We arrived at the restaurant and my mom nzalat ma3ay, oh God this was a bad idea right now. It was so awkward and I already was so nervous about going in.
"Yuma chinni hawant," I said as I turned to walk back into the car.
"Rou7ay yallah klhum 9af6een," she said, commenting on the dozen of sports cars and other fancy ones.
"Imshay ayi ma3ach bser3a oo arou7."
We walked to the entrance of the restaurant together and the waiter guided us in once I showed him my invitation for the high school reunion dinner party. I had to go downstairs to the dinner party, and I was glad no one saw me...with my mom checking out to see if the party was appropriate or not.
It was dim and there was a lot of balloons with the colors of our school logo, plus the lights were also color-coordinated. The restaurant was reserved just for us and it looked fancy as hell. Almost everyone was seated at a really long dinner table, and there were only like five empty chairs. I could only see heads and the top of ga7afi, so I didn't know who I was going to sit next to.
"Yallah amurich 3ala il9 oo ni9?" my mom said, and I nodded as I gulped.
I was almost twenty-two years old, I should be old enough to go to a dinner party. I waved my mother goodbye and took the elevator down instead of the stairs so people wouldn't stare while I went down, since ildaray jidamhum blthab6.
I exhaled and walked out of the elevator and towards the dining table, plastering a very nervous smile to my face as I waved to my old classmates. A couple of girls got up and hugged me, they were the regular friends/acquaintances I talked to at breaks between classes and stuff. I could see the other side of the table trying to figure out who I was but soon turned around when they realized it wasn't one of their "possy". I was sure they all went to college together. It was weird how people who barely knew each other in high school became good friends in college.
"Niyah oh my god etshawgeen, walhana 3alaich!" a Saudi-Kuwaiti girl, Nada said as I hugged her. I actually really missed her!
"Intay ba3ad, thank you!" I told her.
"Hi Anfal, shlonich?" I said to another girl seated next to Nada. I was surprised I still remembered their names.
I said hi to Ahmed and a couple of his friends who were seated next to the girls side of the table, while I looked around for other people.
Sarah and Lulu sat next to each other with Nouf and some other popular girls in front of them yam the guys. Lulu was wearing a semi-revealing dress that made Nouf's sleeveless dress look like nothing. I guessed they didn't notice me or noticed me and didn't care. The guys were a bit far away so I couldn't really see them.
I took a seat at the end of table in front of a tag with my name on it; I was glad to be placed next to a couple of my old Chemistry lab classmates. There was a cute menu on my plate too.
"Ahlan, shlonkum? Mn zman 3ankum!" I said as I chatted with them. A lot of them were in private universities and were surprised that I was in petroleum engineering, let alone in KU.
I was still stunned from the random proposal, especially now that I knew his name, and the dinner party that I was surprised I managed a couple of logical sentences.
"Bas khala9? Hatha e7na?" an old classmate, Abdullah, said as he looked around. He really grew taller and more mature. Four years did wonders for the guys, and the girls. Almost everyone grew out of their awkward phase.
The waiters, who were like ten, brought in the appetizers and I chose to have a mushroom soup as I was still cold despite the heating of the restaurant.
I tried to look at the other side of the table where the guys were, but it was such a huge table I could only see a couple of faces, and none of them were "remarkable".
"Adri 7asafa wayid nas nag9een," Nada commented.
I smiled. "Bas chinna bas four people, 9a7? Mnu nag9?" I asked her.
"Umm Sa3ad Al-T, Rana Al-W, Zaid Al-M, oo chinna Dana Al-R," she said. She'd always been smart.
"Oh 7asafa," I could only say.
"Yallah 3ala ilaqal mu3'6amna ehni," she said with a cheerful smile, and I smiled in return.
"Hey 3ndich snapchat?" she asked me as she pulled out her phone. I nodded and began to add her.
We finished from the appetizer and onto the main course of veal picatta and a side of mashed potatoes for me. It was so good; I'd never tasted a more soft piece of veal. I had a bit of Nada's pasta Alfredo, which was delicious as well. I wondered how much this all cost.
"Mnu msawe il7afla? Ana yatni elda3wa 3an 6areeq Fatma Al-N," I asked Nada as I bit on my veal.
"Oh fikrat Fatma, Nouf oo Abdullah chinna. Bas kanaw b student council fa 3amleen ili7sab mn zman," Nada said with a chuckle and I nodded understandingly.
"Bas ilakil latheeth 9ij," I commented and the girls agreed.
We finished from our main courses, and all our plates were shiny clean because it was that good.
"Allah aku molten chocolate cake 7ag dessert," Sherifa, a girl next to Nada commented as she looked at the menu in front of her.
"Ana mshawgatni the lemon tart," I told them and they made a face while I laughed. Today was definitely a cheat day!
