Le Chase Chapter 41

Woah, so after chapter 40, I swear to you, OVER 100 DMS/MENTIONS all complaining, or all shocked and pretty much NON of you liked the way I ended it haha.

Non of those mentions or dms changed my mind on how to end this story. I'm a stubborn and evil writer, I will not spoil any of my stories for anyone, not even my closest friends who read my stories. Your wait's been appreciated, you can now finally know what happened after that chapter.

I apologise for being evil, but you gotta admit, it sure as hell keeps the story exciting.

Don't forget to leave your feedback on this chapter on the comments below, haha I love seeing your reactions! Thank you so much for reading my chapters and all the support. x

-

Previously in Chapter 40:


"Oh right, I got the wrong address." I lied, buying me some time. "Funeral Al-X right? Uhm, for the father?"


I knew Layal's father passed away a while ago but I gave her a dumb expression. She looked at me with a confused expression on her face.


"No, Layal Al-X's funeral."

-

"What?" I croaked out, my vision began to blur as I tried to concentrate on what the housekeeper was saying. Did I hear her right? Did she truly say it was Layal, my Layal's funeral? Before she could answer me, the door was cracked open even further and a womanly figured young lady came in view.

"Thari, shitsawe yay ehny?" Layal asked in a surprised tone, she was dressed in all black. Her 3abaya (A'abaya: a dark piece of clothing that's made of a soft material to keep a woman's body hidden) was loosely thrown over her body, I could see traces of her dark dress underneath it. Her face looked energised and healthy, not pale and dead.

"Thari? Are you okay?" Layal looked alarmed, she was staring at my left cheek. I quickly touched the spot she was staring at and found a tear that had sneakily escaped. I brushed it away, awkwardly coughing under my breath. I hadn't realised that my emotions had taken control over me, I also hadn't realised the true meaning of death of a loved one. It felt utterly horrible, those last few seconds. All I could do now was stare at Layal in awe, gratefully and emotionally thanking God inside my heart for keeping Layal alive, for keeping her in this world, for keeping her in front of me for a while longer.

"Layal, who is dis man?" The housekeeper's accent was heavy with Filipino heritage. I wanted to strangle her with my bare hands because of what she said a few moments ago.

"My far away cousin Annie," Layal lied.

"You told me it was Layal's funeral!" I barked at her, anger oozing out of me. I was grateful that Layal had shut the door behind her, so it was only the housekeeper, Layal and I.

"What? You told him it was my funeral?" Layal asked the housekeeper in a shocked tone.

"No I did not say dat," she shook her head in dismay." I said, LAK-AYEL-QWUDH." Her words were muffled and said quickly.

"Huh?" Layal and I asked, our eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"What, you no hear?" She asked, shaking her head in annoyance. She said the words again slowly but the words were still muffled, we couldn't understand a thing but it sounded a lot like "Layal Al-X's funeral" once again.

"Annie, what the heck are you saying?" Layal laughed, finding it amusing but I was still angry. I wasn't over the fact that a few moments ago, I truly believed that my Layal was gone.

"Filipino for no funeral in this house." Annie snapped at us as if we were stupid.

"Annie, we are Arabic, we don't understand your language." Layal shook her head at her. "Sorry Thari, she's new to the house." 

"La7tha, akeed entay 9ej jidamy?" I asked her, I was starting to think that I may have fainted and may be hallucinating that Layal was truly alive. I pinched my left arm, waiting for the sounds of people shouting in my ear to wake up. Annie left Layal and I alone to speak, she hurried inside and closed the front door behind her.

"Haw, shfeek Thari? Ee jidamik! Enta men 9ijik 9adegt'ha?" Layal's red lips formed an 'o'.

"Walla seme3t 'Layal's funeral', walla!" I winced after I pinched myself, clearly I wasn't hallucinating.

"Okay calm down, akeed seme3t ghala6, ehya tagrig bel Filipino wayed, ma tifham wayed 3arabe." Layal gave me a reassuring smile.

"Okay bas ehya galat maku 3aza, bas galetly ena okhouch bel 3aza w entay labsa 3abaya..." I was remembering her words. "Fa shloun al7een etgouly maku 3aza eb baitkom? Mnu mat? Layal 3atham Allah-"

"Thari calm down, wait wait. My brother's in the funeral that's right next to our house but there's no funeral here and I don't know the man who passed away." Layal put her manicured hands up in protest to stop me from rambling on, I was sure she was about to even put a hand over my mouth but she stopped herself from doing so. "W fee 7afla eb baitna, plus how would I go to a funeral with red lipstick and a dress like this?"

Layal let of her A'abaya slightly to show the ends of her dress, her dress was long. It was a maroon colour but it had faint glitter in the material that looked too flashy for a funeral. It flowed loosely down to the ground, not showing the figure of her body but I couldn't help but imagine how she would look like if she was in a wedding dress. She pulled the A'abaya tighter over her, hiding that piece of material that I was staring at.

"So ma7ad mat, ma feech shay and everything's okay?" I sighed, the lump in my throat disappearing. It felt like someone had lifted off a huge car off my chest. Yes, my chest had gotten that heavy.

"Eee la t7aty," Layal smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Al7een lazem ared dakhl gabel ma el banat yila7'9oun, digeega enta laish yaay 3ndena a9lan?"

"Uhm," I scratched the back of my neck, a smile creeping back onto my face. "Awal shay gouleely meta okhouch bekoun bel bait?"

