Don't Forget Me (43)

I saw Zaid in his dishdasha talking and laughing with Haya, of all people. I'd thought they were over. She wasn't even wearing a shawl or anything to cover her bare shoulders and chest, as she continued to talk to him. I hated how he looked at her, how he laughed with her. I missed it, I missed the way he looked at me. I didn't care what he'd told me, no friend would look at another friend the way he had looked at me.

Kind of the way he was looking at me now...
I hadn't realized his eyes moved from Haya and towards me. The girl excused herself to go her car, and he broke his gaze to say goodbye, before turning to look at me again. He looked at me, I watched his eyes roam over me from top to bottom, with his lips parted and he finally locked eyes with me. I was almost breathless at how wild his eyes were.

My phone vibrated in my hand and I picked it up, giving Zaid my back.

"Alu?" I said.

"Ha w9al Ali?" she asked me.

"La ma ashoufa," I told her.

"Waih, ni6ray ba3ad shway akhaf za7ma," she said.

"Inshallah," I said before I hung up.

I turned to look at the street wala Zaid was approaching me, and my heart was beating so loud I could hear it over the wedding music.

"Ahlan," he said, not cracking a smile. Wala china he had texted me those messages. My tongue was too heavy to say anything.

"Um asif bas ikhti ma itrid 3ala ilmobile, shfteeha dakhil?" he asked.

"Ee," I said.

"Umm okay tigdireen tgouleen 7ag a7ad ynadeeha? Please? 9arli ni9 sa3a an6er," he said. He looked like he had been waiting for more than thirty minutes.

"Uh okay, bas la7'6a," I said as I turned to go back inside.

I looked for Zaina at the buffet area and found her sitting with her sisters in law at a table with a couple of their friends madri cousins. I found a waitress and told her to tell Zaina that her brother was outside. I walked back to the exit to look for my driver and Zaid but he wasn't there.

"Yallah nshoufich 3ala khair 7abeebti," khalti Salwa told me as she got down the stairs.

"Ma3a ilsalama khalti," I told her with a smile. I saw Faisal approach us to help his mom.

"Hala Omniyah shlonich?" he asked me with a smile.

"Il7mdillah bkhair, inta shlonik?" I asked him. I could see him too look at my dress.

"Wee nisait asalim 3ala um il3arous," khalti Salwa said before turning back inside.

Faisal watched his mother get back inside and he walked closer to me to whisper

"Omniyah dishay dakhil, may9eer ilriyayeel yshoufounich chithi," he told me, even though I covered myself with my shawl. I gulped and nodded.

"Inshallah," I only said.

I could see Zaid walk towards me and look back and forth between me and Faisal.

"Ilsalam," he muttered.

"W 3alaykum ilsalam," Faisal replied, with a huge question mark on his face.

"Niyah sh9ar 3alaiha?" Zaid asked me impatiently.

"Um madri glt 7ag ilkhadma itnadeeha," I replied.

"Mashkoura," he said with a soft smile.

"Asif mn 7a'6ritik?" Faisal interrupted. I could tell he was not liking Zaid talking to me.

"Zaid Al-M, w int?" Zaid said, cocking his head. I could tell he was already pissed off from Zaina that Faisal was getting on his nerves too.

"Faisal Al-O," Faisal replied.

"Omniyah gltlich itdisheen dakhil," Faisal ordered me, ticked off.

"Y9eer matkalmha chithi?" Zaid said.

I was caught off guard.

"Na3am? Int minu?" Faisal replied, raising his voice.

"Gltlik ana minu, inta minu 3ashan itkalmha chithi?" Zaid said.

Faisal scoffed.

"Agoul mu wagtik bas," Faisal said. "Omniyah," he repeated sternly to me.

I finally found our driver, perfect timing.

"Ka say8na w9al," I told Faisal as I texted my mom that the driver was here.

"Inzain mumkin itdisheen 3ala ma tyi 3amiti?" he asked.

Zaid looked back and forth between us, and I think he knew who Faisal was when Faisal mentioned "3amiti".

"Oo int lay mita mjabilna inshallah?" Faisal told Zaid.

"Na6ir ikhti," he said.

"Oo 7abakat togaf 3ndaha?" Faisal asked. "Mat3arif itlif wayhik? Matkhaf 3ala ikhtik?"

"Faisal khala9," I blurted out. He was seriously blowing this up.

"Na3am? Itdaf3een 3anna?" Faisal asked.

Khalti Salwa and Zaina showed up almost at the same time and I could see Zaina's expression change when she looked at me next to Zaid.

"Zaid shlsalfa?" she asked.

"Ee yallah ishra7laha shlsalfa," Faisal said.

"Maku salfa bas khal inrou7," Zaid said, fed up of Faisal and this blown up drama.

"La2 ma3a hathi lazim aku salfa," Zaina said. Faisal looked at me china a7ad ma36ee 6rag.

"La7'6a la7'6a shnu?" Faisal said.

My mother showed up as well.

"Hala Faisal yuma shlonik?" she said as she looked around.

"Asfa intay bint Al-M, 3adil? Omniyah mu hathi rifeejtich?" my mom said to Zaina.

Shit.

I looked at Zaid who was speechless.

"Na3am?" Zaina said to my mom.

Zaina chuckled mn il7ara.

"Ana rifeejat bintich? 3ugub ili sawita ma3a ukhouy?" she said.

"Zaina," Zaid objected.

"La7'6a shlsalfa?" Faisal asked.

"Mashallah 3alaich lail7een ma7ad yadri inich 6ala3tay ma3a oo  r7tay '3urfita ba3ad?" Zaina spat out, and I wanted the earth to swallow me whole.

"Zaina!" Zaid said.

"Ha?" Faisal said, dumbfounded, as he looked at me and then at Zaid, back and forth.

"Omniyah 9ij hal 7achi?" my mother said.

"Mn zman," I told her. What else could I say?

"Ilsayara al7een," my mother ordered me, her voice was shaky.


***

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