"Et3arfoun wain il7amam?" I asked them, and they shrugged unknowingly. I'd had way too much water just to calm my nerves, as if it was alcohol. I walked away from the table and got kind of lost until I asked the waiter for the bathroom.
"Next to the elevator," he told me.
I finally found it and it was fortunately empty. I was kind of worried I'd run into someone in the bathroom, which I really hated.
I washed my hands and checked my reflection, everything was looking good but I reapplied my lipstick since it was almost totally faded.
I walked out of the bathroom and almost ran into someone walking out of the elevator.
"Ubai asfa!" I exclaimed.
"La walaw," Zaid said, not paying attention to who I was.
Zaid...
"Umm," I tried to say, still staring at him under the dim light, and I was sure he noticed who he was talking to.
Oh God I missed him, his scent, his laugh, his smile, the way he used to look at me. I shouldn't be thinking this, I was about to be engaged.
"7a6aw il3asha?" he simply asked me, saving me from my humiliation, or maybe ga3d yragi3 but that was a great attempt. One year later and that was all he said to me?
But then again we did end it with a fight.
"Khala9na 3asha bidaina 7ilu," I replied, almost robotically. Shit, I just realized he might take it the wrong way.
"Aha," he said and I walked away from him awkwardly. Perfect.
I didn't even notice what he looked like or what he wore from the shock I'd gotten.
I heard a couple of "woo'"s as he walked in and a lot of people from the table suddenly got up to greet him; madry sh6ari 3alaihum. It was probably because he looked good, like ridiculously good, even better than usual. He was well groomed and had a light stubble and his qitra was well placed.
He was smiling as he greeted guys and girls alike warmly, and I suddenly felt jealous. He just asked me if we finished dinner. What the hell was his deal? I tried to convince myself I was over him; and I needed to get over him since I was meeting Faisal soon.
I sat at my seat again and exhaled while I tried to clear my mind. I had no right to be enraged, I mean my brother is the one who should be enraged. I was worried about him but I was sure my mom didn't want me to visit him until he was fully recovered, whenever that happened. Poor kid.
"Tara 6alabnalich lemon tart," Nada told me with a smile.
"Oh mashkoura," I said. I suddenly had no appetite.
I texted my mom if she could get me right now as I was really not feeling well, and she replied back almost immediately.
She couldn't until 9:30, because she was at my grandmother's gathering. Just perfect.
Our desserts arrived and I just grazed at my lemon tart, which smelled really good but I ate just so I wouldn't be rude. I just listened to the other conversations while my mind was elsewhere, and before I knew it it was 9 PM and everyone was getting ready to leave.
"Yallah bye Niyah, 3ad wa3deenna ha?" Nada said as she hugged me.
"Inshallah matwa9een," I told her with a chuckle.
The girls thanked the organizers of the party before leaving the dinner table to go upstairs together. The table was almost half empty and I scooted to talk to Ahmed and his funny and geeky friends, but I got a closer view of the guys's side, and Zaid, who was laughing and having a great time with the guys and girls.
It was like Paris, only this time he was more vibrant and alive, and I couldn't help thinking that maybe I was the one who brought him down.
"Alas, my time has come," Ahmed said as he stood up from the table, with his friends, who thanked the organizers again and said bye to the rest of the people. I was now stuck at a table with the guys, plus Zaid, Lulu, Sarah, Nouf, and her friends. AKA my least favorite people at the table, and I took it as a sign for me to leave.
"Yallah ma3a ilsalama," I said as I stood up, awkwardly only Abdullah listened to me while everyone else was busy chatting. I figured I'd send them a message.
"Mashkoureen wayid 3ala il3asha oo maga9artaw," I added.
"7ayach mashkoura 3ala ilyaya," he said as I left the table and walked to the elevator on the other side.
It was just 9:15, shasawe b those fifteen minutes upstairs? Time was just too slow over here.
I got out of the elevator and sat in the waiting area that overlooked the dinner table and I could see them, maybe ten people, including Sarah, Nouf, Zaid, Lulu, Abdullah, Yousif, and their friends talking and laughing so hard about something.
I didn't expect Lulu and Sarah to be the type to hang out with guys, I guessed college changed them. Changed everyone, maybe it changed me too but I didn't really feel any different.
I sighed as I saw Zaid leaning on his chair and placing an arm on the empty chair next to him while laughing and chatting with the guys and the girls.
He too seemed different, and maybe it was definitely a sign for me to move on.
"Yuma chinni hawant," I said as I turned to walk back into the car.
"Rou7ay yallah klhum 9af6een," she said, commenting on the dozen of sports cars and other fancy ones.
"Imshay ayi ma3ach bser3a oo arou7."