"Mm, everyday from four to six then he goes off to the gym, why?" Layal looked suspicious, I could now notice her party make up and the faint beats of music that was probably coming from the ground floor of Layal's house. 

"Bacher bekoun bel 3aza wela?" I asked, ignoring her question. I took my time to stare at the way her eyelashes effortlessly was curled upwards, her wide eyes gaping into mine. I could see the small features of her face in broad daylight, the little beauty mark over her cheek and the way her nose crinkles ever so slightly every time she smiles. She seemed to notice my stare because I could have sworn I caught her cheeks becoming rosier than usual.

"La2, he'll be home. Now can you tell me what's going on? You know, it's been two months as of today, you should tell me today what's going on and why we didn't talk for so long," she regained her posture, trying to eliminate the shyness in her voice.

"No, that night I talked to you was at 4 am, remember? So that day, doesn't count as two days and so, tomorrow is the official day when it turns into two months and our deal ends," I grinned.

"You're so evil," Layal crossed her slim arms over her waist.

"You mean I'm so smart," I confidently replied, chuckling.

"No, very very evil, even as evil as Satan," Layal fiddled with the soft material of her A'abaya, her eyes peeking up at mine.

"Bas ana a7la mena, mu 9a7?" I continued, causing her to laugh. I enjoyed listening to the sound of her laugh, it was musical and it made my heart feel as light as a feather. I couldn't get enough of it, especially for having to go 3 years and 2 months without listening to it.

"Your ego mu 9ij, you're still evil."

"Laish? Am I evil cus I got you to miss me over those long two months?" My grin widened.

"Shaku," Layal stubbornly answered, lowering her eyes down to her heels that peeked out of the ends of her glittery dress.

"Aa7, you didn't miss me?" I faked a heart broken voice.

"Layal, wein Layal?" A young woman's voice called out from the inside of the house. Layal jolted from her comfortable posture and turned around to hear the voice more clearly.

"I have to go," Layal nervously stuttered in a hushed tone, she quickly turned the knob of the front door and scurried inside, but before she closed the door, she dipped her head out of the house to look at me.

"And yes, I did miss you and yes, enta a7la men Satan eb wayed," she said with a wide gleaming smile before shutting the door behind her, her dress swirling around behind her before I lost a glimpse of her.

I slid out my phone, quickly texting her a last message before I left the grounds of her house.

"And you are the most beautiful blessing my eyes, heart, mind and soul has ever been granted with."

All I needed was that last glimpse of her for my smile to glue itself to my face for the next twenty four hours.

Le Chase Chapter 40

NO MORE FINAL EXAMS! Woooooohoooo! I'm putting my time back into my blog and on the side, gym haha. Clearly this story is ending but I'm still quite unsure about my new story, I know the plot for it, I know I said I'd use true characters but at the same time, it will take me a LOT of time to write about real people I actually don't personally know. So I'm still thinking that over, I might keep it for the summer to write about or change it around? I'm still confused. And don't forget, my next story will be in 100% ENGLISH.

I want to hear my reader's feedback, comment down below please! Thank you for all the feedback, and all the support, you guys know how to make a girl happy, THANK YOU.

Hope you enjoy this chapter, as much as I enjoyed the fact that I finally am done for finals (until the next four months haha).

By the way, this is SHORT, it's a teaser, not a full chapter.

-

Previously in Chapter 39:


"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.

-

It's been exactly two months. It was the hardest two months of my life, after those 3 years without Layal. I've forced myself to not talk to or see Layal in these two months on purpose. I had a surprise for her, I message her, making sure she knew that these two months would be off limits and that she had to stay as patient as possible. 

I had a feeling she already found out what I had in plan for her. 

Marriage.

My heart was hammering inside my chest with excitement. Today was the day. The day where I was going to officially go to her house and ask her brother for Layal's hand in marriage. I made sure my mother stayed out of this, she was ecstatic once she heard I finally wanted to settle down with a girl, she wanted to be the one to arrange everything. Even before Layal had officially said yes, my mother wanted to start the wedding arrangements. My mother was that excited.

I tore my eyes off of the grey stone ground I was staring at and pulled my eyes to the white painted front door of Layal's house. I pressed my thumb against the cold plastic doorbell, impatiently waiting for someone to answer the door. For some reason, Layal's house was packed with cars everywhere. I didn't understand why, I was assuming maybe her brother had a "dewaneyah" night at his place. (Dewaneyah night: when the men in the family invite over their friends or relatives just to play cards, eat a feast or just hang out in their "diwan", a separate building or a separate large room just for them. It's simply a guy's night, no girls allowed.)

I knocked again, I heard murmuring voices in the house yet no one answered me. I nervously smelled my 'deshdasha' (a white traditional piece of clothing for Arabian Muslim men), it smelled of expensive strong cologne I sprayed earlier. It still clung to the white smooth fabric of my deshdasha. My buzz cut had gotten longer, I had my wavy hair slightly gelled back formally.

Only a few minutes from now, I will finally be engaged to Layal.

"Salam 3laikom," a voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up and found a house keeper. It wasn't Layal's house keeper that I've met ages ago, it was a new one, with a younger face with her hair put back into a bun. Her Arabic was broken, it was iced with a Filipino accent.

"3leikom elsalam, wein Abdulra7man Al-X?" I asked eagerly with a huge smile on my face, I could barely see who was inside the house but my ear heard multiple voices, murmuring in the background.

