Finally, it's the finale of Le Chase, the finale everyone's been anticipating for!
I tried making it as long as possible, this took me over 3 hours actually. I hope you guys enjoy it. Thank you to all the people who participated in the contest, it was really hard choosing one winner for the post. The winner's @let__it_be! I hope you liked how I put your work into mine and intermixed them. Enjoy.
A shout out goes to such an amazing artist, @ShaikhaAlHomoud. I couldn't find a place to suit your art work in the post but I wanted you to know how incredible your sketch was. Truly amazing mashallah! Allah yiwafgch. x
Finally, goodbye to Le Chase. Next story I'm writing a Season 2 for is either Masque or Masquerade. I'm going with Masque. Of course I'm not going to write it straight away, take a little break and then I'll start it.
Hope you enjoy the finale, I certainly enjoyed writing it.
-
Previously in Chapter 4:
“But I think…”
“What? Anything, please I need you. Screw Aisha, I never wanted her; I’ve always wanted you and you. No one else besides you, there is any other soul that can ever capture my heart as much as yours has,” Thari pleaded, using every last bit of strength in him to keep the only valuable relationship in his life.
He was about to smile, to feel relieved to get rid of the pain and heartbreak, finally sure that he had his wife back but her words denied every good feeling he had.
“I think we need a separation.”
-
It’s been days, weeks and months. I couldn’t take it anymore. I haven’t seen my wife’s face for 2,678,400 seconds. No, not even that much. It’s actually double that huge number. It’s been two months. It ached; every part of me ached to touch her, to hear her musical voice, to surround myself with her presence and just having that security, knowing that I had someone, who loves me.
And what did I do? I messed it all up.
How can I explain how painful it is to miss someone? Someone who was your life. God, it hurts to say “was” than “is”. Past tense. The past. My life’s gone. She’s gone.
All I did was give her a note, hoping she’d call when she woke up after changing her mind, but I never received a call. It’s been two months, waiting for that call.
(This written by @let__it_be! Congratulations on winning the contest by the way.)
I remembered that day like it was yesterday.
I was hesitated to open the door, too worried to meet her eyes, the eyes that have spoken "I love you" so many times, but still I had to get in. I felt my body shudder with anxiety, staring at my ebony shadow that stood still, not moving. I took a deep breath, catching a lump of mint air into my lungs, then opened the door to see Layal curled up in bed, looking like a newborn baby.
I felt an ache in my heart. A big hole that’s been growing bigger and bigger deep inside of me. One minute, I felt my feet were able to move, to slide towards her, that beautiful creature and forced my hands that held my letter to land softly beside her. I was worried. I did my move so slow and inaudibly: one of my successful moves, I thought.
Next I stood right besides her, gawking at the beauty that I'll miss, the fair lineaments that once charmed me. A tear succeeded by escaping my eye, but I luckily suppressed myself on time. And just before I left goodbye. I leaned toward her, and pressed my lips on her forehead, making my point: goodbye and I love you.
I kept my self in my position, still kissing her forehead, not wanting to go away. But I stood up, and reread the letter one more time:
I loved you. I loved you the moment those brown strays of your hair escaped your veil. The moment I looked at you felt like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Layal, I didn't need a perfect one, I only needed someone that made me feel like the only one and you did that with all the love you kept for me. I loved hearing my name when it came out of your lips, I loved you when I wrapped my arms around you. I loved every piece of you Layal. It's hard to say goodbye, but instead I'll say I love you. I loved you the moment you said, "hi, how can I help you?" Hope you forgive me -Thari.
“Thari, you have to stop this, seriously dude,” 3abbas’s voice brought me back to reality. As usual, he’s been bringing me back to reality every morning, when I’d space out and my eyes would become dull. Actually, my eyes have been dull ever since I was forced to leave you Layal. I wish you were here to read my thoughts, just to get a glimpse of how much I truly love you. You’ve taken over my thoughts completely, where were the problems my parents kept talking about marriage?
Divorce? Becoming bored of your wife? Your relationship with your wife would turn into a business partnership?
But none of those problems had happened. You know what happened? I became too attached. I loved too hard. I was too imperfect. I made too many mistakes. We weren’t business partners, we were lovers, I was your husband. There’s that word again…
Was.
“Madre,” I uttered, my body feeling frozen and numb, resting on 3abbas’s couch in his cigarette-scented diwaneya.
“It’s been two months, get your butt off my couch and do something already.” 3abbas sighed, his eyes looking pained, seeing his best friend being once again, as weak as a child. Even a child was stronger than me, happier than me, shall I go on? Or does my life sound miserable enough already?
