Contrasting Realities 5

Exactly two days later, I called 5alty um-3abdallah.

“Bashray Hayooo”

“I like your suggestion 5alty”

“3albaraka!”

“Bs 3ndy shar6 wa7ed”

“Tamreen amr 7beebty”

“I won’t do anything gabl la ag3ad m3 3aballah face to face and have a serious conversation about this with him”

“Oo laish tgoleenly ana hal7achy o ma gelteela oho?”

“L2ana oho 7achach entay mo ana 5alty”

She sighed.

“9ar 7beebty”


That night, 3abdallah called me, asking me if we can go out for dinner together. He was to pick me up at 7pm, and we were going to LeNotre. After hours of staring at my closet, trying to dress appropriately for the ‘occasion’, I settled for my black strapless dress from that day.

I knew that was an excellent choice the moment I opened my house’s door and saw the look he gave me. His eyes widened and his smile broadened. He froze.

I walked towards him, till I got to the passenger door of the Khaki CLS that he was leaning against. His eyes were following me all the way, but he still hadn’t moved an inch.

“Shlon? Bnro7 wla hawant? Tra ana yo3ana!” I teased.

He blinked quickly, then looked deep into my eyes. I could feel myself blush.

“Tekfain bas yalmafjoo3a mo tro7een tfashleena hnak oo tathrbeen bl 5ams…adree feech ma t3arfeen weldch 7azzat el2akel” he said, as he opened the door for me.

I got into the seat and started buckling my seatbelt, assuming he’s moving to the driver’s seat. Suddenly, he bent down till his lips were only centimeters apart from my right ear. He whispered.

“You look stunning”

He stopped there for a few moments, breathing into my ear and down the nape of my neck. His breath in my ears tickled me. His breath down my neck left me intoxicated. When he finally moved away, I exhaled deeply. Then I smiled. It was a smile that I first used with my first crush back in 5th grade. It was the smile that proved to me that 3abdallah could be more than just my brother.

During dinner, we sat in the veranda and caught up on the past two years when we haven’t been very close. The more I talked to him, the more I imagined me and him together. I guess his mother was right; all I had to do was give him a chance and think outside the box.


It was nearly 10pm now, and we had had our dinner, our dessert and our coffee. Still, 3abdallah hadn’t managed to utter a single word about the topic we were here for. My back was aching and my legs were in pain, so I suggested we leave.

The moment we stepped out of LeNotre, a chilly breeze swept by us. I stopped, and let the wind blow through my hair and my dress. I let out a little shriek of delight.

“Ambaih! 3abboud eljaw mo 9ij!”

I stood infront of LeNotre and closed my eyes. Almost instantly, I detached myself from the world I lived in. I let the sound fill my ears and I let the flow feel every last piece of my skin. I felt the wind and I breathed the wind and I lived the wind.

“Haya...” he whispered again in my ears.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. His fingers reached to my face as he moved my flying hair out of it. With his palm still on my cheek, he looked deep into my eyes and smiled. I felt my insides turn into mush.

“Lail7een you like to walk?” he whispered again.

“Always” I giggled.

“Shrayech ntmasha shway b hal jaw?” he said, and he held his hand out for me to hold.

Standing there in the wind, looking at his outstretched hand, I couldn’t help but think about how I’ve wasted a year of my life without this perfect guy. The guy I knew inside out. The guy I knew would treat me right and put me before anything else.

I put my palm in his, and he squeezed it tightly, still looking into my eyes and smiling. We walked in silence, enjoying each others company and the beautiful weather. As the time became later, the temperature continued to drop. Suddenly, he stopped.

“Hayoo your hands are freezing!”

I snapped back to the real world and realized that I had lost all sensations in my skin. My strapless dress was not helping at all. I had left my cardigan back in his car, not thinking that the night would end up this way.

“Laa 3ady…I’ll be fine” I smiled.

“Ma7ad fine!”

He took of his jacket and put it on my shoulders. The jacket still smelled like his Polo Black by Ralph Lauren - the jacket still smelled like him. I took a deep breath and let it all in. I looked at him and smiled, but he was looking beyond me.

“Hayooo, entay la7ath-tay e7na wain we9alna?”

I looked around me. We were at Carino’s. We had walked all the way from LeNotre to Carino’s. To say that time flew by would be the understatement of the millennium. I giggled.

