Assalamu Alaikum everyone! 

I just wanted to give you an update with my life at the moment. I'm not here to give you any excuses because sadly I left this off unexpectedly and without any specific reason. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but a lot happened during the last two years - I just can't put it into words. Not right now anyways... But I need to let you know that I'm working on finishing this story. It's been a long time since I visited wattpad and a lot has changed. So I'll have to figure that out. But am I back for good? I hope so, in shaa Allah. I miss writing and I'm sorry for disappearing without any warning. But it's good to be back.

Before you get started on reading this chapter, I do hope you have taken care of your prayers! 

Amna 

Chapter 17: Friends

It was a bright and beautiful Monday morning - is what I would think if I were a retired old women with no school or work stress. I was too blinded by the pain from my cramps and the lightness in my head to notice the weather. Having a quiz early in the morning at 8 am only added to the pain I was already experiencing. I ate a pill to ease the pain in my stomach. Harun was already up as well and it was just one of those days where we had classes at the same time. Sometimes I wondered how Harun ended up getting almost all his classes at the same time as mine. But going to school with him isn't as bad as I initially thought.

"You ready?" He asked as he stood in my doorway. I grabbed my bag and nodded. He looked at me as if he was examining me. "Did you stay up all night?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I've slept enough," I said. Harun was unexpectedly quick to pick up on a lot of things - even if those things were of little importance. I smiled at him, trying to reassure him. As I pushed past him, we both headed down the stairs and out of the house. Neither of us had time for breakfast which only made me feel even worse. The bus was crowded and there was no seat empty. When I felt Harun's gaze, I turned my head to look up at him.

"What is it?" I asked him quietly. He shook his head and turned away. When we got into the University entrance, he walked me to class even though I told him I would be fine. It was a little annoying how I couldn't bring myself to argue with him since I was too busy trying not to drop every step I took. When I got to class, Nura shook her head in disappointment.

"It's days like this when you're allowed to stay home, Miss I-Breathe-School." She muttered once I took a seat next to her. I rolled my eyes and ignored her.

"I'm perfectly fine." I hissed, and she flinched.

"No need to get offensive. I'm just letting you know how normal people function. But you! You have a lot to explain! Who is Harun to you and why are you okay with giving up your life for him?!" The hysteria in her voice as she whispered to me made me want to puke. Just thinking of an explanation for what happened the other day was making me sick. But knowing Nura, it would probably haunt her if she found out her friend was married to a delinquent.

Getting through the three-hour university lecture wasn't too bad since the medication started taking effect. But listening to Nura's lecture during the break and at the end of the lecture was painful.

"I get it! Just please let it go. Not even my mother has nagged me this much about school." I said, exhausted.

"Excuse me! You have yet to explain Harun's existence in your life!" She half-yelled as we walked by our Professor. When we finally left the classroom, we ran into Harun, who was already standing outside the lecture hall. Nura's expression and complexion dulled, and she stood behind me as I approached Harun.

"Hey," Harun said after seeing me approach him.

My eyes narrowed and I stared at him with suspicion, "Is it just me, or are you keeping track of me at school more than usual?" I asked him.

"It's just you." He replied. "Are you done class?" He asked. I nodded slowly, realizing that Nura was cowering behind me. When I turned around, Nura's face was frozen in place. I wasn't even sure if she was breathing. She was scared of Harun, and I get that - because for a while, so was I. "I'll take you home." He said, glancing at the friend behind me. Nura poked me after hearing what Harun said, and after turning to face her one more time, I could see her eyes bulging out of her sockets asking what on earth he was talking about.

"We're neighbours," I whispered to her. Her face still didn't relax, "We're family friends," I said, trying even harder to convince her. I told her I would text her when I got home and left her there bewildered.

"Does she know me?" Harun asked as soon as we left. I shook my head, trying not to point out his bad rep in high school. Without noticing it, he slid my bad off my shoulder and held onto it for me.

"Not particularly," I replied calmly.

After getting off the bus stop, despite the little pain I had left over in my stomach, I felt refreshed. During the time we were at university, it had rained really hard. To me, rain was much more refreshing than an anything, and the aftermath of it was beautiful - the scent, the breeze and the chill.

"You know, you're a nice person," Harun said out of nowhere. I stopped walking and slowly turned my head towards him. He wasn't looking at me, but he was looking straight ahead.

