chapter 46

(listened to with me- by sum 41 on repeat while writing this.you guys will feel more in the moment if you listen too)

-LAYAN-

(one day later)

when faisal dropped me home last night he went off doing what he does best i recieved a text

it was from fahad:"heads up lay, tommorows his bday"

i laughed at that.

i sent him a quick thanks and ordered a bunch of cakes .

so now today when i woke up . i checked faisals room and found him a tangle under his covers sound asleep.

sabi3 nouma ya7laila,

bas even when asleep he looked dangerous. ready to pounce at any intrusion

i recieved the cakes and food and everything then i got out some dvds since , weellll he never really ever has a say in what we watch on fridays, maybe today he could choose, you know since its his birthday.

at 5 pm i closed the living room lights and went to his room.

i got in and found him still asleep.

so i tiptoed next to him on the side of the bed and squeked a "faisal?"

i repeated but in a louder voice,

then i poked his arm

then i lost my temper and sat on the bed and started shaking him

"FAISAL WAKE UP"

he grunted and cracked open a black irised eye and then he closed it , falling back asleep

thats when he did something unexpected

he pulled me into his arms and squezed me as if i was a teddy bear.

as if he forgot this wasnt a dream

then he smelled my hair and sighed.

i realized he was wearing a white shirt and black boxers.

and my body was smushed up against his,

i tried to wriggle out but his grip was like steal and his arms were unbreakably strong.

i gave up and looked up at him but my face was on his neck so the highest i could see was his chin

me:"faisal"

faisal:"hmm?"  he smelled like cinnamon, mint, and a faint smell of aftershave and cigars

he burried his face in my hair

me:"i think theres a roach nest in the living room, i need you to go call the-"

he backed up enough to look at me

faisal:"ill go see for myself" he said tiredly,

i thought hed let me go so i wriggled.

and he did reluctantly.
when i got up he pulled me back down and before i knew it all i could see was his eyes

faisal:"i thought you were scared of cockroaches"

me:"nnot that much" i lied



he gave me one of his tired smiles

he got up tiredly and rubbed his eyes.

he yawned.

faisal:"take me to the cockroaches" he said.

i had to grab hold of his arm from how slow he was gowing and i had to fight with all my strength not to jump up and down with glee and excitement

faisal:"ya baba shwayshway, if we dont catch it well call an exterminator"

this man walked at a slugs pace.

when we got to the living room the lights were out

i asked him to open the lights when he did

he froze, his eyes grew wide.

me:"HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAISALLLL"


he was staring at the huge birthday cake that said happy 18th birthday and the chocolate foundant and cookies and cupcakes, and croissants, and fruit dipped in chocolate, pinkpasta to pesto.


then he turned to me

faisal:"why?" he asked in shock

i was taken aback

me:"cuz its your birthday"

faisal:"you didnt have to do this" he whispered

me:"i wanted to!! you only turn 18 once in your life!! now you can finally drive!!! legally"

all he did was look at me

and we had one of those silent exhanges.

then suddenly i was being swept off my feet and into his arms.

he hugged me, one of those huge bearhugs that warm your heart

when he put me down i rushed over to the cake and pulled him along.

he laughed "shwayshway its not going anywhere"

i laughed

when we got there i got out a single candle.

i placed it in the center and lit it.

i didnt sing

me:"make a wish"

he looked at me:"wishing to a cake is over rated, id rather ask you to get me my wish"

i smiled and nodded.

he gave me a half smile and blew the candle.

faisal:"i wish......" then he smushed a cupcake on my face.

i opened my mouth in shock and let out an angered noise

me:"this is the last time i buy you red velvet cupcake! or any cupcake at all!!"

he laughed

a very new sound to me.

it was a sound that seemed to come from deep inside him, making his whole body shake.

he held his stomach. as he laughed.

faisal:"la la 5ala9 ana asif"

i smushed a chocolate cupcake in his face.

and then he held both my hands and plastered them to the wall behind me

then he said.

:"i wish you would forget me"

i was taken aback

"why?"

faisal smiled a ruefull smile:"because your better off"

me:"why would you say that?! your a good person-"

faisal:"make no mistake, im not. i have never been a good person, and i never will be, i wont try to hide that from you, bad men can do good things and good men can do bad..... which do you think i am? the truth"

me:"your good. you just dont see it"

he shook his head.:"no im not, and i never will be.....lets just- eat the cupcakes"

i took out the dvds and told him he could choose

he eyes me suspiciously

faisal:"you never let me choose"

me:"ya but its your birthday"

he raised and eyebrow and i showed him the dvds he smiled

i picked.

the oc season 4, vampire diaries season 3, or gossip girl season 1

he didnt know what to choose and i didnt want him to choose gossip girl for obvious reasons so i tried to hide it.

but you cant hide things from faisal

even when half asleep hes still sharp and alarm

he picked gossip girl, because he wanted to find out why i was trying to hide it.

personally? my favorite show in the world is gossip girl and my two favorites were chuck and blair.

i loved episode seven and actually cry over how awesome it is to start the EPIC ROMANCE OF CHUCK AND BLAIR.

so i tried to avoid that disk but sadly it was the cleanest one,

so i picked it. we went to his room to watch it cuz for some reason his dvd was better than the one in my room. he got an eye roll for that

he watched my face as he chose which episode to pick

ana kint 3ala a39aby.

when he pressed ok on the sixth episode i let out a breathe

faisal:"i change my mind"

he went and chose episode seven... it was all ok til you get to the last minute plus blair stripping.

when she stripped and chuck got up faisal asked me if he was her boyfriend.

i shook my head

then they got in the limo and my body tensed.

this was my favorite part in history.

it was like sharing a peace of my sould with faisal.

i wasnt ready to show him this.

so i got up as chuck said she was amazing and pressed pause.

i looked at faisal but he was already staring at me

faisal:"why dont you want me to watch this part?i mean there are other parts we saw.." he asked in a calm voice

me:"i know....i just dont like it"

faisal:"why do i think its the opposite?"

i let out a breath.

faisal:"layan, come on why dont you want me to watch it?"

me:"nothing, ill watch it with you ok?"

he looked at me for a moment longer. i was sitting on his armchair as he sat on the bed.

