That Winter You Came (Completed)

season 3: Episode 6

 
How to catch a girl's heart? 
1_ don't bring her wet tissues when you notice that her dress has a wide ice cream spot in it
2_ don't smile
3_ don't act like you already owned her heart.
Because that what Issam did that day with me to make me hate his guts right from the first moments.
I remember after we met him at the hospital intrance we followed him to his car, he parked it not so far from the hospital.
After we sat inside he excused him self to go do some quick business. And Minutes after that, he came back holding a pack of wet tissues.
He sat behind his car wheel.. And when i least expected it he turned to look at me with a smile: 
_" here!" He offered as he extended his hand holding the wet tissues.
I didn't notice that when i carried kiku he dirtied my dress with his ice cream, since i was wearing a peach foulard dress the big spot stood out like an oasis in the middle of deserts.
_"oh thank you! " i quickly said a bit startled.
When i was wiping the spot Issam started driving, and when i was still wiping that spot that went from my collar all the way down here and there until my thighs i still felt his eyes examining me in the mirror, he was Ignoring the street in front of him and driving slowly .. He was undressing every curve of me with his eyes.
"Indeed a rotten" i thought .. His eyes were so sharp and his smile spread awfully when our eyes met in the mirror and he knew i caught him.
I stopped wiping even before i finished cleaning my dress .. And then i tried to ignore those eyes glued in me.
_" i didn't know your wife had a sister" Issam suddenly commented breaking the long silence in the car.
Kiku was sleeping in his father's lap, and the couple were so consumed with their own problems to notice what Issam was indicating.
_"i'm a cousin" i lied impatiently.
But Sohaib was so dumb that he laughed at my reply and said: 
_"Nadia loves to joke a lot, she's my wife's older sister" 
_"she seems very inexperienced with kids, i bet she doesn't have ones of her own yet" 
_" No" Sohaib calmly answered.
And then came that laughter.. The laughter that held a faint of cigarette scent to it, and a scent of mischief and forbidden lust, such a loud laughter explains why such a disgusting man drowns his self in perfumes.
_"how come such a beautiful woman is single .. The men around her must be blind" Issam added.
I don't remember the rest of the complementaries he said, all i remember was how happy i were when we finally reached our house.
I thought that was the end of it .. I was wrong.
Around that time i was so consumed thinking about what to buy as a present for Rayan's birthday to ever remember Issam.
And what occupied me even more than that was Rayan deciding to move to live in our house right after his graduation..
_" i won't live in his house" he explained through the phone one summer night "i'm not going back to the house i was once kicked out from" 
I never knew that Rayan's late father kicked him out of the house until that very moment.
Actually, i never asked him where he slept those summer nights when the student hostel was no longer available for him.
I always assumed that he was living with his family.. Even knowing someone for so many years, he will always keep being unknown.
I didn't want to bring this matter calling him that night, instead i gathered all the enthusiasm i had and excitedly said: 
_" it will be amazing if you live there first! You will this way find out all what's missing and repair all what's broken so when i move in too i won't have to worry about anything!" 
Rayan remained silent for a long time after i said that, i was talking to him in the balcony of my chamber that time.. The breeze was soft on the face .. And the sound of men playing domino in the cafe accross the street was breaking the silence.
_" Nadia?" Rayan suddenly called my name.
Although i was called by him for so many times i can't count, but everytime he called my name the tone of his rough voice had a different feeling to it.
And that time .. It sounded like "i finally reached you".
_"hmm" i mumbled.
_" can you turn to look at your right?" He weirdly suggested.
And once i did that.. I was surprised to find him standing under the street light holding a plastic bag. Wearing some sleeveless shirt and short pants.. Looking like he just jumped of his bed to come to our street.
And that's another thing about Rayan Amer, he's never prepared every time he comes to see me. He comes unshaved.. With a messy hair, with whatever he's wearing and however he is. For someone who doesn't know him at all Rayan might seem like coming to see his girlfriend in a last minute decision or might even be forced to come, but for the little much i know of him i've realised that once he wants to come by he wouldn't waste a minute on such formalities like looking proper because he can't even wait for that much to see me.
I would never understand the way he loves.. So that, i won't try to explain.
That night seeing him looked like seeing a landing star, hearing him sounded like hearing the sound of an angel, and i loved him more than anything.
_"what are you doing there!" I asked laughing.
_" you know Nadia?" He called again.
_"i don't know .. So tell me" 
_" i always envied someone for having the right to come stand here under your house and calling you, i always wanted those words you say to him to be for me and wanted to take his place so much i could have went crazy" 
_"who are you talking about?" I asked confused.
But he totally and weirdly chose to ignore my question, instead he said: 
_" standing here now, i worked so hard for it, i want you to know that" 
It didn't seem like he made that much of effort though, but again Rayan has always had a lack of romantic words to say in such beautiful occasions and is an expert in ruining them instead. So i decided not to give his words much of thinking. 
_" i'll remember that" i said with a smile.
And i remembered those weird words ..
Those days were like the breeze before the storm, the soft rain before the hurricane, i shall always be grateful that i lived them with him..