“A Life Already Chosen”
Chapter one: Aisha POV
My life had always been planned for me. Every step, every choice, every dream. I didn’t grow up making decisions — I grew up following them.
My parents had expectations, and I never questioned them. They chose my friends, my school, the course I’m now studying. I believed that being a good daughter meant saying yes, even when my heart whispered no.
So when I entered the university gates for the first time, I didn’t feel excited. I felt… numb. This was just another chapter written by someone else.
Until I met him.
It was in the library. I reached for a book on the top shelf, and a hand got there before mine.
“Let me help you,” he said.
I looked up and saw him — tall, light-skinned, blonde dreadlocks, a confident look in his eyes. His clothes, his presence, everything about him felt out of place,yet so magnetic.
“I’m Malik,” he said. “You’re new here, right?”
“Aisha,” I replied quietly.
He smiled. “Nice to meet you, Aisha. Welcome to the beginning of your real life.
Real life. Those words stayed with me.
I reflects on my controlled life.
For the first time, i wondered,what if i wanted something different?
Something just for me?
The walk back to my dorm felt longer than usual. My feet moved, but my mind was elsewhere — stuck in the library, stuck on him. Malik.
There was something about the way he said “real life” that clung to me like perfume I hadn’t asked to wear. It wasn’t just his words — it was the way he looked at me, like he saw something more than the quiet, obedient girl I’d always been.
I shook the thought away.
Zainab was already in the room when I walked in, unpacking her things with her usual loud music playing softly in the background. She was everything I wasn’t — bold, outspoken, confident. The kind of girl who never asked for permission to be herself.
“You look dazed,” she said without looking up. “Met your campus crush already?”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t hide the blush. “No, just… tired.”
She smirked. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready. But that face says something happened.”
Before I could reply, my phone buzzed.
Mum Calling.
I sighed quietly and stepped aside to answer.
“Hello, Mama.”
“Aisha, are you settled? How is your room? Did you meet your course advisor?”
“Yes, everything’s fine.”
“Good. Stay focused. No distractions. You know why you’re there.”
“I know.”
The call ended with the usual reminder: “Make us proud.”
I sat on my bed afterward, staring at the ceiling as the weight of expectation settled back on my chest like a blanket I couldn’t throw off. Zainab gave me a knowing look but said nothing.
That night, while the campus buzzed outside our window, I lay in the dark, unable to sleep.
Malik’s words echoed in my head.
“Welcome to the beginning of your real life.”
What did that even mean? And why did it make me feel like I was missing something?
For the first time in a long time… I didn’t want to be perfect. I didn’t want to be obedient.
I just wanted to feel something real.
