Hazek's POV
"You're the queen of lies." I spat and it made her throw her head back in laughter. She didn't take the sarcasm but enjoyed it. She was a total psychic.
"It's not lies. It's called the great sorcerer." She flexed upon her dirty attributes.
"Who was she with just now?"
"Hmm… Should I tell you or tell you not?" I grit my teeth and clutch my hand to control the rage brewing inside me. "Well guess what Hazi, I like you. Not like the like-like…" She says while moving her hands back and forth between her and me. "But in the sense of my pawn." She touches me on the arm and I instantly take a step back.
"Don't touch me," I growled.
"Why? Will your Allah punish me for that? He hasn't done anything to protect you from me though."
"Not yet." I hiss. "Tell me who the freaking guy she went out with!" I let my rage out.
"Sheesh. Calm down, lover boy. It's not like we'll be getting filmed here for you to prove your innocence." I looked around and saw the street empty of people.
No wonder she was here, blabbering whatever she wanted. No one was watching us.
"I'll let you on with this little piece of info…" She nears to my ear but I back away which had her smirking. "He's her boyfriend-to-be." She winks at me and my heart just drowns in a flood of misery.
"Oh Hazi. Don't be so upset. I almost heard your heart crash."
"Why are you doing this? What'll you get out of all this?"
"Mhmm… That was the most intellectual question out of all. But I think I'll just pass on this one for now because I am also meeting someone right now." With a wink, she walks away with her skin showing from all the wrong places. I avert my eyes and send a prayer in my heart.
'Ya Allah! (Oh Allah!) who is only one and none other worthy to be worshiped. Protect me from shaitan (devil) and guide me to the right path.'
With that, I walk my way and stop myself from screaming and knocking sense into that evil woman.
~~~
Aisha's POV
"Where are we going, Dave?" I look at him from the passenger seat as he drives the car with one hand which I find very manly and handsome for some strange reason.
"Whenever you call me that, it melts my heart away and I can't resist to just ki-" he suddenly stops speaking.
"You what?"
"You want me to complete my sentence?" I nod my head excitedly and a broad smile spreads across his face.
"But we haven't named our relationship yet." He sounded low-spirited.
I clear my throat. "Which is why I wanted to meet you today." I push a strand of hair behind my ear, shyly.
"I am eager to know that unless it's not a no." I nod my head and his forehead creases. "What do you mean it's a no?"
"No silly! Let's date."
Suddenly he puts his feet on the break and the car abruptly halts to a stop with a screech.
"Did I hear it right?" I nodded to his question and without any warning he leaned towards me and kissed me, making me freeze in surprise.
Heat rushes to my face and I can feel my heart thumping hard against my chest, blood flowing faster in my veins.
Hazek never touched me even when we were alone or when we were young and I didn't do parda(cover).
Why the hell did I think of him just now?
"I am not going to slow down from here. I am going to show you that I can be the perfect man for you." Dave places his hand on mine which sends weird sensations to my whole body which I didn't despise but a little voice inside of me spoke that I was doing wrong. That I shouldn't be with a namahram in such close proximity.
"Anything wrong? Did you not like it?" Dave breaks me out of my thoughts and I push the feeling of insecurity behind after suddenly remembering Sana's words.
'Don't hesitate with David and live your life however you want.'
"N-nothing. I just remembered Sana's words."
"What?" He scoffs. "A guy just kissed you and you remember your best friend?"
"Dave… I don't know how it may sound to you but… I came from a very conservative family. We aren't allowed to be among boys that aren't directly blood-related. We cover ourselves up for the one we will marry… and being with you is a little tough for me. It was Sana who pushed me throughout. To let my inner self showcase to the world, to feel and enjoy life and… to be with you without any hesitation."
Dave calmly looks at me. "Then I guess I should have been thankful to your best friend. I like her and approve of her." He holds on to my hand again before pulling the car back onto the street.
~~~
Hazek's POV
I went to the masjid for Isha prayer and stayed there for a while after prayer. I felt people have been watching me as their eyes poke on my back. It was because of the video circulating on the internet. I thought it was only the people of my university who knew but turns out the whole world could recognize me.
I was thankful that my family was miles away from the dirt of the internet but even if they knew, they'd believe my innocence while betting their lives on it if needed. But it will eventually reveal Aisha's secret which I pray she fixes everything before she or my family even receives the slightest hint about it.
"Assalamu Alaikum." I turn to the person's voice and find the same man I had met before outside of the masjid about a few weeks ago.
"Walekum Assalam." I sit straight and he takes the place beside me.
"Something's bothering you?"
"Umm… No, I'm fine."
"Don't hesitate my boy. We don't know each other it's more comfortable like that. Let's tell our imaginary names to each other, a name you might want to be called. My name is King."
I looked at the person who didn't appear to look like a king but someone who was struggling financially with patches on his clothes and slight dirt.
"Well… I am umm… Believer?"
"So believer what's consuming your mind lately?"
"Well it's not hard to explain as you can see people glancing in my way is enough evidence. I have been accused of blackmailing a girl." The man's mouth forms an 'O' shape and his brows quirk up. "See? You find that ugly too."
"No, I don't."
"Yeah try to ease me up but I know that expression of shock."
"Wow, you're very pessimistic. Here you're sitting in a masjid to worship Allah and yet you sound hopeless. You haven't really confided in him. The thing that shocked me is that… You're accused. Not proven guilty then why fuss over the thought of how people see you? Allah knows you're innocent and I can see your innocence."
"How do you believe me?"
"Because you called yourself a believer. The one who has faith in Allah that everything comes from him and one shall return to him. Not everyone is a believer. This is a gift." He points to my heart.
"Sining is easy but to accept your sins and repent for it, this is a believer and a believer can't be wrong."
"Who knows I am actually a believer or just a sinner. I just said the name that came to my mind first."
"I see people sin every day but they don't place their heads against the ground in front of Allah. In fact, they grow more apart from Allah the more they sin. To them, Islam becomes an extreme religion because it forbids them to do what they like but in reality, it stops them from even being near the things that might turn dangerous for them in the long run."
"Allah intentionally throws a human being in a harsh situation and those who return and surrender to him, is a believer."
"I am… a believer?" I ask hesitantly.
"No. Once you think you've overcome all your sins and repented. You're not a believer. We'll only know who was a believer and who wasn't on the day of judgment. But what matters is for us to understand that things will never go our way but Allah's way and we have to surrender to that with patience."
"Your words have helped me a lot. JazakAllah… By the way, are you always around here?"
"Maybe. Can you fetch me a glass of water? My throat is sore."
"Sure, King."
I got up and rushed towards the water dispenser and when I returned with the glass of water the man wasn't there anymore. King left without a word.
"Excuse me?" I stopped a man who had been here for a while. "Did you see the old man I was sitting with a while ago?"
"Man? You were alone."