𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞| is he..back?

"Watch where are you going!"

A girl exclaims behind me after I bump into her, but I don’t have time to stop and apologize since I’m already running late to class. I think I should’ve listened to Mom when she told me not to stay up late, but tell me, how could I stop when the enemies in my book are finally becoming lovers after, like, a hundred books? I had to finish it, right?

Currently, I'm pursuing physiology. I never knew what I wanted to become or what job I’d do, but like they say, "Do what your heart desires!" And my heart has always wanted to help people with their problems, to understand what they’re going through or whatever situation is causing them to feel sad or depressed. I’ve noticed a lot in our society—though not all—but most people don’t take mental health seriously when it’s so damn important.

No wonder more than 700,000 people die by suicide every year

So that’s why I decided to give this path a chance, and now here I am, almost two years into my degree at the University of East London.

After sprinting like the Angel of Death is on my tail, I finally make it to class. The professor is already teaching something on the blackboard, and my breathing comes in ragged after running so hard. I take a deep breath before walking up to the door and asking,

"MaY I come in?" Every student in the class turns their head toward me.

Silence

Why the hell is everyone looking at me like I’ve committed a crime or something? Look away, all of you. I’m just late, which isn’t exactly new— "Oh, who do we have here! Our Zaira with her perfect time management, huh?" Sarcasm drips from the professor’s tone, causing some of the boys to laugh.

Bastards.

I glance at the professor, who is looking at me like I’m personally responsible for all the white hair on his head. I quickly drop my gaze, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

Translation: I’m afraid I’ll accidentally laugh.

"I’m sorry for being late. I’ll make sure not to repeat this mistake agai—"

"Miss Malik, you’ve been saying that for a whole month now!" His stern, slightly raised voice sends shivers down my spine. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest.

My body fills with anxiety. It always happens when anyone raises their voice at me.

"I’m sorry." My voice comes out shakier than I intended. What the hell is wrong with me?

He sighs and gestures for me to come in. I quickly walk inside and head for the last row, where there are two seats.

I take one and place my bag on the other so nobody will sit beside me—except for someone certain who hasn’t arrived yet

I pull out my notebook and pen and turn my attention to the board, where the professor continues teaching. I thought I was the only one late, but Adira still hasn’t shown up.

"Zaira, come here and solve this," the professor calls out. He did that on purpose. Why the hell do all teachers hate me? I don’t even do anything.

I standup, walk over to him, and take the chalk from his hand, starting to solve the hardest question he’s written on the board. He thinks that just because I’m late, I can’t answer this.

Too bad for him; he’s got another thing coming.

With a full stop that I press hard enough to make a loud 'thud,' I hand the chalk back to the professor, who is now scanning my answer.

He stares at my writing before turning to me and speaking in a somewhat hoarse voice, "It’s the correct answer, Miss Malik."

"Good job," he adds. My lips curl into a proud smile. But before I can head back to my seat, a loud bang on the door captures everyone’s attention.

"Sir! May I come in?" The girl standing with her back against the wall, breathing shallowly, is none other than my dear, dangerous best friend—Adira Rahman.

"Well, who do we have here now?" The professor turns his head toward me before looking back at Adira. "Why are you so late?"

Adira stands up straight, now breathing normally, her brown eyes flickering between me and the professor.

"Someone knocked off my car’s side mirror," she says, taking a deep breath. "So I broke his nose." She glances at me again before continuing, "That’s what made me late."

The professor stares blankly at her before shaking his head. "Come in." She walks inside, and we both settle into our seats.

"Are you mad?" I ask carefully, keeping my voice low.

"A little bit." She flashes her grin. "Anyway, did you do the assignment?" she continues. "It wasn’t that hard this time, so I finished it in a few minutes."

We were given an assignment. It wasn’t hard, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Translation two: I’m lazy.

"Nope," I reply. Her eyes widen, and she lets out a loud exclamation.

"ARE YOU DUMB?" The student sitting opposite us turns their head, giving us a look that says, "What noisy people." I flash a smile at the girl, and she raises her brow in confusion before minding her own business.

I slap Adira’s arm. "Thora aur zor se bol, puri duniya ko nhi suna!"

(Speak a little more loudly, let the whole world hear you!)

"Sorry, sorry. But seriously, bro, you didn’t do the assignment? You know today was the last day to submit it," concern evident in her voice.

Mischievously, I say, "You said it was easy, no? So how about you quickly do it for me, please?" She rolls her eyes before replying, "Fine... but you’re paying for lunch today, deal?"

"Deal."