he pulled me next to him on the bed.

then pressed play.

and the song came on

(i dont want this moment to ever end when everythings nothing without you)


chuck told her she was amazing
she kissed him

he asked her if she was sure

and she kissed him in answer.

and then it suddenly turned into one of the old fashioned cameras trying to capture the moment that chuck and blairs romance began

and gave him everything

(i want you to know, with everything i wont let this go, these words are my heart and soul, ill hold on to this moment you know, cuz i bleed my heart out to show and i wont let go)


considering there were other scenes in this episode that were somewhat like this.

this one was the one that got to me

so i just sat there and looked.

and when it was over i looked at faisal to see him staring at me.

faisal:"you want your first time to be like that? in the back of a limo? do you know how uncomfortabke that would be?"

i looked at him blushing.

he got it then his face turned red,

then he picked episode one and we just sat there quietly, no comments or anything.

faisal:"you want your first time to be with someone special, your prince charming, you know what i wish?"

i looked into his black eyes in the dark, and he talked in his tired heavy with sleep voice.

faisal:"i wish you wont ever settle for someone less then you deserve."

i nodded:"will do"

i smiled .

his eyes fluttered shut

as he slept i shut off the dvd player and started to get a cupcake on his desk when i saw something

my signature.

i pulled the paper out

i read the fine print

i 

i
didnt feel my legs could carry me
 i was married

Chapter 45

reem-
>
> I woke up to the sound of my alarm, i got out of bed checked my phone like it was a daily newspaper, went to the bathroom.
>
> I got out, put on my sweats and went downstairs to have breakfast.
>
> " goodmorning" -Fay, she was sitting alone having eggs and chay 7aleeb.
>
> "goodmorning.." I looked confused, I looked around .." illa wain omy o obooy? ilsa3a 10 il3ada ygoomoon abchar"
>
> " They're at the airport by now" -Fay
>
> " o laish ma7ad gally inna ilyom bysafroon?"
>
> Fay:" we did tell you, today is the 20th. Akeed btnsain, its not like we're your first priority anymore"
>
> Shit, I lost track of time. I didn't even say goodbye. Fay gamat tkhoura and i'm starting to get mad.
>
> Me:" Fay shta89ideeen? Akeed my Family comes first, i just forgot .. its not like they're going for long its just for 4 days, mala da3ee negitive energy min il9ib7"
>
> I sat down and focused on my food.
>
> Fay-" Reem ana agoolch shnu a89id, entay al7een bas illy hamich other people, your friends and guys. Ya3ne agi6ha bilwayh? illy hamich al7en Fahad"
>
> me:- " Oooh okkk now you think Fahad is my boyfriend ?? haahaaaa. 9ij th7kteny o entay tadreen ma3ndna halswalif"
>
> She can't just say that about me and its as if she knows whats going on in my life! the last thing i need here is a big sister that is just saying things to my face that are supposed to get me to lose my temper.
>
> Fay-" Ana ma3ndy halswalif i'm just not sure about you"
>
> Me-" la tlfeen o tdoreen, is there something you want to tell me?"
>
> Fay -" I do have proof. i'm not trying to be the bad guy here, i just want this family's reputation to be clean. I saw Fahad's car parked outside of our house and you got inside ni9 ilayl, you cant deny anything i have pictures. I'm not sure who changed you and how.."
>
> I lost my temper and started to yell.
>
> " Fay intay laish neyitich shayna?? laish ma t7snen ilthan fe ikhtch il9ghera?!?! You seriously thought i would ' run away with my boyfriend in the middle of the night' laa o FAHAD Is supposed to be that boy friend? shal kharabee6?!?! YOU watch TOO many movies!! And why the hell would you take pictures?? you're gonna tell who?? mama o baba?? You know they're gonna freak! You dont even know whats going on in my life you're supposed to stay away from me"
>
> Fay -" walllah yimkin telling mama o baba is the only way to get you to think streight! we live in Kuwait you're not in the U,S i dont care who that guy is unless hes your bro or cousin your not supposed to be in his car and go to god knows where with god knows who!!"
>
> I looked herin the eye, and didn't move.
>
> Me :" I have a perfectly good reason why I got with Fahad that day, it was an emergency . its a long story and you will never get it . you know what? khala9 I dont care if you tell them, allah yhdech o yhadena ajma3een, i know i did nothing wrong, I'm not regretting anything"
>
> I quickly got up to my room, closed the door and got emotional.
>
> To think, no, to KNOW one of your family members think your 'one of those girls '
> makes you feel worthless. For a second Fay made me feel like shit, for her point that i'm not supposed to be with him in his car at a time where everyones asleep. But I dont regret it, she would've done the same if she was put in the same situation.
>
> I don't feel bad about it. I know my parents well enough, they will hear my side of the story plus they see me as the responsible mature one. They really trust my decisions. I tried to make myself feel better and started to eat chocolate bars.
>
> I layed in my bed and started to smile, I remember that day very well
>
> -FLASHBACK-
>
> Faisal left..
>
> "Can you believe your friend?" I told Fahad.
>
> " My friend mu hayin kilish sh3abalich?" he winked revealing his flirty side.
>
> " you're winking ? seriously wallah jad?!Are you trying to makeme feel uncomfortable?!"
>
> He laughed, he usually raps his arms around his stomach when he does that.
>
> we started walking to the car.
>
> " I sure did! you were blushingg" Fahad said raising his eyebrows, smiling showing of his dimples.
>
> " la2 i wasnt , you were trying to act like you're chuck bass-Fail-! " I said
>
> Fahad: " Your blushing now!!! "
>
> I did feel so uncomfortable, cause this time i really did blush. I just looked at the ground and avoided eye contact.
>
> Fahad:" Reem bas kint ga3ad a6afrech, was just joking around wallah" he explained.
>
> Me :" great!" I felt relieved, he made me feel like I had power over him when he said that.
>
> We got in the car
> Fahad wore his glasses, fixed his hair and started the engine.
>
> I didn't feel like talking about Faisal, now that I've faced him, I'm ok. All I want now is to go back to sleep after this long night.
>
> Fahad realized how tired I was and tried to lighten up the mood.
>
> Fahad-" 3ad al7een starbucks on me"
>
> Me-" Sure"
>
> Fahad paused and looked at me.
>
> Me-" what? I can't say no to starbucks, I need a drink"
> Fahad-" yalla mekhalif testahlaiin" he joked
>
> Fahad's phone started ringing and he picked up
>
> Fahad-"alo? .. Halla, hallaaa wallah Ahmed! No i'm not around Faisal
> You called to ask me this? ok ok lat3a9ib... theres this place near your favorite chocolate place.. il3fw ma sawaina shay 7beeby, bye"
>
> Me:" i'm guessing thats ahmed? Random. "
>
> Fahad-" ydig 3alay hal 7za m3a9ib ygooly aby mokannfee gaz o banat 7ilween!! Hal walad fa9il!!"
> We both started laughing!
>
> me:" Wallah Ahmed is helarious!"
>
> Fahad:" e wallah, yzef ygool I was in the gameplan I was almost trapped. Zain ana shthanby"
>
> We got to starbucks illy yam baitna, I had my caramel frap. and Fahad got his triple shot,
>
> Me-" thanks alot you never let me down, matga9er!"
>
> Fahad-" 3la shnu? masawait shay, a9lan itifa8na next starbucks on you"
>
> Me -" la matfag8na! oo i meant thanks for waking up and picking me up, bainy o bainik i still cant believe Faisal approached Layan. now that he knows its 7alal, ma asteb3id ysawy aswa2 min just kissing, and that he's only here for a temporary time"
>
Fahad parked outside the house and turned serious:
" latgolen chithy, the guy can control himself. latnsain they live together alone, o ma ijtima3 ithnain illa itha kan ilshe6an bainhum... "

