Loving a Princess

11. How quickly time had flown.

"Precisely!" Umniyah replied. "This means, he knows exactly what you look like and he even knows your name. And now that he knows you're also my best friend, if I talk to him, he won't refuse. He can ask for your hand in marriage!"

"Umni, no! Please! Don't distract him in his studies! And I'll probably get over him!" I whined.

Umniyah put up her hands. "Fine, fine! But trust me, Aliyah, what if he misses out on someone like you because of his studies? You're in your second last year. Once you've completed your last year, you might go back to your country and get married. Then what? You won't get the guy you actually like and he will miss out on a girl like you! Al, you're completely his type of girl! You know, most of the girls that he comes across try to flirt with him. As much as he ignores them, he's fed up of it! You're so different! You totally lowered your gaze instead of ogling at him like they all do!"

"You know what, Umniyah? I trust whatever Allah had decreed for me. I've grown up always getting things done the way I want, but over the past three years, I realised that's not how things work! Everything goes according to the way Allah wills. So even regarding my marriage thing, if Allah has destined it to be someone else, then he would be the one meant to be for me!" I said.

Umniyah looked at me with a smile. "Wow! You're right actually. You'll get the guy that only Allah destined for you and no one else!"

"Yeah. Now let's finish this food!" I said, eager to end this Farshad topic.

The two of us chatted about uni, Islam, and anything and everything, but thankfully, Farshad didn't come back into our conversation.

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The next day, I woke up early. Taking out my new smartphone from my bag, I wanted to give my mother a phone call. I missed her tremendously, although I had gone to visit my country two months ago only. As I held the phone to my ear, waiting for her to answer, my vision blurred with tears, and thankfully, mum answered immediately.

"Assalamualaykum, Aliyah! How are you my child?" I heard mum's gentle voice from the other end of the line.

"Wa'alaykumsalaam, mum! I'm fine Alhamdulillah. How are you? And dad, Asiyah and the twins?" I asked.

"They're all fine, Alhamdulillah. Your brothers though, are a problem. They completed their A levels last year, yet they have no intentions of starting uni. Your dad and I have told them, but they aren't listening. They spend their whole day out!" Mum said, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Ma, don't upset yourself because of them! It's useless, they aren't going to listen anyway! Mum, I miss you so much!" I said, my voice cracking.

"My darling, I miss you too! It's so quiet here! I just can't wait for you to get done, and you come back home!" Mum said.

"Yes, mum. I've just started the first semester of the third year. Once I'm done with this, I'll have one more year to go before I come back!" I responded.

"In sha Allah, my child. Now tell me, how is everything? Do you miss any prayers?" Mum said. I smiled when she asked me about my prayers. Alhamdulillah, my mum's main concern for her children was that we should be steadfast in our religion, and that is why, in spite of Arif and Asif being the way they were, so laid back and irresponsible, when it came to being practicing as Muslims, they were good enough.

"Of course not, mum! How could I miss? Astaghfirullah!" I replied.

"Good. And Aliyah, remember what I had told you? Be careful. Especially when it comes to non-mahrems. I know what this generation is like, and I don't want you to fall victim into these affairs, please my child. Always fear Allah!" Mum said.

"I know, mum. Remember when I told you I moved to USC? The reason was because I wanted to avoid fitnah," I told her.

My mum and I were very close, and I had told her about Farshad. That he was the reason as to why I couldn't continue at GVU. And she was happy that I put my deen before my dreams.

"Yes, I remember. And by the way, how is your best friend? Umniyah, right?" Mum asked.

"Oh, Umni is good Alhamdulillah. She's fine," I answered.

Mum and I continued talking for a while before we finally decided to hang up, since I had to get ready for a long day at uni.

I took a glance at Umniyah's sleeping face, and smiled. She was honestly the best friend I had ever had. Now that I think of it, I felt so foolish that I suspected her of hanging out and hugging some guy, when it was just her brother. I had grown to trust Umniyah to the point that although I never told anyone else in this country about my identity as a 'princess' back in my town, I did tell Umniyah about it, and I also told her about the incident. And Alhamdulillah, being the amazing person that she was, her attitude towards me never changed.

Back in senior school, everyone knew about my identity, but any time I befriended a new student who didn't know who I was, they would behave with me like a normal person, but once they knew my identity, they would begin sucking up to me, as though they could take advantage of the fact that I was Zakir Hamid's daughter.
But Umniyah, never had she ever changed her attitude towards me! And I was genuinely grateful to Allah to give me a best friend like her.

I decided to get ready and leave for campus alone since Umniyah didn't have any morning classes today, so I had to go on my own. After showering and getting dressed, I grabbed my bag and made my way out of the hostel building, thanking Allah for all the blessings in my life and praying to Him to give me a good life and all that is best for me.

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I didn't like this chapter so much honestly.

This story is going to get intense as it goes on, so bear with these slightly "not very happening" chapters.

Anyway, please vote and comment!