"Not here sir, are you here for the funeral? The men's funeral is not here sir, I think you got the wrong address," her words stung me, funeral? She stepped to the side, allowing me to catch a glimpse of what was behind her. It was a group of women in 3abayas, their eyes rimmed with redness from the tears that fell. The atmosphere of the house was heavy, it depressed me to watch them but I was curious on why there was a funeral inside the house.

"Oh right, I got the wrong address." I lied, buying me some time. "Funeral Al-X right? Uhm, for the father?"

I knew Layal's father passed away a while ago but I gave her a dumb expression. She looked at me with a confused expression on her face.

"No, Layal Al-X's funeral."

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.

-



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.

Le Chase Chapter 38

I know it's been a while, honestly I know! I wasn't even going to post this chapter but I felt dreadful for not posting anything, this has been the longest time I haven't used my blog for (probably). I said it wouldn't hurt to use an hour for a post, but this is just a small chapter before my finals start to keep you readers going. I hope everyone's doing well with school/university or even work, whatever all of you are up to. Allah yiwafigkom! :D x

Warning, this is a mysterious and SMALL chapter nyahaha. 

-


Previously in Chapter 37:


And without another word, I left her room, just as she wished. I agreed to leaving the room. But I didn't agree to anything else. I hurried over to the reception desk, where the nurses where.

"Can I see the results of patient Layal Al-X?" I asked, trying to look casual. The nurse sat behind the desk, her dark Indian skin was covered with a white plain uniform, her dark eyes suspecting me.

"Uhm, is that patient 651?" She looked hesitant, looking around for the papers. "Sorry I'm new, are you the brother?"

"Yeah, Abdulra7man." I lied, thanking God that she was new and didn't see Layal's brother already. She typed feverishly on the keyboard, not bothering to even ask for my ID. She printed the papers out and handed me a copy.

"Thanks Linda," I read her name tag, giving her a kind smile. She was young, she blushed and gave me a warm smile back. I hurried over to the elevators, as I waited for one, I looked over the papers.

I didn't understand anything from the papers, but two words caught my attention and those two words were enough to tell me what was wrong with Layal.

"Fatal cancer."

-

3 years later..

"Layal, squeeze closer to your brother!" The nurse's friendly voice cooed, her young eyes staring at my brother admiringly. Her chestnut hair was put up into a bob but her dimples would appear as soon as she saw my brother come into the hospital to visit me. My brother, Abdulra7man, squeezed me in closer with his strong arm, my body weakly surrendered and my forearm rested over his chest.

"Say cheese!" Jackie, the nurse called out before clicking Abdulra7man's Sony camera, the flash blinded my eyes momentarily as I heard the small click.

"Are you guys excited? It's your last surgery Layal." Jackie hid her sadness of the fact that it would also be the last time she would see my brother. I gave her a weak smile, I seemed to have too many surgeries, too many types of medicines to really keep count. All I knew was after this surgery, the cancer would finally be gone. I'd finally be free of it, there was always the fact that the cancer could grow back and infect me but knowing that still for a period of time I'd be cancer-free, made me happy.

"And then if everything goes as planned, we can finally go back home." 7amany, my brother whispered in my ear. The dreary smell of meds lingered in the air in my all white hospital room in Germany. I'd grown used to my old hospital room in Britain, at least it had more colours but Germany's medical team was what I truly needed for my health.

"Enshallah." I murmured, feeling a slight ache in my chest once the memories of Kuwait came flooding back into my mind. I dug a finger through my veil and felt the bare skin of my head. No long luxurious hair, just the hard yet fragile skin of my bald head. It used to make me tear up every time I saw it or touched it, but Ive grown used to it. 

"Layal, shfeech mu mistansa?" Abdulra7man asked once Jackie left the hospital room, leaving us alone.

"Shnu ely yiwanis?" I laughed bitterly.

"El7emdellah, just this surgery and you're finally done." He tried to sound more positive. "B3dain negder enrid el bait."

"To who?" My eyes began to tear up. I might have gotten used to the bald hairless head of mine, but my heart would never forget the death of my father. Who would I be going home to? What was the use of my health anymore when I had nothing left to go back to?

"Your friends," Abdulra7man painfully said, trying to forget about my father's existence altogether. My father's illness took over last year, Abdulra7man tried to fly back to Kuwait to take care of him whilst also flying back to me in Britain (where my old hospital room was), to keep me company. My other brother, Ebrahim, finally decided to go to university in America. So it was just Abdulra7man and I left.

"Yeah," I gave him a fake smile. I knew he was just as pained as I was and I needed to put some effort into being more positive. 

"Al7een bas ed3ay ena your surgery goes perfectly as planned and the cancer stays off of you."

"Enshallah," he patted my back but I winced, pushing him away.

"Asif asif, walla nesait!" His fingers had touched my spine, where my last injection was put and the pain was still unbearable. 

"3ade, t3wdt." I smiled and he smiled back. A more of a sad smile, nothing to be happy about.

"Yalla, namay, warach ga3da bacher for the surgery. I'll leave you to sleep now."

"7amany?" I squeaked out.

"Halla?" He answered before leaving my side. Before I could tell him anything, he continued speaking: "A packet of oreo cookies before they stop you eating for the surgery, right?"

"You know me so well."

-

-Thari- 

"Thari, shift'ha?" My mother giggled ecstatically, her eyes following the short girl that wore her hair in messy waves, her cheeks dipped in red powder and her eyes glancing at me as she walked next to her mother around the mall.

"Yuma," I annoyingly groaned.

