Unlikely🌻

Chapter Sixty-Seven🌻

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and Most Merciful, the Sixty-Seventh chapter of the story begins, please do enjoy it.
Good luck!

Arif's POV:
My mind is clouded by some obscure memories. I still remember my reaction to the exam results revealed on the notice board.

Our crowd of students was gasping and gaping all over as they stared at the large sheets of paper.

Squinting my eyes, I focused my mind on the words displayed on the notice board, trying to make sense of the information in front of me. The churning thoughts in my head were interrupted by a sudden burst of laughter, catching me off guard. I held a surprised look on my face, my mind racing to remember the promise Taliha had made me on that rainy day.

Despite the mixed emotions I felt towards her, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

Despite the way she had treated me in the past, her act of compassion in giving up her position had a profound impact on me. It was a small gesture that had slightly affected me, reminding me that there was still goodness in the world, even in the most unexpected places.

Drinking coffee and taking a deep breath brings my thoughts back to reality. I walk into a large gym to join my favourite friends who have been pumping their muscles. My three friends are busy with the equipment except Lucas who is found drinking a large amount of water from a bottle.

With a weary sigh, Lucas finally takes a break and sits on the bench, his eyes fixed on me as I nonchalantly toss my empty coffee cup into the nearby trash bin.

"Heyyy, Arif!" He gaped with delight as I approached him.

His expression of amusement catches the attention of the others and they smile broadly before dropping their pieces of equipment.

I let out a warm breath with my hands on my thigh as they surround me, and then my cheeks raise slowly.

"Hello, what's good, fam?'

"Finally, he is here." Noah scoffed with a daunting look at me before sitting on the bench, "After being an hour late."

However, as I catch his gaze, a sudden grip of fear tightens in my chest, causing my face to lose its previous glow. Without hesitation, I instinctively raise my smartwatch to steal a glance at the time.

Subhanallah, she made me late.

Time, it seems, is truly against me.

Taliha, my delightful yet often distracting companion, has once again caused me to lose track of time and jeopardize my punctuality in meeting my friends.

My frustration mounts, and I grit my teeth with a mix of contempt and embarrassment, berating myself for my unexpected behaviour. Yet, before I can dwell on my self-reproach, Oliver interrupts my thoughts, directing my attention towards our friends.

"Arif is never late for meetings with us unless he has something  important to do."

Lucas looks at me incredulously, but I am even more disappointed.

I quickly close my eyes and try to turn off the negative thoughts from my mind. I take a few steps away while inhaling deeply before facing them with bold intent.

"Look guys, I apologize for coming here late. I met Taliha on my way here and we had an intense conversation, so I couldn't keep track of time."

They gasp in shock almost lost in thoughts as they stare at one another. They chorus as Oliver's jaw drops down unexpectedly.

"T-taliha?"

"Yes." I nodded firmly at a startled Lucas before my face flushed out a grim look into a smile, "And guess what, we are good now."