my name is Nouf (12)

The weekend had passed quickly with events such as Sagir interviewing me and showing me around the office to make me feel at ease in my first day at work. I parked in the employee-only parking lot, gathered my things and stepped out of my car.


I slowly made my way inside the building; I was very nervous, almost tearful yet confident. It felt exactly like first day of school, I didn’t know what to expect and I sure didn’t know how things worked in an investment company.


My stomach churned as I entered the elevator with a bunch of strangers I held my breath and waited for the elevator to stop at the floor I was supposed to work in. My sudden smile outshined the sunshine as I read the message I just received from Noura. "Good morning Noufie! Knock 'em dead ;* "


I took a deep breath, trying to hide my genuine grin yet failing, god I loved my friends. I got off the elevator as it finally reached my floor and headed to my office, everything was familiar thank god, I thought. I landed safely in my cubicle, unnoticed.


A couple of minutes later Two girls greeted me, introducing themselves as Nadia and Latifa. They worked in the same department and I loved the friendly vibe they gave off.
The first few hours were eventless; I spent several hours of sitting at my computer, trying my best to pay attention to every word Nadia was saying about working here. I was starting to get hungry and a part of me was wondering where was Sagir and why wasn’t he around for me to see him. I knew it was ridiculous since he's an investment manager and he didn’t have time to check on the new employee. I bet he forgot all about me by now.

When it was finally time for my coffee break, I made a successful visit to the restroom to fix my hair and makeup and then to the nearby STARBUCKS to get my daily dose of grande skimmed Latte with a drizzle of caramel on top, along with the not so good skinny blueberry muffin.
When I finally turned back to the office the girls were talking about our supervisor "Mariam" whom I have not met yet. They talked about how pretty and kind she was and they mentioned something about her being in a business trip. I didn't participate in the conversation yet I enjoyed listening to their small , girly talks; my colleagues were fun I decided.

By five PM which is when I got back from work, I was starting to feel hysterical. I was really feeling the effects of a night without sleep and I yearned to be home, in my bed.
After taking a slow, hot shower I slipped into my pajamas and headed straight to bed to have my milk tea before drifting into a goodnight sleep.

I picked up my BlackBeryy, even though I was dead exhausted and began typing a message to Sheikha on BBM, my phone quickly vibrated in my hand and I jumped. Not expecting it at all, I quickly opened the message that was the begining of it all.


" ya36eech el3afia...adrii dawamna wayid mut3ib o shaklich mit7asfa 3la gad sha3ar raasich enich rethaiti eb this job" the message was from Mr Sagir himself.


I smiled involuntarily, that caught me off guard. I began typing a message as a reply to his, I tried to think of something smart to say but ended up with " allah e3afeek :), you can say that.."


" afa2! kint bayey at6aman 3lech bes el shighil elyoum mayisma7…7itta ma3indi wagt a7ik raasi, hatha yizai?"



" hehe eshda3wah, I'm kidding. I loved it there, again thank you so much Mr Sagir.." I replied him emmediatly.


" radaina 3la Mr maltich hathi, yuba getlich Sagir o bes latkhaleeni asadig 3umrii, o lat7ateen 6al 3umrich kelha esbo3ain thatlath o enshalla betit3awidain o eb takhtheen 3l shighil"  I couldn't help laughing at his message. I found it a bit weird for the manager to text me, especially that our messages were not at all formal yet they gave me this feeling of familiarity and comfort.

" enshallah Sagir.., I'll try my best"

" I believe you will, we need someone like you. good night." I reread his last message and automatically saved it. There was something about it that made me feel wanted, needed...it might be the word "need", I couldn't decide then.

 When I got to work the next morning , I saw Nadia, Latifa and some other girls gathering around a woman and talking a bit too excitedly. I approached them saying my hello before heading to the office, only to be stopped by Latifa who introduced me to Mariam, our supervisor. Mariam was a tall brunette with a body of a goddess and a smile of a hollywood diva and as soon as she greeted me I fell for her charms like the rest of the girls.


At eleven I wasn't the slightly bit expecting Sagir passing by our office. He entered the office so tall and handsome in his gray "wintery" dishdasha and neat ghutra and that was the moment when I realized how hot he was and how much I'd wanted him. And the fact that he stood right before my cubicle didn't make anything easier. "Nouf, sa7?" he said, looking so serious, I gulped.


" aamir"

" mayamir 3lech 3adow bes baghaitich etsaweeli shaghla, fe file mawjood eb your computer abeech teshtaghlain 3leh wetkhalseenly eyah elyoum." He ordered, not a hint of a smile on his face.


" enshallah" I simply obeyed.


After less than five minutes I recieved a message from him that made me blush a hundred shades of red.
" lesh ekhtara3tay? btw u look even nicer than  the last time I saw u in bahrain."

I didn't know what to reply to him, what if he treated everyone here this way? my stomach churned for the thought and I shook my head to push it aside and replied him back instead. " madri, I didnt expect you..thank you"


I put my phone away and began working on Sagir's file hoping to finish before five PM, I had lost track of time working on that file because when I finally looked above my computer screen, the office was already empty.I glanced at the digital clock resting on my desk, 5:11 PM. " ugh, mita akhalis!" I whined loudly as I knew nobody was around the office.


" coffee?"


I jumped in my place and my hand atumatically landed over my mouth to stop an upcoming shreik. " YOU GAVE ME A FRIGHT!!!" I yelled.


" besmillah 3lech, I'm sorry I'm sorry! eshfeeni ga3id wakhar3ich elyoum.." Sagir apologized while standing awkwardly with two STARBUCKS cups of coffee in his both hands.


"I'm sorry" He apologized again. I gazed down at my manicured nails, not bothering saying anything to him. He placed the papercup in front of me, on the disk, waiting for me to take it.




"thank you" I said and finally looked at him again.


" you're doing a great job Nouf..." he said gently.




"I'm not ..quite done yet" I almost whispered. I could feel the hard lump in my throat, keeping me from talking, I sighed heavily and to my utter dismay a big, fat tear escaped my lid and landed on my cheek.


I could see the shock in Sagir's face as I lost control of my tears, he placed his cup of coffee beside mine and pulled a chair to sit next to me. I burried my face in my hands and I cried and cried and cried, while he remained silent in the chair next to mine.




"Nouf...6al3eeni" He said.


I wiped my tear streaked eyes with the back of my hands and looked at him.


" ana 7aywan" He said ever so seriously and I laughed.


" it's just been a long day" I said, blushing deeply. " I'm so sorry for what just happend"


"Don't...mara7 agool 7g a7ad" He winked.I laughed again.

" enzain yallah goomay, wayid eshtaghaltai elyom, let me walk you to your car."
 
We walked together to the parking lot, sipping our coffee and talking about random things. He opened my car's door for me and my heart did a back flip.
 
" drive safely.." He said. " o Nouf, mabii ashoof dmoo3ich again"
 
 
 
  A month had passed with him as my boss and my...undefined. We texted each other all night long, spent hours staring at each other at work if we had the chance, he would stare and I'd blush and pretend I didn't see him, he would buy me my favorite STARBUCKS drink everyday and walk me to my car if we both worked until late and nobody was around, I loved everything about it and I couldn't imagine a day without his good morning messages and his strong perfume.
 
 
It was one of those long days at work when he called me into his office. I adjusted my skirt, ran my fingers through my hair and nervously made my way to his office, aware of the audience that were my very curious colleagues.
 
 
I walked in his office and closed the door behind me. His face emmediatly lit up as he saw me walking in.
 
" el salam 3lekom" I said politely.
 
"wa3alaikom el salam ya hala" He grinned, obviously enjoying this.
 
 
" Nouf..." Oh god I loved my name coming from his mouth.
 
"aamir?"
 
" mayamir 3lech 3adow... enshallah bachir 3indina conference bil khobar 7g our company oo... I really want you to come..."
 