"She graduated from AUK (American University of Kuwait) few months ago, omha etgouly et7b tarsim, nafsik!" Mom tattled on, we were both seated at Dean and Deluca, a cafe/restaurant and had a clear view of the girl and her mother. My mother tricked me into saying she needed a ride and wanted help with her shopping, but she clearly tricked me again (oh yes, this hasn't been the first time she's done this) to go wife shopping, rather than actually product shopping.

"Okay, w b3dain? Yuma chem mara agoulech mabe atzawaj!" 

"Shm3na?! Al7een ya7leilk tishtighl eb sharekat obouk, w obouk ma36eek most of his business share. W tekherjt men eljam3a, bas bageelik shay wa7d." She pointed to the girl once she was done speaking, clearly saying I was only missing a wife now.

"Tw elnas 3al zawaj." 

"Shnu tw elnas?! Tara people these days get married quicker!" 

"Yuma shaku? Qa9dch el3ax." I laughed.

"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.

Le Chase Chapter 37

Hey! I hope everyone's enjoying the chilly weather, I have to apologise for the minimum of posts lately. I just got out of tuition, two quizzes tomorrow but I was said the hell with it, I really miss writing!

Who's ready to see our second true character? This time, his name's Fahad, YES he exists! As I said, events are all made up but the characters are 100% REAL.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @MAHAALSALEH_! To the sister my mother never gave birth to, I LOVE YOU! x

You can NOW leave comments on my posts, even anonymous ones, so comments will be highly appreciated. :D Tell me what you think about the post and the new true life characters, Fahad and Maha.

-

Previously in Chapter 36: 

-LAYAL-

"Yishawgoun, mu 9a7?" The woman who had dark hair, the same dark hair as Thari's and the same light skin, gladly stated.

"Eee, walla chan sheftay Maha gabel chem sa3a, kanet 7ail ta3bana w mu ra'6ya et7acheeny bas teghayarat lema shafet wldch." The second woman had a veil around her, I couldn't see her face but her voice was deep and I could catch every word.

"Perfect match." Thari's mother stated, I could see her face, it resembled Thari's perfectly. But her two words, may have caused happiness for the second woman, but those two words sliced into me, and broke every organ in my body, it broke me even more than the cancer slithering around me.

Most of the pain I felt was shot right into one organ.

My heart.

-

-THARI- 

"Thari, digeega!" I heard my aunt, Maha's mother, call out after me. I was in the hallway of the hospital, it was the fourth day of me visiting Maha. The fact that Layal hadn't contacted me or returned my calls were not my biggest priority right now, I'd just ordered Maha's favourite Subway sandwich and my cousin Fahad had been visiting her today with his sisters as well, we had planned to go out for dinner after the hospital visit.

I backtracked a few steps to meet with my aunt, her eyes were a whole lot brighter now after seeing Maha's good results and after she told most of the family about the condition, so now the hospital room didn't look so lonely and dreary anymore. 

"Na3am?" I answered her, she patted my left arm lightly as her mouth started to move to the symphony of her words.

"Mashkour," she gave me a huge smile, her deep wrinkles embracing her vibrant face.

"Shd3wa kela subway khalti, etha taboun shay digaw 3lay." I chuckled casually, digging my hands into the pockets of my Levi's.

"La2, thank you for staying around, adry mashghoul m3a el jam3a, ma ga9ert wyaana walla," My aunt graciously thanked me, kissing both of my stubbled cheeks.

"Mabaina khalte," I pecked her left cheek before walking off towards Fahad. His mahogany coloured eyes met mine, he was scratching the back of his neck with his tall fingers, his dark curly hair combed back slightly with the strokes of his fingers. He had an athletic build, he was close to my height now when I remember he used to be a whole lot shorter.

"Yalla?" Fahad asked, his 17 year old voice deep and impatient. I couldn't understand the fury I found behind his eyes, it evaporated too quickly for me to ask about it.

"Ha, wein enrou7?" I asked. Fahad pushed his Abecrombie shirt slightly over his beige shorts to bring out his blackberry, his eyes were on the big digital numbers that indicated the time. 9:34pm.

"Open flame kitchen?" He shrugged, looking careless.

"Okay." I agreed but cautiously watched him, he was clearly avoiding me with his eyes. He had been happy to see me two hours ago, but his mood suddenly changed after we hung around Maha and our other cousins.

We were about to enter the elevator but my Samsung vibrated in the pockets of my Levi's, stopping me in my track. I checked the Caller ID and inhaled a deep breath.

It was Layal.

"Uhm, Fahad enta rou7 gably." I looked up, Fahad was already in the elevator, his eyes watching me suspiciously. The lie easily slipped out of my mouth. "Neseit akheth telephone el thane bel hospital room."

"Thari-" He was about to question me but I threw over my car keys, he quickly caught it with his fast hands.

"Black GTO599 Ferrari, parking number 5." I cut him off and knowing Fahad's love for cars, his eyes widened, loving the idea of getting to drive instead of me. He wasn't 18 yet, he still drove around but I knew he loved Ferraris just as much as I loved my Rolls Royces.

"Men 3youne." He smirked, letting me walk off with ease. With the Ferrari car keys in his hands, I was sure he wasn't going to question why I'm going to take a while to go down. I hurried away, answering Layal's call before she hung up.

"Aloo?" I hastily spoke into my phone, I could hear her uneven breathing and a faint beeping sound in the background.

"Hey," she whispered in a raspy voice.

"Layal shfeech? No calls, no nothing and where the heck are you?" I worriedly asked her, my voice sounding more angry than patient.

