A few weeks had passed and for some the time had been part of the healing process, a time to recover and restart. For others, these past few weeks had been the longest they'd experienced in quite a while. Abdullah decided to take the rest of the semester off and stay with his family. His dad was flown to the states to receive his heart surgery and was in the hospital waiting for the day to come he would finally go through with it. The rest of the family came with him and Abdullah was back and forth between California and Cleveland where the hospital was. Jawa flew out once with Abdullah to see his family and stay with them, she had helped to cheer up the family, new faces were always welcome. What had once seemed like an exciting love affair had begun to slow down, and her and Fawaz were beginning to drift apart. Rania and Wassim ran into each other a few more times before heading their separate ways back to California and Wassim's architecture firm in New York. Aziz and Nawar's wedding was coming up very soon and everyone was more excited each day.
"I think I'm going to get this one! What do you think? I think I found it. I can't believe it. This is it!"
"Raniaaa can't you just wait a few weeks? They'll have brand new things and then you'll have all the options you want, instead of getting it just to get something."
"Ugh, Jawa I swear having sensible friends is so boring. But I guess you're right, I have time to get the right dress before the wedding. It's so weird, our best friend is getting married in 3 weeks. It feels like we just got back to the states and now we're going right back."
"I know! It feels like just yesterday we were joking about the day one of us gets married and what we'll wear and all of that. And Nawar is all grown up. Imagine her being a wife. The poor guy!"
"Ehemmm, guys I'm right here remember. I can still hear you! And I think I'm going to be the cutest wife ever. Aziz is the luckiest man alive."
"OMG it just hit me you're gonna move out soon. Nooo Nawar, you can't get married now. Okay okay, we all have to sleep in the same bed until you go so we can get sick of you and be ready to kick you out."
"Hahaha wow Jawa, perfect idea as always. What we would do without you."
"Sarcasm is going unappreciated!"
"So Rania, you know at the wedding Wassim is going to be there..maybe you want to talk to him before then?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot you're having a mixed wedding..."
"LIES! You are SO the last person to forget that, ahaha, we know you better than that!" said Jawa as she was the first to leave the little boutique on the corner.
"Okay okay, maybe I remembered..but I am trying to forget. It's going to be weird seeing him. I mean, we ran into each other a couple of times but that's it. Annnnnd we all heard he was supposed to get engaged to some girl he met in NY. She's probably snotty and rude and thinks she's so cool because she lives in NY...But really who cares."
"Yeah...totally sounds like you don't care."
"I agree with Jawa, totally don't care...ignore my eye rolling...Anyways, that's a total rumor and we've discussed that it's a total rumor a million and one times. I'd know, my family would know, and you would know if it was true. It is absolutely not."
"Pshh...if you say so."
Later that day...
"Aloo?"
"Hey, I want to talk."
"Fawaz, you called, I answered, we are talking, whatsup?"
"Haha no Jawa, like really talk..."
"Okay, shfeek? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, well sort of...Can we meet?"
"I'm going out later, so I'm sort of busy. Come over and I'll meet you at the pool?"
"Sounds good. I'm on my way."
"Yalla bye."
As Fawaz pulled up Jawa's heart dropped. She remembered how just recently she was so mesmerized by him and how she'd hang on his every word. Now they barely saw each other and he was becoming more and more distant. She thought he was just getting over things and that she should try and do the same. It was hard but it had begun working and slowly she was getting more and more over him.
"Hi...you look...really nice."
"Thank you? I'm in sweats and a tshirt...not the most attractive."
"La2, walla you're beautiful Jawa."
"Thanks...Fawaz what's wrong? Something obviously is.."
"Okay I need to explain something to you. Please promise me you'll listen to all of it and not hate me until I finish trying to explain everything, just give me a chance to help you understand the situation."
"Umm...okay...I'm listening"
They sat down at one of the tables by the pool and it had gotten cold so Fawaz gave Jawa his sweatshirt. She was hesitant to take it but it was too cold not to.
"When I first came to the states, everyone knew me as a party boy and the type of guy that just screws around with girls. I know you knew me as that type of guy, and most of my friends did too. Only a few of my friends knew what I'm about to tell you. It all happened so fast and at first we didn't want anyone to know, then after what happened, I especially didn't want anyone to know. I was hurt and humiliated. I was married before.."
