I’m sorry it took so long! I’ve been spending so much time reading, totally lost track of everything else :x In my defense, uni starts on Sunday and I won’t have time to read then, or do anything since I did something very smart/stupid with my schedule. Not sure which yet, but yeah. In light of this lack of time-ness, I’ve decided to bless you all with a post (A) I'll try to post when I can, though! Enjoy, yeah? And comment, I had to re-write this twice *sigh* apparently, the teacher knew what she was talking about back in IT classes when she told us to save our work constantly, shocking.
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I tapped my foot impatiently as I stared at the clock over the whiteboard with avid interest. Five minutes left. Of all professors available, I had the great misfortune of being stuck with the one who refuses to leave one nanosecond before the time is up. Hate summer classes. Three minutes, thirty seconds. I picked up my pencil and chewed on the eraser, it's a horrible habit but having my ass glued down to a chair for an hour five times a week wasn't exactly a walk in the park either, my fidgety nature refused to allow me to sit still. I substituted the pencil with the pad of my thumb and gnawed at it. Two minutes, here we go. It's not as if I ever broke skin, all I was ever left with is a set of tiny indentations where my teeth have previously been. Very unattractive. One minute to go! I squealed a little internally and suppressed a smile. I synchronized my blinks with the passing of every 5 seconds. 55.. 50.. 45.. 40-
"Ghala, is there anything particularly fascinating on the wall?"
Twenty-nine pairs of curious eyes shifted in my direction, including Yousef's, who looked especially eager to hear my answer. I feigned confusion and he answered by periodically blinking his eyes at five second intervals with a clueless expression on his face. The class erupted in laughter and I felt a sudden rush of heat invading my face. Ass.
"I.. Uh.. My lenses were dry?" I ventured, hoping everyone would divert their attention elsewhere.
He raised an inquisitive eyebrow and I heard a few poorly stifled giggles. "You're wearing glasses." He flatly stated and waited for my response. More laughter. Great. Smooth, Ghala. Real smooth. It seems as though the floor never quite listens to me when I beg for it to open up and to suck me into an alternate universe.
"I.. Ah, what I meant-"
"Sir?" A male voice interrupted, "I'm sorry to interrupt but class is over and I have to get to my next one, can we leave?"
Yousef to the rescue. Did I mention how much I loved that man? A few voices echoed his request and I held my breath.
"Yes, of course. Have a nice weekend everyone." I sighed in relief, packed up my things and left class as fast as I could before he asked any more questions I couldn't answer. Or any I would answer stupidly.
I found Yousef leaning on the wall outside the classroom, "Your lenses were dry?" He asked in an amused drawl.
I felt a blush staining my cheeks again, "Don't you have a class to get to?" I asked haughtily as I walked past him.
"You're welcome." He answered sarcastically. "Where are you off to?"
"Book shopping!" I answered with barely contained glee, "Wanna come with?" I don't know why I even bother asking, I'm always greeted with horrified expressions when I offer.
"Believe it or not, I have better things to do than watch you sniff, fondle and stroke your books."
"I like the way they smell!" I defended indignantly, "And I don't 'fondle and stroke' my books, I feel the texture of the paper. Big difference." I concluded with a pout.
"The answer is still no." He said firmly.
"Whatever, your loss." I said as I childishly stuck my tongue out.
"Hardly!" He returned with a smirk.
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I walked determinedly past all the aisles of music, eager to get to my destination. My inner nerd emerged and performed several somersaults at the sight of all the books before me.
I picked up a romance novel and decided to test out Haifa's theory. She thought that as women, we were genetically programmed to open up romance novels and randomly find the "dirty parts". She always said it was a talent we intrinsically possessed. I soon found that her theory proved itself to be true and started giggling as I read on in interest.
I heard someone's coughing interrupting my concentration and I looked up to find a man staring at me with a raised eyebrow. Apparently he had witnessed my little giggling fit and was now looking at me questioningly. I blushed and raised the book back up to hide my face, hoping he would look away. I waited a couple of heartbeats and tried to subtly peek at him from over the book, I was greeted with his smirking face again and I quickly re-adjusted it to cover my eyes.
Now what? I suppose I could put the book down and walk away.. But no. I needed it to cover my face. The heat proved itself to be too oppressive at the beginning of the summer and on impulse, I ended it up getting half of my hair chopped off at the hairdresser's. Admittedly, not my brightest move. I missed it acting as a veil between me and everyone else when I needed it to. It would've been very helpful now, I wanted to get a better look at the guy in front of me and what better way to accomplish that than from behind a curtain of hair?
I chewed my lip indecisively as I debated my next move and decided to grow a pair, figuratively speaking, put the book down, catch a quick glimpse of him and gracefully walk away. As gracefully as my feet would allow me, that is. I put the book down and looked up, only to find him gone. How long had I been debating, anyway? Weird. I turned around to walk away and encountered a wall, or at least what I thought was a wall.
"How about you watch where you're going?" A deep, angry voice suggested.
The apology I was intending to offer vanished and was replaced by annoyance at the stranger's rudeness, "How about you-"
The rest of my response died on my lips as I met the stranger's eyes. It was the same guy from before, I would recognize that eyebrow anywhere, lifted cockily in the same questioning manner as it was earlier. What I hadn't been prepared for though was how attractive he was, or the swift change in my train of thoughts as I stared, quite unabashedly, at his face.
"You were saying?" He said impatiently.
"What?" I asked, finding my voice.
His smirk returned, "You were in the middle of what I'm sure you thought was a scathing retort before you looked up and decided to ogle me instead."
I gasped as his offensive, and quite correct, summation of what just happened. Nothing like the embarrassing truth to catch someone off guard. I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing the accuracy of his rude reply. I will deny it until my dying breath, I vowed.
"Don't flatter yourself." I managed to spit out. Not the most creative comeback but I decided to add a little eye-rolling for dramatic effect and walked away triumphantly. Ha! I was feeling quite pleased with myself until I heard him talking again.
"You might want to take your wallet and phone with you," he said as he gestured to where I forgot them atop the books, "unless you were planning on paying for your books with your more of your witticisms." He added, sarcastically.
"Bite me." I practically snarled as I picked up my things and silently cursed my absent-mindedness.
He laughed mockingly, "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
My face turned a few thousand shades of red as I plugged in the forgotten earphones I had hanging around my neck to block out anything else he had to say, and walked away. I took my iPod out of my pocket and pressed play as I replayed the scene that just happened and by the end of it, I was practically shaking with anger, embarrassment and at the same time, I had the strangest urge to laugh! How bizarre.
I put the compelling stranger out of my head and devoted all my energy and attention to finding books. Forty-five minutes later, I was happily humming as I walked out of Virgin Megastore and headed to get some coffee. I had a long night ahead of me.
I ordered my drink and had to repeatedly assure the waiter that I wanted three extra espresso shots. You work in the coffee business, to think you would've seen it all by now. Or at least sampled the coffee and knew that it was bland, I needed the three shots for it to have any effect at all.
I leaned against a wall as I waited for my order to be up. I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and took it out to find a text from Khaled. I smiled as I replied excitedly, he booked his flight back and was coming back next week with a "surprise". I tried to get him to admit what it was but my attempts were futile, not even Mya would help me! I was hoping she would take pity on me and ease my curiosity, no such luck.
"64!" The short Philipino woman called. I picked up my drink and walked towards the exit, trying to balance my drink, wallet and heavy bag of books in one hand while texting Khaled back with the other.
Needless to say, the spilling of my coffee on a poor, unsuspecting stranger was more than inevitable. And to my extreme misfortune, the stranger just happened to be the same guy I had bumped into before. Would this qualify as a good enough entry to post on www.fmylife.com? I wonder.
I gasped in horror and he let out a loud expletive. I hurriedly put my stuff down and attempted to wipe the huge, obvious stain off his white shirt as I apologized profusely. He groaned in frustration as I only seemed to be helping it spread all over the place.
"Are you going to make a habit of this bumping into me thing?" He demanded, furiously.
His anger only fueled my own, I was already berating myself for my inattentiveness and he only made it worse.
"I already apologized, now stop pouting like a baby and get over it! There's no need to be rude and insufferable." I ground out.
"No need to be rude and insufferable?" He echoed my words and looked up at me with incredulity emanating from his eyes. He grabbed the napkins from my hands and took over the task of drying himself off.
I closed my eyes and sighed in exasperation. Let's try this one more time. It was going to physically hurt to be nice to someone so rude, but I suppose it was my fault and I owed him a proper apology. This blows.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I should've been paying attention to where I was going and I promise I'll make it up to you. I'll pay to get your shirt cleaned!" I offered as I took a better look at the damage, "Actually, on second thought, how about I just get you a new one?" I offered as I smiled at him.
He looked at me like I was crazy, shook his head in disbelief and turned his attention back to his shirt. "You're not buying me anything."
He said it in a way that suggested that women weren't allowed to pay for anything. I opened my mouth to let him know what I thought of his chauvinism but apparently he wasn't done shocking me yet.
"But," he paused as he threw the napkins in the nearby trash can and came back to face me, "I do like the idea of you making it up to me, though."
I was almost afraid to ask how but curiosity got the best of me, "What did you have in mind?"
He lifted a corner of his lips in a half-smile at my hesitancy and simply stated, "Have coffee with me."
Now it was my turn to question his sanity. "What?" I asked, completely baffled at his suggestion, "Why?! You haven't had one nice thing to say to me from the second you opened your mouth and now you want to have coffee with me? Are you out of your mind?"
He opened his mouth to talk but I cut him off with a warning glance, "I'm not done yet! Why on earth would I have coffee with you? Why would I even consider it! I don't even know your name. Besides, you're rude, obnoxious, arrogant-"
"And you have absolutely no sense of coordination and you don't quite know when to shut up." He interjected with a genuine smile that left me just a tad bit speechless. "All you've done is prove that nobody's perfect. Even me with my alleged arrogance. Now how about that coffee?"
Maybe I was still stunned by his invitation or his smile, I really couldn't say. And if anyone were to ask me, I don't know how I'd explain my reaction, but before I knew it, I found myself nodding and agreeing to his ludicrous suggestion.
"Good. Not here though, their coffee tastes like piss." He declared as he walked and motioned for me to come with him when I stood still. "Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf okay with you?" He asked as I joined him.
"It's fine." I replied quietly, not sure of what to make of this turnabout in events, "And could we do without the vulgarity, please?"
He shrugged in a noncommittally and we walked side by side to the parking lot in silence as I contemplated how surreal the situation was. I didn't normally do things like this, I'll admit to being too impulsive at times but that rarely ever bordered on stupidity. And that's exactly how I was acting now, stupid. Going to get coffee with a complete stranger. But then again, I've been doing a lot of uncharacteristic things lately.
We reached the parking lot and went in separate ways to get to our cars when he suddenly turned around again.
"It's Fahad, by the way." He called out.
"Huh?"
"My name, it's Fahad." He clarified.
"Oh!" I bit back a little smile, "I'm Ghala."
He inclined his head a little in acknowledgment and turned around to make his way to his car. I then let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding in, made my way to my car and smiled, this time without any restraint. Hmm, Fahad.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Foolish Games.. (25)
Greetings! I’m continuing the story 6 months from “the breakup”. This post is basically just to clear things up for you guys! Oh and stop hating me, yeah? Thanks.
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*6 months later*
I felt like a fundamental part of me was missing for the longest time, it constantly seemed as if I was reaching for something, only to have it slip through my fingers in the last second. I was never one to dwell on the past, but despite how things ended, my relationship with 3azeez meant too much for me to pretend to be cavalier about it and brush it off as if it were nothing.
Commitment issues. To anyone on the outside, that’s what it must’ve seemed like. I didn’t even know where to begin to clear up those wrongful notions, so I offered noncommittal shrugs and kept to myself. Truth is, I had no problems with commitment, not anymore than the normal person would. Okay, maybe a little more, but what kept me paralyzed with fear was abandonment. I couldn’t very well let him pass up such an amazing opportunity and leave him saddled by my side, wondering what could’ve been. I didn’t have it in me. But it wasn’t completely selfless on my part; I couldn’t let my world revolve around him knowing he might be harboring some resentments towards me that will inevitably tear us apart.
Where would that leave me?
*6 months earlier*
“Wow.” he said and laughed humorlessly. He breathed out and I realized he had been holding his breath since he asked the question. I felt another fresh shot of guilt rushing to my stomach. He loosened his grip on my hand, but didn’t quite let go of it. I stared down at our hands, unable to look at him yet.
“I’m sorry.” I said earnestly, I doubted the words held any significance to him, but it was all I had to offer.
“So am I.” He replied as he stared pensively into the distance.
We both knew it was too late for us, the words had already been put out there, we couldn’t take them back at this point, even if we wanted to. The silence was deafening, I knew I owed him an explanation but didn’t find the correct words to verbalize my reasoning. I knew what he must be thinking and all the misconceptions forming in his head with every silent second that passes, but I just couldn’t bring myself to straighten it out. The damage had been done.
I mustered enough courage to look up and face him. And then our eyes met. And for the merest seconds I felt all my justifications fly out the window. I wanted nothing more than to throw myself in his arms and take it all back. It was all very cliché but I tried to memorize his face in those few seconds, I knew pictures didn’t do him justice. They weren’t able to capture the intensity of his gaze, currently tainted with pain and, despite the predicament we were in, love. It was my undoing.
I felt a tear making its way down my face, wound my fingers around his and squeezed his hand tight. “I’m not ready to let go yet.”
“Come here.” He ordered gruffly, pulled me into his arms and hugged me. I hugged him back and held on tight, as if it would magically make everything right again. “I love you.”
“I know,” I whispered back, “I love you, too.”
“But I won’t chase you.” He said determinedly.
“I know that, too.” I said and I smiled a little to myself. Mission accomplished, right?
I don’t remember who initiated it, but our arms gradually loosened from around each other, until they fell altogether. And in the silence and awkwardness that ensued, we didn’t have any options but to walk back to Khaled’s apartment. We made idle chatter on the way back, no time like the present to start acting like acquaintances. He said he would go back to Kuwait in two days to pack his things and say his good byes so he could relocate as his father had already arranged for an apartment for him, knowing instinctively he’d take the job. And why wouldn’t he? He asked if he could see me when I got back there, I told him it wouldn’t be wise of us and he readily agreed.
He hugged me one last time outside Khaled’s door, “If you ever need anything-” he started.
“I know.” I said, interrupting him. But we both knew I wouldn’t reach out to him for any reasons, it was difficult enough as it is.
“Take care, kiddo.” he said with that crooked grin I came to love.
Strangers. We should live our lives as complete strangers from now on, there’s no reason for me to be affected by his “kiddo”. I smiled back one final time and entered the apartment. Mya had already left, we must’ve been gone for longer than we thought. I found Khaled sitting on the counter and I walked over to him and sat beside him. He pushed a pint of ice cream and a spoon in my direction and I accepted without preamble and dug into it.
I found my voice a couple of spoonfuls later and asked him, “How did you know?”
He reached out, put his arms around me and simply stated, “I know you.”
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*6 months later*
I felt like a fundamental part of me was missing for the longest time, it constantly seemed as if I was reaching for something, only to have it slip through my fingers in the last second. I was never one to dwell on the past, but despite how things ended, my relationship with 3azeez meant too much for me to pretend to be cavalier about it and brush it off as if it were nothing.
Commitment issues. To anyone on the outside, that’s what it must’ve seemed like. I didn’t even know where to begin to clear up those wrongful notions, so I offered noncommittal shrugs and kept to myself. Truth is, I had no problems with commitment, not anymore than the normal person would. Okay, maybe a little more, but what kept me paralyzed with fear was abandonment. I couldn’t very well let him pass up such an amazing opportunity and leave him saddled by my side, wondering what could’ve been. I didn’t have it in me. But it wasn’t completely selfless on my part; I couldn’t let my world revolve around him knowing he might be harboring some resentments towards me that will inevitably tear us apart.
Where would that leave me?
*6 months earlier*
“Wow.” he said and laughed humorlessly. He breathed out and I realized he had been holding his breath since he asked the question. I felt another fresh shot of guilt rushing to my stomach. He loosened his grip on my hand, but didn’t quite let go of it. I stared down at our hands, unable to look at him yet.
“I’m sorry.” I said earnestly, I doubted the words held any significance to him, but it was all I had to offer.
“So am I.” He replied as he stared pensively into the distance.
We both knew it was too late for us, the words had already been put out there, we couldn’t take them back at this point, even if we wanted to. The silence was deafening, I knew I owed him an explanation but didn’t find the correct words to verbalize my reasoning. I knew what he must be thinking and all the misconceptions forming in his head with every silent second that passes, but I just couldn’t bring myself to straighten it out. The damage had been done.
I mustered enough courage to look up and face him. And then our eyes met. And for the merest seconds I felt all my justifications fly out the window. I wanted nothing more than to throw myself in his arms and take it all back. It was all very cliché but I tried to memorize his face in those few seconds, I knew pictures didn’t do him justice. They weren’t able to capture the intensity of his gaze, currently tainted with pain and, despite the predicament we were in, love. It was my undoing.
I felt a tear making its way down my face, wound my fingers around his and squeezed his hand tight. “I’m not ready to let go yet.”
“Come here.” He ordered gruffly, pulled me into his arms and hugged me. I hugged him back and held on tight, as if it would magically make everything right again. “I love you.”
“I know,” I whispered back, “I love you, too.”
“But I won’t chase you.” He said determinedly.
“I know that, too.” I said and I smiled a little to myself. Mission accomplished, right?
I don’t remember who initiated it, but our arms gradually loosened from around each other, until they fell altogether. And in the silence and awkwardness that ensued, we didn’t have any options but to walk back to Khaled’s apartment. We made idle chatter on the way back, no time like the present to start acting like acquaintances. He said he would go back to Kuwait in two days to pack his things and say his good byes so he could relocate as his father had already arranged for an apartment for him, knowing instinctively he’d take the job. And why wouldn’t he? He asked if he could see me when I got back there, I told him it wouldn’t be wise of us and he readily agreed.
He hugged me one last time outside Khaled’s door, “If you ever need anything-” he started.
“I know.” I said, interrupting him. But we both knew I wouldn’t reach out to him for any reasons, it was difficult enough as it is.
“Take care, kiddo.” he said with that crooked grin I came to love.
Strangers. We should live our lives as complete strangers from now on, there’s no reason for me to be affected by his “kiddo”. I smiled back one final time and entered the apartment. Mya had already left, we must’ve been gone for longer than we thought. I found Khaled sitting on the counter and I walked over to him and sat beside him. He pushed a pint of ice cream and a spoon in my direction and I accepted without preamble and dug into it.
I found my voice a couple of spoonfuls later and asked him, “How did you know?”
He reached out, put his arms around me and simply stated, “I know you.”
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Foolish Games.. (24)
“I love how suddenly everyone makes ‘the best cupcakes ever’ like they didn’t come right out of a Betty Crocker mix!” Mya said as we sat on the kitchen counter watching Khaled make chicken nuggets.