"I got engaged." Layal avoided my questions but her words made me forget about the questions I even asked about. I was pacing around the hallways of the hospital but I abruptly stopped in front of a random room, unable to speak.

"Thari?" She asked, her voice fearful. I was silent for a while, I concentrated on the sound of the beeping of where Layal was.

"Thari say something." She begged, she was trying to catch a hold of something, that something? Was gone.

"Can you repeat what you just said?" Were my ears playing tricks on me? I couldn't believe it.

"I got engaged..."

"Oh," my fists were clenched as hard as possible, my fingers digging deep into the skin of my palms. I felt the veins on my neck trying to break out of the skin of my neck, a wave of heat struck me.

"Say something," she repeated again, her voice sounded was cracking, I knew she was in tears. But wasn't I supposed to be one who was in tears? Wasn't I one who was supposed to demand her for answers? Nothing came, I was physically stubborn, I wouldn't believe her words. Not even one.

"Mabrouk." I replied in a cold tone.

"What?"

"Shtabeene agoulch? Mabrouk, tabeen shay?" I left my tone emotionless as possible.

"3laqal ana giltlk, mu enta." She shot back at me, she sounded angry now.

"Shnu?" I nearly yelled.

"Nothing, okay? Yalla bye." She was about to hang up but I stopped her, the beeping in the background just annoyed me as hell.

"Layal entay weinch?!" I knew it was nothing to do with the whole topic but the beeping noise sounded too familiar. I looked up from the ground and heard the same voice on the phone, but in front of me, through the door that was standing right in front of my face.

"Bye Thari," her voice was louder now. I wasn't fantasising, I was actually listening to the same voice through the door. I quickly assumed that she was alone, or else she wouldn't have called me. I didn't care once she hung up on me, I knocked on the door in front of me and waited.

"Yes?" It was her voice calling out.

She was in the same hospital all along? All. This. Time?

My hands had no control, they barged the door open without another thought and I found Layal under a white blanket, on a hospital bed, her wide eyes full of tears, dark purple circles hugged them. Her face pale, wires in and out of her skin and scraps of her hair messily escaping the dark veil she wore. The first thing I looked for was an engagement ring, her fingers were already trying to adjust her veil that covered her hair, so I got a good look. No ring, no fiancee, no soul in this depressing room and my instinct said that she lied.

Or was it me being stubborn?

"Laish chathebtay?" I was still angry, I walked into the room and closed the door behind me. The weak image of her in front of me broke my heart but I couldn't control my anger.

"Thari get out," Layal snapped at me, her fingers drying her cheeks of the tears that spilled over a few seconds ago.

"9arlech akthar men esbou3 ga3da ehny? W ma gilteely?" My fists were still clenched.

"Once a player, always a player." She said in a hushed tone, her eyebrows arched angrily as she stared at me.

"Layal entay shfeech?! Ana shsaweitlch?!" I couldn't control how loud my voice became.

"Are you serious?" She asked me slowly in a venomous tone.

"Mu entay ely gilteely ma et7ebeeny?! Jawbeeny!"

"Are you blind? Why not show you?" She smiled sarcastically, her head shaking slowly. She grabbed her iPhone, clicking on the Photos app. I cautiously took another step so I was right in front of her where she sat on the hospital bed, I got a closer look of her pale tired skin. She thrusted the phone in my face and I could see the picture clearly.

It was a phone conversation on Whatsapp between Bdour and I, the one when I asked for Bdour's bikini picture. Bdour sent it to Layal and I knew for a fact that wasn't the only phone conversation that Bdour sent, I was guessing Layal saw all the conversations between us. But Layal didn't know that I was faking the flirting, I was faking everything with Bdour but it sure has hell backfired.

"W Maha? How many girls are you planning to 'marry'?" Layal sounded hurt.

"Let me explain-"

"No, get out." Layal demanded, when I looked away from the picture I saw that she had her face aimed at the other direction. She was crying, I heard the quiet sobs she was trying to hide. She built her wall so high and now it came crashing down in front of me. I ruined her, the anger melted away, all I wanted to do was take her in my arms but I knew I couldn't, and even if I did, she would fight me off with every bit of her strength.

"Please." I begged, kneeling down besides her. I was now level with her height, a bit shorter than her, knowing how short she was compared to my tall height. She slowly turned around to face me, the tears were gone but her eyes looked sad.

"Maha bent khalte." I quietly said. "7sbat ekhty."

"I heard the conversation, I saw the way she looked at you, I'm not an idiot Thari. And Bdour? You know what? Yeah, I don't love you so get out." Her anger came back swiftly, her words spiked me but I ignored them.

"Ey conversation?" I sighed.

"Omik w omha, they were talking about marriage." Layal grabbed the white sheets of her hospital bed, trying to will the tears away.

"God no. Layal she's like my little sister, she doesn't even like me." I shook my head nonstop.

"Bdour?" Layal whispered.

"I swear Layal, she said she had a picture of you without your 7jab and I needed a picture to ruin her, or else she would ruin you if I got any closer to you. Layal, think about it, why would Bdour, a friend you don't even know, send you those conversations?" I asked, her expression stood emotionless for a few minutes, I could see that she was thinking.

"She said she had my picture?" She asked.

"And that she would send it to all the guys if I didn't go out with her." I continued.

"You believed her?" She finally cast her bloodshot eyes towards me.

"Shqa9dch?" I asked.

