𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐓: 𝐀 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐫'𝐚𝐧

chapter 34

He entered inside the university with lost hopes and shattered desires,taking steps towards the same place where he first time noticed her

Flashback

She nervously entered the university, knowing it was her first day. She had heard many things about how university life seemed, but the reality was often different. Her faith was tied to her now, especially since she started wearing the niqab before taking admission. As she took a step forward, she spotted her cousin Aatif, standing nearby with his hands tucked in his pockets. For a moment, a mix of nervousness and shock crossed her face.

Ayaan was coming with his friends from a lecture when his eyes landed on a figure. He stopped in the corridor and peeked through the gap, seeing a girl in a black abaya, a black hijab, and a veil that covered her face completely. Next to her stood a guy, also with his hands tucked in his pants, engaged in conversation.

"Hey Ayaan, let's go! What are you doing standing here?" a boy pulled him away, prompting them to head to their next lecture in a different classroom. However, Ayaan remained lost in thought.

"Hey Ayaan, where are you lost, bro?" his friend asked, breaking through his daydream. Ayaan looked at him, noticing the confused expression on his friend's face, they were walking side by side

"Have you fallen in love with that girl, huh?" another friend teased from behind, as they all entered inside the classroom, Ayaan raised an eyebrow. "Who?" he finally managed to ask, settling on this first bench, but his friends just exchanged mischievous smirks, one of them settled beside ayaan while other one sat behind with curious tease

"That one wearing the abaya at the entrance... Don't lie, I saw how you were gawking at her. But who is she? We've never seen her before, right?" his friend rambled on, full of curiosity, while Ayaan felt overwhelmed by their teasing.

"If I'm looking at someone, does that mean I'm in love?" Ayaan replied mockingly, looking at both of them time to time, keeping his fist under his chin, and their smiles faded.

"Then why were you staring at her?" his friend pressed. Ayaan didn't want to admit the truth, but he sensed that they misunderstood his thoughts. He needed to explain himself, he removed his fist and began to take out notebook while explaining

"I was 'looking' at her because I was deep in thought, pondering how some girls can wear the abaya and hijab with a veil, yet still be involved in haram relationships. Did you notice she was standing with a guy?" he said, emphasizing 'looking.' He started gathering his notebooks and pen while his friends gave him puzzled looks. Ayaan's perspective on everything sharply differed from that of other guys. His every action and thought were influenced by his religious beliefs. Though he didn't pray, wear kurtas, or act like a maulvi, and he wasn't interested in relationships. His friends had often tried to convince him that having a girlfriend was normal, but his faith held him back from that.

"If you both are done, can we start the revision?" he asked. Both friends snapped out of their thoughts and nodded, taking out their notebooks as well.

×××××××××××××××××

The sun was slowly rising, brightening the dining area with its soft rays. Sabeeha was seated at her brother's dining table in his Mumbai apartment, serving dates on a plate when her phone rang, breaking her focus. She glanced at the screen, which displayed 'beloved bestie' alongside a heart emoji. Sabeeha smiled, set the dates aside, rubbed her palms together to dust off any dirt, and picked up the phone, putting it on speaker.

"Assalamualaikum, Ayat!" Sabeeha said, but immediately she heard Ayat sobbing on the other end. Concern washed over her as she pressed the phone closer to her ear and pushed her chair back with a slight creak. She got up and walked toward the balcony behind the dining area.