"No! I mean—!! It was so annoying!! I mean—You're engaged now, dude! For God's sake!" I exclaimed angrily, throwing a gaze at my friends around the table whilst sitting in the Hospital's cafeteria.

"He just keeps staring in that weird way! Makes me so angry and uncomfortable! I had a mind to seriously just go up to him and ask him what his deal was! It's been 2 years now!" I huffed in exasperation while my friends tried to calm me down.

"The poor dude is seriously hung up on you. Cut him some slack." Ramsha snickered while eating her fries and I turned away with a roll of eyes; my signature high ponytail swinging behind me from the movement.

"Yeah, let Shoaib be. At least he only just stares at you, unlike Faizan." Asma interjected with a snicker and I could only click my tongue in exasperation. I was letting off some steam about an incident with just one of the guys in our class, but there were many more.

"Yeah! Remember how last week during Shumaila's birthday party in cafeteria he declared 'Save a piece for Musfirah. She is not here.' in front of every.one present there!!" Maliha exclaimed with widening eyes, adding oomph to her voice for extra effect; whereas I could only grunt in disgust.

"That was only because I was covering his shift! Which by the way happened completely by chance, because he meant to ask Farah from his batch, whom I had gone to meet during the break. But she was busy with her own patient, that's why he asked me. You guys like making a mountain of a molehill." I shook my head in exasperation.

"Oh please! On more than 2 separate occasions he called you by a different name, just to catch your attention but you showed no reaction and just moved aside as if you were really Ayesha! Why don't you give him some response? He is the best guy in class for crying out loud!" Laiba swooned towards the end and I nearly dropped my face in my hands.

"Oh God! Just leave it to you to cook up romance stories where none exist! And I don't see what every girl in our class finds so praiseworthy about him? He is a flirt at most! Don't you guys remember the ugly fling/breakup he had with Safa in just 1st year." I sighed in defeat and took a sip of my green tea.

"Okay, that maybe so. But you just hate every single guy. Let's just admit it once and for all. Are you sure you are straight?" Ramsha snickered evilly and I shot her a mocking smile.

"My list is too long. No one here can measure up to it. Plus! I came here to become a doctor—not finding dudes to marry!" I sucked in a long tired breath.

"What's the list?" The curious inquiry came from Asma and I paused, lost in thought for a moment. Humming, I began to list down the required characteristics of my future partner.

"He needs to be educated obviously, rich, good family background, stable job, settled abroad, handsome definitely, tall, a great personality, at least 4years older and not more, anddddd—"

"There's still more?" Laiba's face was pulled down in shock.

"This list is so materialistic." Ramsha shook her head in disappointment.

"Correction—Realistic." I added with a smile.

"Realistic as if! Where in the world can you find a single man with all these characteristics? Plus even if he did exist, why would he marry you??" Maliha scoffed.

"He will marry me because Allah has written for that poor dude to marry me! And I am asking from Allah to give me such a man. Nothing is impossible for Him. And you should never hesitate in asking Him for whatever you want. Plus anytime can be 'dua qaboliyat' time! That's why we should always utter good and hopeful prayers." I shrugged my shoulder with a wide victorious smile, as they all nodded in agreement.

"But in the end, all these money, good looks and everything else amounts to nothing. All it comes down to is a nice, caring, understanding and loving partner—No compromise on that." Asma pressed together her lips and I felt myself struck silenced for a moment.

"Obviously. That too. All part of the list. Goes without saying." I waved my hands in the air and then everyone began to narrate their own dream guy's description.

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It was still mid of our 3rd year in Dental School and like most of us, I too lived at Hostel, which was great fun thanks to the great friends circle I had. Making friends wasn't such a difficult feat for me, which was weird considering my lack of trust issues. I just couldn't find it in myself to trust someone completely, because I felt that inevitably we were all humans and hence prone to errors. None of us was perfect. Hence it showed in our relationship with each other too.

This might've been one of my prime reasons for having such fear of commitment in a relationship and above all, a bad opinion of 'Men' around me. Girls in my opinion were still predictable and hence harmless to an extent because you could gauge the damage they could do to you. But MEN—on the other hand. Boy, they were a clear, big, red waving flag.

It was no secret that as little to none my interaction might've been with them, they still somehow managed to get under my skin with their slimey actions. I hated, absolutely abhorred, their dirty and sneaky tricks in trying to woo a girl they fancied, as if she was a prize on auction they needed to win. That's why I would always have a strict, unapproachable face and would anyways, always be in the middle of my girl gang. Yet, they would still find sneaky little tricks to make up reasons for interaction. And it wasn't like I was THE prettiest girl in class or college. I often wondered if it was the chase, that made them all thrilled and eager to forego their self respect; no matter what little they had in the first place.

