Chapter Seven

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First Day of University.

As soon as Shyra walked out of the apartment building, she was met by Raya who was waiting for her near the car. But she couldn't help but think about the little girl Ayra and her father.

"Asalam Aleikum. What are you doing here? Did I call you by mistake?" Shyra asks Raya who shakes her head.

"Waleikum salaam. No, I am here to give you a ride to your first class so that you don't have to be late and I was in the neighborhood," Raya explained to Shyra who couldn't help but smile.

"You are a Godsend, Raya. Thank you and you are right. I will be late if I don't leave right now," Shyra says while getting into the car. "Thank you again for coming," she added, smiling at Raya.

But all Shyra could think how she would be able to cope on the first day of university especially when it came to the seating arrangements.

Ya Allah, I hope that everything goes well because I can't afford to lose anything again.

Raya watched how Shyra was nervous and she wanted to do something for her just to tell her that she always had a friend in her.

"Shyra, are you alright?" Raya asks her as soon as they reach the university campus which Shyra didnt even notice.

"Yes, alhamdullilah, I am okay..."

"You don't have to pretend when you are with me, Shyra. I know that I won't be able to understand the pain that you are going through but I can be a shoulder to lean on and someone who you can ramble to," Raya says to Shyra surprising her.

"Thank you and I will keep that in mind. But now I need to go before I get kicked out of class before it even starts," Saya Shyra smiled and thanked Raya, and then she got out of the car to get to her morning classes.

Raya watched as Shyra walked away from the car and into the university building. She felt the need to hug her but also knew that she might need space.

"I will I could help you, Shyra. But as Hayat always says Allah knows best and yes He does," Raya tells herself and she starts the car and drives away from the university.

After what seemed like a few minutes a car parked in the same spot as Raya's car did.

"I am almost on time except when Ayra forgot her homework and we have to go back for it," he says to himself while walking toward his class.

"Alhamdullilah, I am not late," he says as he walks into the class to find that the lecturer hasn't arrived yet. He looked at the corner to find a girl sitting there with her head down.

She is wearing a green and white hijab with a white under cap that covers most of her face. Beside her, there was an empty chair, which he walked toward.

"Asalam Aleikum..."

The moment that Shyra had the greeting she looked up to see a guy with honey-brown eyes standing over her. She started shaking and tried to move away from there but where she will move to?

"Hey, hey. I would hurt you. I just wanted to see if I can sit in that empty seat next to you?" he asks her moving away from her giving Shyra space. "I am sorry," he added moving to sit in the empty seat beside her but he moved the desk a little far from her so that she wasn't uncomfortable with him sitting there.

What happened to her? Why did she react that way...I hope it isn't what I think because no one deserves to go through that...

His thoughts were interrupted by the lecturer who walked in holding papers that were distributed among the class.

Shyra tried to calm herself down but all she could was think of that night. She hated herself for being weak and couldn't fight him off.

"Okay, people, here are your schedules for the first semester. I suggest you have a study buddy because I won't say that my class is or will be easy to some," the lecturer explains to the class as everyone looks at their schedules that were handed to them. "You could either chose the person next to you or someone different. That's your choice," he added turning to the board to write the first topic.

Shyra looked around to see that everyone had paired up except for her and the guy next to her.

Come on, Shy. You can do this. Just breathe and do it.

She then turned to face the guy and took a deep breath.

"Asalam aleikum, I am sorry for the way I reacted but would you like to be partners,?" She asked him but when he didn't answer she continued by saying; "It is okay if you don't want to..."

"Waleikum Salaam. Sure we can be partners as long as you are okay with it. If you aren't then I could ask the lecturer to ask someone else to be your partner?" He tells her. This surprised her more than anything.

"No, it is okay. We can be partners. My name is Shyra," she tells him.

The moment she said her name, he immediately knew that the book that he picked up was hers as it had her name on the cover.

"I am Imran. It is nice to meet you. By the way, I think I have something that belongs to you," he tells her.

Shyra was shocked to hear that as she had just met him.

Imran then removed the notebook which surprised Shyra as she didn't even notice that she had dropped it.

"How did you find it?" Shyra asks as Imran hands her the notebook.

"I think you dropped it when you were walking out of the elevator with my daughter Ayra," Imran explained to Shyra who was confused.

But she didn't want to ask anything else except to take the book and start to work on what the lecturer gave them.

In the coming days, both Imran and Shyra will work together. But Imran would always keep his distance because of the panic attacks that Shyra would have if he got closer to her.

He needed someone's advice and knew who to go to. After class, Imran got into his car and drove to his father's office to ask about what Shyra might have gone through.

He had the urge to help her without wanting anything in return.

"Hey, is my dad in?" He asked the secretary who nodded and told him to wait for a moment because his father had a patient in his office.

"I could tell him that you are here, if you want?" the secretary asks him but he shakes his head declining the offer because he knows how important the sessions were for his father's patients.

Being a well-known therapist in the country, Dr. Yahya has worked with many people, and now it is time for Shyra to get her chance to speak up about what happened to her.

Imran waited until his father finished the session. He then greeted him and explained to him what he had been suspecting about Shyra.

"Imran, we can't be sure but I would love to meet her if she is ready for it. But if she isn't ready then, I can't help her. I am sorry," his father explains to him how therapy works.

"I know that Dad. But what if we try it slow?" Imran asks his dad.

"Imran, this isn't about..."

"I know that but how can someone just do that to someone when they promised to love and cherish?" He asks with tears lingering in his eyes.

"Because love is blind and it doesn't mean when someone says they love you isn't true. I will try and help your friend, just give me her details," he says to his son.

After giving his father everything he knew about Shyra. Now it was Dr. Yahya to make a plan to get her to come to therapy.

I think I will need Ayra's help to do this because I can't even get near her without her panicking. This is for you, Ayra.

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