 
" bachir?" Sagir and his surprises, I thought.
 
 
" ee, for two days only...bes enshallah 3ogb salat el magharb benroo7, please come as my assistant.."
 
 
"madri Sagir...faja2tnii" 
 
" ra7 etyeen? 3ashani..?" He looked deeply into my eyes and I knew right there and then that "No" wasn't an option.
 
" yes Sagir, I will go with you"


When I went back home that day I was welcomed by mother and her friends who were having tea and watching their favorie turkish show at the living room. " ya36eech el3afia Noufa, ta3ali shirbai weyana chwaiha" mother offered,


" allah e3afeech, La yumma mashkoora 3lekom bil 3afia ana baroo7 arayyi7 foug"


" 3la ra7tich, bes lat6awleen, banat khaltich shireefa beyoonna b3den"

" enshallaa" I assured her. " oh and yumma? zahbeeli 3abat eb geyaasi"




to be continued...

My name is Nouf (11)

A couple of days later I picked up sheikha at Bahrain international airport with opened arms and a huge smile. " Shayooooooookh over here!!" she turned around when she heard my voice, almost ran and jumped up to hug me.

"Missed you" I said while hugging her back.



" chub!" she said and I giggled.

" I have so much to tell! Eshrayich engi6 your luggage el hotel b3dain we go somewhere for coffee?" I suggested.

" allah wil luggage!" she looked down at her small Samsonite bag." but yeah, sure!" she said excitedly.


After making sure her small baggage was safely delivered in my hotel room, we headed straight to café Lilou.



I ordered two skimmed cappuccino s and a MILO MILO to share.



" so tell me, how are you, really?" she said while sipping her cappuccino.

I sighed. " okay, I guess"


She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. " eshsawaitii broo7ich for the last few days?"


" I met this person…" I said.


" what? What person?!" she said a little too loud.



I stuck my fork into the sinful MILO MILO , scooped up a bite and shoved it in my mouth. I told her about Sagir, from the very first day until the day we exchanged our numbers and he left to Kuwait. She kept nodding and listening carefully to every word.



" his name is Sagir al Fulani" I said while having another bite.

she gasped and almost choked on her bite. " 7ilfaaay? Sagir el Fulani maghairaa??"



I nodded. " he gave me his business card, bes madri wain 7a6ait'ha"

" mashallah, tadreen hatha mino??" she asked, still in complete astonishment.

" Nope, never met him before" I said with all honesty.
" chathaba mat3arfeena! hatha wild flan el Fulani, mashallah he's 28 bes 3inda khair, he's like the youngest billionare! he made his own wealth, o egoloon he's hot! sij?? ana sam3a feh wayid bes wela marra shifta! o hathi sharikat oboh bes he runs it, lat6awfeen el fursa! Khosh mokan tara!" she said quickly, going breathless mid sentence.
" I told him I'll think about it" I scatched my head, still trying to swallow everything she just had told me.

" you'll text him now, saying you'll take the job." She said firmly. "now!"


" enshalla, enshallah! I will text him but not now, I need more time to think" I bit my lower lip.


" to think of what? you desperately need a job Nouf"
" oh lord, I do" I already had my fair share of  vacations and time off and I thought it was time I started doing something other than being on a vacation.


" great, yalla jiddami text him" she ordered.


" I'll do it tonight, I promise" I promised her while marvelling at the beauty of the chocolate cake that was staring back at me and waiting to be finished.


We talked some more and then it was time to leave the café , I was already feeling tired but I refused to go back to the hotel until bed time,we needed to enjoy our day before leaving tomorrow to face reality.
We then went to quick shopping at Al-A'ali mall, bought a couple of pretty shoes for work, some skirts and lots of formal shirts.


By the time we went back to the hotel, it was already past eight pm and I thought it was time I sent the message that will change things, a lot of things.



I put on my night gown, brushed my teeth and sprayed bodycology cocoa body mist. Sheikha on the other hand changed into a fresh blouse, reapplied her mascara and lip gloss and put her hair up into a high bun. " Er, shayookh… since when you dress up for bed?"



" min gallich we will sleep? It's too early and boring for that" she said while throwing her small bag over her shoulder.



I giggled. " wain binroo7?"

" dinner, I'm starving" she ran her fingers over her flat tummy.
" mali khilg abaadil!" I whined.
" 3adi ta3ali eb your pajama I don’t mind" She shrugged.
I put on last night's wrinkled sweater and a pair of jeans, didn’t bother put any make up on, put my hair into a neat ponytail and was ready to go out.


Sheikha wanted sushi for dinner and I didn’t mind so we had our sushi at Nu Asia. It was a very slow and delicious dinner and I enjoyed every bit of it. Ever since Sheikha came here and I had been feeling alive. I ate, laughed and  stopped wishing to be somewhere else. I liked here, I liked this moment very much.
"Nouf…" said Sheikha with an unusually serious tone in her voice.


I looked up at her.


"What really happened with Faris?" she asked.


My mind flashed unwanted, very painful pictures in front of my eyes and I shook my head to clear the ugly thoughts away. I sighed heavily; I kind of expected that question. "It's over"


"Are you okay?" she asked me for the second time today.


I was quiet for a moment but then I felt a stabbing pain at my chest and I felt hot, fresh tears sliding from my lids.



"oh god! I'm such a bitch!" She said in dismay.
"No, its okay…I can't keep it forever" my voice quivered.



"I'm so sorry" She extended her hand to wipe my tears away.

It was very hard for me to pretend when it came to Sheikha, she was the sister I'd never had and being open and honest to her all came naturally.



"Time will heal all wounds, time will heal you whether you liked it or not." she said soothingly while squeezing my hand. I wanted to believe her but my broken heart didn't allow me to.


When it was finally time to go to bed, I sent the message saying that I'd start working as soon as possible and that I was very excited to work for such a prestigious company and I thanked him again for the offer. My phone beeped twenty minutes later announcing a message. I picked it up, opened the message and read the three words slowly "good luck Sunday"



My heart did a back flip and I couldn’t stop the feeling of combined excitement and fear that had crept into me.

I collapsed into a deep coma of exhaustion, warm and hopeful with my phone in my hand.

kuwait

I woke up to the sound of the nagging alarm clock ringing in my ear. I rubbed my eyes and glanced at the clock, it was 5:55 AM. I rose quickly and headed straight to the bathroom. After washing up and straightening my hair I slipped my SEE BY CHLOE black leather and suede dress over my head, I knew I could never go wrong with black and my lethal armani hollywood red lipstick which I was about to apply.

I put on a pair of green suede pumps, stuffed my essentials in my tan leather bag and rushed down the stairs and out the door to my car. I started the engine and  checked my reflection in the rear view mirror while waiting for my car to warm up. After five minutes I put the gear on D and drove to work while listening to U2's it's a beautiful day. I was more than ready to start my very first day at work.


to be continued...

My name is Nouf (10)

With my now furiously shaking hands, I dialed his number while holding my breath; my heart was shaking hard as he picked up on the first ring. I was surprised, he never picked up his phone, and he always, always called back!


"halaa bil 7uuub killaaah" he said a little too loud.


"Faris?" I whispered my voice quivering.



"fajoooorty" he said " ma3aach"



My heart sank as I realized what he just called me and then I started to panic. I clamped my hand over my mouth in order not to make any sound. I ended the phone call without saying a word.



I sat on the bed, motionless and unable to breathe. I shut my eyes and breathed slowly, trying to regain my control. My sweaty hand reaching for my phone again, which was lying beside me on the bed. I pressed the letter F and his name immediately appeared along with many other names in my phone book. I punched the delete key, deleting him from my phone and my life, for good.

"Not this time Faris" I muttered under my breath, feeling the bile rise in my throat, but I refused to cry over that man again. At least it made sense now that I knew he was seeing someone else and was obviously so into that someone.


I vowed not to cry over that lying, cheating scumbag ever again and I so far I was keeping my promise. That night I miraculously collapsed into a dreamless, deep sleep.



