Calm Before the Storm: Chapter 13.

Previously:

Me: "shft eltbn"

Esraa: "meen?" she thought she misheard me,

Me: "eltbn" I repeated,

Esraa: "y3ni b3rf al7een?"

Me: "Nasser ya 3'bya"

Esraa: "e7lfi! Lesh ana twni adri!"

Me: "madri yomha rj3t elhotel bdri 97t w nmt ma kan li 5lg a7aki a7d, w eli 4krni blsalfa Musaab gali we need to talk ja bbali mask 3lay shay w t4krt salft Nasser, bs wallah 9arli ftra mu mswya shay"

Esraa: "6yb mu shr6 yhz2k ymkn feeh salfa, family matter?"

Me: "w by7akeeni ana?"

Esraa: "madri bs ma a7s shay shain, w what’s with the nickname?"

Me: "which nickname?"

Esraa: "eltbn"

Me: "Musaab created it blsayara awl w b LA gala b3d, I liked it"

Esraa: "5bleen both" she chuckled, "eeh 97 wsh 9ar b LA m3 Nasser?!"

Me: "we talked, ybi yrj3li w madri wsho w ana ma abi"

Esraa: "eeh?"

Me: "madri ma 6wlt m3ah, rj3t elhotel m3 Uber wna a9ee7, d5lt w jeet b6wl ll elevators sm3t Musaab ynadeni w jls ys2lni shfeek bs ma r6’eet agoula gltla mar7 y3jbk elmw6’ou3 bs trani shfta bl9dfa"

Esraa: "7mara 7mara!"

Me: "w bs, gali meen? La ykoun eltbn?"

Esraa: "eeh? How was his reaction?"

Me: "wa6’7 ena 6r63 bs from the inside, he tried to keep calm w ana msheet, shfta 7a66 eeda 3la rasa w mnzl his head"

Esraa: "cute"

Me: "cute?"

Esraa: "y7bk w y5af 3leek"

Me: "3adi nfs ay o5o"

Esraa: "bs ho ma yshoufk k e5t"

Me: "wathga marra trak"

Esraa: "elmhm Alia drt?"

Me: "eeh gltlha yom rj3t he, yom ma gltlk b6l3 m3 9deegat’ha"

Esraa: "eeh?"

Me: "thak elyom, sbgouni 3l cinema hm wna shft Nasser hnak w s7bt 3leehum w rj3t b Uber"

Esraa: "oh"

Me: "yep, w enti? Any updates?"

Esraa: "ana 3ndi life a9lan 3shan t9eerli updates?"

Me: "6yb 6si yallah jani elnoum a7s"

Esraa: "t7seen?"

Me: "eeh wallah, bye"

Esraa: "bye bye"

She hung up and I got up to brush my teeth, wash my face and went to bed again.

I woke up the next day, we had our usual family gathering and nothing important happened, Saturday was boring, I studied for my mid-term and then watched a movie.

The week passed by quickly, I didn't have plans for the weekend, girls in my class invited me and Esraa to join their little gathering but we were not sure if we were going or not. My phone buzzed and I had a WhatsApp notification from Musaab,

Musaab:
Facetime. You and me. Now.

And for the first time ever, his message gives me a dozen of butterflies, a lot of freaking mixed signals, chills, and goosebumps.

Judy:
Twni raj3a mn eldwam, is it urgent?

Musaab:
You want to take a nap?

I thought about it for a second, if I keep running away I'm never knowing what he has to say, I opened my laptop and signed in FaceTime,

Judy:
I'm online

He read my message in less than a minute and called via FaceTime.

"Musaab AlX would like to FaceTime..."

Musaab: "hey"

Me: "ahlan"

Musaab: "shlounk?"

Me: "b5eer, w ent"

Musaab: "el7amdellah, 9outi wa6'7?"

Me: "eeh, ana?"

Musaab: "wa6'7 wa6'7"

He was obviously in his apartment sitting on a sofa, he had Saudi Arabia's flag hanging on the wall right behind him, there were a lot of pictures hanging under the flag as well,

Me: "I like your wall"

Musaab: "you do? I have a picture of us tara"

Me: "9dg? Show me"

He zoomed in and I saw the picture, we were too young and the picture was taken in our grandma's house. I was 5 and he was about 8, I was side hugging him and he was genuinely smiling. I was wearing a jalabiya and my hair was too messy, he was wearing a thobe as well. The picture was probably taken in Ramadan,

Me: "we look cute"

Musaab: "we do" he said as he zoomed out and faced his front camera,

Me: "so?"

Musaab: "I know that this isn't something to say over the phone, bs ma 3ad feeni 9br"

Me: "wsho?"