“I know, right? Like it took some divine magical ability for them to combine water, eggs and oil into a bowl with the dry ingredients and mix!” I replied in annoyance as I swiped a few fries from the plate next to Khaled.
“I know!” She exclaimed as grabbed a few herself.
“Great, now there’s two of them.” Khaled said sarcastically to no one in particular, “I can’t wait for their periods to sync up.”
I giggled as I heard Mya reply with yet another threat to pour the hot oil down his back if he didn’t shut up.
“Really, your obsession with BDSM is getting a little out of hand.” He replied dryly. “You might wanna tone it down a bit.”
“HA! Never!” She answered, “What’s taking you so long? I’m starving, I haven’t eaten since breakfast!” she added dramatically.
“You were munching on jellies when I called you after class.”
“Okay but I haven’t had anything since then!” She conceded with a pout.
“I had lunch with you!” He reminded her, “I sat across the table watching you practically inhale your cheeseburger.”
Her eyes widened in shock, “That was THREE hours ago! Are you insane? That doesn’t count!”
He shook his head, gave up trying to reason with her and turned his attention back to our dinner. I saw him smile to himself as he moved the food around the pan and couldn’t help but feel a smile spread on my own face, too. I genuinely couldn’t remember another time when he seemed so happy with anyone and I’ve seen the parade of his girlfriends ever since he discovered that girls didn’t have cooties. This was different, I could hardly believe he was the same guy head over heels for Haifa months earlier.
“So did you guys have fun?” he asked us.
“Surprisingly, yes. Even though she refused to stop singing ‘London Calling’ the entire time and jumped up and down while the bus was moving when the tour guide pointed out the studio where Hendrix recorded Purple Haze. Even though she kept eying the only other Arabic man warily whenever he shifted his eyes. Even though she stopped paying attention when it started raining and tilted her head all the way back chanting “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” repeatedly. Even though-”
“That’s enough already!” I cut him off. “You can’t blame me for the rain thing, I live in Kuwait. God knows when I’m gonna see that much of it again!” I justified. “Besides, you completely lost your right to complain about anything when you hauled your ass on a plane and came all the way down here just to see me.”
Khaled’s head suddenly snapped up and he faced 3azeez. “You didn’t tell her?” he asked in an accusatory tone.
3azeez’s warning look was received a little late by Khaled who stood there with his arms crossed, waiting for an answer.
I felt the smile I had plastered on my face earlier wavering as my heart started beating at a frenzied pace. My mind immediately jumped to a thousand different conclusions in those few silent moments. I tried pulling it back to the present situation but my efforts were unheeded as I found myself contemplating the possibilities. Was he in trouble? Is he sick? I pushed the fact that he lied to me to the back of my head momentarily, forced myself to remain calm and keep the nervousness out of my voice as I took a deep breath and asked, “Didn’t tell me what?”
My gaze shifted between them and I took in their contrasting expressions from Khaled’s angry one to 3azeez’s pained one. I glanced at Mya’s direction to find her deeply absorbed with her fingernails, not able to look me in the eyes. It dawned on me that I really was the last to know. Something was going on, something that obviously concerned me in some way and everyone was privy to the details except me. And just like that, the realization effectively silenced my nerves and fueled my anger.
I turned to 3azeez with hardened eyes, temporarily forgetting my previous worries and asked again in an infinitely more steady tone, carefully enunciating each letter, “Didn’t tell me what?”
I knew I was being irrational but I hated being kept in the dark, my mind was still going into overdrive, exploring all the different prospects of what the secret may be.
He took a deep breath and started to explain, “Ghala, I-”
“No.” I interrupted calmly, surprising myself as much as I surprised him.
He looked up at me quizzically, “No?” he asked as I nodded
“No.” I repeated, taking in his confused expression, “I’m a woman, being fickle is in my nature, sue me.” I added with a shrug. “I’m not sure I want to know yet, I need to think.” I wrapped my scarf around my neck and pulled my boots over my socks, “I’m going for a walk, I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll come with you.” Khaled volunteered.
“No, don’t. Really, I’m fine! I don’t even know what the big secret is yet, remember?” I asked teasingly, hoping to fool him. “I just need a little air, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?” He asked as he looked intently at my face, looking for signs of insincerity.
“YES!” I answered, “Get back to finishing the food before Mya passes out from hunger.” I added
“THANK YOU!” She cried out with a huge smile.
“I’m coming with you.” 3azeez stated.
“You guys are making me feel like a drama queen, enough! I need a little quiet, that’s all, I don’t need babysitting.” I pointed out
He smiled gently at me, “I know, but I’m not about to let you walk out alone at night in a foreign city. I won’t talk, I promise, not until you’re ready for me to.”
I eyed him suspiciously, not knowing if I should trust him to keep his words. I help up my pinky finger and waited for him to assure me. He rolled his eyes and linked pinkies with me.
“I pinky swore! There, you happy?”
All I could do was smile in response as we walked out together in perfect silence. It wasn’t deafening, it wasn’t heavy with accusations, it wasn’t uneasy. It was exactly what I needed it to be, comforting. I didn’t even think of what he had to inevitably tell me. I cleared my mind and concentrated on the feeling of the icy night air calming me down.
True to his words, he didn’t speak a single world as he walked with me, following me unquestioningly. I rubbed my hands together at one point and he silently took them into his own and warmed them up. I walked into the supermarket to buy junk food and he mutely shadowed me, not uttering a single syllable. I walked into a pharmacy and dumped condoms and various other birth control items into a basket, just to see if he can maintain his silence. He laughed, put everything back and forcefully ushered me out.
I lost all sense of time, I had no idea how long we were walking for. I only remember my legs finally giving out and collapsing on the nearest bench with 3azeez soundlessly following suit. The subject couldn’t be avoided much longer.
“You didn’t come here for me.” I stated. We’ve been walking in silence for so long, the sound of my voice was foreign to my own ears.
“I did. The radio was on when I was driving back home after I dropped you off the day before you left and that song you like by The Script came on. I couldn’t even hear the lyrics, all I could hear was your voice screeching “I’m not moviiiing” at the top of your lungs and I couldn’t stop smiling. I knew I could wait out the two weeks but I didn’t want to.” He paused to take a deep breath, “I wanted to be with you.” He added simply.
I bit back the smile tugging relentlessly on the corners of my mouth, instinctively knowing there was more to his explanation than that. “But?”
“I told my parents I was going to visit a friend there and my dad told me about this job at his friend‘s firm. It’s weird, it’s an entry-level type of thing, but it’s actually challenging! It pays twice as much as I’m making now and I wouldn’t care if it paid half as much. It’s really interesting and the thing is, they’re setting up a branch in Kuwait in two years.” he paused to gauge my reaction and continued, “So my dad figured I could work there for now and his friend guaranteed him I’ll have a spot at the Kuwaiti branch when it opens up.”
My heart sank with every word he spoke. Maybe I should’ve let the silence drag on a while longer, I certainly wasn’t prepared for this. I put on my brightest smile and feigned happiness for him. I knew I would be eventually but not that moment, not today. “Mabrook! It seems like a great opportunity, I‘m sure you‘re gonna kick some major English ass!” I said as enthusiastically as I could and looked down to hide what I’m sure was a shattered expression.
“I didn’t accept the job.” he clarified, “Yet.”
My had snapped up and I met his eyes, “What? Why not? You seem really excited about it..”
“A couple of months ago, I would’ve jumped at the opportunity without as much as blinking an eye. Now, however, I have more than myself to think about.” he said as he locked eyes with me, daring me to blink.
Then it all became clearer and I checked the impulse to run in the opposite direction. “Me?” I asked tentatively and he nodded in response. Alarm bells started sounding off in my head, this was not happening.
“Yes, you.” he answered. “There’s no way I can make this decision without involving you, I told you time and again, I’m serious about this, about us. But I’m not silly enough to pretend we can make this long distance thing work.”
I didn’t know what to reply, it was a lot to take in, to put it mildly. I opted for the playing dumb routine and asked, “What are you saying?”
He took one of my hands and pressed a kiss onto the palm and held on to it. “I’m saying I love you. I’m saying I’m happy to stay in Kuwait with you and decline the job offer, but I need reassurance in return. I know I’m asking you for a lot, but I need to know if you think there’s a future for us. It’s only been a few months, but there’s no doubt in my mind, I’m in it for the long haul. Question is, are you?”
I blinked back the tears searing the back of my eyelids, seeking release. Cleared my throat and said the only thing I could, “No.”
“I know, right? Like it took some divine magical ability for them to combine water, eggs and oil into a bowl with the dry ingredients and mix!” I replied in annoyance as I swiped a few fries from the plate next to Khaled.
“I know!” She exclaimed as grabbed a few herself.
“Great, now there’s two of them.” Khaled said sarcastically to no one in particular, “I can’t wait for their periods to sync up.”
I giggled as I heard Mya reply with yet another threat to pour the hot oil down his back if he didn’t shut up.
“Really, your obsession with BDSM is getting a little out of hand.” He replied dryly. “You might wanna tone it down a bit.”
“HA! Never!” She answered, “What’s taking you so long? I’m starving, I haven’t eaten since breakfast!” she added dramatically.
“You were munching on jellies when I called you after class.”
“Okay but I haven’t had anything since then!” She conceded with a pout.
“I had lunch with you!” He reminded her, “I sat across the table watching you practically inhale your cheeseburger.”
Her eyes widened in shock, “That was THREE hours ago! Are you insane? That doesn’t count!”
He shook his head, gave up trying to reason with her and turned his attention back to our dinner. I saw him smile to himself as he moved the food around the pan and couldn’t help but feel a smile spread on my own face, too. I genuinely couldn’t remember another time when he seemed so happy with anyone and I’ve seen the parade of his girlfriends ever since he discovered that girls didn’t have cooties. This was different, I could hardly believe he was the same guy head over heels for Haifa months earlier.
“So did you guys have fun?” he asked us.
“Surprisingly, yes. Even though she refused to stop singing ‘London Calling’ the entire time and jumped up and down while the bus was moving when the tour guide pointed out the studio where Hendrix recorded Purple Haze. Even though she kept eying the only other Arabic man warily whenever he shifted his eyes. Even though she stopped paying attention when it started raining and tilted her head all the way back chanting “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” repeatedly. Even though-”
“That’s enough already!” I cut him off. “You can’t blame me for the rain thing, I live in Kuwait. God knows when I’m gonna see that much of it again!” I justified. “Besides, you completely lost your right to complain about anything when you hauled your ass on a plane and came all the way down here just to see me.”
Khaled’s head suddenly snapped up and he faced 3azeez. “You didn’t tell her?” he asked in an accusatory tone.
3azeez’s warning look was received a little late by Khaled who stood there with his arms crossed, waiting for an answer.
I felt the smile I had plastered on my face earlier wavering as my heart started beating at a frenzied pace. My mind immediately jumped to a thousand different conclusions in those few silent moments. I tried pulling it back to the present situation but my efforts were unheeded as I found myself contemplating the possibilities. Was he in trouble? Is he sick? I pushed the fact that he lied to me to the back of my head momentarily, forced myself to remain calm and keep the nervousness out of my voice as I took a deep breath and asked, “Didn’t tell me what?”
My gaze shifted between them and I took in their contrasting expressions from Khaled’s angry one to 3azeez’s pained one. I glanced at Mya’s direction to find her deeply absorbed with her fingernails, not able to look me in the eyes. It dawned on me that I really was the last to know. Something was going on, something that obviously concerned me in some way and everyone was privy to the details except me. And just like that, the realization effectively silenced my nerves and fueled my anger.
I turned to 3azeez with hardened eyes, temporarily forgetting my previous worries and asked again in an infinitely more steady tone, carefully enunciating each letter, “Didn’t tell me what?”
I knew I was being irrational but I hated being kept in the dark, my mind was still going into overdrive, exploring all the different prospects of what the secret may be.
He took a deep breath and started to explain, “Ghala, I-”
“No.” I interrupted calmly, surprising myself as much as I surprised him.
He looked up at me quizzically, “No?” he asked as I nodded
“No.” I repeated, taking in his confused expression, “I’m a woman, being fickle is in my nature, sue me.” I added with a shrug. “I’m not sure I want to know yet, I need to think.” I wrapped my scarf around my neck and pulled my boots over my socks, “I’m going for a walk, I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll come with you.” Khaled volunteered.
“No, don’t. Really, I’m fine! I don’t even know what the big secret is yet, remember?” I asked teasingly, hoping to fool him. “I just need a little air, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?” He asked as he looked intently at my face, looking for signs of insincerity.
“YES!” I answered, “Get back to finishing the food before Mya passes out from hunger.” I added
“THANK YOU!” She cried out with a huge smile.
“I’m coming with you.” 3azeez stated.
“You guys are making me feel like a drama queen, enough! I need a little quiet, that’s all, I don’t need babysitting.” I pointed out
He smiled gently at me, “I know, but I’m not about to let you walk out alone at night in a foreign city. I won’t talk, I promise, not until you’re ready for me to.”
I eyed him suspiciously, not knowing if I should trust him to keep his words. I help up my pinky finger and waited for him to assure me. He rolled his eyes and linked pinkies with me.
“I pinky swore! There, you happy?”
All I could do was smile in response as we walked out together in perfect silence. It wasn’t deafening, it wasn’t heavy with accusations, it wasn’t uneasy. It was exactly what I needed it to be, comforting. I didn’t even think of what he had to inevitably tell me. I cleared my mind and concentrated on the feeling of the icy night air calming me down.
True to his words, he didn’t speak a single world as he walked with me, following me unquestioningly. I rubbed my hands together at one point and he silently took them into his own and warmed them up. I walked into the supermarket to buy junk food and he mutely shadowed me, not uttering a single syllable. I walked into a pharmacy and dumped condoms and various other birth control items into a basket, just to see if he can maintain his silence. He laughed, put everything back and forcefully ushered me out.
I lost all sense of time, I had no idea how long we were walking for. I only remember my legs finally giving out and collapsing on the nearest bench with 3azeez soundlessly following suit. The subject couldn’t be avoided much longer.
“You didn’t come here for me.” I stated. We’ve been walking in silence for so long, the sound of my voice was foreign to my own ears.
“I did. The radio was on when I was driving back home after I dropped you off the day before you left and that song you like by The Script came on. I couldn’t even hear the lyrics, all I could hear was your voice screeching “I’m not moviiiing” at the top of your lungs and I couldn’t stop smiling. I knew I could wait out the two weeks but I didn’t want to.” He paused to take a deep breath, “I wanted to be with you.” He added simply.
I bit back the smile tugging relentlessly on the corners of my mouth, instinctively knowing there was more to his explanation than that. “But?”
“I told my parents I was going to visit a friend there and my dad told me about this job at his friend‘s firm. It’s weird, it’s an entry-level type of thing, but it’s actually challenging! It pays twice as much as I’m making now and I wouldn’t care if it paid half as much. It’s really interesting and the thing is, they’re setting up a branch in Kuwait in two years.” he paused to gauge my reaction and continued, “So my dad figured I could work there for now and his friend guaranteed him I’ll have a spot at the Kuwaiti branch when it opens up.”
My heart sank with every word he spoke. Maybe I should’ve let the silence drag on a while longer, I certainly wasn’t prepared for this. I put on my brightest smile and feigned happiness for him. I knew I would be eventually but not that moment, not today. “Mabrook! It seems like a great opportunity, I‘m sure you‘re gonna kick some major English ass!” I said as enthusiastically as I could and looked down to hide what I’m sure was a shattered expression.
“I didn’t accept the job.” he clarified, “Yet.”
My had snapped up and I met his eyes, “What? Why not? You seem really excited about it..”
“A couple of months ago, I would’ve jumped at the opportunity without as much as blinking an eye. Now, however, I have more than myself to think about.” he said as he locked eyes with me, daring me to blink.
Then it all became clearer and I checked the impulse to run in the opposite direction. “Me?” I asked tentatively and he nodded in response. Alarm bells started sounding off in my head, this was not happening.
“Yes, you.” he answered. “There’s no way I can make this decision without involving you, I told you time and again, I’m serious about this, about us. But I’m not silly enough to pretend we can make this long distance thing work.”
I didn’t know what to reply, it was a lot to take in, to put it mildly. I opted for the playing dumb routine and asked, “What are you saying?”
He took one of my hands and pressed a kiss onto the palm and held on to it. “I’m saying I love you. I’m saying I’m happy to stay in Kuwait with you and decline the job offer, but I need reassurance in return. I know I’m asking you for a lot, but I need to know if you think there’s a future for us. It’s only been a few months, but there’s no doubt in my mind, I’m in it for the long haul. Question is, are you?”
I blinked back the tears searing the back of my eyelids, seeking release. Cleared my throat and said the only thing I could, “No.”
Friday, August 14, 2009
Foolish Games.. (23)
I know, I know, I'm sorry *pout* don't hate me! Finals in two days, so I had to post. Also, a very persuasive letter from Carpe Diem forced me to finish this post so voila!;p I didn't proofread, I have a million past exams to read through *sigh* let me know if you find any mistakes, yes? It's very rushed, I sorry!:( Love you guys :*
_______________________________________
"And I want French toast and chocolate chip pancakes with vanilla ice cream and hash browns and cinnamon waffles and.." I trailed off as I continued my perusal of the menu. The breakfast I ordered back at the hotel was long forgotten after 3azeez's unexpected arrival. We ended up at some diner with Khaled and his new girlfriend, who turned out to be pretty cool, I quickly let go of any reservations I might've had before.
"Is she gonna eat all that?" 3azeez asked Khaled incredulously, I stifled a giggle at his bewildered expression.
"Nope." He answered.
"Aaand milkless cereal.. Actually, could I possibly get chocolate milk instead? Thank you!" I flashed a smile at the flustered waitress.
She smiled back uneasily and turned to Mya, "What will you be having, miss?" She asked politely.
"What she said sounds good, I'll have the same!"
"The cereal part?" She ventured hopefully.
"Psh no, all of it!" She corrected, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to eat that much for breakfast.
I looked up to see 3azeez's gaze darting back and forth between me and Mya, then finally settling on Khaled, seeking assistance.
"And she won't be eating all that either." He clarified with a wry inflection in his voice. "Two coffees please." He added to the waitress who grabbed the menus and scampered off quickly before we think of anything else.
"So how does this work?" 3azeez asked, referring to the huge breakfast we just ordered.
"Well," He started as the waitress quickly came back with out cereal, "They'll both finish their cereals.. Ghala will take a bite or two out of everything before announcing she's full and she can't possibly stuff anymore in her mouth.. Mya will give it a little more effort than that but will also be full in 5 bites or so after that and she'll ask if she can undo the top button of her shorts." He said as he rolled his eyes.
"Are you calling me fat?" She asked with her mouth full of cereal and pointing the spoon threateningly at him.
"Not at all, babes." He answered sincerely and she eyed him carefully for a few moments before going back to happily munching on her cereal.
"What happens to the rest of the food?"
