The Moment She Saw Him

Part 24

Sehar

It had been a week since I started going to Hamza's house to help up with things, but with exams starting tomorrow, I told him I wouldn't be able to come for a while. My mom had said I should stay home and focus on my studies.

"You okay? You look worn out," Anu asked when I bumped into her and Ziya in class.
"I pulled an all-nighter. Now I really need some sleep," I replied, yawning deeply.
"Want to grab something to eat?" she offered.
"Nah, thanks. Where's everyone else?"
"They're probably just wandering around somewhere."
I hadn't run into that "goddess" since that day, though she did send me a friend request on Instagram. I hadn't accepted it yet.
As I made my way to class, Yami suddenly rushed up to me. "Oh my god, Sehar, your eyes are so red! Are you okay?" she exclaimed, grabbing my face and inspecting me like a concerned parent."Yeah, guys, I'm fine. Just need some sleep," I mumbled, walking with them to our classroom.We entered the room, and I slumped into my seat. My body ached from exhaustion, and my mind was swirling with all the things I needed to review for the exams. As I rested my head on the desk, my phone buzzed. It was another notification—another message from that Instagram friend request. I glanced at my phone and sighed. Why was she still trying to contact me? Just then, Ziya poked me on the arm. "Sehar, what's up with you? You seem off today.""I'm just tired. It's been a long week, and now these exams are stressing me out.""Don't worry, we'll get through it together," she smiled, trying to cheer me up. As I closed my eyes for a quick break, my thoughts wandered back to that day, to the way the "goddess" had looked at me. Something about it still lingered in my mind. Why was she reaching out now? Was it a coincidence or something more?

I couldn't shake the feeling. Why was she so persistent? The more I thought about it, the more curious I became. Maybe it was nothing, or maybe it was something. I stared at my phone, her request still sitting there, waiting for a response.
"Sehar, you okay?" Ziya asked again, noticing I was lost in thought.
"Yeah, just thinking," I said, forcing a smile. "I'll be fine once I get some sleep and get through these exams."
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of class. I put my phone away and focused on the lesson, or at least tried to. My mind kept wandering back to her—the "goddess" with the piercing eyes and that mysterious aura. I hadn't seen her around campus since that day. But why did she want to connect now, just before the exams?

"My head is hurting so bad after that long lecture," I groaned to Ziya, rubbing my temples. "Can I sleep for a bit? Just tell anyone who comes that I'm not feeling well."
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the infirmary?" she asked, sounding worried.
"No, I'll stay here." I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and tried to block out the noise. My mind started drifting to Hamza and that "goddess." I couldn't stop thinking about how perfect they would look together. Even though I didn't want to think about it, the thought kept coming back. Soon enough, I fell asleep without realizing it.

When I woke up, the classroom was quieter, and the light seemed softer. Ziya was still next to me, scrolling through her phone. I blinked, trying to fully wake up. I felt a bit confused—like I had only slept for a few minutes, but my stiff neck told me I had been out longer than that.
"Feeling better?" Ziya asked, giving me a small smile.
"Yeah, I guess," I replied, though my mind still felt a little fuzzy.
 I slowly sat up, trying to shake off the strange dream I had—Hamza, the "goddess," and some weird conversations that didn't make any sense.I grabbed my phone and saw another message from her waiting for me.
"I need to explain something important. Please don't ignore me."
I sighed. What was going on? This was getting more serious than I had thought. Part of me wanted to forget about it and pretend nothing was happening. But another part of me was too curious. I had to know what she wanted to say.After a moment of thinking, I quickly typed back:
"Okay, explain. What's going on?"Ziya glanced over at my phone and gave me a look. "I hope you know what you're getting into," she said.I shrugged. I really wasn't sure. But it felt like I had to see where this was going. I was already caught up in it, whether I liked it or not.