“She wants a separation, she got one.”
“Didn’t she a least give you a date or something?”
“A date for what?”
“To see you again.”
“No. I wish. Then I’d count down the days, the minutes and the seconds just to see her face again.”
“God, that woman really made you soft,” 3abbas shook his head, disapproving of me.
“She’s my wife 3abbas, do I have to remind you how many years I’ve spent with her? How many years I’ve been chasing her? You won’t ever understand, you can’t even love just one woman, you’ve got your list of girlfriends, even after more than five years you’re still acting like you’re still twenty.”
“Hey hey, ma gelna shay enzain? Bas la tetdakhal. W 3la fekra, as I recall, you used to be the same.”
“I changed. I grew up.”
“Changed? Yeah. Grew up? Ha, you’ve been on my couch for weeks when you have enough money to build your own villa. Really now, grew up? You’re still too scared to live alone. No, I mean, be alone.”
“3abbas, I’ll be out of your hair by tomorrow, mashe?” I tried to say it in a calming manner, definitely not in the mood to start another argument with him. He huffed out the last of the smoke in his cigarette and left me alone in peace.
-
“Layal, he sounds like a jerk to me,” one of Layal’s friends, Manal stated. Hessa sat set next to her in the café, both of them were holding their coffees to their mouth, sipping them every few seconds but gasping when Layal spoke more of her marriage crisis.
“I told her!” Hessa exclaimed, shaking her head. “You’re still young, you can find another husband. My brother’s single, you know I’d fill him up with your good features, your honesty, your great reputation and family name. He’ll be bound to take you!”
“Hessa, la2! Mnu yabe wa7da ma tegder etyeeb 3yaal? I can’t have children, even if I was the most beautiful woman in the world, no man would want me.” Layal sighed, tired of the girls’ pleads for her gossip. She finally had told them everything, even after two months of keeping her problems to herself, locking them all away in an imaginary chest whilst she kept herself busy, to avoid thinking of Thari.
“Men these days don’t even want kids, they’re just looking for fun a9lan,” Manal purred, her eyelashes full of mascara as she fluttered them around.
“I’m too old for fun.”
“Your soul’s too old for that body of yours you mean,” Manal corrected her as she straightened out her hair. The girls were sitting in the corner of Chocolate Bar, their desserts laid untouched in front of them because of all the gossip they’ve been doing, rather than any eating.
“Layal, do you still love him?” Hessa said after staring at Layal’s frowned eyes for so long as Manal kept criticising her best friend. Layal smiled at Hessa, pausing for a while without answering. Her smile was bright, her teeth sparkling but through her thick heavy eyelashes, behind the coloured eyes, sadness was hidden.
“You still love him,” Hessa murmured, a sad smile on her lips. Manal watched both women, being totally lost in the midst of the conversation.
“Love’s hard to fall out of when you’re the one wanting to get rid of it, it’s like a pest, it keeps sticking to me, to my heart and I can’t get it off. My heart’s addicted to it, addicted to him and the way he makes me feel, no matter how many jabs of pain love causes, you just can never fall out of it that easily,” Layal explained but soon was at a loss of words when she began to realize something. She would never get another chance at this kind of love ever again if she remained this way, if she didn’t go back to her husband, if she continued being quiet and weak.
“I h-have to go!” Layal stuttered, grabbing her purse, ready to bolt out of the café.
“Wein ray7a?!” Hessa stood up from her seat, looking confused. But before Layal could successfully escape the café, someone bumped into her as they tried entering the chocolate bar café.
“S-sorry,” Layal stuttered, trying to get out of the way to drive back home, to find Thari. But she didn’t know that instead, he had found her.
“Sorry.” His voice startled her; she looked up and found his smoldering dark eyes looking down to hers. His body was close, the warmth exceeding between them. “Funny finding you here.” His voice lacked the sense of humor, it sounded sad and only a glint of happiness laid under the coat of sadness, because he had seen her. Seeing her made him happy but it also reminded him that he couldn’t have her. But he had an idea, an idea that struck him out of nowhere.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“Sorry, do we know each other?” Thari gave Layal a small smile, looking down at her beautiful face, the coloured eyes, the shaped nose, the nude lips and the strands of dark brown hair that kept escaping her veil.
“W-what?” Layal seemed confused.
