"if our beloved prophet Muhammad Sallalahu 'alaihi Wa sallam saw us today, how many tears of disappointment would he shed? - faaris"

Hafsa had been zoned out ever since she had the conversation with Gabriel a few days back . It had all struck to her as the deepest realization that she was committing a major sin by being too into a non mahram . Initially , she had been carried away with the witty whisperings of the shaitaan . Thankfully it wasn't very long before she was alerted by her conscience .

Aside from this , the other logical reasoning her rational mind had concluded as being wrong was the gift she had received . In simple language , it was extremely kind and generous of Gabriel to have handed her something as precious as a diamond bracelet . It was gorgeously carved into perfection and Hafsa had never been gifted anything in general , let alone be handed a luxurious Jewellery item . Mainly because she never had had any friends .

She just couldn't accept it .

She had felt horribly guilty the moment she had deeply pondered over her silly actions and had promised to herself that this matter would be sorted out .

Once she had deduced the severity of the situation , she had asked for Gabriel to meet her one last time . To sort things clearly without making it seem like she was starting to ignore him .

However it came off as the most blunt confession to her when he spoke his heart . His words felt sincere and honest . In that moment , she had been too dazed and taken aback to answer properly . A few minutes of still silence had given her the answer .

Deep in the darkest corners of her heart , all of her emotions seemed surreal and true . The way his smile caused her to blush , the deep routes of his eyes that made her way into his soul , the loneliness behind the smile that stood flattering to the world .

It was silly of her heart to try to hide the fact that she liked him from her mind . He had always been such a gentleman and gave his best at learning Islam . She had liked his attitude and etiquettes .

Even then , being the Muslimah she was , it came off as a shameful act to her to exchange gifts and meetings when it was noticeable that they clearly had haraam intentions . Gabriel would not have deduced the meaning without taking it to heart so she had taken down on a different route to explain to him the facts .

Various hadith and sunnah highlighted the importance of a male and female maintaing a safe distance from each other . Because no matter how pure the intentions , the satanic presence in the hearts would eventually make them commit unintentional acts .

After their conversation , she had returned his gift and very clearly stated that she would not want to keep any relationship between them besides marriage itself . If it so happened that her family agreed to him , she would consider maintaining a formal bond with him before marrying him .

Lastly , Allah was the best of planners who would whatever would be best for her . As she had concluded , he didn't seem to have taken things in a wrong way . Infact , he had very respectfully admired her decision , adding that he would stop at nothing till he had her .

Marriage was a sacred bond that bonded souls . The only knot that was blessed by Allah and held grace and beauty . Considering he would be a revert , she could shape him with Islamic knowledge and mould him into a better human .

For starters , she had helped him learn the basics of Islam with which she had mentally made a note to retire from her position .

"Ah !" She sighed , pinching the middle of brows . "My head hurts ."

She tried relaxing a little and instantly got reminded of Afra . It had been a few days since Afra had talked to her and Inaya . She seemed to be in a terrible shape the last time they had texted . The Prince had a very weird way of interacting with her and she was forced to be on guard around him .

It was went unnoticed by Afra that several men were found lurking outside the huge boundaries of the palace . They creeped her out a lot . Hafsa felt odd about that too . If Afra observed those men within a few days of her stay there , it puzzled Hafsa to believe that the Prince could have remained ignorant .

She only hoped Afra was alright .

Thinking about Derek and Sarah , a shy smile crawled over her lips . The couple was adorable and it still struck her as a miracle that they had managed to keep hidden . Sarah had always liked Derek as she had herself admitted to , so Hafsa could only feel elated with joy for her friend . As for Derek , he came off to her as a rather shy and weak person . Nonetheless , that wasn't a fair way of judging him so she did not hold that accountable .

The lives of people she loved had dramatically started changing for the best . At one side , Derek had started to acknowledge Sarah's long time feelings while on the other there was Afra whose life had taken a turn for worst . Inaya had started to warm up to Faaris for majority of the time she was hanging out with him . Mariam was overwhelmed at Inaya's beautiful transformation . Practically so she could get a grandchild soon .

Life would never remain the same . It kept changing and for most of the time , things definitely went beyond expectations during the most unexpected of times .

"Oh ALLAH ! Bless my family ." She sighed , pulling at her hair thoughtfully .

Faaris had had a tough day at work . Not that being a bodyguard was much of a troublesome job , but his clients were . He was a part of the national security agency which meant he alongside his teammates worked to ensure the safety of high officials or celebrities .