In the afternoon, after classes, Adira and I are having lunch in the canteen. Adira, as usual, is busy on her phone, while I try to catch a glimpse of someone special—

"Ahem... who are you looking for, huh?" She puts her phone back in her purse and leans in, speaking in a low tone. "You’re looking for Zaid, right?"

Zaid

Even hearing his name makes my heart skip a beat. Zaid and I are friends, but only Adira knows how much I like and lov—lets not go there

He’s been my crush for two years now, and I still haven’t found the courage to confess to him. When we were kids, we went to the same school, and now we’re at the same university. His father, Rahil Uncle, and my father were best friends. 'Were'—because my father passed away. His father used to be talkative and fun, but now, it’s not the same.

My dad’s death really affected him. Given their great friendship, Zaid and I have always ended up in the same school, same tuition, and now the same university.

Adira’s voice brings me back to reality. "Hello? Where’d you get lost?" she asks, chuckling.

"Nothing. What were you saying again?"

"I don’t—" She stops midway, tilting her head toward someone behind me. I turn and spot Zaid.

He’s standing with a bunch of guys, laughing at something one of his friends said. Of course, he’s so popular at university, with his irresistible looks and aura.

His gaze drifts to mine, and he smiles, making my heart race.

Calm down, I tell my heart.

Despite my rapid heartbeat, I return the smile and swivel back to Adira, who’s looking at me with an annoyed expression.

"What?" I ask, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

"Tell me, Zaira, how many more years will you bottle up these feelings, huh?" she says. "Go, bro, confess to him, or it’ll be too late."

A part of me wants to tell him, but another part is scared. What if he rejects me? What if he likes someone else?

"It’s not that easy, Adira," I sigh. "I don’t want to risk losing the bond I have with him. And even if he likes me back, I wouldn’t just jump into a relationship. I want to be with him, but in a halal way, not a haram relationship."

[Note: For those who don’t know what halal and haram mean, Zaira is a Muslim, and in Islam, being in a relationship before marriage is considered haram (forbidden) and Halal is basically the opposite of haram—it refers to what is permissible]

"I’ll wait," I add.

Her face softens as she places her hand over mine. "I’m not telling you to get into a relationship with him; I’m telling you to confess. If he says no, then okay. But if he agrees, great. I just don’t want your heart to break after waiting so long." She gently squeezes my hand.

I smile at her concern. "I will... soon. But right now, let me focus on this brownie, okay?" I insist, and she chuckles, withdrawing her hand.

"So, what are you going to wear for Eid?" she inquires. Eid is literally in two days, and I still haven’t bought anything.

(Note number two: For those who don’t know, Eid is a traditional Islamic festival)

I haven’t had time.

"I haven’t decided yet, but I’m going shopping with Azhar bhai to pick out something for both of us," I tell her. "Come join us if you want."

(Brother)

She sets her cup down, an annoyed look crossing her face. "No thanks, I can’t tolerate that asshole." I laugh—Adira and Azhar have always been at each other’s throats.

"Oh, come on, he’s not that bad," I argue, knowing it’ll rile her up.

"Yeah, right? He’s not bad; he’s worse!" she sulks, and I laugh again.

—————————————————

After attending all my classes, I found myself standing at the university exit. Adira had already left after I told her that my brother would pick me up; otherwise, I would have gone with her.

Usually, I go home or anywhere with a personal driver that my family has hired, but today my big brother—Azhar—wanted me to go with him for his Eid shopping.

I begged him to take me with him.

In a few minutes, a black Escalade drives over and stops right in front of me. The window rolls down, and two grey eyes meet mine.

"Get in, Zaira! We don’t have much time. I’m literally canceling a meeting to be—" he started, but I cut him off. I should mention that my brother is a complete workaholic.

"Okay, okay! I get it, you canceled a meeting to buy your Eid clothes, which is a huge favor on your part," I taunt, getting in the car and buckling up before turning to look at him.

He starts driving. "So, how was university?" He takes a turn to the right.

"It wasn’t bad."

"What about you?" I inquire. "How was your day at work?" Azhar is the CEO at Visionary Ventures. He’s been doing this since he graduated. At first, my father managed the company, and now my big brother does.

"Work was good, just dealing with the same annoying employees," he answers. "It was hectic, but yeah, it keeps me busy, so no complaints," he chuckles.

"Your brain needs rest too," I tell him. "You can’t just work 24/7, brother; it’s not good for your he—" I trail off as the car comes to a stop with a thud, and he turns to me.

"Put a pause on your physiology lecture, ma'am." He unbuckles himself before speaking again. "Let’s go."

