"how can i forget her? death comes to people, not memories- sulaymaan."

Sulaaymaan had woken up early the next morning . Practically because he hardly slept the previous night , with his mind revolving around his addiction . Last night's events seemed to be replaying in his head for several times over and over again .

Yet he wanted to see more .

Shaking his head in amusement as to how he had changed as a person , he got up from his bed , pulled over a shirt over his bare body and headed to get ready for the day . Mostly so he could look smartly dressed .

For Afra !

He grinned , watching his reflection in the floor length mirror by his bed . Sure enough he did look alive . Just as he felt . The word made no sense to him for the last few years . All that he could see were the recurring flashbacks of the incidents he could not forget .

Never !

Those memories had stuck to his mind like a virus that infectiously rottened the whole body . All the previous years he had been surviving . For his dear mother and his sisters who needed him as a support through their growing years . Somehow along the way of life his memories had started to become vague and fainter yet her words and actions seemed to haunting him .

Rather than help him through .

She was his life , he recalled . To feel it being taken away from him right under his gaze was a tragedy none could face while remaining sane .

That was how he survived for years .

Until she grazed the sharp edges of his life and entered like the heavenly wind of air . He thought she would slip and fall into the piercing daggers he had formed around him . To his rational mind , she had come far across from the critical point .

So much so that , his edges melted under the mesmerising depths of her dignified soul that taught him that there was more to life .

And that Allah would never break him .

He'd been prepared - well , with nothing really . But except an exquisite white rose that he had brought from his newly planted rose shrubs in the lawn . He had long given up on a hobby he once cherished with so much emotions that not a single day went without him working out at it .

Because in the end it all but came at the cost of the smile of someone he had loved .

There was no use of having to take care of that garden than to evoke the onset of fresher scenes and tougher battles . Ever since he saw Afra , he had immediately started to work on the abadoned mess of weeds and smelly plants . Sure it took extreme efforts and an awful lot of hardwork to bring it back to the glow it once prided in . However , he was pretty much ready to take on this world now . Or , more specifically , Afra .

Twirling the white rose in his hand , he positioned himself on the edge of his bed , crossing his legs while intently gazing at the perfect flower he had cultivated .

"Strange how love can teach you anything ." He murmured , chuckling at his weirdness . He never felt more energetic and hopeful as the new ray of sun hit his curtains .

So he was pretty taken aback when a thorn pricked his finger and he grimaced watching a perfect line of blood trail down his fingers .

"To think my day would be perfect ."

Obviously he was destined to be pricked by the flower he was going to gift to Afra .

How much more luckier could one get !

Putting the rose away momentarily , he studied his prick . He quickly marched to the washroom , turned the tap open and let his finger be drenched . He paused to examine his reflection in the bathroom mirror , feeling a spark of ecstacy burn in him .

"I look alive !" He tried cracking a smile but the pressure behind it seemed too difficult to overcome .

Precisely the reason why Afra was his miracle . The miracle that made him smile .

Closing the tap , he walked out , rubbed his hands dry and picked up the rose in his hand once again . Examining it to find the thorn with his blood . He carefully wiped the blood off .

"She is just like you . Words pricking like your thorns that come off with blood thick with emotions of others ."

He smiled , watching as a drop of his blood dripped across the thorn , tracing it's way along the stem . Awakening his senses and igniting a new ray of hope within him .

"I hope you accept this flower Afra ."

Afra had woken up with her head throbbing painfully at the sides . She clutched her head frustratedly and groaned as her head hurt intensely as she moved .

"Ya Allah ! Why do I have this weird headache ?" She whined , immediately reciting some duaas to calm herself down .

Perhaps the events of the last couple of days had started to weigh down upon her . Besides , the reason as to why she was brought to the royal mansion in the first place had been bugging her head for quite some time no matter what she tried . The rational side of her head kept shouting at her to relax and take things easy . Apparently , her rational side never existed to be heard .

All in all , she was the kind of person built for a conventional and habitual standard of living that hardly involved any judgements excluding the studying part . She had sustained and undergone a lot of mental and emotional stress right after her reversion . That was all that she felt she was capable of . Infact , she hadn't had even the slightest bit of power to fight back against her parents .

They did not acknowledge it promptly . And Afra felt like nothing could get them to see how realistically beautiful Islam was . Much to her incredulity , Inaya had blown off the screens by presenting herself as a spin off lady fighter who hardly stood quiet around injustice and related issues .

She had transformed her parents .