However , sometimes , they were given orders to be with certain important individuals working as their personal assistants throughout their day out . This time he had been given the responsibly of a Hollywood celebrity who had dyed blonde hair and a fake smile always . He didn't like her even a little but she seemed to take an interest in him .

No matter what he tried to do , she had been very clingy . He had shuddered when everytime she linked her arm with his and dragged him along all the places she was heading to . His friends were taunting him but shrugged in helplessness when he had  motioned them for help . If he disrespected or neglected his clients , chances were high that they would complaint against him . And considering he had just joined work , he bit back his words and forced a smile as she tried getting more physical with him every time .

The worst part had been when he was having his break accompanied by his mates as they were discussing the marriage ceremony of a friend . Aasiq . A mate in particular who he had become close with , was going to have his Nikaah a few days later . Everyone was very excited for him and he had confessed to liking his would be bride from their childhood days . Unknowing to his sweetheart , they had gone to the same school , studied in the same class and worked on similar projects .

If he was recalling correctly , her name was Raniya bint Al Quddoos . By his description she was extremely pious and soft . Hardly was she ever seen interacting with any one at school , let alone non mahrams .

As they been engrossed in mocking and sarcastically playing with Aasiq , his client had walked in ordering him to join her for a lunch date . She had on a pair of shorts and a low neck top . He rubbed his temples in exhaustion . His team mates looked at him worriedly and kept their mouths shut to prevent any more drama from occuring .

Reluctantly , he had excused himself and joined her .

"Why are you cringing like so Habibi ?"

He jumped , a hand on his chest as he wildly spun to face Mariam who stood behind him with a frown .

Faaris chuckled nervously , trying to think of a reason . He couldn't possibly say his mother-in-law that he was cringing while thinking about a lady who was flirting with him .

"Um ," he gulped , as Mariam's gaze frowned deeper upon his hesitation .

"Are you alright ? What happened ?" She took a step closer , rubbing his arm soothingly .

He diverted his gaze along the whole room , anxiously looking for an excuse when it clicked him . "A lizard !" He let out a relieved sigh as Mariam's face took a troll around the whole room and rested upon him more baffled than before .

"A lizard ? You saw a lizard ?" She questioned . He innocently nodded his head and pretended to shudder harder . "Yes , I did . And as much as you guys hate it , I do too . But I very barely shooed it away - "

"You didn't kill it did you ?" She asked , concerned .

Faaris hesitated . "Of course not , mama ! I don't have the right to kill it . It's Allah's creation .  I just shooed it away . But it sure felt dirty ." He cringed again , making Mariam amusingly shake her head .

Mariam smiled , her face lightning up . "I'm proud of you my boy ." She patted his cheek and slwoly walked away .

Faaris slumped with relief , rolling his eyes at how difficult his day had been . If this happened frequently he just didn't want to even think of the consequences . Going back to the kitchen , he contemplated on cooking or not . Since the last time , he had ruined the rice by putting them in a saucepan and in turn , almost burning down the whole pan .

Just as he had tied the apron behind his back , the doorbell rang .

"Who could it be ?" He shrugged , putting down a spoon as he jogged his way to the door .

"Faaris , can you get the door please ?" Mariam's voice bellowed .

"I'm attending to whoever is it mama . You relax ." He shouted back , twisting the key and unlocking the door . He swung the door open only a little , examining a weird figure in black . It looked like a woman , so he calmly opened the door completely .

It had turned out to be Inaya !

Faaris wondered what she was doing at eight in the morning . Most importantly , why had she come alone . Or rather , how had she made it to the apartment . She didn't have a car .

He realized that she was still at door , looking at him . Stepping aside , he let her in and shut the door behind her .

They stood together for a few minutes , while he tried to think of what to talk about . She was fiddling with her bag straps and he did not want to make her feel more out of place than she already did . And being the way he was , all he could come up with was that he wanted to go cook .

The whole world knew that Faaris could even boil water , let alone cook . But to think that Inaya has paid interest to that detail was a surprise .

He bit down on his lips and had embarrassedly ducked his head to come up with a different plan of excusing himself .

When he had lifted his head up to ask her if she wanted to have a drink , he was shocked to find her a few paces away . More specifically , almost standing with her nose touching his chest .

His breathing was knocked out . More or less , it had not occured him to that she would take such a drastic step . And he had not even prepared for such situation .

With him still panicking and his hands clutching on his sides , she had rose on her tiptoes , supported herself on his six foot frame and pecked his lips .

Making him gasp a little .