"Ah, well at that point, Ghala will turn to us and beg us to finish it all, saying something like, "Think of all the poor children in Africa!"" He said in a voice that was supposed to be an imitation of mine. "And Mya would say something like-"
3azeez interrupted him, "Let me guess, "Let them eat cake!"? Close enough?"
"Haha, no, more like "Let them starve!" Isn't that right?" He asked her, smiling down at her affectionately.
"Meh," She answered with a shrug, neither agreeing or disagreeing.
______________________________________________________
We parted ways with Mya and Khaled, who had classes to get to and were walking aimlessly down the street, blissfully unaware of our surroundings and just happy to be together. Two days apart seemed much longer than they actually were. This news wasn't received well by me, not at all.
"What do you want to do first?" He asked as he reached out for my hand.
I chose that particular moment to fix my hair, "Hmm, I want to make phone calls from the red phone booth things."
He started laughing and immediately stopped when he saw my unsmiling face, "Are you serious?" He asked as he reached for my hand again.
"Yes, I'm serious!" I replied as I lightly smacked his arm. "It's just something I've always wanted to do." I added with a shrug.
"And who are you gonna call?" he reached out and put his arms around my waist this time. Dammit. This one's going to be hard to get out of.
I twirled out of his arms and spun myself around a few times, "I don't know, I'll think of something. Oh my God, can you believe we're actually here together?" I squealed a little and looked back to see if he bought my act. No such luck.
"What's wrong?"
Busted. "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You've been flinching away from any form of contact between us, am I missing something?"
How do I go about this? Don't touch me? Nah, too rude. I would appreciate it if you didn't touch me? Mm, too formal. Maybe I can do it Emperor Kuzco style? Sort of like "No touchy" Or-
"Ghala? You still here?" He asked as he waved his hand in front of my face, effectively pulling me back into the current situation.
"Yeah, what's up?" I answered brightly.
"Explanation..?" He said, refreshing my memory.
"Oh right! Sorry. Guess I just have to come out with it, yeah?" I started, "Me and PDA, we don't mesh well? I'm uncomfortable with it, yeah. Uncomfortable." I nodded for emphasis and looked up to gauge his reaction.
"That's all?" He said, smiling.
I wasn't sure what he meant by that, "And my lips go insanely pouty after I eat red chili peppers?"
He laughed and repeatedly pulled down strands of my hair and watched them bounce back up, "Since you have such a strong aversion to being touched, I guess I'll just have to stick to pulling your hair." He teased, "That should help you get over those PDA issues, don't you think?"
I rummaged through the contents of my bag until I found a pencil and secured my hair in a bun. I turned to face him and smirked.
"I don't have "issues" as you so eloquently put it, I just think it's fine for us to be all gross and lovey dovey on our own time but it's completely unnecessary to showcase it for the entire world to see! I'm secure enough in our relationship to not need that type of public validation.." I looked up to see his amused expression, "Okay fine, I have issues." I conceded with a scowl.
"Come here." He invited as he held his arms open.
I rolled my eyes at him, "Did you hear anything I said in the past five minutes?!" I demanded.
"Imbala, I've just chosen to disregard it, that's all." He replied and waited patiently.
"What makes you so sure I'm going to hug you?" I asked, baffled at his certainty.
"Because, I came a the way to London for you. You wouldn't deny me the pleasure of having you in my arms, would you?" He answered with a disarming smile. Dammit.
I made my way over to him, all the while mumbling complaints under my breath and walked into his arms as they closed around me and pulled me in closer. I made no effort to hug him back, I was just happy to be standing there, inhaling his intoxicating scent and secretly smiling into the fabric of his jacket.
"See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He asked rhetorically as he let go and kissed the top of my head.
"I wanna go on the tour bus thingies!" I said as I pouted, "I was going to yesterday, but then I noticed a scary looking arab guy buying a ticket, so I changed my mind and went shopping instead!" I complained.
He looked at me incredulously and shook his head, "Hatha w you're an arab! What are the foreigners supposed to think?" He chastised.
"I can't help it!" I defended, "He was covering his face retardedly with his scarf and he was really skinny but had a huge jacket thing on, it could've been loaded with explosives for all I know! And he had a beanie on. You know how I feel about those."
He laughed at my deductions, "Ya3ni may9eer bardan? You had to skip to terrorism?"
I glared at him, "I'm telling you, he had terrorist written all over him! And he bought a ticket for one, who does that?!"
"You were going to!" He exclaimed.
He had a point there, but I wasn't about to let him win. "It's different, I had my reasons!"
"And isn't there the slightest possibility that he may have had his reasons too?" He asked in a horribly logical manner.
"Yes, I suppose he could have." I conceded, "If those reasons included him blowing up the bus."
He sighed in exasperation, "Then please explain to me why we haven't heard anything on the news about a terrorist attack on a tour bus?"
Dammit. I couldn't weasel my way out of this one without employing some good old fashioned phrases I picked up in the third grade.
"Oo you'd like that, wouldn't you?" I retorted.
"That doesn't make any sense!" He cried out.
"You don't make any sense!" I shot back.
I took a step back as his expression turned murderous. Oops. He closed the gap between us, tilted my head back and kissed me. I pulled away quick and took a step back.
"What was that?" I asked, surprised.
"That was the most effective method I know of shutting you up that doesn't include physical violence." He answered. "I forgot how infuriating you could be."
I forgot to feign shock and act offended and retaliated in kind, "Well I forgot how tall you are. Could we please sit down for a bit? My neck's starting to hurt from constantly looking up."
He obliged and pulled me down on the bench next to him. He took out a cigarette, lit it and watched me silently as I took it out of his hand, put it out and placed it in a nearby rubbish bin. I casually walked back to my place, sat down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. He was surprised by my voluntary actions and tentatively wrapped an arm around me. I smiled, leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"You're not really mad at me, are you?" I asked.
"Nah, I can't be. I kinda love you, if you hadn't noticed." He said with a lopsided grin.
I looked down demurely and played with a button on his jacket, "And just because I don't feel like throwing up in your mouth when you say things like that, I think I might kinda love you too. You know, or whatever." I replied with a smile of my own.
He removed his arm from around me, took my hand away from his jacket, pressed a kiss into my palm and pulled me up.
"Yalla baby, we have a terrorist-free tour bus to catch."
_______________________________________
"And I want French toast and chocolate chip pancakes with vanilla ice cream and hash browns and cinnamon waffles and.." I trailed off as I continued my perusal of the menu. The breakfast I ordered back at the hotel was long forgotten after 3azeez's unexpected arrival. We ended up at some diner with Khaled and his new girlfriend, who turned out to be pretty cool, I quickly let go of any reservations I might've had before.
"Is she gonna eat all that?" 3azeez asked Khaled incredulously, I stifled a giggle at his bewildered expression.
"Nope." He answered.
"Aaand milkless cereal.. Actually, could I possibly get chocolate milk instead? Thank you!" I flashed a smile at the flustered waitress.
She smiled back uneasily and turned to Mya, "What will you be having, miss?" She asked politely.
"What she said sounds good, I'll have the same!"
"The cereal part?" She ventured hopefully.
"Psh no, all of it!" She corrected, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to eat that much for breakfast.
I looked up to see 3azeez's gaze darting back and forth between me and Mya, then finally settling on Khaled, seeking assistance.
"And she won't be eating all that either." He clarified with a wry inflection in his voice. "Two coffees please." He added to the waitress who grabbed the menus and scampered off quickly before we think of anything else.
"So how does this work?" 3azeez asked, referring to the huge breakfast we just ordered.
"Well," He started as the waitress quickly came back with out cereal, "They'll both finish their cereals.. Ghala will take a bite or two out of everything before announcing she's full and she can't possibly stuff anymore in her mouth.. Mya will give it a little more effort than that but will also be full in 5 bites or so after that and she'll ask if she can undo the top button of her shorts." He said as he rolled his eyes.
"Are you calling me fat?" She asked with her mouth full of cereal and pointing the spoon threateningly at him.
"Not at all, babes." He answered sincerely and she eyed him carefully for a few moments before going back to happily munching on her cereal.
"What happens to the rest of the food?"
"Ah, well at that point, Ghala will turn to us and beg us to finish it all, saying something like, "Think of all the poor children in Africa!"" He said in a voice that was supposed to be an imitation of mine. "And Mya would say something like-"
3azeez interrupted him, "Let me guess, "Let them eat cake!"? Close enough?"
"Haha, no, more like "Let them starve!" Isn't that right?" He asked her, smiling down at her affectionately.
"Meh," She answered with a shrug, neither agreeing or disagreeing.
______________________________________________________
We parted ways with Mya and Khaled, who had classes to get to and were walking aimlessly down the street, blissfully unaware of our surroundings and just happy to be together. Two days apart seemed much longer than they actually were. This news wasn't received well by me, not at all.
"What do you want to do first?" He asked as he reached out for my hand.
I chose that particular moment to fix my hair, "Hmm, I want to make phone calls from the red phone booth things."
He started laughing and immediately stopped when he saw my unsmiling face, "Are you serious?" He asked as he reached for my hand again.
"Yes, I'm serious!" I replied as I lightly smacked his arm. "It's just something I've always wanted to do." I added with a shrug.
"And who are you gonna call?" he reached out and put his arms around my waist this time. Dammit. This one's going to be hard to get out of.
I twirled out of his arms and spun myself around a few times, "I don't know, I'll think of something. Oh my God, can you believe we're actually here together?" I squealed a little and looked back to see if he bought my act. No such luck.
"What's wrong?"
Busted. "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You've been flinching away from any form of contact between us, am I missing something?"
How do I go about this? Don't touch me? Nah, too rude. I would appreciate it if you didn't touch me? Mm, too formal. Maybe I can do it Emperor Kuzco style? Sort of like "No touchy" Or-
"Ghala? You still here?" He asked as he waved his hand in front of my face, effectively pulling me back into the current situation.
"Yeah, what's up?" I answered brightly.
"Explanation..?" He said, refreshing my memory.
"Oh right! Sorry. Guess I just have to come out with it, yeah?" I started, "Me and PDA, we don't mesh well? I'm uncomfortable with it, yeah. Uncomfortable." I nodded for emphasis and looked up to gauge his reaction.
"That's all?" He said, smiling.
I wasn't sure what he meant by that, "And my lips go insanely pouty after I eat red chili peppers?"
He laughed and repeatedly pulled down strands of my hair and watched them bounce back up, "Since you have such a strong aversion to being touched, I guess I'll just have to stick to pulling your hair." He teased, "That should help you get over those PDA issues, don't you think?"
I rummaged through the contents of my bag until I found a pencil and secured my hair in a bun. I turned to face him and smirked.
"I don't have "issues" as you so eloquently put it, I just think it's fine for us to be all gross and lovey dovey on our own time but it's completely unnecessary to showcase it for the entire world to see! I'm secure enough in our relationship to not need that type of public validation.." I looked up to see his amused expression, "Okay fine, I have issues." I conceded with a scowl.
"Come here." He invited as he held his arms open.
I rolled my eyes at him, "Did you hear anything I said in the past five minutes?!" I demanded.
"Imbala, I've just chosen to disregard it, that's all." He replied and waited patiently.
"What makes you so sure I'm going to hug you?" I asked, baffled at his certainty.
"Because, I came a the way to London for you. You wouldn't deny me the pleasure of having you in my arms, would you?" He answered with a disarming smile. Dammit.
I made my way over to him, all the while mumbling complaints under my breath and walked into his arms as they closed around me and pulled me in closer. I made no effort to hug him back, I was just happy to be standing there, inhaling his intoxicating scent and secretly smiling into the fabric of his jacket.
"See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He asked rhetorically as he let go and kissed the top of my head.
"I wanna go on the tour bus thingies!" I said as I pouted, "I was going to yesterday, but then I noticed a scary looking arab guy buying a ticket, so I changed my mind and went shopping instead!" I complained.
He looked at me incredulously and shook his head, "Hatha w you're an arab! What are the foreigners supposed to think?" He chastised.
"I can't help it!" I defended, "He was covering his face retardedly with his scarf and he was really skinny but had a huge jacket thing on, it could've been loaded with explosives for all I know! And he had a beanie on. You know how I feel about those."
He laughed at my deductions, "Ya3ni may9eer bardan? You had to skip to terrorism?"
I glared at him, "I'm telling you, he had terrorist written all over him! And he bought a ticket for one, who does that?!"
"You were going to!" He exclaimed.
He had a point there, but I wasn't about to let him win. "It's different, I had my reasons!"
"And isn't there the slightest possibility that he may have had his reasons too?" He asked in a horribly logical manner.
"Yes, I suppose he could have." I conceded, "If those reasons included him blowing up the bus."
He sighed in exasperation, "Then please explain to me why we haven't heard anything on the news about a terrorist attack on a tour bus?"
Dammit. I couldn't weasel my way out of this one without employing some good old fashioned phrases I picked up in the third grade.
"Oo you'd like that, wouldn't you?" I retorted.
"That doesn't make any sense!" He cried out.
"You don't make any sense!" I shot back.
I took a step back as his expression turned murderous. Oops. He closed the gap between us, tilted my head back and kissed me. I pulled away quick and took a step back.
"What was that?" I asked, surprised.
"That was the most effective method I know of shutting you up that doesn't include physical violence." He answered. "I forgot how infuriating you could be."
I forgot to feign shock and act offended and retaliated in kind, "Well I forgot how tall you are. Could we please sit down for a bit? My neck's starting to hurt from constantly looking up."
He obliged and pulled me down on the bench next to him. He took out a cigarette, lit it and watched me silently as I took it out of his hand, put it out and placed it in a nearby rubbish bin. I casually walked back to my place, sat down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. He was surprised by my voluntary actions and tentatively wrapped an arm around me. I smiled, leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"You're not really mad at me, are you?" I asked.
"Nah, I can't be. I kinda love you, if you hadn't noticed." He said with a lopsided grin.
I looked down demurely and played with a button on his jacket, "And just because I don't feel like throwing up in your mouth when you say things like that, I think I might kinda love you too. You know, or whatever." I replied with a smile of my own.
He removed his arm from around me, took my hand away from his jacket, pressed a kiss into my palm and pulled me up.
"Yalla baby, we have a terrorist-free tour bus to catch."
Sunday, July 19, 2009
I Didn't Mean To Take Up All Your Sweet Time..
I'll give it right back to ya one of these days hahaha ♪
Yes, I find it necessary to sing along with the laughter in songs as well :$ KAIFI! For those of you who aren't familiar with the song, SHAME ON YOU!
I mean, It's Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix♥ Amazing riffs. Word.
I can't concentrate walla I really do not KNOW how to study, please don't ask me how that's even possible, I just don't! I have no attention span whatsoever when it comes to holding a book/paper/whatever and understanding ot acknowleging that I read any of the information. I think I'm going to resort to sleeping with the book under my pillow in hopes of magically absorbing the info into my brain by the end of the semester. Thank you, Noodles. Seriously summer semester is shite, I think I can almost see my brain cells escaping from my head and dying midair.
Oh, Oh, and I remembered why I don't let myself wear shorts much, my thighs are too distracting! Not on the "Fudge, I have sexy thighs!" sense, noo! They just look so cleaaan.. and such a good place for me to draw on :( So I'm "studying" for my quiz, right? And I read about Spot Markets (ftw?) so I have my pen in my hand, underlining the definition and any other words that seem important and it goes something like this..
"Spot markets are terms that refer to markets where assets are being bought or sold for OMG I WANT TO DRAW ON MY THIGHS!"
Needless to say, after that I abandoned my handout and focused on my canvas. When I was convinced that I had sufficiently graffiti-d my thighs enough, I uncross my legs and stretch them to see how it looks like from a different angle (don't ask, you don't wanna know *rolls eyes*). THEN, I realize that my legs are strangely long for my height? I'm not short or anything, I'm like 165 cms, even though the pharmacy insists I'm 160, mu kaifkum? yes? kthxbye. But I digress, anyway! Yeah, so I walk about my room shwaya, hiking up my shorts even more in hopes of discovering that it's all in my head, but no! So I decided to study, satasfied with my newfound discovery and then I uncross my legs, again -.- And then I start wondering how high up my legs can go? so I spend half an hour, give or take, trying to hook my right foot behind my neck so that it rests on my left shoulder? Naturally, every time it ends up with me rolling all the way back and dissolving into fits of giggles -.- I can't stop laughing, seriously, what's going on?
People should not post on saturday.. cuz I will ditch studying and read your updates instead. But please continue doing so anyway, you guys rock ♥
I want a baby dinosaur like the ones in Ice Age 3? So cute, I die! I keep saying it and getting the response of "THEY'RE EXTINCT" from my sister.. Inzain, I still want them? God, people *rolls eyes*
I just realized I should've posted this on my other blog, it is rambling after all -.-
I apologize to anyone who read this thinking it's related in any way to my story *looks around* but secretly, I have the desire to point at you and go "kaaaaaaaaaaak!" Yes, I will resort to kaaaak-ing, I've been hanging around Kuwaiti guys far too long. I'm not complaining, they're cool, they're cool.. Oh did you guys know I'm not Kuwaiti? :O
I don't even know why I'm sharing that, I don't wanna get up and change. My quiz is at 8, so that ship has sailed, I hope my friends don't read this til they get home.. I wonder if I can use the whole "I overslept!" excuse on them? Problem is, they know I don't sleep! I will not underestimate your intelligence and lie to you guys, I love you guys *flicks halo back in place*
W bas? Yes? Oooh new blog? Yes? I feel all lonely being the only follower, so read and FOLLOW:@
http://delusional-soul.blogspot.com/
I love you guys! *insert huge goofy grin here*
Thanks for reading? Or whatever?
Hahaha I just got a message from Noodles saying she might not do the quiz either.. aaaand I'm out of the doghouse! YAY! I change anyway, class at 9.20 -.-
Peace! :*
-Lilo.
Yes, I find it necessary to sing along with the laughter in songs as well :$ KAIFI! For those of you who aren't familiar with the song, SHAME ON YOU!
I mean, It's Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix♥ Amazing riffs. Word.
I can't concentrate walla I really do not KNOW how to study, please don't ask me how that's even possible, I just don't! I have no attention span whatsoever when it comes to holding a book/paper/whatever and understanding ot acknowleging that I read any of the information. I think I'm going to resort to sleeping with the book under my pillow in hopes of magically absorbing the info into my brain by the end of the semester. Thank you, Noodles. Seriously summer semester is shite, I think I can almost see my brain cells escaping from my head and dying midair.
Oh, Oh, and I remembered why I don't let myself wear shorts much, my thighs are too distracting! Not on the "Fudge, I have sexy thighs!" sense, noo! They just look so cleaaan.. and such a good place for me to draw on :( So I'm "studying" for my quiz, right? And I read about Spot Markets (ftw?) so I have my pen in my hand, underlining the definition and any other words that seem important and it goes something like this..
"Spot markets are terms that refer to markets where assets are being bought or sold for OMG I WANT TO DRAW ON MY THIGHS!"
