Foolish Games.. (6)

“You sure you don’t mind?” I asked Haifa on the way to Starbucks.

“La, it’s fine, shda3wa? It’s only Khaled.” She replied and flashed a smile.

It’s only Khaled. Right. If she only knew.

I smiled back and hooked up my Ipod to the sound system.

“Be my DJ?” I asked smilingly as if bestowing a great honor. I never let anyone choose songs while I’m in the same car and while finding a song to suit my mood, I let everything play for the span of two seconds before changing it, or coincidentally, just long enough for someone to get into it before changing it! It’s a coincidence, honest! But I can see how it may be perceived as infuriating by some.

She grinned widely and grabbed the Ipod, “BABY! I thought you’d never ask!” Seconds later, the speakers were blaring her newest obsession, Pitbull-Krazy.

We sang along to the repetitive lyrics while dancing and laughing and soon arrived at our destination. Haifa called her driver and instructed him to pick her up in half an hour. We walked in and greeted the staff.

“What can I get you?” Asked the giggling Philipino behind the counter. He was by far Haifa’s favorite member of the Starbucks family in all branches.

“Hi!” She beamed brightly, “I’ll have a double mocha macchiato and she’ll have a caramel macchiato.. What about Khaled?” She asked me.

“I’m almost tempted to get him a macchiato ba3ad to keep the trend going but he just woke up and if I want him to make any sense whatsoever, I need to get him something STRONG!” I thought out loud, their coffee is pretty weak anyway but I had to pick something, “Umm, a double shot espresso please!”

We paid and went upstairs to sit down, the place looked like it was deserted but we didn’t mind. It’s more comfortable this way anyway. Haifa got out a piece of paper with formulas on it and started revising.

I played with my phone while waiting for the drinks and Khalood to arrive. I’m very fidgety by nature, my fingers have to be moving at all times, whether I was playing with my hair or clicking a pen. I also have a tendency to bite my thumb, not suck on it, not bite the nails, just a habit of biting the skin on the pad of it, I have no idea how it started but it’s been that way for as long as I can remember.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and glanced up hopefully, I wasn’t disappointed. There he was, my Khaled, my family. I remembered how he stood by me during all the fights over the past years, how he’s always been my rock through all the drama I’ve been through and how I knew I could always count on him to make everything better. I saw his face stretch into a grin and felt an involuntary lump rising in my throat and and my eyes welled up with tears, it was as if all the pieces have finally fallen into place and I was finally home.

“Waaaaaaai daloooo3aaaaaaaa!” Haifa teased when she saw me at the verge of tears.

“Hehe, chub!” I sniffed and carefully wiped a tear that was precariously close to spilling down my cheek, smudged eyeliner does NOT become me. I got up when he reached our table and he enveloped me in a giant bear hug, effectively cutting off my air supply. My feet were no longer on the floor and were thrashing about wildly.

“Khalood! Put me down!!” I demanded.

As always, he ignored me and proceeded to spin me around, “Btibcheen?” He asked forcefully as he stopped, held me up and shook me.

“La2, walla la2!” I said as I squealed, my peals of laughter filling up the empty café. He set me back on the ground and I wobbled a little while regaining my balance. I held on to his arm for support.

“Zain, I didn’t want to have to resort to tickling you!”

I gasped dramatically and smacked his arm, “AKSIR EEDIK!” I threatened.

“Laa? Gimna inhadid ashoof? Ashwa innich 6ool my thumb!” he said disbelievingly as he put his arm around me kissed the top of my head. I stuck my tongue out, pushed him away and sat back down again.

“Haifa shlonich?” He inquired as he took the seat across from her and smiled warmly.

She returned the smile and replied, “Tamam il7imdilla, inta shloonik?”

“Doum inshalla, ana bkhair damich bkhair bas jetlagged!”

“La 3ad, sh-hal 3ayara? Kilha 3 sa3aat!”

“7ata law! Tifrig!” He insisted.

She laughed her musical laughter, “If you say so!” She agreed, still not convinced. Her phone rang and she picked it up. Turns out her driver was outside and came earlier than she expected. As if on cue , our drinks arrived the same moment she got up. “Magic, I swear! Khalaas 3ayal, I’ll see you at 5?”

“Sh3indikum at 5?” Khaled asked.

“Midterm accounting!” She pouted.

