"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.
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"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.
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.
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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...