-FLASHBACK OVER-


my phone vibrated, it was an unknown number.

i pickked it up

me:"aloo?"

...:"halla reem, miss me??"

?? it was a guys voice, it was deep but held a note of laughter and humour

me:"um who is this?"

...:"ITS ME!!!!" he said in a loud voice

i sighed

me:"im sorry, but i dont know a me"

...:"you dont even know yourself?? tragic..... well.. IM AHMAD!! remember? the insider on layans kidnap? im the one who got her out? who let faisal in???"

me:"ya!! how r u? "

ahmad:"im awesome, as hot as ever, thank you. u?"

wow did this guy have an ego or what, how did he even get my number... well he is a part of the gameplan

me:"fine thank you, can i help yu with something?? "

ahmed:"i know what your thinking, why is he calling me???"

me:"considering your closer to layan and faisal, can you blame me?"

ahmed:"actually no, but i did try to call them, both of them, but they wouldnt pick up, then i remembered that faisal was at his race, so i thought she might be with you"

me:"no shes not with me... is there something i can do?"

ahmed:"i shouldve guessed they were together from the moment they hugged but i know faisal and hes not the type of guy to talk to girls, hell i dont see him look at anything other than his motorcycle or car. he thinks girls are a waste of time.... but i guess weve got one of those keepers....am i right? am i right?"

i sighed

ahmed:"dude are you ok?"


i was in such a bad mood that i needed to tell anyone

me:"NO, no im not ok! my sister is bitching on and on about me, shes threatening me, and she disrespects me. shes hated me for a long time because i lived up to my parents hopes and dreamsa, and she would never listen to anyone about anything...."

ahmed:"fay? " he said in a faint voice

what? he knows my sister?
me:"how do you know my sister?"

ahmed in a wistful voice:"me and her used to go out.. i taught her how to drive, we used to be so close.... i was her first love"

i was shockeed out of my mind

me:"WHAT? how??? she went out with you?!!"

ahmed:"not many girls can resist my charm and good looks, lets not forget my inteligence and winning personality, my hair flip, my hazel eyes. my white toothed smile-"

me:"i get it! but what happened?"

ahmed:"we met when our shoocl went on a feildtrip 2 years ago, her school and my school happened to go at the same time..... they said she might not be able to go because she had bad grades. well a bad grade in math.... so i volunteered to tutor her-"

me:"wait what???!! you tutoring fay?"

ahmed:"mumkin akamil??? ya, so she got a good grade when she remade her test in the airport, our field trip was to paris.. the city of love.... she and i went everytwhere together, sometimes we left the tour to go get icecream... we would stroll down the shanzileze hand in hand... then when we came back to kuwait she told me to teach her how to drive... we came down everyday for a week, until she got it right... we went to every burger joint in kuwait, every pizza place, every where...i remember when she told me she loved me.....we were at elevation burger bil 7amra skipping school"


i could not believe my ears.

me:"what happened?? how did you break up?"

ahmed:""she told me she didnt want to lie to her oarents anymore... that she needed to set a good example for you... she said she would miss me, but she couldnt be with me anymore..... she asked me to leave, to never call her, to forget she ever existed and to live my life. because - and i hate this quote- you only friggin live once... "

me:"when did you break up?"

ahmed:"she was only ever with me for two years. pretty longterm i know. she broke up with me last year... reem she only wants whats best for you.. she may be mean but its only for your benifit" he sounded miserable

me:"you still love her dont you??"

there was a sharp intake of breath on the other line

ahmed:"i dont.. i dont know"

me:"come over. NOW!! do you know where my house is???"

i know its dark and everything and its night but come on

------------------------


-LAYAN-

when we left, the tracks faisal went to change. he gave me the keyes to his stang and gave me a look.

me:"yalla go change" i smiled. and gestured towards the door

he crossed his arms over his chest

faisal:"ban6irich troo7een ilsayara, when you safely get inside and lock the car aroo7 inshallah"


i was about to object but he gave me a pointed look and bent his head
looking at me from down.
me:"fine ok"

i turned and made my way to the car.. when i got to the car i turned and saw faisal still watching me.

i got into the car. he left.


i decided to do something i never thought id do.

i got into the drivers seat but just as i got the belt on i saw faisal walking towards me..

when he came i honked the car and opened the window. i whistled to faisal.

he shook his head and tried not to smile.

he opened the door and without a word pointed towards the passenger seat.

