When our stars align

Chapter 1

*PRESENT DAY*

"Anika, you know Bilal is coming right"

Sumaiya nudges at Mahfuza, "oh my god! I told you not to tell her, what's wrong with you!"

I pretend not to care, looking into the front car mirror, fixing my hijab. After 6 hours on a plane, this hijab needed some serious readjusting!

'Anika I was going to tell you, but I can't stop him I am sorry man I tried but, Bilal is Nathan's best friend." Farhana nervously murmured the words to me as she tried concentrating her focus on the road.

"Guys, honestly I am fine, he can come all he wants I really don't care, in any case it's been three years I'm over it."

I swallowed back the rising lump in my throat, reassuring them. I mean it really shouldn't matter, it's been a long time and in any case I'm here for my best friend's big day! This is her special day! Why should I keep mourning over the person who left me all alone on our Nikah, the day we were going to be one? He betrayed me, he has moved on in life, so why should I stay grieving in the back!

*FLASHBACK THREE YEARS*

"Farhana come to the station at exactly 8.00am, we can't be late!" I texted Farhana leaving the house, with a mixture of butterflies and fear in my stomach. It was the first day of the last segment in our teaching course. After that, we would become teachers! I always wanted my best friend to go university with me, however sadly I ended up going to a completely different university than Farhana. At least this way, our dream was coming true. We were going to be semi working with each other! I panicked as Farhana wasn't replying. I was approaching the station, praying for Farhana to be there. The train was arriving in five minutes. I tilt my head around to see a slim tall hour glass figure standing near the station topping her oyster up. She turned around and gave me the fattest grin ever.

"Urmmm Bro, if there's a person more punctual than you, it's me!".

I chuckled at her, because she was kind of right. Every time our group has to meet up, the only ones that would show up late would be Sumaiya and Mahfuza.

Life was weird. It was never what I wondered it would turn out. Once Farhana was the little girl in primary who scared me and now she is a part of my family. If I sat down to talk about our adventures it would take years, because over the past decade we have gone through A LOT! From eating till we are sick, to having silly crushes to overcoming depression! She was my rock and I was hers! The person we both became today is only possible because we were there for each other. Anyway, enough of the Farhana and Anika saga. We were arriving at the sixth form in a few more steps!

Oh, by the way, I forgot to even mention, we were both joining the social sciences department to teach law! One elderly gentleman greeted us at the reception and guided us to the department we were going to be trained at. Farhana and I got split up and we both joined two separate classes. I was informed that I was going to be shadowing the teachers for the first week. It was an exciting first morning. The children were definitely a bit of a challenge, but Ms Islam the head of the department was a strict and excellent teacher. You could tell the children knew she was a no-nonsense teacher, as soon as she arrived they all simmered down and got to work. "Hey, are you new here?", I heard someone question me as I shifted my head to face them.

"Yes, I am, I am getting trained to be a teacher" I beamed back at them. It felt so grownup to say that!

"No shit, I thought you are a student."

My smile turned into a giggle, I got mistaken a lot as a college student. I was very short and quiet, but it made me happy because I looked young!

"Andrew, excuse your language, that is Miss Ahmed you are speaking to, class this is our new trainee who will teaching you from next week, I want you guys to co-operate, she will be giving me feedback, I expect you all to be behaved", Ms Islam piped in, helping me out. The bells soon rang, and all the kids were allowed out to lunch. I came out to the corridor to a blushing Farhana.

"hey, I found such a hottie Anika, you won't believe what his name is."

"stalking as per usual, hey who's this new guy you found", I laughed. Farhana ALWAYS had a crush wherever she went.

"Anika, his name is Nathaniel."

My eyes and mouth were opened wide in shock "NO WAY!"

For those who don't know, when we were teenagers, Farhana made a book on watt pad called Forbidden Love where her main character was her ideal man named Nathaniel. I know it was such a big coincident and a big cliché!

"Oh look, he's coming towards us the one with the blue shirt, he's with his friend, they both are getting trained in this department, Nathaniel's working in sociology and the white shirt dude in History." I face my body towards the door near the corridor to come face to face with a tall guy in light blue shirt and cream chinos. He really looked like an American jock, brown soft wavy hair, mesmerising green eyes. However, my eyes were transfixed on the guy standing next to him. He was equally as tall, with much darker shade of chocolate brown hair. He had the most doll like eyes with perfect pink lips which were puckered into a smile that looked like an accessory on his face. His creamy coffee tan was complimenting the crisp white shirt that kissed his broad shoulders. I quickly snapped myself out of the daydream to find the same pair of mischievous eyes stare back at me amusingly.

"Hey, my name is Bilal, I hear you joined today to start your training too."

"uhmm, hi yeah I'm Anika, yeah today is our first day too," I look at Farhana pleading her to join the conversation, but she looks like she wanted to marry Nathaniel right there and then.

"Great, looks like we are going to be a social science family then", he gave the cheesiest smile back, flashing his pearly whites. All that managed to escape from my mouth was a giggle, gosh Anika fix up! Normally I'm pretty cool at socialising, but something about this guy just made me feel very nervous, I just wanted him to think I was a normal girl and not a weird overdramatic Bollywood maniac who might be in awe of his perfection.

Farhana and Nathaniel were in the corner beaming at each other whilst they did something on Nathaniel's phone together. By the time I could get Farhana to myself, the tannoy rang which meant that it was time for the next lesson. The day went by really fast after the third lesson and before we knew it, our first day of training was over! 

I waited by the gates, which was pretty annoying considering the thousands of loud, aggressive kids escaping from school, some waiting in gangs waiting for their friends to join them, whilst there was a herd of teachers trying to control the crowd. I was getting impatient as Farhana was taking her sweet time and i wanted to tell her about the last period where i actually started leading the presentation which i was well chuffed at! 

Finally, after what seemed like years, she skipped along towards to me giggling like a small school girl...

"What now," i snigger to her i could tell she was up to something. 

"Anika, do you want to come to oxford circus with us for dinner" she chirped shyly.

I assumed it was with Nathaniel and no way in hell was i going to be third wheeling, plus it was a Friday and id much rather catch up on love island than go parading in the busy streets and sweaty underground." 

"Hahahaha no Jack and Dani need to reunite and i need to be a part of it so you behave yourself, ill be fine walking myself home."

i started walking towards the DLR when i heard a car horning at me".....