CHAPTER 15 - Ridiculous
668 Words
“What if Mira was right after all?”
The thought followed Hana for three entire days.
Unfortunately, once the thought entered her brain, everything suddenly became suspicious.
Like this morning.
Hana walked into lecture hall half-awake while fixing her hijab properly, only to find a familiar iced coffee already sitting on her table.
She blinked.
Then slowly looked beside her.
Danish calmly continued reading notes like nothing happened.
Hana narrowed her eyes immediately.
“What is this?”
“You almost slept during yesterday’s lecture.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“You like caramel.”
Silence.
Hana stared at the drink.
Then at him.
Then back at the drink again.
“How do you know I like caramel?”
“You complain loudly every time cafeteria runs out of it.”
“…Oh.”
Fair enough.
Still suspicious though.
Later during lab session, Hana accidentally burned one side of the circuit component.
A tiny spark appeared.
Several students immediately stepped backward dramatically.
“Oh, no!”
Meanwhile Danish closed his eyes briefly like a man losing faith in humanity.
“How are you still alive?”
“It was one spark.”
“You almost destroyed the resistor.”
“It survived.”
“Barely.”
Hana crossed her arms defensively.
“You know, normal people comfort others after mistakes.”
“You almost started electrical warfare.”
“That sounds dramatic.”
Before Danish could continue attacking her spiritually, another voice interrupted from behind.
“Hana.”
Both turned.
Sara.
Again.
The architecture student smiled warmly while holding rolled-up design papers.
“You left your notebook at cafeteria earlier.”
“Oh!”
Hana quickly took it.
“Thank you. I didn’t even realize.”
“You’d lose your entire degree one day.”
Danish sounded genuinely concerned.
Excuse me?
Hana pointed immediately.
“See? This is why people think you’re mean.”
“I’m realistic.”
Sara laughed softly beside them.
“You two really argue about everything.”
“We don’t argue,” Danish replied instantly.
Hana looked at him in disbelief.
“Excuse me? We absolutely argue.”
“That’s because you misunderstand basic engineering concepts.”
“That sounds personal.”
“It is personal.”
Sara looked deeply entertained now.
Then suddenly her phone rang.
She checked the screen briefly before sighing.
“I need to go. Studio meeting.”
Before leaving, she glanced toward Danish again.
“Dinner tonight still on?”
Hana paused slightly.
Danish nodded once.
“After Isyak.”
“Okay.”
Then Sara left.
The lab suddenly felt strangely quieter afterward.
Not awkward.
Just…
different.
Hana immediately ignored the weird feeling in her chest.
Not important.
Absolutely not important.
Unfortunately—
“Hana.”
She looked toward Mira who was standing near another workstation with the expression of someone ready to spread chaos.
“Yes?”
“You okay?”
“…Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
Mira narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“No reason.”
Dangerous woman.
Later that night, Hana sat cross-legged on her hostel bed trying to finish calculations while Alya scrolled through social media beside her.
Then suddenly—
“Do you think Danish and Sara would look good together?”
The question escaped accidentally.
Alya slowly lowered her phone.
“…Astaghfirullah.”
“What?”
“You asked that too casually.”
“I’m just saying.”
“No. You’re thinking.”
Hana frowned immediately.
“I’m not thinking.”
“You’re absolutely thinking.”
Before Hana could defend herself, her phone suddenly vibrated.
Danish:
Did you finish tutorial question four?
Hana stared at the screen.
Then at Alya.
Then back at the screen again.
Alya grinned slowly.
“Oho.”
Hana immediately threw a pillow at her.
“Shut up.”
But later that night—
while replying to Danish’s messages about assignments—
Hana suddenly realized something dangerous.
She had started smiling whenever his name appeared on her phone.
Ya Allah.
That could not be good.
- Writer
