Masqué Chapter 7

Thank you all for the great feedback! I love all of you, even my silent readers. :D Hope you enjoy this chapter. :D

This is going to be a shocking chapter. >:D Mwahaha! And more shocking chapters to come. xo

Dedicated to @basooma_13 :D

-

It's been 5 dreadful days where all my questions were left unanswered. I was avoiding Nawaf in college and Saif was avoiding me. I made sure to also avoid Asmaa and her clique of tight clothes wearing friends, they screamed out 'trouble'.

All I had was Bibi. I didn't even see much of my parents, they're always busy with work. This is new to me, I was used to having a tight relationship with Mom and Dad. Now, it felt like I was all alone.

"Amal, can you wait for a few minutes 3la ma albes?" Bibi asked, we were planning to go to the village to grab dinner.

"Sure, a few minutes? More like an hour." I laughed.

 I was already dressed in my smooth black leather jeans with a tribal patterned shirt that was loose. I had my Chanel bag over my shoulder, my long hair let down and my standard make-up on, which was bronzed blush, mascara, thick winged eyeliner that framed my eyes and nude lipstick that brought more attention to my cupid's bow shaped lips.

"I'll be quick." Bibi pouted, running up to her room, leaving me in the hall alone.

I grabbed my iPhone and started texting Ghalia, asking about her day. I hadn't told Ghalia about the conversation I overheard with my Grandmother and I hadn't told her about Nawaf or Saif. I wished she was next me so I could tell her everything, I needed someone to talk to who I could trust.

I heard a few shouts from the room next to me, those two voices resembled Saif's and Nawaf's. I couldn't stop myself from overhearing their yells, they startled me, causing fear to fill my insides.

"Yal chathab! Al7een a3arif laish gamet t7girny!" The voices boomed out of the thin walls of the house, every word making its way into my ears.

"W entaa shtabi feeha a9lan?!" I heard Nawaf yell.

"Enta ely shtabi feeha?! You were the one who ignored her when we were kids, YOU were the one who didn't let her play with you. I was the one who always stood with her!" Saif replied harshly.

I heard a few things being pushed down to the floor causing thuds of noise. I turned around and hurried over to the door where all the noise was coming from. From all the loud noises, I was guessing that Saif and Nawaf were in a physical fight.

"Give me back the picture, it's not yours!" Saif's voice was loud and filled with anger.

"Shd3wa Saif, kel hatha 3la 9oura w 3la bneya?" Nawaf snickered.

"3a6ny el 9oura wla agoul 7ag Amal kilashay yal 7m-r." Saif threatened.

I took this time to push the door open, ignoring my little voice that told me to keep out of Saif's and Nawaf's business.

Nawaf was standing in front of Saif, his arm trapping Saif. Saif had a bloody nose, his eyes full of fury and anger. Nawaf had a picture in his hand, the same picture of me in the little pink dress I saw him holding that day when I was eaves dropping on him outside his room. Both guys turned around to look at me in shock once she found me staring at them.

"Etgouly shnu Saif?" I asked, my iPhone in my shaky hands. Saif looked over to Nawaf and then back to me.

"Wla shay Amal." Nawaf said, stopping Saif from speaking.

Saif used this chance to push Nawaf off of him, freeing himself. Saif hurried over to me, he did the most surprising thing ever. He grabbed my hand, bring my hand up to his face. I watched his pinky finger wrap around mine.

"W-what are you doing?" I stuttered, my face flushing. Nawaf watched, his nostrils flaring with anger.

"Pinky promise we'll always be best friends." Saif whispered the words, his eyes boring into mine.

-flashback-

 We were in the closet again, we were playing hide and seek. I was afraid of the dark.

"Amal, la etkhafeen. Ana m3ach. Pinky promise!" I felt his little fingers wrap around mine, holding it tightly.

"Saif, why won't Nawaf play with us?" I replied, pouting.

"Because he's big and he thinks he's cooler than us." Saif huffed angrily. 

It was dark but now I could see his face.

It wasn't Nawaf. 

It was Saif all along.

"Legeitkom!" I heard the female voice and the closet doors were pulled open. 

"Amal?!" Saif's voice brought me back to reality. Again, I didn't get a chance to get a look at the woman's face but I got the chance on knowing who the little boy was. And it wasn't Nawaf.

"It's you." I breathed the words out, my eyes widening in shock as I was staring at Saif.

"You remember, you remember!" Saif kept repeating, his face breaking out in a smile.

I looked over to Nawaf in disbelief, the memories of Saif and I playing as little kids flooding back into my head. Saif was the little boy, Saif had those dark eyes when he was a child. He resembled Nawaf in many ways but he had a gentler appearance, Nawaf's appearance were sharper.

"But.. Nawaf knew I sang. He said I used to smell like chocolate chip ice cream.." I recited Nawaf's words.

"And flowers." Saif continued my sentence, his pinky still wrapped around mine. Saif's smile faded away, the anger returning. They were Saif's words, not Nawaf's..

