Please read the author's note at the end.

•••

•••

S H A H R O Z

"Hey!" She greeted him as she entered the library, her smile bigger than ever and the blood flow through her cheeks faster than ever.

She couldn't help but think that Shahroz looked so handsome today. Her heart fluttered at the thought.

He replied with a 'hey' and grinned, his dimples surfacing which made her smile back at him shyly.

His chestnut brown hair was messed up in the most perfect of ways - just like him. She had to agree that the black sweater and beige khakis suit him really well.

"I thought you're supposed to lower your gaze." She didn't notice him coming closer to her and whispering in her ear as she had zoned out while observing him.

She crossed her arms and smirked, her expression challenging.

"And I thought you're supposed to keep your distance." Her eyes held that playful glint which made him want to argue all day with her about anything and everything.

"Touché." He gave her a genuine smile and she did the same, both of their heartbeats in sync and heard perfectly clear by the other person.

Her hands fidgeted with the pen and she realised that they had to start.

So they did, with him throwing lame jokes here and there and her laughing them off to continue quicker.

•••

They were almost done and Marina couldn't have been more thankful for that. The man sitting next to her couldn't do a question without saying a comment or making a joke about it.

"But you like being around him." A voice in her head said and she couldn't help but agree to it with frustration.

They had closed their books and she felt that familiar squeeze of her stomach in her, indicating she was famished.

She turned to him, "Do you wanna go somewhere?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah," she faced him fully now, "like somewhere..."

"You do know I've already prayed Asr (noon prayer) right?"

She was about to say more but stopped and looked up at him, her expression filled with disbelief warmth.

"You p-prayed?" She asked excitedly and he chuckled lightly, the sound making her feel the essence of pure joy.

He looked down and scratched the back of his neck, his smile still present as he looked up at her and met her forest green eyes which held the mysteries he wanted to unravel.

"I think you're rubbing off on me, Maria."

•••

She killed the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt when he spoke for the first time in the car.

"A café?"

"Yeah. It's the only halal one around here." He nodded and got out of the car swiftly, leaving her confused.

He jogged up to her side and opened her door to which she gave a light smile.

"Chivalry clearly isn't dead, I see." She smirked playfully to which he gave her a playful wink before they entered the place which smelt of pure coffee.

They had waited for quite a while in the queue before they ordered what they preferred and took a seat nearby, both of them sitting across each other.

She had dug into her meal quickly, the corner of her lips having a bit of cheese from the bite of her sandwich. He noticed that and pointed at her lower lip.

"You have a bit of cheese there." His forefinger was still pointing at the same region.

She licked her lips, "Is it gone now?"

"Yeah.. " He mumbled before getting back to his own sandwich. He couldn't help but think that the sight of her licking her lips stirred an unusual feeling in him.

His eyes landed on her while she slightly looked down and nibbled on her chocolate cake.

She was so cute.

"What do you like with your chocolate?" Her voice broke him out of his trance. He raised an eyebrow, indicating her to elaborate.

"I like hazelnuts," her eyes bored into his hazel-coloured ones, "what do you like?"

He nodded and thought for a moment, a look of thoughtfulness on his face until he got his answer.

"Caramel." He answered as soon as she finished her cake and wiped her hands with a tissue.

They both looked out the window, the view of the busy street of London enough to fill their silence before she spoke up.

"Can we go outside?"

He was in the middle of swallowing his last piece when he looked up at her and questioned.

"Why?"

She gave a pleading look, "It's so beautiful out there. And plus, we're even done with our food. We just have to grab our coffee and leave."

He contemplated whether he should agree to go. It was peaceful in here at the moment.

He could look at the world out there from here.

He could look at her from here without being noticed.

Shahroz shrugged, "Okay."

He agreed only because it would make her happy.

They set off and strolled through the hustle and bustle, their minds on their own as they stared ahead and let their legs lead them wherever.

They stopped when they were on a bridge which was above a river, leaving them both mesmerised by the beauty of the crystal blue liquid flowing through it.

They both took a sip of their coffee and leaned their elbows on the wooden railing of the bridge, the calm but cool wind making his hair and part of her hijab flow with its beat.

The sun was setting in the direction they gazed, the sky popping with different shades of purple, pink and orange.

Marina looked sideways and saw him frown at the view.

"Why do you not like the sunset?" She asked hesitantly. Shahroz looked at her and gave a sad smile.

"It's a long story.. "

"We have time." She threw her cup in the nearest bin and faced him completely, her whole weight supported on her left arm as she looked at him to the right.

He sighed tiredly. He didn't want to ruin the light mood by bringing up his mother in the middle.

Shahroz decided he would tell her. He trusted her to an extent he wasn't even aware about, so he started out from the beginning of the day when he found that butterfly.

After he was done telling her, he took a deep breath and calmed himself. She didn't interrupt him throughout his rant as he was letting it out and she knew he needed to do it with ease.