"She asked for my picture the first day she met me, she never had that picture of me and still doesn't." Her words caused me to breathe a sigh of relief.

"El7emdellah." I mouthed in between my sighs. I pulled out my old blackberry, it had the rest of the Whatsapp conversation with Bdour, where she threatened me some more over the past few days. Layal read them, her cold expression turning warm.

"S-so it was all fake?" She bit her bottom lip, a hiccup escaping her mouth.

"Every last bit of it, don't you trust me?" I asked her. "'9elemteeny Layal."

"I never got engaged." She whispered.

"I know." I replied and she looked surprised.

"Shdarak?"

"Ana ma a3rfich Layal? 5 weeks ago you told me you'd only get married at the age of 24, after you get your degree and after you successfully find a good job. Shm3na you'd get married at 18 when you have non of that achieved that?" I smiled to myself, I could never imagine her doing it.

"You remember," she breathed out.

"I remember everything, from the very first day I set my eyes on you, I love you Layal." I tried to look at her but she wouldn't look back.

"Layal?" She was staring off at space, her usually rosy lips white as a sheet.

Before she could even answer me, my phone rang. I wanted to ignore it but it was Fahad, impatiently waiting for me. It's been 20 minutes. I cursed under my breath.

"Aloo Fahad?" I answered.

"Weinik? Shfeek 6awelt?" He sounded suspicious again.

"Shfeek ma estanest m3a el sayara?" I joked, trying to lighten the air.

"Embala bas mu chena 6awelt? Kel hatha 3la telephonik?"

"Okay khala9 al7een banzil, yalla bye." I hung up before he could question me again.

"Layal-"

"You should go," she finally looked at me, the air between us felt tense and her eyes hid a message behind those irises of hers.

"You didn't even tell me why you were here, Layal you look-"

"Thari, go. Please." She whispered, looking away.

"Is that what you want?" I asked, my fists clenched once again. I couldn't understand her, I couldn't even understand the words on the packets of medicine she was wired to, I was clueless.

"Eee."

"Mashe Layal."

And without another word, I left her room, just as she wished. I agreed to leaving the room. But I didn't agree to anything else. I hurried over to the reception desk, where the nurses where.

"Can I see the results of patient Layal Al-X?" I asked, trying to look casual. The nurse sat behind the desk, her dark Indian skin was covered with a white plain uniform, her dark eyes suspecting me.

"Uhm, is that patient 651?" She looked hesitant, looking around for the papers. "Sorry I'm new, are you the brother?"

"Yeah, Abdulra7man." I lied, thanking God that she was new and didn't see Layal's brother already. She typed feverishly on the keyboard, not bothering to even ask for my ID. She printed the papers out and handed me a copy.

"Thanks Linda," I read her name tag, giving her a kind smile. She was young, she blushed and gave me a warm smile back. I hurried over to the elevators, as I waited for one, I looked over the papers.

I didn't understand anything from the papers, but two words caught my attention and those two words were enough to tell me what was wrong with Layal.

"Fatal cancer."

Le Chase Chapter 36

Hey guys, sorry for the delay! Finally found the time to write this. Hope you enjoy it, I'll be out of the country for 4 days, going to be in Dubai and then right after that I've got more exams (yay..). Enshallah everything's great with all of you, enjoy the long weekend because I sure as hell will, before more exams start torturing me.

By the way, two new characters have been added and YES, they are 100% REAL. But the events are totally made up,  the true characters are Fahad and Maha (they're staying anonymous, no one can ask me who they are and nor will I give out any hints. I tried making this as true as possible when it came to the character's details).

Oh and by the way, Fahad isn't in this chapter but look out for him in the upcoming ones!

-

Previously in Chapter 35:

A sudden knock on my window startled me. I looked up and found 3abbas outside my car. I clicked on the button for the window to roll down.

"Hey, shfeek bitrid embacher? Mu 3ndk class?" 3abbas asked me, a book perched under his arm.

"6ala3ne embacher, 3abbas I need a favor," I suddenly said, I couldn't ignore my gut feeling.

"Yeah sure, what's up?" He asked, stuffing his blackberry into his pocket to pay more attention to our conversation.

"Remember when you tracked my Mom's iPhone gabel chem shahar?" I asked.

"Eee akeed, laish?"

"I need you to track Layal." 

-

"Thari, wein raye7?" My mother's voice sounded worried and strained, as if something was wrong. I was midway, walking upstairs with 3abbas following behind me with his laptop to track Layal. Apparently their house's internet was down and our house was our resort to go to. My foot was on the first step of the stairs, I paused and turned around to face my mother. Her face had hues of yellow under her pale skin, her face looking fearful. My mother worried a lot, I know it was normal for all mothers to worry but she? Worries, A LOT. 

I knew something was up.

"Yuma shfeech?" I asked her. 3abbas nodded towards her, greeting her with a warm smile but he took this as cue to leave us both alone by walking upstairs, his footsteps quiet and peaceful on the marble stairs, careful not to disturb anyone home.

"Bent khaltik bel mustashfa, she has heart problems," she started shaking slightly, her eyes tearing up slowly. Her eyelashes free of the gunk of mascara she usually heavily coated them with. They seemed softer and more delicate, sparkling slightly with the tears that easily flowed down.

"Ey wa7da?" I worriedly asked, knowing the answer immediately. I knew my mother was closest to my aunt Haifa and she had three daughters, I immediately guessed that it was her chubbiest child named Ghazal, she was fairly young and weighed over the average weight, the other sisters were health freaks.

