Masqué Chapter 23

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"Shlounik?" Hessa gave Saif a kind smile but her cat shaped eyes were glaring at me.

"El7amdellah tamam, entay shlounich?" Saif awkwardly replied, his hands nervously clutching his crutches.

"Zeina." Hessa cast her icy eyes over me, sending a message to Saif as to say 'Who is this b*tch?'

"Oh uhm, hathee Khadija." Saif pointed to me. "My college partner, we're doing this project on fishes, on the different kinds of species and whatnot."

Khadija? Was that the only name you could think of? And why the hell did you just lie? Are you trying to cover us up in front of this Hessa? What does she mean to you?


"Oooh." Hessa looked relieved, her smile turned more flirtatious. "3yal yalla ana bakhaleekom. You have my twitter, 9a7?"

"Eee." Saif's eyes kept looking back to me and Hessa.

"La2 la trou7een." I smiled at Hessa genuinely. "I was just leaving anyway."

My insides were fuming with anger but on the outside, a sincere looking smile was intact and I looked as happy as I could possibly fake. I slipped Saif's jacket off of my arms, quickly missing the warmth I felt from the soft cotton material once it was off. I handed it to a shocked looking Saif.

Hessa looked pleased but her eyes were full of jealousy once she caught sight of me wearing Saif's jacket.

"Bye." I gave both of them another fake smile before walking off. Saif called out my name once but I ignored him, he didn't bother chasing me, he had a happy looking Hessa accompanying him.

I drove out of the scientific center angrily, my fingers were digging deep into the rubber material of the Porsche's steering wheel, my knuckles turning white once the blood drained itself out of my hands. I didn't know where I was going, all I knew that I needed to think and be alone.

What was that? Why'd he act as if I was no one when that Hessa approached us? What happened to the words he told me yesterday night? I knew this aquarium day with him was a bad idea, I should have listened to my gut feeling. I ended up driving past the Bidi3 and it caused old memories from the day with Bibi flood back into my head, ruining my mood even further.

Da-la-ling-ling! 

I looked down to my lap where my iPhone was. I read the following:

Saif Al-X: Accept / Decline?

Ugh, I swear I wish I could slap you Saif. 

I ignored the calls, he kept calling, never giving up. He even tried spamming my Whatsapp but I kept ignoring, I wasn't going to chase him. I was so furious, I knew I'd say things that I would regret saying later on, I needed to calm down first.

I decided to drive back to Kuwait University, the day hadn't ended yet and I wanted to catch up on the classes I've missed. I set my iPhone on silent since Saif kept calling. I found a parking space by a tall overgrown tree that created a perfect little umbrella shade for the Porsche.

I walked past the familiar students who had their noses dug deep into their textbooks or their phones. I didn't see Asmaa or her friends so I was grateful. My next class started in 15 minutes and so, I used the time to look for Shamma. I checked all the spots in the university and the university was huge.

By the time I was done, my feet were aching. I couldn't find Shamma anywhere. Was she sick? I dialed her number, ignoring the 9 missed calls from Saif and waited for her to pick up.

No answer.

"Amal?" I heard a voice startle me from behind. I turned around and found one of my professors standing in front of me with a disappointed expression painted over his face. He had bushy eyebrows, a slightly balded head and light honey coloured eyes.

"Professor Gerrard." I gave him a shaky smile, my face growing pale. He was teaching one of the classes I skipped today.

"I didn't see you in class today." He said in a suspicious voice, his mustache moving along with his lips.

"Oh, I felt sick so I came to the university late." I bit down on my bottom lip, which was a habit I did whenever I lied.

"Hope you feel better soon. I didn't see Shamma today either, she missed a lot of my classes. Will you get these notes to her and see if she's willing to attend my future classes?" The professor said sarcastically, handing over a file that was filled with notes Shamma had missed.

She missed a lot of classes? Seriously?

"You can get her address from the reception, I'm hoping you'll do this small task for me as a favor for missing class today." The professor wiggled his eyebrows at me, knowing that I skipped class on purpose.

