Le Chase Chapter 39

Happy New Years! I know I'm 4 days late but I only found the time to post now. I hope all of you are starting your 2013 with a smile. I'm sure everyone's wondering, what the hell happened to Thari and Layal over those 3 years? x

Comments are open again! Please leave some feedback about this chapter? Anyone can comment.

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Previously in Chapter 38


-Thari, 3 years later-


"What's wrong with the girls I showed you? Clean reputations, good families and beauty, shtabe akthar besmellah?" My mother aimed her strongly eyeliner-ed eyes at me, her wrinkles in her forehead furrowing in annoyance.

"Mabe shay, yalla meshaina?" I avoided her eyes.

"Walla you're going to regret passing this girl up Thari," she shook her head, her English fluent and she only spoke English when she was super serious.

I regret passing up one girl.

And only that one girl.

-
"Layal."

The voice was quiet, slow and careful. Afraid of hurting me with the softness of their breath. I couldn't open my eyes, I felt stuck and heavy on the bed I was laying on.

"Layal?"

The voice sounded more familiar now. Why did it sound so much like Thari's? No, I've said his name. Here comes the pain now, digging into my back, where my surgery was. Yes, my surgery. My last surgery, I remember now. Why am I thinking about Thari? Why are my eyes still closed?

"LAYAL!"

And just like that, my eyes flew open. I was expecting bright white lights glaring right at my eyes, but instead, my eyes met with it's dear friend; darkness. It was pitch black, the moon cast a soft blanket of light over the bed I was laying in. A bed that smelled of dust and vanilla.

It was my own bed. My own bedroom back in Kuwait. What was I doing here? I looked around but the pain in my back was still there, piercing my skin.

"LAYAL!" The voice scared me, it was from my window. A rock was thrown at my window, scaring me.

Thari. It was his voice. Is this a hallucination? 

"Thari?" I croaked out, my bedroom was on the second floor, I doubt that he could even hear my whisper. The memories flooded back into my head, my surgery was last week, we came back to Kuwait a day ago. How did I forget this? My head felt blank, all of my thoughts scattered around recklessly.

I knew I couldn't move, I felt every pinch of pain whilst I was laying in my bed. I couldn't imagine the pain if I stood up. I reached for my Samsung that laid next to my bed, on the small wooden table. Even if this was me hallucinating Thari's voice, I was going to at least live in it for a few more minutes before I actually woke up.

But if I were hallucinating, wouldn't I think that this was real and not even doubt this?

My head was throbbing from all these questions, I quickly dialled Thari's number, that was still memorised and engraved into my memory like my first name. I could hear the rustling of the trees outside my bedroom and a pair of feet, slowly treading over the grass of our garden. Thari's feet.

"Layal." Thari's deep masculine voice breathed out after he picked up his phone. I remained silent, listening to his patterned breathing, unable to speak.

"Layal, come to the window, laish 9arlech sa3a 7agretny? Please Layal, we can't leave things the way it ended." His voice begged for the sound of mine, I wanted to laugh at his idiocy. He didn't know I just had a surgery, he was left in the dark about everything.

And who's to blame? You, Layal. You left him in the dark, you pushed him away 3 years ago. 

I ignored the little nagging voice at the back of my head but it ached to hear it because I knew every word was true. The memories of that night, 3 years ago, exactly 3 years and 2 months ago as of today, came flooding back...

-3 years ago-

I was back in my hospital bed, in Kuwait. In my first few weeks of being diagnosed with cancer. Thari had just left a few moments ago after I forced him out of my room. My cheeks? Wet with tears. That was the last time I was going to see him, I was sure of it. A part of me was in pain, I willed him to fight harder for me but he didn't, he finally gave up on me, didn't he?

Why wasn't I fighting?

I should fight.

I shoved the tears away from my face, tightened my veil around my head and ripped the wires that connected to my body off of me. I had to stop him, why couldn't I hope for a life with him? Why would cancer stop me now? 

I was on my feet again, already out of my hospital room, heading towards where Thari's cousin's hospital room was. They had colourful balloons and little cards that said "Get well soon Maha!"

I peeked through the door, I saw Maha, his cousin in her hospital bed surrounded with family and thought back to my room. It's loneliness, no cards, no balloons, just a man's Hollister sweater that indicated that my brother slept over in my hospital room from time to time. 