My heart fluttered,

Musaab: "Judy ana a7bk"

Me: "n3m?"

Musaab: "sm3teeni, lm7t lk km mara bs 3jzti tfhmeen, Judy mn hathak elyoum w ana myt 3'eera 3leek, w mu el3'eera eli a3'arha 3la 5wati, 6oul 3mri 3la bali eni a7bk nfs e5ti lain ja hathak elyoum w estw3bt en 3'eerti abdn mb 3'eert o5o 3la e5ta, hathak elyoum ho elli 5lani a97a w astw3b eni a7bk, w youm jeet hna w 9rt homesick bzyada t2kdt akthr, abi a3rf msha3rk tjahi Judy"

Me: "Musaab ent mstw3b wsh jals tgoul?"

Musaab: "mstw3b w mst5eer gbl agoul lk"

Me: "Musaab" I raised an eyebrow, "mu 3ashani 5aweet Nasser byoum mn elayam m3nah eni mmkn akrr hl tjruba, la t7sbni bnt mn hatha elnou3 l2ni mb ketha, he awl w a5r mara nfs ma glt" I took a breath, "w ewzn klamk gbl tgoula"

Musaab: "la tfhmeeni 3'l6 Judy ana ma glt ketha bg9d..."

Me: "mb lazm afhm wsh g9dk! Musaab wsh jals tgoul mn jdk?"

Musaab: "t9rufati m3k bl ayam elli ra7at w n6'rati elli knt ag6ha abd ma abeek tfhmeenha 3'l6 as well, ymkn ana ma3rf a3br, bs knt 9dg myt ghr 3la kl shay 9ar, wla knt adri wsh aswi, 7sait en el7l elw7eed elli asweeh eni a3trf lk bkl shay kan ydour bbali elayam elli fatt"

Me: "Musaa..."

Musaab: "5leeni akml klami lw sm7ti, ma y9eer tsm3een n9a bs w t7kmeen" 

Me: "mama tnadeeni Musaab lazm agfl! W mhma brrt e3rf eni mst7eel ashoufk 3'eer o5o!" I interrupted him and hung up before hearing his response,

I turned my laptop off and slammed it hard. I lied, everything I said in our video call was a lie. I'm madly in love with him, and I want him more than anything, I'm just not sure if I'm sure of my feelings, and I can't let him have me easily, I can't be so easy to get. Maybe I'm just missing him and missing being his best-friend and his go to. Maybe we just were too close and I grew too attached, and after we grew apart I just couldn't move on so my heart tried to convince me that I love him, while my brain tried to fight it and convince me that Musaab is only a brother. I didn't want to rush things and believe some fake feelings. I took a very deep breath and then cried, I couldn't even get myself. I love him, I just didn't want my feelings toward him to grow bigger. I immediately called Esraa while sobbing,

Me: "Esraa!"

Esraa: "bsmellah n3m wsh feeh 9otk? T9e7een?"

Me: "eeh a9ee7! Knt aklm Musaab mn shway FaceTime w madri wsh 5b9t 3nda!"

Esraa: "gouli la elah ella Allah!"

Me: "la elah ela Allah" I said while sobbing,

Esraa: "al7een gouleli wsh glti w wsh galk a9ln?"

Me: "t5yli gal ena y7bni!" I cried even harder,

Esraa: "6yb w wsh elli y9y7? Mu hatha eli tbeena?"

Me: "madri madri, fj2a 7seet ena msha3ri tjaha 3'l6! Ma agdr a7b wld 5ali lw sm7ti 7awli tfhmeeni!"

Esraa: "Judy, mu enti eli t5tareen meen t7been, glbk elli y5tar, w ma tgdreen tt7kmeen bglbk enti, w dam ena thneenkum t7boun b36' wsh ymn3 ena etha rj3 56bk w y9eer kl shay rasmi?"

Me: "gltla mu 3ashan 5aweet Nasser byoum y3ni mmkn a5aweek! Madri wsh 5b9t a7sni ndmana!"

Esraa: "wsho?"

Me: "eskti 7ta ana mani mt2kda mn sh3ouri mabi hl msha3r tkbr w t9eer a3m8 mn ketha wallah bmout a7sni m5nouga!"

Esraa: "Judy! Mu enti mn zman tbeena? Mu glteeli you fell for him w 3'rti w 6r63ti b LA yom shfteeh m3 bnt 3'reeba? Ween ra7t kl hathi el feelings? Mst3da t7bseenha da5lk leen tmouten?"

Me: "mwjouda bs a5af abynla eyaha"

Esraa: "krshti elwld?"

Me: "krshta marra! Ma atwg3 by6al3 bwjhi b3d ketha!"