"But why did you tell him ena ana 3nde siwalif? Ohwa ely dafa3 3ani.." I remembered the first day again, when I was in Kuwait and Saif had tried to tell Nawaf I had 'siwalif', as in I had a bad reputation.

"Cus I wanted him to back off, but he didn't. He's a player.. He still went after you and lied to you. Ma 9adag rou7a lema shaf shloun tighayertay, lema kena e9ghar kan ya7girna w faj2a al7een yi7ibich." Saif replied, his tone sounding jealous.

Nawaf stood in silence, his eyes not meeting mine.

"Is this true?" I looked to Nawaf, my trust for him shattering into little pieces.

"You two are unbelievable." Nawaf shook his head, he took a few steps forward, trying to walk past me but I grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Is it true or not?" I repeated the question, my tone cold as ice.

"Eee hatha el 9ij al7een wakhray." Nawaf tore his arm away from my grip, pushing me off so he could walk out of the room.

I was shocked by his behavior. I had judged him wrong all along. He wasn't the sweet guy who had a cold exterior, his cold exterior was as cold as his interior. He was a player alright, and a jerk.


Nawaf had dropped the picture of the little boy and I. Saif crouched down to the ground to grab it, trying to fold it out carefully and iron out the creases with his fingers.

Saif handed the picture to me, I looked at the picture of me in the pink little dress and the little boy with his tongue out. I looked back up and I was dumbfounded.

How could have I not seen this before? Saif had the exact same shaped eyes in the picture, the same dark skin, the same eyes and the same personality as the older Saif that was standing in front of me.

"Bas gilt enik bitkoun doctor lema tikbar.." I said, remembering the old memory of Saif telling me the exact words.

"Kent abe akoun mithil Nawaf bas kebert w al7een 3areft ena bakoun estath w mu doctor. I used to tell Nawaf about you, all the time. That's how he knew about everything, your scent, your looks, that's how we acted to be me..  I missed you Amal, I had to act like I didn't remember you or else.." Saif's eyes were sad and lowered down to the ground.

"Or else what Saif?" I begged him to continue. "Saif, what's going on?"

"I can't tell you." Saif's eyes were torn away from mine. "You still don't remember everything."

"Help me remember." I pleaded, trying to force his eyes to look into mine.

"I wish you were the old Amal I used to know." Saif stated the words while his tone had a trace of pain, he avoided my question.

I was still astonished. All those words Nawaf had told me were fake, he was full of lies. And Saif, who was always there, trying to befriend me, was the little boy all along. I wished I could remember, all I had were these snippets of my memories, they weren't enough to help me remember.

"I'm still her." I whispered back, still holding onto the picture of Saif and I.

"The old Amal hated anything to do with Law and she smiled more often.." Saif looked at me, his nose still dripping with blood with the fight he had with Nawaf.

"How can I smile when there's so much going on? Especially when I don't even know anything about what's going on.. All these secrets and lies, I can't take it anymore." I felt worn out and tired. Everyone around me knew something I didn't, I felt like a doll that was being played and pushed around with. I was defenseless.

I grabbed a tissue from the tissue box on the table next to me and used it to dab at Saif's bloody nose.

"You're bleeding." I sighed, carefully trying to clean his nose up without hurting him.

"Seeing you walk around and not knowing who I am is a lot more painful than this bloody nose." Saif's eyes wouldn't meet mine again. I felt a little piece of my heart break as I watched Saif's sadness increase. I ignored his words and went back to cleaning up his nose.

"Is Dalia really your ex?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"No." Saif grinned.

"Then why'd you say she was?" I was still cleaning up his bloody nose, I noticed a few drops of blood over his A&F shirt.

"I needed an excuse to want you back then. It's kind of creepy to go up to a girl you met for a few days and ask her out you know. And I couldn't tell you that I knew you for years." Saif's shoulders were sagging, showing the pain he had went through.

"You're full of surprises." I laughed softly, finally done with leaning up his nose. Saif took a step closer, closing the space between us. I felt the air become hotter aorund us and the atmosphere was even more tense than it was when I was alone with Nawaf a few days ago.

"And there are more surprises to come Amal." Saif's words were said in a serious tone, causing my heart to gallop inside my chest.

"Like what?" I challenged him.

"Like.."

"Amal! Yalla I'm done." I heard Bibi's voice, she cut off Saif's words.

Saif quickly took a step away from me once he noticed Bibi standing behind us.

I turned around and hid the bloody tissues behind my back. I felt Saif's fingers brush over mine, taking the bloody tissues away from my hands which were hidden behind my back. His skin was soft and gentle.

"Yalla." I took a huge breath, catching the scent of Saif's D&G men perfume. I gave Saif one last glance before having to walk away.

I wished I had more time with him, he wasn't the Saif I met on the first day. He was the little boy who cared about me, who had been there for me in our young years. I saw in a different light now.

I noticed a little note in the pocket of my Chanel bag while I was walking towards the entrance of the house behind Bibi.

There was a bloody finger print over the little note and that gave me the hint that the note was from Saif, he must have slipped it into my bag when I had my back to him.

I was eager to open the note, wanting to see what was written in it.