i got out and walked over but as i walked, faisal bent to tie his shoes and a guy - who looked like he didnt see faisal- whisteled to me

guy:"ya 7ilwa, sh3indich hnee bil tracks?tabeen tistansain ta3alay ma3ay-"

faisal shot up and looked at him.

the guy saw faisal,

faisal:"lo feek 5air 3eed illy tawik gilta. LAYAN DISHAY ILSAYARA "

i got in

the guy freaked out.

faisal walked over to him and punched him

guy:"ana asif-"

he punched him again

faisal:"zain bas ma kasart throosik, in ashoof waihik hnee marathanya, matloom illa nafsik"

he got into the car quietly

me:"mishtahya starbucks"

faisal let out a breath

faisal:"me too"

we were on our way to starbucks in si;ence


when we got there.

we made our orders.

faisal got out his wallet. but i slipped the guy the money

faisal looked shocked.

faisal:"layan-"

me:"you need chearing up, plus you gave me your trophy the least i could do is get you a drink"

faisal:"la2 ana ilrayal-"

me:"WHATS that supposed to mean that women are sheep??"

faisal:"la mo 3an-"

me:"3ayal 5ala9"

he smiled.

and put his hand in mine, i felt money.

i looked and it was a ten

me:"faisal its not even 4 kd. " i tried to put it in his pocket but he blocked them and then i realized he was wearing jeans so her had a back pocket and without thinking i put my hand in his back pocket.

faisal looked shocked out of his mind and as soon as i slipped the money in i realized he was giving me a wolf smile

faisal:"layan you do realize you just touched my butt right?"

layan:"LETS never talk about this again.....like it never happened"

he was quietly smiling but as we got the drink he said

faisal:"im never going to shut up about this you know.... if you wanted to touch my butt you couldve asked."

my face turned red and he roared a laugh.

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER HEARD FAISAL LAUGH

chapter 44

(listen to mr hudson and the library white lies)












-LAYAN-

i fell asleep and woke up the other day to a knock on my door,

it started out as a knock and a whispered "layan?"

but then the door started knocking louder

i guess i was soooo out of it that i didnt wake up.

i mean could you blame me, i was kidnapped yesterday.

thats when my door opened sligtly.

and i heard footsteps.

my eyes were half closed. i had a habit of sleeping with half open half closed eyes.

but this time i wasnt sleeping.

i saw faisal walk in and look at me with worried eyes.

his footsteps were light its as if he wasnt even there.

he lay a hand on my forehead checking for a fever.

then he pulled up a chair and sat next to me.

he took something out annd surprisingly it was a book. he just sat there and started reading.

i was amazed at how patient he was.

he looked so at peace reading his book.

thats when he looked at me and i realized i was staring. eyes wide open

he shut his book. and gave me one of his charming white toothed smiles

faisal:"good morning sleeping beauty, i almost thought youd never wake up"

i smiled tiredly

me:"you cant blame me can you" i said it and meant it as a joke

but his smile vanished

faisal:"no but you can blame me, if it werent for me-"

i put my hand up

(it was awkward since i was laying down, so it was sideways)

me:"i dont blame you, and you shouldnt bllame yourself. please. "

he nodded.

then stood up.

faisal:"i was waiting for you to wake up...... cuz i wanted to tell you that im having a race tonight.. "

he looked at me expectantly

me:"o thats awesome!! ive never seen you race before" i sat up.

faisal:"ya its my first race this season"

he stood there and waited as if i was supposed to say something

i just looked at him

he sighed

faisal:"for gods sake layan, dont make me have to ask you"

my eyebrows shot up

me:"you want me to come?"

faisal:"do YOU want to come?" he asked and emphasized the you.

me:"only if you want me to"

he sighed again.

faisal:"its hard enough that.... layan.. forget about what i want. i want to know what you want" he looked at me in exasperation

me:"but i dont know how this goes!! i wont go unless you want me to" i said in exasperation.

he hysterically brushed a hand through his hair

faisal:"LAYAN!!! I WANT YOU TO COME TO MY RACE, I REAALY WANT YOU TO COME. NOW, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME?"

he yelled in exasperation

i jumped up and stood straight

me:"YA IWANT TO GO! NOW WAS THAT SO HARD?? "

I yelled back at him

we were both staring at eachother hysterically.and we were breathing hard

faisal:"god layan your impossible" he said.

but then he smiled

faisal:"6ala3tay roo7y. why couldnt you save me the trouble of asking?!"

me:"min9ijik? its your first race this season,its supoosed to be special, imnot just gonna force you to take me with you, witha ma kint tabeeny aroo7-"

faisal:"la yuba abeech tyeen, now since we got through that.. layan please never put me through that ever again " he said.

i smiled.

he shook his head and tried to fight back a smile.

half an hour later

faisal and i were on our way to the race.

in the car we listened to one of my favorite songs.

white lies, by mr hudson and the library.

(Lying, I still cant find the truth.
So I spin another line on you
You cant blame a fella for trying
Im hoping, you eat my every word)


i sang along, the corners of faisals lips were strained, and his lips formed a line.

he gripped the stearing wheel harder

(But deep inside Im dying
Oh! I wanna word with you
If theres never a perfect time
Its time for another white lie
White lies, just another white lie
I did it to get close to you
And I will tell a million more)

suddenly faisal turned off the radio

me:"but its not fin-"

faisal cut me off without looking at me

i checked to look at him and was shocked by how like the old him he looked

his eyes were slitted like a snakes, and his hair hung low just enough to cover his eye from me.

his jaw was strained and i could see a vein showing from his neck

faisal:"layan how do you feel about lying" he asked in a gruff voice

like the old faisal

me:"why are you-"

faisal:"just answer the question" then he thought and added a please

me:"lying is unfrogivable"

faisal took in a sharp breathe

faisal:"how about white lies"

i gave a laugh,

me:"oh, now i know what brought this on! the song." i laughed but the i saw faisals grave silent expression

i sighed

me:"white lies, is just something a liar would say to make himself feel better"

faisal:"what if he didnt have a CHOICE" our voices rose

me:"there are NO excuses to lying"

faisal:"what if it was to help someone"

me:"lying has a price"

faisal almost whispered:"whats your price"


i dindt like where this conversation was going.

