Foolish Games.. (8)

So, so, so sorry for being late! forgive me? =(

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“Well, you seem like a resourceful man, I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

Really? What was I thinking?! I can’t seem to stop mentally kicking myself for the stupidity of my words! Sure, it seemed like a good idea to be a little standoffish at first but is it too soon to admit that I miss him? It’s only been three days, but did I really want to be playing these games with him? Maybe he’ll change his mind about wanting me? I keep fantasizing about different scenarios, where would we be if I had given him my number…? But in all honesty, I wouldn’t have been true to myself and I would’ve been kicking myself for completely different reasons.. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all, I might treat myself to some ice cream later when we’re done with brunch, maybe cookie dough, or rainbow, or pralines and cream, or-

“Ghalooy, is there any particular reason why your eyes have suddenly widened about 3 inches?” asked Khalood, interrupting my thoughts.

I giggled, “Would you believe me if I said I was debating which ice cream flavor I’m treating myself to?”

“7imdillah wilshiker,” He said theatrically, “So what’s the verdict?”

“You’re so mean, it’s a fundamental part of our lives tara! Where would we be without those never-ending spoonfuls of iced chocolate comfort to nurse us through really tough breakups? Or like that huge inviting tub of strawberries and cream at the end of an especially long day? Or like, the strangely yummy texture of cookie dough melting in your mouth to celebrate the very wise decision of not seeming too available to a guy who’s smart, funny, gorgeous, and into you-“

“You sure “celebrate” is the correct word? You do realize that your little speech got a little less enthusiastic with every word you used to describe 3azooz?” Khalood said with an amused grin.

“3az-who now? I don’t know what or who you’re talking about.” I declared as I rolled my eyes.

He raised a challenging eyebrow, “There’s no use denying anything babe, from the looks you two were giving each other the other day, it’s a wonder you didn’t set the place on fire.”

I blushed, was I really that transparent? Were the alleged looks I was unwittingly receiving real? Or was this going to turn into another monumental mistake?

“Besides, what you didn’t tell me, I’ve already filled in with bits and pieces I’ve gotten from Ritaj or the object of your desire himself, so are you going to drop the act and let me Dr. Phil you through this? I really have perfected the accent you know..” He trailed off with another grin.

I shoved my face into one of the pillows on the sofa and mumbled, “Do I have to?”

“I’m afraid so,” He enunciated in a perfect imitation of a heavy Texan drawl, “What has been troubling you?”

I burst out laughing and smacked him with the pillow, “You really have been practicing, I can’t take you seriously with that accent!”

“Khalaa9 3ayal, I’ll drop it, but I’m sure you have about a million questions in your head, so ask away, get some of them out of your system!”

“You know me too well,” I said as I glared at him and proceeded to launch into a series of questions, “What has he said about me? Do you think he really likes me? Is he a good guy? I mean, 3inda suwalif minnee or minaak? Has he asked about me lately? Does he currently have a girlfriend? Is he messing with me? I mean, we just met, how can he know that he “wants me”? How tall is he? Does he-“

“Tadreen, 7addich mu kafo a7ad ikhaleech tis2ileena ay shay! I know that I let you paint ONE toenail turquoise in a moment of extreme stupidity over a decade ago, but I’m not turning this into a he said/she said session, you have Ritaj and Haifa for that!” He said, feigning irritation.

“But Khaloooooood-“

“La “but Khalood” wala ghaira! Bismillah, sh’hal as2ila, do I look like a psychic to you? W shako 6oola bil salfa!” He asked, incredulous at the question.

“What?” I said looking down at the floor, “I’m curious, sue me!”

“7imdillah wilshiker,” he said as he shook his head and laughed, “you trust me, right?”

I nodded, “Wholeheartedly.” I said with complete sincerity.

He smiled, “Good, then believe me when I tell you that he is not S3oud.”

I looked away and fiddled with the zipper of the pillow.

“No, babe, look at me.”

I looked up reluctantly, I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy whenever he was mentioned, that’s one thing that hasn’t changed in the past year.

“I know 3azooz very well. He is not a good guy, he’s a great guy and one of the very, very, VERY few people I’d trust with my little sister, so trust me on this one, okay?”

I nodded and smiled tentatively, “What if I get hurt again? What if he ends up being like S3oud?” I asked.

