Masqué Chapter 14

I got some bad AND good feedback from the last chapter, now would you really think I'd end it that way? Think again, there's more to the story. ;) Hope you enjoy this chapter, if anything is confusing, just mention me on @vieblogue and I'll explain. :D

Thank you for reading my story and commenting!:*

Dedicated to: @Jawaher_DK ♥

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It's been 5 dreadful days. I've been stuck in this hospital room, connected to this stupid oxygen supply. I couldn't see Saif, he was under intensive care because of his numerous cuts and bruises.

I was lucky enough to not have injured my head because I had my seat belt on. To me, it wasn't luck. Even though everyone kept repeating "el7emdellah you're so lucky!"

 I had to bear the pain from my chest, not because of the car accident, but because of Saif's loss of memory and how he had to go through surgeries that I didn't have to do.

My true parents would visit me everyday, trying to cheer me up but it was no use. Bibi would always visit me after she was done with her homework, Turki would tell me about his day. They were all trying to make up for the 13 years I missed with them.

"Amal, they tricked your father into signing a legal contract that he didn't know what was about. Your father didn't know that the contract was an illegal contract that could have ruined your father's business. They blackmailed us, they told us they would take that contract to the police as proof that we stole money from your uncle's company. We never did such a thing, it was all a trick just so they could get us to sign the adoption papers for you." My mother had said on one of the days she visited me on.

"Khalti Najla and her husband did that?" I replied in shock.

"Eee.. Khaltich Najla maree'9a, feeha shay.. You were my first baby w ehya kanet etghar. She couldn't bear children, she'd always tell me she wanted a girl just like you. With your skin, eyes and hair." My mother said, her fingers combing back my long hair.

"W al7een shloun? Wein el awrag? They're still legally my parents.." I sighed.

"Binakhith'hom akeed! We have proof that they tricked us, one of the men in the office that day had recorded a conversation between Najla and her husband Omar. We'll use that to blackmail them back and then finally, you'll be legally mine again." My mom smiled, her eyes crinkling with soft wrinkles that embraced her luminous tanned skin.

"Entay bas erta7ay w la et7ateen, okay? We have it under control." Mom squeezed my hand in hers, reassuring me. I let my thoughts overtake me again, trying to ignore the chest pain I felt every second of the day.

What I was only missing was making up for the 5 days I missed with Saif. Did he feel this way when he saw me walking around, not remembering any of our memories?

Was it this painful? He had to bear all this pain for years and the days I was around him. I truly understood how it felt now.

It felt like sh*t.

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-SAIF'S POV (Point of view)-

"Saif 7bebe, shouf, hatha lema kent 4 w kent ga3d m3a bent khaltek Amal. Kena eb Mcdonalds, yem el ba7ar." Mom said, she was holding out a picture of Amal and I on the sand. Behind us were our other cousins and Amal's parents.

I stared long and hard at the picture, smiling mentally at the picture of little Amal. Her hair was a lot shorter but it was still the sweet caramel brown it is today. I had to act like I didn't remember anything.

But in fact. I remembered everything.

It was hard to act like I lost my memory around my family but I had to do it in order to protect Amal's life.

That car, that sped in front of us, didn't "accidentally" drive into mine. It purposely was there. That car accident was caused on purpose to kill Amal and I. And I knew exactly who would send out someone to do such a thing.

"Aha, okay." I said in an emotionless voice. It hurt to trick my parents and my brother Nawaf, but someone in this room was caused the car accident. The pain I felt was more painful than all of these cuts and bruises put altogether.

Was it Amal's fake parents? My family? Nawaf? His friends? It was someone related to me, I could feel it in my gut. If only I could remember where I saw that car..

Someone was after us. Someone didn't want Amal to remember.

If they thought I lost my memory, then they wouldn't try to tear Amal and I apart anymore. They'd think I would be uninterested anymore and that I'd stop helping Amal remember. It was painful to watch Amal's expression as she heard me say "Who are you?" 5 days ago.

All I wanted to do was grab her hand and reassure her that I remembered every second I spent with her. That I wouldn't ever forget how it felt to love her for all those years.

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-AMAL's POV (Point of view)-

I was finally able to leave the hospital after a few weeks had passed. I didn't see much of my fake "parents", they were good at disappearing.

I still couldn't see Saif and his siblings were always around him. I ignored everyone's warnings about taking another week off, I needed to go back to KU (Kuwait University) and catch up on all the work I've missed.

I needed to keep myself busy.

"Amal, akeed btdawmeen elyoum?" Mom asked me worriedly. I was already in my sweatpants and a loose Abercrombie t-shirt. My chest was still bandaged, I had several pills to take each day and my leg was full of bruises, I wasn't about to wear something fitting or tight. My hair was up in a messy ponytail and I only had mascara on with bronzed blush to make up for my pale complexion.

I texted Ghalia the other day and told her about everything. She was just as shocked as I was. She promised she would visit Kuwait soon to check up on me, in Switzerland, they had a week off because of a national thing.

"Ee yuma, la t7ateen ma feene shay." I replied sadly. I was still depressed over the situation with Saif, I missed him and I wasn't strong enough to act like everything was okay.

