She took in a deep breath as soon as she entered the sanctuary of her car; away from her friend's concerned gaze and away from him. How is possible that after all these years he was still capable of driving her heart crazy? She walked in to that room determined to make him pay for all the pain that he had caused her, but the look in his eyes, the concern, the way he said her name, all conspired against her, even her heart was no longer her ally, beating furiously against her ribs.
She shook her head, tears stinging her eyes, but he has to pay, he has to make it up to her. It wasn't fair that he gets away with the betrayal. She will show him, she thought as she headed back home.
She woke up early the next morning, step one is to show him what he had been missing all those years. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she carefully lined her eyes, and applied mascara to her long lashes, he was never one for make up, and she wasn't either, so she made sure she kept her make up simple. Now that she was back home dressing up would be more difficult since she would be wearing an abaya at all times, but that just meant that she had to focus on the details, a delicate bracelet on her slim wrists, the red sole of her Louboutin stilletos, and a hint of oud would do the trick. She studied her reflection one more time before leaving her room, satisfied with the results of her efforts.
He stood in his usual spot waiting for her, the lit cigarette diminishing between his fingers as he absent mindedly drew breath after another from it; so what do friends do? he thought to himself, as his eyes focused on her car slowly driving into the parking lot. He watched her as her car slowed down to a halt and she adjusted her shaila before she left her car.
She saw him from the corner of her eye as he watched her from his usual spot, she took in his tall form, from the frown on his forehead to his pursed lips on his cigarette, and the way he stood, relaxed and confident under the striking sun. She took her time studying him as she pretended to adjust her shaila, she wanted to make sure that he saw her as she made her exit from the car, she slowly stepped out of the car and smiled in his direction, she could see that he didn't expect that as he slowly smiled back at her,
"Good morning" she called out to him as she walked towards the entrance,
"Good morning," he replied, throwing his now burnt out cigarette and walking towards her, "how are you feeling today? You looked pale yesterday" he said, she could sense the concern in his voice, and could feel her knees weakening a little bit.
"Much better il7imdilla" she said forcing her self to smile and trying to calm her speeding heart rate.
"Il7imdilla" he repeated, "you look much better today, but then again you always look great" he said as his eyes scanned her body, she could feel the blood rushing to her face.
"Thank you, umm.. will you be free later today? I want to go over what I missed, you know, on the project?" she asked
"For you, anytime anywhere" he replied
"Fahad.."
"Labaih"
"I'll see you later" she said and quickly rushed into the building.
She wasn't supposed to feel this way, he should be the one missing her not the other way round!
"Good morning" she called out to him as she walked towards the entrance,
"Good morning," he replied, throwing his now burnt out cigarette and walking towards her, "how are you feeling today? You looked pale yesterday" he said, she could sense the concern in his voice, and could feel her knees weakening a little bit.
"Much better il7imdilla" she said forcing her self to smile and trying to calm her speeding heart rate.
"Il7imdilla" he repeated, "you look much better today, but then again you always look great" he said as his eyes scanned her body, she could feel the blood rushing to her face.
"Thank you, umm.. will you be free later today? I want to go over what I missed, you know, on the project?" she asked
"For you, anytime anywhere" he replied
"Fahad.."
"Labaih"
"I'll see you later" she said and quickly rushed into the building.
She wasn't supposed to feel this way, he should be the one missing her not the other way round!
She walked in to her office to find her friend already there,
"Good morning ya 7ilwa"
"Good morning Manool"
"What was that romantic exchange about?"
"What romantic exchange?" she replied blushing.
"You and Fahad, I saw you Nwaif" she said nudging her friend,
"Nothing.." she sighed and told her friend everything about her plans,
"Ok.. and?" said her friend after she had told her everything that had happened so far,
"Madry Manool, I'm having these weird feelings, where I forget for a moment what happened, and we're back to being me and him, then I remember and he has to feel what I felt, it hurt too much"
"Noufa maybe it's time to forget? Maybe he changed?"
"And what if he didn't? What if I trust him and he breaks my heart again?"
"I guess this is a risk you have to take" she said putting her hand on her friend's shoulder,
"La. I can't, he has to know what he put me through" she said, determined to ignore her feelings and to get to her goal.
"Good morning ya 7ilwa"
"Good morning Manool"
"What was that romantic exchange about?"
"What romantic exchange?" she replied blushing.
