The Love Story of Muhammad and Maryam (Part one)

Part One

Chapter One: The First Meeting

One morning, Mohamed was asleep in his bed when he heard his mother calling him from the kitchen.

“Mohamed! Wake up, sweetheart! You’re going to be late for university!”

Mohamed slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. Suddenly, he jumped out of bed, exclaiming,

“Oh, no! I’m going to miss my lecture!”

Mohamed was twenty years old, a university student in the Faculty of Science. He was a quiet person who loved reading and drawing, but he wasn’t very sociable. He had always believed that love stories in novels and movies were nothing more than fantasies for teenagers.

As for Mariam, she was a nineteen-year-old girl whose cheerful personality and smile could make anyone around her smile, too. She loved novels and photography, and she dreamed of living a different kind of life and achieving everything she wished for.

Mohamed got dressed in a hurry, grabbed his bag, and left the house without even having breakfast.

As he entered the university, he was running while looking at his phone when he suddenly bumped into a girl carrying a stack of books and papers.

The books fell to the ground, and the papers scattered everywhere.

The girl looked at him with annoyance and said,

“Don’t you ever look where you’re going?”

Mohamed quickly bent down to pick up the books and said,

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t see you. I was in a hurry to get to my lecture.”

The girl bent down to help him, saying,

“Fine, no harm done. Just be more careful next time.”

As Mohamed picked up the last book, he noticed one of his favorite novels among her books.

He smiled and asked,

“You like these kinds of novels?”

Mariam looked at him in surprise and said,

“Yes, a lot! You know them?”

“I’ve read that one twice!”

Mariam smiled and said,

“Really? It’s one of my favorite novels!”

Mohamed was surprised to find someone who shared his interests, so he stopped to talk with her for a while until they heard the lecture bell ring.

Mohamed glanced at his watch and said,

“Oh, no! I’m actually late now!”

Mariam laughed and said,

“Maybe that’s because you keep bumping into people instead of watching where you’re going.”

Mohamed laughed and replied,

“Fine, next time I’ll watch where I’m going.”

Then he asked her,

“What faculty are you in?”

“The Faculty of Science. What about you?”

Mohamed froze for a moment and exclaimed in surprise,

“The Faculty of Science?! Me too!”

Mariam laughed and said,

“Well, then, maybe we’ll run into each other again.”

Mohamed smiled and replied,

“Hopefully!”

They each headed to their lectures, but strangely enough, Mohamed spent the entire lecture thinking about the girl he had met, her smile, and the way she talked.

Meanwhile, Mariam kept thinking about what had happened, laughing every time she remembered how he had looked while running to make it to his lecture on time.

Neither of them knew that this simple encounter would be the beginning of a long story.

Chapter Two: The Seat Beside Him

The next day, Mohamed arrived at the university early, which was unusual for him.

Even his mother was surprised that he had woken up without her having to call him, but she had no idea that her son had another reason for getting up early besides his lectures.

He entered the lecture hall, chose a seat by the window, opened his notebook, and began reviewing the lecture notes.

A little while later, he heard a voice that sounded familiar. It was Mariam asking,

“Is this seat taken?”

He looked up, and when he saw that it was Mariam, he was surprised for a moment, but he tried to act naturally.

“No, go ahead.”

Mariam sat beside him and took out her books. A minute later, she said,

“By the way, I’m Mariam. We talked so much yesterday that we forgot to introduce ourselves.”

Mohamed smiled and said,

“And I’m Mohamed. But you were the one who started the fight yesterday.”

Mariam widened her eyes in mock shock and said,

“Me?! You were the one running as if a train were chasing you!”

Mohamed laughed, and she laughed, too.

The lecture began, and after it ended, Mariam remained in her seat, staring anxiously at her notebook.

Mohamed noticed and asked,

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you understand anything?”

Mariam sighed and said,

“Honestly, I didn’t understand the last part of the lecture, and I feel like this subject is going to give me a really hard time.”

Mohamed told her,

“Okay, show me what you’re struggling with, and I’ll try to explain it to you.”

They sat together in the library, and Mohamed began explaining the material to her in a simple way. Every now and then, he would ask her whether she understood or not.

Half an hour later, Mariam closed her notebook and exclaimed excitedly,

“I finally get it! You explain things even better than the professor himself!”

Mohamed laughed and said,

“Easy there! If the professor hears you, he might kick me out of the university.”

Mariam laughed, then said more seriously,

“Thank you so much, Mohamed. I was really stressed about this subject, but you made it so much easier for me.”

Mohamed smiled and said,

“It’s nothing. We should all help make things easier for one another.”

At that moment, a girl named Sarah walked in. She was Mariam’s friend from school.

Sarah had a very cheerful personality and loved knowing everything that was going on around her, especially when it involved crushes or love.

As soon as she saw Mariam sitting with Mohamed, she gave them a strange smile and said,

“Well, well, well! What’s going on here? Did I walk in at the wrong time?”

Mariam looked at her and said,

“Girl, stop watching too many movies! Mohamed is my classmate. He was just helping me study.”

Sarah looked at Mohamed and said,

“Hello, Mohamed! May God reward you for your kindness and count it among your good deeds!”

Mohamed laughed and said,

“Thank you!”

Mariam stood up and pulled Sarah by the hand.

“Come on, girl, before you embarrass us in here!”

They left the library, and Sarah kept looking at Mariam with a knowing smile.

“You have a crush on him, don’t you?”

Mariam looked shocked and said,

“Have you lost your mind?! I’ve only known him for two days!”

Sarah laughed and replied,

“Okay, girl. I totally believe you!”

But despite denying it, Mariam spent the entire walk thinking about Mohamed.