Amara's POV

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a gorgeous smile?" Peter flutters his lashes flirtatiously.

My stomach twists at his words as my cheeks start heating up. "Oh, come on, Peter. We don't have time for this." I try to keep myself composed.

"It's true! It's one of your best features." He winks.

I'm starting to think I might even be crushing on him a little. It's a small crush, it'll go away soon enough.

My phone buzzes and I pick it up to see a text from Dina.

"He's totally crushing on you." The text read.

I turn around to look at her sitting behind me, close enough to hear Peter and I. When she looks at me, I roll my eyes and give her the keep dreaming look, which makes her giggle.

I text back. "Daamir looks like a handsome fella, things going smooth for you two?"

The moment she reads the text, her cheeks turn pink.

Bingo!

"Do you plan on helping me with this project or?" I ask Peter.

"I've already finished the outline last night." He says as he pulls out the papers.

I look at him, impressed. "Oh. That's great. I'm proud."

"Thank you, M'lady." He bows his head.

The rest of the class, he has managed to make me laugh until I couldn't breathe.

"... and then, he jumped into the pool, screaming like a little girl. It was epic."

"That's enough! I need to catch my breathe again before I pass out from laughter." I wipe my year away.

"It's a pretty funny story, huh?" He chuckles.

"I'm shocked he's still friends with you." I shake my head.

"Right? It's crazy—oh. You have something on your face. Let me get that for you." He reaches out and wipes the corner of my lips before I even had time to react. His fingers even hovered over my lips for a slight second before he pulls away.

I become frozen for a whole 10 seconds before managing a thank you. My heart's pounding so loud, I feel the blood in my ears vibrating.

I turn around to see if Dina saw and, well, her mouth was so wide open that I wasn't sure if she'd be able to close it.

Yep, she saw.

"Is everything okay?" He asks with concern.

No, oh my God, no! I have to pray to make sure Allah knows I had nothing to do with what just happened. There's also a slight chance I might die from my heart beating so fast.

"Yes, I'm fine." I answer.

For the rest of the class, I tried to keep my distance, tried to act a little out of it. And when class ended, I bolted out with Dina.

• • •

"He did what?" Beena gasps.

"Do you want us to beat him up for you?" Zoya says.

"Guys... I think Amara might actually be crushing on him..." Dina chimes in.

The other two girls gasp even louder. "What?!" They yell in sync.

"Dina!" I groan.

"This is news." Zoya claps her hands.

"So! What does he look like? What's his name? Tell us everything!" Beena pushes.

Before I could begin, Beena gets a call from her mother, which ends up being 30 minutes long.

"We will discuss this after the party! Ladies! Let's get dressed!" Beena claps.

• • •

Since I'm not actually going to party, and going as a sort of bodyguard, I wore a simple long maxi dress. Dina also wears a similar casual maxi dress.

The drive there was stressful because the party is at a remote area that looks like it's for the rich and famous. For a minute there we weren't sure if the party was here or not because the area doesn't seem like it will allow a college party.

"It's this! I'm sure of it." Beena insists.

"I hope you're right. If you're not, we'll just use your name to not get arrested." Zoya teases.

It's definitely the right place from all the cars parked down the street and the hoards of college students buzzing in the area.

I finally find a parking spot a little further away from the house.

"I can't wait to show you the guy!" Beena squeals as she opens the car door.

"We can't wait to see him." I wink at her.

• • •

The second we enter, somehow, Beena and Zoya get swept away by the crowd. Dina and I instantly panic because losing sight of Beena is never a good thing.

We push through the crowd full of sweaty, drunk people, trying to spot Beena.

I hear someone yell my name and I whip my head to see Peter waving me down.

I wave back as he approaches me. Dina tells me she'll try to look for Beena close by. Right before she left, she elbows me softly and winks. I roll my eyes and tell her to go.

I stand there wonder... Is this the party he was trying to invite me to? If so, this is going to look extremely suspicious.

"You made it! You said you had plans." He squints his eyes at me suspiciously. "Were you trying to throw me off?"

"No! God, no. I didn't know this was the party. My friend was invited so she brought the rest of us along." I explain.

"Oh? So you didn't read the text I sent with the address of the party and everything?" He raises a brow.

I'm starting to look guilty even though I'm completely clueless.

"You sent me a text? I— I swear I didn't see anything." My words stumble.

He lightly smacks my shoulders as he chuckles. "I'm just messing with you!"

"Yo! Bilal! You have to see this!" A voice from the distance calls Peter.

"I'll be right there!" He yells back. "Well, I'll catch up to you later. Enjoy the party while you're at it." He winks, making my heart flutter slightly.

Dina comes back, grinning. "Someone's got a crush!"

"Oh, shut up!" I grumble.

Our conversation is interrupted by a girl, who taps my shoulder.

I turn to look at her, "Yes?"

"I know we don't know each other but I just thought I'd warn you; from one woman to another. The Peter kid... he's charming and all but try to keep your distance." Her voice has seriousness to it; she sounds like she's giving serious. "He can't keep a girl, I hear he cycles through them faster than the speed of light."

I didn't know what to say. When I look at Dina, her jaw is dropped.

"You're serious?" There's a clear hint of disappointment in my voice.

She nods. "He's known for literally sleeping with over 95% of the girls in his program. After being satisfied, he moves onto the next, leaving the girl humiliated. He sure knows how to bat his eyelashes into a girl's pants." She rolls her eyes. "Apparently, it's a rite of passage to sleep with Peter because that makes you elite somehow. Absolutely disgusting."

"Oh." I was flabbergasted. I was hoping there was no truth to this but from the way I see him flirting and his popularity, there's probably a lot of truth to this.

"He's just a biology class partner of mine, nothing more. Thank you for the warning though. I appreciate it." I smile at her.

"No problem. You were the easiest to warn. The other girls brush off my warning then come back crying with their heart broken. Anyways, enjoy the rest of the party." She slips away into the crowd.

"Well... that was something..." Dina says disappointingly.

"Definitely something." I agree.

"Oh, I forgot to say. I found Beena. She's right there, flirting with some guy." Dina points at the mini bar.

My heart drops the second I lay my eyes on her and the guy she's with. Beena's not just flirting with anyone, it's Peter.

- - -

A/N: 🤭

Next Update: Friday, June 14 @ 11 AM (EST/Toronto Time), Insh'Allah!

Please vote and comment and let me know how y'all feel!!