"Uhm, of course!" I mumbled, watching him walk off once he was done speaking.

I attended the rest of my classes that day and didn't see Saif around the university. I grabbed Shamma's address from the reception desk after giving them the professor's approval letter and then decided to walk back to where my car was parked.

I found Saif standing by the car, he had his back up against the Porsche and his eyes were on the ground. His dark hair was swept to the side to show off his tanned and masculine face. His head quickly shot up once he noticed me approaching the car, his dark eyes felt like prickles being dug into my skin.

"Amal." Saif started but I walked passed him to where the driver seat was. I was about to climb into the car but Saif grabbed my elbow with his gentle fingers, stopping me in my place. Goosebumps filled my arms but I ignored the body's reaction to Saif's touch.

"Let go of me." I said through my gritted teeth.

"Amal, just hear me out awal!" Saif's voice sounded troubled.

"Sorry I thought my name was Khadija?" I gave Saif an icy and sarcastic smile.

"Amal, give me a second to explain." Saif sighed, his eyes searching for mine.

"You have a second." I dumped my Jimmy Choo bag that was filled with textbooks into the Porsche car and turned back around to face Saif, putting as much space between us.

"Hessa kanat kha6eebty." Saif began.

"Shnuuuu?!" My eyes widened in horror. "But you're 18!"

"Exactly, my Dad thought it would be good for me to marry young so I could take over his business and so he could retire early. He didn't want me to teach and since Nawaf was taking medicine, I was his only choice." Saif's expression looked pained.

"W b3dain sh9ar?" My anger melted away slowly as I watched Saif.

"Ma kent abeeha bas ehya bent 3ami.. it was hard to reject her and I lost hope that I'd ever see you again." Saif sighed. "We were engaged for a month but then my Dad saw how miserable I was with the engagement, he finally broke the engagement off for me. He finally understood that I was too young for marriage but he had to lie in order to get me out of the marriage and to not ruin his relationship with his brother."

"Shsawa?" I asked.

"Gal 7ag 3ami ena ana abe akthar men one wife. Hessa 3la6oul ma re'9at w galet ma tabeeny." Saif smirked, causing me to smile at the stupid lie. "W gelnalehom ena ana khe6ebtich."

"WHAT?" I nearly yelled out.

"Haday 9outich Amal." Saif hissed, looking around to check if anyone was listening.

"Why the hell.. what.. shnu!" I stuttered.

"Al7een fahemtay laish ma giltleha esmich el 9ijy?" Saif rolled his eyes at me.

"So now she thinks you're engaged to an Amal Al-X? Me?" I shook my head in disbelief.

"Eee." Saif looked down, grinning like a child. "I don't mind her thinking that."

"Laish y3ne?" I glared at him but my insides were filled with little butterflies, fluttering around in my stomach. Did he like the idea of us being engaged?

"Are you saying you never want to marry me?" Saif suddenly turned serious.

"Don't twist my words." I turned my head to look at the tree next to us.

"Don't avoid my question." Saif challenged me back, his eyes serious and his tone sharp.

"A9lan lazem arou7 al7een a36y Shamma these notes she missed from class." I turned back around to climb into the car but Saif, yet again, grabbed my elbow. I was trying to give him an excuse to leave.

"Hey hey, wein ray7a?" Saif teased, enjoying my sudden rigidness.

"Giltlk barou7 bait Shamma." I huffed, trying to ignore how the sun rays sliced into Saif's eyes, causing his eyes to become lighter under the sun's light.

"Ma ra7 etrou7een brou7ich, bayee m3ach." Saif hobbled to the other side of the car to climb into the passenger's seat.

"Saif." I looked at Saif, sitting comfortably next to me.

"Amal." Saif looked back at me with a grin on his face, trying to imitate my serious voice.

"Fine." I sighed, knowing that Saif was just as stubborn as me. I pulled the address out of my Jimmy Choo bag and handed it over to Saif. Saif read out the address in his deep voice as I drove aimlessly around the roads.