Needless to say, after that I abandoned my handout and focused on my canvas. When I was convinced that I had sufficiently graffiti-d my thighs enough, I uncross my legs and stretch them to see how it looks like from a different angle (don't ask, you don't wanna know *rolls eyes*). THEN, I realize that my legs are strangely long for my height? I'm not short or anything, I'm like 165 cms, even though the pharmacy insists I'm 160, mu kaifkum? yes? kthxbye. But I digress, anyway! Yeah, so I walk about my room shwaya, hiking up my shorts even more in hopes of discovering that it's all in my head, but no! So I decided to study, satasfied with my newfound discovery and then I uncross my legs, again -.- And then I start wondering how high up my legs can go? so I spend half an hour, give or take, trying to hook my right foot behind my neck so that it rests on my left shoulder? Naturally, every time it ends up with me rolling all the way back and dissolving into fits of giggles -.- I can't stop laughing, seriously, what's going on?
People should not post on saturday.. cuz I will ditch studying and read your updates instead. But please continue doing so anyway, you guys rock ♥
I want a baby dinosaur like the ones in Ice Age 3? So cute, I die! I keep saying it and getting the response of "THEY'RE EXTINCT" from my sister.. Inzain, I still want them? God, people *rolls eyes*
I just realized I should've posted this on my other blog, it is rambling after all -.-
I apologize to anyone who read this thinking it's related in any way to my story *looks around* but secretly, I have the desire to point at you and go "kaaaaaaaaaaak!" Yes, I will resort to kaaaak-ing, I've been hanging around Kuwaiti guys far too long. I'm not complaining, they're cool, they're cool.. Oh did you guys know I'm not Kuwaiti? :O
I don't even know why I'm sharing that, I don't wanna get up and change. My quiz is at 8, so that ship has sailed, I hope my friends don't read this til they get home.. I wonder if I can use the whole "I overslept!" excuse on them? Problem is, they know I don't sleep! I will not underestimate your intelligence and lie to you guys, I love you guys *flicks halo back in place*
W bas? Yes? Oooh new blog? Yes? I feel all lonely being the only follower, so read and FOLLOW:@
http://delusional-soul.blogspot.com/
I love you guys! *insert huge goofy grin here*
Thanks for reading? Or whatever?
Hahaha I just got a message from Noodles saying she might not do the quiz either.. aaaand I'm out of the doghouse! YAY! I change anyway, class at 9.20 -.-
Peace! :*
-Lilo.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Foolish Games.. (22)
Hello! I have a quiz tomorrow, so naturally, I chose to type up a post instead of studying! Procrastination at its best *sigh* I love my blog. And my new layout. I hate the color pink, but I do love my layout. In fact, I dedicate this post to my layout *blush* Even Ghala's outfit is a tribute to it! Sad, I know. Kaifi!
I had to delete the thingie I posted yesterday cuz blogger is being a bitch and not posting this? Kept saying "Finale?" was my latest post! Then I found out that deleting it didn't work either -.- Don't question the logic, made sense at the time?
Enjoy! Or not..? Love you guys! ;*
And I love cherry tomatoes.
______________________
I woke up to the intrusive sun rays shining through the curtains and immediately hid back under the covers. I was hoping I could trap my sleepiness under the covers before it completely went away but it was no use, once I was awake, it was practically impossible for me to go back to bed again. I contemplated the merits of spending the whole day vegetating on the bed for a few moments before hauling my tush out of bed, showering and getting ready for the long day ahead of me. None too quietly, may I add. I grumbled enough obscenities to make a sailor blush. I couldn't help it, isn't the point of a vacation to laze around and do nothing? Not to get scared out of your wits and wake up cranky with only an hour of sleep.
I made my bed and picked up the phone and called room service. Mark, the concierge picked up.
"I can't believe your shift isn't done yet, it's been almost 24 hours now!" I exclaimed when I heard his voice.
"Haha, I don't mind! I volunteered to pick up 3 extra shifts so I have about 6 more hours to go. This way, I get to have a whole week off." He explained.
"Oh hey, that sucks. I'm not gonna get to see you anymore before I leave!" I whined. Granted I've only known the guy for a day, but he was a sweetheart. He kept me company for a while in the lobby and he did try to unsuccessfully calm me down for half an hour last night. He was in his final year of college, studying hotel management and taking an internship in the hotel as a final project. He alternates between different places for the duration of the semester, I was lucky enough to catch him while he was filling in as a concierge.
"That's what phones are for, love! You'll get to see me don't worry, I haven't had my fill of crazy stories from Kuwait just yet."
I loved his accent, I could literally listen to him talk all day. It used to make my ears bleed but it grew on me! Note to self: make 3azeez pick up the British accent.
"Yay! Okay, the day after your many shifts are up, we'll go out, you show me the real London and I'll tell you all you need to know about K-town, how's that?" I suggested.
"It's a date! My supervisor is glaring at me, did you want something specific? Or are you still having trouble with sleeping?" He asked.
"Oh oops!" I forgot he was still technically working, "Sorry! I actually managed to get in an hour, I'm calling about breakfast! I want hash browns. And bagels. And red bull!" I added.
"Red bull? Are you sure? That doesn't sound very healthy, love. Can I interest you in some grapefruit juice instead?" He offered.
"You may certainly not! I'm on vacation and I plan on getting fat and ugly." I declared huffily.
"Haha, I don't think that's possible. Alright then, there's a package that came for you this morning too, do you mind if I have them send it up with the breakfast tray?"
A package? I wonder who it's from. I crossed my fingers and hoped it was from a psychopathic secret stalker. It could make for an interesting twist for my short vacation. Get a little, "the call is coming from inside the house" action going on. It's easy for me to joke about these things when the sun is up, where was my sense of humor last night?
"Not at all, thanks Maaark!" I called out and hung up.
I rummaged through my bags for my clothes and settled on my grey leggings and light pink pullover. I towel-dried my hair, brushed it and left nature to run its course and afrosize my curls. I grabbed my laptop and jumped excitedly on the bed. Anticipation was building up as the blue and green fat msn icons danced around each other indicating that I was signing in. I shut my eyes tightly and crossed my fingers, hoping to find 3azeez online and squealed when my laptop pinged, telling me I was online and I saw his name across the screen. My excitement was short-lived when I realized his status was set to "Away". 3azeez was one of the very few people I knew who actually meant it when they set their statuses to "Away". I sighed and signed off quickly before anyone else would start talking, forcing me to make idle chatter.
I heard a knock on the door and called out for whoever it was to come in while I put my laptop neatly back in my bag smoothed out the creases I left on the bed.
"Good Morning Miss-" the bellhop stopped mid-sentence as he gazed, stunned, around the room. "I'm sorry, the room looks cleaner than it did when you checked in!" He stated sheepishly.
I laughed at his comment, "It really isn't, just more organized! I have a mild case of OCD, no biggie!"
I flashed him a smile and took the tray from him and set it down on the table. He stepped outside for a minute and came back with a box. I took it from him and waited for him to turn his back before bouncing excitedly with it in my hands. I forgot he was still in the room and proceeded to mimic the freaky throaty sound the spirit makes in "The Grudge" and shake the box simultaneously. I looked up to find him staring at me quizzically. I quickly dropped the box and grinned widely, hoping to make him forget the scene he just witnessed. He shook his head and left the room, chuckling quietly. I felt my face burning up, why do I do these things?
I opened up the box and felt my heart constricting. The amount I missed 3azeez at that particular moment was too intense for me to withstand. I picked up the stuffed penguin with the goofy grin and hugged it as tight as possible. I could smell his scent on it. I looked down to find that there were more things in the box. I picked up the DVD cases and laughed hysterically. It was too cute for words, he put in Madagascar 1 and 2, Surf's up, Happy Feet and March of the Penguins. A note fell from between the cases. "Didn't know what you were in the mood for, so pick your poison! Am I forgiven?" it read.
"Hell yeah you're forgiven!" I yelled at the note as I ran my fingers over his handwriting affectionately. I almost wanted to throw up at how sentimental and mushy he makes me, but I have to admit that I secretly enjoyed it. I was belatedly baffled at how he managed to get a package sent here all the way from kuwait in less than 4 hours. I suppose he could've ordered it all online and had it shipped but the note was handwritten.
It didn't occur to me that he may have hand delivered it until I heard a light tapping at my door. I instinctively knew it was him and felt my heart racing, trying to break through my ribcage and run into his welcoming arms. I placed both my hands over it, trying to contain its excitement. But the pumping only got louder with every step I took towards the door. I managed to free one of my hands to open the door and was greeted by the man I love leaning against the door frame and flashing me one of his devastating lopsided grins.
"Hi." I said in a barely audible whisper.
"Come here." he commanded as he pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me.
This moment, I want to freeze this moment for all eternity. I'm mourning its loss even as I find myself engulfed in his warm embrace, but I quickly push that thought to the back of my mind as I inhale his distinct scent and surrender every entity of my being to this man.
"Aakh." He breathed out. That single sound effect caused my heartbeats to escalate even more.
"That much?" I asked, intuitively knowing what it meant.
"W akthar ba3ad." He simply stated.
"I missed you more." I said as I pulled away to look at him. "I can't believe you're actually here. Kharoof." I teased.
"Na3am?" He asked in mock-seriousness.
"Kharoof? Not familiar? The animal? Sheep? Baaa baa?" I clarified. I really needed to stop it with the sound effects.
"No, baby, I know what a kharoof is, I just can't believe you actually pronounce it "kharewf"" he shot back.
I glared at him, "No actually, I pronounce it like this!" I said while flipping him off.
He burst out laughing, "Intay w ba3dain ma3ach? Mita btit2adibain?" He asked.
I rolled my eyes at him haughtily.
"La khala9, I've appointed myself to give out some disciplinary action. How do you feel about a little spanking?" He joked while wiggling his eyebrows at me.
I laughed at his comical expression, "How do you feel about hugging me again instead and we'll call it even?" I asked
He quickly obliged and we moved our little reunion back inside my room.
I had to delete the thingie I posted yesterday cuz blogger is being a bitch and not posting this? Kept saying "Finale?" was my latest post! Then I found out that deleting it didn't work either -.- Don't question the logic, made sense at the time?
Enjoy! Or not..? Love you guys! ;*
And I love cherry tomatoes.
______________________
I woke up to the intrusive sun rays shining through the curtains and immediately hid back under the covers. I was hoping I could trap my sleepiness under the covers before it completely went away but it was no use, once I was awake, it was practically impossible for me to go back to bed again. I contemplated the merits of spending the whole day vegetating on the bed for a few moments before hauling my tush out of bed, showering and getting ready for the long day ahead of me. None too quietly, may I add. I grumbled enough obscenities to make a sailor blush. I couldn't help it, isn't the point of a vacation to laze around and do nothing? Not to get scared out of your wits and wake up cranky with only an hour of sleep.
I made my bed and picked up the phone and called room service. Mark, the concierge picked up.
"I can't believe your shift isn't done yet, it's been almost 24 hours now!" I exclaimed when I heard his voice.
"Haha, I don't mind! I volunteered to pick up 3 extra shifts so I have about 6 more hours to go. This way, I get to have a whole week off." He explained.
"Oh hey, that sucks. I'm not gonna get to see you anymore before I leave!" I whined. Granted I've only known the guy for a day, but he was a sweetheart. He kept me company for a while in the lobby and he did try to unsuccessfully calm me down for half an hour last night. He was in his final year of college, studying hotel management and taking an internship in the hotel as a final project. He alternates between different places for the duration of the semester, I was lucky enough to catch him while he was filling in as a concierge.
"That's what phones are for, love! You'll get to see me don't worry, I haven't had my fill of crazy stories from Kuwait just yet."
I loved his accent, I could literally listen to him talk all day. It used to make my ears bleed but it grew on me! Note to self: make 3azeez pick up the British accent.
"Yay! Okay, the day after your many shifts are up, we'll go out, you show me the real London and I'll tell you all you need to know about K-town, how's that?" I suggested.
"It's a date! My supervisor is glaring at me, did you want something specific? Or are you still having trouble with sleeping?" He asked.
"Oh oops!" I forgot he was still technically working, "Sorry! I actually managed to get in an hour, I'm calling about breakfast! I want hash browns. And bagels. And red bull!" I added.
"Red bull? Are you sure? That doesn't sound very healthy, love. Can I interest you in some grapefruit juice instead?" He offered.
"You may certainly not! I'm on vacation and I plan on getting fat and ugly." I declared huffily.
"Haha, I don't think that's possible. Alright then, there's a package that came for you this morning too, do you mind if I have them send it up with the breakfast tray?"
A package? I wonder who it's from. I crossed my fingers and hoped it was from a psychopathic secret stalker. It could make for an interesting twist for my short vacation. Get a little, "the call is coming from inside the house" action going on. It's easy for me to joke about these things when the sun is up, where was my sense of humor last night?
"Not at all, thanks Maaark!" I called out and hung up.
I rummaged through my bags for my clothes and settled on my grey leggings and light pink pullover. I towel-dried my hair, brushed it and left nature to run its course and afrosize my curls. I grabbed my laptop and jumped excitedly on the bed. Anticipation was building up as the blue and green fat msn icons danced around each other indicating that I was signing in. I shut my eyes tightly and crossed my fingers, hoping to find 3azeez online and squealed when my laptop pinged, telling me I was online and I saw his name across the screen. My excitement was short-lived when I realized his status was set to "Away". 3azeez was one of the very few people I knew who actually meant it when they set their statuses to "Away". I sighed and signed off quickly before anyone else would start talking, forcing me to make idle chatter.
I heard a knock on the door and called out for whoever it was to come in while I put my laptop neatly back in my bag smoothed out the creases I left on the bed.
"Good Morning Miss-" the bellhop stopped mid-sentence as he gazed, stunned, around the room. "I'm sorry, the room looks cleaner than it did when you checked in!" He stated sheepishly.
I laughed at his comment, "It really isn't, just more organized! I have a mild case of OCD, no biggie!"
I flashed him a smile and took the tray from him and set it down on the table. He stepped outside for a minute and came back with a box. I took it from him and waited for him to turn his back before bouncing excitedly with it in my hands. I forgot he was still in the room and proceeded to mimic the freaky throaty sound the spirit makes in "The Grudge" and shake the box simultaneously. I looked up to find him staring at me quizzically. I quickly dropped the box and grinned widely, hoping to make him forget the scene he just witnessed. He shook his head and left the room, chuckling quietly. I felt my face burning up, why do I do these things?
I opened up the box and felt my heart constricting. The amount I missed 3azeez at that particular moment was too intense for me to withstand. I picked up the stuffed penguin with the goofy grin and hugged it as tight as possible. I could smell his scent on it. I looked down to find that there were more things in the box. I picked up the DVD cases and laughed hysterically. It was too cute for words, he put in Madagascar 1 and 2, Surf's up, Happy Feet and March of the Penguins. A note fell from between the cases. "Didn't know what you were in the mood for, so pick your poison! Am I forgiven?" it read.
"Hell yeah you're forgiven!" I yelled at the note as I ran my fingers over his handwriting affectionately. I almost wanted to throw up at how sentimental and mushy he makes me, but I have to admit that I secretly enjoyed it. I was belatedly baffled at how he managed to get a package sent here all the way from kuwait in less than 4 hours. I suppose he could've ordered it all online and had it shipped but the note was handwritten.
It didn't occur to me that he may have hand delivered it until I heard a light tapping at my door. I instinctively knew it was him and felt my heart racing, trying to break through my ribcage and run into his welcoming arms. I placed both my hands over it, trying to contain its excitement. But the pumping only got louder with every step I took towards the door. I managed to free one of my hands to open the door and was greeted by the man I love leaning against the door frame and flashing me one of his devastating lopsided grins.
"Hi." I said in a barely audible whisper.
"Come here." he commanded as he pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me.
This moment, I want to freeze this moment for all eternity. I'm mourning its loss even as I find myself engulfed in his warm embrace, but I quickly push that thought to the back of my mind as I inhale his distinct scent and surrender every entity of my being to this man.
"Aakh." He breathed out. That single sound effect caused my heartbeats to escalate even more.
"That much?" I asked, intuitively knowing what it meant.
"W akthar ba3ad." He simply stated.
"I missed you more." I said as I pulled away to look at him. "I can't believe you're actually here. Kharoof." I teased.
"Na3am?" He asked in mock-seriousness.
"Kharoof? Not familiar? The animal? Sheep? Baaa baa?" I clarified. I really needed to stop it with the sound effects.
"No, baby, I know what a kharoof is, I just can't believe you actually pronounce it "kharewf"" he shot back.
I glared at him, "No actually, I pronounce it like this!" I said while flipping him off.
He burst out laughing, "Intay w ba3dain ma3ach? Mita btit2adibain?" He asked.
I rolled my eyes at him haughtily.
"La khala9, I've appointed myself to give out some disciplinary action. How do you feel about a little spanking?" He joked while wiggling his eyebrows at me.
I laughed at his comical expression, "How do you feel about hugging me again instead and we'll call it even?" I asked
He quickly obliged and we moved our little reunion back inside my room.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Foolish Games.. (21b)
To Gutter Flower, whose comments and amazingness are both sorely missed :* And to all of my patient readers, sorry walla, I know masakht'ha! But hopefully it's worth it? And I'm already working on part 22 thanks to the incredible powers and many threats from Lost aka Stitch aka Ritaj! <3
_____________________________
I attempted to get all the touristy activities out of my system in the first few hours right after I checked in, I figured it would be wise to avoid becoming the subject of Khalood's jokes for the next two weeks. He always teases me mercilessly about my reactions to seeing anything for the first time, apparently my excitement tickles him and inspires an uncontrollable need to share it with anyone who would listen.
It felt great to unwind in a foreign city after finals, I could almost feel all the worries and stress shedding away with every step I took and quickly being replaced with the elation associated with the independence I suddenly felt. It dawned upon me that I was free to explore at my leisure, no restrictions, no limitations, just me and the city. The possibilities were infinite and yet there was still something tugging at my heartstrings, stopping me from reaching any further stages of bliss. Him.
I was stunned at the realization that he was the key component missing in making these two weeks live up to their potential of being the vacation I will ever have. My fingers itched to reach into my pocket and dial his number but I came to my senses and realized that I never was one to fall under the cliche of the clingy girlfriend and I wasn't about to begin now. I gave myself a mini pep talk, tried to sweep thoughts of him under the rug and continued with my little adventure by myself.
"I can have fun without him." I chanted to myself repeatedly. I checked the urge to roll my eyes at myself the moment after the words left my mouth and carried on. Despite my valiant efforts to conclude my adventure, exhaustion inevitably took over by 7 o'clock and I headed back to the hotel. The bed called out to me the instant I walked through the doors and I found myself bewitched under its seductive spell. I didn't even bother changing or removing my shoes, I just walked straight to it, lay down and allowed myself to be engulfed by the crisp white sheets as all the sounds around me disappeared and I drifted off to sleep.