faisal was taking this too seriously
me:"can we please change the subject lets talk about something fun, like whos against you in the race, or where im supposed to cheer you on-"


faisal finally looked at me for the first time in what felt like a year

his eyes peirced my soul

faisal:"layan, whats your price"

me:"me, the price is losing me" i said.

faisal:"even if it was to help-"

me:"theres no relationship without trust"

faisal:"yes but everyone has secrets"

me:"secrets and lying are the same. there an insult. IT MEANS you dont trust the person your so close to enough to tell them. sharing secrets gets you closer to someone, it means you trust somone, and lying is a slap in the face. NO its a stab in the hearT."

faisal:"YOU WOULD RATHER GET STABBED???" he laughed in disbelief. "ARENT YOU OVER REACTING A LITTLE LAYAN?!"

me:"ONLY COWARDS LIE. ATLEAST STABBING ME IN THE BACK MEANS THAT HE HAS THE GUTS TO DO IT."

faisal:"YOUR FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE" he slapped the stearing wheel

me:"where is all this coming from!!!!!! is there something you want to tell me faisal?!!"

faisal looked at me again:"EVERYONE in your life, has atleast lied to you once, are you telling me, youll erase all of them from your life? you would forget them all just like that?"

i looked at him hard in the eye and we had a staring competition

me:"have you ever lied to me faisal?""

we arrived and entered a garage, i guess the race was being held someplace other than faisals usual crossing

it was dark except for a few lights.

faisal turned off his car

i repeated my question:"faisal-"

he put a finger under my chin and bent towards me.

he looked me in the eye. with evil emotionless black pits

he kissed me then

he held my face betweenn both his hands and kissed me.

despite how he talked and how he looked.

the kiss was sweet and fragile. he held my face as if i was going to break

then as he pulled back first and ended our kiss he looked me in the eye and said

faisal:"more than you can imagine"

when the words came out i didnt understand.

til i remembered that he was answering my question and i felt cold all over.

i was shocked

shocked to say the least

you know that moment when your heart stops and you cant breathe?

and as soon as he saw realization dawn on my face he got out of the car and walked away waiting for me to join.

we walked to the tracks in silence his hand slipped through mine.

but i was too numb to even remember when it even happened.

it was filled with people.

and i saw guys in colored jumpsuits zipped to the top with matching bikes. they were behind the railing to which faisal led me.

they all came out from a garagelike building from behind.

they all looked at faisal and waved.

he whispered something in my ear.

i think he was excusing himself to change but i was too busy thinking

was all of this a lie?

when faisal came out he emerged from behind the lines

with them

and he was breathetaking,, in his royal jumpsuit. and his motorcycle.

when he came out he said hi to all his friends and they gave him a warm welcome.

then his eyes found me.

his eyes fell into mine.

he smiled and waved.

then he winked

thats when everyone put on there helmets and climbed the dirt bikes

when everyone was on the engines revved.

and i heard a gunshot above

thats when they rode.

they swerved and bumped eachother some of them - all of them- tried to cheat by attempting someone to fall or slow down.

faisal ofcourse was always in the top two, i forgot my surprise in that moment.

i forgot everything, and when he passed me i couldnt help but shout :"WOOOOHOOOOOO FAAAAAIIIIIISSSSSSSAAAAAAALLLL"

i didnt think he would hear me but he did and turned his head towards me a little.

when he reached his last lap, he was neck in neck with an orange jumpsuit.

the orange jumpsuit bumped faisal.

faisal ofcourse took that as an opertunity to bump him right back.

faisal won.

when he did everyone screamed even me.

but i didnt know whether i should go look for him or not but i saw everyone running towards the end looking for him.

i could only see his bike.

i decided to wait here

no one was here actually i think everyone was looking for faisal

thats when i felt strong arms wrap around me from behind and i peaked back to see faisal above me.

i smiled but it wavered with uncertainty.

me:"congrats you were great"

faisal looked into my eyes searchingly and sighed

faisal looked at me:"lets make a deal..... after today i wont lie to you... as long as you forgive me if you find out about any lies ive kept before"




i didnt know what to do but he looked at me with those slitted eyes and i remembered one of the rare wise things my mom once told me
(love is about sacrifce)

i looked at faisal and we both stopped walking

i nodded

he looked at me with disbelief and surprise as if he never thought id agree.

then he held both my hand bent down and kissed me again.

a fast butterfly kiss. he gave me a trophy. a beautiful large trophy.

faisal:"i want you to keep it." he smiled

what?!

me:"i cant possibly take this, its your first race and you won-"

faisal smiled:""there will be plenty other races to win and plenty of trophies i keep but i want you to take it"

i nodded...

but as we walked hand in hand fingers intertwined.

i couldnt help but ask "what kind of lies?"

he smiled

"White lies...."

chapter 43

(long chapter for you guys, 3asakum min il3awada, and happy ramadan to you all!!!)

-REEM-

I woke up to a phone call from Layan, ilsa3a al7een 3 AM.

Layan: “ REEM WAKE UP “

Me : “ You think I didn’t ya3ne? “

Layan: “ You won’t believe what happened.. ”

Me: “Layaan you’re stuttering and your voice is high.. What happened? You finally lost your virginity?” I said sarcastically.

Layan paused.

Me:”alooo?”

Layan:” Noo. But…… uuuuhhm. What happened, actually, was…But don’t get mad and don’t yell..”

Me : “ Layan. sh9ayer?”

I know now there’s something serious. You know that moment when your heart beats fast when someone wants to tell you something and ask you not to freak? Makes me freak before I know what’s going on.

Layan: “Reem! Faisal kissed me, like a real kiss…”

I got so angry, my eyes twitched, and I felt like I want to punch him in the face RIGHT now. Wainik ya Faisal a3almik shloone tgarb 9ob Layan!!

Me :” What THE F&#@?!!!!!!!! LAYAN!!”

How did Faisal just decide to go with the flow and kiss her? We all know he’s going to leave her. Who does he think he is? I warned him. I told him to back off.

I don’t know why but suddenly my eyes started to tear, not from sadness, but from the anger that I held. My eyes looked like they are about to pop out.

I hate Faisal now for many reasons. Now? I really hate him for making this hard for me to tell Layan that I warned him to backoff.