“He won’t be,” He said with absolute confidence, “but if he does, 7saaba ma3aay.”

“See? That’s the other thing! I don’t wanna come between you guys, what if this doesn’t work out?”

He smiled, “Typical Ghala! And what if, you drop the pessimism for once and take a chance on something that could turn out to be everything you ever wanted?”

I laughed, “I’m still not buying it man, you gotta give me a little more to go on! What has he said about me?” I asked again.

“How ‘bout you come out with us tonight and find out for yourself firsthand what he really thinks about you?” He said with a huge smile.

I should’ve known he had something up his sleeve the whole time. I rolled my eyes, “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, remember Jen from school?” He continued without waiting for confirmation, “She’s throwing a party in honor of, well, herself. We’ve both been invited and maybe you could come? Ghayray jaw at least and you can get to know him better, what do you have to lose?

Oh, nothing, just this fragile little thing beating erratically in my rib cage, but other than that? Nothing. “Alright, I’ll go, but only if I can bring Juuj!”

“Whatever gets you there!” He said, grinning triumphantly.

--- 3 hours later---

“I have no clothes! How come I never have clothes? Do I ever go shopping?!” I asked Ritaj furiously later on that night.

“Religiously, almost as often as breathing actually!” she said teasingly, “You’re making a huge deal out of this, it isn’t that important, really!”

We were in my room, surrounded by a huge pile of clothes that didn’t seem adequate enough for tonight’s party. “What do you mean “isn’t that important”?” I said as I gasped loudly.

“I mean, lighten up! You’ll look gorgeous in whatever you finally decide on and as long as you’re there, I really don’t think he’ll mind!” She assured me, “What about this?” She asked, holding up a short, bright turquoise dress.

“I want to impress the guy, not blind him!” I said skeptically.

She laughed and threw a pillow at me, “Shda3wa! Bil 3aks I think the color would look great with your skin and it’d really bring out your eyes! Plus, it’s short, and we all know how well your legs were received the last time they were on display!” She said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Very funny.” I said dryly, “It’s too tight anyway, I would like the ability to breathe in his presence thank you very much!”

“HA! Breathe, it’tha7keen, you did such a great job at that the time he picked up Joori, I thought you were going to pass out from lack of breath!”

I blushed, “Do you blame me?”

“Not even a tiny bit!” she sighed and we both dissolved into giggles.

“Okay, let’s narrow it down!” I announced, “Jeans or dress?”

“Dress!” she answered with a little too much enthusiasm.

“Tights, no tights?”

“Tights!” she screamed again.

“Purple or-“

“Purple!”

“Juuj!” I exclaimed sternly.

“Sorry I got a little too excited!” She said, unrepentantly, “But you really should wear purple, in fact, you should wear the dress with the poofy skirt thingie!”

“Grey jersey top thing? Plum, dark grey and pink blocks on the skirt?”

She nodded excitedly, “With grey tights and your short purple cardigan thingie!”

“I love you, I think it might work! Heels or flats?”

Her eyes lit up, “CONVERSES!”

“Juju!” I laughed and threw back the pillow she smacked me with earlier at her, “Tone down the excitement? I’m not butchering the outfit with converses, I’m cutting you off, no more red bull!”

“You suck!” she cried out, hugging her almost empty can tightly, “It would’ve looked awesome with green converses, you’re just allergic to color, that’s all!”

“And you apparently eat rainbows for breakfast and color your wardrobe accordingly, that’s all!”

I left everything in the hands of a very hyper Ritaj who ended up choosing purple flats and arranged my hair in curls and waves framing my lightly makeuped face; concealer, mascara and lip gloss. I figured he’d take care of the blush part. I didn’t want it to seem like I put too much effort into my appearance for him, I’ve decided to set the bar low, well, semi-low.

My thoughts proved to be correct an hour later when we arrived at the party. My radar seemed to have instantly found his whereabouts and I was greeted by his extremely appreciative gaze, I blushed wildly under his close scrutiny. He nodded and smiled at me, flashing that dimple and making my heart beat at a frenzied pace. I smiled back tentatively and followed Juju to go say hi to old friends and acquaintances.

Not going to make the chase easier for him. My words echoed in my head. He’ll come find me. And he did, half an hour later when he closed his hands over my eyes and I heard the deep timbre of his voice, “Guess who?”