The shock was more than Jawa had expected at all. In her wildest dreams she hadn't expected to hear that...He was so young, when did he even have the time to be married and be unmarried by now? Was he even unmarried? How could he have lied to her? The questions were unending, all from those four words.
"Oh."
"We were really young, right out of high school. But we were in love and sure that it was the right thing to do. No one had known we were together because it was easier that way and we weren't the type that wanted a big wedding or anything like that, so we kept it very quiet. We got married and went on our honeymoon and everything seemed fine. Everything was fine until...well...I found out that she was cheating on me. She had fallen in love with one of her cousins and had been seeing him behind my back for quite a while. I had been waiting on the divorce to be finalized and it was a while ago, but we were still dealing with small things here and there. I haven't been with her for over 2 years now but last time we were all in Kuwait she had called my brother's law firm to deal with more paperwork that I didn't even know was even possible. I'm completely over her and have been for some time. But I just need you to know the truth. I'm so, so sorry for not telling you this before. I think I'm starting to fall in love with you and I know that I've had a horrible way of showing it these last few weeks. We've been drifting apart and I was just so scared to tell you but I knew I had to, so I've been forcing myself to stay away and hopefully then I wouldn't hurt you. But I needed to tell you everything..."
"Wow...I don't even know where to begin....I'm..speechless. I know we haven't known each other for a long time, but it's been a while now and...I can't believe you didn't tell me this. But..I sort of understand..It's a big thing to put out there...I'm happy you trust me to tell me this..I just...I just can't see things the same knowing that you've kept this from me for so long. I'm going to need some space..."
"Jawa...please don't say this means we can't talk or see each other..I know we haven't much lately..but..I'll miss you. I'll miss you a lot..."
Jawa's eyes were tearing up now..she couldn't believe that he could keep something so big from her..all this time he was getting her to fall in love with a lie..first there was Khalid and now this..
"Khalid lied to me, hurt me, humiliated me. I trusted you, I was hesitant but I did. I thought you were different...We need to take some time apart...."
Jawa started to get up and realized she was still wearing his sweater. She noticed it was the sweater he was wearing the day they had shared their first kiss. She remembered him holding her close and her face nuzzled up against the sweater that smelled like him, how cozy it had been...More tears started to form.
"I'll see you at the wedding, Fawaz." she said, handed him his sweater, and walked out of the pool area without looking back.
"I think I'm going to get this one! What do you think? I think I found it. I can't believe it. This is it!"
"Raniaaa can't you just wait a few weeks? They'll have brand new things and then you'll have all the options you want, instead of getting it just to get something."
"Ugh, Jawa I swear having sensible friends is so boring. But I guess you're right, I have time to get the right dress before the wedding. It's so weird, our best friend is getting married in 3 weeks. It feels like we just got back to the states and now we're going right back."
"I know! It feels like just yesterday we were joking about the day one of us gets married and what we'll wear and all of that. And Nawar is all grown up. Imagine her being a wife. The poor guy!"
"Ehemmm, guys I'm right here remember. I can still hear you! And I think I'm going to be the cutest wife ever. Aziz is the luckiest man alive."
"OMG it just hit me you're gonna move out soon. Nooo Nawar, you can't get married now. Okay okay, we all have to sleep in the same bed until you go so we can get sick of you and be ready to kick you out."
"Hahaha wow Jawa, perfect idea as always. What we would do without you."
"Sarcasm is going unappreciated!"
"So Rania, you know at the wedding Wassim is going to be there..maybe you want to talk to him before then?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot you're having a mixed wedding..."
"LIES! You are SO the last person to forget that, ahaha, we know you better than that!" said Jawa as she was the first to leave the little boutique on the corner.
"Okay okay, maybe I remembered..but I am trying to forget. It's going to be weird seeing him. I mean, we ran into each other a couple of times but that's it. Annnnnd we all heard he was supposed to get engaged to some girl he met in NY. She's probably snotty and rude and thinks she's so cool because she lives in NY...But really who cares."
"Yeah...totally sounds like you don't care."
