can meet, but just watch the video now,” Tayyaba insisted.

Junaid, sensing the urgency, did as she asked. The video was about how real men should proudly show off their girlfriends and declare their relationships openly, not keep them hidden away. Junaid felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He had always been protective of his relationship with Tayyaba, not out of shame, but out of fear that making it public might bring unwanted complications.

“Tayyaba, I don’t mind showing the world that you’re mine, but I want you to understand my concerns. I’m afraid that if we tell everyone, our three-year relationship might fall apart,” Junaid confessed.

“How can you say that with so much certainty?” Tayyaba asked, clearly hurt by his hesitation.

“You know I’m not a prophet, but I have a strong intuition about things. I can sense when something is off,” Junaid explained.

“I think we should be open about our relationship,” Tayyaba suggested.

“Okay, if that’s what you want, we’ll do it. But I still feel uneasy about this,” Junaid admitted, his heart heavy with worry.

They agreed to make their relationship public. Later that day, Junaid called Tayyaba in front of everyone at the university, and she came over, handing him a chocolate. They ignored the shocked stares of their classmates. Junaid, ever the romantic, gave her some practical notebooks for her drawings, a small gesture of love since he was known to be a bit lazy and would sometimes rely on others for such tasks. Tayyaba, however, took pride in caring for him, and their bond seemed stronger than ever.

But as they say, the world isn’t always kind to lovers.

The Downward Spiral

A few days later, Tayyaba sent Junaid a distressed message.

“Junaid, where are you? Some guy was abusing me, saying horrible things. I’m crying, Junaid,” she wrote.

“Okay, I’ll handle it,” Junaid replied, his protective instincts kicking in. He quickly reached out to his friends, but they were of no help. Instead, they revealed that the guy who had insulted Tayyaba, Asim, was actually interested in her and was angry because she was with Junaid.

Junaid, ever the calm and composed one, decided to confront Asim. He approached him politely and said, “How dare you speak to my girl like that?”

“She deserves it, that… girl,” Asim sneered, using foul language that made Junaid’s blood boil.

“Listen, behave yourself. She’s going to be my wife someday, and you have no right to speak about her like that,” Junaid warned, trying to keep his cool.

But Asim, undeterred, taunted Junaid as he walked away. “Go ahead, meet that girl of yours!” he shouted.

Junaid couldn’t take it anymore. He turned back and, in a fit of rage, punched Asim hard enough to break his nose, despite Asim being much stronger. Junaid was surprised at his own strength, wondering how he managed to do it. He later suspected that a hidden friend might have helped him, but he wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter much; all he cared about was defending Tayyaba’s honor.

However, this incident only escalated the tension. Asim, being wealthier and more influential than Junaid, began plotting revenge. He started spreading rumors, poisoning Tayyaba’s mind against Junaid. He told her that Junaid was just using her, that he was a playboy who would eventually leave her for someone else, especially given his wealthy background. He painted Junaid as someone who would hurt her, who would only bring her pain.

The Growing Doubt

Tayyaba, once confident in their love, started to doubt everything. She began questioning Junaid about his whereabouts, who he was talking to, and why he seemed online all the time.

“Junaid, why are you online so often? Who are you talking to?” she asked, her tone filled with suspicion.

“Tayyaba, I’m driving, and my phone is on because I’m listening to music. Facebook just shows me as active. That’s all,” Junaid explained, but he could feel the distance growing between them.

Asim’s poison worked its way deeper into Tayyaba’s mind. She started avoiding Junaid, running from him emotionally. Junaid was baffled, hurt, and confused. “What’s happening? Do I seem like the kind of guy who would hurt you?” he asked, desperate to understand why she was pulling away.

Day by day, Tayyaba became more insecure. The once solid relationship began to crumble under the weight of doubts and fears, all planted by someone who never wanted them to be together.

Eventually, both Junaid and Tayyaba agreed to part ways, even though they still cared for each other. The love they had wasn’t enough to overcome the misunderstandings that had taken root between them.

An Attempt to Reconcile

Time passed, and one day, Tayyaba reached out to Junaid again, apologizing for everything that had happened. They tried to rebuild their relationship, but it wasn’t the same. The scars of the past were too deep. Junaid, still hurt by how Tayyaba had doubted him, found it hard to trust her completely. His anger sometimes got the better of him, and he ended up saying harsh things.

Tayyaba, too, was wounded. She felt that Junaid no longer saw her the same way. She warned him, “If you keep behaving like this, we’ll end things for good. But remember, Junaid, if you don’t heal what cut you, you’ll bleed on those who didn’t hurt you.”

Despite their efforts, they couldn’t go back to the way things were. They graduated, and their relationship ended for good. But the story didn’t end there.

