Bookworms | ✔

twenty-six

Nicholas stared deep into Dina's dark brown eyes, getting lost in the emotions that seemed to overwhelm them. Her hand clutched onto his as if her life depended on it, and he noticed the slight hesitation in her eyes as she bit her lip. They both knew that their love was wrong.

Sighing, Nicholas pushed her hand away, ignoring the searing pain of his action and the hurt that circled her tear-filed vision. He tore his gaze away from her, not wanting to watch the tears fall down her eyes. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried his best to ignore the voices telling him to leave.

"Nemo," she whispered.

He opened his eyes, a knot forming in his throat. "Why did you confess?" he asked, deep voice hoarse.

"I-I..." she stuttered.

"You know as well as I do that we can't be together."

She stayed silent, letting his words sink in, but Nicholas didn't stop. He knew that Dina was being careless and soon she would be filled with guilt. Her soul was too precious, too pure, too perfect to be stained in ink like his, ink that spelled every mistake, marking his soul.

Complications flew around them, a past chasing after Nicholas, and a future waiting to be told for Dina.

Their love story ceased to exist in a world, where the elites crushed the breath of those below, where morality was dissipating slowly, and where the future was a burden to those without the comfort of wealth. Love did not conquer those obstacles. It only made everything worse.

"We can't-"

Dina put a finger to her lush lips, silently telling him to be quiet. "I'm not asking you to pursue a relationship with me. I know my limitations, but I couldn't keep my feelings hidden from you, and I know I should have," she said as she looked away from him. She sighed deeply. "I should go. This was stupid of me. I just... I gotta go."

She stood to walk away, carrying all her books, but Nicholas couldn't bear to see the girl he loved walk away from him. Walking further and further away, it felt like a desert had inserted itself between them, depriving him of all the nutrients of love that he desperately wished he had. Nicholas shook his head, I can't let her walk away again.

"Dina, wait!" he yelled, chasing after her.

She turned, raising a brow. "What?"

When he stood in front of her, Nicholas lost himself in the perfectly sculpted features of her face. Eyes that shined like starlight, lips that tempted primal desires, high cheekbones stained in a light pink from embarrassment, and a golden complexion that matched the radiance of the sun. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Well?" she asked, impatiently.

"I can't let you go," he admitted, sheepish. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, unconsciously taking one step forward. Dina's blush coated the apples of her cheeks. "I-I'd never known what love was, but with you, it feels right like it was meant to be."

"Nick, you can't. I'm going to drag you into heartbreak," she insisted.

"How can I let the only girl who's ever treated me right walk away from me?" he asked, staring deep into her eyes. "How can I let the only girl who's ever cared about me go?"

She looked away, choosing to stay silent instead of verbally expressing her regret. He knew that God would always come before him, no matter how much she claimed to love Nicholas. Dina was in love with her religion and its teachings.

She created building blocks for herself through it, yet he couldn't deny how much he admired her mental strength to be able to believe in Islam even after all the rocks that were thrown against it. People had stained holy floors with blood, slayed people of color in the name of purity, and through all the dysfunctions that stimulated around the globe, Dina had stayed firm to her belief, knowing that her Creator paved a way for the believers.

She wouldn't stray from her path even if the temptation of love threatened to shatter it.

"You said you love me. Did you mean it?" he questioned, not wanting to live another lie.

She mutely nodded her head. He watched her usually confident demeanor dissolve as she chewed on her bottom lip, nerves twisting and turning internally, and Nicholas felt himself drawing closer. Regret, guilt, and shame swirled around them and he could feel her hesitation, her fear of sin.

"Dina," he whispered, "look at me."

She refused, squeezing her eyes shut as if she were in pain, like one look would destroy her.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Please," he practically begged.

Slowly, her eyes met his again. Tears overwhelmed her waterline, starlike eyes becoming glossy, lips trembling, and his heart hurt.

He brought his thumb to her cheeks, wiping the wet drops away while feeling her tense under his touch. "You're too beautiful to cry," he murmured, "too beautiful to hurt."

"Nick, you're not Muslim. I can't be like all those other girls."

"I'm not asking you to be."

"But-"

He smiled. "I didn't fall in love with the rebel Dina. I fell in love with the religious one. The girl who put God before everyone, the girl who is selfless, the girl who wears her hijab like a crown. I don't care that you're a Muslim. If anything, I love it."

She pushed his hand away, wiping fiercely at her eyes. "That doesn't change anything. You're a non-Muslim, a man I can never marry. I love you, but I can't be with you, Nick. No amount of love could change that," she argued, even though each word broke a piece of her as well.

"You're right," he said. "Love doesn't conquer all."

Dina inhaled a sharp breath, feeling the harsh slap of her own words against her, yet accepting the onslaught of her dark reality, where love was withering with the rest of her emotions. She seemed empty for a split second.

"But love does give people the inspiration to change."

----

Lord, show me how to say no to this.

Let's take a moment to applaud Nemo for his practical outlook on life. *cries*

I've seen authors do this, but do you guys really want my social medias?

Don't forget to vote, comment, and folow!