That Winter You Came (Completed)

season 2: Episode 5

One day .. One month .. One year.
Time doesn't really matter when you wait.
One hour.. One minute .. One second.
Even half a second is so precious when you meet that someone you waited for so long.
We can't be fair in love.
Seing Nadia again was in the fall of 2013.
Such a good year it was.. Because it gave me the chance of meeting Nadia twice without me trying to do that.
I was walking to my college when i was surprised to find Nadia standing at our college's gate.
She was wearing a white blouse with a hospital's tag on it. A black scarf .. Black shoes and black everything.
I was walking with Walid when my eyes fell on her. And for a moment i thought i was turning insane and started seeing hallucinations.
Thank god Walid was with me.
He patted on my shoulder and said:
_" i'll let you have some chat with your girl"
Only then the smile found its way to my face.
I felt like flying the rest of my way towards her.
Once her eyes fell on me she waved my direction so hard like a little baby and gave me the world's biggest smile.
_" what are you doing here?" I asked right away.
_" you look so happy to see me" she said shamelessly.
I nodded.
_"how have you been?" She asked.
_"good..you?"
_"busy.. Very busy"
She shifted her gaze to look inside the college for a second.. And then she looked at me again and said:
_" i need your handsome face for a little publicity"
I looked at her confused. But without even explaining what was going on she ordered right away:
_" follow me!"
Arriving at the middle of the college yard i saw a white van with a big red crescent on it and fliers about blood donation hang on it.
_" you're here for blood donation?" i asked looking at Nadia.
She looked at me sneakily and said:
_" i'm using this excuse to come here see you Mr cold Rayan.. Now i need you to attract me as many volunteers as you could, so as we quickly finish with this . and we get some time to talk"
I obediently held a sign with a big ad on it and stood in the middle of public.
I'm not good in using words.. Nor i can tell my feelings the way she does.
So i can only sum what my heart felt with one word:
"Happiness"
When i started doing the "publicity", only female volunteers came .. Many of them already weighed below 50 kg so Nadia didn't accept to draw blood from them.
But once Nadia stood beside me for mere minutes. God landed his mercy on all the boys of our college.
Those jerks stood in a row to give their blood acting like if they took the responsibility to build our nation.
I swear they just wanted a certain beautiful female hand to manipulate theirs.
At some point i really felt my blood boiling in my veins when i saw "Zakaria Saifi" sitting in front of Nadia .. Staring at her like if he wanted to suck her face with his eyes.
So i calmly walked towards her and asked:
_" didn't you collect enough blood already?"
She gave my question a bit of thinking .. And then she answered:
_" i guess not, but at this rate we'll finish really quick.. The students in your college are really generous!"
She then looked at Zakaria with that smile of hers and all i wanted to do was to pop his eyeballs out.
I always felt uncontrollably jealous with Nadia. That girl could take anyone's heart with one smile and one word.
Since her heart never belonged to me, i took it as my responsibility to get rid of any possible competition.
And out of all competitors i had of course it was "Salim Darroze" who made me feel like a veteran in jealousy.
I remember it was the eve of our last day in first year of high school. As to why i remember that date with such precision .. It was because i almost commited a jealousy crime that day.
I was playing with my nephew in my older brother's "fake" jewelry shop when Salim and some girl walked in the shop.
That girl looked like a female version of Salim putting a scarf .. She was his sister for sure.
And my mood hit the bottom right away.
I stood up properly .. And watched as those two circled the shop very bothered.
_" she puts on a scarf doesn't she?" The girl asked.
So Salim nodded his freaking red face like if he had a broken neck.
There was only one girl in this universe that would make his face turn so red like a hell of tomato. And that of course was the very girl who tormented my thoughts.
Nadia Hamidi.
Realising that he was there in the shop probably to buy her some gift i had to step in. So i very cooly walked closer to them. And then i asked:
_" can i help you?"
Salim looked at me with a smile right away and greeted:
_" hey man .. I see you're here"
That thick headed had no idea how much i wanted to kick him to death. Did he?
_" where else should i be .. This is my shop" i lied.
He nodded uncomfortable.
_" where can i find the newest scarf pins? .. You know, the ones with shiny materials that would appease to a girl" the sister said.
Making her brother blush like a freaking bride.
I just so bothered pointed to some corner and went back to the cashier desk.
Selling Salim that silver pin was one of the hardest things i ever did.
It was Like if i sold him a wedding ring.. Like if i handed him my heart with my own hands.