I woke up the next morning just as suddenly as I'd fallen asleep. I smiled as I felt the sun rays streaming through my window and shining directly to my face. I stretched out on the warm bed before rolling out of it.



I showered slowly, enjoying the force of the water drops running down my body. I washed off the bad memories out of my hair, my face and body until my skin turned to a deep shade of red; I decided it's time I left the shower box.



I rummaged through my messy suitcase and looked for something nice. I decided to put on an effort to look hot for a change. Ever since I came here I didn’t bother even look at the mirror and that didn’t feel like me at all, I was missing my old self already and I wanted her back. I picked out a gray body-con jersey dress, silver tights and the same black, boring ballet flats which were the only shoes I'd brought with me. I inserted the flats to my feet in disappointment, secretly wishing they were a six inches killer Christian Louboutins. I applied some mascara, a bronzing blusher to define my cheek bones and a colorless lip gloss. I glanced at my hair and gasped with horror, I didn't think it had looked this bad before. I looked around the room for something ; my eyes laid on a bright brochure of the hotel's spa and I suddenly came up with the brightest idea.


I called the hotel's spa and salon and asked if it was okay to have my hair done without an appointment, for my delight the woman on the phone said that the best hair stylist was available and that I was welcomed now. I draped my bag over my shoulder and excitedly left the room.


I entered the spacious, airy place, welcomed by the strong smell of incense and aromatic oils. An Asian lady greeted me and led me to another room where she sat me at a shampoo chair and called the hair stylist.

"Hi!" the small, black haired woman greeted me with a huge smile and asked me what I wanted to do with my hair.

"I need a haircut, two inches shorter and perhaps a few highlights!"


She washed my hair with shampoo and rinsed it slowly while massaging my scalp. I sighed and shut my eyes; I haven’t felt this good in a long time!

After in what seemed like two hours my waist length hair was slightly shorter,  two shades lighter and much more alive. I loved it so much; I couldn’t stop touching it and beaming at my reflection in the mirror.




I stepped in the food court in the hotel lobby which was invaded by the glittery sunlight, it was past ten in the morning and my stomach was already making noises.



I spotted him immediately, from his dark tan which was so alien for this cold weather. He was wearing the traditional Kuwaiti dishdasha, ghutra and e'gaal and was sitting at the largest table in the centre with his phone pressed to his ear. He was talking to someone loudly and I could hear him clearly from where I sat. I sat on a two seats table, ordered a cup of coffee, cheese omelet and today's paper. I looked out of the window that overlooked the same huge pool I spent my previous day, in and around it. I smiled, today was different. Today was shiny, new, and beautiful.




He ended his phone call and looked up to meet my eyes. He didn’t recognize me immediately as he sipped his coffee and fumbled through the papers which were scattered across the enormous table. I found myself waving at him "Sagir" I called his name. He looked up again, this time smiling as he recognized my voice.

"Nouf?" he asked.


I nodded.

"asif mantibaht" he laughed. I blushed a little, fully aware that I looked completely different from the night before.

" 7ayyach, 7ayyach!" he muttered while standing up.

" la la 3adii I can see you're busy"


" la wallah tawni emkhalis ejtimaa3 min suba7 allah khair, raasy sadda3" he grinned. " wallah bint deeratna mankahleeha etarayg broo7ha, 7ayach"


I knew refusing to sit with him wasn't an option so I headed to his table, cheeks blushing and my large tote in my hand. He stood up and held the chair for me. " etfathilay" he said politely.


" mashkoor" I muttered and sat down on the chair opposite him.


So I did join him on breakfast, feeling slightly awkward yet delighted that there was someone I could talk to. I was beginning to hate this whole time alone.


"So, ejtimaa3 shno if you don’t mind me asking?" I said while smiling at him.


He sighed. " wallah this is a business trip o lazim kint asawi meeting with a couple of foreign business men wayid mohimeen 7g sharikatna"

" oh, mashallah" I said. "So everything is going well, I hope?"


" ee el7emdella, aham shai eftakait o agdar arja3 el deera bachir el sib7 enshallah" he said while beaming at me.


" anyway shino tishribeen?" He asked , not giving me a chance to talk.

"Thank you, I already ordered coffee" I said.

" brilliant. So what about you Miss Nouf, mita ra7 tirji3een enshallah?" He asked. I caught him frequently looking at my hair.
I hesitated. " mo mista3yila 3l raddah, mita ma radait. Besides I don’t have a job or anything important to get back to"

"oh, mo nawya teshtaghlen? Qadamti 3la watheefa?" he asked, he seemed so interested.


" wallah weddi! Qadamt 3la wayid amakin bes na6ra mokan zain, mabi ashtighil ay mokan" I said honestly.

" shino your major?"

"Marketing" I said confidently.

"Excellent. Are you interested to work for our company?"

"You're serious?" he took me by surprise.

"I am" he grinned.

"I… erm, can I ask what's your company?"

"It's Al fulany's investment company but we really do need some good marketing students" he winked.

I laughed. "That would be awesome! Thank you so much"
" So I consider that a yes?"

" yes!" I giggled.
He nodded. " bes 3la shar6!"

" shino el shar6?!"


" ana aseer your boss" he said ever so seriously.


I laughed again. " 6ab3an Mr Sagir!"


" o ba3ad fee shar6 thani"


"And that is?" I raised an eyebrow.


" el a7ad el yay tabdeen dawamich, which means ra7 etrideen el Kuwait this weekend"

My heart sank and my stomach churned. Nausea overtook me as he brought up the subject of me getting back, was I ready to get back to the place I escaped from?

" ha eshgiltay?" he asked gently.


"Can I think about it and get back to you?"


"Yes. Sure! "He muttered.


Relief washed over me as the waiter showed up with my cheese omelet and the cup of coffee. He placed the tray on the table before me and asked me if I needed something else, I thanked him and sent him away.



We talked a lot while I ate slowly, I loved that he did most of the talking and since his stories were  interesting and funny, I enjoyed listening to him very much.



" I enjoyed this very much Nouf, thank you for keeping me company" he smiled while standing up. " ana sar lazim amshi 3ndi cham shaghla lazim asaweeha, bes gabil la amshi mumkin takhtheen raqmi 3ashan mawthoo3 el shighil?"

" ee ee sure" I reached for my phone on the table and asked him to type the number himself. " ektiba enta a7san akhaf aghli6 eb a digit"

He did as I said and gave me back my phone. " sayavta bes digeely ranna 3ashan asayiv your number too"

"enshallah" I said.

" yallah, tabeen shai yuba?"

" salamtik, o etrid bil salama enshallah" I said.

" esalmich, o na6ir minich rad" he smiled.

" enshallah" I giggled.

" faman ellah"

"bye"
------------------------------------------------------------------------


That night I couldn't sleep. I lied awake thinking of everything that happened earlier today. I thought about the job offer, about Sagir and everything he had told me. I was begining to feel very lonely, that was when I decided to call my favorite people in the world; my two best friends, Noura and Sheikha. Knowing that Noura's mother would never allow her to travel alone I called Sheikha; I desperately needed a friend.


" Noufaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" she screamed my name, she didn't even wait for my hello.

I giggled. " 7abeeeeebti walhana 3leeeeeeeeeech o 3la Nwaaaair!"

" Noufooooooooooo wai wai masaaadig" She yelled excitedly.

" sadgay sadgay, sheikho ta3aly el ba7rain!" I said.

" faj2a! I would bes lazim agool 7g oboy!" she said.

" eeeh please goleela Noufa ga3da hnii with her cousin o min hl 7achi" I was desperate.


" enshallaah bes 6amneeni 3alech, shloonich? shakhbarich, are you okay??" she said, concern filling her voice.

" magdar agool shai al7een , please come over, I really do need to talk"

" khalas I'll go talk to my father now o I'll call you back okay?"

