Forgiving You (Dublin Sisters #2)

Chapter 1

Nawal stepped out of the classroom, hugging her books to her chest she made her way out of the busy hallway and into the open spaces at the university. She breathed the fresh autumn air. She loved how the temperatures dropped and the heavy winds blew away peeling off the leaves from the trees and shrinking the bright sunny days. She eyed the leaves on the grassy grounds and found the one she was looking for. She rushed at the tree and bent down to clutch the dark red leaf. Smiling to herself, she carefully put it in her handbag. Another one for my collection, she pondered.

"There you are. I thought you disappeared after class," Lisa's voice brought Nawal back from her musings.

She beamed at her friend. Lisa was one of her new friends in university and in the last one year, they had become very close. "What's the crack?" Nawal asked tilting her head.

"We are going to the pub for some drinks." Lisa eagerly stated but hurriedly went on when she saw Nawal shaking her head, "And of course for lunch. Why don't you come with us?"

"We as in?" Nawal hesitated.

"Me, Aoifa, Brian and Paul." Lisa counted the names.

"I don't think I should go...it's basically you with your boyfriend and Aoifa with hers. I would be the fifth wheel there." Nawal responded tentatively.

"No way! You are coming with us," Lisa persuaded, looping her arm through Nawal's and started dragging her out of the campus, "Besides, I am sure you were going back to your home. You had nothing to do."

Lisa had a point, Nawal thought and quietly let Lisa haul her to the pub at the corner of the street. The pub was located beside a popular four-star hotel. Nawal knew she wasn't allowed to visit a pub. If Ammi knew or God forbid Shahbaz found out, she was sure to be grounded for the next one week. There was no harm going to the pub at 2 pm for lunch, she assured herself. Besides, she would discreetly leave as soon as she was done with her lunch. But being in a pub with her hijab seemed odd, she slowly loosened her hijab, letting wisps of hair escape.

An hour later, Nawal had just finished having her potato and leek soup with brown soda bread and was cringing at the way Aoifa was openly displaying affection at Brian. She was sitting on his lap and had her hands around his neck. He was making crude jokes and laughing loudly. Since they had stepped into the pub all Aoifa had done was drink, celebrating the coming long weekend. It was a Thursday. There were no classes on Friday and Monday was a bank holiday giving the group the next four days off.

"We should go to the Temple Bar tonight and just enjoy," Brian suggested in between his fits of laughter.

"Ya sounds good." Paul said sipping his pint of Guinness.

Lisa nodded in agreement.

They all looked at Nawal in anticipation.

"I ... I ... can't." She stammered and hurriedly unlocked her phone, "I see multiple missed calls from my mother. I better head out." She lied and hastily stood up.

"Nawal is a Mommy's girl," Aoifa sneered.

Nawal turned red.

"Hey cut the crap," Lisa quietened Aoifa.

"Whaaat? It's a fact," she winked and started giggling as Brian started tickling her sides.

Nawal just had to get out. This was too much for her to handle. Without bothering to say goodbye she just nodded customarily at Lisa and scurried out of the dark pub.

Stepping out, closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. It was a peaceful street with very few traffic or pedestrians and she felt at peace. But not for long.