All my life, I’ve been most grateful for one person—my bestie sister, Laira. From childhood until now, we’ve been inseparable. Every first, every cherished memory is tied to her. She’s the one who introduced me to English songs, Hollywood, and countless amazing worlds I would’ve missed without her.
Together, we made videos—acting, taking on challenges, singing, rapping, and reacting to hilarious moments we found online. Those days were chaotic, vibrant, and full of laughter. Most of those videos were lost with time, but one remains—a fragment of those golden days I wish I could relive.
As you’ve probably guessed, Laira and I are incredibly close. We had a group, too—our brothers, Kail and Haisen. Sometimes they’d ditch us, but it was still fun. Kail handled the camera, and Haisen, though painfully camera shy, was always there. Even now, Haisen avoids cameras like a pro, but I’ve mastered the art of catching him in candid, unexpected moments.
Life moved on, as it does. Then came a surprise: we got a little sister. Haisen got a baby sister—Flora.
I still remember visiting the hospital to see her. Laira only found out about her later when we visited Haisen’s house. “Oh, Haisen, you have a little sister? Why didn’t I know about this?” she gasped, her voice echoing in disbelief. I was nine and Laira was seven. Flora, tiny and delicate, seemed like a star in her own orbit—too young to be part of our world just yet.
Years passed, and during the lockdown, everything changed. House visits were off-limits, so we stayed connected through conversations at Labeena’s window—a lifeline between our houses, which shared walls. Without realizing it, Flora slowly became part of our little world. She slipped into the spaces Laira and I had once kept just for ourselves. We talked, played, and began to relive glimpses of our childhood through her.
Despite the age gap, Flora surprised us with her maturity. But as big sisters, we tried to shield her from “grown-up” things. She was still at that sweet, innocent age—playing with dolls, chattering endlessly, making silly videos. It felt like we had grown up too fast, and we didn’t want her to. But then she’d speak so maturely, we’d forget how young she really was.
One day, Laira and I were reminiscing. “Remember how our cousins used to leave us during hide-and-seek because we were too small?” I asked with a grin.
“Yeah,” she said, laughing. “But it was still fun. They’d go out to buy food, and we’d all eat together after playing.”
“And not just that!” I added. “We played Charades, Freeze Tag, London Statue… we even made up our own games.”
Flora listened quietly, eyes wide with longing. “But I wasn’t there…” she said softly.
“You were just a baby,” I said gently. “We played with you sometimes—like riding you around in a blanket—but most of the time, you were with your mom.”
I hesitated, then added, “It’s kind of sad, you know? Fatma never got to play those games with kids her age. She ended up sitting with us, as we grew older and left those games behind.”
“Yeah,” Laira murmured, her voice softening.
Sometimes, we’d watch an old dance video we recreated—just the three of us, perfectly in sync.
“We used to dance here too, Flora,” I said with a smile. “Back then, we choreographed everything ourselves. In my room.”
“To Hindi songs!” I grinned as memories flooded back.
“And we used to fight!” Laira laughed.
“Yeah, over steps! Like, ‘No, Laira, do this move!’ ‘No, mine’s better!’”
Flora lit up. “Ooh, I want to do that too! We can do it to English songs!”
“We already have!” I laughed. “We’ve danced to so many trending songs together—you haven’t missed out.”
Laira has been by my side all my life, and I’ve written many poems about her in this book. So I wrote one for Flora, too. I called it “Si’star.”

Si’star
In the middle of nowhere,
A star struck, came here.
New—may seem somewhat bizarre,
But you were a baby star.
Time flew, we grew,
Oh, you too.
Now you are someone we include.
I know, times when we made memories without you,
You felt left out, thinking, “Wish I was there too.”
You are here now—no need to go far.
Let’s make new memories
Where you are,
Our star.

She told me she felt the same, and I was so glad she liked it. But more than a poem, it was something I wanted her to know.
Even though I still haven’t fully adjusted, it feels like we’re back in our old days—just with one more person now.
Laira is my bestie sister, my comfort zone—the one I can talk to about anything. Flora is my little sister—the one I want to protect, include, and make feel safe. She brings back the childhood we used to have.
Now, we’re not just two bestie sisters.
We’re three—chaotic, childish, understanding, and the place where I can forget all my problems.
We’re sisters.