" I might be asleep etha maradait text okay??"


" okaaaay, emwaah bye"

I phone kissed her back. " bye"




My phone beeped an hour later indicating a message. " I'm coming baby!" it was from Sheikha.


You could imagine how happy I was, I didn't bother text her back, as I was drained with exhaustion, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. I dreamed of Sagir, the job offer and Faris's phone call.



to be continued....

my name is Nouf (9)



" 3afwan, etha widich tig3ideen hnee o mista7ya, tara ana mashy…" he said politely. 

" laaa, la 3adii , ekhith ra7tik, ana elli mashya" I bit my lower lip; I was feeling guilty for some reason.

" khalas 3ayal etha bag3ad entai ba3ad ra7 tig3ideen" he said, looking determindely at my face. I stood there quiet for a moment, I thought about it quickly and decided that it won't hurt anybody if I stayed down here with him , it wasn't like I have something better to do. " sure" I said, forcing a weak smile.

 We walked side by side awkwardly,  he waited for me to sit on one of the wooden chairs facing the swimming pool before he joined me. I noticed he was so polite. I sat on the chair next to his, shuffled in my chair and moved it slightly away from his, he pretended not to notice and sat on the chair beside mine.

The atmosphere was blanketed with an awkward silence. I quickly searched in my head for a topic to bring up , only to be struck by the most beautiful picture I've ever seen. I didn't know if my mind was exagerating but I was so mesmerized by the man in the background picture of Sagir's laptop, by his eyes to be precise. His entire face was masked with a red shmagh, showing only his beautiful, dark black eyes. The man's eyes were so captivating that I couldn't keep my eyes away from the picture, his thick lashes colliding with his thick eyebrows, creating a beautiful mess, I finally noticed that he was holding a huge black hawk, a real hawk! and was standing in the dessert. He reminded me so much of the hot men they described in the arabic poetry I sometimes read about.

" wow" I said involuntarily, blushing a little.

"beautiful isn't he?" He asked, a sincere smile danced across his face.

 " who is he?" I asked, still looking at the picture.

" he's my favorite hawk!" He said excitedly. WHAT? oh...oh right, he was talking about the hawk, right. Does that mean...? I looked up at him, seeing his face for the first time. His eyes, similar to the ones in the picture, but darker and ...scarier. I shuddered, not sure why I felt so scared, I took a deep breath and looked away.

" are you okay?" he asked me, examining my face. 

 " yes! I'm fine" I coughed and rubbed my eyes, trying to understand what just happend. I must be very tired. 

"so sagir e7ib el sagir?" I asked him teasingly. He laughed, blushing a little. " shagoolich, 3ishgy el barr(dessert) , amoot 3la shai esma barr o chethi barr activities, tadreen enni gabil la ayey hnii kint emjabil el ghanam wil horses?" He grinned. that explained why he smelled bad at the airplane! He obviously was engaged in so many "barr activites" .

" ghareeba, hl sowalif mo chinha 3ateeja? barr, ghanam, 7aywanat?" I joked. " yes well, my grandfather is my best friend" He winked and I wasn't sure if he was joking.

" anyway Sagir, I think it's getting late, I better go get my dose of beauty sleep" I lied, I didn't want to sleep but I wasn't feeling very comfortable sitting with this stranger with the captivating eyes.  

" will I see you tommorow?" he asked, looking directly at my eyes. 

I was a little taken aback by his question but I recovered quickly. " why not? goodnight" I said. 

" good night Nouf"  

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

once I was finally back at my hotel room I thought it was time I switch on my phone and start making some phone calls, I missed my parents and my two best friends so much, and I couldn't help but miss him the most. 

I reached for my phone, switched it on and opened my inbox to find five messages,with shaking hands I opened the only message that stole my attention, and read the two words that literally stopped my fragile heart. " feeni entay"

My name is Nouf (8)

I miss you readers!! why don't you comment like before anymore? :( is anyone even reading the story ? :O hellooo? hellooo? *waves*... *cries* I miss everyone! why did you all dissapear? bloggers and readers!! what happend to last year's bloggers? :'( they all have dissapeard! no one writes anymore! no one comments! everyone has deserted blogs and moved to the so called twitter! wai3, I hate it, its lame :( ... if anyone is still reading this blog please leave a comment saying I'm still into blogs! what happened to all the story writers? I remember how many were there! mashallaa I couldn't catch up! wain ri7taw? habba much? :/ moi za3lana....



part eight...

I wrapped my arms around myself and kept them there for a while. A sudden wave of embarrassment mixed with insecurity hit me right there and then. This stranger had witnessed the worst of me and I wished that this was the last time that I'll ever see him yet I had to express my gratitude for what he had done to me. Okay that wasn’t entirely the truth; I actually wanted to talk to him because for one I wanted to save what was left of my image as a sane person. I bet he thought I was a pathetic suicidal woman who lacked faith and talking to him might cure my…boredom.



I picked up the first cardigan my eyes laid on and draped it over my arm, not bothering actually wearing it. I was aware of how horrible I looked so I skipped looking at the mirror.


I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, picked up my hotel room's pass in key and left my junior suite.

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

 The cold breeze stroked my bare face gently, sending shivers down my spine and making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My exposed chest bones ached slightly and I buttoned up my cardigan hoping that I would warm up.

 

I walked slowly past the large swimming pool and paused for a moment. I could see him from where I stood. He was typing something on his laptop and looking completely distracted. that was when it suddenly hit me;coming here was the stupidest idea and I must turn back slowly before he noticed I was here.

 

I turned around and tiptoed my way back to the hotel, I didn’t want to make any noise fearing from him noticing me. I didn’t realize how wet the smooth ground was until my feet skidded; I fell over and landed hard on my butt.

No no no nooo this didn't just happened , oh dear lord why me?

Talk about embarrassment.

"Are you okay?" the stranger called out for me. My face started giving out a hundred shades of red and I wished that the ground would open up and swallow me whole! This couldn’t get any worse! Damn you Nouf for "thinking" of coming down here in the first place!

Oh god this was horribly embarrassing but I couldn’t show him how embarrassed and hurt I was, so I got up slowly, smoothed my pants with my fingers and my now all over the place hair.

"I'm fine" I smiled widely with fake confidence.

Ouch my butt hurt!

"Caution, wet floor" he said with full seriousness but I could see a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh that, I was just-"

 

"Testing the gravity?" he raised an eyebrow. He stood so tall, towering over me and I loathed it. I loathed him despite the fact that I didn't know him.

 

"Fine! 6i7t, so what?" I was getting furious; he cannot think what just happened was funny! It wasn’t! Okay, maybe a little if my butt didn't hurt so much!

"salamat" he said.

 

" allaah ysalmik" I muttered awkwardly, my face burned with embarrassment and I wasn’t so cold anymore. I wished my phone was with me so I could do what I usually did in awkward situations; pretending to text people.

 

"Sagir" he said.

 

"na3am?" I asked stupidly.

"My name is sagir, and yours?"

"Oh. its...Nouf"

"Nice to meet you Nouf" he smiled. The feeling is not mutual I thought.

"Look I'm sorry I interrupted whatever you were doing... I better head back to my room and…thank you for …um…what happened earlier today." I stuttered breathlessly. I turned around quickly to head my way back inside the hotel but was very surprised when I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"wait..."

oh crap! what did he want from me now?!

to be continued...

My name is Nouf (7)

I know it's been too long!! in my defense: I wanted to update earlier but my dear laptop died on me. here's part 7, I wrote it quickly and didnt have time to edit! so forgive any mistakes ;p, enjoy xx

Oww my head hurt, so badly. My chest ached so much! I felt nauseous and a horrible pain shot through my entire body. Brrr it's so cold! Get me a blanket my feet are freezing. Oh god I can't move them. I might get up and get me a warm blanket or…wait a second it's too dark in here.




