Forever Yours 16

I was waiting for Manal when she got to the café so I could see all the appreciative looks she got, I felt so insecure next to her gorgeousness, Images of her and Ghaith together kept rushing through my head like a bad dream.
“Deema you look great” She said, she looked surprised at my new look. Thank god I was wearing a hot outfit, Skinny jeans, killer heels, a turquoise belted cream dress. I looked natural unlike her bleached blondness. I felt a little more confident now that I could see her eyeing me up like I was competition. I knew her so well that I understood her look from a mile away.
“So you didn’t tell me what are you doing here?” I asked, I couldn’t remember the last time there was an awkward silence between Manal and I.
“Well I decided to study in the US after all” she said “AUS wasn’t what I expected”
I knew there were things she was keeping from me but I didn’t want to pry.
“Deema I miss our friendship” she said pouting.
I smiled but I felt a lump in my throat, I remembered the stupid fight we had before she left for the summer, who knew things would turn out this way.
“Manal I feel bad too but I think it’s for the best, now that Ghaith and I are married” I didn’t want to sound like I was showing off but I needed to remind her what the problem was.
She stared at me, playing with her cup of tea.
“Deema I need to tell you something about what happened, I want to start a new page in my life and I don’t want to leave anything unfinished. Ghaith and I were never a couple, he was never interested in a relationship with me and that hurt. I was never rejected before and I don’t know why I lied to you but…”
“Manal are you serious?” It was like someone had dumped an ice cold bucket of water on my head.
She looked down and nodded “Bas he told me he loved someone in the UK and that’s why I was so shocked when you said you were getting married”
I didn’t know if this was one of her lies or the truth, anyway I knew that she was trying to cause problems.
“Manal the past is the past, don’t you think we should be grown ups about this, I mean it’s kid of pathetic”
“You’re calling me pathetic, intee il pathetic ilay tdawreen my leftovers” she said curling her lip in disgust.
I plastered a smile on my face although I wanted to slap her badly.
“Shaklee ana I was wrong to come here in the first place” I said getting up to leave.
“Deema please don’t, you're my only true friend”
“Bas shaklech you were never a friend to me” I said as I walked out of the café, silent tears streaming down my face, was I that desperate all these years thinking Manal was a real friend to me.

When I got to the apartment I wasn’t in the mood to face anyone but I couldn’t just escape to my room so I sat there with the family, faking laughs and smiles all night. When I finally went to the room I was exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions. Dalal sent me a couple of messages asking if I was ok but I wasn’t in the mood to discuss anything. I changed into my short sleeved Betty Boop pjs, wore a robe and sat in the balcony so I could get some fresh air. I felt suffocated and tired, Ghaith came in to the room a while later and was staring at me strangely so I just smiled at him.

He came and sat on the chair next to me and lit up a cigarette.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, he looked like he was ready to pick a fight with someone for me.
“Nothing it’s just ...” I wasn’t sure if I should bring up Manal, afraid I would ruin his mood.
“Listen I’ll know if you’re lying and I don’t want you to hide anything from me so whatever it is tell me I won’t judge” He was staring at me intently.
“It’s Manal, she called me up saying she wanted to meet up. Before you say anything I went. I regret it and I realize now that she was never the friend I hoped she was”
“Deema I don’t know what she told you but I think you need to know there was nothing between us” He reached put and held my hand in his.
“I know” I said sighing tiredly “she told me but she also said something about you and a girl in the UK but I don’t care. It just hurt coming from her”
“There’s no one other than you and there never was” he said softly, his words hinted at much more.