Assalamu Alaikum w/r wb! I have to apologize for not releasing an update last week. I really have no excuse, especially since I actually finished writing the chapter on time too. But hopefully from now on the weekly updates will resume in shaa Allah! I'm so sorry! T_T

May Allah grant you all happiness, success, and loads of imaan and ease all the difficulties you may be experiencing at the moment! Ameen thumma ameen. I really do appreciate those of you who take time out of your day to read my story. Please also remember to take time out of your day for prayers as well! ENJOY! 

Salaam <3 

Chapter 15: The incident [Part 1]

Raaida

I sat on my bed after praying, and as I threw my hijab off, I started thinking about what Nura said. It was true that even I was scared of Harun for a long time before that changed. I wasn't really afraid of him anymore. Somehow no matter how my mood took a turn for the worst, he dealt with me calmly and quietly. He never showed any anger. Maybe he changed since the time he was in high school. What if he's trying to turn over a new leaf?

At this point, I was desperately trying to figure out Harun. Everything about him.

I laid down and grabbed the book I was reading before from behind, and eventually went back to studying. I didn't see Harun the whole day because I was locked in my room. It was 7 pm when I finally decided to leave the room to check up on Harun. When I entered the living room, I found him asleep on the couch with his face buried in his arms.

I scratched my head and searched for a blanket nearby. When I found one, I put it over Harun and sat down on the ground beside him.

He must have been tired from working day after day and attending school at the same time. I leaned against the couch and began to think.

Truthfully I hated trying to figure things out on my own. It was a huge pain spending all this time and effort trying to figure out a single human being. If Harun were a math problem, I would have had him figured out in a single moment. But alas, he was a human being, and to me, nothing was more confusing than a human being.

I could try asking him about it again. But I doubt he would answer. And even if he did, the answer would probably not be very satisfactory. Before I knew it, I was biting my nails and focusing so hard that I didn't realize Harun turn over in his sleep. When I looked back, his sleeping face was facing me. I sighed.

I guess I'll get back to studying.

Harun

It was already past two at night when I woke up. I sat up on the couch and found a blanket over me. I smiled and got up to go to my room.

Before I entered my room, I saw that Raaida's room, which was right next to mine, still had its lights on. I slowly opened the door and found her sitting at her desk with her head resting on her textbook. She was sleeping so peacefully, I almost forgot how much she would be in once she would wake up in the morning. I sat down on Raaida's bed and watched as her hand dropped to her side.

She would find out the truth about me one day. I knew that very well. But I just didn't want her to know. It was hard enough getting her to act normally around me. As soon as she finds out what type of person I am, she'll leave me for sure. I got up and walked over to Raaida. As I patted her shoulder, her head shot up and she looked at me surprised. Her eyes dulled and she wiped away the drool that was at the side of her mouth. Before I could register what happened, her head dropped back on her textbook. My eyes widened. I checked for her breathing right away. She didn't die, did she?!

After realizing she went back to sleep, I laughed. Well, at least now I know, she's a deep sleeper. I put her arm around my shoulder and carried her to the bed, praying she wouldn't figure out it was me who carried her. For some reason, she was really specific about being touched. Even though I don't understand why I guess the least I could do was try to respect that.

After putting a blanket over her and closing the light, I went off to bed myself.

Sadly, I didn't feel like today was going to be an okay day. But I never felt like any day was a good day, so maybe I was wrong.

Raaida

Getting to the university on time was a huge pain. For some reason, my shoulder felt stiff and painful. I don't remember how I got to bed - though I was known for sleepwalking as a kid all the time, so it isn't much of a surprise - but I do remember falling asleep on that cold glass desk of mine.

This morning Harun wasn't with me. His class started later today, so he decided on coming later to the university as well. Today was already a bad day for me even though the day was just getting started. It had to be because I slept in a weird position.

As the day went by and another lecture started, I turned to my right to find another hijabi girl sitting next to me. And to me, this was a super rare sight. Well, aside from Nura, finding hijabis anywhere in this city felt like an impossible mission. But this university managed to pull in all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds.

