Beneath Guarded Hearts - 31

Previously…

Asma

3bdulla: “He’s ALL yours. Mabrook 3alaikm, enjoy his deformed face. I hope it stays that way. Why don’t you try kissing her now yal zag?”

He stomped away as bloodied drops trickled from his knuckles onto the sand grains.

I heard low chatters of a familiar language from around us.

Girl 1: “Walla 3’abeya, he's like way hotter 3an hatha!”

Girl 2: “Adree a9lan I don’t even see what he sees in her. He shouldn’t waste his time on ungrateful girls who don’t appreciate what they have.”

Girl 1: “Although that other guy looked really hot too, before he turned into a freaking zombie of course.”

Girl 2: “Bas the tan guy has abs! His skin, oooof walla y5abel! Let’s go see if he’ll take our numbers!”

And they ran off giggling to each other, not noticing the inferno blazing in the deep almond of my eyes. Now I wanted to kill someone.

_______________

3bdulla

            I should have killed him.

I’ve been doing so well, trying to avoid Asma and all. It worked wonders on her, caused her to be annoyed with me. It would’ve eventually turned into hate, and then soon enough I would be nothing but a memory in the back of her head. And life would go on. But then, not everything goes the way we plan it to.

            Where did he come from? How did he end up here? In the same country? On the same beach? Was he stalking her now?! Bas apparently hai ma3ndha mani3. Bas I could have sworn her eyes were screaming for help, her body trembling in utter fear. So why? Why did she say what she did? Why did she hurt me?

I probably deserved it; I started ignoring her after I’d just told her that I would fight for her. But I didn’t know what I had promised her until it was too late. I won’t be here to fight for her. I’m physically unable to do anything. I’ll be all the way in New York. Damn it, damn it all! Why did I rush into this without thinking it through? Ugghh this summer was going worse than I had thought it would.

            I couldn’t have her, yet I couldn’t seem to let her go. I went looking for her to tell her that we were slowly heading back to the boat, when I saw him. I forgot everything. I forgot myself. All I knew was that I wanted to see him dead. If he dared to do that to her in public, God knows what he’ll force her to do in private! As much as she enraged me with her wounding words, I couldn’t just let it go. Something had to be done. And fast.

            I tried not to look at her as much as possible on the way home, but when I did glance her way, my heart fell. She was sitting all alone in the far corner, curled into a ball as she looked out into the waves that splashed tiny droplets on her face every now and then. No, it wasn’t the waves. It was her tears. She was crying. And trying very hard to stop. I pushed down the urge to go up to her and hold her against me, and that was when I realized what she had just gone through. On top of all that, I was making it worse for her, adding to the burden of the weight she carried over her shoulders. The pain.

I was selfish. I was thinking only of myself, and I didn’t pay her enough attention to understand what she meant by her words. I would have probably killed him if she hadn’t stopped me, with no reasonable excuse. She saved me from a day that could have gone way worse, but I didn’t see it. I only saw what my eyes wanted me to see, only heard what my ears wanted me to hear. She didn’t want him. But I was too blinded in my anger to see it. I am such an idiot. How the hell am I going to fix this?

Sul6an

            A whole week passed. She was still not talking to me. She refused to tell me anything. She said it was none of my business, but I saw the flicker of fear in her eyes. She didn’t want to be reminded of it. Apparently she was being reminded enough. I heard her cries at night; her room was next to mine and the walls weren’t that thick. I saw her look at the things that used to cheer her up with dead eyes. She was like a robot. Nothing mattered to her, what she ate, what our mom bought her, whether she wins or looses in a family game. She used to be lively, competitive in a funny way, so full of energy and life and soul. Now it was all gone. Poof. I didn’t think that it had anything to do with 3bdulla, since he did such a splendid job at staying away from her, until I heard her call his name one night. I didn’t dream of even thinking about asking him about it. I wanted to hear it from Asma. Not him. But she’s gonna have to work it out in order to feel free to tell me everything. It helps her when some of the weight is lifted off of her shoulders. So, being the manipulative brother that I am, I came up with a plan. A very good one, I might add ;)

Asma

            I could have sworn mama left today to sleep in after the late night yesterday, but apparently I was wrong. It didn’t even matter; I wasn’t paying attention anyway so it must have slipped my mind. Sul6an said that a beach picnic was organized and that we had to go early to make the preparations. He said that he had all the items and told me to meet him at the beach. When I arrived at the lobby, a driver was waiting for me and he greeted me cheerfully as he led me to the car. This is weird. I’m never allowed to go anywhere without a family member, yet here I was in a car all by myself. It felt wrong for some reason. I shrugged the thought away and returned into the emotionless zombie I had been for the past week and a half.

After what seemed a lifetime, the driver announced our arrival and I jumped out of the car, searching for Sul6an’s tall form. I saw someone setting up a picnic from afar, and told the driver that he could leave as I walked towards the red fabric swishing in the air. As I got nearer, I saw that there were two people standing there. One of them was tanned. Tall. And when he turned around at the movements of my bare feet on the sand, I met his blue eyes.

Me: “3bdulla?!”

3bdulla: “Asma?!”

Me: “Sul6an! I thought you said it was just us two!”

            I glared at the innocent grin my brother gave me, and I knew then what he had done. But it was too late. I groaned as I stepped towards them.

3bdulla: “Aaaih sholsalfa what’s going on?”

            Sul6an surprised me with his answer.

Sul6an: “What’s going on is that you two are going to solve your damned issues and get rid of this 7rakat yhalo. Bassch 3ad Asamy I can’t see you come to Thailand and look as miserable as you do right now. You love this place! And you-“

            He turned to 3bdulla’s confused expression.

Sul6an: “You’re not allowed to touch her, or say anything inappropriate. My driver friend is going to be watching you mn b3eed, and he will report back to me. Now I better get news that you two were smiling and laughing by the time you came back to the car. Maba za3al w aflam hindeya. You have until… 12:30 the latest. Mama has afternoon plans for all of us… yet AGAIN. Anyways, yalla bye, work it out, sima3tooni?!”

            Both 3bdulla and I unconsciously nodded, still unable to register in our minds that SUL6AN was doing all this. SUL6AN! This was extremely awkward. Out of the ordinary. Shocking.

            I watched my brother drive off with the other car as he disappeared into the street. And then I realized that he left me. With him! He freaking left me! I was gonna kill him when I reached home.

            I turned to face a very hesitant 3bdulla, but there was something sheepish about his expression.

Me: “Did you know about this?!”

To be continued…