“Shaklk kint meshtehy Carino’s o yebtna hnee nakel mara thanya” I winked.

“Zain shbinsawy al7en?”

“Na3oodo mn 7aitho ataiyna?”

“Feech shadda tamsheen 3gb kil hatha?”

“Afaaaaa!”

“3la ra7tich 7beebty…ana ma 3ndy mane3”

The word slipped out of his mouth involuntarily. His facial expression changed suddenly and he lowered his gaze to the floor. Even in the dark, I could see he was blushing.

He looked so cute!

“Ra7at 7beebtk ehya ra7tk”. I waited for him to look up. I needed to look into his eyes. He didn’t though.

"Now yala 3ad tra ma a7eb ogaf wayed…5al namshy!” I started walking again, with his hand still in mine.

But he didn’t move as I started walking away. His grip made me bounce back to where I was standing, and our bodies were now inches apart. We didn’t say a word – with my hand in his, our eyes did all the talking. We stood there for what seemed like an eternity but was more like minutes, if not seconds.

I smiled.

He put his arm around me, and we started walking again. Never did I feel so safe in someone’s arms before. Never did I feel such warmth radiating from someone before. I felt like there was nothing in the world that can bring me down from the clouds I was on top of.

“3abboudy?”

“3yoon oo galb oo roo7 3abboudich”

“Can I ask you something that will possibly ruin this moment?”

“Nothing can ruin this moment 7beebty”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me directly that you were interested in me?”

He answered in a split second. He had obviously prepared for this before we met me. What can I say? I guess he knew me a little too well.

“Because I knew you would say no in the beginning, and would probably think I’m a sick freak and would never ever give me another chance again”

“Fair enough, but what made you think I’ll say yes in the end?”

“You keep forgetting that I know you inside out Haya. Because I knew you’re stubborn. Because I knew you needed to think about it before you dismiss it. Because I knew that once you thought about it logically, you’d realize it actually might work out. But most importantly, because I knew you’re worth the wait”

I felt butterflies in my tummy and I smiled. He kissed my forehead. Then we continued our walk back to LeNotre in silence.


When we arrived to my house, it was nearly 11.30pm. He stopped the engine and spoke.

“Had fun?”

“You have no idea”

Silence.

“So is that a yes, no or maybe?”

“Agoolk wla ared 7g 5alty 5abar?” I teased.

“Yala 3ad Haya…ana mn 9iji ga3d at7acha!”

“That’s a maybe…with very high yes likelihood”

The sparkle in his eyes made me melt. Then, he suddenly put his hand on my belly.

“T’haigan meta ra7 atres hal ba6n 3yal?”

I felt heat radiating from my face.

“When the time is right” I said as I put my hand on his. I left it there for a few moments, then removed it to open my door, but he held on to my other hand. He kissed it.

“Haya, thank you for the most amazing night of my life”

My face grew accustomed to all the redness. I was running out of replies.

“No 3abboudy, thank you”

I squeezed his hand one last time before I let go. Then I walked into my house. My mom was asleep on the couch next to the door and my dad was sitting next to her reading the paper. She woke up to the sound of the door squeaking.

“Hayooo wayed te2a5arty…I was worried sick about you! Kint badeg 3laich oo obooch gal fechy 3anha shwaya”

Dad looked at me, and he just knew.

“It’s a yes, isn’t it?”

“Baba, it’s a tired-and-wanna-sleep!! Mo al7en” I exclaimed.

“Hayooo atleast goleelna sh9ar?” mom said.

Dad cut her off.

“5alas 5alas, 5alha tro7 tnam al7en…b3dain we talk about it”

“T9b7on 3la 5air ya a7la parents bldenya” I said, and kissed them both before I left.

I went to my room upstairs and lay on my bed without changing my clothes, thinking about how magical this day had been. I pinched myself a couple of times just to make sure I wasn’t asleep.


But it was only when my mobile beeped that I truly believed I wasn’t dreaming.


**BEEP BEEP**

From: 3abboud

I am the luckiest man alive. Sweet dreams yaly ma5tha 3agl 3abboud weyach elyom ;**


I replied.

T9b7 3la 5air ya a7la 3abboud bldenya…3abboudy ana broo7y ;**