I opened my eyes slowly and snapped them quickly shut. Oh god what happened to me? What the hell happened! Why was everything hurting! I was panicking; I didn’t know what really happened. Oh did I die? Wait a second I had a couple of painkillers and then…






Oh dear lord was I dead? I opened my eyes quickly again and looked around my surroundings. I was lying in a bed apparently in a hotel room! Was I dreaming? I smiled briefly for the thought. And then a silhouette of a man appeared in the dark interrupting my only hopeful thought.


I rubbed my eyes hard and rose up from the bed with great effort. Ouch, my head. He approached the bed and his face began showing. He was the weird guy from the plane. Oh crap, what the hell happened?!






"oh that explains why you're a creep! Are you the angel of death? Oh god esta'3ferallah" the words rushed from my mouth involuntarily.






His eyes bulged right out with astonishment and he opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind almost immediately. I trembled.


"No, I actually found you in…in the pool…I…I thought …" he looked down awkwardly ,unable to finish his sentence.


My eyes began tearing up and I couldn’t hold it any longer, it all came back to me, I drowned in that pool and if it wasn’t for this good man I would be dead. I gulped.


"I wasn’t trying t-to k-kill….myself" I sobbed. Tears were no longer welling at the corner of eyes.


"Is there something I could do?" he asked awkwardly. Sympathy filling his voice.






I covered my face with both my hands and started crying, it was so embarrassing, the whole situation was so sad and embarrassing and I wasn’t a big fan of myself at this very moment.






"Death in the family?" he asked.


That took me by surprise. I had no clue why he came up with that idea! I vigorously wiped my tears with my fingertips and sighed giving myself a chance to breathe. "Something like that" I mumbled.






"I'm sorry" he said awkwardly. He obviously wasn’t comfortable with the idea of a weeping girl in his hotel room. Suddenly his phone started ringing and vibrating. Saved by the bell, I thought.






"I'll have to…um…take the…" he waved the phone before my face awkwardly.






"Yes! Yes, sure" I blurted out. He smiled briefly and literally ran out of the room.








I sighed heavily and collapsed on his bed. " bada3tay Nouf bada3tay" I started crying again, this time in humiliation and shame, and because I could not help but feel so sorry for myself.






After that dreadful incident I rushed to my room, took a long, hot shower and wrapped myself in the hotel's fresh towels. I decided to stay in bed and never leave until I find a situation for what I'm going through, until I find a reason to leave bed.






I got a couple of text messages and missed calls from my beloved best friends shaikha and Noura who were obviously very worried about me. I couldn’t use my phone yet so I switched it off and threw it in my purse.






I rested my head against the soft, white pillow and sighed heavily. Who would've thought that the fun, bubbly Nouf would end up like this? Dumped and alone in a hotel room. That thought brought tears to my eyes. It seemed that all I did today was cry and…die.I was slowly losing myself.






I woke up shortly after that accidental nap, feeling disoriented. My head hurt and I was starving! I got out from bed and headed straight to the mini bar, I took a bag of salted peanuts, a redbull and a snickers bar.
 
 
I sat on the floor, in front of the enormous floor to ceiling window. I drew back the curtains and gazed out of the window while throwing a handful of peanuts in my mouth.
 
 
 There he was sitting in a chair beside the huge pool, rummaging through a small, black suitcase, with his laptop placed on the small table before him.
 
 
 
 
to be continued...

My name is Nouf(6)

I stepped into the wataniya airways plane the next morning. The hostess immediately greeted me and led me to my big, wide seat. I couldn’t smile; I couldn’t even take my shades off. My eyes were puffy from last night's hysterical crying and I didn’t bother wear any makeup.



I literally threw my body on the seat. I sighed and stared out of the window. The sun shone brightly, directly into my eyes.


"Thank you" a close masculine voice spoke to the air hostess.



"No problem sir" the air hostess smiled and walked away.



I flinched as he adjusted his weight on the seat next to mine. He wasn’t so close yet I could smell him and feel him moving. He smelled awful. As if he was out in the dessert or something.


I looked him up from head to toe; I didn’t care if he noticed me looking. I didn’t care about anything at all. He was wearing gray sweatpants. A white polo shirt and a navy coat. And was wrapping a"chmagh" around his neck. Yes a "chmagh"!


"yummah ana bil 6ayara" he said while holding the phone in his hand . He was obviously recording something to his mother.


I was looking at him all the time. He shut his phone and turned to look at me. He smiled and looked away.






It was about fifteen minutes in the flight, the seat belt signs had switched off, and we were taking off. I breathed with relief. I felt relaxed as soon as the air craft was no longer touching the Kuwaiti soil.


I started counting very slowly with my eyes closed, and that worked because by the time I reached thirty nine I was already moved to dream land only that I wasn’t dreaming.

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

I stepped into the large hotel lobby, suddenly finding myself in such perfect surroundings. This would be my perfect weekend getaway in my normal days but I just couldn’t feel it, this wasn’t a normal day.






My hair was frizzy and my skin was dehydrated and itched so badly. I was fully aware that I looked like complete, utter crap. I was also aware of the familiar face that was standing next to me at the counter. The guy from the plane was there, standing right next to me.


"I was wondering if you had a room available." I said to the foreign woman behind the counter.


"Yes actually there is a plenty of excellent choices for you Madame" she smiled widely while tapping on the keyboard before her. "Would you like a single or perhaps a junior suite?"



"I-I'm not sure about the suite since I-"

"Suite a7sanlich" the guy from the plane said interrupting me. I turned to look at him ,surprised.



"You need it" he said while looking down at his phone's screen and before I could say something, he left with the room's key in his hand.



"mako faida Kuwaiti" I muttered under my breath.



" So, have you decided miss?" she said, the smile never leaving her friendly face.



"The suite. I'll take the suite"


I dropped my travel bag on the floor as soon as I was inside the "junior suite". It was huge, modern, beautiful but most importantly it was unfamiliar.


I skipped everything and headed straight to the huge white bed centered the tastefully cream bedroom.


I ran my hand on the soft white sheet and turned to look out at the floor to ceiling window which showed a beautiful view of a large blue pool. The surface of the water glittered from the ray of sunlight reflecting against it. It looked beautiful, safe, and calm.
I could drown in it. I would drown in it. So calm, beautiful, safe…


My heart throbbed. Ouch, that hurt. I needed a painkiller. I opened my purse and took out a packet of Panadol Actifast, a bottle of multi vitamins and a another bottle of Brufen.


I washed down a couple of panadol. Ouch, the pain didn’t go away! It actually intensified.


I took two more. Oh god I couldn’t take it anymore! I should try Brufen. It's stronger. Yes yes it should take the pain away.

 

Oh god my heart is burning, it's so hot in there, I needed a swim. I don’t care if it's cold outside, I should take a quick swim and I shall feel better afterwards.





dying in a swimming pool in a five stars hotel in Bahrain was never the plan...

my name is Nouf (5)

"We just had a small fight, it was nothing" I blew my nose.



"What do you mean by nothing? You look like a widow" Noura said.


"It was my fault I upset him but it's all going to be fine in the morning, I'll call him and apologize" I mumbled while rubbing my wet eyes hard.

Noura came to sit next to me and touched my arm gently. " 7abeebtii you look horrible, please tell me what really happened?"


" mojarrad argument 3adii! But I got emotional, I'm getting my period that’s why" I lied.


"I'm sorry" she rested her head on my shoulder and then my heart shredded into million tiny pieces but I had a slight ray of hope that made me able to breathe.






I didn’t sleep all night. I tossed and turned in bed and was grabbing my phone so hard that I could feel my hand  leaving a trail of sweat on the phone's screen.


I was going crazy lying there doing nothing, I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t even cry. So the unthinkable happened. I threw on a large jumper, took my car keys and rushed downstairs. I turned the engine and drove straight to his house.
I parked in front of his house and called him. I waited for him to pick up but he didn’t, I called again and still he didn’t pick up so I decided to get in. his parents were travelling so it was only him and the maids. I pressed the buzzer and waited for a response.






