Around 5am:

A dream haunts Noorie in her sleep. She wakes up with a yawn, frustrated and worried what the dream might mean. She rubs her eyes, sits for a while in the dark room, thinkinging anxiously. A while later, she lets out another yawn and falls off to sleep.

She misses her prayers.

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Alarm Rings*

At 7 am

An irritated Noorie still deep in sleep, tries to turn it off, but, her mobile was acting crazy it seems. No! She wasn't getting it right. She tried to brush off the gentle music of the alarm, which at the moment was the most irritating sound to her ears.

It didn't stop.

Eventually, she got annoyed at herself for not changing her alarm timings and sat up straight in her bed, grabbing hold of her mobile in irritation as she switched it off. She was dying to catch hold of her pillow and sleep again when she realized that she had missed her prayers. Regret and guilt filled her heart and she woke up with a start and checked her alarm.

She muttered something rude to herself when she realized that she had set a wrong time in the alarm. Allah will definitely punish her for missing out her prayers. She loathed herself for being so careless and was about to throw away her mobile on the bed when something in her mobile caught her attention.

Notifications from her blog.

"Uh-huh...," She whimpered lazily but curiosity made her click on the notifications which directed her to her latest blog's comment section. What she read there angered her, shaking her out of her slumber.

"What the hell....," She shrieked in frustration as she cleared her eyes with her hands and read with full focus on the words that was causing rage inside her. At first, she thought she had misread it. But, No... It was there. For Real.

The nerve of the man!

She read it out loud to be sure she is not dreaming this.

Soul Searcher: I think you are still not over your childhood fascination. But, since you have taken up on a self proclaimed duty to give advice to others, then at least be wise while giving so. What you are suggesting to your followers is a Fitna. Having boyfriend is Haraam according to Islam and being a Muslim at least you must realize what you are motivating people to do. Are you sure you are ready to face the wrath of Allah for misguiding them?  And, Stargazing solves no one's problem. One has to look within and around to solve it. Who are you? Some sort of relationship counsellor or an agony aunt who gives bad advices? :14-08-2015, Friday. 3:30 am.

Noorie's nerves were burning with anger. What a start to the day, she accepted bitterly. First she missed her prayers and her guilt is eating her up and now this stupid person is judging her without understanding what she meant to share. "Agony Aunt?... Huh. How dare he mock at me?", she said between gritted teeth.

She read the comments that followed and it only made things worse. People have been joking and teasing her over his comments of relationship counsellor and agony aunt. Some went ahead and acted as Maulvi, preaching her things related to Islam and then there were few who wrote bad words. Though, there were few who supported her, but that hasn't really helped. She was furiously angry at whoever this 'SoulSearcher' is.

A sleepless night, that troubled dream, missing her prayers and now this. Noorie never knew such anger in her ever. She was purely disgusted. She clicked on his username and got directed to his profile. S&S emblem in white against a navy blue background depicted his profile photo. The banner too was burdened with the same initials in the left corner, imprinted upon a colorful hexagonal shaped abstract design template in various shades of blue. It was eye-catching, she rolled her eyes grudgingly and browsed through his page. 

Frankly, she was bored within 5 minutes of quick inspection. The blogs consisted of all business related articles and a few about nature and horticulture. She didn't bother to find out more and mocked at his username "Soul Searcher.... Huh," and stared backwards in her comment box.

It was 9 am and there was no stopping with the commentaries. Most of them were addressed to him. She felt irritated and replied to none, keeping her mobile away as she lay on her bed, watching the ceiling.

For 10 minutes, she literally controlled her anger, but her thoughts deserted her and she cannot ignore the nasty comment from him and the one's that followed by others. She sat up again, pulled her dishevelled hair back with both hands, took hold of her mobile and with full determination clicked open her comment box to reply him back.

@SoulSearcher: Take a very popular blog and merely for the sake of it, try to write something smart as a comment to draw attention and gain followers for your own. Right? I know your kind, you see. The sorts that excel in disgust. I do not need to explain to you how religious I am or not because it is evident that you lack understanding or you could have acted a little with maturity and taken my article as a simple article that it is. And as for Stargazing, well...You certainly do not have any idea about stargazing or the power and impact stars has upon our lives. Then, PLEASE Do Not Advise Me with what I should be writing in my blog and take your lousy attempts to gain followers elsewhere. 

She hit send button as she enunciated with a satisfied smile, "That's serves him just right."

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Nearly an hour later *

Noorie was on the phone with her friend, Zayna sharing with her everything about her argument with Irfan and the bad dream that she had.

Zayna felt worried at what she heard, but comforted her by saying, "You must not lose heart, my dear. I am very sure things will turn out to be better, soon."