We both step out of the car. The sun is already melting into the sky, creating such a beautiful view. I turn to my brother, who grabs my hand and leads me inside the mall, still gripping his phone with the other.

"The sky can wait; we have to get this done first."

After three hours

It is almost 10 p.m., and this man—who was acting like I’d asked him to climb mountains just to buy some Eid clothes—is now buying half the mall.

They say women take a lot of time shopping, but here my lovely brother is proving them all wrong.

"Bhai, let’s go, I’m tired," I insist. "You can come back here, and if you wish, you can buy this entire freaking mall! But please, for now, let’s go."

He sighs as he places the watch back on its stand. "Yeah, let’s go." Thank God. He leads me to the cashier and pulls out his black card, scanning it over the machine.

In a few minutes, the cashier hands us plenty of bags. I insist on carrying some of them, but he doesn’t let me; instead, he hands me the smallest and lightest one.

Big brother duties.

In no time, we make it out of the mall and back to our car. I place my bag on the ground as he opens the trunk and carefully places the bags inside.

As I stand there watching him, I hear the sound of... a meow. A cat? What’s a cat doing here? I twirl around, and my gaze goes straight to a little kitten on the main road, meowing.

The cars are still speeding by without a care in the world. I immediately rush towards the road, carefully crossing it. I reach the kitten, and in my attempt to pick it up, I fall on my knees.

Oh God.

I quickly gather the kitten in my arms, her face stained with dust. I pull up to my feet, and a car, whose make I couldn’t quite see, speeds straight toward me.

My heart starts racing faster, the outside world blurs.

What should I do now?

I crouch down, holding the kitten tightly to my chest. I shut my eyes, ready to be hit by the car.

Am I going to die? No, I haven’t even deleted the silly poems on my mobile. No, I can’t let thi—

Something strong stops 2 or 3 feet away from me. The force is so strong that it sends my hair flying all over. I quickly open my eyes as I see a man stepping out of his car with an anxious expression on his face. He crouches down to my level.

"Hey, are you okay?!" the man asks me, his voice filled with urgency. His eyes scan my body for any injuries before settling on mine.

Oh.

Green eyes.

They remind me of him.

"Yeah, I... I’m okay." I look down at the kitten in my arms, who looks as terrified as I am. My hands are literally shaking. "I’m sorry, I just saw this cat on the highway and thought I should save her." I quickly stand up despite the trembling in my body. The man gets to his feet as well.

"You could've gotten hurt just now if I'd taken another one or two seconds more to stop the car." The edge in his voice makes it clear he’s furious, and his eyes hold an intensity before they meet mine. Something flickers in them. His clenched jaw relaxes under my gaze, and he goes silent.

He looks like him.

My brain tells me, but I quickly shake off the thought and remind myself that it's not the time for nonsense. I have to get out of this situation ASAP.

"I’m sorry, I really am." I glance to my right. I need to go. If my brother finds out, he will  lecture me until my ears bleed.

"I’m sorry, but I have to go." Without waiting for a response, I quickly and carefully cross the road and get back to where Azhar’s car is parked.

"Zaira, where did you go?" his voice calls from behind. I turn to look at him, his eyes filled with worry. "Whose cat is this?" I let out a sigh before explaining everything to him, knowing how overprotective he can be.

I leave out the part where I almost died. With a long and loud sigh, he says, "And exactly where are you thinking of taking her?" He continues, "You know Bella would freak out if she saw another cat, especially one of a different breed."

That’s true. Once I brought a Persian cat home, and Bella freaked out so much that she hid under a bed for almost 3 hours straight.

"We can’t leave her here, no way. We’ll go to a sanctuary," I declare. I am not letting this little furball roam around here. He rubs his forehead with his hand in frustration before nodding and gesturing for me to sit in the car.

He adjusts in the driver’s seat and starts the engine while I look down at the little kitten in my lap, who leans into my hands.

"It’s okay, you’re safe now. We’ll take you to a good place where you’ll find some friends, hmm?"

The kitten meows in response, and my lips curl into a smile. Despite the happiness I feel having this little furball in my hands, I can still feel the tension in my chest.

The man.

It couldn’t be him, but he was so much like him.

Is he...back?

——————————————————-

Okayy!!

Do not judge this book by its first chapter—as I have already mentioned, this is my first official book, and I am committed to improving my writing style and skills chapter by chapter.

Anyway, I'll soon upload the second chapter.

Don't forget to comment, everyone, your feedback will help me with the next chapter.

Thank you <3