Layan: “ Reem !! I know your mad and confused at the same time and I know what I’m asking you now is kind of hard but please TRY NOT to judge this until I tell you what happened exactly! “

So, Layan explained to me what exactly happened with the devil and I know how she’s taking this seriously and how much this is a big deal so I tried controlling my temper and actually listened to what exactly happened.

Layan: “… & that was it. Reem I don’t know if I’m supposed to be happy or mad. The kiss was fairytale-like, perfect! I didn’t expect this coming, he surprised me.”

Layan, you trust him and you don’t even know he’s capable of many things, you’re married to him now for petes sake and YOU –the wife- don’t even know it.

Layan:” So I don’t know is this ok? I mean, he made the move its not like I intended on doing anything like that.. “

Well, Layan, he is your husband. You guys aretechnically married, it’s not 7aram, but still……

Shlone bafahim Layan inna it wasn’t disrespectful, and he wasn’t just playing since it’s 7alal.

Me:“ It’s not your fault. All you did was absolutely –nothing-. La tloumeny itha giltlch I hate Faisal. I’ll talk with you tomorrow I’ll see you @ lunch, bye.”

Just needed any excuse to close my phone and start going to my bed and scream at my pillow.

Faisal. Where could he be, I don’t care if its 3 AM , I bet he left the house as soon as he kissed Layan. Where else to find Faisal then at motorcross? J

To motorcross.

I quickly wore sweats and a T-shirt; I brushed my teeth, briefly brushed my hair, and picked up my phone.

Wait, wait, I can’t wake my driver up. He’ll tell my parents on me. I can’t ask Fay, cause well, it’s Fay!

So I called Fahad.

Fahad:“ Aloo? Halla Reem? Fee shay? Feech shay?”

Me:“ Halla Fahad, I’m so sorry I woke you up ! Wallah mu qa9dee … But I kind of need you right now, come pick me up ! it has to do with Faisal”

Fahad:“ Ana al7een yaylech, nizlay ba3ad 5 minutes tlgainy 3nd babkom”

Fahad finally arrived, after waiting for exactly 6 minutes.

I got in the car. The car smelled amazing, it was really neat and I like how he takes good care of it. Fahad was waiting for me to close the door and he looked great for someone who just got out of bed, flawless *mashalah*.

Me : “ilsalaam 3laikom,”

Fahad started to drive.. :” wa3alaykom ilsalam Reem, shlonech? Shlone nomtch? Momkeen a3arf sh9ayer oo wayn bnrooo7?”

Fahad was curious, I would say freaking inside since he has no idea whats going on, but he acted calm. When you’re with Fahad you feel safe, you don’t worry anymore about anything, all you have to do is trust him and tell him what’s keeping you worried. He’s the strong one that can make a disaster look like something he can handle, or at least that’s the impression I got from him, especially the way he acts calm, it makes you believe that.

For a second my mind was of off how much I am angry about what Faisal did to Layan, its because I felt like Fahad was the perfect guy I wanted to see and talk to about all of this.

Me: “Motorcross. I want to talk to Faisal. “

Fahad made a turn and started driving the other way;

Fahad: “ W shdarach inna Faisal yroo7 motorcross hal 7aza?”

Me: “ I know he’s awake, Fahad I can’t trust Faisal I know he’s your friend, and he’s a great friend to YOU. Shno yathmin inna he’s not a .. well..”

I was going to say psycho path .. But no, I couldn’t. Fahad is someone I really respect I can’t say that about his friend that cares SO MUCH about him. Plus, Fahad already told me how much Faisal mattered to him, he risked his life, so I can’t say anything.

Me : “ What I’m trying to say is that, mithil ma Faisal ykhaf 3alaik o enta tkhaf 3alaih? Ana akhaf 3ala layan. Fahad, he made me hide something huge about my best friend that I can’t tell her. I told him to back off, you know what he did? 9adag 3omra, played the role of Chris Hemsworth in the movie ‘ Snow White and The Hunstsman ‘ and kissed her.”

Fahad: “ He kissed her? Faisal? The same Faisal we know? Kissed her?”

I took a deep breath. I am still not accepting the fact one bit.

Fahad : “Reem, I know your mad. Oo halshay yathbit inch intay 5osh wa7da, o tihtamain b layan. Al7een bnrou7 inkalim Faisal, tell him whatever you want! Laa mu bas chithy, I’ll be on your side if you want ba3ad! What he did was wrong. But don’t forget its 7alal. If Faisal wanted to play with Layan and religion he would kiss her as a stranger. Reem, they’re technically married”

Me:” Ok bas Layan does not know that, doesn’t anyone care about her feelings? How she doesn’t have a say in any of this? Wallah 9ij!”

Fahad laughed,

Fahad: “Your right, your right, ka garabna no9al , we’ll tell Faisal about this”

I felt like I just poured my heart out and a weight has been lifted off my chest. Now that Fahad agrees with me, and I’m on my way to see Faisal.

- AT MOTORCROSS -

We got out of the car, and started to walk inside, the place was huge and scary. It’s dark outside and I’m alone with Fahad.

Fahad walked infront of me since he knows exactly where he’s going, I followed.

As we walked closer and closer, and away from the car (where its safe) I started to freak. I constantly was looking left to right, right to left, and walk quickly so I could get close to Fahad.

I suddenly hear barking.

A big scary bulky german dog was chasing me !

MYYY GOOODDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!! I yelled and grabbed Fahad’s arms.

Fahad turned and ordered the dog to stop : “ Chuck ! Sit!”

I didn’t let go of him I’m too afraid something else starts coming in my way.

Me : “Chuck?”

Fahad:” waiih Reem, lail7een khayfa? Hatha Chuck our puppy”

Me : “ Hatha puppy? A6wal minik”

Fahad: “ I come here all the time for Faisal, he used to freak me out too, but the guards taught me how to deal with him. He’s supposed to guard this place instead of the lazy night shifts who are sleeping at the moment.”

We walked in, and saw Faisal covered in dirt, playing with engines or whatever he’s doing that guys do here.