How did they even get the time for all these shenanigans anyways? Wasn't dental college keeping them exhausted and anxious enough? Anyways, I would be going for an arranged marriage when the time came. All this love crap was just a rush of hormones, which ran out after a few weeks into marriage. And then reality settles in and you start to realise that marriage needs money and a sense of responsibility to survive. Perfect and unconditional love or happiness was just a myth cooked up by romance writers.

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"Okay this weekend it is!"

We were all sitting around in the Hostel's TV lounge watching some horror movie, when all the girls decided that we should go out to Monal for lunch.

"Oh." I chewed on the inside of my lip but my reaction didn't miss them.

"What?" Muznah questioned and I lifted my shoulders apologetically.

"I can't. Made plans with Farah and girls—" I uttered slowly, referring to our classmates whom I was friends with. But they were outlivers and my inliver friends didn't really care much for them.

"Gosh. Tell them you can do next weekend." Bisma rolled her eyes.

"Can't! I made commitment with them before." I stated the obvious but my friends didn't really see much sense in it.

"I mean, I am surprised. Didn't think those girls even knew how to have fun." Maliha snickered.

"What would you guys do anyways?" She continued and I opened my mouth to retort but Muznah cut me to it.

"Why do you even hang out with them?" Her face was contorted in disbelief, hinting her dislike.

"Because they are my friends! Like you guys are!" I retorted in shock and glaring at her in warning.

"Okay. When are you going with them?" Asma broke in attempts to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.

"Sunday." I muttered glancing away.

"Okay, we'll go Saturday then." Muznah turned to me with raised brows and a smile; her way of dissuading the tension.

"Works for me!" I responded happily.

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"Woah! You made ALL THIS?!" I gaped stunned at all the dishes stacked on the dinner table. From chicken wings, pizzas, sliders, macaroni, lasagna to chocolate trifle, mango trifle, eclairs and tiramisu; everything looked heavenly.

"Mama helped with the pizza and I got eclairs from bakery." Sadia added with a smile and a shake of head at my surprised reaction.

"Gosh. You went over the top. Seriously." I shook my head in amazement, realizing how cool people were with their culinary skills, unlike someone.

"Musfirah is right. You're so amazing, Sadia. MashaAllah." Sumera added in her soft and cute voice, while pulling out a chair to sit down.

"As if You are the one to talk. Remember that huge, delicious bunny faced chocolate cake you made me last year? Which all the hostelites came to finish off." I exclaimed with laughter and Sumera only smiled sheepishly in response.

"We could've each brought a dish from home." Farah suggested softly, after glancing around at the feast Sadia had to prepare all by herself.

"OHHH!! You could've brought that honeycomb bread you make. Umm—Khaliat al Nahl! Oh man. I finished off the whole thing on my own—all 10 of them." I sighed in happiness; remembering the taste of the heavenly bread she made for me.

"And what would Musfirah have brought then?" Sadia teased and I turned to them open mouthed. Since, I was the only hostelite among us 4.

"uhh! Drinks?" I joked and they all erupted into laughter.

If I were very honest, I didn't know how I had become friends with these 3 amazing people, whom I hardly had anything in common with. It happened by chance that I had sat next to them in class for sometime and then we had all become the best of friends.

Sadia and Sumera had the best grades in class. I was also bright, but nothing in comparison to these 2. Incidentally they both were hafizahs and came from practicing Muslim households. They weren't the kind of 'culturally dictated Muslim family' who made Islam appear as a religion that forbade everything. Instead, they were the ones who followed Islam and its message in true sense, as verified in Quran & suunah; thus paving for them a way for happiness and success in both worlds.

Farah was the very first person in my life I wished to become friends with in my life first and not the other way around. She was a dual nationality holder who had come back from UK to pursue her Dental degree from here. Yet, her mannerism and beliefs drew me towards her unconsciously. Most of all it was her impeccable knowledge and understanding of deen in truest sense that left me spell bounded.

Unlike me, who was the only slightly practicing Muslim in my family; all 3 of them were very well versed and adherent to their religious obligations. It wasn't that my family was extremely liberal. Just not that serious about praying, fasting and basically anything included in the compulsory acts of Islam.

But whatever it was. It was a blessing to be among such great friends.

Assalamualaikum wa rehmatullahi wa barakatuhu! Hope you all are doing great InshaAllah❤️❤️
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