“Aha, allah i3eenkum,” Khaled said in an amused tone, accounting was a piece of cake to him, but then again, he didn’t have our teachers! He turned to look at me, “Wintay rahya ga3da itsolfeen? Ma tgomeen tdirseenlich cham kilma wayid a7san?”

I rolled my eyes at him, “You know I’m incapable of doing that!” I said as I threw a sugar packet at him. I got up to hug Haifa, “Bye 7abeebti, good luck!”

“You too, don’t be late!” She ordered, “Bye Khaled, 7imdillah 3ala ilsalaama!” She added belatedly.

He gave her another huge smile, “Allah esalmich. Biltawfeeg inshalla.”

“Thanks, bye!” She said and walked away.

I looked at Khaled and saw him watching her walk away, not checking her out, just watching her longingly, reverently almost.

“Still?” I asked him.

“Always.” He clipped with a sad smile. “Enough about that, shlonich ba3ad? What’ve you been up to? M6al3a your legs ilyoum? Shnawya 3ala shabab il Kuwait? Mi7lawa Ghalooy” He teased in an attempt to change the subject.

I blushed at his compliment. Khaled’s been in love with Haifa for 3 years now, unrequited love. Haifa doesn’t talk to guys in a more-than-friends capacity. I used to be that way before I met S3oud. He was everything I could’ve asked for in a guy and then some. Our relationship was beyond perfect, but I always had a niggling doubt about there something being off about it. His pursuit of me was so relentless, so resolute. I was flattered by it and didn’t think much of it, but having more experience, Juuj didn’t feel too good about it. Turns out she was right, the entire relationship was a farce, a game between him and a friend of his whom I had rejected. He claims that he developed genuine feelings for me in the process, but I wasn’t in a particularly forgiving mood. Shame on you if you fool me once, shame on me if you fooled me twice. He left a pretty big scar behind, but I was over it. He manipulated me and weakened my resolve, he knew my deepest secrets and used them against me. Worst of all, I let it happen and I never forgave myself for it. Haifa isn’t like that, she’s very much set in her opinions and I’m very proud of her for being that way. I respected her beliefs and admired her conviction, but I don’t know if I’d return to my previous beliefs, should the right person come along, if he ever did.

Be that as it may, my heart ached for the predicament Khalood was in, being so close yet so far away. I still have hope for them though, maybe somewhere down the road, Khalood can have his happily ever after with Haifa. I decided a long time ago I would do whatever I could to facilitate that, it was the least I can do to repay him for being all that he is.

“Earth to Ghala?” He said, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

“Sorry, sorry, what were we saying?” I asked, “Oh yeah, you noticed the length? Hatha winta tawwik raad from abroad, you should be used to it! I really should change before my midterm!”

He snickered, “I was just kidding babe, it’s not that short, just shorter than what I’m used to seeing you in for uni.”

I told him about the tights and rested my head on his shoulders while I filled him in on what I’ve been up to. I told him everything and nothing, from the new workout program I’ve been using to the test I aced last week in uni. He never once complained about the amount of details I was giving, he was just happy to be there and I was ecstatic to finally have him back, even though it wasn’t going to last very long.

“W bas!” I concluded, carefully leaving out any details about 3abdil3azeez or our brief meetings, I wasn’t sure why I did that, maybe I didn’t want to jinx it yet? “Enough about me, adri I fascinate you bas I wanna know what you’ve been doing min waraay!”

He laughed, “Ya3ni lazim a6ali3 ilfathaayi7 kilhum? He asked.

“Uh.. YEAH! No summaries, no shortcuts, detaiils! Lots! Spill!” I commanded as I got up to take a sip of my coffee.

“Someone’s gotten very bossy while I was away,” he said as he raised his eyebrows, “too much Ritaj, I think?”

I giggled, “Laa you can never have too much Ritaj!” I said as I drew a heart in the air with my fingers. “Don’t change the subject, yalla, your turn.”

I rested on his shoulder once again and he looked down at me and smiled, I smiled back and looked away. From anybody else’s point of view, it would’ve seemed like a very intimate moment between two people in love.

And that was the precise moment I saw a guy standing at the top of the stairs, our eyes locked and he lifted the corner of his lips in a mocking smile. 3abdil3azeez. My heart literally stopped beating. Well, this was a new look for him, his reaction baffled me, then comprehension dawned on me and I realized what it must look like to him.

I lifted my head off his shoulder once again, never taking my eyes off him and cleared my throat, “Umm Khalood.. There’s something I forgot to tell you…”