Fahad: “ F9aaaaail!” Fahad yelled. Faisal was at the end of the garage, he had a huge corner and wall all tto himself, he was currently fixing a dirty blue motorcycle, he was covered in greese, oil, and dirt. He was wearing the motorcross blue jumpsuit that seemed to match the bike, and a white tshirt that is now covered in Greece, oil, and dirt.

Faisal stopped what he was doing and his eyes followed the sound, Faisal looked at us with a surprised expression of shock and confusion

We went up to Faisal and cornered him. He put his towel on his shoulder

Faisal: “fhaid,reem what brings you to the garage” He said that looking at Fahad, squinting his eyes ,na8za: laish inta wya REEM IHNY o matgooly?

Me:” I called Fahad and asked him to bring me here”

Faisal : “Great. & How do you know I’m here? I don’t remember making a foursquare account”

I ignored the jab

Me: “ We know you kissed Layan.” I told him giving him a I-will-kill-you- look.

Faisal: “You’re here to discuss something with me about Layan, shda5al Fahad?”

Me: “doesn’t matter… nisait? We had a deal you would back off, you promised you would stay away, now explain to me, how exactly does kissing her have anything to do with pushing her away”

He looked at me with cold eyes.

Faisal:”I don’t have to explain anything to you” he said but then he looked at the ground and turned to his bike, he took the towel off his shoulder then asked in a quiet voice

Faisal:”what did she tell you?” he asked .

Fahad looked as shocked as I did.

Fahad:”fa9ool is there a reason why you kissed her?”

Faisal slapped the towel to his shoulder and swiveled to us.

Faisal:”its not like its 7aram, im her husband.. if she doesn’t want me to kiss her than that’s between me and HER. It has nothing to do with the both of you.”

Me:”im her best friend, of course it has to do with me”

Faisal:”no it doesn’t, reem, it doesn’t. ”

I blew up

Me:”YES IT DOES, I KNOW YOUR GOING TO LEAVE HER IN A YEAR, SHE DOESN’T.. how do you think shes going to feel in a year”

Faisals face paled

And fahad did something unexpected

Fahad:”faisal, you don’t have to go with me-”

Faisal shook his head :”what are you saying, im not letting you-”

Fahad:”no im not letting YOU, give up something you care about for me”

Faisal:”and how would you guys know, how I felt, I thought you (he looked at me) said I didn’t have feelings. I don’t get attached”

Fahad:”maybe she doesn’t know you but I do, and I know you never NEVER cared so much about a girl that you kissed her.and you wouldn’t have went after her if theyd have stolen her And don’t give me that bullshit about taking care of her because of her dad”

Faisal:”I would have saved anyone if they were taken because of me-”

Fahad.:”you can go on and deny deny deny, but I was there when you finally got her back. I saw that look on your face when you held her in your arms. YOU cant give her up just for the sake of leaving Kuwait with me”

Faisal stood there shocked.

Fahad said one more thing:”I have nothing more to say about this, reem ill be in the car”

And with that he left.

Faisal just looked at me :”r u happy? You’ve finally got your point across, now im the bad guy”

me:”im VERY HAPPY, but do you know what will make me happier?? If you told her the truth”

Faisal:”I cant do that now can i”

Me:”in seven or eight months you can”

We stared eachother down

Me:”I don’t know what your doing, or if your in your right mind, but youll never be prince charming, youll never be the one for her”

Faisal made a sound like a growl:”im no prince charming, I know im not, she knows im not…and im not trying to me”

Me:”well it sure seems like it”

Faisal:”im being myself”

Me:”no your not, your full of lies and secrets and no I don’t think you have feelings”

Faisal:”white lies” he put his towel down on the bike and made his way somewhere I started to follow him

Me:”would you like to test the theory”

And before I knew it he rounded on me and I banged against his chest. It was as hard as stone

He bent down over me and loomed his eyes turned to slits

Faisal:”listen I f I go down, im taking you with me”

I scowled

Me:”you know what faisal? She will forgive me eventually, if not now then next week. But you? No way, you wont stand a chance”

Faisal looked like hed blow up and walked away.

-LAYAN-

The phone rang next to me as I was watching two weeks notice, with hugh grant and Sandra bullock.

Even though its in the a.ms I still refuse to pass Friday without the Friday night movie, even if it meant watching it alone. Its 5 am

I also Couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking about faisal

I looked at the phone and it was him

Me:”hi”

Faisal:”layan.”He said breathelessly

Me:”ya?” his voice still took my breath away

Faisal:”why are you awake?”

Me:”I couldn’t sleep” I said, I didn’t know whether to be mad or happy… I just settled for awkard.

Faisal:”listen, im sorry, I shouldn’t have done what I did. i was stupid and I acted on impulse. You didn’t even know I was going to until I carried you off the ground. Im sorry for that”

Silence

Me:”you know how I feel about you, why are you apoligizing”

Faisal nervously:”because I never asked ”

Me:”well thank you for apologizing for the kiss but-”

Faisal:”oh no im not sorry for the kiss, im not sorry at all, im apologizing because I never asked you for permission. I don’t regret kissing you. And if I could go back in time id do it again”

I just took the phone away from my ear and stared at it.

Faisal:”I have to go though, but I had to get it out of my system”

And with that he shut the phone

chapter 42

-LAYAN-

when we said our goodbyes to ahmed we hit th road

it was already dark outside '9 pm

i could tell it was gonna be a long car ride home because we were in the middle of nowhere


in the car ride faisal drove and fahad sat next to him.

they were both quiet as reem started crying and fussing over my injury

reem:"fee dam ga3d yanzil min 5ashmich, and and why are you holding-"

i gave her the ill tell you later please not infront of faisal look.

she stared at my tummy.

but reem was not sensible at the moment and started freaking out.


reem:"THEY ACTUALLY HIT YOU?!!!!"

faisal pressed break.

fahad:"shit man, were in the middle of the road, swerve"

faisal shot him a look.

but obeyed

when he swerved to the sand he turned to me. he saw my hand before i moved it from my stomach

faisal:"raf3ay your shirt layan"

reem gawked at him

he sighed

faisal:"fine well take you to the hospital then"

we fought over this

but he won in the end, cuz

1. he was faisal

2. he was right

3. he was driving


----

we got to the hospital and i went in the room, the nurse said only family members aloud in the check up room

faisal looked at the ground and reem crossed her arms.

