Love, sabr and lots of dua

Chapter 8 : The Unexpected Number

The air was thick with the tension of exams approaching, but that morning, Amira's mind was elsewhere-on Zayd, of course. Her thoughts constantly flickered back to him, no matter how much she tried to focus on her studies. It didn't help that Azraa had her own plans.And exams were a week away.

"Write down your number," Azraa said with a smirk, handing Amira a small slip of paper. They were sitting outside before school started, their textbooks open, but neither of them was paying much attention to studying.

"Why?" Amira asked, confused.

"Just trust me," Azraa replied, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

Amira hesitated, biting her lip. "Azraa, I don't think this is a good idea..."

"Just do it," Azraa urged, pushing the pen toward her. "You don't have to give it to him. I'll take care of that."

With a sigh, Amira wrote down her number, still unsure if this was the right move. She felt her heart racing just at the thought of Zayd having her number. What if he didn't even want it?

Azraa tucked the piece of paper into her pocket with a wink. "You'll thank me later."

---

The Morning Surprise (the next day)

As the school day started, Amira made her way toward the gate, her heart thumping nervously in her chest. She spotted Zayd in his usual spot, leaning casually against the wall, talking with his teachers . He looked so effortlessly handsome, standing there with his hands in his pockets, and Amira's legs suddenly felt weaker and it just got weaker within every step.

She slowed her pace, trying to act nonchalant as she passed him. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, wondering if he'd noticed her. But in her mind, it was just another ordinary morning-he was there, she was there, and that was that.

What Amira didn't know was that Azraa had already approached Zayd earlier that morning, slipping him the folded piece of paper with Amira's number written neatly on it.

---

Azraa's Move

"Hey Zayd," Azraa had said casually, walking up to him as though it was just a normal conversation. She held out the slip of paper, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Amira wanted you to have this."

Zayd had blinked, caught off guard, but then smiled as he took the paper from her hand. He unfolded it, his eyes scanning the number before glancing back at Azraa.

"She's shy, you know?" Azraa continued, grinning. "But she likes you."

Zayd's smile widened, and without a word, he slipped the paper into his pocket. Azraa, ever the observant one, saw him save Amira's number into his phone, adding a red heart and a small flower emoji next to her name.

She couldn't wait to tell Amira about this later.

---

Unaware and Passing By

Amira, still completely unaware of what had happened, walked past Zayd, her eyes glued to the ground. She didn't even dare to look up, her stomach flipping at the thought of him being so close. If only she knew that he already had her number tucked away in his phone.

As she passed, Zayd glanced at her from the corner of his eye, the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his lips. But he didn't say anything-yet. His friends laughed about something, distracting him for the moment, but his thoughts were on the number in his pocket.

---

The Day Unfolds

As the day went on, Amira couldn't shake the feeling that something was different. She couldn't pinpoint what it was, but the air felt charged with anticipation. She noticed Zayd more than usual-at lunch, in the hallways, during breaks. It was like everywhere she went, he was somehow always there, just within her line of sight.

What Amira didn't realize was that Zayd had been thinking about messaging her all day. The number burned a hole in his pocket, tempting him every time he glanced at his phone. But he didn't know how to start the conversation. What could he possibly say?

Azraa, however, had seen it all. She knew Zayd had saved Amira's number, and she could tell he was thinking about it-maybe even overthinking it. But she wasn't going to let that stop her plan from working.

---

The Night Before Exams

That night, Amira sat at her desk, trying to focus on her notes. Her phone buzzed with a few messages from Azraa, but there was no sign of Zayd. She sighed, glancing at the clock. Maybe it was silly to expect anything. Maybe he wasn't going to text her at all.

Unbeknownst to her, Zayd was lying on his bed, staring at his phone. His thumb hovered over the contact he'd saved-Amira with a red heart and flower emoji. He wanted to message her, but something kept holding him back. What if he said something wrong? What if she wasn't even interested?He also didn't wanna seem dumb .

But that night, as she was about to close her textbooks, Amira made the decision. She wasn't going to wait for him any longer.

She opened her phone, heart racing as she typed out a message.

Slm

Her thumb hovered over the send button, her heart racing. But after a moment, she sighed and deleted the message. No, not yet, she thought. Let him finish his exams first. She didn't want to distract him, and besides, maybe he needed more time. She convinced herself to wait, closing her phone with a determined nod.

___________________________________________

The Day of the Message

The next day, Amira spent her time buried in her notes, reviewing everything for her upcoming exams. But in the back of her mind, she was still thinking about Zayd. She wanted to message him so badly, but she told herself she would wait until he was done writing. It was hard to focus on Afrikaans verbs when all she could think about was whether or not he would reply to her.

Finally, the day came when she knew he was finished with his exams. She was nervous but excited-what if he didn't respond? What if he ignored her completely?

Taking a deep breath, she typed out the message again.

Slm.

This time, she didn't hesitate. She pressed send, and her heart raced as she stared at the screen, praying he wouldn't leave her waiting for too long.

---

The Reply

To her surprise, her phone buzzed almost immediately.

Wlkslm.

Amira's breath caught in her throat. He replied. He actually replied! Her mind raced as she tried to think of something else to say. Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed out her next message.

How are you?

There was another brief pause before his next message appeared.

Alhamdulillah, and u?

Amira couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. Did he really just ask me how I am? She quickly typed back.

Alhamdulillah.

She sat there for a moment, her mind buzzing with thoughts. Okay, this is happening. She wanted to keep the conversation going but didn't want to overthink it. She typed again.

Are u done writing?

Another pause. Then:

Yeah.

Amira smiled to herself, her heart doing that annoying little flip it always did when Zayd was involved. She typed back, trying to keep it casual.

Cool, I still have Afrikaans next week 😭

His reply came quickly:

Enjoy 🥲

Amira couldn't help but laugh softly to herself, shaking her head. She was relieved-relieved that he'd replied, relieved that it wasn't awkward. Maybe things weren't so complicated after all.

For now, that was enough. She tucked her phone away, her heart feeling a little lighter. The exams could wait-at least for tonight.