preference delights

State Of Denail

Chapter 8

Salaar was deep in thought as he drove toward the campus. It had been nearly a week since he last saw her. He had tried to distance himself from her but was still struggling with a storm of emotions he had no control over. This was the first time he had faced such feelings, and they weighed heavily on him.

Even after reaching the classroom, his thoughts lingered, distracting him from his surroundings. Lazily, he sat in his seat and noticed Jawad approaching and squatting beside him.

"Salaar, I've been calling you all the way to the classroom, but you didn't hear me. Is everything okay? You seem out of it," Jawad asked, still catching his breath as he hurried to catch him.

"Oh, sorry, I'm just a little distracted today. Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Salaar apologized.
Despite his stressed expression, his navy-blue shirt and rusty brown pants made him look even more striking.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to join the sports team. Zarmeena from the mathematics faculty is taking down names," Jawad informed him casually, unaware of his emotions. But at the mention of her name, Salaar's entire body tensed up.

He followed Jawad out of the classroom and saw Zarmeena standing at a distance, surrounded by a small crowd. She was in her usual tomboyish attire, a cap on her head with her ponytail sticking out from the back. She looked busy as she handed out forms, her famous gang of friends around her.

Without realizing he could be noticed, Salaar found himself walking toward her. "I want to join too," he said, almost in a daze.

"Okay, which sport do you want to sign up for?" she asked without looking up, her tone as carefree as ever.

"Swimming and rugby," he replied abruptly, his eyes glued to her.

Zarmeena finally looked up, startled. Her mouth agape.
"What? What did you say?" she uttered, wide-eyed.

"Swimming and rugby," he stuttered.

She was still in disbelief. "Man, you're really out to make this poor, sweet girl's life difficult," she muttered, the irony not lost on those around them who knew her tough persona. He heard chuckles at Zarmeena's words, 'sweet and innocent.'

"Listen carefully," she exclaimed, her voice full of sarcasm.
"This isn't Cambridge; we don't even dream of playing those sports here." She dropped her gaze, searched through the pile, and handed him a few papers. "These are forms for every sport we offer. Pick any three that suit you." She concluded by putting the forms in his hand.

Salaar took the forms, but his mind was elsewhere as he watched her walk away, issuing instructions to submit the forms by the next day.

"Sajid, Sajid, Sajid..." She was waving to him, as if her world wasn't complete without him, Salaar thought bitterly as he walked to the parking lot, kicking everything in his path. As he got into his car, he saw Sajid strolling with Sajida.
Starting the car, he sped past them, spraying mud on Sajid's clothes with a look of fury.

Sajid was stunned by the sudden attack. Sajida noticed Salaar smirking in the rearview mirror of his car.

"Salaar, stop this. It's more than enough," he scolded himself.
"That girl doesn't even care about you. How could you forget who you are? You're Salaar Malik; you can't fall for such an ordinary girl." He tried to convince himself, but deep down, he knew she couldn't be an ordinary girl, as she had captivated him so badly.

---

"Nazli, where are you going?" Warda asked sternly. She was sitting in the lobby reading a book, waiting for Musa to come home, but couldn't help asking when she saw Nazli leaving just before Musa's arrival from school.

"I'm going to my parents' house," Nazli replied without looking at her mother-in-law, rummaging through her branded purse. She was dressed in a light pink long frock with white block heels, her hair in a loose braid, and sunglasses perched on top of her head.

"Nazli, I don't like these frequent visits to your parents' house. It's time you start paying more attention to your child and home," Warda said firmly, picking up the magazine again.

Nazli's beautiful face burned with anger, but she said nothing and left, getting into the car. Sensing her mood, the driver quickly took his seat and started the car.

---

Zarmeena was engrossed in her work, perched on a chair in the canteen. Nowadays, she frequently changed spots to get better focus on her studies, but to her dismay, Sajida always found her.

"Zaro, you've wasted yourself and bored me to death," Sajida said regretfully, squatting beside her.

"And what should I do to turn my wasted life into a wonderful one?" Zarmeena said with a hint of sarcasm, closing her book, knowing Sajida wouldn't let her study in peace.

"Just look around. There are so many great guys on this campus. Have you seen Salaar from the business faculty? My God, he is so handsome," Sajida exclaimed in an overly sweet, utterly amazed voice.

"Yes, I know. Last time, you were obsessed with Fahad from Economics. And before him, Zavyar from Physics, and before him-"

"Okay, okay," Sajida interrupted, not wanting her friend to continue her list of previous crushes.

"No matter how long that list of yours gets, none of them will ever give me a chance because you're not letting me," Sajida complained, knowing Zarmeena and her anti-romance attitude would never let her have a proper relationship.

"I can't take your nonsense anymore. I'm leaving," Zarmeena said, raising her voice and packing her things, sensing that Sajida was planning to take this discussion further.

"Zaro, please, just look around. Every girl on this campus has a boyfriend except us," Sajida continued her tragic tale. Zarmeena sat back down, feeling obligated to listen as a friend.
"You're so mean. You're not doing anything, and you're not letting me either. We've reached a point where people are starting to pair us together."

Zarmeena listened attentively until Sajida's last words made her sit up straight. "Are you out of your mind?" she snapped, furious at her last words.

"Am I wrong? Just look at yourself. From any angle, do you look like a girl? On top of that, everyone knows you're keeping me away from guys. They'll definitely think you're doing it out of jealousy," Sajida criticized, pushing Zarmeena to her limit. Zarmeena's fury now reached its peak.

"I'm done with your daily drama. Now, I'll use my fists to shut you up," Zarmeena said, rolling up her sleeves.

"Okay, okay, I don't like guys," Sajida gave up, sighing. "Let's go eat something. I'm starving."

"Sorry, sister, I have class," Zarmeena said, pulling on her backpack and heading toward the classroom.