_____________________________
I woke up two hours later to the incessant vibrations of my phone, I checked to see the cause of the nuisance and discovered 5 messages from Juju, a message and a missed call from Khalood and an unknown number. To my consternation, I had gotten nothing from 3azeez, I sighed and called Juju without reading her messages. I figured they were all something along the lines of, "Dear Ghala, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're the scum between my toes. Love, Ritaj." The Little Rascals was one of our favorite movies growing up and we had a falling out once in the 2nd grade because I didn't share my purple crayon with her. In my defense, she always left bite marks all over them and assumed they were edible! She found it fitting to retaliate to my refusal to share with the letter mentioned in the movie, only with our names instead. Last year, Juju was helping me pack when we were moving to our new house and we found the letter that had somehow survived 11 years and she used it as a reference whenever she was mad at me for any reason. Forgetting to let her know I arrived safely probably fell under that category.
"La walla? Look who finally decided to grace me with her call!" She admonished as soon as she picked up the phone.
"You can't see me right now but I'm working on the most adorable apologetic look in the history of the world!" I replied sheepishly.
"Uff fine, I'll take your word for it!" She said as she sighed resignedly, "How's the Big Ben treating you?" She asked excitedly.
"The big what now?" I asked
"The Big Ben! You know, like how New York is the Big Apple? London's the Big Ben!" She explained patiently. "Feels so good teaching you something!"
I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This is worse than the time she told me Kenya was in Japan.
"Honey, Big Ben is a landmark IN London, it's not a nickname." I clarified.
"No way!" She replied, "You'd think they'd teach you something like that in school!"
"Um yeah.. education systems these days!" I played along.
"OH EM GEE. Yes, I just said all the letters separately and you will not complain because what I'm about to say is going to ba-lowww your mind." She screamed into the phone.
"Juju, baby gooly ily tabeena but for the love of god and all that is holy, volume control! Have mercy on my poor disoriented state of mind. And my eardrums. And my boyfriendlessness. And my uneven eyebrows. And-"
"OKAY FINE! Oops! I mean, okay fiiiine." She whispered into the phone. "So remember when I was in the states this summer visiting my aunt in the hospital? Once, I went down to get coffee and on my way up, I passed by Mr. Johnson's room and I saw this nun with the creepiest smile ever walla the whole atmosphere changed around her! It was soooo damn eerie! Anyway, she walked by and smiled at me. Two minutes later, I heard someone call a code thingie and like I went to see and he just flatlined! So I go talk to the head nurse and ask her if there's a church in the hospital and her eyes suddenly widen by like a whole inch and she asks if I saw a nun! Spooky much? So then she told me that every time someone dies in that hospital, they see this nun passing by, the SAME one! Oh my god, goosebumps!" She exclaimed as she paused for air.
I suddenly felt chills running up and down my spine, I rubbed my arms vigorously but I couldn't shake away the goosebumps that invaded my skin. "Ya kalba, I'm staying in a hotel all by myself, w Khalood is in the other side of the town, WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME THAT?!"
I heard her laughter ring out from the other side, "Jeez Ghalooy, don't be such a baby, lemme continue! The scary part is, the other day, I was checking all these freaky ghost sites and what not and they basically have a map of everywhere in the US and they flag down areas with paranormal behavior reported and what not or anything of this sort. And guess. what. The hospital was flagged down and they mentioned something about the nun! You have my permission to freak out now!" She concluded happily.
"I hate you. I fucking hate you. I never want to speak to you again." I said as I jumped out of bed and ran over to switch on all the lights, as if they could somehow keep any killer nuns at bay. "I hope you realize the only reason you're still on the phone is cuz I'm freaked out beyond words right now!"
"Hahaha shouldn't have said that Ghalooooy," She said in a weird dracula-inspired voice. "I'm hanging up now, make sure to keep your doors locked, not that it would do you any good. Muwahahahaha." And with that she hung up and left me to listen to the dial tone.
I was officially scared. I don't usually scare easily but when you add the whole "alone in a foreign country" factor into the equation, it kinda changes everything. I called room service with nothing in mind and ended up chatting with the concierge for about half an hour. I grabbed a book and decided to go read it in the lobby. Surrounded by many people. You never know what might happen! But 5 hours and 2 books later, I was still no where near calm enough. I finally decided to grow a pair and try to go back to sleep. My eye kept wandering off to the nearby clock, 2.40.. 2.45.. 2.50... 2.55.. Screw this. I picked up my phone and punched in 3azeez's number, cliches be damned!
"Baby?" He answered confusedly.
I sighed in relief. I immediately felt better. I took a deep breath and launched into an explanation. "So you know how in The Exorcism Of Emily Rose the demons madri satan madri whoever it is comes out at 3 am? Yeah well it's 3 am ila 1 minute and 45 seconds and I know that means it's about 6 3indikum and I'm sorry, but Juju told me stupid stories earlier and I can't sleep and if something comes out to take me from under the bed or like sucks me in to a parallel universe through the bed, I want you to be on the other side of the phone listening to my screams, mmkay?" I said all in one breath.
"God, I miss you so much." He breathed deeply.
I smiled and shoved my heated face into the pillow, "Also, I want penguins." I mumbled into the phone.
I felt right at home when I heard his bark like laughter through the phone, "Mu tawwich you're scared and on the verge of tears, shyab penguins bilsalfa?"
"Kaifi!" I replied, "Besides, shako you tell me you miss me? This isn't a lovey dovey "I love you, I miss you" phone call! The purpose of this call is for you to make me feel better and to comfort me! Penguins comfort me, deal with it!" I replied. I realized I was being highly irrational but in my own retarded way, it was my way of telling him that I missed him too.
"Inshaalla.. Bacher ayeelich w inroo7 inshoof ilpenguins, shrayich?" He offered.
"Don't tease me, you're like a bajillion miles away!" I whined.
"True, true.. ma 3alaih. Wait, did you hear that?" He whispered suddenly.
"Did I hear what?" I asked with a worried inflection in my voice.
"Wait wait.. " he said and I held my breath while waiting for him to come back, "A3OOTHO BILLAH!" He yelled.
"WHAT WHAT?" I asked frantically.
I heard his laugh once again and realized he was only making fun of me, "You're too cute, wallah. You're making this way too easy."
"Baby.. you know what was funny about that?" I asked calmly.
"What?"
"Nothing." I answered and hung up. I felt quite satisfied with my immaturity for the day and decided I could sleep now. Right on cue, I saw his number flashing on my phone and decided to let him sweat it out for a while. 1 missed call, 2.. if he made it to 4 I decided I was going to pick up and I ended up doing so.
"Khair?" I answered coolly.
"I love you." He said with the utmost sincerity in his voice. And just like that, all was forgiven. I hated that it was that simple, but it was. 'Frailty, thy name is woman!'
"I love you too."
"Good night baby."
"Good night."
_____________________________
I attempted to get all the touristy activities out of my system in the first few hours right after I checked in, I figured it would be wise to avoid becoming the subject of Khalood's jokes for the next two weeks. He always teases me mercilessly about my reactions to seeing anything for the first time, apparently my excitement tickles him and inspires an uncontrollable need to share it with anyone who would listen.
It felt great to unwind in a foreign city after finals, I could almost feel all the worries and stress shedding away with every step I took and quickly being replaced with the elation associated with the independence I suddenly felt. It dawned upon me that I was free to explore at my leisure, no restrictions, no limitations, just me and the city. The possibilities were infinite and yet there was still something tugging at my heartstrings, stopping me from reaching any further stages of bliss. Him.
I was stunned at the realization that he was the key component missing in making these two weeks live up to their potential of being the vacation I will ever have. My fingers itched to reach into my pocket and dial his number but I came to my senses and realized that I never was one to fall under the cliche of the clingy girlfriend and I wasn't about to begin now. I gave myself a mini pep talk, tried to sweep thoughts of him under the rug and continued with my little adventure by myself.
"I can have fun without him." I chanted to myself repeatedly. I checked the urge to roll my eyes at myself the moment after the words left my mouth and carried on. Despite my valiant efforts to conclude my adventure, exhaustion inevitably took over by 7 o'clock and I headed back to the hotel. The bed called out to me the instant I walked through the doors and I found myself bewitched under its seductive spell. I didn't even bother changing or removing my shoes, I just walked straight to it, lay down and allowed myself to be engulfed by the crisp white sheets as all the sounds around me disappeared and I drifted off to sleep.
_____________________________
I woke up two hours later to the incessant vibrations of my phone, I checked to see the cause of the nuisance and discovered 5 messages from Juju, a message and a missed call from Khalood and an unknown number. To my consternation, I had gotten nothing from 3azeez, I sighed and called Juju without reading her messages. I figured they were all something along the lines of, "Dear Ghala, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're the scum between my toes. Love, Ritaj." The Little Rascals was one of our favorite movies growing up and we had a falling out once in the 2nd grade because I didn't share my purple crayon with her. In my defense, she always left bite marks all over them and assumed they were edible! She found it fitting to retaliate to my refusal to share with the letter mentioned in the movie, only with our names instead. Last year, Juju was helping me pack when we were moving to our new house and we found the letter that had somehow survived 11 years and she used it as a reference whenever she was mad at me for any reason. Forgetting to let her know I arrived safely probably fell under that category.
"La walla? Look who finally decided to grace me with her call!" She admonished as soon as she picked up the phone.
"You can't see me right now but I'm working on the most adorable apologetic look in the history of the world!" I replied sheepishly.
"Uff fine, I'll take your word for it!" She said as she sighed resignedly, "How's the Big Ben treating you?" She asked excitedly.
"The big what now?" I asked
"The Big Ben! You know, like how New York is the Big Apple? London's the Big Ben!" She explained patiently. "Feels so good teaching you something!"
I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This is worse than the time she told me Kenya was in Japan.
"Honey, Big Ben is a landmark IN London, it's not a nickname." I clarified.
"No way!" She replied, "You'd think they'd teach you something like that in school!"
"Um yeah.. education systems these days!" I played along.
"OH EM GEE. Yes, I just said all the letters separately and you will not complain because what I'm about to say is going to ba-lowww your mind." She screamed into the phone.
"Juju, baby gooly ily tabeena but for the love of god and all that is holy, volume control! Have mercy on my poor disoriented state of mind. And my eardrums. And my boyfriendlessness. And my uneven eyebrows. And-"
"OKAY FINE! Oops! I mean, okay fiiiine." She whispered into the phone. "So remember when I was in the states this summer visiting my aunt in the hospital? Once, I went down to get coffee and on my way up, I passed by Mr. Johnson's room and I saw this nun with the creepiest smile ever walla the whole atmosphere changed around her! It was soooo damn eerie! Anyway, she walked by and smiled at me. Two minutes later, I heard someone call a code thingie and like I went to see and he just flatlined! So I go talk to the head nurse and ask her if there's a church in the hospital and her eyes suddenly widen by like a whole inch and she asks if I saw a nun! Spooky much? So then she told me that every time someone dies in that hospital, they see this nun passing by, the SAME one! Oh my god, goosebumps!" She exclaimed as she paused for air.
I suddenly felt chills running up and down my spine, I rubbed my arms vigorously but I couldn't shake away the goosebumps that invaded my skin. "Ya kalba, I'm staying in a hotel all by myself, w Khalood is in the other side of the town, WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME THAT?!"
I heard her laughter ring out from the other side, "Jeez Ghalooy, don't be such a baby, lemme continue! The scary part is, the other day, I was checking all these freaky ghost sites and what not and they basically have a map of everywhere in the US and they flag down areas with paranormal behavior reported and what not or anything of this sort. And guess. what. The hospital was flagged down and they mentioned something about the nun! You have my permission to freak out now!" She concluded happily.
"I hate you. I fucking hate you. I never want to speak to you again." I said as I jumped out of bed and ran over to switch on all the lights, as if they could somehow keep any killer nuns at bay. "I hope you realize the only reason you're still on the phone is cuz I'm freaked out beyond words right now!"
"Hahaha shouldn't have said that Ghalooooy," She said in a weird dracula-inspired voice. "I'm hanging up now, make sure to keep your doors locked, not that it would do you any good. Muwahahahaha." And with that she hung up and left me to listen to the dial tone.
I was officially scared. I don't usually scare easily but when you add the whole "alone in a foreign country" factor into the equation, it kinda changes everything. I called room service with nothing in mind and ended up chatting with the concierge for about half an hour. I grabbed a book and decided to go read it in the lobby. Surrounded by many people. You never know what might happen! But 5 hours and 2 books later, I was still no where near calm enough. I finally decided to grow a pair and try to go back to sleep. My eye kept wandering off to the nearby clock, 2.40.. 2.45.. 2.50... 2.55.. Screw this. I picked up my phone and punched in 3azeez's number, cliches be damned!
"Baby?" He answered confusedly.
I sighed in relief. I immediately felt better. I took a deep breath and launched into an explanation. "So you know how in The Exorcism Of Emily Rose the demons madri satan madri whoever it is comes out at 3 am? Yeah well it's 3 am ila 1 minute and 45 seconds and I know that means it's about 6 3indikum and I'm sorry, but Juju told me stupid stories earlier and I can't sleep and if something comes out to take me from under the bed or like sucks me in to a parallel universe through the bed, I want you to be on the other side of the phone listening to my screams, mmkay?" I said all in one breath.
"God, I miss you so much." He breathed deeply.
I smiled and shoved my heated face into the pillow, "Also, I want penguins." I mumbled into the phone.
I felt right at home when I heard his bark like laughter through the phone, "Mu tawwich you're scared and on the verge of tears, shyab penguins bilsalfa?"
"Kaifi!" I replied, "Besides, shako you tell me you miss me? This isn't a lovey dovey "I love you, I miss you" phone call! The purpose of this call is for you to make me feel better and to comfort me! Penguins comfort me, deal with it!" I replied. I realized I was being highly irrational but in my own retarded way, it was my way of telling him that I missed him too.
"Inshaalla.. Bacher ayeelich w inroo7 inshoof ilpenguins, shrayich?" He offered.
"Don't tease me, you're like a bajillion miles away!" I whined.
"True, true.. ma 3alaih. Wait, did you hear that?" He whispered suddenly.
"Did I hear what?" I asked with a worried inflection in my voice.
"Wait wait.. " he said and I held my breath while waiting for him to come back, "A3OOTHO BILLAH!" He yelled.
"WHAT WHAT?" I asked frantically.
I heard his laugh once again and realized he was only making fun of me, "You're too cute, wallah. You're making this way too easy."
"Baby.. you know what was funny about that?" I asked calmly.
"What?"
"Nothing." I answered and hung up. I felt quite satisfied with my immaturity for the day and decided I could sleep now. Right on cue, I saw his number flashing on my phone and decided to let him sweat it out for a while. 1 missed call, 2.. if he made it to 4 I decided I was going to pick up and I ended up doing so.
"Khair?" I answered coolly.
"I love you." He said with the utmost sincerity in his voice. And just like that, all was forgiven. I hated that it was that simple, but it was. 'Frailty, thy name is woman!'
"I love you too."
"Good night baby."
"Good night."
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Foolish Games.. (21a)
HI! *hides under sheets*
Sorry for taking too long :( Forgive me? *puppy eyes* Please?;*
I really thought I'd be able to post this before finals, but turns out I can't! Still working on the next part of it, so I guess I'm gonna do the whole part a and b thing? yeah. Don't say it's too short, it's only half a post :( Better than nothing, no? Sorry! Will try to post as soon as possible, I promise.. Still rusty though, it says I started working on this post on the first of June. 2 weeks and this is all I could come up with! And not even alone! Grr.
Oooh notice the addition of a fellow blogger to the story ;p
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP SLOUCHYPANTS, LOVE YOU! <3
_____________________________
"Are you sure you don't want to crash on our couch?" Khalood asked teasingly as he drove me to my hotel after dropping off his family at their appartment. "My roomate's not that bad once you get past the cape!"
I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly for his benefit, "As chivalrous as your invitation is.. I'm going to have to pass! You know I live for hotel sheets and pillows!"
"Afa! So when it comes down to it, you choose pillows ever me?"
"Hotel pillows, K, hotel pillows." I clarified.
"Ma3thoora! Actually, how do you feel about me joining you there?" He asked jokingly.
"Haha, I don't think 3azooz would like that very much!"
"Yeah, come to think about it, I don't think Mya would appreciate it either." He casually added.
I stared at him incredulously, "M-who now?!"
"Umm my girlfriend, Mya." he said as he adopted an inscrutable expression and stared blankly ahead, waiting for my reaction.
Minutes passed in total silence while I absorbed the bomb he callously dropped. I was positive that with a little more focus, I would be able to hear the sound of my eyelashes fluttering against each other. In the back of my mind, I knew my reaction was a little extreme considering my comprehension of the whole Haifa/Khalid fiasco and the odds associated with it, but I couldn't push that thought forward enough to get past the shock of him moving on after years of pining for her.
"I don't understand, last I heard, you were still into Haifa, what happened?" I said, finally breaking the silence.
"Nothing "happened".. I just realized that my feelings for Haifa might've been nothing more than a crush blown out of proportion.. I guess I just got caught up in the romanticism of unrequited love and all that bullshit." He shrugged and flashed a grin at me.
I tried to find the merest hint of bitterness in his voice, but he genuinely seemed to have let go of whatever feelings he had for her once upon a time. I was surprised to find myself admitting that he seemed content with his new found revelation. I quickly abandoned my disappointment and played the role of the encouraging best friend again.
"And? Tell me about her! Seriously Khalood, am I going to have to pry the information out of you? SPILL!" I demanded and held up my fingers to pinch him again. He quickly got the message and put his hands up in a surrendering motion.
"The thing is, you wouldn't believe me if I told you!" He exclaimed.
I raised my eyebrows threateningly, "Btitkalam wela shlon?" I asked.
He signed resignedly, "Fine. But if you don't believe me, I'm going to throw you in the street right now and leave you to fend for yourself, agreed?"
"Agreed!" I confirmed.
"So I was going up to my apartment right? And I saw this girl, couldn't be more than 14 years old, sitting in the stairwell all huddled up and playing with some action figure of some sort, I thought she was a relative of one of the neighbors, so I said hi and she barely acknowledged my existence and went back to stuffing her face with the lion bar she had.." He said before I interrupted him.
"PEDOPHILE!! Why were you trying to chat up a fourteen year old??" I exclaimed.
"Shako! I was being polite. And if you interrupt me again, I'm not finishing the story." He threatened.
I pretended to zip my mouth shut and threw away the invisible key, looked up at him pleadingly and motioned for him to finish it. He rolled his eyes at my pathetic attempt at cuteness and continued.
"I waited for a few moments for her reply but she was too busy trying to inhale her chocolate, so I gave up and went inside. Minutes later, while I was changing, I heard someone banging on the door. So I run to see who it is and as soon as I unlocked it, I was greeted by the same girl.. she came barging into the apartment with her hair pointing in every possible direction. She pointed at one of the rooms and yelled "what's that coming over the hill, is it a monster? IS IT A MONSTER?" I didn't react to that, cuz standing up and talking, it was clear that she wasn't fourteen.. and that she was quite attractive.."