I couldn't find Thari, I hurried away from her room before I realised how lonely my room was compared to hers. The jealousy was kicking in alright. I was going to give up, go back to my room and call it a night but I heard his deep masculine voice. His voice, I would know it anywhere. I followed it but stopped quickly once I reached the hallway, where the elevators were.

He wasn't alone. He was with another young guy, with curly brown hair and an innocent face but a lean athletic build. 

"Fahad laish yait foug?" Thari sounded hesitant.

"6awelt, kent bashouf wein ri7t." Fahad sounded suspicious.

"Ma re7t mukan, yalla khan rou7," Thari looked sideways before trying to usher Fahad to the elevator.

"La2, ri7t 3nd Maha mu 9a7?" Fahad angrily stated, I could see jealousy swimming in his smouldering brown eyes.

"Offh Fahad et7b Maha? Etghar 3leeha?" Thari chuckled, trying to joke around.

"Jawibny."

"Ee ri7t 3ndeha, etshawig mu? Ekberet mashallah, shekly bakh6ibha." Thari's words pierced my heart, he sounded so serious. I took a step backwards. I couldn't see his face to see if he was being serious or not but all I wanted to do was walk away. I've heard enough, I was the one who pushed him away, it was only normal for him to go to his cousin next.

But something hard jabbed at my back and toppled over, it was a nurse holding a tray. The tray fell from her hands, the glasses hitting the floor and breaking into thousands of little pieces. I must have gotten in her way by accident.

I looked up and found Thari, his eyes on me and Fahad's eyes alarmed. Thari looked bewildered, he knew I heard every word because next, his eyes watched the tear on my left cheek fall over. I turned away, apologised to the nurse quickly and hurried back to my hospital room. I locked the door behind me, making sure Thari wouldn't be able to get in after me but my heart secretly hoped that he'd at least try to knock a thousand times to get me to unlock the door.

But he didn't. He didn't call out my name, he didn't do a thing. I had my back to the wooden door, waiting for the footsteps, waiting for his deep soft voice to comfort me, but I got nothing, just the lonely sound of the AC in the hospital room.

The next morning, I made my decision. I wanted to be treated in London and I made sure the flight was booked as soon as possible. I wanted to run away.

And never come back.




"Layal?" His voice caused my thoughts to evaporate, I spaced out and was placed in a body that was 3 years younger than the body I was in now. It was present day again, I was in my bedroom, on the phone with the man I thought I'd never see or hear again.

"I can't," I finally spoke and he sighed at the sound of my voice. I looked up to see the clock that hung over my TV, I could see the time in the dark and it indicated that it was 4 am in the morning.

"Laish?" His voice sounded vulnerable.

"I can't move from my bed, I just had a surgery last week," I bitterly said, still thinking about what he said about his cousin Maha 3 years ago. Shouldn't he be with her now, since he got "engaged" to her?

"Shnu?" He sounded alerted now and scared. But scared of what? Why'd he sound like he was scared about me? Being in pain?

"Are you in pain? Did I hurt you by waking you up? Layal walla asif I didn't know-" He continued rambling on, sounding worried. A piece of me melted, just knowing that he still cares about me but the fact that he was engaged or even married by now made me bitter again. If he was truly married, then why would he be talking to me in this way?

"Enta mu mitzawij? Thari, khale9ny, it's been 3 years shtabe al7een?" The bitterness finally came out.

"Mitzawij?" He asked in a surprised tone.

"Eee, 3yal?"

"Layal, hatha mu raqmch, did you change it?" He changed the subject but it caused me to remember what I did after I waited for Thari to chase me but he didn't, I ended up throwing my phone against the wall out of pure anger and hatred. The floor was ceramic, the phone was ruined, including the memory and phone line inside the mobile. I had to change my number and phone altogether.

"So?"

"Layal I'm single."

"W Maha?"

"Shfeeha Maha?" He sounded confused.

"Do I have to repeat the words I heard you say 3 years ago Thari?" I wanted to let go of the rage I'd kept inside me for 3 years.

"Layal, didn't you check your phone that night?" Thari asked me, surprised.

"Why would I?"

"Mu ma3qoula, 3 years and you never saw the messages I sent you on your phone for nearly a year? I was begging you to forgive me, you ignored all of my messages Layal."

