*This is dedicated to birthday girl @MariamAlN, happy late birthday!:*
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I was so absorbed into looking for the credit card that I didn't notice someone else was waiting impatiently behind me.
"E7m."
I turned around to shoot an annoyed expression at the impatient customer. I gulped once I noticed that the impatient customer was M7md. Shaikha was standing behind him, with a nervous expression on her face.
"Huh.." I looked at Shaikha and M7md. There was something going on. M7md was holding the same Chanel perfume in his hand and Shaikha had a Gucci gift bag in her big Louis Vuitton tote bag. When Shaikha noticed how I caught the sight of her Gucci gift bag tucked in her tote, she pushed the gift bag further into her bag to hide it.
"Ahlaaaain Shoug! I missed youu," Shaikha pulled me in for a hug. Shaikha had her hair straightened and she had a lot of make up on. Even her dress was a bit too short, even for her.
I caught a whiff of M7md's strong cologne and I noticed how his shirt was hugging his muscles, showing them off. M7md never wore those kinds of shirts, he used to make fun of the guys who did, saying they looked huge.
Okay. Seriously. This is weird.
"Uhm, halla. What are you doing here?" I hugged Shaikha awkwardly, hiding away my perfume after seeing that M7md was probably choosing the same gift for Shaikha's birthday.
"Uhm.." Shaikha stuttered.
"Kent ga3d adawrleha shay 7lu chan ashoufha titsawag in Bayan for Cok-"
"Kent ga3da adawr new make-up." Shaikha said at the same time M7md spoke. Both of them were creating excuses and both excuses seemed different than the other one.
"Uhm, 8a9di.." M7md quickly tried to change his words. M7md rubbed the palm of his hands against his shorts, I could see sweat stains. M7md was nervous. He was lying.
"Ohhhh, shift Shaikha w ehya ga3da tishtiry make-up w ehya galetlik enha neset el Coke 7ag el zwara. Fahemt fahemt," I said. Shaikha and M7md looked relaxed and they started nodding.
"Eeeh, bil'9ab6!" Shaikha and M7md exclaimed.
"Oh and I'm getting Shaikha that perfume, get her something else." I paid for the Chanel perfume and grabbed M7md's same perfume out of his hands. I had a feeling that there were a lot of things going on with M7md and Shaikha that I never knew about.
And I wasn't about to snoop into his business and I hoped M7md would do the same thing for me. Yeah right..
A girl can hope, right?
"Yalla, see you at Granny's." I gave both of them a big fake smile before leaving the cosmetics store. They returned the smiles but I could see how forced their smiles were.
"7bebty laish 6aweltay?" Mom asked once I was back in the car. I couldn't tell her I just saw M7md with Shaikha, but I didn't think she'd do anything about it if she knew that M7md was out with a girl. (If she heard that I simply asked a cute guy for directions she'd chop my head off. -.-)
However, Shaikha wasn't just some girl. She was my cousin. I wasn't about to be the one to get her into trouble.
"Uhm, kent ga3da adawr 3i6r 7lu 7ag Shayoukh. Sorry 6awelt." I bite my bottom lip, trying to sound convincing.
"Ya7leiliich." Mom smiled at me.
We arrived at Gran's house and we ended up being the first people there.
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzzz!
"Shoug, telephonich." Mom gave me a suspicious look before entering Gran's house before me. I quickly pulled my blackberry out once Mom was out of the way and I scrolled down my blackberry chat list, to find the person who was pinging me.
Out/S3ood Al-X:
PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!Out/S3ood Al-X:
I see you!
Wait, what?!
Shoug Al-X:
Where?!
I kept turning around, looking for a tall guy with adorable dimples. Suddenly, a big insect looking black thing was thrown at my face. I screamed and tried hitting the black thing away.
"UMBEY. GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!" I screeched.
I ended up slapping my own cheek but I finally caught the black thing.
It was a plastic cockroach.
I heard someone's familiar chuckling. I turned to the side to find S3ood and Jassim, laughing their butts off.
"AAAHHH!" Jassim imitated my scream, making it sound even girlier and high pitched.
"Umbaaaiih, get it awff meeeh!" S3ood continued the imitation.
"F-ck you." I glared at both of them. Inside I wanted to laugh my butt off too, it was a pretty good prank but I made sure my face was full of anger. S3ood and Jassim stopped laughing and stared at me, looking worried.
"Shoug.." S3ood started.
"Walla.. asif." Jassim looked genuinely sad.
This time, it was my turn to laugh at them.
"Fffh Shoug! Khara3teeny!" S3ood complained. Jassim smacked my arm playfully but S3ood's eyes were full of jealousy once he saw Jassim's hand touch my arm. Jassim lingered his hand over my arm for a few more seconds before letting go of me.
"Jassim." S3ood's tone turned serious.
"Loosen up," Jassim bumped S3ood's shoulder, trying to joke around. S3ood stormed off, passing me and Jassim, walking towards Gran's diwanya.
"Shd3wa.." Jassim looked confused, he looked at me and slowly, I could see that he understood why S3ood was mad.
