A Muslim's Past [COMPLETED]

Chapter 17

Hasnain's POV

I was back in Oxford again.

I don't know why I decided to call Hannah again but I did. I just wanted her to forgive me, but she wouldn't listen to me.

The phone rang and went straight to voicemail. I hated this, I knew she was ignoring me. I sat back on my bed.

Standing behind the counter I don't know what came over me. Guilt I guess. I don't know why but I couldn't take what I'd done. I placed the milk down and spoke quietly,

"Could I have a pack of B&H silver as well please?" The assistant raised his eyebrow,

"ID?" He looked bored. I sighed. Maybe I shouldn't but I couldn't stop my hands from going into my wallet and taking out my drivers licence. I showed it to him and he seemed content and turned behind me to lift the pack up.

I payed by card and walked out of the store. Out of a habit my hand went to my back pocket when I realised I didn't have a lighter anymore. I had thrown it away.

Great, I walked back into the store and bought a lighter. I opened the cigarette pack and took one out. I was so disappointed in myself. Just as I was about to light the cigarette, I saw someone I did not want to see.

"Since when did you smoke?" I didn't know what to say as she looked at me. I stuttered,

"I..er...don't." She pointed to the very evident cigarette in my hand and said,

"Maybe I'm being stupid but that looks like a cigarette to me." I sighed,

"Well I had stopped smoking but I guess I'm going to start again." She did not look happy and took the cigarette from my hands.

"You're an idiot. Don't smoke. You're a medical student. You know the damage it causes." Well Amrah was being blunt today. She wasn't normally like this. I was a bit shocked to say the least.

"You don't understand...," I started. She tilted her head and looked at me.

"Fine, smoke then. I'll just go and buy some cigarettes and we can smoke together." She looked angry. Well I didn't know what to say to that.

"Exactly, that's what I thought." She took the pack from me and threw it in the bin and walked away. As she walked away she said to me,

"Smoking is not the answer to your problems."

I knew she was right. I had a lot of work that I needed to finish off if I still wanted to get a first in my degree.

The library was a half an hour walk away and I was walking very slowly so it took even longer.

I tensed my body as someone came up behind me and bumped shoulders with me. Tilting my head, I saw it was Evie. She smiled at me,

"How you been, Has? Haven't spoken to you in a while, how were your holidays?"

"Good, how about yours?" There wasn't much point going into details.

"They were amaaaaaazing, don't you just love Christmas? Oh...wait you don't celebrate it, do you? What do you celebrate again? Hannukah...no that isn't right...EID... that's it, right?" I nodded my head, whilst she continued gushing about her holidays.

"...so, enough about me. You went to see your brother, how was that? Your sister is called Aminah, right?" she questioned me.

"Yeah, Aminah. You met her once." She clapped her hands together. I rolled my eyes, this girl was way too happy.

"Oh yeah, I remember. I spoke to her for a few minutes. Oh I can remember now. You know that boy was there, what was his name again?" I got a bit confused then but then realised who she was talking about.