Perfect Together

chapter three

"No one besides ALLAH can rescue a soul from hardship."

Qur'an

***

Daneen could not believe this has actually happened with her, again. The stupid library located in the deserted corner of their huge college campus was not helping her. Not even a bit. She banged on the door furiously and determinedly, hoping there would be someone who'd hear her. Other than hand ache, she got nothing in return.

"Ugh, damn it." She slapped the door forcibly, taking out the whole frustration on it and ended up hurting her right hand, which began to bleed. For a second she stared at the oozing blood and then at the door, her breathings began to increase in an uneven pace as she looked at her surroundings.

"Papa, please open the door. Its so dark here, I promise. I won't ask for chocolate... Please open the door. Papa. I'm scared here..." Five years old Daneen cried her heart out, as she begged for her father to open the door.

"Are you okay?" These words. It's been so long since Daneen has actually heard someone asking her that which snapped her out of those bitter memories. But she shook her head in denial.

"I'm fine." She lied, fighting away those tears and composed her breathings. Daneen hated crying in front of others, for that is a biggest weakness according to her.

"The door is locked." She hissed in pain, as the bleedings didn't stop.

"Ya Allah. Move aside please, let me see." Asfandyar panicked, as he tried knocking at the door and no body seem to hear him so far. He looked at the time and his worry could only increase. The college had a strict rule of punctuality and they closed the main doors exactly at 17:10. It was 17:20, meaning no one was going to answer them anytime soon.

"I think, we're locked here for the night," Daneen muttered to herself weakly, for one she was starting to feel suffocated. Getting locked in a room was not a new thing for her. But it stopped for a while, as she hit puberty. Her father stopped visiting their home and she was relieved. So relieved.

But this incident just proved how weak she was. Despite everything, she was still the weak old Daneen and she hated herself for feeling like that. She felt so helpless and that was a horrible feeling.

"You're the strongest person I've ever met, Dani. Just a bit rude that's all. Maybe not a bit, but still. You're the strongest person." Saba's words rang in her ears again. But that was so not true. Daneen was weak and she hated herself for it. She hated herself so much. Why was she so weak?

Asfandyar turned around and looked at her, without actually looking at her, "do you have a phone?" He asked.

"I am not dumb, if I had phone I would have called someone already." She snapped, feeling overwhelmed with everything. The more she stood near the locked door, the more it suffocated her. Helplessly, she walked back into the library, away from him and the locked door. Both were getting on her nerves.

"I just asked for a phone." Asfandyar stared at her disappearing figure in disbelief, and raked his hands through his hair. Trying to calm down.

Ya Allah, please help me... I can't even call my mother or sister, I hope they are fine. Please keep them safe for me... I have complete trust and faith in you, ya Rabb. This is nothing but a test, I hope this ends well. Please keep my family safe. He closed his eyes and made a small heartfelt dua and felt at peace somehow.

Asfandyar knows nothing can happen to him or his family, except for what Allah wants. But dua has the power to change everything and ever since he has learned that fact, he never stopped making dua. He makes dua for anything and everything for Allah loves those who depend on HIM.

He looked around as the silence engulfed him, and slowly it began to get dark as well. There was nothing he could do here, and his heart began to conjure the images of his worried mother and sister as he paced to and forth. How he wished, he had brought that phone along with him too.

But what surprised him more was a loud whimper, a painful sob. Which echoed in the whole library, and his eyes widened in surprise as he ran towards that voice which increased more and more. For a second he has forgotten she was locked along with him as well.

"STOP CRYING DANEEN." She was yelling in the air, whilst wiping her cheeks and controlling her sobs.

Asfandyar stood still at that sight, seeing her become so vulnerable and breaking with every passing second. He kept aside the fact that she was his na- mehran for a while. He wanted to help this person, there was this strong urge in him to help her out. Those tears did something to him, something he never felt before.

"Daneen?" He called her name, cautiously.

"Oh my god, no. Please go away. I don't want you to see me like this." She screamed in horror, whilst turning around, showing her back to him. Daneen had no idea why she was crying in the first place.

"Is there anything I can do for you? To make you feel better?" Asfandyar sighed, feeling helpless himself.

"No, you can't do anything. Please leave me alone. I don't want anyone to witness this. I'm fine, really." Daneen muttered in between her tears, which she kept on wiping away.

"Lying is not going to help." Asfandyar noticed her become stiff at his words, "then what will help me?" she asked, half furious and half desperate.

"Allah. There is no pain which He can't remove."

Daneen chuckled dryly at that, "I really doubt that, professor. Allah doesn't help me. He never did."

"Maybe you never asked?" Asfandyar replied defensively, he gets angry when people say such things. Allah is the most powerful, most merciful and there is nothing impossible for HIM. It is the humans who lose faith so easily and turn away from HIM.

"But HE is the Almighty, right? HE should be helping me. HE should have stopped my mother from abandoning us like it was nothing. HE should have stopped my father from abusing me for no mistake of mine. HE should have helped me. HE should have helped me... Couldn't HE see how painful it was for me, as a child to see my mother leave me with that monster, who beat me for her faults, who beat me for everything and nothing. Who punished me for the tiniest mistakes. Your Allah never helped me, professor. Nor will HE ever." Daneen yelled all those things which she has bottled up within her ever since she was a child.

Asfandyar was taken aback by her sudden outburst. He could never imagine someone so young going through that much in life. He was not the one who judges people. But how can a father be so cruel? He couldn't help but wonder furiously.

"HE never helps me." She let out a painful sob before darkness completely engulfed her and the next thing she remembered was falling into someone's arms, who held her safely.