"Okay bas ma ra7 etsougeen! Sayigna biyakhthich." Mom crossed her arms over her chest. She was in her loose summer dress with a long sleeved shirt under it and a 7jab was wrapped around her angular face. She was an English teacher at a government high school.

"Enshallah." I gave her a peck at the cheek before leaving the house with a chocolate cupcake in hand. I was getting used to living with my true family, it felt like home again.

Switzerland only reminded me of the lies I lived in the past, it wasn't the relaxing country I'd lived in all my life anymore, Kuwait was my country now and I loved it a whole lot more.

I was walking towards the entrance door so I could leave the house, while I was shutting the door behind me, walking backwards towards the parking area of the house, I nearly bumped into a tall figure as I was too absorbed with my thoughts.

I was clumsy as hell.

"A-asfa." I stuttered, guessing it was Nawaf or any of my other guy cousins, like A7mad (Asmaa's brother).

I looked up to find Saif with crutches, his leg was in a cast and he still had a bandage around his head. His eyes looked friendly yet his expression remained emotionless. His hair had gotten a lot longer than the last time I saw him but he looked adorable, his soft hair sticking out of his navy cap which was put over his head backwards.

He was wearing loose sweatpants and a shirt that hugged his toned body, I could see the bandages through his white shirt.

"La2 3adi. Amoul-I mean, Amal, right?" He asked, he stuttered at first but covered it up after a few seconds.

Did I tell him my name? His family must have told him?

There was mischief behind those dark eyes of his, like he was keeping a secret. And Amoul? Since when did he nickname me if he lost his memory?

"Uhm, yeah.." I said awkwardly. "You still don't remember, do you?"

"La2.. I don't." He sighed but his eyes crinkled up and his mouth was itching for a smile.

He was lying!

It was all over his face, I've known him for 18 years, he couldn't hide a thing from me.

Whenever we were kids, if we found out the other person was keeping a secret, we would give each other a little handshake. It was a little ritual we did all the time whenever one of our parents were keeping the cookies away from us and the other person knew where the cookies were being hidden in.

Because, you know, we couldn't say "Oh, I found the cookies in the cupboard!" or "Legeit el 7alaw eb dar obouk!" when our parents were nearby.

I smiled to myself as I extended my hand to his, he stared at my hand and took it awkwardly. I bumped his knuckles with mine before giving him a little high five.

Saif half gasped as he watched me do the handshake. His eyes slowly turned up to find mine.

"You remember." Saif breathed out, still in shock. "...everything."

"And you never lost your memory, you little creep!" My smile melted away and I smacked his unbruised arm lightly.

"Shhhhh! La etkhaleen Nawaf yismi3ich." Saif whispered, his hot breath tickling my cheek. I looked behind him and Nawaf was unloading his Range Rover car with Saif's things. His parents were in the car, discussing something that they didn't want us to hear.

"Laish chathebt? Do you know how painful it was?" I looked up at Saif, the playfulness of the atmosphere dissolving. My eyes were full of tears, but I was happy again, he truly did come back for me.

"Love's painful." Saif half smirked, trying to joke around. "But you remember! Everything!" Saif was excited, if he didn't have a cast covering his leg, he would have probably jumped up and down.

"Ma yi'9a7ik, zain?" I crossed my arms over my chest, wincing a bit once I felt a little pain erupt out of it. It was hard not to laugh or smile at his adorable behavior.

"Enzain khala9 asif bas walla ma saweit'ha as a prank. I did it to protect you." Saif's tone turned serious.

"From what?" My forehead furrowed in confusion as I looked up at him. I caught a whiff of his manly perfume, it made my heart flip, twist and do the boogie dance in my chest.

"The accident wasn't an accident, someone hit us with that car on purpose." Saif's eyes filled with anger.

"Shdarak eb hal shay?" I asked in a gobsmacked tone.

"L2ena I was driving perfectly. Then a car came out of nowhere and that car looked too familiar!" Saif tried to calm his anger but failed.

"Who would do that?" My hands were shaking.

I heard someone open the door behind me. I turned quickly and found A7mad, Asmaa's older brother leave the house.

"Ahh, radeit? 7amdellah 3la salama, ma tithkirny? Ana wild khalik A7mad?" A7mad gave a grin to Saif, patting Saif's back gently.

"Um, la2 asif. Allah yisalmik." Saif replied coldly, trying to act like he had amnesia again.

"Oooh Amal, shlounich?" A7mad gave me a wide grin once he noticed me, his arm loosely slinging around my shoulder. I felt Saif's jealous eyes burn into A7mad's arm which was touching my shoulder.

"El7amdellah zeina, enta?" I asked politely.

"Tamam, yalla ana barou7 al7een waray jam3a. Bye." A7mad smirked at Saif's jealous gaze, he pulled his arm off my shoulder and made his way to the long line of cars, stopping in front of his.

"Wakhray 3ana Amal." Saif hissed.

"Laish?" I asked confused. "Saif, tara etha enta etghar-"

"Eee aghar! Bas mu bas chithe Amal, it was A7mad who caused the accident." Saif's eyes were still of anger and jealousy.

What?