We walked to the entrance of the restaurant together and the waiter guided us in once I showed him my invitation for the high school reunion dinner party. I had to go downstairs to the dinner party, and I was glad no one saw me...with my mom checking out to see if the party was appropriate or not.
It was dim and there was a lot of balloons with the colors of our school logo, plus the lights were also color-coordinated. The restaurant was reserved just for us and it looked fancy as hell. Almost everyone was seated at a really long dinner table, and there were only like five empty chairs. I could only see heads and the top of ga7afi, so I didn't know who I was going to sit next to.
"Yallah amurich 3ala il9 oo ni9?" my mom said, and I nodded as I gulped.
I was almost twenty-two years old, I should be old enough to go to a dinner party. I waved my mother goodbye and took the elevator down instead of the stairs so people wouldn't stare while I went down, since ildaray jidamhum blthab6.
I exhaled and walked out of the elevator and towards the dining table, plastering a very nervous smile to my face as I waved to my old classmates. A couple of girls got up and hugged me, they were the regular friends/acquaintances I talked to at breaks between classes and stuff. I could see the other side of the table trying to figure out who I was but soon turned around when they realized it wasn't one of their "possy". I was sure they all went to college together. It was weird how people who barely knew each other in high school became good friends in college.
"Niyah oh my god etshawgeen, walhana 3alaich!" a Saudi-Kuwaiti girl, Nada said as I hugged her. I actually really missed her!
"Intay ba3ad, thank you!" I told her.
"Hi Anfal, shlonich?" I said to another girl seated next to Nada. I was surprised I still remembered their names.
I said hi to Ahmed and a couple of his friends who were seated next to the girls side of the table, while I looked around for other people.
Sarah and Lulu sat next to each other with Nouf and some other popular girls in front of them yam the guys. Lulu was wearing a semi-revealing dress that made Nouf's sleeveless dress look like nothing. I guessed they didn't notice me or noticed me and didn't care. The guys were a bit far away so I couldn't really see them.
I took a seat at the end of table in front of a tag with my name on it; I was glad to be placed next to a couple of my old Chemistry lab classmates. There was a cute menu on my plate too.
"Ahlan, shlonkum? Mn zman 3ankum!" I said as I chatted with them. A lot of them were in private universities and were surprised that I was in petroleum engineering, let alone in KU.
I was still stunned from the random proposal, especially now that I knew his name, and the dinner party that I was surprised I managed a couple of logical sentences.
"Bas khala9? Hatha e7na?" an old classmate, Abdullah, said as he looked around. He really grew taller and more mature. Four years did wonders for the guys, and the girls. Almost everyone grew out of their awkward phase.
The waiters, who were like ten, brought in the appetizers and I chose to have a mushroom soup as I was still cold despite the heating of the restaurant.
I tried to look at the other side of the table where the guys were, but it was such a huge table I could only see a couple of faces, and none of them were "remarkable".
"Adri 7asafa wayid nas nag9een," Nada commented.
I smiled. "Bas chinna bas four people, 9a7? Mnu nag9?" I asked her.
"Umm Sa3ad Al-T, Rana Al-W, Zaid Al-M, oo chinna Dana Al-R," she said. She'd always been smart.
"Oh 7asafa," I could only say.
"Yallah 3ala ilaqal mu3'6amna ehni," she said with a cheerful smile, and I smiled in return.
"Hey 3ndich snapchat?" she asked me as she pulled out her phone. I nodded and began to add her.
We finished from the appetizer and onto the main course of veal picatta and a side of mashed potatoes for me. It was so good; I'd never tasted a more soft piece of veal. I had a bit of Nada's pasta Alfredo, which was delicious as well. I wondered how much this all cost.
"Mnu msawe il7afla? Ana yatni elda3wa 3an 6areeq Fatma Al-N," I asked Nada as I bit on my veal.
"Oh fikrat Fatma, Nouf oo Abdullah chinna. Bas kanaw b student council fa 3amleen ili7sab mn zman," Nada said with a chuckle and I nodded understandingly.
"Bas ilakil latheeth 9ij," I commented and the girls agreed.
We finished from our main courses, and all our plates were shiny clean because it was that good.
"Allah aku molten chocolate cake 7ag dessert," Sherifa, a girl next to Nada commented as she looked at the menu in front of her.
"Ana mshawgatni the lemon tart," I told them and they made a face while I laughed. Today was definitely a cheat day!
"Et3arfoun wain il7amam?" I asked them, and they shrugged unknowingly. I'd had way too much water just to calm my nerves, as if it was alcohol. I walked away from the table and got kind of lost until I asked the waiter for the bathroom.
"Next to the elevator," he told me.
I finally found it and it was fortunately empty. I was kind of worried I'd run into someone in the bathroom, which I really hated.
I washed my hands and checked my reflection, everything was looking good but I reapplied my lipstick since it was almost totally faded.