Esraa: "y3ni afhm mn klamk ena mafeeh aml t7akeena?"

Me: "Esraa, ana yom 7akeet Nasser w 5aweeta knt bzr! Knt murah8a! I changed, mar7 a7aki wld abd!"

Esraa: "meen jab 6ari Nasser al7een?"

Me: "m7d, bs abi aw6'7 lk my point, ana mst7eel a7aki wld mn social media 7ta lw 5l9u kl 3yal el3alm, lw 7akeet wld aw 9rna friends 7ta bykoun fe n6ag eldrasa aw elw6'eefa bs, w btkoun 3lagt zmala!"

Esraa: "Nasser ma kan mn social media 6yb"

Me: "kan mn event 3bara 3n m9a5a w murah8een jayeen yt6'b6on, knt oula thanawi mstw3ba? 7ta el event bs sharkt feeh 3shan I have fun, not for the sake of volunteering"

Esraa: "6yb wsh d5l hatha b hatha? Tra Musaab wld 5alk he's not a guy you knew through social media!"

Me: "madri! Fkrt ena wld 5ali l7alha t5leeni aksh mna!" I cried even harder,

Esraa: "mumkn t'hdeen?"

My phone buzzed,

Me: "a7 ethni!"

Esraa: "wsho?"

Me: "shkla Musaab rasli shay jwali hz bgwa 3nd ethni, ma 3leek kmli wsh knti tgoleen?"

Esraa: "5la9 wla shay, fkri enti bs bkl hudoo2, w btro7een 3nd Dina elyoum m3 elbanat?"

Me: "bbeet Dina jm3t'hum?"

Esraa: "eeh galu bl group mn shway"

Me: "ma shft, madri bnam now w b8rr etha gmt, enti?

Esraa: "rjli 3la rjlk"

Me: "zeen, yallah bye"

Esraa: "bye, w please 7awli twgfeen 9ya7 w tfkreen zeen"

She hung up, I checked WhatsApp and the reason why my phone buzzed was actually Musaab,

Musaab:
Ma 5leteeni abrr wla a5l9 klami 3la fkra
La tfkreeni agoulk elklam hatha 3shan a5aweek nfs elbzr Nasser
A7taj a3rf n6'rtk le 3shan a3rf shloun at9rf
7akeeni etha f6'aiti 3shan abrr lk akthar

I read his message and ignored him, I just didn't know what to say, and thinking about it now will probably end me up crying again so I simply locked my phone and slept.

I woke up at 6:30 PM and WhatsApped Esraa,

Judy:
I actually feel like going to Dina's
Lw jlst bl beet bnam w that's not how I want to spend my weekend
Plus mabi afkr feeh w a9ee7
Please 5nrou7

Esraa: 
Okay mafi mushkla
Btksh5een?

Judy:
Shway

Esraa:
Ok
Eksh5i zeen bykoun feh banat ktheer
Y3ni klhm byksh5oun 3shan awal mara w ma nmoun
And pick me up

I took a quick shower and got dressed, I wore a grey knee length bodycon dress and matched them with some white heels, I left my hair naturally curly and applied makeup, I didn't apply too much makeup so I don't look like I've mistaken the wedding's address. I wore my Abaya, grabbed my clutch and went downstairs. I called Raju and he took me to Esraa's, I picked her up and we both went to Dina's,

Me: "hatha elbeet?"

Esraa: "eeh a6'n, galt elbeet rgma 84 hatha km Raju tgdr tshouf?"

Me: "eeh ana ashoufa 84, yallah"

We hopped off the car and rang the bell, Dina opened the door for us and we got in, we sat in the living room and all of the girls greeted us. 

In less than an hour, we heard a foreign man's voice coming from upstairs,

The Man: "e77m"

Dina: "Ali?"

Halah: "hatha o5ouk elli m3na bl jam3a?"

Dina: "eeh" she lowered the music's volume, "Ali tbeeni a6l3 lk?" she shouted,

Ali: "la, bs abi 6reeg 3shan anzl"

Dina: "3adi enzl 7na bl9ala eli da5l mb barra"

I don't know how to explain, but Ali doesn't see us if he comes downstairs, only we can see him, because they have a very long hallway, and at the end of the hallway there's the living room we were in, and we face the stairs since the living room doesn't have a door, anyways so Ali came downstairs and we watched him walk giving us his back, he was walking through the hallway towards the door, and that's when Esraa came out of the bathroom that was at the beginning of the hallway and bumped into Ali.


//
So what do you guys think of what Musaab said?
And what do you think of the whole chapter?
Plus, any advices for our very poor unsettled girl Judy?