Masqué Chapter 17

I was still gobsmacked from the conversation I overheard with Asmaa and her friends. One thought kept racing in and out of my head: Who the hell was Thamer and Sultan?

I had to tell Bibi, I had to warn her before she fell into their trap. There were messy green leaves tucked into my hair and my clothes were stained with dirt but I was still hurrying over to the white Porsche Cayenne, my mother's car that the driver was driving.

"Madame, why go home early today? You say you have class till 2pm and it is only 12pm?" The gentle toned driver asked, his dark charcoal eyes curious.

"Oh um, change of plans." I mumbled as I hurried into the car, shutting the door swiftly. He pressed his foot into the pedal and drove off without another word.

Bbbnnngg, bnnng, bnnng!

My iPhone vibrated impatiently in my hands, urging me to look at the screen. My leg was shaking nervously, I was too caught up with wanting to get home as soon as possible, before Asmaa could ever ask Bibi to go out with her.

I looked down at my iPhone and held back my breath as I read the following words:

Saif Al-X mobile: Accept / Decline.

I brushed my finger over the Accept button on my iPhone slowly, my heart beat quickening. I pressed my iPhone against my ear and took a deep breath.

"Aloo? Amoul?" I heard Saif's addictive voice.

"Ahlain." I said nervously, we haven't spoken in a few days and it felt like it was us speaking for the first time all over again.

"Weinich?" Saif asked in a cool tone but I sensed some kind of nervous emotions behind his voice that he was trying his best to cover up.

"On my way home, laish?" I bit my bottom lip, my eyes grazing over the scene outside the window of the Porsche. I was growing used to Kuwait, it wasn't some kind of country to me anymore. It was different now once I regained my memory back. It was home.

"Tigdireen tiyeen bait yaditi? Abe akelmich eb muw'9ou3." Saif sounded distant. "No one's home."

"Ma tigder etgouly 3la eltelephone?" I asked in a curious tone.

"La2, lazem ashoufich." Saif's voice grew quiet. "Al7een."

"Okay.. Naif wadny bait granny." I said to the driver. Naif looked at me curiously but nodded his head, taking a turn and changing lanes so we were now on our way to my Grandmother's instead of my mother's house.

"Call me when you get here." Saif said before hanging up on me. He sounded too serious to be the Saif I knew, my worries grew even more and now they were about Saif instead of Bibi.

I managed to get to my Grandmother's grande house in a few minutes, I hopped out of the car leaving my textbooks and everything else in it. I told Naif to wait outside and I nervously dialed Saif's number once I was standing outside the wide entrance.

"Wi9altay?" Saif said through the phone.

"Eee." I replied. Saif hung up afterwards, without a bye or see you.

I tried rubbing off the dirt that was on my clothes and I fixed my hair, I looked presentable. I heard the door open in the next few seconds, I quickly looked up and found Saif in a sleeveless shirt and beige shorts.

He was holding onto his crutches, his leg and head were still bandaged but he looked better, his bruises were beginning to heal but his recovery was much slower than mine. His eyes were still as dark as they always were, the sun rays shone into them, making them more beautiful to look at and his skin was a bit pale since he was stuck at home all the time, but his dark skin was still illuminating in the skin.

He had a light stubble over his dark skin and his eyes looked worn out, tired and a bit upset.

"Hey." Saif murmured quietly, his voice croaky. He moved to the right, allowing some space for me to walk into the house.

My grandmother's house was still the same, big, polished and it looked untouched but it still had a homey feel to it. It held a lot of memories for me.

"Feek shay Saif?" I asked once I was in the house. I turned to look at him, he was trying to close the door while balancing on his crutches. I took a step closer and extended an arm to shut the door for him, he looked down at me, his eyes boring into mine.

"Ha?" Saif asked, he seemed distracted. His deep gaze never left mine, I caught a whiff of his masculine Abercrombie Fierce perfume.

"Feek shay?" I repeated, my voice barely a whisper.

"La2, laish?" Saif murmured back, his eyes roaming over my face and then making it's way back into my eyes. There was little space between us and it felt like the atmosphere around me was getting warmer.

"Ent gayely fee shay mohim betgouly 3ana.." I was losing my trail of thought as my eyes noticed the small features of his face that I never noticed before. He had a small beauty mark right on the side of his neck, he had a scar that looked years old that was on his earlobe and his eyebrows were more arched than shapeless like his brother Nawaf's eyebrows.

"Mishtaglech Amal." Saif breathed out, his warm breath tickling my cheek. He sounded depressed, his eyes matched his tone of voice. Saif was too close, my back was up against the hard door and his eyes never seemed to want to leave mine.

"Was that it?" I tried changing the subject, I took a step to the left so I could put more space between us but all I could hear was the fast thumping of my heart that took over my ears and chest.

Get a grip Amal.

"No, kent bagoulech shay thane ba3ad." Saif's tone sounded hurt but he covered it up quickly, he took a step away from me, understanding my sudden action.

I looked up at him, his eyes were on the ground, as if he suddenly noticed how much he had done in just a few seconds. He looked ashamed of himself of trying to get too close to me, as if he lost all of his control but regained it back quickly.


All I wanted to do was hug him, to reassure him that I did want this. I did want him but I wanted it in the right way, not the way that we chose to do it in.

"Goul." I mentally sighed, looking away. If I looked at him for a second longer, I would have lost myself and gave him that hug. And I can't do that, we had to face reality here.

"A7mad's friend was the one who was in that car. That's how I knew the car was there on purpose when we had the accident, I saw that car before. And I think A7mad works for your fake Dad, your uncle.." Saif's voice was filled with fury.