As I wasn't too keen on making friends, there was no way I was going to talk to her or even make eye contact with her. I didn't have that much time on my hands, to begin with. Befriending someone was a concept I still could not comprehend that well.

I began flipping through the pages of my textbook just to keep myself busy. With my chin resting on the palm of my hand, and my elbow resting on the table, I began yawning. When I looked up at the clock, it was already five minutes into the class, yet the professor still didn't show up.

"This prof better not be giving us a lecture on getting to class on time," When I turned to the side, I saw the girl beside me sighing. She noticed me staring, and smiled at me. I smiled back. "First year?" She asked me. I nodded.

"You?" I asked.

"Same," She replied. She was wearing a mustard colour long top with black jeans and a black hijab in a neat style. Her dimples were apparent every time she smiled, and her brown eyes were sharp and friendly. She had absolutely no makeup on, and frankly, she didn't seem like she needed any. Her skin was flawless, and the features were sharp and defining. "I'm Kisra by the way." She said as she extended her hand out for me to shake. Without realizing it, I gave her my name and shook her hand in return.

Kisra was an only child, who was without a doubt spoiled to the core (she admitted it herself). And she was the only person in her family even remotely interested in Islam - which made her one of the rare hijabis I've met.

"Everyone was against it for some reason," She said, frowning. "I mean, it's not like I'm committing murder - I'm just wearing a piece of cloth on my head and covering more than I used to." It felt like she was lost in thought, trying to solve the impossible.

"Well, sometimes people just want others to be like them. People don't always like change." I said, finding myself understanding where she was coming from. No one around me was ever interested in Islam the way I was, which made it extremely hard to talk about with others. But talking to Kisra felt natural. After talking for another five minutes, we exchanged contact information.

"By the way," She said, grinning, "I know you're not fond of MSAs but I have a friend whose super attached to it, and she needs me to promote like crazy. Shall I introduce you to one of the most amazing lecturers?" She asked.

"An MSA? As in a Muslim Student Association?" I asked her. She nodded.

"I never checked it out personally, but my friend tells me it's pretty decent. For once, it's not all about hooking up with a future spouse," She said with a disgusted look on her face. I laughed a little. Somehow it felt like she hated the idea of marriage. Well, it's not like I'm ever going to tell her of my marriage with Harun anyways.

After the professor finally arrived, and the lecture finished in a hurry, the class ended and I said my farewell to Kisra, and instead bumped into Nura, who again put her arm around my shoulder and guided me to the nearest cafe. After we got our drinks, I stared at her annoyed, "You're going to make me go broke in just the first week of university," I complained.

"Oh, relax. Splurge a little, I have some good news for you!" She said with sparkling eyes. "I have a friend in the same program as you!" She said. "Now you won't be lonely. Though knowing you, you would be content socializing with a wall." She smirked. I gave her a dull look and looked away. My eyes landed on Harun almost instantly, and I began to choke. "Oi, did you forget how to drink or something?!" Nura patted my back, but my eyes were still on Harun who was surrounded by three guys. From the expressionless look on Harun's face and the anger on all of their faces, I knew it wasn't a happy encounter. I turned to Nura, with my hands trembling as I broke out in a cold sweat, and asked, "If you were cornered, what would you do?" I asked, surprised at how calm I sounded. She looked at me confused.

"Cornered?" She asked, "Are you sure there's no way out?" She asked. When I looked at Harun again, he was standing with his back to the staircase. "Wait... Why are you asking this?" When she looked around, she spotted Harun in the distance, then laughed. "You're.... Not thinking of saving the guy, right...?" When I didn't reply, she gave me a blank stare. "Can I knock some sense into you?" She asked.

"I need to get him away from there," I said. He can't fight. I won't let him.

"Whatever he does, does not concern you one bit." She said as if trying to remind me of the fact that I have no relation to him.

"That doesn't matter. I need to get him out of there. Are you going to help me or not?"