And i spent that whole evening imagining What expression would Nadia have on her face when she gets that gift.
The next day in school i couldn't help but stare at her the whole time.
Even when she had a seat at the back rows. I still turned my head behind me and looked at her.
Although i made all that obvious effort. She still didn't look my direction even for once. Instead, she looked at Salim.
It was frustrating of course.. So frustrating.
At the end of that day i was leaning on our class door's frame.i watched as the couple walked shyly beside each other. And i couldn't do a thing.
It's fine to be jealous.. But it destructive to be jealous without a hope of winning.
_" you could have had her first you know?" A female voice suddenly hushed.
I turned my head only to find Layla. My newly Ex at the time. Leaning on the other side of the frame.
_" i know" i sighed.
_" are you going to do anything about it?"
I didn't reply to that.
She walked in front of me holding her bag on one shoulder. And then she suggested:
_" how about you walk me home for the last time. You were the one to break up with me first.. So this is the least you could do"
I didn't even think it well.. I just started walking and she walked beside me.
We didn't say a single word along the way.. We just walked like machines until we suddenly met Nadia when we turned around the corner.
She was holding that shiny scarf pin high and smiling like a little girl.
And i felt like my feet suddenly weighed a ton. I couldn't walk closer.
But i did.. And once her eyes fell on me and Layla. The smile was just washed out of her face.
On a scale of ten. That hurt like 9.
I couldn't take it..
Why would she smile to him but give me that awful look?
How could she have the heart to make me feel so miserable?
I barely walked few steps away from her when the demon inside of me shouted:
"enough!"
I stopped walking. I looked at Layla and said:
_" i'm sorry .. I can't walk you home"
She smiled for me honestly and asked:
_" you really do love her, don't you?"
_" take care of your self"
She nodded.. And then she suggested:
_" wave me good bye.. I don't want to remember you as the guy who dumbed me heartlessly until the very last moment"
So i did it.
I waved her good bye and i turned to walk back to Layla right away.
I was angry .. I was a hell of angry.
I looked at the pin in her hand and wanted to smash it under my feet.
I don't remember what i exactly said to her. But what i remember clearly was how cold she looked at me.
And i remember her saying:
_" i loved you you dumb and you broke my heart. And now i only wish you never talk to me again"
At that moment, i felt like a knife went through me..
"She loved me once" .. "But she doesn't anymore"
She left me right away.. Without waiting for some explanation or any bullshit i could say.
She condemned me, took me out of her heart, and didn't even listen to me..
I was so enraged at that moment .. Super jealous.
And super stupid.
So i did what every veteran of jealousy would do.
I stupidly went to Salim's.
I asked to talk to him.. And once we were out in the street i looked at his confused face and shouted:
_ " i love Nadia ! .. I always did! .. I won't stand to the side and let you take her so easily. You better do all your might because i'm taking her back"
With that being said. I could finally breathe.
Thinking back those moments of utter stupidity. I came to 2 realisations:
1- Salim was the first one to know about my love for Nadia after all
2- my strategy against my rivals was always to declare war.
I can be a calm of a person.. But with Nadia i turn crazy.
Back at the van in the college, i looked at the boy standing next in the row and i felt so displeased.
I handed him the big ad i was holding and ordered:
_" you go call for volunteers since you look very into doing good today"
He walked out of the row confused so i took his place right away.
Nadia watched the whole situation surprised and asked:
_" why did you do that for?"
_" it was very bothersome" i answered simply.
_" are you willing to give blood?"
_" yes, whatever, just take what you still need from me and let's finish with this"
She gave my suggestion a lot of thinking. And then she finally said:
_" i can at most take two packs from you. You have a death wish or what?"
_" he tried to commit suicide few months ago . you know?" Zakaria so stupidly interrupted.
I was going to snap at him but it was Nadia who intervened.
She gave him a deadly look and explained:
_" why would he commit suicide when he already promised to come for me!  He knows i'm still waiting and i know he's the man of his words. Such false accusations bothers me a lot!"

With that being said. the men who were standing like little poppets waiting for their turn in the row realised that the beauty they were drooling over was already taken by this gentleman.
So.. Half of them Dismissed them selves already. And the other half kept standing there halfhearted just out of pure shame.
I observed the whole situation very satisfied. Indeed a man's word takes down a soldier, a woman's word takes down a whole army.