Nothing.






I pressed the buzzer again. No response.


I gave up and decided to wait. I sat on the wet porch. It was cold, actually freezing. I stared at the sky; it was star less tonight. I rested my head against the grand gate and closed my eyes. "besmillah el rahman al raheem" I murmured and that was the last thing I said before I lost connection with this world.




"Nouf!" a loud voice interrupted my joyful, dreamless sleep. What the fuck are you doing here??"


"hmm" I grunted.


"eshyaybich hnee?? Tabeeny adig 3l shir6a!!" the voice was getting higher.


My eyes cracked open. "Huh? Oh, Faris I…um.."




"Are you stalking me??" I could see his eyes widening with disbelief.


"No, no! Faris I came to apologize…" I said with my sleep filled voice. I could feel my throat tighten.


"Apologize for what?? What part of "I don’t want you" you are failing to understand?"


Painful, warm tears collected in the corners of my eyes. And my heart throbbed with pain. "I love you" I whispered between tears.



" etha mari7tay al7een tara wallah…" was he threatening me?




"Why are you doing this to me?? hal kethir hint 3leeek??" I cried. "I hate you so much!! You heartless piece of…" and before I even realized what was happening I felt his big hand gripping my arm hard and walking me to my car. He overpowered me. I couldn’t do anything but cry and beg for help.
He opened my car's door furiously and threw me on the driver's seat. "sem3eeny 3adil, mu entail elli etyeen 3ind bab baiti wetsabebeeli fethee7a o qalaq, emshai bil 6eeb la tara wallah betshofeen shai 3umrich mashifteeh, o la ashoof rig3at wayhich again, fahma?" and with that he slammed the door violently on me that I screamed and jumped with fear.


My hands shook furiously and I tried to move but couldn’t. I started to turn over the engine but failed miserably. I was in total shock and that shock paralyzed me! I reached for my phone with difficulty, tried with the little power that was left in me to dial shaikha's number. I succeeded. Luckily for me Shaikha picked up straight away.



"ta3alai bait f-faris bsir3a" I said in a low, drained voice.


"Oh god! Nouf?? Noufa? Whats wrong? Ok ok kani yaya" she yelled, panic was filling her soft voice.

---------------------------------------------------
A soft plumped object brushed against my face as I opened my eyes slowly. All I could see was white; I was sleeping against a soft, white pillow which wasn't mine. I was sure there wasn’t a single white pillow on my bed. I turned to my other side slowly, feeling my long brown hair slapping against my shoulders.


"She awoke!" a familiar voice spoke.


"shhh, roo7ai yibeelaha mai!" another familiar voice muttered. It was Noura  but I couldn’t hear her properly.



My entire body ached, I moaned. There had obviously been a breakup disaster. And I obviously had lost consciousness. How was I supposed to face my friends after all that they said about Faris? after all the warnings!
"where am I? I mumbled.



"You're in my bedroom noufie, shame on you to not recognize it!" Shaikha snapped.


"why am I here?"

"because-"

" I want to go" I said, interrupting her.


"go where??" Shaikha said. "your'e too weak to move"


"Here's your water babe!" Noura rushed to my bedside with a glass of water in her hand.


"To Bahrain" I myself couldn’t believe the sudden decision.





---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I packed lightly for the first time in my life. I didn’t even see what I was packing. I stuffed whatever reached my sight. My parents weren’t an issue because my cousin was studying there and I visited her on a monthly basis.

Why Bahrain? I always thought of it as my sanctuary. The only place in the world that made me feel at home after Kuwait; my real home town. And at this moment home didn't feel like one, so I had to run, I had to protect myself or else I'd die.

Little did I know that even running to china couldn't save me from the heartache. A heartbreak is a heartbreak, you could never run from it...

my name is Nouf (4)

sorry for the long wait my dear readers but alot have happend and I'm...sorry? :$ , hope you enjoy the post ;*



--------------------------------------------------------------------
I inserted the bunny ears on top of my head and applied another coat of lips gloss. I was all dolled up and ready for the annual costume party at my friend Zaina's house.



I was a playboy bunny, sexy, funny and something Faris would like. Yes I had planned to show him my costume, I'd excuse myself from the party and we'd work something out.



Shaikha's driver was already waiting for us downstairs, Shaikha and Noura were already at my house since we always get ready for parties together, it's something we used to do since we were in high school and it became a tradition. Shaikha was dressed as Jessica Rabbit, she was ravishing, sexy and her tiny waist made me slightly jealous. Anyone else wouldn’t look this gorgeous wearing a bright red wig, I thought. Noura on the other hand was a "manoush" as she referred to it; she was a gypsy girl.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Girls looked like dolls in all shapes and sizes. I made my way between a packed crowd of swaying bodies, different colors, different shapes, sizes and looks. My head spun so I looked away and focused on Zaina's welcoming, warm grin. Zaina looked gorgeous as ever in an orange, sparkly retro, one shoulder jump suit. She extended her arms towards us and we all hugged her at the same time. "waaaai I'm so happy that you're here! I thought you couldn't make it because of jetlag" she yelled.


"walaw! Of course we'll make it!" I said and kissed her cheek.


" haw 6umasha shlon en6awif" Shaikha said and we all laughed. We chatted for a few minutes and then Zaina excused herself to greet more guests and we sat in a place right before the dance floor.


The girls danced, chatted and ate while all I did was glancing at my phone every now and then. I wanted to go see Faris and I wanted to do it while I still looked fresh.


"eshfeech et7ineeen??" he texted me.


"don’t you wanna see me?"


"aren’t you suppose to be in a party??"


"yes but I thought we agreed on…you know ;) "


" what? Why cant you just enjoy your time without including me in everything?"


" :S "

"fine, 6il3ay!"

"ok ;*"


I excused myself and rushed to my car and perhaps told a little white lie to cover what I was about to do. I told Faris to meet me somewhere nearby Zaina's house.




--------------------------------------------------------------------
I parked and waited for him to arrive. Twenty minutes have passed and he didn’t show up.


Fifty minutes.


An hour.


I had to call. I dialed his number and he picked up on the second ring. "wainik?!!!"


" on my way" his voice came at the other end of the phone so calmed and that erritated me.


" Faris tara sarli sa3a an6ir!!" I yelled.


"latsarkheen! Getlich I'm on my way. Bye" he hung up on me. HE HUNG UP ON ME!


Blood rushed to my veins and I started grinding my teeth. I felt like screaming on top of my lungs but I sighed heavily and rested my forehead against the steering wheel instead.


A few minutes later I heard a gentle knocking on my car's window. I quickly looked up and saw his face.


I rolled down my window. "Why don’t you come inside?" I offered.


He got in the passenger's seat and closed the car's door behind him. " entai min sijich 6al3a chethi with your bunny ears?? fiskhay ba3ad??"


" 3adii mako a7ad!"


" kil hatha mako a7ad! ekoon eb 3ilmich its 9:30!" he yelled.


"you're the one who made me wait!"


"chub!" he said and I couldn’t believe what I heard.


"wh-what?" I said almost whispering. I was utterly shocked.


" getlich chub! Why are you so selfish?? It's all Me-Me-Me with you! You think life revolves around you only?? For your information I have a life! Moo bes ental eb 7ayati! Grow the fuck up! You won’t change ever would you?"



I started to shiver but I wasn’t cold. " I… I'm sorry"


"I don’t want a girl like you Nouf. I need an independent, real woman. You hear me? Real woman! Bes 3iftich entai mara7 ete3adelain, wela ebnayya hal 7azza te6la3 chethi?? entai kellish mu san3a!"


A single tear crept down my cheek and I looked down. "I can change, I can be better! I am the one for you Faris, I can prove it! Please Faris…I love you!" I was sobbing hysterically now.






