[Scene: University Cafeteria – Afternoon]
The cafeteria buzzed with the usual lunch crowd, but Alvira sat silently at the corner table, barely touching her food. Her heart was still heavy with what she had experienced yesterday — him, in the same air, under the same roof.
Zaina (sitting beside her):
"You've been quiet all day. Still thinking about yesterday?"
Alvira (gazing out the window):
"Not thinking. Just… processing. I saw him for real. Not behind a screen. Not through someone's lens. But right there. In front of me."
Yasmine (joining with a tray):
"And he didn't recognize the girl who's been loving him in silence for years."
Alvira smiled faintly, the kind of smile born from pain you've accepted.
Alvira:
"He's not supposed to. Not yet."
[Scene: Later that evening – University Library]
Alvira flips through a heavy book for an assignment, but her mind drifts. She remembers his side profile, the calm way he held the book on Islam, the silence of that moment.
Was that a sign?
She closes the book and takes out her old diary. The one with his pictures tucked inside hidden sleeves, a decade of secrets bound together.
She writes:
> "August 13th – I saw you. Not on a screen, not in a dream. And yet, I walked away. Not because I didn't want to speak, but because I know... some sparks are too sacred to burn without divine permission."
[Scene: Meanwhile – Him, at a private studio in the city]
He sits alone in front of a piano, notes scattered around. A soft melody flows from his fingers — a sad, slow tune. He pauses, picks up the book on Islam again, flipping to the section titled: "The Purpose of the Soul."
He murmurs in English:
> "She was different. Her eyes… they had peace."
One of his staff enters.
Staff:
"Your fans are asking for a livestream. Want me to set it up?"
Him (shakes head):
"Not today."
He continues playing the soft tune — the melody reflecting a longing he doesn't understand yet.
[Scene: Next day – Friday Prayer at the Campus Masjid]
Alvira performs wudu and enters the masjid. Her heart is unusually restless. As the khutbah starts, the imam talks about divine timing and trusting Allah's decree.
Imam:
> "Sometimes, what you're praying for doesn't come when you want… because Allah is preparing your heart to receive it better."
Alvira closes her eyes, letting those words settle.
Narration (Alvira's thoughts):
"Maybe that's why I met him now. Not as a fangirl. But as a woman with silent faith. Maybe Allah is writing the story in His own language."
[Scene: Later that night – Alvira's hostel room]
Zaina rushes in with her phone in hand.
Zaina (breathless):
"ALVIRA! Check your Instagram! He posted something strange!"
[Alvira checks. A photo: A quiet picture of a prayer mat, Qur'an open to Surah Al-Fatiha. Caption: 'Searching for light in places I never looked before.']
Yasmine (on call):
"Is he… is he exploring Islam?"
Alvira (voice shaking):
"I don't know. But… it feels like the wind is blowing toward a dua I never stopped making."
[Scene ends with a quote Alvira writes in her diary:]
> "Sometimes, love isn't when someone sees you. It's when they start looking for the same Light you've always walked toward."
To Be Continued...