"I agree with Jawa, totally don't care...ignore my eye rolling...Anyways, that's a total rumor and we've discussed that it's a total rumor a million and one times. I'd know, my family would know, and you would know if it was true. It is absolutely not."
"Pshh...if you say so."
Later that day...
"Aloo?"
"Hey, I want to talk."
"Fawaz, you called, I answered, we are talking, whatsup?"
"Haha no Jawa, like really talk..."
"Okay, shfeek? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, well sort of...Can we meet?"
"I'm going out later, so I'm sort of busy. Come over and I'll meet you at the pool?"
"Sounds good. I'm on my way."
"Yalla bye."
As Fawaz pulled up Jawa's heart dropped. She remembered how just recently she was so mesmerized by him and how she'd hang on his every word. Now they barely saw each other and he was becoming more and more distant. She thought he was just getting over things and that she should try and do the same. It was hard but it had begun working and slowly she was getting more and more over him.
"Hi...you look...really nice."
"Thank you? I'm in sweats and a tshirt...not the most attractive."
"La2, walla you're beautiful Jawa."
"Thanks...Fawaz what's wrong? Something obviously is.."
"Okay I need to explain something to you. Please promise me you'll listen to all of it and not hate me until I finish trying to explain everything, just give me a chance to help you understand the situation."
"Umm...okay...I'm listening"
They sat down at one of the tables by the pool and it had gotten cold so Fawaz gave Jawa his sweatshirt. She was hesitant to take it but it was too cold not to.
"When I first came to the states, everyone knew me as a party boy and the type of guy that just screws around with girls. I know you knew me as that type of guy, and most of my friends did too. Only a few of my friends knew what I'm about to tell you. It all happened so fast and at first we didn't want anyone to know, then after what happened, I especially didn't want anyone to know. I was hurt and humiliated. I was married before.."
The shock was more than Jawa had expected at all. In her wildest dreams she hadn't expected to hear that...He was so young, when did he even have the time to be married and be unmarried by now? Was he even unmarried? How could he have lied to her? The questions were unending, all from those four words.
"Oh."
"We were really young, right out of high school. But we were in love and sure that it was the right thing to do. No one had known we were together because it was easier that way and we weren't the type that wanted a big wedding or anything like that, so we kept it very quiet. We got married and went on our honeymoon and everything seemed fine. Everything was fine until...well...I found out that she was cheating on me. She had fallen in love with one of her cousins and had been seeing him behind my back for quite a while. I had been waiting on the divorce to be finalized and it was a while ago, but we were still dealing with small things here and there. I haven't been with her for over 2 years now but last time we were all in Kuwait she had called my brother's law firm to deal with more paperwork that I didn't even know was even possible. I'm completely over her and have been for some time. But I just need you to know the truth. I'm so, so sorry for not telling you this before. I think I'm starting to fall in love with you and I know that I've had a horrible way of showing it these last few weeks. We've been drifting apart and I was just so scared to tell you but I knew I had to, so I've been forcing myself to stay away and hopefully then I wouldn't hurt you. But I needed to tell you everything..."
"Wow...I don't even know where to begin....I'm..speechless. I know we haven't known each other for a long time, but it's been a while now and...I can't believe you didn't tell me this. But..I sort of understand..It's a big thing to put out there...I'm happy you trust me to tell me this..I just...I just can't see things the same knowing that you've kept this from me for so long. I'm going to need some space..."
"Jawa...please don't say this means we can't talk or see each other..I know we haven't much lately..but..I'll miss you. I'll miss you a lot..."
Jawa's eyes were tearing up now..she couldn't believe that he could keep something so big from her..all this time he was getting her to fall in love with a lie..first there was Khalid and now this..
"Khalid lied to me, hurt me, humiliated me. I trusted you, I was hesitant but I did. I thought you were different...We need to take some time apart...."
Jawa started to get up and realized she was still wearing his sweater. She noticed it was the sweater he was wearing the day they had shared their first kiss. She remembered him holding her close and her face nuzzled up against the sweater that smelled like him, how cozy it had been...More tears started to form.
"I'll see you at the wedding, Fawaz." she said, handed him his sweater, and walked out of the pool area without looking back.
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