I walked out of the bathroom and almost ran into someone walking out of the elevator.
"Ubai asfa!" I exclaimed.
"La walaw," Zaid said, not paying attention to who I was.
Zaid...
"Umm," I tried to say, still staring at him under the dim light, and I was sure he noticed who he was talking to.
Oh God I missed him, his scent, his laugh, his smile, the way he used to look at me. I shouldn't be thinking this, I was about to be engaged.
"7a6aw il3asha?" he simply asked me, saving me from my humiliation, or maybe ga3d yragi3 but that was a great attempt. One year later and that was all he said to me?
But then again we did end it with a fight.
"Khala9na 3asha bidaina 7ilu," I replied, almost robotically. Shit, I just realized he might take it the wrong way.
"Aha," he said and I walked away from him awkwardly. Perfect.
I didn't even notice what he looked like or what he wore from the shock I'd gotten.
I heard a couple of "woo'"s as he walked in and a lot of people from the table suddenly got up to greet him; madry sh6ari 3alaihum. It was probably because he looked good, like ridiculously good, even better than usual. He was well groomed and had a light stubble and his qitra was well placed.
He was smiling as he greeted guys and girls alike warmly, and I suddenly felt jealous. He just asked me if we finished dinner. What the hell was his deal? I tried to convince myself I was over him; and I needed to get over him since I was meeting Faisal soon.
I sat at my seat again and exhaled while I tried to clear my mind. I had no right to be enraged, I mean my brother is the one who should be enraged. I was worried about him but I was sure my mom didn't want me to visit him until he was fully recovered, whenever that happened. Poor kid.
"Tara 6alabnalich lemon tart," Nada told me with a smile.
"Oh mashkoura," I said. I suddenly had no appetite.
I texted my mom if she could get me right now as I was really not feeling well, and she replied back almost immediately.
She couldn't until 9:30, because she was at my grandmother's gathering. Just perfect.
Our desserts arrived and I just grazed at my lemon tart, which smelled really good but I ate just so I wouldn't be rude. I just listened to the other conversations while my mind was elsewhere, and before I knew it it was 9 PM and everyone was getting ready to leave.
"Yallah bye Niyah, 3ad wa3deenna ha?" Nada said as she hugged me.
"Inshallah matwa9een," I told her with a chuckle.
The girls thanked the organizers of the party before leaving the dinner table to go upstairs together. The table was almost half empty and I scooted to talk to Ahmed and his funny and geeky friends, but I got a closer view of the guys's side, and Zaid, who was laughing and having a great time with the guys and girls.
It was like Paris, only this time he was more vibrant and alive, and I couldn't help thinking that maybe I was the one who brought him down.
"Alas, my time has come," Ahmed said as he stood up from the table, with his friends, who thanked the organizers again and said bye to the rest of the people. I was now stuck at a table with the guys, plus Zaid, Lulu, Sarah, Nouf, and her friends. AKA my least favorite people at the table, and I took it as a sign for me to leave.
"Yallah ma3a ilsalama," I said as I stood up, awkwardly only Abdullah listened to me while everyone else was busy chatting. I figured I'd send them a message.
"Mashkoureen wayid 3ala il3asha oo maga9artaw," I added.
"7ayach mashkoura 3ala ilyaya," he said as I left the table and walked to the elevator on the other side.
It was just 9:15, shasawe b those fifteen minutes upstairs? Time was just too slow over here.
I got out of the elevator and sat in the waiting area that overlooked the dinner table and I could see them, maybe ten people, including Sarah, Nouf, Zaid, Lulu, Abdullah, Yousif, and their friends talking and laughing so hard about something.
I didn't expect Lulu and Sarah to be the type to hang out with guys, I guessed college changed them. Changed everyone, maybe it changed me too but I didn't really feel any different.
I sighed as I saw Zaid leaning on his chair and placing an arm on the empty chair next to him while laughing and chatting with the guys and the girls.
He too seemed different, and maybe it was definitely a sign for me to move on.
***
Sorry to say I won't be able to post for the next three days as I will be extremely occupied! Meanwhile I'd love to hear your comments!:) xx
twitter: @cashmerepoison
Godddd it's amaaiznggggg❤️❤️❤️❤️ Take all the time you need ya galbeee❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteMoreee
ReplyDelete:( mskena
ReplyDeleteenshalla she moves on w yl7agha or she moves and be happilyy
you'll see!
Deleteyalaaaa please:(
ReplyDeleteposted
Deletei cant wait wallaah jadddd asraaa3 tkfain
ReplyDeleteposted!
DeleteIve been a silent reader from the start and got hooked on ur story. Its been 3 days and i think im groing through withdrawl please post soon
ReplyDeleteAww thank you so much,, haha withdrawal! :p Posted :)
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