the nurse went to the system to check if any of them had any blood relations with me or stuff

faisal raised his hand, before the nurse said anything

faisal:"fahad will go in because i know well never get anywhere if reem and i get in"

fahad looked surprised but the doctor didnt say a word.

fahad and i went in to the room and the doctor examined me.

i really didnt want to take off anything but the doctor made me pull up my shirt, it was just bruised but i felt dissy.

i looked at fahad who looked worriedly at my bruise and i gave him a tiny smile, that made the blood come down

the doctor asked me to lay down and went outside to call the others in.

doctor:"shes lost alot of blood from her frequent nose bleed. were going to patch it up, but we need a transfusion, from a family memeber"

he looked at me and asked me if any of them were a part of my bloodline.

i shook my head.

faisal twiched.

he told the doctor that he wanted to talk to him and left

fahad and reem were going to go get some food for me and stuff. so they left.

my nose was still bleeding.

i fell asleep.

when i woke up everyone was there.

and they told me i was reasy to go.

my nose stopped bleeding and all.

faisal told me that the doctor kan im5arif and that the blood they needed didnt need to be from family.

we got in the car and went home.

we took fahad home first

then we dropped reem off

reem gave me a huge hug and asked me to talk to her for a second.

faisal just stayed in the car.

reem:"layan, please dont trust faisal.. hes a horrible person"

my eyes opened wide.

me:"reem, how could you say that after everything he did for us today?"

reem:"your right... im sorry"

me:"just give him a chance please.."

she gave me a weak smile and a hug.

i went back into the car and i stayed in front this time

he could sense my sudden change in mood
faisal:"layan? "

me:"its nothing , its ok"

faisal:"i dont know whats going on with you two , but layan, reem will always be there for you, shes a good friend"

if only he knew what she said.

i gave him a small smile.

thanks.

he took his hand off the gear shift and withought looking he slipped it inn my hand.

SHOCK

I stared at our hands together, he glanced at me

faisal:"if you want me to let go then its -"

he started taking his hand away bas i cut in

me:"no its ok"

i held on tighter.

he glanced at me and gave me a small smile

but he still took his hand away anyways,

i sighed.

way to go layan.

------------

when we got home.

i went staright to my room when i remembered it was friday!!!!

i changed into my sweat and went into the living room.

he forgot too

i went to his room and knocked the door

no reply

i knocked harder

i banged on the door
.

here goes.

i opened the door slowly to find no one

bas now i knew where he was at least from the sound of the shower.

i started to make my way out of his room when the sound suddenly stopped and he opened the door.

i turned to look at him

faisal:"layan are you ok?"

NO I WAS MOST DEFINITELY NOT OK

he was dripping wet and he was only wearing a towel to cover his lower half.

he looked at me worriedly and i just stood there like some maniac struck by thunder

me:".i uhh." i just turned and rushed out of the room.

my face was bright bright red.


when i was out of his room i made a run for the kitchen.

i went in and started giggling.

i was mortified.

this was so embaresing.
i stopped giggling when i realised how much of a fool i made myself infront of him.

he probably thinks im a psycho.

i took out a chocolate bar and water and went alll the way back to my room.

negative side? my room is the farthest from the kitchen, and i would have to pass both the living room, go up the staris and pass faisals room in order to get there.

sadly i didnt even make it to the stairs.

as i reached the stairs i saw him above me.

at the last step.

he looked worried.

ya, cuz i just acted like a psycho

this was pathetic, it was a painful moment.

faisal:"layan, are you ok? "

i nodded :"ya ofcourse why wouldnt i be?"

faisal crossed his arms looking at me curiously

faisal:"then why did you run away from me upstairs?" he said trying to not smile.

my face went red

me:"um........ i have to get the chocolate"

i started to back away but he started to decend the stairs slowly.

and his smile started to show. he kept coming closer

faisal:"its in your hands"

i looked at it.

me:"i meant-"

faisal:"the truth" he was now standing in front of me with his white shirt and a and f sweats

me:"you know what? when a girl runs away, its for a reason! maybe i dont want to tell you, maybe its embaressing, youll just think its funny and-"

faisal:"i wont laugh, id never laugh at you when your trying to tell me something that matters to you"

he still looked worried but a little hurt

me:"fine, you caught me off gaurd, i was coming in to call you for the movie, and truthfully i expected to see you with clothes on," he smiled :"and when i saw you.. i was surprised,i dont like to see people shirtless"

faisals smile was huge

faisal:"why not?"

me:"because you... dont you see yourself?!!"

faisal:"see what?" he literally didnt even know

me:"YOU HAVE A FRIGGIN SIXPACK FOR GODS SAKE AND YOU DONT EVEN KNOW????? its like your selfconcious about nothing. "

his smile fell
and he looked far away

faisal:"ya well your too busy seing the positive stuff instead of seing the negative, for instance did you ever notice this?"

he started taking off his shirt

i cleared my throat,

he turned around,

and i saw a scar from his right shoulder runny across,

it was long. it ran midway.

he turned his head sideways. i didnt dare touch it. it didint look deep, because it was healed.

it was wide from the begining and started getting thinner by the time it faded at his mid back

he didnt look at me.

he turned around and put his shirt back on

faisal:"i got this when i was in america, i was in a fight, "

he looked at me

me:"well its not something to be ashamed of"

faisal:"but its an ugly scar, and i deserved it"

me:"no, its beautiful, you wouldnt be faisal without a few battle scars here and there"

he smiled.

faisal:"you should go to sleep"

me:"ya i should."

i started going up the stairs and reached his door.



i started walking

when i heard a "LAYAN"

i turned and saw faisal rushing back

he started rushing towards me

faisal:"i know your going to hate me for this someday, so all i ask is that you forgive me"

me:"for what?"

he stopped infront of me in the shadows,

he emerged from the shadows and bent down to eye level.

faisals eyes were all i could see.

just deep black emotion

faisal:"for this"

he picked me up

and he kissed me

and just as abrupt and quick as it began it ended

and he was out of sight. as if i imagined it

i just stood there

i put my fingers to my lips

and asked myself if it was real