"You and Fahad, I saw you Nwaif" she said nudging her friend,
"Nothing.." she sighed and told her friend everything about her plans,
"Ok.. and?" said her friend after she had told her everything that had happened so far,
"Madry Manool, I'm having these weird feelings, where I forget for a moment what happened, and we're back to being me and him, then I remember and he has to feel what I felt, it hurt too much"
"Noufa maybe it's time to forget? Maybe he changed?"
"And what if he didn't? What if I trust him and he breaks my heart again?"
"I guess this is a risk you have to take" she said putting her hand on her friend's shoulder,
"La. I can't, he has to know what he put me through" she said, determined to ignore her feelings and to get to her goal.
He sat at his desk thinking of her, he couldn't help but smile, was it possible that life was finally being good to him and that she was really giving him a second chance? He closed his eyes remembering the way she looked this morning, what he would give to just feel her silky hair between his fingers again.
He opened his eyes as he heard a knock on the door, his smile growing wider as he saw her standing there, with a box of chocolates in her hand.
"Are you busy?" she said walking in to his office and shutting the door behind her,
"Gelt lech, for you anytime, inty tamreen"
"Hehe ma yamer 3alaik 3ado inshallah, here I brought you chocolates, I know how much you love them o maby akoon '6aifa thegeela 3alaik"
"You could never be even if you tried, but thanks for the chocolates" he said taking the box away from her.
"So, shall we go through what I missed?"
"Yeah, I've prepared a few papers, ta3aly hne a7san" he said leading her to the meeting table and pulling a chair out for her, "these are a few documents I want you to go through, tell me what you think" he pulled the chair right next to her and leaned over as she started reading the papers, he stared at her, lost in his thoughts; she could feel his gaze on her, she couldn't concentrate on the words on the paper, so she put the paper down and turned around to face him,
"Fahad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow,
"Ha?" he replied, as if coming out of a trance,
"I can't concentrate!" she said, playfully slapping his hand, he quickly grabbed her extended hand and held on to it, taking it slowly to his lips and kissing the palm of her hand,
"What are you trying to do to me?" he whispered, staring into her eyes, she quickly pulled her hand away from him,
"Fahad! We're at work!"
"I'm sorry, it's just... you drive me crazy, but I'm sorry" he replied, flustered, "please forgive me, ma ra7 a3eedha mara thanya"
"Fahad, we're friends, nothing more, remember?" she asked, with a stern voice, that didn't reflect the turmoil going on inside of her.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry" he whispered, nodding in agreement,
"Anyway, I'll take those papers and will email you my comments later" she said getting up, pretending to be angry, while the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering in every direction, singing a different song.
"Are you busy?" she said walking in to his office and shutting the door behind her,
"Gelt lech, for you anytime, inty tamreen"
"Hehe ma yamer 3alaik 3ado inshallah, here I brought you chocolates, I know how much you love them o maby akoon '6aifa thegeela 3alaik"
"You could never be even if you tried, but thanks for the chocolates" he said taking the box away from her.
"So, shall we go through what I missed?"
"Yeah, I've prepared a few papers, ta3aly hne a7san" he said leading her to the meeting table and pulling a chair out for her, "these are a few documents I want you to go through, tell me what you think" he pulled the chair right next to her and leaned over as she started reading the papers, he stared at her, lost in his thoughts; she could feel his gaze on her, she couldn't concentrate on the words on the paper, so she put the paper down and turned around to face him,
"Fahad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow,
"Ha?" he replied, as if coming out of a trance,
"I can't concentrate!" she said, playfully slapping his hand, he quickly grabbed her extended hand and held on to it, taking it slowly to his lips and kissing the palm of her hand,
"What are you trying to do to me?" he whispered, staring into her eyes, she quickly pulled her hand away from him,
"Fahad! We're at work!"
"I'm sorry, it's just... you drive me crazy, but I'm sorry" he replied, flustered, "please forgive me, ma ra7 a3eedha mara thanya"
"Fahad, we're friends, nothing more, remember?" she asked, with a stern voice, that didn't reflect the turmoil going on inside of her.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry" he whispered, nodding in agreement,
"Anyway, I'll take those papers and will email you my comments later" she said getting up, pretending to be angry, while the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering in every direction, singing a different song.
She got up from her seat and quickly walked out of the office before her knees betrayed her and buckled under her weight, satisfied with her affect on him, she returned to her office with a triumphant smile on her face.
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