I Come Apart 2

"Ahlain Khalti," I kissed Aunt Nadia's cheek.

"Ya hala ib Noura," she smiled. I could see fine lines on her eyes. She has aged but she will remain beautiful. "Ela entay eshyaybich London?"

"I study here in London! But I'm going home right now because I have a winter break," I said.

"Ohh I totally forgot that you were Hamad's age" She smiled and looked at him.

I looked at the figure standing next to her. Hamad, her son, looked even better than he did before. His shoulders were more broad than they were in High School. His hair was even longer. His teeth were perfectly aligned and his dimple on his right cheek was showing.

"Shlounich Noura?" He asked formally. The way he says my name sends shivers across my body. He does not want to talk to me and I can feel it.

"il7imdilla b5air, winta shlounik?" I asked. I started to get uncomfortable. I don't like it when I feel that I'm not wanted.

"Il7imdilla," he said. 

We said our goodbyes and parted ways. I kept looking at him. He hasn't changed a bit but he didn't seem happy when he saw me. Could he still be mad at me?

Hamad and I were best friends in High School. We were inseparable and our parents tried to separate us into two completely different classes but they couldn't. It wasn't until after our Junior year that Hamad decided to confess his love to me. I, being a stubborn girl, told him that I couldn't do it. I couldn't be his girlfriend. What'd people think about me? I have never had a boyfriend and Hamad was the only friend I had that was a boy. I did have a crush on him at that time but I never thought that he'd pick me. I was literally a tomboy. I never thought that he'd even like me. I always thought that he felt sorry for me because of all of the bullying I got for being a tomboy.

All the girls in our school had a crush on him. He was like eye candy to them. They'd never really want to be in a relationship with him because he told the whole school that he had eyes on one girl only, who apparently turned out to be me.

I've lost my best friend and my secret crush that day. All of our friends sensed that we were no longer talking to each other and all kinds of rumours were spread all around the school. Here we are, three and a half years later, still not talking to each other. Should I apologise to him? Should I try to fix things so we could be friends just like before? I'd do anything just to have our silly conversations back.

The odd man who was with the girl I saw earlier today came through the lounge's doors. He had a hood on this time which made him look like he's up to no good. He made his way through the couches and coffee tables and sat next to Hamad's mother.

I realised that this man was indeed, Nasser. Nasser is Hamad's twin brother. I never really knew him because he went to a different school. Hamad told me that his twin had a mental problem and the school we went to refused to enrol him because they were scared that he'd hurt the other students. He told me he'd get violent sometimes and he wouldn't be able to think anything through.

The flight is in about an hour and I had a lot of time on my hands. I flipped through the magazines that were placed right in front of me and sipped on the orange juice that the kind man served me. A couple of minutes later, Aunt Nadia called me and told me to sit with her and her sons.

"Noura this is Alia, the boys' cousin," Aunt Nadia said. I smiled at Alia and greeted her with a warm hug.

"So Noura, what do you study here in London?" She sipped on her tea.

"I'm studying Psychology," I smiled.

"Oh, that's a very interesting thing to study!" She said, looking at Nasser. I can feel him tense up a bit, maybe because he was mentally unstable?

"I once took Nasser to a psychologist, he attacked each and every one of them," she said.

"MOM," he said. The vein in his head popped and his hands were clenched. I remembered in class my professor said that if a patient of ours gets frustrated, I should try to calm them down by letting them remember any good memories.

"So tell me Nasser, what's your favourite restaurant here in London?" I asked.

Nasser was taken aback and I could see a confused look on Hamad's face. Alia was just sitting there with her mobile and Aunt Nadia was watching us carefully. 

"Uhmm, I really like the Pizzeria in H-H-Harrods," he stumbled over some words, but that was a normal thing to do since I was a stranger to him.

"What do you like most about the Pizzeria?" I smiled. It was also very important for a Psychiatrist to act friendly and calm in front of their patients. It would make them feel more comfortable and it would make them open up more.

"Personally, I really like their garlic bread and I actually hate their Pizza," he chuckled.

"So you only go there for the garlic bread?" I chuckled too.

"Yeah, I think so," he smiled and took the hoodie off of his head.

He had a large scar on his left eyebrow. He also had a stubble and his hair was short and clean. His teeth were straight and his nose was slightly crooked, in a good way.

Aunt Nadia gasped in a low tone and I was the only one to witness her amazement. I really didn't know why she was so shocked, but I really hope that it was a good reason.

For the next forty five minutes, I kept laughing with Nasser and he had this thing in his eyes. It was really hard to explain what it is but I know for sure, that he was happy.

They called us for our flight and we went to the airplane. I was a couple of rows in front of the twins and Aunt Nadia and Alia were seated in First Class. The rest of us were in Business.

The man seated next to me was awful. He kept asking for my name but I kept ignoring him. I literally didn't turn my face when he talked to me. I was getting agitated because of his inappropriate behaviour. He was the same man who tried to hit on me back at the VAT's.