“Do you work here? I’ve never seen you around here before but since your nametag says Layal, it’s good to meet you Layal. Really good.” Thari smiled and Layal finally understood. The memories of years ago, when they first met, at the same exact spot. Layal looked around her, visualizing the younger Thari, the younger version of herself, in Chocolate Bar, years and years ago.
"Hi, can I help you?" Layal had asked once a tall man, about her age had walked into the café/restaurant. He had his beanie on, his hair a mess but his handsome face looked eager once his eyes met hers. His eyes slid down to her nametag and she had remembered that her name was tagged on it.
"Excuse me sir?" Her voice was dripped with professionalism, trying to be as unreadable as possible. His eyes kept following her around and she began to become quite annoyed. Okay maybe a bit shy too, but annoyed as well.
"Oh, uhm asif." He grinned easily towards her, a grin that made the annoyance in her to melt away in seconds.
"Can I help you?" She said cool-y, her straight nose pointed right at him.
"Uhm yeah, can I have one Night and Day slice of cake?” He had asked, Layal ignored his deep gaze into her eyes. He wouldn’t take his eyes off of her and she began to grow nervous but she hid it well. She hadn’t gotten that much attention that quickly before, usually she’d be annoyed but his smile, the handsome face, wouldn’t let the annoyance to linger long.
"Okay that will be 1.250KD." She ignored his gaze, keeping her eyes down on the counter. He handed the money over, he was expecting her to take it from his fingers but instead, she waited till the money was on the marble counter before taking it, avoiding skin contact.
As he waited for his chocolate cake, his eyes kept following the girl. Layal turned around; a sudden smile filled her face, a tiny dimple forming on her left cheek, barely noticeable. She was chatting to her other Kuwaiti friends, not knowing that her voice was audible by the tall handsome guy that kept watching her eagerly.
"Offh ley meta intern job? Akeed it'll look good when I apply for universities in Ireland?" Her voice was more casual and sweet toned with her friends; it didn't have a hint of professionalism anymore.
"Layal, shfeech? Lazem intern job! Do you know how competitive it is?" Her chubby friend, with the beautiful long caramel hair laughed at Layal. Her nametag said "Hind".
"Oh digeega, el cake khala9." Layal suddenly said, ending the conversation and hurrying into the kitchens inside to grab the guy’s cake. Her manicured hands handled the cake carefully, slipping it into the paper bag. It was obvious that she was new to this job.
"There." She handed him the paper bag, not making eye contact. Her English was fluent and clear.
"Sorry but I couldn't help overhearing, bitrou7een Ireland?" The guy had asked Layal. His nosiness was clear and Layal was actually pleased on the inside that he was taking his interest in her further.
"Uhm, maybe. I'm transferring from AUK." Layal looked weird-ed out, tryig to act as uninterested as possible.
"Refeeji eb Ireland, he worked two summer jobs and had full As as his grades but he had to stay for a foundation year, it's pretty hard." He lost his grin, trying to be cool.
"No way." Layal's face grew pale.
"Eee.. laish, chem yebtay bel GPA?" Layal wasn't so tense anymore and he seemed to have taken it as a chance to continue speaking.
"Not high enough." Layal frowned, her mini dimple forming at her left cheek again.
"Shnu nawya tedriseen?" He casually asked before Layal could notice she was talking to a total stranger. There wasn't anyone behind him waiting to order for takeaway so he saw this as a chance to take.
"Art." Layal murmured with a hint of a smile in her voice.
"AUM has art, you don't need to go to Ireland."
"Laish, enta makhith Art?" Layal's friend Hind shot him a dirty glare, telling me to stop trying to flirt. Layal wanted to giggle, her friend taking control of the situation.
"Eee makhith Art and communications, double major." He shot right back, her face turning a bit shocked. He had shocked Layal too, maybe even impressed her but Layal didn’t want to think about becoming impressed, he was such another dude wanting to flirt around. She built the barriers back up between them but the fact that he took art too intrigued her, she couldn’t control her mouth or her facial expressions.
"Is it any good?" Layal lit up once she heard him say that he took Art.
"It's loads of fun, you should try it." He gave her another one of his grins. Layal tensed up at last minute, noticing that they were having an actual conversation in public.
"Oh uhm, okay mashkour." Layal awkwardly said once she heard a man call out her name. Probably the manager, she thought, she was forced to leave him standing there. She saw his mouth move for a second but she was too busy to notice about what he said or even think about ever seeing him again.
“Hello?” Thari had waved a hand in front of Layal, bringing her year’s back, from the past to the present, to the modern chocolate bar, with the older and even more handsome Thari.