"Shaku!"

"3yal? It was your number, I still have every last message I sent."

"I smashed my phone that night, okay? That's why my number had to get changed."

"Then why didn't you at least text me?"

"Why should I? You're getting engaged to Maha, remember?" I pointed out.

"God, mu em9adig." He took a deep breath.

"Shnu?" I asked, now more curious than angry.

"3 YEARS. 3 YEARS and you still don't know the reason to why I said those words?" He tried to contain the anger.

"You never chased me back to my room," my eyes filled with tears over the passing seconds.

"Fahad, my cousin kan m3ay, ma gidert! Layal kent ga3d atghashmar wyaah, shfeech 9adegtay?! Walla Layal you make me angry." Thari's voice was filled with rage.

"I make YOU angry?" I nearly shouted back at him through the phone, the energy I put in caused me to yelp out in pain from my surgery.

"Layal shfeech, t3wrtay?" Thari quickly asked me, his voice not angry anymore but more worried over my health.

"I should be.. the angry one." I breathed out slowly.

"If you didn't smash your phone, you would have seen my explanation."

"If you chased me back, I wouldn't have smashed it."

"Layal, walla ma a7b Maha! Shfeech 9adegtay bsr3a? Gltlch ma a7bha men gabil, Maha 7sbat ekhty! Fahad y7bha  and I wanted him to confess but the only way to get him to actually say he loves her was to trick him into thinking I wanted to snatch her away from him. He's planning to ask her parents for permission to marry her after he graduates from university." Thari's voice sounded sincere.

"Goul walla," I knew his words were true, I knew his voice too well but I wanted more proof. I couldn't believe it now either, 3 years. 3 long years, over this?

"Walla Layal, walla ma a7bha walla a7bech entay. Galoli ench rije3tay men Germany, galoly kelshay.. yait el mustashfa 3labouna afahmch kelshay after you didn't reply to my message that night 3 years ago but you were already gone. Your twitter was deactivated, you weren't replying to calls or texts, you disappeared. I didn't know where you were Layal, w '9aleit adizlch message kelyoum w agoulch ene asif, w agoulch ene a7bech, bas ma radaitay 3lay. Tadreen shkither I got hurt? I thought you read my messages but you didn't want anything to do with me anymore. And the fact that I read that you had fatal cancer.. I even thought you died." Thari rambled on, letting everything out. I didn't realise I was crying until the tears rolled down to my neck.

"And I thought you were living with your new wife." I laughed through my tears.

"Agder asmi3ch ti'97keen, 3 years 3la hal salfa yi'9a7ik?" He said with a sad smile.

"I don't have cancer anymore, I forced you to leave my life because I didn't want you to be with someone who was going to die. They told me I was going to die, no one told me I had a chance to live. But it wasn't the fact that I was going to die bothered me, what bothered me was that I didn't have a chance with you anymore." I sobbed out, the bitterness melting away from my voice.

"Layal, that's not an excuse to push me away, okay? I would have stayed with you all the way, cancer or without."

"Adre bas ma gidert.. you have a life, you shouldn't pause it because of me."

"After you left, I didn't have a life anymore," he sighed.

"Why?"

"Because you are my life Layal."

"You're mine too."

"La7tha digeega, you don't have cancer anymore?" Thari breathed out, sounding hesitant, as if he wasn't sure if I really did say that or not.

"This was my last surgery, no more cancer..."

"Do you forgive me, Layal? Do you still love me?" Thari quickly said, his words were fast.

"Thari haman ana kent ghal6ana.."

"Jawbeeny, allah yekhaleech bas jawbay."

"Yes and yes I still love you."

"3 years, every day of those 3 years were worth it just to hear you say I love you to me. I love you too Layal, I've loved you since day one and I'll love you till the last of my days." He sighed, his voice indicating that he was smiling.

"Layal, etha et7beeny, you'll do two things for me." Thari continued speaking, my heart hammering inside my chest to his words. I didn't realise how much I truly missed hearing them till now, I willed the happy tears away to reply to him.

"Shnu?" I hesitantly asked.

"Erta7ay, I need you to be as healthy as you can be again," he whispered.

"And?"

"Wait."

"Wait for what?" I asked, curious.

"You'll see. Just wait Layal, I love you."

And with that, he ended the phone call before I could ask any more questions.