"Lw sama7t, mumken enbadel amaken?" Nasser asked the man. The man surprisingly agreed and they both switched places.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" I smiled.

"Oh it's not for your pleasure, it's for mine," he winked.

I blushed and we started a long conversation that lasted for four hours. I told Nasser that I wanted to sleep for the rest of the flight because I was a little bit tired. He didn't seem to mind since he slept the minute we ended our conversation. Poor thing, he must've been tired too.

I laid down and covered myself with a blanket. Nasser seems like such a gentleman. I wonder why everybody thinks otherwise.

-

Hamad got up from his seat and went to see Nasser and Noura. He was a little bit jealous because they seem to get a long with each other. He shook his head and went to take a stroll around the plane. He passed by Alia's seat hoping he could have a small chat with her but she was too busy watching a movie. He went to his mother who was reading Quran. She put down the Quran and took off her reading glasses.

"Is there something bothering you honey?" She asked Hamad and put her hand on the side of his cheeks.

"Nour-" He said but he didn't continue his sentence.

"Hamad, listen to me. I know you still have feelings for her. I know you loved her way back but she's a grown woman now. If you tried to confess your feelings to her but she rejected it before, what makes you think that she's going approve of it now?" She said.

"I know Mom, but seeing her after all these years, makes me want to forget what was between us and start all over again. I am willing to forgive her for what she has done because I remember how there was no one in our school whose friendship was as stronger as ours," he said.

"She is a very intelligent young girl," Nadia said. "Have you seen the way Nasser reacted when she talked to him? It was like magic!"

"Yes, I've seen the way he looks at her too," he said.

"Hamad! Don't say that! This is the first time I've seen Nasser so relaxed. Do you think that the presence of Noura had an affect on him?" she said.

"Of course it did!" he said.

"Let's tell her to spend every afternoon of her break with Nasser, maybe his personality's going to change," Nadia said.

"6ab3an la2," Hamad gritted his teeth. He surely didn't like the idea that Nasser would spend his afternoons with Noura. It wasn't a bright thing to do.

"Hamad, I am your mother and you should obey every decision I think of," Nadia raised her voice a bit.

"Enshalla yuma, I'll talk to her tomorrow," he said and went back to his seat.

Devoted

She was just an ordinary woman, and he was just an ordinary man. Little did they know, that they would be crossing paths in the couple of months for an unpleasant reason.

She was devoted to her studies and he silently admired the way that she was committed to everything.

Little did he know that she had feelings for His brother. Little did he know that His brother was planning on marrying her.

Day after day, he spent his nights writing poems for her. He spent his days regretting not telling his mother that he wanted her as a wife and that He was supposed to be on their honeymoon right now instead of his twin brother.

Little did he know that his brother planned revenge on Her sister.

He slowly started to remember the events that happened a couple of years ago. His brother was in love with Her sister. His brother was devoted to Her sister. He loved Her sister more than His brother ever loved himself. But all hell broke loose when Her sister told him that she was marrying her cousin and were 'allegedly' in love.

His brother was devastated.

His brother was angry.

And now, His brother is gone.

Karma decided to step into this situation to do it's thing.

A huge accident occurred when they were on their way home from the airport.

My brother broke his vertebrae and passed away.

We are now standing in my parent's house. Men wearing Dishdasha's and women wearing their Abaya.

Crystals fell from her eyes. Priceless crystals fell from her eyes.

She went to him and fell into his arms. She went to him and told him that it was him all the time. It was he whom she has fallen for, and not his brother.

Little did he know that she was pregnant.

and several months later, she had a beautiful baby boy.

and guess what she named it?

She named it after him.

She named it after him.

I Come Apart 1

My eyes searched for a familiar face in the crowd. I pulled my bag while I squeezed myself in between hundreds of people who were greeting their loved ones. Strands of my hair kept falling and blocked my view. I looked over my shoulder and found a man that was following me. I walked a bit faster but he somehow was able to catch up with me. I dropped everything in my hands and I ran. I ran like there was no tomorrow. I was just seconds away from the door. The second I stepped out of the building, a firm hand grabbed my arm and I knew that something bad was going to happen.


"Noura wake up you're going to be late," Irina, our housekeeper said.

"But I don't want to go back," I moaned. “I don’t have anything good to go back to”

"You're going to be late for your flight if you don't get up!" She said with her thick Russian accent. Oh how I’d kill to be Russian. I feel that Russians are the most care-free people on this Earth. Maybe not friendly, but care-free and that is what I want to be. Care-free.

"Irina I have a bad feeling about going back home," I got out of bed and into the bathroom. I took a shower and wore my purple training suit. I got my LV tote bag and threw my passport in and my booking information. I ran to the living room while I put my sneakers on. I zipped up my bag and pulled it next to the door.

"Irina, I want you to make sure that all the lights are off and the switches too," I said. The bellboy was already at the door collecting my luggage to take them downstairs. "and please make sure that I haven't forgotten to throw out the milk that is in the fridge, I really don't my apartment to stink"

"Don't worry Ms. Noura," she reassured me. "Everything's going to be alright, just don't miss your flight, we wouldn’t want to give your mother any reason to get worried" I'm not even sure if my mum knows that I'm coming back home.