"I doubt so," She said sadly.

"Ufff Noorie... Don't talk negatively. Everything will be fine, just talk to him."

"I will, but I am feeling so bad about missing my prayers. I feel like, I'll be punished for it," she said worriedly.

"Allah is not unjust and he is so forgiving. Seek forgiveness and trust that he will deal with you in a loving way. Didn't Zohra Aunty told us that on seeking forgiveness, Allah does forgives because he loves us 70000 times more then our mothers," Zayna reminded her.

"Hmmm...." Noorie replied with the little hope that she could gather. She never missed her prayers before but these days she has been missing most of them due to some or other reason.

"Noorie, Everything will be fine. Trust me.,"Zayna insisted.

"I hope so, but then I had this dream and it's bothering me," Noorie admitted with an irritated sigh.

Zayna asked with concern, "What was it about"?

Noorie does not know if any of this would make sense to her friend, but she just needs to talk over it with her and maybe she will feel relieved. She let out a deep breath, steadied herself and reflecting back on her dream told Zayna about her dream. She then hesitated as if remembering something. Zayna, on the other line was anxiously waiting to know more,"Strange Man...?"

"This man I dreamt about was strange, Zayna. Very, very strange."

"All men are strange, Noorie. Mens are made up that way. Isn't Irfan strange too... ?" Zayna said dryly.

Noorie's intake of breath was a warning sign for her, but she laughed and said, "Okay .. All right.. But you have to agree, he is strange in his own way, I say so more because of the fuss he is pulling up over something as minor as the wedding trousseau."

"Our wedding trousseau is not a minor thing for us, Zayna," she said with disbelief over her friend's casual words.

"I know, but at the same time it's also not a thing to make your fiancée give sleepless nights," Zayna replied boldly. She was annoyed at Irfan for making everything so hard for Noorie and not letting her enjoy these precious moments happily.

"We may take it so, but maybe for him it's something of much importance. People get married just once in life and everyone desires to make it special in every way, " Noorie defended.

"I agree on that score," Zayna had to agree since she knew it was pointless to make Noorie see that Irfan is already trying to dominate over her for everything. She just wouldn't take it. So, she changed the topic, "Hmm... Sorry for diverting from the topic but, believe me, all men are strange so this man from your dream isn't really any something you should worry about." 

Noorie was more than happy that Zayna dropped Irfan from their conversation. She was in no mood to have an argument with her friend as well. "Maybe they are but this one, the one I crossed path within my dream, he is different from the rest," She said with strong conviction. She has never known such a man.

"Why? What did he do to you in your dream? Did he force him upon you or Did he do something more brash and unpredictable than men usually do?" Zayna asked inquisitively.

"Nothing. Nothing at all,' Noorie stated. Yet everything, her mind told her. 

"Nothing and yet you seem so worried?," Zayna asked curiously and laughed and said, "What you wanted him to do Noorie?", She teased her friend.

Noorie ignored her jest and said in a serious tone, "He is everywhere I go and he secretly watches me from far... at least that is what he thinks, but I have caught him on a few occasions so later whenever he was around, It was like I could sense him."

"He sneaks up on you? Oh god.. What if he is a thief or a kidnapper and this dream is a sign to stay warned?"Zayna pointed out in terror.

Noorie smirked at her friends over-active mind and reassured,"He cannot be. It doesn't feel that way."

"Even so you are worried...?"

"More like guarded...," Noorie corrected.

Zayna was not sure if she is understands any of it,"What is it about this man that makes you so guarded then?"

"He... he makes me feel like he knows me. Like he has known me since ever," Noorie said too softly, like she is in a dream.

"Then maybe he does. Did you come across somebody like him ever before? Is it possible it was Irfan and you couldn't realize that time?," Zayna's words made Noorie wonder. Was it Irfan?, she thought hard. A part of him wanted him to be Irfan because what she felt might sound strange but was so deep and soulful. Realizing how ridiculous she is being over a dream, she jerked herself back from her thoughts and said,"No. I am sure I never met him ever."

"How can you be so convinced? People do tend to slide out of our mind if we have not gathered them for decades, you know," Zayna pointed out to her.

"I am certain I would have remembered him if I had seen him before... he is not the sort you can forget," Noorie replied as her eyes glinted from her thoughts of him.

"Is he very handsome? A hottie?", Zayna said as she grinned over Noorie's confusion.

"Yes, he is but that's not what I am speaking about. It's this strangeness about him that makes him stand out among all."

"You are getting me so befuddled, you know." Zayna said between her soft giggles.