"Shahroz," she finally said, "I understand your parents hurt you throughout everything," she saw his face express confusion until she continued, "but in Islam, parents come right after Allah and the Prophet. I know you don't feel like forgiving your parents at the moment, but they still provided you with a home, with education, with food and clothes for you to wear. They didn't shower you with love and I understand your dislike towards them right now, but the fact that both of them are asking for your forgiveness right now means they are guilty and want to start out new and fresh. They are willing to give you the love they never did before."

After she finished, the only sounds heard were the leaves rustling here and there.

"I don't know.. " He trailed off and she nodded.

"I'm not telling you to forgive them now, but you should at least think about it," she gave a soft smile, "because the worst thing in life is regret, and you might never know when they might leave this world. Everyone has to and everyone has their own time, so it's better if things are right before they depart from this world."

He gulped and nodded, her eyes still on him, "Just take your time, okay?" She spoke the last word so softly that his heart hurt.

She turned away from him and looked ahead, the sun's light still illuminating their faces as it was halfway covered by the horizon.

She decided to change the topic and ask a question that had been bugging her for a very long time.

"Why do you call me Maria?" She questioned.

He gave her a small smile, "Do you know what Maria means?" He asked and she shook her head.

He looked down and smiled wider then looked up and met her eyes, "It means a lady with a fair complexion, and I think it suits you," he gave her a lopsided grin, "your spotless and clear skin was the first thing I noticed about you when I layed my eyes on you in the hospital."

She looked down and a reddish pink colour coated her cheeks and he noticed it, his heart doing a somersault.

And in that moment, he realised.

He was in love with her.

But little did he know,

it was the moment she realised the same for herself too.

Words came out of his mouth before he even thought of them, and he panicked.

"M-maria?" He voiced breathlessly and vulnerably.

"Hmm?" She turned to him and met his eyes which were boring into hers with an emotion she was scared to find out about.

He contemplated whether he should tell her about his feelings. He could feel his heart about to fly out of its rib cage.

"Should I tell her?" he asked himself.

He made his decision and said the words he didn't know he could and he wanted to slap himself for being so stupid.

"C-can I have a p-picture with you?" He asked and could feel the bead of salty water trickle down from the side of his head. He wanted to cut his tongue at the moment.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Why?"

He thought of something relevant to say, "I-I don't know," he closed his eyes and opened them, "The weather is beautiful, this place is beautiful.."

'You are beautiful.' He wanted to add but he thankfully had more control over his tongue now.

She nodded hesitantly, "O-okay.. "

He felt the familiar device in his pocket and unlocked it, his thumb tapping the camera app.

"My front camera isn't working at the moment so we'll have to do with the one on the back.. " He trailed off and she nodded.

Her own phone's battery had already died when they were at the library. She was too busy sending him pictures of her notes that she hadn't realised her battery was draining.

They stood close enough - but didn't touch - and she held his phone in her right hand and took the picture.

She turned the phone around and gasped.

The wind blew parts of her hijab with it and her hand was holding the bottom of it as she took the picture.

But what shocked her was Shahroz.

He wasn't looking at the camera.

He was looking at her.

His eyes looked dazed as he stared at her with the same emotion she was scared of deciphering, his hair ruffled by the wind.

She removed her eyes from the picture and looked up at him, his eyes already on her.

"W-why are you looking at me?" She asked timidly and he bent his head down and smiled before looking up at her.

He didn't know where he got this unknown confidence from.

He gulped, "Because I think you're really pretty."

Silence.

The only sounds heard were of their fast heartbeats until they synchronised and she looked up at him.

"Sh-Shahroz.. " she gulped, "Nobody has ever said that to me," she paused to take a deep breath, "well except for.. yeah.. "

"Except for who?" He didn't know why he asked that.

"Uhh.." She was hesitant, "Except for the people who.. who want to m-marry me.. "

As soon as he heard that, his blood-pumping organ felt an ache he didn't know it was capable of. He looked away and sighed.

'She was getting married?' He thought he gazed at the ripples created on the water.

He needed to make sure.

"Are you getting married?" He asked, the last word coming out made his tongue hurt.

She gave a small smile, "InshAllah, soon."

She wanted to stay positive with the situation regarding her marriage. After all, Allah had planned who her future husband will be, and she had her full trust in Him that He has the right man planned for her.

Shahroz looked down once she said those two words. He controlled his tears and bit his bottom lip to prevent his sobs from coming out.

Thinking about another man holding her and giving her love shattered his heart into pieces smaller than his hope to be with her.

He had grown so attached to her in these past few days that he didn't realise the bitter reality.

She'll be someone else's one day.

She'll leave him like how everyone else did.

She'll forget about him forever.

Marina was too busy staring at the sunset that she didn't realise Shahroz's eyes closing tightly due to pain.

He knew he loved her.

And he still would.

No matter what.

•••

Hey there peeps! First of all, poor Shahroz :'( I feel so bad for him honestly. This chapter took sooo long to perfect tho.

Please don't ask me to update as I'm already working on it and I give one everyday. Other authors take weeks or even months so a few hours shouldn't bother.

Okay serious question: What should my next book be about?

Shaheer's story?

Or another Muslim Love Story?

Ik how much y'all hate Shaheer but he can still have a normal story y'all chill :')

Okay so ya I hope Allah blesses you :)

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