I interrupted him again, "I'm sorry but can we please skip this part? Is this really essential to the story??"
He laughed and shook his head, "Guess not.. Anyway, She stared at me for a few minutes waiting for a reply but I couldn't offer her any, so then she asked me to use the bathroom.. Without even thinking, I said yes. She comes out minutes later, flashes a smile at me, calls out a "Thanks, home slice!" and leaves, banging the door behind her." He concluded in a way suggesting that was all there was to the story.
I waited, not so patiently, for the rest and he eventually gave into my pathetic squiriming and continued.
"I went back into the hall to find her, she seemed like an interesting character, to say the least, but she wasn't there anymore! Later that night, I went to the bathroom and discovered that there was water outside the door.. I opened it to find the whole floor flooded. I went inside to see the source of it and was greeted by her doll, which turned out to be a Pikachu, stuffed inside the toilet."
I had a feeling my eyebrows reached my hairline at that point. "YOU LIE!" I screamed incredulously.
He swerved the car into a bus stop and the brakes came to a screeching halt, "Barra." He calmly ordered.
"Screw you, Pinocchio, I'm not leaving!" I replied petulantly and crossed my arms. "If you touch me, I will tell your mom about the vase that mysteriously went missing. Now continue the story."
He sighed resignedly and drove off.
"Nothing for a while, I looked for her for the longest time ever! I was dying to know the story behind the flushed doll but no such luck! Then one day I was in kinky little sex store, the one in front of vue cinemas, getting some stuff on a dare and surprisingly enough there she was!" He concluded with a huge smile.
I was clutching my sides and laughing hysterically. I always thought how I met 3azeez was unconventional but their story danced circles around ours. "Please tell me she had a part time job there or something!"
He shook his head fondly in memory, "I wish I could, but to quote her, she was there for "research". That's all I ever got out of her, but I will admit that I'm more than just a little bit scared. Scared enough not to stupidly ask and get any information I would've been better off not knowing! We talked a little, flirted inappropriately and I asked to see under circumstances that were a little less crazy, she agreed and that's pretty much it."
"I aww now?" I said while beaming.
"If you must." He said, knowing the inevitable conclusion to his story. "But first, nizlay!"
"You can't kick me out, I didn't say anything!" I yelled.
"I know, but we're at your hotel. I'd help you check in but I have to get to class babe." He clarified as he stepped outside to get the bags out.
I sighed theatrically, "Fiiiine! Wait for my aww though!"
"Ma 6alabty shay!" He agreed as he got in the car and drove off. I silently cursed the back his car as it disappeared into the traffic. I sighed, flashed a smile at the concierge and followed him inside.
Sorry for taking too long :( Forgive me? *puppy eyes* Please?;*
I really thought I'd be able to post this before finals, but turns out I can't! Still working on the next part of it, so I guess I'm gonna do the whole part a and b thing? yeah. Don't say it's too short, it's only half a post :( Better than nothing, no? Sorry! Will try to post as soon as possible, I promise.. Still rusty though, it says I started working on this post on the first of June. 2 weeks and this is all I could come up with! And not even alone! Grr.
Oooh notice the addition of a fellow blogger to the story ;p
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP SLOUCHYPANTS, LOVE YOU! <3
_____________________________
"Are you sure you don't want to crash on our couch?" Khalood asked teasingly as he drove me to my hotel after dropping off his family at their appartment. "My roomate's not that bad once you get past the cape!"
I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly for his benefit, "As chivalrous as your invitation is.. I'm going to have to pass! You know I live for hotel sheets and pillows!"
"Afa! So when it comes down to it, you choose pillows ever me?"
"Hotel pillows, K, hotel pillows." I clarified.
"Ma3thoora! Actually, how do you feel about me joining you there?" He asked jokingly.
"Haha, I don't think 3azooz would like that very much!"
"Yeah, come to think about it, I don't think Mya would appreciate it either." He casually added.
I stared at him incredulously, "M-who now?!"
"Umm my girlfriend, Mya." he said as he adopted an inscrutable expression and stared blankly ahead, waiting for my reaction.
Minutes passed in total silence while I absorbed the bomb he callously dropped. I was positive that with a little more focus, I would be able to hear the sound of my eyelashes fluttering against each other. In the back of my mind, I knew my reaction was a little extreme considering my comprehension of the whole Haifa/Khalid fiasco and the odds associated with it, but I couldn't push that thought forward enough to get past the shock of him moving on after years of pining for her.
"I don't understand, last I heard, you were still into Haifa, what happened?" I said, finally breaking the silence.
"Nothing "happened".. I just realized that my feelings for Haifa might've been nothing more than a crush blown out of proportion.. I guess I just got caught up in the romanticism of unrequited love and all that bullshit." He shrugged and flashed a grin at me.
I tried to find the merest hint of bitterness in his voice, but he genuinely seemed to have let go of whatever feelings he had for her once upon a time. I was surprised to find myself admitting that he seemed content with his new found revelation. I quickly abandoned my disappointment and played the role of the encouraging best friend again.
"And? Tell me about her! Seriously Khalood, am I going to have to pry the information out of you? SPILL!" I demanded and held up my fingers to pinch him again. He quickly got the message and put his hands up in a surrendering motion.
"The thing is, you wouldn't believe me if I told you!" He exclaimed.
I raised my eyebrows threateningly, "Btitkalam wela shlon?" I asked.
He signed resignedly, "Fine. But if you don't believe me, I'm going to throw you in the street right now and leave you to fend for yourself, agreed?"
"Agreed!" I confirmed.
"So I was going up to my apartment right? And I saw this girl, couldn't be more than 14 years old, sitting in the stairwell all huddled up and playing with some action figure of some sort, I thought she was a relative of one of the neighbors, so I said hi and she barely acknowledged my existence and went back to stuffing her face with the lion bar she had.." He said before I interrupted him.
"PEDOPHILE!! Why were you trying to chat up a fourteen year old??" I exclaimed.
"Shako! I was being polite. And if you interrupt me again, I'm not finishing the story." He threatened.
I pretended to zip my mouth shut and threw away the invisible key, looked up at him pleadingly and motioned for him to finish it. He rolled his eyes at my pathetic attempt at cuteness and continued.
"I waited for a few moments for her reply but she was too busy trying to inhale her chocolate, so I gave up and went inside. Minutes later, while I was changing, I heard someone banging on the door. So I run to see who it is and as soon as I unlocked it, I was greeted by the same girl.. she came barging into the apartment with her hair pointing in every possible direction. She pointed at one of the rooms and yelled "what's that coming over the hill, is it a monster? IS IT A MONSTER?" I didn't react to that, cuz standing up and talking, it was clear that she wasn't fourteen.. and that she was quite attractive.."
I interrupted him again, "I'm sorry but can we please skip this part? Is this really essential to the story??"
He laughed and shook his head, "Guess not.. Anyway, She stared at me for a few minutes waiting for a reply but I couldn't offer her any, so then she asked me to use the bathroom.. Without even thinking, I said yes. She comes out minutes later, flashes a smile at me, calls out a "Thanks, home slice!" and leaves, banging the door behind her." He concluded in a way suggesting that was all there was to the story.
I waited, not so patiently, for the rest and he eventually gave into my pathetic squiriming and continued.
"I went back into the hall to find her, she seemed like an interesting character, to say the least, but she wasn't there anymore! Later that night, I went to the bathroom and discovered that there was water outside the door.. I opened it to find the whole floor flooded. I went inside to see the source of it and was greeted by her doll, which turned out to be a Pikachu, stuffed inside the toilet."
I had a feeling my eyebrows reached my hairline at that point. "YOU LIE!" I screamed incredulously.
He swerved the car into a bus stop and the brakes came to a screeching halt, "Barra." He calmly ordered.
"Screw you, Pinocchio, I'm not leaving!" I replied petulantly and crossed my arms. "If you touch me, I will tell your mom about the vase that mysteriously went missing. Now continue the story."
He sighed resignedly and drove off.
"Nothing for a while, I looked for her for the longest time ever! I was dying to know the story behind the flushed doll but no such luck! Then one day I was in kinky little sex store, the one in front of vue cinemas, getting some stuff on a dare and surprisingly enough there she was!" He concluded with a huge smile.
I was clutching my sides and laughing hysterically. I always thought how I met 3azeez was unconventional but their story danced circles around ours. "Please tell me she had a part time job there or something!"
He shook his head fondly in memory, "I wish I could, but to quote her, she was there for "research". That's all I ever got out of her, but I will admit that I'm more than just a little bit scared. Scared enough not to stupidly ask and get any information I would've been better off not knowing! We talked a little, flirted inappropriately and I asked to see under circumstances that were a little less crazy, she agreed and that's pretty much it."
"I aww now?" I said while beaming.
"If you must." He said, knowing the inevitable conclusion to his story. "But first, nizlay!"
"You can't kick me out, I didn't say anything!" I yelled.
"I know, but we're at your hotel. I'd help you check in but I have to get to class babe." He clarified as he stepped outside to get the bags out.
I sighed theatrically, "Fiiiine! Wait for my aww though!"
"Ma 6alabty shay!" He agreed as he got in the car and drove off. I silently cursed the back his car as it disappeared into the traffic. I sighed, flashed a smile at the concierge and followed him inside.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Foolish Games.. (20)
Alright, as I mentioned on my other blog, I'm going through a slightly wai3 time right now? I'm saving up all the adjectives for the story so "wai3" will have to suffice for now *rolls eyes* anyway yeah, I'm not really up to writing Ghala&3azeez's story right now.. unless you guys don't mind me killing off all the male characters ;p so I'm leaving you all with one final long post for now. I admit it's not my best work so if a lot of you guys don't like it, let me know and I'll rewrite perhaps? I love you guys, I'll be back soonish inshalla :*
________________________
I sat on 3azeez's bed shivering, covered up in his sister's oversized bathrobe. I silently envied the beautiful giant for her looks and physique as I waited for my clothes to dry. To my consternation, I kept seeing Noor's laughing face and 3azeez's shocked one and blushed in mortification all over again. I was relieved for the option of hiding up in here away from everyone. My relief proved to be short-lived a few moments later when I heard a light tapping on the door.
"Ghalooy.. are you decent?" 3azeez's voice called out.
"No." I snapped as I hid my face in his pillow. I wasn't quite ready to face him yet.
He ignored me and came striding into the room, smiling as he nodded at my attire.
"3azeez! What the hell?!" I exclaimed, outraged. "What if I was naked ya3ni?? Ha?"
He raised his eyebrows and lifter a corner of his mouth in a crooked smile. "Then I'd be considered one lucky bastard." he replied with a wink.
I grabbed my bag and threw the contents at him individually as he laughed. I finally hurled my bag at him and hid under the covers and repositioned my face into the pillow. I couldn't help but catch a whiff of his lingering scent on it and breathed it in.
"Aw, come on baby, 3adi!! We've all been pushed by 3baid in the pool at one point or another!" He said as he attempted to lift the covers.
I tightened my grip around the corners of it but my attempts were unnecessary and ineffective, given the inevitable outcome. He threw away the covers and hugged me tightly. I hid my face in his chest the instant he let go.
I felt his chuckle vibrate through his chest as he attempted to push me away. "Wareeni wayhich!" He demanded.
"Mabi!" I mumbled, my response was muffled by his clothes.
"7abeebti we both know you're no match for me, I'm about three times your size! I will resort to tickling if I have to." He threatened.
I immediately lifted my head and looked at him. He burst out laughing again and I attempted to hide my face in my hands. He intertwined his fingers in between mine, taking away that option.
"Uff! Kil hatha mista7ya?" he asked teasingly. "I haven't seen that shade of red anywhere outside the tomato family!"
"Fashlaaaaaa!!" I whined, "Broo7'ha your sister seems to hate me and now this!"
He looked caught of guard as he replied sheepishly, "Oh, you noticed."
I looked at him disbelievingly, "Seriously? I would've had to be blind NOT to notice. You know what, 3abdulla probably noticed and pushed me purposely into the pool to amuse her!" I concluded.
"Yeah! I totally witnessed them communicating that by blinking!" He played along.
The door opened and I immediately jumped off his lap and landed awkwardly on the floor. I got up quick and sat down on the bed away from him as he shook his head and chuckled quietly. Noor came in closely followed by an apologetic looking 3abdulla.
She put down my clothes on the bed and nudged 3abdulla forward. He stared at his hands as he came up to me and shyly whispered an apology.
I smiled at him and bent down to his level, "I'll forgive you if you give me a kiss!" I offered and he readily accepted, giving me a big sloppy kiss on my cheek. He immediately giggled and ran away the second he was done, leaving me alone with 3azeez and his sister. We sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Noor cleared her throat and spoke up.
"Um.. Ghala, I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior earlier. I was quick to judge you based on what I've heard from other people.." She admitted, ashamed. I instinctively knew she was talking about S3oud's brother, he never liked me and had no problems making his feelings clear every chance he got. "I'm extremely protective of my baby brother but I can see that you have genuine feelings for him and if you don't mind, I'd love a chance to get to know you when you come back."
I had a feeling 3azeez had something to do with his sister's change in attitude but I didn't question his part in all of it. I smiled at her and replied, "I would love that too."
She beamed back at me and 3azeez, "I was hoping you would! Alright then, I'll leave you two alone now.. behave." She added as she gave 3azeez a warning look and she left.
I grabbed my clothes and ran to his bathroom to change as soon as she left. "Finally!" I exclaimed as soon as I came out, "Allaaah, my clothes are so warm and toasty!" I said as I hugged myself.
"Umm.. Would you like me to leave so you can feel yourself up in private? Or do you mind if I sat and watched?" he asked teasingly.
I laughed and smacked him playfully. "Ghala, you're really starting to worry me. Hair pulling, choking, pathetic attempts at beating me up.. are you into S&M?" He asked in mock seriousness.
I burst out laughing and fell back on the bed. I tried to contain it but failed miserably time and again. It wasn't that funny, but the expression on his face was hilarious. I finally managed to pull myself together and stared at the ceiling, smiling,
3azeez broke the silence, "I love the way you laugh." He said
I hooked one of my fingers between his buttons and pulled him down on top of me, "I love the way you make me laugh." I whispered back.
"I love the way you blush."
"I love the way you smell."
"I love how your voice drops a few decibels when we're all alone."
"I love how you always manage to notice the little things."
"I love all the little things there are for me to notice."
"I love you."
My eyes widened the minute the words left my mouth. I seemed even more shocked than he was by the words I had spoken, which was saying something considering the disbelieving look etched on his face. I immediately got up and pushed him away.
"What?"
"What?" I replied stupidly.
"Shgiltay?" He asked again.
"I said, "what"!"
He rolled his eyes, "Before that!!"
"Something about you noticing the little things?"
He glared at me impatiently, "After that?"
I gave up. He obviously wasn't going to budge no matter how dumb I played, I opened my mouth to utter the three words I never thought I'd be able to say back to him, "I love you."
I saw his face stretching into a huge smile and he leaned in closer to kiss me. I pushed his face away from me and got up.
"No! Wai3, stop smiling!! You better not have changed your mind and you better still feel the same way, you can't take it back! Also, don't think this changes anything or expect me to suddenly turn into the perfect girlfriend or anything or that you can control me in any way or dictate anything, 'cause I won't let you, inzain?" I said as I glared at him.
"You done yet?" he asked with a bored expression on his face. "I love you, too."
"Yeah well.. good." I finished lamely.
He laughed and pulled me into his arms, "Inzain, laish m3a9ba?" he asked, amused.
"Madri!" I replied honestly, "I never have appropriate reactions!"
"Really? You don't say?" he said sarcastically, "Is it alright if I kissed you now?"
"I love how you ask even though you're going to end up doing whatever you want anyway, you know, this is really starting to-"
He clamped my lips together and I tried to mumble protests. "Baby, sweetie, honey.. chub."
He leaned in closer and covered my lips with his. Every kiss with 3azeez was a new experience, the only similarity was the result of having me breathless and weak in the knees during its aftermath. This kiss was slow and sensual, he wordlessly conveyed to me the depth of his feelings and I savored every sensation as I responded and allowed his mouth to wreak havoc in every fiber of my being.
We eventually came up for air and he rested his forehead against mine as he tried to catch his breath, "How gay is it of me to be having the urge to beg you not to go?"
"Just about as gay as it is for me to actually be considering not going to stay with you." I answered. "I'm really going to miss you."
He sighed deeply, "Two weeks."
"Two weeks.." I echoed as he pulled me in for another kiss.
_______________________
"Are you sure I can't tempt you to come spend your last night with me?" He asked as he pulled up to my house.
"Honey, you can tempt me to do A LOT more than that, which is precisely why I should spend the night in my own home, as far away from you as possible." I replied.
"Really?" He asked intrigued, "I'll be sure to remember that when you come back." He teased. I shot him a look and he threw his hands up in the air, "Kidding, kidding!! Do you need a ride to the airport tomorrow?"
"No, Juju's spending the night and she's dropping me off tomorrow before she goes home.. besides, I'm meeting Khalood's mother and brother 6alal there so it'd be best if I didn't show up with you, don't you think?" I asked.
"Definitely, I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea of you.. So, I guess this is goodbye?"
I cringed at the finality that word represented, "Not goodbye.. just see you later! Don't scare me!" I exclaimed.
He laughed and kissed my forehead, "See you later, tro7een witrideen bilsalama 7abeebti."
I couldn't help myself, I threw my arms around him and gave him a final hug, "Allah isalmik." I promised to call him before I got on the plane and I made my way to the front door. He refused to leave til he saw me go inside, I unlocked the door and looked back to find him still waiting. I walked backwards into the house so I can memorize his face one more time before he left. He waved to me and I blew him a kiss.
"THERE YOU ARE!" Ritaj screamed as she slammed the door shut after me and leaned against it. "I've been waiting since forever!!"
"Juju, 3azeez is outside, wakhrayyy!" I said as I tried to move her.
"Mako! You're obviously not going to close the door 'til he drives off and he won't drive off 'til you close the door, so I took matters into my own hands. Now march before me young lady, up you go!" She said, pointing at the stairs.
I pouted and sulked all the way upstairs, I kept trying to go back to the door and Ritaj would stop me and threaten to decapitate me if I disobeyed her again. I sighed resignedly and walked into my room.
"Hach, this is my list." She announced.
"List? List of what?" I asked as I looked down at the piece of paper she handed me.
"The list of things I want you to bring back from England, duh!" She answered.
I quickly scanned the contents and looked back at her, "Juju, I can't bring you back Orlando Bloom." I said as I rolled my eyes.
"Why the hell not!" She screeched.
"Ouch, Juju, volume control! Lana awalan, wai3. Thaniyan, Haifa already asked and I said no!" I replied.
"Hffft, fine! You never do anything I ask you to!" She whined.
"Yes, I'm the worst friend ever." I added.
"Woy, no 7abeebti laaa2! You're the bestest best friend ever! I'm going to miss you wayid!!" She said as she pulled me in for a hug.
"I'm going to throw up hugs walla, I've been squeezed way too much these two days!" I said as I hugged her back.