"Hey, ma giltly, laish my fake parents yabouny in Kuwait?" I asked randomly to break the silence.

"Omich ma galetlich? They black mailed Khalti Najla to bring you back here, they told her they would go to the police with the proof they found of her kidnapping you if she didn't bring you back to meet your family." Saif smirked at the genius plan my parents had thought up. "Laish, shgaletlich Khalti Najla w rayehlha?"

"Just that it was time to meet the family." My mind drifted off the the first day my fake mother had told me I would be coming to Kuwait.

"Laish el su2al?" Saif asked.

"Madry, it just popped into my mind out of nowhere." I mentally sighed, trying to brush off the old memories of my fake parents and I.

"Salmiya, apartment 6?" Saif read out in a freaked out voice, changing the subject suddenly.

"Shfeeha? Mu kil el nas 3aysheen eb byoute." I defended Shamma.

"La2 mu 8a9di chithe bas this apartment sounds familiar." Saif scratched the back of his head with his fingers, staring at the address, trying to figure out where he saw this address before.

"Weird." I mumbled while taking the road that led me into Salmiya. Saif's eyes kept moving from the road and then back at me, I ignored his gaze and the way it made me feel.

Concentrate Amal, it's just dropping off notes at a friend's house. Don't mess this up.

Saif's eyes were distracting but I managed to park outside the building Shamma lived in without getting lost. It was a tall building that was painted in beige, the glass doors guided us to a small tiny elevator that smelled like french fries.


"Hey, wasn't that A7mad's car outside the building?" Saif finally said once we were crammed inside the tiny elevator.

"Ha?! Wein? Laish ma giltly gabel?" I started to panic. Why would A7mad be here?

"Ma shifta 3adil, don't worry, akeed it's not his car." Saif sounded like he was trying to reassure himself rather than reassuring me. The elevator doors finally sliced open on level 3 after 15 seconds.

The hall ways were covered with a dull shade of grey paint and each door was painted white. We walked to apartment door 6, finding the golden 6 number placed over the door. Before I extended my finger to press the door bell, Saif and I heard a deep voice yell out from the room.

"Entay shfeech ma tifhimeen?!" The deep male voice yelled.

"A-a7mad, please, khala9 I'll do it." A scared Shamma yelped.

"Ana giltlch be friends with Amal, mu g3day bel bait for a whole week!" I heard something fall onto the ground, creating a loud thud.

"I'll g-go to the university tomorrow, I was s-sick." Shamma sobbed.

"Amal, go back to the car." Saif hissed, trying to back me out of the hallways.  

"No." I hissed back. The anger inside me was erupting out of me, I wanted to grab something sharp and dig it into A7mad's cold icy heart.

"Sick? Walla enich dalou3a! Chan zain mitay with your family back in Syria, if it wasn't for me then you wouldn't be here and still alive you little brat. 7mday rabch ena ana yebtich m3ay lel Kuwait when I was in Syria for a business meeting with my father. You're not worthy of being my wife, you skank. You can't even follow one small order!" A7mad was throwing objects at Shamma, I could hear things being thrown around the room and Shamma yell out in fear.

Shamma's A7mad's secret wife?! 


And then suddenly, everything became quiet. All I could hear was the whooshing of the AC that surrounded the halls of the apartment building.

"Amal." Saif's eyes were full of worry as he whispered. "Allah yikhaleech riday ta7at, stay in the car and call the police."

"Ma ra7 akhaleek brou7ik!" I argued, my stubbornness getting the best of me.

In the next second, the white painted door was pulled open and a calm looking A7mad faced Saif and I. A7mad's grin widened once he caught the sight of Saif and I, standing outside the door, eavesdropping.

I looked past A7mad and found Shamma on the floor. Wet, sticky, dark red blood was dripping down from her lips and forehead. Her bloodshot eyes were open, staring right at me and all I could read from her emotions was one thing.

Fear.

"7bebty, shoufay. We have visitors." A7mad's devilish grin became even wider, he bared his sharp teeth at us, his eyes glazing over Saif and I, as if we were his prey.