Love, sabr and lots of dua

chapter 2

The next day ,Amira stared at the math test in front of her, the numbers swimming on the page. She had studied all night, but now, it felt like none of it made sense. Her heart raced as she flipped through the pages, hoping something would click. Nothing did.

She glanced around the classroom. Everyone else seemed focused, their pens flying across the paper. But her mind wandered to Zayd.

Amira bit her lip, forcing herself to focus. This isn’t the time to think about him. She tried to work through the next question, but the panic made it impossible. The test wasn’t going well, and she could feel it.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam, Amira’s heart sank. She barely finished half of the questions. As she handed in her paper, her hands felt shaky. She hated that she cared so much, but she did. Math wasn’t supposed to be this hard.

Outside the classroom, Amira leaned against the wall, letting out a long breath. She knew she hadn’t done her best, and now she just had to wait for the results. The thought of facing her parents with a bad grade made her stomach twist.

"How did it go?" her friend Layla asked, catching up to her in the hallway.

Amira shook her head, "Terrible. I don’t know what happened. I just blanked."

Layla frowned, "It’s okay, you’ll do better next time. It was a hard test."

Amira nodded, but she didn’t feel better. Her mind was still on Zayd.

That night, as she sat at her desk trying to do homework, Amira felt drained. The day had been exhausting, and the math test was just the start of it. She knew she had to keep going, but her heart wasn’t in it.

Before bed, Amira prayed again, but this time, her dua was different.

“Ya Allah,” she whispered, “I know I didn’t do well today. Please give me strength and patience to handle whatever comes. And if it’s meant for me to improve, guide me to do better next time.”

Her thoughts drifted back to Zayd, as they always did.

"And please... help me understand if I’m meant to be in his heart too."

That night, Amira stared at her phone screen for what felt like forever. Should she follow him? Her thumb hovered over the “follow” button. Finally, she pressed it and immediately felt her heart pound. What if he didn’t accept? What if he thought she was weird? Hours passed, and suddenly, her phone lit up—Zayd accepted her request. But that wasn’t all. He had sent her a request to follow her back. Amira’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest. As an introvert, this was a huge step for her. Now, the ball was in her court. Was this the start of something?

Amira sat in her room, heart racing as she prepared to send Zayd a message on Instagram. She took a deep breath, reminding herself of her intention and the dua she had made for clarity.

Salaam, I want you to know I'm here with pure intentions. Do you perhaps want to get to know each other better?

Her finger hovered over the “send” button. What if he didn’t respond? What if he thought she was silly? But she had to try.

Finally, she pressed send, her heart pounding as she waited for a reply. Moments felt like hours until her phone buzzed with a notification.

She opened the message eagerly, only to find Zayd's reply: Wlkslm, shukran for asking; however, I'm not really interested.

Amira's heart sank. The air felt heavy in her chest as she read the words again. It hurt more than she expected. She had put herself out there, and now she felt vulnerable and rejected.

How could he not be interested? she wondered, feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes. But as she read his response again, she realized something. Zayd had been kind in his rejection. He hadn’t been rude or dismissive; he had acknowledged her message and thanked her.

Amira couldn't be angry at him. Instead, she felt a sense of respect and admiration for how he handled the situation. It was hard to let go of her feelings, but she appreciated that he had been considerate.

As the initial shock faded, Amira took a deep breath and reminded herself of the importance of trusting Allah's plan. She sat quietly, trying to find peace in her heart.

“I have to accept this,” she whispered to herself. “Allah knows what’s best for me. Maybe this is for the best.”

That night, as she prepared for bed, she prayed with a heavy heart. “Ya Allah, I trust You. If Zayd is not meant for me, please guide me to what is better. Help me heal and understand your plans.”

Despite the heartache, Amira felt a flicker of hope. She knew that every experience was a lesson, and perhaps this was just one step on her journey.

Despite all this, Amira couldn't stop herself from looking at his pictures, exposing his perfect brown eyes ,cute smile, and overly deep ,defined left dimple." Isn't that amazing? I have a right dimple, and he has a left dimple. Together, our children will have dimples on either cheeks ." Amira thought to her delusional self .

The next day at school, Amira held her head high. She couldn’t let one rejection define her. In the halls, she focused on her studies and her friends, reminding herself that life had so much more to offer.

Even though Zayd wasn’t interested, Amira learned the value of sincerity and courage. She was proud of herself for reaching out and knew she would find happiness again, in whatever form it came.