"Shoug-" Jassim was about to ask something about S3ood but Faisal approached us, cutting Jassim off.
"Hey, laish ga3deen bara chithe? Fffh 7ar!" Faisal, Shaikha's 21 year old brother, patted Jassim's back, motioning him to follow him into the diwanya. Faisal's forehead was dotted with sweat and he was breathing heavily.
"Faisal, ta3al.. shfeek?" I stopped Faisal and looked closely at his eyes. His pupils were dilated and red. His chest was heaving, it was as if he had been running for hours.
"La la, ma feene shay. Bs el jaw khayis!" Faisal passed me, avoiding my suspicious questions. Khalid kept laughing hysterically at whatever Jassim was saying. Khalid seemed too hyper, in a weird way.
Stop it Shoug, you always over think everything.
I shook my thoughts away before entering Gran's house, greeting Gran herself with 3 kisses. Two one her cheeks and one on her forehead. Non of the other aunts or uncles were there yet so I made my way to the other room, where my cousins and I would usually hang out. I found Shaikha was sitting on one of the couches, staring at her blackberry screen. Non of the cousins were here either.
"Happy birthdaay to you, happy birthdaaaay to you, happy birthday to Shayoukhaaaaa." I sang. Shaikha lifted her head up but then, I suddenly stopped singing. Her eyes were red and they were full of tears.
"Shayoukh, shfeech?!" I quickly approached her, sitting next to her on the couch.
"Ma feene shay," Shaikha sniffed, dabbing at her tears with a tissue so she wouldn't ruin her make up.
"La etchathbeen, gouleely shfeech al7een."
"Shoug, you're too young for this. Ma feene shay, khala9." Shaikha left my side by standing up and walking out of the room.
What just happened?
I had a gut feeling that said that I should follow Shaikha. I listened to that gut feeling and followed Shaikha. Shaikha was hurrying outside to the diwanya, where some of the guy cousins were sitting with their friends.
Shaikha entered the diwanya while I was following closely behind, I looked into one of the diwanya's windows once she was inside. I could hear Shaikha's words, even through the walls.
"T3al, bakelmik!" Shaikha hissed, grabbing her brother Faisal by his arm.
"Shnuuuuuwww," Faisal complained. He followed her and it seemed like they were heading my way.
Hiiide, now!
I hurried outside the gate and pressed my back against it. My Gran's house had a seperate diwanya building right next to the house and there were two entrances, the gate at the front and the gate at the back, which was right next to the diwanya.
"Shfeek enta?!" Shaikha whispered.
"Shnuuuuuwww," Faisal repeated.
"You had to get drunk on my birthday?!" Shaikha's voice was getting louder. I could hear every single word.
"Hey hey, shtabeen? Ana okhouch el ekbeer, ta7achay 3adil!" Faisal's voice was getting even louder, he sounded dangerous.
"Enta mu okhouy! I don't know you anymore!" I could hear Shaikha crying, her voice full of pain. I heard Shaikha yell out in pain. My heart started to race, what was happening?!
You just had to get into people's business Shoug..
"Wakhir 3ani!" Shaikha begged.
"Laaa2! Whatever I do with my friends when we travel is non of your business, ya wailich etha giltayy shay 7ag omy. Fahamtay?!" Faisal's voice was all over the place, I could hear the alcohol in his voice now. That was what was wrong with him when I first saw him with Jassim.
But wait.. his friends? Did he mean Khalid and M7md did the same whenever they traveled together..?
My thoughts were interrupted once I heard a large bang. The gate behind me started to shake, something was hit against the gate behind me. I heard a door slam and I guessed that Faisal went back into the diwnaya. I could hear Shaikha's wails, she was sobbing.
I got out of my hiding place and entered through the gates to where Shaikha was.
Oh my god..
Shaikha's body was sprawled on the ground. I crouched down to the ground to get a better view of her, I found multiple bruises on her face. There were drops of blood oozing from her cheek, where Faisal had hit her.
"Shaikha.. oh my god, Shaikha.." I started to panic, I ripped a piece of fabric from my shirt and started to press it against her bleeding cheek. Shaikha winced in pain.
"Shoug.. I didn't want you to see this. Please, la tgouleen 7ag a7ad.." Shaikha's eyes were begging me to keep her secret.
"Bs Shaikha.. he hurt you.." I started to tear up once I saw her pained face, her bruises and her tears, mixing in with her blood.
"Promise me you won't tell anyone!" Shaikha pleaded.
"I p-promise!"
I heard the diwanya door open and I automatically turned around.
"Allaaah, Shoug? Shimsawyaa ga3da m3a Shaikha?" Faisal grinned, his words were slurred. His eyes looked down at my ripped shirt that exposed a bit of my skin at the side of my waist.
"Faisal.. just go, just go!" Shaikha begged, she tried standing up to cover me, her arms cradling me away from Faisal.
"It's rude to leave when we have such a lovely guest here," Faisal widened his grin, aiming the grin at me. His pupils were clearly dilated, I could see it now. The alcohol was swirling inside him, controlling him while his brain was dead.
And now I knew.
He didn't just sound dangerous.
He even looked dangerous.
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