"Drama queen" he said. "lawa3tai chabdi I should have known that you are just a mindless, selfish girl who cares about nothing in the world but herself and the new season's shoes!"






"You know I'm not like that" I croaked. My voice has disappeared and I wasn’t even sure that he heard me.


" I love you" I said between sobs.


"spare me"


"I swear! Wallah el3atheem amoot 3alayk…you are my life Faris! Please give me a chance!"


" you are pathetic" he said calmly. " go back to your party allaa yastir 3alaych"


"r-right" I mumbled.


" I don’t want to hear from you ever again" he said without looking at me. He unlocked the door and left the car.




you could say I learned the true meaning of the words "cry me a river".

My name is Nouf (3)

"el sa6i7??" disappointment filled my voice.


 " agool 7asellich hal sa6i7, wait and see"

I shot him a resentful look, I hated when he talked to me like that but I rarely said anything. " akhaf a7ad echikna? Mu mamnoo3?"

"Nothing is illegal or forbidden for Faris alfulani , nesaitai meno your boyfriend?"He smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, show me what you got"

*weddii a6ega ;@* I wrote a BBM message to Shaikha.


*3a6eeh afa :D*


*ahahahah nathla shaikho!* I snorted with laughter as I read her message.

"shfeech teth7ekeen?" Faris frowned a little.

" just a joke" I said quickly.

He ignored me. " yalla wesalna"

I said nothing as he led me outside the elevator and into that large, opened roof. It looked like a place out of a movie. Romantic, chic and expensive! Everything looked so costly, from the large bed in the center of the spacious roof which was consisted of cream sheets and big gold cushions, the round small table with the two cream chairs and the delicious looking food and drinks on the table.

"I concede. You were right about this place" I was very impressed.


"Told you, mu 3ajibha ba3ad elklba" he spanked my butt.

"Hey ya qaleel el adab!" I shouted involuntarily.

" mu chethy esiboon yal…"



"I'm…I…I'm sorry!" I stuttered pathetically, he sometimes scared the shit out of me.

"Masawayt shai '3ala6! Entai malti, sa7 wela la2?" his voice softened and he asked although my answer didn’t really matter to him.


"Yes". I answered robotically.


"How did you manage all this?" I asked, still in surprise. "It's…beautiful"

He took my hand and we sat on the large, luxurious bed. He opened his wallet and pulled out a big wad of cash and three credit cards and he threw them on my lap. "Money baby" he laughed.



I took the money of off my lap and threw it on the other side of the bed. "Faris! Sh'hal 7araka el baykha!" I snapped.


He laughed. "Loosen up, eshfeech 3lai elyoum" he brushed my cheek with his pinky.


"That was unnecessary." I looked down.


" sheno? It is true. If you have the money you can buy everything. Literally everything" he gazed deep into my eyes and I shuddered. Those brilliant eyes never breaking contact for an instant. How often had those eyes held me with power and intensity? And I found myself, again helplessly in love with his perfection.

He pushed me down on the bed and wrapped his arms around me from behind. He kissed the back of my head and inhaled my hair. I turned around to face him. "tabeen etjableeni?" he asked tenderly.


I nodded. I touched his shirt at his chest, right above his heart and left my hand there for a while.


He looked down at my hand and touched it. He started examining my French manicured hand. " 7e66ai red nail polish, it's sexier"


"What's wrong with my French manicure? I thought you liked it" now it was my turn to examine my own nails.


"ethayeg elkhilg a7isich ommi" he frowned.

I hit his arm softly. "Faris!" he laughed and moved closer to me. "tabeen etbooseeni?" he almost whispered.

I kissed my finger and touched his lips with it. "eta'3ashmerain?" he asked, seriously.


I ruffled his barely there hair and examined his lovely features. "He is way too sexy he'll never be anyone's fiancé" I remembered Shaikha saying when we first laid our eyes on him. But I never really believed that. Who needs a fiancé anyway when you got the hottest boyfriend in town? Besides he never said he'd never get married.

"Can we move to the dining table please? I'm hungry" I lied. Physical interaction with Faris was a very difficult thing for me to do. Not because I wasn’t attracted to him, in fact it was the exact opposite. It's just that I was aware that a small kiss wasn’t enough when Faris was involved. It wasn’t enough at all.


I knew him way too well not to notice the utter disappointment that filled his handsome face but his arrogance didn’t allow him to show it and "yes, sure" escaped his beautiful mouth.


He moved his chair to sit next to me instead of in front of me and that delighted me. We ate our second dinner slowly, or at least he did. I kept gulping on my glass of non-alcoholic white wine.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the time I was about to leave it was past 3 in the morning and Faris was fast asleep with his head on my lap. I covered him with the bed duvet and left the chilling roof.

He left the next morning and I couldn’t help not missing him terribly even when  I went skiing with the girls. I secretly hoped I was in the airplane in the seat next to him.

 

to be continued...

My name is Nouf (2)

"aloo" I murmured huskily through the phone.


" hala wallla bil zain killa, eshloonich?" he said in an apparent happy tone.


" ebkhair damik ebkhair"

He laughed a little. " magilt enny ebkhair...esh3indich now?"

"It's 12 so we're staying indoors, watch a movie and stuff"

" bashoofich"

"Now?" I asked surprisingly. He caught me off guard.

"You know where my room is, 7ayyach" his voice deepened.

"But-"

"lebsai pajama I like you best when you're not trying hard" he interrupted me.

My heart started pounding rapidly, it was late but he'd be leaving tomorrow and I had to say goodbye properly. "enshalla, shwai oo ayeek" and I hung up.


I froze in my place for a second, my heart leapt and a zillion thoughts ran through my head. I didn’t know what sort of "pajama" to wear. I didn’t pack any interesting ones and my hair was dripping wet. Damn it Nouf why didn’t you wait for the morning to take this damn shower. I shook my head and made my way out of the bathroom. The girls were lying on the bed talking and the TV was on.

"Where's the hair dryer?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Over there" Shaikha pointed at the night stand.

I brushed my hair hastily and put on a long sleeved baby blue pajama that looked like anything but sexy. "ambee shaswii, 3indkum pyjama 7elwa?"

"ebtekshekheelina? Nice." Noura rose from the bed.

"I am going to meet Faroos al7een!"

" al7eeeeen? Laysh? Wayn? It's late!" Noura's eyes bulged out.

"kaifii, it's just for a few…minutes, his flight bacher o mara7 ashoofa ella lamma enrid"

" kaifech, kaifech bes please reddai ebser3a 3ashan akhaf eseer shaii"

I laughed. "Eshda3wa his room is the last room in this corridor"

" tara pyjamtich mafeeha shai, don’t change" Shaikha gazed at me.

"thaim! Chinni teenager" my voice was filled with disappointment.

" bel3ax, y3ni 'naturale' eshfeeech"

"What about my hair? My face! Aren't they way too "naturale"? 3la goultich" I mouthed in dismay.

"Remember entai elmafrooth betnameen so naturally you won't be wearing makeup". Shaikha winked.

I was ready in less than thirty minutes; I tied my hair in a neat pony tail and couldn’t help applying some concealar and vanilla flavored lip gloss. I decorated my earlobes with my small pearl earrings, inserted my feet into the hotel's white slippers, took my phone and our room's card and was ready to leave.

"la7tha Noufa nesaitai shai muhim!" Shaikha said in panic.

"sheno?" I looked at her with eyes filled with worry. 

" nesaitai talbiseen a3la ka3ab bil 3alam" she laughed hysterically and Noura joined her.

" Malat. el sharha 3lai elli ma36eetkum wai" I bit my lower lip, trying to hide my grin. My friends were crazy I couldn’t stay angry at them for long.


 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
"7ayallaah" his face lit up when he saw me outside his hotel's room. We both went inside and he closed the door behind us.



"7alaat el banaat walla bil pyjama" his eyes examined me from head to toe.

I blushed. " thank you" I was happy to say the least that we were finally together, alone.