Day and night , well , not technically . But Inaya did not allow Elsa and Alexander even a breath of air until they actually gave their verdict that they would try to be better parents . Afra had thought her job ended there but she still continued to give her parents a earful every now and then .

Afra desired to have Inaya take her place . She was bent on curious to find out her take on every situation .

Shaking her thoughts off , she headed to have a warm water bath and get herself some pills to ease the ache . Although she knew it was pretty discernable that her head was splitting due to the new pillows and bed and environment in general , she did not want to start her day off in a horrible condition as that .

Even so , Afra had made sure to take a quick shower and wear some loose fitting clothing . She also chose to wrap her scarf and niqaab loosely . While it felt like she could use another five minutes to rest on the bed , she chose to check out her balcony .

Unlatching and sliding open the balcony doors , Afra stepped into a very warm atmosphere with large trees and flowers dancing in rhyme to the tune of the wind that whispered the sweet tales of mother nature .

She was never afraid to fight the world , even if that meant she'd be the only one standing up for what she knew was right . Yet being present in this place , in a stage of her life where she was left alone to retort back , she realized with much disappointment that she wasn't strong enough .

Watching as the nature woke up fresh and energised to face a new day with new challenges , Afra figured that she might as well study on how to become a brave woman capable of surviving all alone .

In the end , everyone was left alone .

She had only started to become comfortable when she heard the unmistakable soft knocks on her door , as if the person on the other side wasn't sure of his actions .

With a sigh , she went ahead and unlocked the door and swung them open to find Sulaaymaan with an unnatural goofy grin on his face .

"Assalaamualaikum . Good morning !" He cooed rather excitedly , which didn't seem good news in the least to her .

She examined him with a calculated gaze and her brows frowned underneath her niqaab .

"Walaikumusslaaam ?" She answered a little unbelievably because he definitely looked abnormal .

Perhaps she mistook him as abnormal or he really was so , which she could not tell . All she perceived in that moment was his elegantly styled two piece suit . She squinted sharply and made out it was a shade that sort of fell between gray and black . It was pretty unique she thought .

His hair was side styled and his face shone extraordinary .

"What's the special occasion ?" She furtively gave him another once-over making sure she had seen rightly .

His smile seemed to fade away for a moment before he focused his attention on the inside of the room with a charming smile coming across his lips .

"Mind if I join you ?" He pointed on at the open doors of the balcony with the bright sun pouring into the room .

Of course she would mind that . But she did not have much choice in stating her heartful opinion since on clearer understanding , she was living in the Prince's mansion and to object him from entering a room of his own house would be rather eccentric .

She averted her gaze from him and stepped aside . "Sure ."

He hesitated a moment , probably since her answer came out tougher and more forced than intented .

Once inside , she swung her doors shut and watched as he made his way to the balcony , resting his arms over the railing and smiling in the air .

There was a new charm in his smile . Something that shone like a victorious warrior's face after a hard core battle . In his smile , she found a new life .

"How has your stay been so far ?" He questioned , glancing at her momentarily .

She chose to ignore him , but that could worsen matters .

"Alhumdulillah , fine ." She curtly answered back , to which he pursed his lips .

"Hmmm......I got you something ." He pulled out a white rose from the pocket of his suit and extended his hand in her direction .

"I hope we can be friends ." He smiled genuinely , the kind that lit up his eyes and melted her heart .

She was in a dilemma . A sort where her humanitarian qualities were being tested with her egoistic behaviour . Normally she was a literal and good natured girl but somehow the Prince turned the tables over every time .

She watched as his smile faltered and his gaze fell .

That gave her answer . No matter what , she loathed hurting anyone . Even if that meant , it was a person who got on her nerves .

With a swift move , she grabbed the rose from his hand much to his astonishment . However in the process , a thorn stung her thumb and she winced at the blood that started to clot around the deep prick .

"Love stings ." He spoke , with a sad smile .

« Assalaamualaikum !

Alhumdulillah , dear beloved people or sisters , who are following the crazy book of a crazy writer , I thank you all genuinely and sincerely from the deepest corners of my heart . The votes and love I've received so far for this book has been insane . ❤❤ .

Now , I have a small request . One teeny tiny help . I am extremely grateful for whatever I've been blessed with . But c'mon ! *Shrugs* I have this wish .

A wish to get 1k votes . Do you think we could reach this milestone ? Will this be possible or am I being crazy ? Comment down below of what you guys think . ❤❤❤.

Love ,
A.J. ❤»