Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End
Tariq's life was never meant to be ordinary. It was always more—more complicated, more intense, more intertwined with the people around him. But nothing could prepare him for the mess that was about to unfold.
It all started with Marie. She was more than just a girl—she was the person he could talk to about everything. She was everything, and he wanted to keep her that way.
But fate had other plans.
Marie's father and Tariq's sister had broken up, and things started getting messy. Marie's family was torn apart, and the only way Tariq could stay close to her was if he stayed with her. So, he made the bold decision to ask Marie's dad if he could live with them. What was meant to be temporary turned into something more, and Tariq found himself wrapped up in a web he didn't know how to untangle.
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Fridah, Marie's stepmother, was the first one Tariq had to get used to. She wasn't exactly the motherly type, but she did her best to fit into the role.
One evening, after a quiet dinner, Tariq sat across from Fridah, sensing something was off.
"Fridah," Tariq began, breaking the silence, "what's going on? You haven't been yourself lately."
Fridah glanced up from her plate, avoiding eye contact. "Tariq, don't worry about it," she said, her voice filled with tension.
"No, I can see something's up," Tariq pressed, leaning forward. "If there's a problem, we should talk about it."
She sighed, her gaze meeting his for a split second before looking away again. "I'm just... I'm trying to make things work, okay?"
---
It wasn't long before the situation escalated. Fridah wasn't being honest, and things started to unravel quickly. Tariq noticed the way she looked at Marie's father when he wasn't paying attention. He knew something wasn't right. And when he found out she was cheating, he had no choice but to report it to Marie's father.
That was the breaking point for their relationship. It shattered the fragile connection they once had.
---
As things at home grew more complicated, Marie found herself more distant. She was still the girl who had his heart, but now, something had changed. Her demeanor was different, quieter. Then, she did something that completely threw Tariq off.
"Hey, Tariq," she said one evening, her voice barely above a whisper, "I need to tell you something. I've met someone. His name's Mash."
Tariq furrowed his brows. "A new friend? I thought you said you were just going to focus on school."
"He's just a friend, Tariq," Marie insisted, her eyes not meeting his. "I swear."
But something didn't sit right. Mash. The name echoed in his mind. Tariq didn't trust it. Not for a second.
And so, he did what he had to do. He checked. A quick search on Facebook, and there it was—pictures of Marie and Mash together, too close for comfort.
One comment caught his eye: "Hunny".
The room felt colder, heavier, like the world was closing in on him.
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Tariq: "Marie, you lied to me. You said he was just a friend. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"
Marie's voice faltered as she tried to defend herself. "I didn't want to hurt you, Tariq. I just... I didn't know how to tell you."
Tariq shook his head. "You should've just told me the truth. But now... now I can't trust you. We're done, Marie. I can't keep pretending."
---
And so, the breakup happened. It was messy, emotional, and final. But that wasn't the end.
---
Tariq tried to move on. He met Beyoncé—someone completely different from Marie. She was bold, confident, everything Marie was not. For a moment, it felt like he was escaping the shadow of his past.
But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't forget Marie. And when Adrian, Marie's new boyfriend, came into the picture, it only made things worse. Every time they had a fight, Tariq found himself reconciling, just to see Marie smile.
---
One night, after yet another argument between Marie and Adrian, she found herself standing on the porch alone. Tariq arrived, unsure of what he was doing there, but his feet carried him anyway.
Tariq: "Marie, what are you doing out here?"
Marie: "I don't know, Tariq... I just don't know anymore."
Tariq stood next to her, his voice soft. "It's not too late, you know. We can fix this. We can still be... us."
Marie looked at him, her eyes filled with pain. "But you chose her over me. You left me."
"I didn't want to," Tariq said, his voice thick with emotion. "But I couldn't stay when you were with someone else. I thought we were better than that."
---
Things were never easy. They never would be. But that's how it went with Marie. Even when they weren't together, she had a way of pulling him back in.
As time passed, Tariq's feelings for Marie never really faded. He tried to move on, meeting Stanley, a good friend, and even dating Mariam for a short while. But it wasn't the same. Each relationship felt like a distraction, a poor substitute for what he had with Marie.
Then, after everything, he found out that Marie had changed. She told him she no longer had any interest in him. She was different now.
"I don't know who I am anymore, Tariq," Marie admitted. "I've changed."
But even that couldn't stop the pull between them.
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Tariq sat in the dark, the weight of his decisions heavy on his chest. He had made mistakes, but somehow, Marie was still the one person he couldn't let go.