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M A R I N A

: Are you free after school?

Marina was making her way to her dorm room after a hectic Embryology class when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She brought it out and unlocked it, her thumb tapped the messaging app and saw it was a text from Shahroz.

She quickly typed a reply.

: Is it okay if you wait for 20 min?

She had to freshen up. The infuriating Genetics class was what made her sweat more and she needed a hot shower to soothe her nerves which Shahroz had so easily got on during class.

She was picking out her clothes when her phone blinked again and checked it.

: Okay. See you at the library :)

She hopped into the shower right away, the warm water cascading down her bare back as she massaged her scalp with shampoo, her mind roaming on to other topics.

Tutoring someone right after finishing your classes was rather exhausting, but she was willing to do it for Shahroz.

She saw how broken he looked that day outside the dorm building. Her heart ached knowing he was hurting at that time, and she was willing to fix that. She was willing to fix him.

She had been shoving the bizarre thought away, but she couldn't help but think, 'What if I hadn't shown up at that time when he was about to cut himself? '

She shook her head, dismissing the ridiculous thought away. It was meant by Allah for her to be there when he was seconds away from sliding the blade over his vein. It was meant by Allah for her to be there when Shaheer was strangling him. It was meant by Allah for her to be there when his car crashed in front of her eyes.

It was destined by Allah for both of them to meet each other.

She came out wet and clean, her body radiating warmth as she changed into her new clothes and blow dried her hair at the highest speed, the clock in the corner of the room telling her she's seven minutes late already.

She grabbed her books and laptop and set off for the library where Shahroz was waiting for her.

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She closed the almost-empty library's door as she turned around, her eyes probing for Shahroz. She found a figure look up from his book and give her a breathtaking smile, her heart feeling a bit funny.

She sat down next to him, her mouth muttering a faint 'hey' and he did the same. He couldn't help but notice how her skin looked more clear and fresh, and how she smelt of a stronger Jasmine scent than usual.

"You smell.. better.." He commented with a smirk which she wanted to slap out of his face.

She was about to glide the pencil's lead against the paper but stopped, her eyes meeting his mischievous ones as she gave him a look saying 'really?'

"Then what do I smell like usually?" She dropped her pencil and crossed her arms, smirking back before she continued, "And why do you smell me anyways?"

He shrugged before answering, "Did you put perfume on just because you're going to see me?" He wiggled his eyebrows, making her smirk even wider.

"Oh as if ", she waved her hand in the air, "And it's called showering. You wouldn't know." She gave a sly grin.

His smile dropped and she couldn't contain her laugh. He noticed her eyes crinkle this time and dimples appear on her cheeks. He noticed how the dimple on her right cheek was deeper than the one on her left. He noticed how her eyes contained water after a while due to laughing too much. He looked down and smiled.

She was his little escape from the harsh reality, and he hoped things would always stay like this between them. He hoped that she would never leave him, but there were doubts in his head due to the past.

He really hoped she'd stay.

He zoned back in once he was conscious of fingers snapping in front of his face. He looked up and Marina gave him an annoyed look.

"Did I come here to watch you smile at the ground?" She questioned, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Heat immediately flowed to his cheeks as he replied, "N-no."

"Okay", she picked up her pencil for the millionth time today, "Open your book."

He started smiling at the ground again and she had to smack the back of his head to get his attention.

"I'm leaving." She was about to pick up her laptop and turn around when he shouted a loud 'no'.

A bit too loud when you're in a library.

She turned around and he could see the librarian glaring daggers in their direction from above Marina's shoulder. He squirmed in his seat, not before hearing her say something under the lines of 'kids nowadays' and 'flirting'.

She sat back down and he opened his books immediately, this time serious as they redid today's lesson in Genetics and she helped him with some of his Anatomy. She was surprised with how willing he was to score good, as he was just fooling around a while ago.

The sun was setting, the sky changed between colours of orange, pink and red in different areas, giving it an ombré look. She smiled when she looked out the window, her head supported by her hand as she stared outside, fascinated by the beauty of Allah's creation. She muttered a low SubhanAllah (praise be to Allah).

Shahroz frowned when he looked at the sky, clearly remembering that day when he made an inner promise to never love his mother. He always closed the curtains whenever the sun was setting, but he had no choice now.

He looked away, his eyes blinking more frequently as he thought that might take away the pain.

Marina noticed that and touched his shoulder, this time placing her hand gently and not punching it.

"You okay?" She asked softly and he stilled. He thought she didn't notice.

There was a calm silence in the air and she decided to speak again, her feminine voice made way to his ears again.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She tilted her head slightly to the right, his head still looking at the ground. He looked defeated.

He debated whether he should tell her. He knew he trusted her more than any other person he knew, but he didn't want to relive the horrifying memory.

Plus he didn't want to dump all his problems on her. He didn't want to bother her too much. After all, she had always been like this - happy, carefree, and lighthearted - and he didn't want to give her his pain too much.

He looked up at her, her green eyes capturing him as he gave a weak smile before answering, "Not now."

She nodded in understanding, knowing all too well that it will take time for him to open up. She removed her hand from his shoulder and sighed. She needed to first pass his walls to make him heal, and she was willing to help him by bonding with him any chance she got.

She was willing to make him happy.

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