"Do you get easily deceived?" I asked him carefully. I gave him a disgusted look. "Just what about me is nice? I was the rudest person in high school and everyone hated me. I didn't have any friends for a whole chunk of my life because of my rude behaviour." His eyes widened and he cracked a smiled.

"Ah! So the amount of friends you make reflects on how nice of a person you are." He said, nodding. "I guess that's why I've never had any." My face twisted, and I shook my head.

"Well, it could be one of the many reasons why people don't have friends," I said, trying to remain calm. "But it's different in your case," I said.

"I think it's different in your case as well." He replied. I noticed the smile forming on his face as he looked away. I frowned and shook my head. Harun was naive indeed... Or was I being nice to him unconsciously? After I thought about it for a while longer, I shook off the thought and looked over at the cafe we always passed by on our way home from school. It was a relatively new cafe that opened up when I just moved into the neighbourhood with Harun.

"Want to stop by?" He asked, pointing to the cafe.

After contemplating whether to go in or not, I frowned and tried to figure out why it was so hard to make up my mind about going into some random cafe.

"Well, why not," I finally said, turning to Harun. But Harun was already ahead. "Hey! Why didn't you wait?" I said, running up beside him.

"You were taking too long," he replied as he opened the door for me. After we got our drinks, we sat down next to the window. Harun was eerily quiet. The type of quiet that made me uneasy. He was staring so hard at a group of guys standing across the street from the cafe.

"Know them?" I asked. He looked at me with his face still expressionless. His eyes looked empty as if nothing could change his mind about whatever he was thinking in his head. When he looked at me for what seemed like an entire decade, his eyes cleared up and he shook his head almost furiously. "No, I don't," was his answer.

"You guys look very cute together. Are you siblings?" A voice out of nowhere came. We both turned around and an old lady with a grey shawl wrapped around her head was sitting with a woman who looked two generations younger was sitting there staring at us. The old lady was smiling and the younger woman just gave us a little smile, almost apologetically. Harun was just staring at them, not really knowing what to say. I smiled back awkwardly and shook my head.

"Actually, we're married," I said, not sure whether I should be announcing it or not. Harun stayed quiet, not knowing how he should react. Her face lit up, and I could feel the discomfort arising in myself. After she talked away about how surprising it was since we looked really young and adorable we looked together, she went on to tell stories about her marriage. All the while, the woman next to her smiled awkwardly.

"Are you two still studying?" She asked. I looked at Harun and we both nodded. After telling her which university we went to, her face lit up once more. As you may have already noticed - this old lady could only glow brighter. Her energy was no joke. "That's the University my grandson goes to! Do you know a boy named Zuhayr? He's a lovely boy!"

"Grandma, there's probably no way they know him. Do you know how big those university classes are?" The younger woman finally spoke. Her voice was soft and gentle. She wore a scarf loosely around her head and her light brown eyes were constantly fixed on her grandmother's face. She was wearing a black abaya with a short grey cardigan. It was hard to make out what their background was, but their skin was just as tan as Harun's.

"You don't know that!" Her grandmother said in defence. The grandmother turned to Harun and said, "Even if you don't know Zuhayr, meet him and tell him you know me. No child or grandchild of mine is as gentle as Zuhayr. He'll help you with anything you need!" Harun's eyes were wide open and he didn't know how to respond. "I'm sure Zuhayr would love to have a friend as kind as you!" I saw Harun's face relax and a smile form, as he gave her a light nod.

After we left the cafe, I turned to Harun, "Isn't it nice? Now you can have a friend at University too," I said. He nodded and I could almost tell what he was thinking. His face was downcast and he didn't seem like he was ready for friends. "What's wrong now?" I asked, folding my arms as I stopped walking. He stopped and scratched his forehead, "I don't know."

"Look, I have friends now, even though I really don't need them," I said, casually. "It shouldn't be that hard to open your mouth, speak a few words and smile."

He looked at me with uncertainty and nodded his head. Harun paused and stared at me confused, "Why don't you need friends?" He asked. "Isn't it comforting having them around?" I scowled at him.

"Why would you think that?" I asked him.

"Because that's how I feel about you." I stared at him in complete shock.

Just how does he get away with saying stuff like this so easily?