Hazek POV
I waited for the class to end. I was getting impatient as the time went by. I clutched my phone in my hand and watched the video again, anger was surging through me but I tried to calm myself. I quickly type in a message and send it to her
Minutes later the teacher dismisses the class and my eyes search for the figure I have been meaning to talk to. I spot her and quickly rush towards the door while tossing my bag on one shoulder.
"Hazek! Wait up, man!" Mahir, My friend yells from behind me but I disregard him and quickly walk out of the room until I am standing in the department's courtyard.
A few minutes went by when she finally appeared in front of me. "What do you want to talk about, Hazek?" Sana asks, coming in front of me.
"What is this?" I showed her the screen of my smartphone and her eyes widened for merely a second.
"What do you mean, what is it? It's Aisha dancing to a Tiktok sound." Sana dismisses it like it's no big deal.
"First she appeared in her hijab and abaya, then she revealed her hair, from making hack videos to dancing ones. Do you think it's going to stop somewhere?"
"C'mon Hazek. She's just started to live her life, let her grow."
I stare at her in disbelief. "You're saying this because you have also been influenced… I saw your videos too circulating around Tiktok."
"I find no problem with that application. I think Aisha is right… You are a narrow-minded person."
"Sana, I thought you were her best friend. You would rationally explain to her what bad she is encouraging… But I guess you are the same. You both need to be counseled."
"Counseled? Are you serious?" Her disbelief expression told me that explaining to her would go in vain so with a shake of my head I turned around to leave.
As I walked towards the corridor my phone started ringing, it was an unknown number but I took the call. "Hazek? Isn't Aisha your cousin?" The caller spoke before I could even greet them.
My feet halt in my tracks. "Who's this?" My voice was filled with suspicion.
"Sorry, This is Sameer, remember we're taking ethics together? I took your number from Mahir."
Mahir, of course. Giving away my number without my knowledge.
"Is Aisha really your cousin?" He probes.
"Why?" I frowned. I didn't like the idea of a strange guy saying her name.
"Dude, her video is all over the internet. You're one lucky man to have a link with her. Can you please set me up with her? I'll do anything you ask me in return."
I clutched the phone hard in my hand. My body was shaking with rage. If this person had been in front of me I would have torn him to pieces.
He dared think I'd help him?
"Say that to my face. I swear you won't be able to speak again." I growled through the phone.
"What are you getting all fed up about? Fix your attention-seeking cousin before you break my face." Gritting my teeth, I hang up.
He was right… How many men am I going to keep breaking if this continues?
With shaky hands, I logged into the Tiktok application and the first person that appeared on the screen was Aisha.
Gone was the hijab, niqab, and abaya and a girl with makeup on, a high ponytail danced in jeans and a shirt on some rapid beats. I couldn't even complete watching it and straight-clicked on the comments.
DragonFire: You hottie!
Raymond123: You have a gorgeous body, I swear.
JamesBond007: If only looks could kill, I would have been a dead man.
I scrolled through the comments and mostly were by men, harassing her. But what was surprising was that she was unable to see this, she was blinded by the fame she was receiving.
I locked my phone and took some deep breaths to calm the rage that was growing inside me, but it felt no good.
~~~
Aisha's POV
I was sitting in the cafeteria when Sana arrived at the table. "Where were you?" I asked.
"It might anger you to know." She gives me an apologetic look.
"Hazek called you over again?" She nods in answer. "Did he threaten that he'd tell everything to my family? Me not wearing an abaya, hijab, and making Tiktok videos if I don't stop?"
"Surprisingly that's the only thing he doesn't say." She shrugs her shoulders as to why he's hesitant to do it when he is trying so hard to stop me with everything I am doing.
"He's just insecure since no girl has ever laid a glance on him. He can't bear that I am getting all that attention."
"No… I don't think so." She shook her head. "I think he likes you."
"What? Pfft! No! No!" I give a stupid laugh. "He just cares about the image of the family that I might damage according to him."
"No, I have watched him closely… He has his eyes searching for you in a crowd. Remember the time when there was a long line in the cafeteria and he went out of his way to bring you snacks for lunch."
"It was because there were only men and no line for women."
"Exactly. Why would he go out of his way to help you?"
"Because he's worried I might complain to Uncle Waleed, his father about him."
Sana crosses her hands against her chest. "It's quite the opposite actually. Why would he approach me not one time but multiple times just to convince you to quit Tiktok."
"Maybe he likes you." I shrug my shoulders innocently and she rolls her eyes at me. "Anyways even if he does like me. I don't care because I don't like him, end of the story. Have you ever looked at him? The long beard he is keeping it's such a turn-off!" I say it with a wave of my hand.
Meanwhile, a few people who walked by stared at me and it didn't go unnoticed by Sana as well. We looked at each other questioningly and soon our curiosity was killed when a junior girl stopped by our table.
"Aisha baji (elder sister)! I want your autograph, please!" She grins from eye to eye while handing me her notebook.
"Of course. Do you follow me on Tiktok?" I ask, returning her smile.
"Yeah, just recently." She giggles as I sign her notebook. "Your dance video is amazing! The way you shake your hips-" She speaks while swaying her hips left and right and moving her hands in the air incoherently. "Looks so professional!"
I stood up from my chair and stopped her from portraying it any further when I noticed that the scene had grabbed people's attention now in the cafeteria.
"Ha-ha…. Thanks, girl." I gave her a hesitant smile before turning towards Sana who too looked surprised. "Uh… Umm, which video are you talking about?"
"The one in which you are dancing… I guess it's the department's restroom." I covered my mouth with my hands and my eyes widened. "It's going viral everywhere. I saw someone post it on Instagram."
Suddenly my eyes caught sight of a long bearded man. For merely a second our eyes met.
I couldn't fathom the furious look his eyes contained. His fists were clenched, his brows were creased into a frown and he stomped away just as quickly as he had come.
He saw it too.
I am doomed now.