"What?" I said, my voice full of shock. My fake parents put A7mad to this? They wanted Saif and I dead?

"Amal, I always asked myself how A7mad got his Lamborghini, his parents would have never gotten him that car. Your fake Dad and his wife probably bought him that car so he could send his friend out to cause that accident. They didn't want you dead, they wanted me dead." Saif looked troubled, he was trying to understand how his Aunt Najla would ever want to see her nephew dead, just so I wouldn't remember. Saif was a threat to my fake parents, but it was too late now, I remembered every last detail of my past life. They couldn't stop us now.

"And A7mad is walking around with a new car while his friend died in that accident." I said to myself slowly, the whole thing dawning in on me. Wasn't it enough that they black mailed my true family? Did they have to get people's lives sacrificed too?

"That friend of his probably knew what he was doing.. Allah ma ri'9a." Saif shook his head in disappointment.

"Saif, is this why you're acting you have amnesia?" I looked up at Saif, trying to push away the tears mentally.

No Amal, be strong, mu wakta tabcheen al7een.

"If A7mad knows I remember what happened in the accident, he'll come after us again Amal. He knows I know that car, he isn't stupid. A7mad will do anything to not ruin his life, trust me Amal, this is better.." Saif looked away, not meeting my gaze.

"How is this better? Having to act like we don't know each other when we remember every second we spent together?" I couldn't hide the feelings I felt anymore, it was all out on the table now. He could see everything, Saif's eyes changed from emotionless to caring. Saif's arm extended for a minute, as if it grab me and hug me but he quickly pulled his arm back, remembering what he couldn't do.

"Lazem engoul 7ag ahalna kilehom, lazem y3rfoun!" I couldn't control my tone, my voice echoed through the house. Saif held up his hands, trying to calm me down.

I heard footsteps approach us and a new voice enter into the conversation.

"Etgoloun shnu? Saif?" I heard Asmaa's voice behind us. I quickly turned around and found Asmaa standing with a suspicious grin on her face.

I checked my watch and noticed that 30 minutes had already passed, giving Asmaa all the time in the world to come back home and plot her plan to destroy Bibi.

And to destroy me next if she overheard Saif and I's conversation.

"Lazem y3rfoun ena Saif's leg is getting worse. Kent yaya asalim 3la yaditiyy bas legeit Saif ga3d bel 9ala." I lied.

"Ana mu sema3t esim okhouy A7mad?" Asmaa asked herself out loud.

"Ha? La2 shaku?" Saif asked quizzically, he took a step away from me, suddenly remembering that he had to act like I was a stranger to him.

It hurt.

We turned from best friends into strangers in a matter of seconds.

"Yalla Saif, time for your medicine." Asmaa fluttered her over mascara-ed eyelashes at Saif, taking a few steps closer so she can grab his arm, ushering him away from me.

I watched Saif try to move away but Asmaa's manicured grip was strong, Saif was forced to leave the living room, leaving me alone.

A piece of me died when he left.

-

"Amal? Fit7aay el bab!" I heard Bibi's voice outside my room.

"Ga3da albes!" I lied. My face was dug deep into my fluffy pillow, replaying the moments I had with Saif. I was in shock about A7mad but the image of Asmaa's hand making contact with Saif's arm kept replaying in my head. I was jealous.

"You said that an hour ago!" Bibi huffed. "Fine."

I heard Bibi walk off, I felt guilty but my body felt too heavy to move. The bed was cradling me in its soft sheets, seducing me to stay on it longer. I kept staring back at my iPhone screen, waiting for word from Saif on Whatsapp but he hadn't said anything. I finally shut off my iPhone, not wanting to see Saif's name on Whatsapp anymore.

I knew Asmaa was crushing on Nawaf but I wouldn't be surprised if I found out she was crushing on Saif too.

I had Maroon 5's "One More Night" on replay on my iPod, my thoughts were elsewhere but I kept telling myself I was forgetting something. I couldn't figure out what it was. I hated that feeling.

"Amal? Shfeech gafla el bab?" I heard Mom outside my room.

"Ga3da albes." I gave the same excuse again.

"Sa3a? Yalla bsr3a! Bibi wein ray7a? Yalla la et6awleen!" I heard my Mom's voice become distant and I heard another door slam shut. It sounded likethe entrance door of the house.

WAIT. BIBI LEFT THE HOUSE?

SULTAN. THAMER. BIBI. ASMAA!

I jumped out of bed, I was still in my casual clothes, my hair up in a ponytail as I hurried over to the door, unlocking it while I had my iPhone and bag in my hands.

I ran as fast as I could to the house entrance and passed by Mom in a second.

"Heeey, wein ray7a?!" Mom called out in a confused tone.

"Makteba!" I said the first thing that came into my head. Once I was outside the house, I couldn't find Naif the driver or Bibi anywhere. The white Porsche Cayenne was missing.

They were already gone.

Bibi was on her way to her doom.

"Amal!" I heard an excited voice. I turned to the left and nearly gasped out in surprise.

Ghalia, my best friend from Switzerland, was standing in front of me, her dark hair was cut shorter into a playful bob and she was holding a duffel bag over her shoulder. She had skinny jeans on and a comfortable looking Hollister shirt over her petite body.

But that wasn't what shocked me.

Fawaz, the guy who was "crushing" on me back in Switzerland in my university, was standing right next to Ghalia with a huge grin over his face, his dimple popping up and his broad shoulders towering over me.

"Missed us?" Fawaz asked playfully.