"Oooo.." She said as she wiggled her eyebrows, "Do share!"
I laughed and filled her in on the details of the day, she inserted appropriately timed "aww"s and gasps and made threats when needed.
"Bitch. I don't care if she apologized, I still don't like her!" She announced when I was done.
"Well lucky for her, you don't have to! She's 3azooz's favorite sibling, I'm going to have to try to find away to get along with her and I could use your help, so be nice!"
She sighed theatrically, "Fiiiine! Let's go make brownies and eat them with cookie dough ice cream!" she suggested enthusiastically.
"You're trying to make me throw up bilplane, aren't you?" I asked suspiciously.
"Nooo, you're going to sleep bilplane which is specifically why I'm going to keep you up all night. We're eating that cuz I won't get another chance to pig out 'til you come back, so come on!"
She ended up sleeping half an hour after we baked the brownies but I took her advice anyway and stayed up all night. I took a nap at one point and she woke me up by throwing a water bottle at me.
"Goomay! It's 9, I can't believe you let me fall asleep! I only have two hours left with you!" She yelled.
"Juju, I'm going for two weeks and coming back, it's not like I'm going to drop off the face of the earth, enough with the drama!" I replied crankily.
She pouted, "Whatever, if I was 3azeez you'd probably be all "awww babyy, la tiz3al, ta3al let me flash you!" bas ana I get told I'm being dramatic!" She said huffily.
I laughed and threw a pillow at her, "First of all, ew? Second of all, 3azeez doesn't throw cold objects at me while I'm sleeping!"
"Fine, go take a shower, I'll get breakfast started and we can watch Finding Nemo, I already sent your driver to the airport with your bags so you don't have to worry about that, yalla bsir3a we're running out of time!"
I didn't dare disobey her. When Juju had a plan, she meant business. I ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower, I went back down 20 minutes later in a pair of jeans, a red hoodie and my kelly green converses. I saw Juju's face light up when she saw me.
"You wore them! You finally wore them! Aww you look like christmas, I LOVE YOU! Look at all the colors!!"
I rolled my eyes, poured some coffee and sat down to watch the movie. She french braided my hair while we watched because she insisted a bun would be too much of a hassle during the flight and before we knew it, the two hours were up and she drove me to the airport. Khaled's mother and older brother, 6alal, got there earlier than we expected so I didn't get a chance to call 3azeez.
"Deeraw baalkum 3alaiha!" Ritaj unnecessary asked them before she left.
"Shda3wa Ritaj, she's family, mala da3i twa9eenna 3alaiha!" 6alal replied defensively. 6alal was convinced we were lesbians and Juju's overprotective act wasn't helping him in forgetting that theory.
"I knoww but she's my baby! Akhaf 3alaiha!" She replied. "Call me as soon as you land, take care of yourself and if you come back with an accent, so help me god, I WILL murder you!" She hugged me one final time and left before she unleashed the waterworks.
I texted 3azeez explaining why I didn't call but he didn't reply, I guess he was still asleep. We boarded the plane and surely enough I was asleep minutes after takeoff. The events of the flight were a blur to me, I distinctly remember being woken up a couple of times by the flight attendants. And I remember being force-fed a stale croissant by khalti Sara at one point, but that was pretty much it.
I stumbled out of Heathrow Airport half an hour later to find Khaled leaning against a car, smoking a cigarette. I couldn't believe he was standing there in front of me, even as I saw his mother and brother greeting him and getting into the car, a part of me still thought there was a possibility I was dreaming all this up. He came up to me and snapped his fingers in front of my face.
"Ghalooy?" he asked. I took his hand and pinched it as hard as I could using my nails.
He yelped and snatched it away, "What the hell, Ghala! Laish??" he asked, surprised by my action.
"I was just checking if this was just a dream!" I defended.
"You pinch YOURSELF to check that, not other people!" he shot back.
"Oops?" I offered.
He shook his head and pulled me into his arms and twirled me around. Just like he always did. I squealed and demanded he put me down. Just like I always did. We pulled back and stared at each other and laughed for no apparent reason. I smiled at the familiarity of the picture we painted and snuggled back into his arms. He apparently had other ideas. He carried me like a football under his arm and walked towards the car.
"Mi'lady, your carriage awaits!" He announced.
"Yes, cuz nothing screams royalty like being manhandled at the airport." I retorted.
"Well Ghalooy, you know me, I always go the extra mile!" he said and threw me into the back seat of the car and grinned. "7emdellah 3ala ilsalama!"
________________________
I sat on 3azeez's bed shivering, covered up in his sister's oversized bathrobe. I silently envied the beautiful giant for her looks and physique as I waited for my clothes to dry. To my consternation, I kept seeing Noor's laughing face and 3azeez's shocked one and blushed in mortification all over again. I was relieved for the option of hiding up in here away from everyone. My relief proved to be short-lived a few moments later when I heard a light tapping on the door.
"Ghalooy.. are you decent?" 3azeez's voice called out.
"No." I snapped as I hid my face in his pillow. I wasn't quite ready to face him yet.
He ignored me and came striding into the room, smiling as he nodded at my attire.
"3azeez! What the hell?!" I exclaimed, outraged. "What if I was naked ya3ni?? Ha?"
He raised his eyebrows and lifter a corner of his mouth in a crooked smile. "Then I'd be considered one lucky bastard." he replied with a wink.
I grabbed my bag and threw the contents at him individually as he laughed. I finally hurled my bag at him and hid under the covers and repositioned my face into the pillow. I couldn't help but catch a whiff of his lingering scent on it and breathed it in.
"Aw, come on baby, 3adi!! We've all been pushed by 3baid in the pool at one point or another!" He said as he attempted to lift the covers.
I tightened my grip around the corners of it but my attempts were unnecessary and ineffective, given the inevitable outcome. He threw away the covers and hugged me tightly. I hid my face in his chest the instant he let go.
I felt his chuckle vibrate through his chest as he attempted to push me away. "Wareeni wayhich!" He demanded.
"Mabi!" I mumbled, my response was muffled by his clothes.
"7abeebti we both know you're no match for me, I'm about three times your size! I will resort to tickling if I have to." He threatened.
I immediately lifted my head and looked at him. He burst out laughing again and I attempted to hide my face in my hands. He intertwined his fingers in between mine, taking away that option.
"Uff! Kil hatha mista7ya?" he asked teasingly. "I haven't seen that shade of red anywhere outside the tomato family!"
"Fashlaaaaaa!!" I whined, "Broo7'ha your sister seems to hate me and now this!"
He looked caught of guard as he replied sheepishly, "Oh, you noticed."
I looked at him disbelievingly, "Seriously? I would've had to be blind NOT to notice. You know what, 3abdulla probably noticed and pushed me purposely into the pool to amuse her!" I concluded.
"Yeah! I totally witnessed them communicating that by blinking!" He played along.
The door opened and I immediately jumped off his lap and landed awkwardly on the floor. I got up quick and sat down on the bed away from him as he shook his head and chuckled quietly. Noor came in closely followed by an apologetic looking 3abdulla.
She put down my clothes on the bed and nudged 3abdulla forward. He stared at his hands as he came up to me and shyly whispered an apology.
I smiled at him and bent down to his level, "I'll forgive you if you give me a kiss!" I offered and he readily accepted, giving me a big sloppy kiss on my cheek. He immediately giggled and ran away the second he was done, leaving me alone with 3azeez and his sister. We sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Noor cleared her throat and spoke up.
"Um.. Ghala, I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior earlier. I was quick to judge you based on what I've heard from other people.." She admitted, ashamed. I instinctively knew she was talking about S3oud's brother, he never liked me and had no problems making his feelings clear every chance he got. "I'm extremely protective of my baby brother but I can see that you have genuine feelings for him and if you don't mind, I'd love a chance to get to know you when you come back."
I had a feeling 3azeez had something to do with his sister's change in attitude but I didn't question his part in all of it. I smiled at her and replied, "I would love that too."
She beamed back at me and 3azeez, "I was hoping you would! Alright then, I'll leave you two alone now.. behave." She added as she gave 3azeez a warning look and she left.
I grabbed my clothes and ran to his bathroom to change as soon as she left. "Finally!" I exclaimed as soon as I came out, "Allaaah, my clothes are so warm and toasty!" I said as I hugged myself.
"Umm.. Would you like me to leave so you can feel yourself up in private? Or do you mind if I sat and watched?" he asked teasingly.
I laughed and smacked him playfully. "Ghala, you're really starting to worry me. Hair pulling, choking, pathetic attempts at beating me up.. are you into S&M?" He asked in mock seriousness.
I burst out laughing and fell back on the bed. I tried to contain it but failed miserably time and again. It wasn't that funny, but the expression on his face was hilarious. I finally managed to pull myself together and stared at the ceiling, smiling,
3azeez broke the silence, "I love the way you laugh." He said
I hooked one of my fingers between his buttons and pulled him down on top of me, "I love the way you make me laugh." I whispered back.
"I love the way you blush."
"I love the way you smell."
"I love how your voice drops a few decibels when we're all alone."
"I love how you always manage to notice the little things."
"I love all the little things there are for me to notice."
"I love you."
My eyes widened the minute the words left my mouth. I seemed even more shocked than he was by the words I had spoken, which was saying something considering the disbelieving look etched on his face. I immediately got up and pushed him away.
"What?"
"What?" I replied stupidly.
"Shgiltay?" He asked again.
"I said, "what"!"
He rolled his eyes, "Before that!!"
"Something about you noticing the little things?"
He glared at me impatiently, "After that?"
I gave up. He obviously wasn't going to budge no matter how dumb I played, I opened my mouth to utter the three words I never thought I'd be able to say back to him, "I love you."
I saw his face stretching into a huge smile and he leaned in closer to kiss me. I pushed his face away from me and got up.
"No! Wai3, stop smiling!! You better not have changed your mind and you better still feel the same way, you can't take it back! Also, don't think this changes anything or expect me to suddenly turn into the perfect girlfriend or anything or that you can control me in any way or dictate anything, 'cause I won't let you, inzain?" I said as I glared at him.
"You done yet?" he asked with a bored expression on his face. "I love you, too."
"Yeah well.. good." I finished lamely.
He laughed and pulled me into his arms, "Inzain, laish m3a9ba?" he asked, amused.
"Madri!" I replied honestly, "I never have appropriate reactions!"
"Really? You don't say?" he said sarcastically, "Is it alright if I kissed you now?"
"I love how you ask even though you're going to end up doing whatever you want anyway, you know, this is really starting to-"
He clamped my lips together and I tried to mumble protests. "Baby, sweetie, honey.. chub."
He leaned in closer and covered my lips with his. Every kiss with 3azeez was a new experience, the only similarity was the result of having me breathless and weak in the knees during its aftermath. This kiss was slow and sensual, he wordlessly conveyed to me the depth of his feelings and I savored every sensation as I responded and allowed his mouth to wreak havoc in every fiber of my being.
We eventually came up for air and he rested his forehead against mine as he tried to catch his breath, "How gay is it of me to be having the urge to beg you not to go?"
"Just about as gay as it is for me to actually be considering not going to stay with you." I answered. "I'm really going to miss you."
He sighed deeply, "Two weeks."
"Two weeks.." I echoed as he pulled me in for another kiss.
_______________________
"Are you sure I can't tempt you to come spend your last night with me?" He asked as he pulled up to my house.
"Honey, you can tempt me to do A LOT more than that, which is precisely why I should spend the night in my own home, as far away from you as possible." I replied.
"Really?" He asked intrigued, "I'll be sure to remember that when you come back." He teased. I shot him a look and he threw his hands up in the air, "Kidding, kidding!! Do you need a ride to the airport tomorrow?"
"No, Juju's spending the night and she's dropping me off tomorrow before she goes home.. besides, I'm meeting Khalood's mother and brother 6alal there so it'd be best if I didn't show up with you, don't you think?" I asked.
"Definitely, I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea of you.. So, I guess this is goodbye?"
I cringed at the finality that word represented, "Not goodbye.. just see you later! Don't scare me!" I exclaimed.
He laughed and kissed my forehead, "See you later, tro7een witrideen bilsalama 7abeebti."
I couldn't help myself, I threw my arms around him and gave him a final hug, "Allah isalmik." I promised to call him before I got on the plane and I made my way to the front door. He refused to leave til he saw me go inside, I unlocked the door and looked back to find him still waiting. I walked backwards into the house so I can memorize his face one more time before he left. He waved to me and I blew him a kiss.
"THERE YOU ARE!" Ritaj screamed as she slammed the door shut after me and leaned against it. "I've been waiting since forever!!"
"Juju, 3azeez is outside, wakhrayyy!" I said as I tried to move her.
"Mako! You're obviously not going to close the door 'til he drives off and he won't drive off 'til you close the door, so I took matters into my own hands. Now march before me young lady, up you go!" She said, pointing at the stairs.
I pouted and sulked all the way upstairs, I kept trying to go back to the door and Ritaj would stop me and threaten to decapitate me if I disobeyed her again. I sighed resignedly and walked into my room.
"Hach, this is my list." She announced.
"List? List of what?" I asked as I looked down at the piece of paper she handed me.
"The list of things I want you to bring back from England, duh!" She answered.
I quickly scanned the contents and looked back at her, "Juju, I can't bring you back Orlando Bloom." I said as I rolled my eyes.
"Why the hell not!" She screeched.
"Ouch, Juju, volume control! Lana awalan, wai3. Thaniyan, Haifa already asked and I said no!" I replied.
"Hffft, fine! You never do anything I ask you to!" She whined.
"Yes, I'm the worst friend ever." I added.
"Woy, no 7abeebti laaa2! You're the bestest best friend ever! I'm going to miss you wayid!!" She said as she pulled me in for a hug.
"I'm going to throw up hugs walla, I've been squeezed way too much these two days!" I said as I hugged her back.
"Oooo.." She said as she wiggled her eyebrows, "Do share!"
I laughed and filled her in on the details of the day, she inserted appropriately timed "aww"s and gasps and made threats when needed.
"Bitch. I don't care if she apologized, I still don't like her!" She announced when I was done.
"Well lucky for her, you don't have to! She's 3azooz's favorite sibling, I'm going to have to try to find away to get along with her and I could use your help, so be nice!"
She sighed theatrically, "Fiiiine! Let's go make brownies and eat them with cookie dough ice cream!" she suggested enthusiastically.
"You're trying to make me throw up bilplane, aren't you?" I asked suspiciously.
"Nooo, you're going to sleep bilplane which is specifically why I'm going to keep you up all night. We're eating that cuz I won't get another chance to pig out 'til you come back, so come on!"
She ended up sleeping half an hour after we baked the brownies but I took her advice anyway and stayed up all night. I took a nap at one point and she woke me up by throwing a water bottle at me.
"Goomay! It's 9, I can't believe you let me fall asleep! I only have two hours left with you!" She yelled.
"Juju, I'm going for two weeks and coming back, it's not like I'm going to drop off the face of the earth, enough with the drama!" I replied crankily.
She pouted, "Whatever, if I was 3azeez you'd probably be all "awww babyy, la tiz3al, ta3al let me flash you!" bas ana I get told I'm being dramatic!" She said huffily.
I laughed and threw a pillow at her, "First of all, ew? Second of all, 3azeez doesn't throw cold objects at me while I'm sleeping!"
"Fine, go take a shower, I'll get breakfast started and we can watch Finding Nemo, I already sent your driver to the airport with your bags so you don't have to worry about that, yalla bsir3a we're running out of time!"
I didn't dare disobey her. When Juju had a plan, she meant business. I ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower, I went back down 20 minutes later in a pair of jeans, a red hoodie and my kelly green converses. I saw Juju's face light up when she saw me.
"You wore them! You finally wore them! Aww you look like christmas, I LOVE YOU! Look at all the colors!!"
I rolled my eyes, poured some coffee and sat down to watch the movie. She french braided my hair while we watched because she insisted a bun would be too much of a hassle during the flight and before we knew it, the two hours were up and she drove me to the airport. Khaled's mother and older brother, 6alal, got there earlier than we expected so I didn't get a chance to call 3azeez.
"Deeraw baalkum 3alaiha!" Ritaj unnecessary asked them before she left.
"Shda3wa Ritaj, she's family, mala da3i twa9eenna 3alaiha!" 6alal replied defensively. 6alal was convinced we were lesbians and Juju's overprotective act wasn't helping him in forgetting that theory.
"I knoww but she's my baby! Akhaf 3alaiha!" She replied. "Call me as soon as you land, take care of yourself and if you come back with an accent, so help me god, I WILL murder you!" She hugged me one final time and left before she unleashed the waterworks.
I texted 3azeez explaining why I didn't call but he didn't reply, I guess he was still asleep. We boarded the plane and surely enough I was asleep minutes after takeoff. The events of the flight were a blur to me, I distinctly remember being woken up a couple of times by the flight attendants. And I remember being force-fed a stale croissant by khalti Sara at one point, but that was pretty much it.
I stumbled out of Heathrow Airport half an hour later to find Khaled leaning against a car, smoking a cigarette. I couldn't believe he was standing there in front of me, even as I saw his mother and brother greeting him and getting into the car, a part of me still thought there was a possibility I was dreaming all this up. He came up to me and snapped his fingers in front of my face.
"Ghalooy?" he asked. I took his hand and pinched it as hard as I could using my nails.
He yelped and snatched it away, "What the hell, Ghala! Laish??" he asked, surprised by my action.
"I was just checking if this was just a dream!" I defended.
"You pinch YOURSELF to check that, not other people!" he shot back.
"Oops?" I offered.
He shook his head and pulled me into his arms and twirled me around. Just like he always did. I squealed and demanded he put me down. Just like I always did. We pulled back and stared at each other and laughed for no apparent reason. I smiled at the familiarity of the picture we painted and snuggled back into his arms. He apparently had other ideas. He carried me like a football under his arm and walked towards the car.
"Mi'lady, your carriage awaits!" He announced.
"Yes, cuz nothing screams royalty like being manhandled at the airport." I retorted.
"Well Ghalooy, you know me, I always go the extra mile!" he said and threw me into the back seat of the car and grinned. "7emdellah 3ala ilsalama!"
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Foolish Games.. (19)
Khalas. I'm dropping out of jam3a. Kil youm? Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Hfft. Wija3. I don't care that it's awal youm of the fucking week, I'M DROPPING OUT, who's with me? Anyone? No? Okay :(
Inzain, I need to say a few things before ilstory, mu lazim you read bas yeah, here goes :
1. Stitch/Lost- I love you wayid and I've been where you are right now and it majorly sucks, hang in there *hugs*
2. Jam3iiya(L)- are you still alive? I miss you like... wayid :( Do you hate my story now? Is that it? *sobs hysterically* I love you *sniff*
3. Gutter Flower- I miss you wayid :( Please come back to us? *holds up razor to wrist* please?
4. SlouchyPants- LOL kaifi, I just wanted to mention you again ;p I love that girl -.-
5. My friend just started blogging ilyouuum.. she's telling "her story" fa if you're interested.. http://bsquared44.blogspot.com/ commentaw!