"Maha," she croaked out, shocking me.

"Maha?! Shloun!" I gaped at her in astonishment. Maha was the strongest character of the family, health wise and personality wise. All those years of us fighting playfully back at our Grandmother's house, she'd defend any of our cousins when anyone teased them, even when she was such a tiny person compared to our taller heights. She was far younger than me, I believe the last time I saw her, she was about 14. She wasn't as of a health freak compared to her sister but I'd always catch her doing push ups or crazy kinds of exercises after any fatty meals.

"The 14 year old Maha? The crazy Maha?" I kept asking, unable to believe a word.

"15 year old." She corrected me, "Eee bent Haifa shfeek!" 

"Sh9ar?" I ran my fingers through my hair, touching over my short buzz cut, the spikes of hair brushing over the calluses of my fingers.

"Madre, khaltik Haifa tawha daga 3lay w galetly enha bel mustashfa, lazem enrou7 al7een." My mother paced around the hall of our house, looking for her car keys and her Miu Miu bag. And surprisingly, all I could think about right now was Layal, not Maha or her sudden visit to the hospital. What about tracking Layal? 

Thari, you can track her later, your cousin's in the hospital and your aunt called specifically wanting you all to visit them, it won't hurt to wait a day.

I hurried upstairs, explained the situation to 3abbas and he easily understood everything, he promised he'd meet me tomorrow to handle the Layal problem but he advised me to keep my mind on Maha and no one else. I chose to drive, my mother's frail hands kept shaking, her worry for Maha exceeding by the minute. I always believed that Maha was one of her favourite nieces, the way Maha would leave us at our Grandmother's house sometimes just to chat with my mom about the random-est topics.

I tried my hardest to drive as fast as I could, for the first time, my mother didn't lecture me on my driving, she simply sat silently in her seat, her eyes looking out at the window, watching the multiple cars pass us by. 

Once I arrived at the large illuminating building of the hospital, I parked the car quickly and rushed inside, my mother walking besides me. I hated the hospital smell, it smelled of medicine, death and newborn babies. I couldn't describe it, it was a bittersweet smell and it nauseated me.

"Ey dour?" I asked my mother once we were in the golden elevator alone, her eyes were elsewhere again, as if she was physically here but emotionally somewhere far, far away.

"Shnu?" I caught her attention, her eyes swerved towards me, looking startled.

"Ey dour w el room number?" I asked her again, in a softer tone, knowing she was worrying like crazy.

"5 w el room 512," she sighed, rubbing her wrinkled forehead with her ringless fingers. I wasn't used to seeing her fingers without it being with coated with jewellery, I wasn't used to them not having a  her beautiful gold encrusted wedding ring either. 

I pressed number 5 and listened to the annoying elevator music, trying to be patient. As soon as the little ring clicked into my fingers, the elevator doors sprung open and my mother was the first one to leave. I followed behind her to the room, she stood outside it, unable to actually walk in. The beige door was half open and my mother stood to the other side so the people inside couldn't catch a glimpse of her.

"Yuma, ma feeha ela el3afya enshallah, la t7ateen, yalla endish?" I placed my hand under her elbow, escorting her towards the door, my touch gentle. She quietly nodded and let me walk her into the room. The smell of medicine whipped our noses, making me feel even more nauseous than before. The room had multiple roses and lilies around Maha's bed, too bad they were all plastic, I couldn't catch a whiff of flowers to distract me from the medicine scent.

Maha laid under the white sheets, her face looking more pale than usual. She had beautiful fair skin but the beauty in it couldn't seep through how pale she looked today. Her hair was hidden under her veil that was messily wrapped around her, her usual curves were now all skin and bones. 

"Wi9altaw!" Aunt Haifa sighed in happiness but her eyes were just as worried as my mother's.

"Shlounha?" My mother asked, her voice cracking. She was afraid of approaching her, she put some distance and stayed closer to my aunt. No one else was in the room, her sisters weren't here either or our other relatives. Apparently we were the first ones they called.

"Thouuthouu," A familiar voice alerted me, I was watching my mother and aunt. I looked to the left and Maha had her wide brown eyes open, her usual rosy cheeks and lips looked icy cold. She usually called me "Thouthou" when we were kids, when she couldn't pronounce my name properly and the name just stuck.

"Mouumouu," I joked back, cracking a smile at her. "Shfeech khara3teena yal dalou3a."

"Hey chub, zain?" She laughed but quickly her face winced in pain, her hand sprung towards her chest where her heart was. I quickly regretted joking around with her.

"Laish ma gilteely?" I asked sadly, we haven't seen each other in months but we'd occasionally chat on twitter, she was the second little sister to me after Wath7a after all.

"Shagoul?" She avoided me, she tried to sit up straight but her chest hurt her even more since her expression was full of pain again, she slid back into the soft sheets of her hospital bed.

"Even when you're sick, you're stubborn?" I shook my head and grabbed the closest seat to her bed. I heard a few words from my mother's and aunt's conversation.

"Kanat ga3da et9aly chan faj2a ma egderat tetnafas, kanet bel9ala jidamy! Walla ekhtere3t." Maha's mother, my aunt, whispered to my mother.

"Haifa entay laish ma etgouleen?" My mother replied with a question.

"Agoul shnu?" Maha's mother replied with a similar answer to Maha's, like mother like daughter.

"Ena 3ndeha heart problems! Men meta kel hatha?"