"This might seem funny to you but, It cost me my sleep," Noorie said as she frowned at her friend's behavior.

"I gather so. I am no-good for being funny." She apologized. "I was only trying to humor you, lovely. You do not require to worry yourself over a dream.," She added hoping Noorie understands.

"I know what you are saying, but it's how I felt the entire time is making it hard for me to not think about it," Noorie said in a low voice. A sound that made Zayna realize that her friend was truly worried. Perhaps there was more to it than she is engaging in. She should listen to her friend and help quiet her down, Zayna told herself feeling guilty over her teasings. She then asked,"Did the two of you talked?"

"He never talks. Never even tries to. He just keeps looking at me, in a rather odd way. I told you he was very strange," Noorie told her truthfully. Knowing it might all sound sheepish, but she just has this strange truth to share.

"That's weird form of strangers"

"Yes, it feels weird inside of me," Noorie admitted and then persisted in saying," We keep crossing paths unknowingly and he just continues looking at me in a really unusual way."

Zayna who was genuinely puzzled came to a conclusion. "Now I feel it's not just a dream. Maybe through your dream your life is trying to tell you something?"

Noorie grimaced. That sounded a lot like a warning. She demanded,"Like what?"

"Ermmm... I cannot say for sure, it's your dream, you should find out," Zayna advised, but then she thought maybe it's she who is now over-thinking it all, taken over by the concern for her friend and only making it more difficult for her. She took a pause as she waited for Noorie to say something, but when she didn't. Zayna realized she had made her worried. She tried to mend it by saying,"You know the more I think about it, the weirder it gets. I think you are over-thinking... because you are stressed over Irfan. It's just a stupid dream. Let it go."

Noorie, who had been pondering over Zayna's word reluctantly as her mind refused to believe it to be anything bad, now felt relieved by her friend's admission that it's all just a weird dream. She smiled and said,"You are right, It's all so stupid. Maybe I should just forget it all and focus on how to settle things with Irfan. And this dream..." Her words were cut down by the vibration she felt in her ear's.

A beep in her mobile to alert her of a new notification.

"Wait On, Zayna. There is a message and I have a feeling it's him." Noorie thought it is Irfan but It was another notification from her blog. Her anger knew no bounds at the thought of that attention-seeking man who is only making things harder in her life than it already is. She discussed the matter with Zayna, who immediately logged into her lap top to check the chaos in her friend's blog and was super irritated with what she read in the comments. She wanted to reply but Ignorance and Silence is such a bliss especially with such fools who just love to pop up from where and judge people.

"You are right about him. He just is another attention-seeker, we have to deal with online. Ignore him," Zayna advised.

But, there was another notification alert and Noorie lost all control.

"What the hell...." Fumbled out from Noorie's angry mouth.

"Noorie.. Noorie... I think you must calm down. You already told him enough. Just ignore whatever he says," Zayna instructed her, panicking over what troubles are clouding over her friend's paradise. Just yesterday, life was so perfect and now all at once, it seems a storm overtook all peace from her life.

"Hmm," was all she said as her fingers quickly clicked on the notification.

"There was no reply from him. It was others,"Noorie said as she kept checking in at every interval. 

"Perhaps, he is smart to not argue further," Noorie said cheekily

"Good, I do hope it's not dragged any further," Zayna said with relief. 

Except that, by the end of the day and the day that followed hateful comments began pouring in for her and everyone demanded she apologize to him on account of her rudeness. Everyone seemed to be justifying on his part stating that he was merely guiding her to do and talk right and she did not have to go so rude with him.

He came out to be more popular there than Noorie expected him to be. She didn't even bother to check his followers list. But, would it had stopped her from showing him his true intention. Nah, she said, trying to control her anger over the responses from others. Has everyone lost their sense of judgement? She thought sadly. She had been sharing with these folks for over a year now and they have become part of her life now. But, that does not mean she will apologize to him because they think she is wrong. "No Way," she told herself. She is not wrong. He was the one who mocked at her first.

Soon the hatred gained momentum as people kept reading and sharing in their views. Only few supported her, rest demanded an apology from him. Her denial of apology resulted in her losing maximum numbers of her followers, which made her very sad. She believed people understood and could relate to her. Merely, because of this man, everything that she had built upon in the past two years fell apart. Tears formed in her eyes as she closed her comment box from responses and logged out of her blog.

She hated this 'SoulSearcher'. He actually needed to do some soul searching of his own, she thought bitterly.

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Author's Note :

I hope you liked the first chapter and I aim to do my best in writing this story. It won't be a long story and I will be uploading the next chapter soon. Please do leave comments and rate + share with your friends. Thank you. :)

Awwthentic~

24-08-2015