"Goodbye Irina and take care of the boys while I'm gone," I said, giving her a warm hug. I wore my shades and waited for the unbelievably slow elevator to come. I tapped my leg and hummed an old Arabic classic. Sulaiman Al Mulla was one of my favorite singers and Fdwetin Lek was my favorite song. I got into the elevator and went to the lobby. I made sure that all my expenses were paid and got into the car.

Irina is our housekeeper. Our as in Zaid, Khalid and my housekeeper. Zaid and Khalid were technically my best friends. We met each other on the first day of University and I guess we just clicked together since that day. They were my cliques, actually they were more like the brothers I never had. Irina comes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to make sure that our apartments were clean. To be honest, three of us were lazy. We were too lazy to do anything and Irina loved us more than her other clients. She says that we were more 'welcoming' than any other client and that we are the children she yearned to have. When we asked her why she never got married, she told us that it was a very long story that she doesn’t feel comfortable sharing. However she promised us that she’d tell it to us when she’s ready.

It took us about 45 minutes to get to Heathrow Airport due to the rush hour. The streets were usually busy in Christmas. I got into the airport and checked in. I went to the VAT section and it took me at least an hour to do all my VAT's. While I was waiting in the line, Zaid called me and told me that he'll be coming back home next week. Both Zaid and Khalid were coming next week because their cousin's getting married and they had to go to his marriage. Zaid and Khalid were actually second cousins. They were enemies back in high school but they worked everything out when they knew that they'll be going to the same university.

I tapped my legs while I stood in front of an awfully short woman. She wore jean leggings and top, which was totally inappropriate. She was chewing gum and I more than disgusted. Did I forget to mention that I hate people who chew gum? I think that it's really disrespectful to chew that way in front of people. I rolled my eyes and took my phone out from my back pocket. I looked through my Twitter feed and read all my friend's tweets and how happy they were about going back home. I looked around to see if I can spot any familiar faces but all I saw were Emirati, Saudi and a few Qatari students. They were all going back home for the same reason, to reunite with their family.

I looked back at the woman who was in front of me. She was now accompanied with a man who had a well-built back and broad shoulders. His hair was quite messy and short. He had two blue passports in his hands which made me thank god that he was Kuwaiti. At least I know that I'd be in an airplane with what I think is an attractive man. All I wanted to do now was to catch a quick glimpse of his face.

I tapped my foot while I waited for the line to progress. It was my turn now and I got stuck with a man who doesn't stop asking questions.

"I don't really know," I replied to his seventh (or maybe eighth question, I stopped counting after he asked me if I was married).

"Can't you see that she doesn't want to answer your questions?" The man next to me said. It was the same man who was standing in front of me. I could not get a clear view of his face. All I saw this time was a scruffy beard and aviators. He turned around immediately, not bothering to hear what I have to say to him. It was a simple thank you, but I think he doesn’t want to hear one from me since he gave me his back. How rude.

I'm finally done with the VAT's and I already passed security. I think this was the first time they haven't patted me down. The usually stop me because the stupid detector thinks I'm carrying a gun or a metal object. Who do they think I am? A psychotic serial killer whose on the run?

I went to the lounge and ordered a private room so I could pray and rest for a bit. I left my handbag in the room and went to shop in Duty Free. I went to the bookshop next to it and looked for a book to read in the airplane. I had 6 hours to kill and decided that Nicholas Sparks was going to be my best friend in the upcoming hours. I picked two books and went and paid for them at the cashier. I went upstairs and went to Wagamama.

I ordered my food and waited for it to come. I looked around me and saw families sitting together. If only I had brothers and sisters that loved me. If only my parents actually took care of me. 

I saw the brat with the same guy. He was giving me his back and she was sipping her soda. She started to chew on her gum after she placed her soda back on the table. I rolled my eyes and the man came with my order. I thanked him and started to eat.

When I was halfway done with my meal, the man looked over his shoulder and stared at me. I looked away and tried to act like I haven’t caught him staring at me. He was still wearing his hoodie and aviators. It's 9pm why the hell is he wearing his aviators? 

I paid for the check as soon as I could and skipped my way to the lounge. I didn’t want things to be any more awkward then they already are.

As I was walking through the lounge, I spotted a familiar face. My eyes sparkled and the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering.

 "صدفه ويا محلا الصدف" I thought.

Lots of love,

Reveur xxo

______________________

Important:

I am truly sorry for closing the blog for the last couple of months, I had to deal with some personal issues and , il7imdilla, everything's okay right now. Winter Schemes is no longer on the blog because I have to edit some bits of it. Once I'm done with editing it, I'll post it back on the blog! I am very thankful for those who coped with me for the last months. 

Anyways, I hope you liked the first chapter of the new story! Tell me what are your thoughts!

Thank you very much! x