"3ad ana a3arfich et7ateen wayed, ma gidert agoulch shay bas hal mara ma 3areft mnu adig 3leeh. Obouha ma yadry, emsafer wyaa 3ayleta."

"W zoujich?" I heard the rest of their words, shaking my head at the fact that only we were the ones who knew about Maha's condition, I wondered if her sisters knew, if her step sister knew either.

"Mashghoul bel dawam, akeed bi7aty.. gelt a7san awal shay bas akheth'ha el mustashfa 3shan encheyik 3leeha awal, etha ma feeha shay laish adig 3la el kil?"

"Haifa aham shay al7een el tests yikhal9oun, enshallah et6eeb!"

"Thari? Hello?" Maha annoyingly said, her strong personality still shone through, even through the weak state she was in.

"Are you okay?" I croaked out.

"Thari yikhaf 3lay?" She teased me, smiling. 

"Thi8a walla," I laughed.

"Eee I'm okay." Maha's smile vanished, her mahogany eyes more serious.

"How long Maha?" I asked, watching her.

"Thari please." She tried avoiding my eyes.

"Months?" I asked again, unable to stop.

"Thari." She said in a more annoyed tone.

"Years!?" I gaped.

"Ohoo, you're worse than my step Dad!" She fired back at me.

"W entay laish sakta?! Habla? Meynouna?" I grew angry, I was overly protective towards my girl cousins, they were my sisters and were always around me when we were children.

"Mu layig 3leik, 7ail mu layig." Maha started laughing, unable to contain her laughter. I couldn't help but laugh too, her eyes seemed more alive now, not like a few minutes ago when all they spoke were death and pain.

"Entay kelshay mu 3ajbch? Khala9 ma ra7 azifich wela ba7ateech wela ba'6a7kch, enzain?" I laughed.

"You're more childish than me and I'm way younger." Maha kept on laughing, ridiculing me and my maturity.

"Chub chub zain?" I imitated her girly voice, the one she used earlier. "Chub" was her favourite word.

"Hey shaku 9oute mu chithe!" Maha cried out in defence. All through our crazy childish conversation, I couldn't help but notice that my mother and aunt abruptly stopped chatting, their eyes were on us and they continued watching us with a smile on their faces.

-

-LAYAL-

"Layal wein ray7a?!" My brother called out, his body on alert.

Darn!

I was trying to sneak out of my bed, I was sick of laying in it all day, I was sick of the smell, every place in this hospital reeked of medicine that wouldn't get rid of my cancer.

"Uhm, 7amam." I lied, I thought my brother 7amany was fast asleep on the couch in front of my bed. He's been sleeping over, taking care of me and then going back home to check on my father when I was the one who was asleep. His hair was messed up and his face looked exhausted of all the long nights he had gone through.

"Oh okay, etha tabeen shay, y3ne, uhm, bel 7amam aw ey shay thane... gouleely." He awkwardly said.

"Uhm... okay." I laughed, shaking my head at him. He was adorable. I acted as if I was walking into the bathroom but I watched him closely as he closed his eyes and made himself comfortable on the peach coloured couch. I closed the bathroom's door but I didn't go inside, I just wanted him to think that I was already inside.

Luckily, the door to my hospital room was open ajar. I was already wearing Free City sweat pants and a fitting white shirt, a dark veil wrapped around my face. I had to take the long metal walking thing that held my medicine everywhere with me, I pulled it with me slowly, careful not to cause any noises to wake my brother up. 

The bright lights of the hall of the hospital hit my weak eyes, my room was fairly dark and I was always either asleep or getting my chemotherapy. I pulled my long sleeved shirt down over my sweat pants before walking around the hall, the desk in the middle didn't have any nurses or receptionists so I was free to walk as I pleased.

I looked through each door, most of them were closed but some of them had beautiful pink or blue balloons, indicating a new child being born. It made me smile, seeing more life when I had been expecting death lately. I didn't know how long I could lie to my friends anymore, telling them I was just sick with a bad case of the flu when all my cancer did was grow each other, it leeched through my organs, digging it's poison into anything that was healthy and alive. It was my murderer.

I heard a faint sound of laughter towards the room next to the one that had blue baby balloons floating everywhere. It attracted me, it was the source of happiness that my room lacked. My room seeped of depression. I weakly walked towards the room, the closer I got, the more louder the voices became.

The door was wide open, I stood fairly far from it so the people inside didn't notice me, but I quickly noticed the people inside. One person to be exact. 

Thari was sitting close to a hospital bed that held a beautiful young girl, she looked around 15 or 16, her lips were formed into a huge smile as he talked to her, making her laugh. I couldn't hear a word they said but watching them horrified me, I knew for a fact that he only had one little sister who didn't wear a veil.

I overheard the next words from the two woman standing slightly far from Thari and the girl, they were watching them both, looking happy. I couldn't understand anything that was going on, but the words clarified it enough for me.

"Yishawgoun, mu 9a7?" The woman who had dark hair, the same dark hair as Thari's and the same light skin, gladly stated.

"Eee, walla chan sheftay Maha gabel chem sa3a, kanet 7ail ta3bana w mu ra'6ya et7acheeny bas teghayarat lema shafet wldch." The second woman had a veil around her, I couldn't see her face but her voice was deep and I could catch every word.

"Perfect match." Thari's mother stated, I could see her face, it resembled Thari's perfectly. But her two words, may have caused happiness for the second woman, but those two words sliced into me, and broke every organ in my body, it broke me even more than the cancer slithering around me.

Most of the pain I felt was shot right into one organ.

My heart.