"yesti7oon ba3ad" he grinned. "ta3alai abii hug elli e7iboon ba3ath" he extended his hands out to invite me in. I laughed.

Everything about Faris screamed "Kuwaiti" The way he looked, the way he dressed, talked and behaved. It should be a crime for a man to be that good looking, irresistibly tall and well built. There was an aura of confidence and power around him; He was the type of guy I would marry in a heartbeat.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him deeply. "hmm ree7tich 7elwa" he murmured into my ear while he placed his both arms around my waist.

"you too" I said.

He ran his fingers over my hair for a few seconds and then he pulled away. "tabeen awadeech mukan etsolfeen 3anna 7g refeejatich ba3dain?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

I chuckled. "sheno ya3nii?"

" 3n el3ayara adrii enna you girls etefalsefoon 3la ba3ath eb hal sowalef" he grinned.

" madrii min wayn etyeeb hal sowalef" I grinned back while blushing deeply. "And where is that place you are talking about Mr. Faris?

" come with me, I'll show you" he offered me his hand and I accepted. He took his wallet, a bottle of still water and we left the room hand in hand.

My name is Nouf

Beirut

A gentle, cold January breeze ruffled my hair, leaving a tingly, gentle feeling over my soft face. I ran my fingers through my hair pulling it away from my face and pushed my deep red shade colored lips into a faux pout in an attempt to look hot in front of Faris; the love of my life. "Oh my god he is staring!" I whispered loudly to my two best friends Noura and Shaikha. Noura rolled her eyes and murmured something that I couldn’t pick up to shaikha. "I saw that. tara 3indii 3yoon" I said grudgingly.


" Nouf. Just relax!" Noura suggested boringly.


"She's right, you try so hard, you've known him for a year baby, you must feel comfortable by now? Eshda3wa kil hal khabba" shaikha added.

 "I am comfortable! What's wrong with you girls?! I just want my beauty to strike him just like when we first met" my face turned a dark shade of crimson and I bit my lower lip.


" eshda3wa lal7een mastaw3ab ennich 7elwa" Shaikha raised her left eyebrow.


I rolled my eyes. "shaikho o yahad latet7areshain, ana weyah nenyaz ok? malich she'3il"


She sipped her skimmed hot mochachino, ignoring my latest comment.



This conversation took place many times before this once and I honestly had enough with this subject that I lost the ability to get mad at their mean comments. I didn’t know why my best friends didn’t like my boyfriend or the way I behaved around him. Faris was everything I imagined in my future husband. He was Handsome, wealthy and very sweet and romantic if he was in the mood for it, so naturally I tried my best to keep him comfortable and delighted with me, I didn’t want him to look at any other girl; I wanted him with me forever and I was blindly confident that he will be someday to the point that if someone ever asked me about Faris I would say "no he's not my boyfriend, he's just my future husband".


We were sitting in grand cafe  enjoying our warm cups of coffee and a variety of desert dishes which left untouched except for that vanilla ice cream. The girls watched their figures constantly ; they had acquired a delightfully small appetite and since Faris and his friends were sitting in the table before us I couldn’t take the risk of having one bite in fear of ruining my carefully applied red lipstick.


*Noufty, we are leavin* I received a BBM message from Faris. My face fell with disappointed and I found myself writing him as fast as I could * but it's too soon, laysh? :(*


*el shabab ta3aba benro7 enrayyi7 shwai*



*oh, ok 7abeebii ;* * he read it but didn’t reply.


"kil hal khabba akhir shai begomoon!" Shaikha said while playing with a shiny, small brown curl from the pool of brown curls which was her hair.


" yooh! Y3nii el nas matertaa7? om elsaan!"



" magelt shaii!" shaikha almost screamed. I glared at her grudgingly.


. " el7emdella wishikir, yanaitaw?" Noura finally participated in our small fight.



She was so serious and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter, the girls joined me and we laughed until we cried. The waiter started giving us disapproval looks and that’s when we decided to head back to our hotel.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I shared my hotel room with Shaikha, while Noura stayed in a large suite with her mother and little sister, but it didn’t stop her from spending the entire night with us. We were inseparable me and my two girls. Despite our silly fights and major differences we loved each other as if we were our own biological sisters.


I took off my rhinestone Bibb necklace and stared at my familiar reflection in the mirror. I ran my fingers over my soft cheeks and smoothed my eyebrows. Sometimes I saw myself flawless just like most people would say about me. By general Kuwaiti standards I was considered beyond pretty and always wondered why he rarely comments about the way I looked. Faris wasn’t like the other men I had known, he wasn’t easily impressed and that was what made me desire him even more.



"eshfeech etkhozreen eb 3umrich?" Shaikha said with her mouth full of a snickers bar she had taken from the mini bar across the room.


"Huh? Um nothing" I murmured distractedly.



" wayhech 7azeeen" she stated. " eshda3wa, whats wrong nofooo" she stood up and put her right arm around my shoulder.


My eyes watered out of the sudden but I swallowed hard and tried to hide the pain I felt at my chest. " mafeeni shai 3aadi" my voice broke.



"ashkara Faris is involved" she curled her nose.




" mamalait minna, ebser3a raa7" I said finally letting my tears down.


She sighed "come here baby"

 I placed my head on her lap and sobbed. "God I miss him so much, he left early!"


Shaikha was a typical Kuwaiti beauty. She could manage to be the hottest in a pair of Free City pants and a simple tee with her long brown curls, olive skin and pearly smile. She was effortlessly, heart achingly pretty. And she didn’t do one damn thing to earn it.



She patted my head gently. "Are you sure he misses you as much as you do?"


I pulled my head furiously from under her fingers and straightened myself. "Of course he does! Entail hatha elli fal7a feeh?!"


She chuckled. "I was just trying to solve your problem yal kalba! Khalas then latakhtheen rayey min el asas. Walla!"


"yekoon a7san"



"You do realize that we fight a lot recently because of your "Faris"?" she glared at me.


" entaw 7a6een doobkum o doobi! Getlekum I love him, he's good with me bes marrat madri shloon eseer because he is busy mu 3ashan may7ebnii"


" ashwa ennich entai elly teshtekeen, honey we are just trying to help. lamma ana o Nwair engoolich hal kalam mu ma3nata we don’t want you to be happy! It's totally the opposite, and you are fully aware that your boyfriend emgassir eb 7agich and that… 3yoona zay'3a." she clamped her hand over her mouth as soon as she realized that she gave away too much information. 

"sorry sorry wallaa I couldn’t control my mouth!" she apologized.



I sighed heavily. " Shaikha I trust him, I'm going to take a shower" I stood up and made my way to the bathroom with my BlackBerry in my right hand. I didn’t want to miss Faris if he called while I was busy showering.


When I was done showering I wrapped my head and body with the hotel's, fresh, clean towels and unlocked the bathroom's door. I was ready to make my way out of the bathroom when I  heard Faris's name. I froze.


" qaleel el adaab!  he was staring at me the whole time getlich min theech elmarra, tara khafeef o 3yoona zay'3a!" Noura muttered.


" I know, ana min awwal ma3arfta I noticed the way he looks at girls, o maskeena hal Nouf ga3da wetrage3la, I bet she noticed all that and she's in denial!" shaikha said.
"Even that time when we were having lunch with the girls last month, Taiba said that he  hit on her once, while he was with Nouf!" Noura shook her head.




" Nouf can do much better ! lo bes tesma3 kalamna hal ebnayya"


A chill shot through me. How could they talk about me behind my back? How could my two favorite people in the world say such things about me and Faris? I was starting to think that they were jealous that I got to have an amazing man like him. Screw them. I'll show them that we are deeply in love and that someday not far from today  he will propose. And that we will live happily ever after and nothing will ever stop that.



My phone vibrated in my hand making me jump and Fari's name appeared on the small screen making me forget what I had just heard. oh god I loved him so much.




to be continued...