Boy was she wrong to ever think that she wouldn’t see that face again. Did she ever expect that a stranger from years ago would turn out to be her husband today?
“Y-yes?” Layal answered.
“What’s good to order around here?” Thari gave her a smile.
“A night and day slice of cake,” Layal couldn’t help but smile, she still remembered his order that day, years ago.
“Sounds delicious, would you join me? Or are you too busy? You kind of look like a kind of person who enjoys Art, or maybe I’m just guessing?”
“You’re guessing right.”
“Oh, but now you haven’t even answered my invitation.” Thari gave her one of his famous grins, his wrinkles barely noticeable and finally, Layal could see the young teenager she had fallen in love with. She was falling for him, all over again.
“La2 asfa bas ma a3rfk.”
“Ra7 et3rfeeny.”
“La2, ma at3araf 3la ay a7ad.”
“Bas ana mu ay a7ad,” Thari was stubborn, his grin was huge, he kept arguing but Layal tried to keep a strict face, acting as professional as she was on that day, the day they first met.
“3yal enta mnu?” Layal challenged him.
“I can tell you that if the meeting with you in a few seconds goes as well as I hope it does, I’ll be your husband.” Thari smiled.
“Oh really? Theqa. We just met.”
“Layal, ever heard of love at first sight?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“I’ve experienced it.”
“With who? I need proof to really know that it exists.”
“Well, there’s an intern who used to work here. I fell in love with her the first time I laid eyes on her years ago. I came by today, hoping to see her again. Maybe also hoping to fall in love at first sight all over again.”
“But how can you fall in love at first sight all over again if you’ve already seen her?”
“Because it feels like the first time every time I look into those coloured eyes of yours Layal,” Thari grew closer and intertwined his long masculine fingers around Layal’s feminine manicured ones. Her cheeks became rosier by the second; they were standing by the corner, not knowing that Layal’s friends were just staring at them, enjoying the whole show.
“That was too fast.”
“What is?” Thari smiled as Layal’s hands squeezed his.
“You said you’d become my husband if the meeting went well.”
“Yeah?”
“We didn’t even have the meeting and you’re already my husband.” Thari’s grin became huge after she said those words. He finally knew that she was his again.
“And I hope I’ll be your husband for as long as possible,” Thari brushed his nose lightly over hers as fast as possible, before anyone else noticed anything. He knew the girls were watching them but he was grateful that no one else was in the restaurant.
“Layaaal! Who is this?” A voice purred behind the couple, Layal was smiling as she turned around to look at Manal and Hessa, standing behind them.
“My husband, Thari Al-X. These are my friends, Hessa Al-X and that’s Manal Al-X.” Layal introduced each woman to her husband but she didn’t understand why his facial expressions turned from blissfully happy to utterly shocked when his eyes met Manal’s.
“Thari Al-X?” Manal murmured, looking shocked as well. Thari stared back at the so-called-Manal, her features were the same but they’ve grown but she definitely his ex from years ago, the woman he first loved before Layal. The ex that lied to him, telling him she was dying just as an excuse to leave Thari.
Just when everything was going smoothly, this had to happen?
“What, do you two know each other?” Layal looked at Thari and back to Manal, looking confused. This time, Thari was quiet, not wanting to lie. He was about to explain but Manal cut him off once she saw his lips part, ready to expose them both.
“Actually, no. We don’t know each other; I just didn’t know that was your husband. I’m so happy you two are back together! Allah yekhaleekom 7ag b3a’9,” Manal’s face broke out into a huge smile.
“Manal’s the manager’s wife at our workplace Thari and Hessa works with us…” Layal began to speak but Thari drowned out the voices, he forgot about Manal and Manal had forgotten about him, their smiles was obvious, they spoke to each other with the smiles, telling each other secretly “thank you” for the troubles and a thank you for letting Thari move on.
Thari focused on his wife’s face as she continued speaking, chatting happily, her eyes lit up, not a glint of sadness laid there. Thari remained as close to her, holding her smooth hand tightly, not wanting to ever let go again.
-
Please don't forget to leave some feedback! Comment down below, thank you so much, I love all of the comments, jad etwansouny. x
And if you don't remember Thari and Layal's past encounters with Manal or how they met, read Chapter 1 (to know what happened to him and Manal), the link for chapter 1: http://v-ie.blogspot.com/2012/07/le-chase-chapter-1.html
How Layal and Thari first met, chapter 4: http://v-ie.blogspot.com/2012/07/le-chase-chapter-4.html