One day, Junaid received a call from an unknown number. It was Tayyaba’s mother. She invited him over for a talk. When Junaid arrived, he was surprised to see Tayyaba there as well. Her mother, in a gentle voice, expressed her wish for them to be together. “Junaid, I know how much you cared for Tayyaba. Why did you leave her?” she asked.

“Aunty, I still care for her, but there were too many issues. It wasn’t just me; Tayyaba herself asked for the relationship to be open, and when things got tough, she didn’t stand by me. I tried to be there for her, but it just didn’t work out. I could marry her right now, but I fear that I’ll always hold this against her, and I don’t want to ruin her life with constant taunts,” Junaid explained, his voice heavy with emotion.

Her mother understood and appreciated his honesty. She blessed him and Tayyaba before they parted ways, tears in their eyes as they said goodbye for the last time. Tayyaba had said many things that day, some hurtful, but Junaid listened quietly. In the end, he simply told her, “I still love you.”

That day, Junaid decided that if he ever got into another relationship, it would be with someone who truly understood him, someone who wouldn’t run away at the first sign of trouble. He vowed to himself that he would spend his life with someone who wanted to share it with him fully.

A New Beginning, or the Same Story

Fast forward to the present, and Junaid finds himself in a similar situation, only this time, the roles are reversed. Junaid is now Ali and Alina is Tayyaba. Despite the age difference, Junaid, now Ali, finds himself drawn to Alina. He sees a future with her, one where he can protect and cherish her, where she can live like a princess, free from the hardships of life.

“Alina, I want to spend my life with you,” Ali confessed.

“Ali, we have an age difference. We can’t be together. What will people think? What will others say?” Alina replied, her voice tinged with worry.

“Alina, is this our life, or the life of others?” Ali asked, trying to make her see reason.

But just like before, outside influences began to meddle. A man like Asim reappeared, only this time, he wasn’t alone. There were others—HAR, SAB, AJA, SAFI—who all whispered in Alina’s ear, telling her that Ali would harm her, that he wasn’t sincere, and that he only wanted her for his own selfish reasons. They painted him as a manipulative, dangerous man who would only bring misery into her life.

These seeds of doubt took root in Alina’s heart, just as they had in Tayyaba’s. She began to see Ali differently, her trust eroding day by day. Every time he tried to show her how much he cared, she pulled away, convinced that he had ulterior motives. 

One day, in a moment of vulnerability, Ali asked himself, “Am I really that kind of person? Am I so dangerous that she thinks I could hurt her? I’ve never even harmed an insect, let alone a person. I’m the same guy who used to cry over the death of baby chicks and bury my parrots with care when they died. How can she believe that I’d harm her?”

Despite Ali’s best efforts to reassure her, Alina’s fears grew. She began avoiding him, just as Tayyaba had done before. Ali was left wondering what he had done wrong, why history seemed to be repeating itself. He couldn’t understand why Alina, whom he loved so dearly, was suddenly afraid of him.

One day, in a fit of frustration and hurt, Alina said, “Ali, I just can’t do this anymore. Our age difference, the things people say, everything… it’s too much. I don’t think this will work.”

“Alina, it’s our life, not theirs. Why are you letting them dictate how we should live?” Ali pleaded, but deep down, he knew he was losing her.

“If you behave like this, if you keep doubting me, we’re going to end this for good. But remember, Alina, if you don’t heal what cut you, you’ll bleed on those who didn’t hurt you,” Ali warned, echoing the words that Tayyaba had once spoken.

And just like that, the relationship is drowning just because to happy others despite is they can have a good life . Ali was heartbroken, left wondering how things had gone so wrong. He had only wanted to love and protect Alina, to give her the life she deserved. But once again, outside forces might torn his relationship apart.

The Final Decision

Ali made a decision. He would no longer allow his past to dictate his future. He thought she shoukdrealized that if she didn’t heal from the wounds of his previous relationships, she would continue to bleed on those who hadn’t hurt him. He didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes, to lose another person he cared about because of unresolved pain.

As he moved forward, Ali kept his heart open but guarded. He knew that love was a risk, but it was one he was willing to take again. He didn’t want to live in fear of what could go wrong; instead, he wanted to embrace the possibility of what could go right.

And so, Ali continued his journey, wiser from his experiences, yet still hopeful. He knew that life had a way of surprising you, that sometimes the person you least expect could be the one who truly understands your heart. And when that person came along, Ali vowed that he would be ready, healed, and willing to love with all his heart once more.

Because, after all, if you don’t heal from those who cut you, you’ll continue to bleed on those who didn’t hurt you. And Ali was determined not to let that happen again.

But what about Alina (Ali thought but I can also do to relaize her , If You Don’t Heal What Hurt You, You Will Bleed On People Who Didn’t Cut You  😪