W ba3ad? I want to mention wayid things but I have to write now or I'm going to forget my ideas and leave you postless! Oh you guys, I'm loving all the stories walla, you guys have no idea how much, but right now.. let's all stand up w give a round of applause to Cupid;*! w 3ashat cupiiid, 3ashat cupiiid *giggles* so talented mashalla and incredibly sweeet! love youu :* bas khalas, time for the post!
A7ibkum! Thank you for all your comments walla, couldn't kamil if it weren't for you peopless :*
____________________________
"You have 2 hours, keep your eyes on your papers, good luck." The professor announced and sat behind his desk.
He signaled for his watchdog, the TA, to go make her rounds around the room to ensure nobody was cheating. Yeah right, like that was going to help. If there's one thing most college students learn how to perfect before their time is up, it's cheating. Everyone excluding the small majority of people like me who can help others expertly, but are too chicken to as much as glimpse at somebody else's paper. Can you say pathetic?
For 30 minutes, I sat down quietly taking in the atmosphere of the silent room. I saw students attempting to copy off each other's papers and shifting their eyes guiltily. I saw others staring at their papers with horrified expressions plastered on their faces and I saw Joori, seated two chairs down from me shooting me worried looks. I tried smiling reassuringly at her but it did nothing to lessen her uneasiness. I decided to put her out of her misery and opened the question booklet.
Half an hour later
Ah, the joys of being prepared. And by prepared, I mean tutored relentlessly by a sadistic but hot boyfriend. I smiled at the thought of him and took out my phone to text him. Naturally, fate had another plan in store for me, my lack of attention brought me face to face with yet another embarrassing encounter; I ended up walking right into a pole. I felt a pair of hands holding me up, I wobbled a little on my feet as I regained my balance.
"Are you okay? A frantic voice asked. I looked up to find Yousef's bewildered face staring back at mine. I couldn't resist the urge to laugh at his concern.
I met Yousef during the first month at university in our TA's office. We had been given assignments straight away by our math teacher and being oblivious to this, he had rewarded himself with an extra week of vacation before starting classes. He had missed the homework and asked me if I could give him mine as the professor had ran out of copies. To his misfortune, I had forgotten to bring mine that day. He asked me if I could possibly e-mail it to him. I immediately sympathized with him and agreed, us newbies had to stick together after all. He e-mailed me back a thank you and struck up a random conversation, eventually he added me on his buddly list and we became fast friends. He was now one of the very few people in university I felt like I could trust and felt comfortable around.
"Yasoof! I've known you for almost two years now, how can you still manage to be surprised every time something like this happens?!" I asked, amused.
"Shasawee ba3ad, allah hidach, you should be surrounded by orange cones at all times, you're a disaster waiting to happen!" He exclaimed
I pouted exaggeratedly. "Shda3wa! I have my guardian angels, they're just taking a break most of the time!"
He flashed his winning smile at me, "Hey! I'm done with finals, how about I volunteer my services as one?" He asked. "Free of charge ba3ad and I'm willing to work into the wee hours of the morning if needed!" He concluded his statement with a wink.
I laughed at his attempt, "I won't be needing them anymore thank you very much, but good try!" I replied encouragingly, "Keep working on it, you just might fool some poor girl into accepting your advances 3ala youm." I teased.
"Afa! Are you trying to tell me that you're off the market?" He asked, surprised. "Laa shino hatha? 7a6amty amaaly!"
I loved his dramatic streak and found myself laughing at his theatrics, "We both know that's not the case Ywaisef, it's always about the chase ma3ak a9lan!"
"You know me too well Ghalooy." He replied as he chuckled, "So tell me, mino sa3eed il7ath?" He asked as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
My face broke into a huge grin. "3azeeeeeeeeeez!" I exclaimed. Just saying his name made me happy, I resisted the urge to throw up at my sudden mushiness.
He laughed at my excitement and waited expectantly for the rest of the details, "Aaand..?"
I blushed and looked down at my feet as I answered, "And he is heart! Walla Yousef he's so sweet and caring and tall and umm.. right there." I concluded in surprise as I looked up to find 3azeez walking through the gates.
"Huh?" Yousef asked with confusion written all over his face.
"He's right there!" I repeated excitedly as I walked over to him.
"You don't have "final-face"!" He announced.
I burst out laughing, "I told you, I never do!" I said with a smile.
The night before during our conversation, I told him the best part of exams is finishing early and seeing people's faces when they leave the exam rooms. Most of them manage to acquire "final-face", which is very similar to the face one would have after being anally raped. Then there's the few who can't manage to have an appropriate reaction, namely me, who leave the exam room smiling and cheerful, regardless of how they did.
"I can't believe you're here! Stalking? Really? Is that what we've come to?" I teased.
"You really do think the world of yourself, don't you?" He asked sardonically, "I'm here to pick up my cousin Joori? Skinny? Pouty? Lots of eyelashes?"
My face burned up at my misplaced presumptuousness.
"Ya chathab! You just texted me asking if Ghala khali9at imti7anha!" Joori came out of nowhere and announced. I laughed and raised my eyebrows inquisitively and opened my mouth to blurt out "I told you so!"
Joori interrupted my victory dance in its tracks, "Wintay 3ala6ool t9adgeen?? Are you forgetting that I picked you up this morning?" she asked incredulously.
"Ooops?" I offered lamely. She rolled her eyes and asked how the exam was.
"Piece of cake!"I replied as I shot 3azeez a grateful smile and motioned for Yousef to come over.
I made the hasty introductions, they exchanged pleasantries and Yousef excused himself to go to a family gathering.
"Tro7een witrideen bilsalama, stay out of trouble!" He called out as he walked away.
"Allah isalmik, I always do!" I replied defensively.
He rolled his eyes disbelievingly at me and made his way to his car.
"So what really brings you here?" I asked 3azeez as we all walked to the parking lot.
"I wanted to spend time with my girlfriend before she travelled, mamnoo3?" He asked.
I smiled widely, "What did you have in mind?"
3azeez rudely stared at Joori and motioned for her to leave. Joori remained oblivious and stood there waiting for him to answer. He cleared his throat. She pretended not to notice. He looked at his watch, she informed him that it was 12.35.
Finally after 5 minutes of 3azeez dropping hints that Joori purposely pretended not to understand, he gave up. "Shrayich t'thlfeen baitkum?" He asked in a polite tone.
"Was that so hard? All you had to do was ask!" She replied teasingly as she got into her car and drove away.
"Do you wanna go back to my place? My sister took 3abood and his cousins out for the day so it should be empty, we can watch a movie or something?" He suggested.
"Yeah.. or something sounds great." I replied as I winked at him.
"Don't start." He warned.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I replied innocently and pretended to adjust my invisible halo.
He shook his head and laughed at me, 10 minutes later we arrived at the house. To our utter dismay, his sister's car was parked out front. We went inside to find her lounging on one of the chairs and the children playing in the pool with their little floaties.
I hesistated a little at the door, 3azooz reached out to hold my hand and reassured me I had nothing to worry about. I instinctively trusted him and followed him inside. "Insalim w ni6la3 bas." he whispered.
"Isn't that a bit rude?" I asked worriedly.
"It's my last day with you and I'm not in the sharing mood." He clipped.
I smiled, strangely satasfied with his sudden possessiveness. I gave his hand a quick squeeze and I let go to straighten out the creases in my top and make sure there wasn't any dirt or dust on my jeans.
"Nooro? I thought you were going to be out all day ma3a your sister in law w 3abood?" He asked.
She turned around and eyed me curiously while she answered, "That was the original plan.. but Hind got called in for a meeting and I volunteered to bring the kids back here instead, the weather's warm enough for swimming today."
I was taken aback by how gorgeous his sister was. I expected her to be, but nothing could've possibly prepared me for this. I took in her neatly swept up hair, her sharp features, her perfectly applied makeup and manicured nails and felt incredibly frumpy. I could've been wearing rags for the level of self-consciousness I was suddenly in. Out of nervousness, I started biting my nails. There was something in the calculating look in her eyes that made me feel like she thought I wasn't good enough for him. Where's my fairy godmother when I need her? 3azeez smiled at me and motioned for me to come forward.
"Come closer, I won't bite.. Ghala, is it?" She called out nonchalantly.
I nodded and laughed nervously, "I didn't think you would. I'm just not sure what the appropriate way of saying hello is under the circumstances.." I said with a smile.
She smiled coldly, "Well, you can't go wrong with a handshake."
"I guess not." I replied as I stuck out my hand. She shook my hands and I quickly let go.
"KIDS! ta3alaw, there's someone I want you to meet." 3azooz called out.
They immediately made their way out of the pool with the help of their nannies and came running over.
"3abdulla, Nadia.. this is my friend Ghala." He said and pushed them forward.
Nadia leaned up on her toes to try and kiss me, I bent down to pick her up and bring her closer to me.
She leaned in closer to me and cupped her hands around my ears, "You're pretty." She whispered.
"Awww! You're prettier, you have very nice eyes." I whispered back and she blushed and hid her face in my chest. I laughed, hugged her and put her down.
3abdulla stared fixatedly at my hand the entire time. He pointed at them and I understood later that he was pointing at my red nail polish.
"FIRE!" He screamed and pushed me in the pool.
Inzain, I need to say a few things before ilstory, mu lazim you read bas yeah, here goes :
1. Stitch/Lost- I love you wayid and I've been where you are right now and it majorly sucks, hang in there *hugs*
2. Jam3iiya(L)- are you still alive? I miss you like... wayid :( Do you hate my story now? Is that it? *sobs hysterically* I love you *sniff*
3. Gutter Flower- I miss you wayid :( Please come back to us? *holds up razor to wrist* please?
4. SlouchyPants- LOL kaifi, I just wanted to mention you again ;p I love that girl -.-
5. My friend just started blogging ilyouuum.. she's telling "her story" fa if you're interested.. http://bsquared44.blogspot.com/ commentaw!
W ba3ad? I want to mention wayid things but I have to write now or I'm going to forget my ideas and leave you postless! Oh you guys, I'm loving all the stories walla, you guys have no idea how much, but right now.. let's all stand up w give a round of applause to Cupid;*! w 3ashat cupiiid, 3ashat cupiiid *giggles* so talented mashalla and incredibly sweeet! love youu :* bas khalas, time for the post!
A7ibkum! Thank you for all your comments walla, couldn't kamil if it weren't for you peopless :*
____________________________
"You have 2 hours, keep your eyes on your papers, good luck." The professor announced and sat behind his desk.
He signaled for his watchdog, the TA, to go make her rounds around the room to ensure nobody was cheating. Yeah right, like that was going to help. If there's one thing most college students learn how to perfect before their time is up, it's cheating. Everyone excluding the small majority of people like me who can help others expertly, but are too chicken to as much as glimpse at somebody else's paper. Can you say pathetic?
For 30 minutes, I sat down quietly taking in the atmosphere of the silent room. I saw students attempting to copy off each other's papers and shifting their eyes guiltily. I saw others staring at their papers with horrified expressions plastered on their faces and I saw Joori, seated two chairs down from me shooting me worried looks. I tried smiling reassuringly at her but it did nothing to lessen her uneasiness. I decided to put her out of her misery and opened the question booklet.
Half an hour later
Ah, the joys of being prepared. And by prepared, I mean tutored relentlessly by a sadistic but hot boyfriend. I smiled at the thought of him and took out my phone to text him. Naturally, fate had another plan in store for me, my lack of attention brought me face to face with yet another embarrassing encounter; I ended up walking right into a pole. I felt a pair of hands holding me up, I wobbled a little on my feet as I regained my balance.
"Are you okay? A frantic voice asked. I looked up to find Yousef's bewildered face staring back at mine. I couldn't resist the urge to laugh at his concern.
I met Yousef during the first month at university in our TA's office. We had been given assignments straight away by our math teacher and being oblivious to this, he had rewarded himself with an extra week of vacation before starting classes. He had missed the homework and asked me if I could give him mine as the professor had ran out of copies. To his misfortune, I had forgotten to bring mine that day. He asked me if I could possibly e-mail it to him. I immediately sympathized with him and agreed, us newbies had to stick together after all. He e-mailed me back a thank you and struck up a random conversation, eventually he added me on his buddly list and we became fast friends. He was now one of the very few people in university I felt like I could trust and felt comfortable around.
"Yasoof! I've known you for almost two years now, how can you still manage to be surprised every time something like this happens?!" I asked, amused.
"Shasawee ba3ad, allah hidach, you should be surrounded by orange cones at all times, you're a disaster waiting to happen!" He exclaimed
I pouted exaggeratedly. "Shda3wa! I have my guardian angels, they're just taking a break most of the time!"
He flashed his winning smile at me, "Hey! I'm done with finals, how about I volunteer my services as one?" He asked. "Free of charge ba3ad and I'm willing to work into the wee hours of the morning if needed!" He concluded his statement with a wink.
I laughed at his attempt, "I won't be needing them anymore thank you very much, but good try!" I replied encouragingly, "Keep working on it, you just might fool some poor girl into accepting your advances 3ala youm." I teased.
"Afa! Are you trying to tell me that you're off the market?" He asked, surprised. "Laa shino hatha? 7a6amty amaaly!"
I loved his dramatic streak and found myself laughing at his theatrics, "We both know that's not the case Ywaisef, it's always about the chase ma3ak a9lan!"
"You know me too well Ghalooy." He replied as he chuckled, "So tell me, mino sa3eed il7ath?" He asked as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
My face broke into a huge grin. "3azeeeeeeeeeez!" I exclaimed. Just saying his name made me happy, I resisted the urge to throw up at my sudden mushiness.
He laughed at my excitement and waited expectantly for the rest of the details, "Aaand..?"
I blushed and looked down at my feet as I answered, "And he is heart! Walla Yousef he's so sweet and caring and tall and umm.. right there." I concluded in surprise as I looked up to find 3azeez walking through the gates.
"Huh?" Yousef asked with confusion written all over his face.
"He's right there!" I repeated excitedly as I walked over to him.
"You don't have "final-face"!" He announced.
I burst out laughing, "I told you, I never do!" I said with a smile.
The night before during our conversation, I told him the best part of exams is finishing early and seeing people's faces when they leave the exam rooms. Most of them manage to acquire "final-face", which is very similar to the face one would have after being anally raped. Then there's the few who can't manage to have an appropriate reaction, namely me, who leave the exam room smiling and cheerful, regardless of how they did.
"I can't believe you're here! Stalking? Really? Is that what we've come to?" I teased.
"You really do think the world of yourself, don't you?" He asked sardonically, "I'm here to pick up my cousin Joori? Skinny? Pouty? Lots of eyelashes?"
My face burned up at my misplaced presumptuousness.
"Ya chathab! You just texted me asking if Ghala khali9at imti7anha!" Joori came out of nowhere and announced. I laughed and raised my eyebrows inquisitively and opened my mouth to blurt out "I told you so!"
Joori interrupted my victory dance in its tracks, "Wintay 3ala6ool t9adgeen?? Are you forgetting that I picked you up this morning?" she asked incredulously.
"Ooops?" I offered lamely. She rolled her eyes and asked how the exam was.
"Piece of cake!"I replied as I shot 3azeez a grateful smile and motioned for Yousef to come over.
I made the hasty introductions, they exchanged pleasantries and Yousef excused himself to go to a family gathering.
"Tro7een witrideen bilsalama, stay out of trouble!" He called out as he walked away.
"Allah isalmik, I always do!" I replied defensively.
He rolled his eyes disbelievingly at me and made his way to his car.
"So what really brings you here?" I asked 3azeez as we all walked to the parking lot.
"I wanted to spend time with my girlfriend before she travelled, mamnoo3?" He asked.
I smiled widely, "What did you have in mind?"
3azeez rudely stared at Joori and motioned for her to leave. Joori remained oblivious and stood there waiting for him to answer. He cleared his throat. She pretended not to notice. He looked at his watch, she informed him that it was 12.35.
Finally after 5 minutes of 3azeez dropping hints that Joori purposely pretended not to understand, he gave up. "Shrayich t'thlfeen baitkum?" He asked in a polite tone.
"Was that so hard? All you had to do was ask!" She replied teasingly as she got into her car and drove away.
"Do you wanna go back to my place? My sister took 3abood and his cousins out for the day so it should be empty, we can watch a movie or something?" He suggested.
"Yeah.. or something sounds great." I replied as I winked at him.
"Don't start." He warned.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I replied innocently and pretended to adjust my invisible halo.
He shook his head and laughed at me, 10 minutes later we arrived at the house. To our utter dismay, his sister's car was parked out front. We went inside to find her lounging on one of the chairs and the children playing in the pool with their little floaties.
I hesistated a little at the door, 3azooz reached out to hold my hand and reassured me I had nothing to worry about. I instinctively trusted him and followed him inside. "Insalim w ni6la3 bas." he whispered.
"Isn't that a bit rude?" I asked worriedly.
"It's my last day with you and I'm not in the sharing mood." He clipped.
I smiled, strangely satasfied with his sudden possessiveness. I gave his hand a quick squeeze and I let go to straighten out the creases in my top and make sure there wasn't any dirt or dust on my jeans.
"Nooro? I thought you were going to be out all day ma3a your sister in law w 3abood?" He asked.
She turned around and eyed me curiously while she answered, "That was the original plan.. but Hind got called in for a meeting and I volunteered to bring the kids back here instead, the weather's warm enough for swimming today."
I was taken aback by how gorgeous his sister was. I expected her to be, but nothing could've possibly prepared me for this. I took in her neatly swept up hair, her sharp features, her perfectly applied makeup and manicured nails and felt incredibly frumpy. I could've been wearing rags for the level of self-consciousness I was suddenly in. Out of nervousness, I started biting my nails. There was something in the calculating look in her eyes that made me feel like she thought I wasn't good enough for him. Where's my fairy godmother when I need her? 3azeez smiled at me and motioned for me to come forward.
"Come closer, I won't bite.. Ghala, is it?" She called out nonchalantly.
I nodded and laughed nervously, "I didn't think you would. I'm just not sure what the appropriate way of saying hello is under the circumstances.." I said with a smile.
She smiled coldly, "Well, you can't go wrong with a handshake."
"I guess not." I replied as I stuck out my hand. She shook my hands and I quickly let go.
"KIDS! ta3alaw, there's someone I want you to meet." 3azooz called out.
They immediately made their way out of the pool with the help of their nannies and came running over.
"3abdulla, Nadia.. this is my friend Ghala." He said and pushed them forward.
Nadia leaned up on her toes to try and kiss me, I bent down to pick her up and bring her closer to me.
She leaned in closer to me and cupped her hands around my ears, "You're pretty." She whispered.
"Awww! You're prettier, you have very nice eyes." I whispered back and she blushed and hid her face in my chest. I laughed, hugged her and put her down.
3abdulla stared fixatedly at my hand the entire time. He pointed at them and I understood later that he was pointing at my red nail polish.
"FIRE!" He screamed and pushed me in the pool.
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