67

fahad:



" i quit" i said on the phone.

the line was eerily quiet and ahmed was staring at me in silent horror from across the room.

he started jumping up and down. " what the hell are you doing?" he mouthed frantically.

we were in our hotel room in new york and ahmed wasn't on board with my decision.

but then the voice on the line replied.

" na3am?" he asked with a quiet voice that didn't faze me the least.

i knew my father would be mad. just how mad? i didn't know. but it was time. it was time i grew out of this. and i hadn't talked to him since i found out about my siblings.

" sima3tny. I'm done being bribed by you. I'm done with your lies.... and I'm done being your son" i said quietly.

ahmet was at the point of pulling his own hair. he took out his own phone and ran to the bathroom. i knew he'd be calling faisal though. those two were as thick as thieves, and after all they were cousins.

i inwardly rolled my eyes. if faisal were here he would've flipped out even though he himself wasn't on the best terms with his own father.

i heard a laugh on the line.

" you can't quit being my son fhaiid. now what is this all about? why the sudden call o int mo m7acheeny min ilmostashfa?" he asked in his lazy yet angry voice.

" yimkin la2anik chathabt 3alaina o 5ashait 5wany minny?" i asked and i gave him a hysteric laugh of my own.

he wasn't amused.

" ma chathabt.--" he started to say but i cut him off.

" int ma kint wathi7 ma3ay ma3ana i did everything you told me to. every time you ask me or faisal to jump we say how high. every time you be a jerk to me i stay quiet. bas hal 7araka illy int sawaitha? this was the last straw for me yuba. 5ala9 la3at chaby-" i said but i heard him give a warning sound. as if i was going to go too far with what i was about to say.

" isma3ny fahad, sid iltelephone o ihda gabil ma thnaynatna ingool shay.... dont defy me fahad. i have done everything in my power to make you happy" he said.

i sat down on my big white king sized bed and pinched the bridge of my nose. i scrunched my eyes shut.

" your just like layan...." he said " so.... what do you think about her?" he asked and my eyes flew open.

" she's amazing." i said quietly.

he grunted in agreement.

" and neither of you will ever forgive me." he said quietly.

" shda3wa never" i mutter.

" maybe you will, but will either of you ever see me the same?" he asked

and it struck me. the realisation that my dad could feel guilt. that he thought we would hate him. resent him even, for what he had done. i sighed.

this isn't what i had wanted. i didn't want us all to be separated and hate each other like this.

" I'm sorry too." i said.

" its ok." he replied.
and just like that we had become just a little bit closer than we had ever been.

and after a few minutes of talking about our daily lives me and my dad had closed the phone. with laughter in the air and smiles on both our faces.

66

layan:

after video chatting with reem, and the fam, faisal and i went to the airport. right after  faisal went out to talk on the phone with his grandmother and pay the hotel bill while i packed we headed out.

i sat quietly next to faisal.. tucked under his arm in the backseat of a cab.

he was on the phone with a7med.

faisal: " - ee fa i7na il7een ray7een southampton inshallah. layan o ana. gooola" he said and worry creased his eyebrows. he was referring to fahad....

faisal knew a7med was still with fahad. he knew exactly where they were at all times. faisal never stopped worrying about fahad. something that stuck with him since childhood. they fell into step with each other and had a deep bond that was deeply embedded in both of them.  i dozed off a bit as i imagined how baby faisal and my brother looked like as kids. i smiled to myself. at least he had faisal, and faisal is more than ill ever be.

when faisal shut the phone a few minutes later he tightened his arm around my shoulder.

faisal: " sweet dreams?" he whispered. his voice a roughly scratchy yet as sweet as a silk caress against my hair.

i smiled into his jacket.

me:" only when your in them" i say and he laughs softly.

he let me doze off a bit more and promised to wake me up when we got to the airport.

when we did get there we got on our plane. i had a feeling that this was the beginning of something.

something beautiful. inshallah.


what? A girl can hope can't she?







---








faisal woke me up when we landed in the UK my first thought was wow. were really here. a million miles away from fahad.

i sighed and decided not to think about that too much and to focus on something a little more positive. the bright side. fahad was the bright side one in this friendship . and faisal was the hero.

there was no reason i couldn't  be both, right? i missed reem terribly. she's  my best friend. my lifeline when I'm in danger. alhamdulillah. whats life without friends... i had to get faisals best friend back.

i shook my head and my thoughts away and focused on helping faisal with the luggage.

as usual faisal wouldn't let me touch a thing.

me: " ok just that one little bag" i said exasperated after ten minuets of arguing.

he gave me one of his death stares. he was about five seconds from popping a vein.

i could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears and i tried not to snicker at that image.

faisal: " that ' little bag' a6wal minnich" he said before throwing it on the trolley and moving past me.

i couldn't help the laugh that formed.

me: " your so stubborn" i shouted but i couldn't help smile.

he grinned since he knew i gave up.

faisal: " you can carry this" he said

and i looked down at his hand which was now holding a key.

i raised an eyebrow at him but took it anyways.

he had a smug smile on his face and a twinkle in his dark eyes.

oooooh no. twinkly eyed faisal meant mischief and games.

he laughed at what my expression mustve showed.

faisal: " relax, its the keys to the mansion" he said and leaned a bit forward.

his face was inches from mine and the spark was still there

faisal:" I'm sure i must have said this before but incase i haven't, you drive me crazy" he said. and i smiled slightly at him feeling a bit insecure. i couldn't help that i was a bit crazy it was who i was.

so i looked at his shoes.

i felt his fingers grasp the bottom of my chin and lift it.

faisal: "your the only person whose ever dared put me in my place. the only person to go against me. to challenge me.." he said and his big black eyes bored into mine
"you are my biggest weakness, and i still find myself in love with you because of all those things" he said.

i stood there breathlessly staring at him as a sly smile formed on his face and he laughed as he walked  away with all the bags.

i caught up with him when i remembered how to breathe again.